A Look Back...
Fall 2003
3
On October 2, 300 hundred people gathered for the ribbon cutting to celebrate
the addition of Fiedler Hall to the Durland-Rathbone-Fiedler complex. The
ceremony had many guest speakers, including then Kansas Governor, Bill
Graves; Jon Wefald, president of K-State; and Alice Fiedler, guest of honor.
Speakers thanked Mrs. Fiedler for her generosity and talked about the
opportunities and resources that the new addition would provide.
For the first time since their completion in 1963, the 18 spillway gates at Tuttle
Creek Dam were opened. Thousands of people were affected by the floodwater,
causing questions about the dam and its resource management. Steve Prockish,
a 1983 KSU graduate, commented on the situation and explained why and how
decisions concerning the dam were made. Prockish said that although it may
have been possible to prevent the local flooding, the damage further
downstream that would have resulted was much more costly.
Students at KSU face a new dilemma in the form of a student engineering fee.
Following a visit from the ABET accreditation team the previous year, K-State
found itself in need of replacing and updating $900,000 worth of lab equipment.
The proposed fee would provide an extra $400,000 per year for this use.
Students, however, are torn over the matter. Engineering Student Council
members are working with Dean Rathbone on the issue.
K-State has a new dean of Engineering, Dr. Donald E. Rathbone. Dean Rathbone
stated that there are three areas where the college should excel: teaching,
research and extension. He also stated that his personal goals are closely tied to
that of the College and he plans to spend most of his time working in that area.
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