xt7tht2gbk5j https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7tht2gbk5j/data/mets.xml The Kentucky Kernel Kentucky -- Lexington The Kentucky Kernel 1994-01-12 Earlier Titles: Idea of University of Kentucky, The State College Cadet newspapers  English   Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. The Kentucky Kernel  The Kentucky Kernel, January 12, 1994 text The Kentucky Kernel, January 12, 1994 1994 1994-01-12 2020 true xt7tht2gbk5j section xt7tht2gbk5j  

 

 

 

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KKK? Carry Refit

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JAN 1 2 l994

 

Residence Life director search to begin

 

By Lance Williams
News Editor

 

A campuswide search is sched-
uled to begin next week to fill the
position left vacant by a UK admin-
istrator who committed suicide last
month.

Former Director of Residence
Life Bob Clay's body was found in
Barn No. 9 at UK‘s Main Chance
Farm on Dec. 14. The coroner’s of-
fice said Clay shot himself in the
head.

James Kuder, vice chancellor for

Student Affairs, said yesterday he
has taken over Clay's duties in the
interim and will continue to serve in
both positions until a suitable re-
placement can be found for Clay.

Kuder said the job will be an-
nounced on campus for the next two
weeks and applications will be tak-
en. He said a national search will
begin the following week if “no
suitable candidates" are found.

Kuder said he hopes to have a
new director in place by the end of
the spring semester or early this
summer.

James Ploskonka, who served as
associate director of Residence Life
under Clay. was asked by Kuder in
a meeting and in a letter dated Dec.
23 to stay away from the Office of
Residence Life and the UK campus
until Jan. 3. Kuder also advised him
not to have any dealings with “Uni-
versity financial matters, University
assets or University property or oth-
er such matters" until a financial
audit of the Office of Residence
Life is finished.

The audit, which is supposed to
be completed soon, surrounds pur-

chases made through the Office of
Residence Life's “Pride” account.

The account was set up to pay for
repair costs at campus residence
halls. it also was used to purchase
items, like microwaves and televi’
sions. for each hall.

In a letter to Kuder dated Dec. 10,
Clay mentioned having a “painting
party" for Ploskonka, He wrote that
the party was to be at Ploskonka’s
house and that he wanted to buy
paint from the same place the Uni-

See REPLACEMENT, Page A6

 

 

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a campus bookstore.

 

ALL BOOKED UP

 

industrial hygiene graduate student Alison Foye takes a moment to peruse one of her course texts while on a recent visit to

 

JUGS FORBUBWKemel Stall

 

 

UK may keep
engineering,
dental schools

 

By Don Puckett
Senior Staff Writer

 

Federal health care reform may allow UK to keep both its engineering

and dental schools.

Gov. Brereton Jones‘ Higher Education Review Commission, which
adopted 14 recommendations for higher education reform on Dec. 20,
called for a top 25 engineering school at UK and recommended that UK be
allowed to keep its College of Dentistry.

The council rejected a compromise that would have closed the UK dental
school, making the University of Louisville‘s dental school the only one in
the state. The rejected plan would have used the money saved from closing
the dental school to pay for the engineering school improvements.

During the review process, federal Medicaid rules were changed, extend-
ing dental coverage to every Kentuckian below the poverty level. With the
new Medicaid coverage, about 200,000 additional Kentuckians would be

eligible for dental care.

indigent dental (are currently is financed by the state‘s general fund, but
under the federal reforms. about 70 percent of the expenses will be covered

by Medicaid.

See DENTAL, Page A6

Telephone services
increased on campus

 

By Lance Williams
News Editor

Students already may have real-
ized that many campus telephone
numbers have changed. but there
also are several changes in the tele-
phone services offered by the Uni-
versity.

In an agreement with GTE. UK
was able to lease a new telephone
switching system that allows the
University to vastly increase its
number of telephone lines.

Rick Wilrnott, associate director

 

e ‘

an“- ,5. ”he. «Haw—mu

of Communications Marketing and
Consulting Services for UK. said
the school “had only a couple of
hundred lines to spare" under the
old system.

The new switcher provides grow—
ing room for UK. which will be-
come increasingly important as
more computer modems rue con-
nected to the canpus telephone net-
work.

The new services, which Wilmott
said UK probably will begin offer-
ing in packages by February. me

See PHONE, Page M

Motive for Clay ’s suicide
in December unknown

 

By Doug Saretsky
Staff Writer

 

Robert Alan “Bob" Clay, a Uni-
versity administrator who had lived
in a UK residence hall since he was
18 and had risen to the head of
UK‘s Office of Residence Life, was
found dead Dec.l4 at UK's Maine
Chance Farm on Newtown Pike.

The Fayette County Coroner's
Office said .Clay died of a self-
infiicted gunshot wound to the
head.

Clay, who was 42, served as
UK's director of Residence Life.
overseeing the operation of campus
residence halls. He was responsible
for for a staff of more than 350 peo-
ple and and an annual budget of
more than Si million.

A witness who saw Clay leave his
residence in Holmes Hall the night
before his body was found told po-
lice. “Mr. Clay wasn’t spoken to
and and didn‘t speak to anyone. He
didn‘t look upset. He looked like he
had somewhere to go."

Officials had no explanation why
Clay would have committed sui-
cide. but Clay mentioned an audit of
his office finances in a letter to his
supervisor, Vice Chancellor for Stu-
dent Affairs James Kuder.

The letter was dated Dec. 10.
1993, and was found in Clay‘s of-
fice after Clay committed suicide.

it mentioned a particular account
in which University auditors appar-
ently were interested. The account,
known as the “Pride" account, pro-
vides incentives for reducing dam-
age to UK residence halls. Money is

set aside to fix
any damages
caused by stu-
dents, and funds
left over are
used to but
items like televi-
sions and micro—
wave ovens for
the residence
CLAY balls.

The letter also mentioned that
Clay had held a “painting party" for
James Ploskonka, associate director
of Residence Life, at Ploskonka's
house.

Clay wrote that he had wanted to
buy the paint with his own money
from the University’s vendor to get
a better deal, and that someone he
had talked to in UK Housing told
him to charge the paint to UK and
not worry about repayment.

Clay said in the letter that he told
the vendor to bill a UK checking ac-
count for the paint.

Clay also wrote that this same ac-
count had “been used during and
before my time for everything from
purchasing expensive jewelry for
retirement gifts to liquor."

Clay told Kuder he had decided
to take his own life because of the
pressure being placed on him by the
investigation.

“Our friend the auditor spoke of
fraud and grand juries," Clay wrote
to Kuder. “i had no mental or physi-
cal energy left in me after this se-
mester to deal with that kind of
thing."

 

See CLAY, Page A6

Incidents at sororities may be linked

 

By Anne Jackson
Contributing Writer

 

A rash of burglaries at UK sorori-
ty houses appears to be connected
with sightings of a prowler in the
Columbia Terrace area in Novem-
ber and December, police say.

Sigma Kappa. Alpha Xi Delta
and Alpha Gamma Delta social so-
rority houses all have been burglar~

enthusiastic in
Story, Page A2.
~UK’s Student G
Association is tryi
to get students inv-
state government. S
A4.

oPhone registration tro
basketball Cats Final F
appearance top 1993 ca
stories. Story, Page A7.

SPORTS:
OGym Cats open exciting new
season. Story, Page 81.
~Curse haunts Wildcats at
Peach Bowl. Story, Page B1.
New Year‘s Eve appearanc
leaves football player Marty
Moore with a bitter taste in
mouth. Story, Page 81.

WEATHER:
oCIoudy today with a
percent chance of r
around 40.

Mostly cloudy t-
the mid-20s.
Mostly cloudy ,
tomorrow; high

 

ized.

Witnesses have observed a man
catching the doors to sorority hous-
es as residents left, preventing the
doors from latching, said Stephanie
Bastin, crime prevention coordina-
tor for the UK Police Department.
The man would later enter the
house through the unlocked door.

UK police reports describe the
burglar as a black male in his early

205, 6 feet tall. between 190 and
200 pounds with a muscular build.
He always wears shorts and occa-
sionally a coat.

“We have some ideas on some
people who are actually bold
enough to walk in like that," UK
Police Chief W.H. McComas said.
“We have some suspects, but they
are not University-related."

The burglar was confronted by

 

residents of the Sigma Kappa and
Alpha Gamma houses after he was
found inside. He told them he
thought he was someplace else and
left.

McComas said the man's expla-
nation is typical of a burglar who is
questioned.

Alpha Xi Delta was burglarized

See SORORITY, Page A4

    

 

 

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