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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TOPEKA, KS 66612
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
VOL.104.NO.88
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1995
（USPS 650-640）
GENEBICKNELL
AGE:
62
NEWS:864-4810
POLITICAL HISTORY:
FAMILY:
Married with 5 children; 1.2
grandchildren
Former mayor of Pittsburgh;1986 Kansas gubernatorial primary candidate; active in Bush-Quaile campaign in 1988 and 1992; delegate to Republican National Convention in 1992; 1994 Kansas Republican gubernatorial primary candidate
BUSINESS:
Chairman of the board, NPC International, Inc., the world's largest Pizza Hut franchise, owner and franchiser of Skipper's Seafood Restaurants and owner and franchiser of Tony Roma's Bar-B-Que Restaurants
Source: The Associated Press
State Senate committee OKs Bicknell
KANSAN
Three Republicans vote against former candidate
By Matt Hood
Kansan staff writer
Bicknell is one step closer to a confirmed position on the Board of Regents.
The Kansas Senate Education Committee voted yesterday 6-3 to recommend Bicknell's confirmation by the Senate. The three votes against Bicknell's confirmation were cast by Republicans. One member of the 10-member committee abstained.
Bicknell had been an acting-Regents member since he was nominated by former Gov. Joan Finney in Sentember.
The Senate now will decide whether to
confirm Bicknell as the newest member of the nine-member Board.
"Education, I believe, is one of his very high priorities," Lawrence said.
State Sen. Barbara Lawrence, R-Wichita, said she was impressed with Bicknell's credentials as well as his commitment to education.
Bicknell is chairman of the board of NPC International, Inc., the world's largest Pizza Hut franchise. He is also on the board of directors of several other food and manufacturing corporations.
Bicknell, a native of Pittsburg, has held several positions at Pittsburg State University. He was also mayor of Pittsburg and ran as a Republican candidate for governor in 1986 and 1994.
After losing in the 1994 gubernatorial primary, Bicknell signed a statement saying
he would support Republican nominee Bill Graves. Bicknell later endorsed Democratic nominee Jim Slattery.
"Some people have concerns about his character because of that." he said.
State Sen. Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson and chairman of the Education Committee, said there was some resentment toward Bicknell because he did not follow through in supporting the Republican nominee.
Kerr didn't vote on Bickell's recommendation. Committee chairmen generally do not vote unless a tie-breaking vote is required.
Sen. Audrey Langworthy, R-Prairie Village, was one of the three Republicans who voted against recommending Bicknell to the Senate.
Langworthy said Bicknell's broken
promise to support Graves prevented her from supporting his nomination.
"I did not feel Gene Bicknell measured up to standards that should be set for Regents appointees," Langworthy said. "If you can't count on someone's word, what can you count on?"
State Sen. Doug Walker, D-Osawatomie, was among the four Democrats and two Republicans who voted to recommend Bicknell to the Senate.
Walker said Bicknell was one of the most qualified candidates for the Board that he had seen in six years as a committee member. He said that Republican efforts to sink Bicknell's nomination were purely partisan.
"Not to confirm him would be purely political vengeance on the part of Republicans," he said.
NEA cutbacks could take a bite out of KU
Many programs depend on federal grant money
By Virginia Marghelm Kansan staff writer
Students at the University of Kansas may never have the chance to see the treasures of pre-Columbian Costa Rica or the works of Roger Shimomura, distinguished professor of art.
Both are traveling exhibits scheduled to come to the Spencer Museum of Art and are funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Spencer Museum of Art has received about $1 million from the NEA throughout the past 12 years, said Doug Tilghman, assistant director of the museum. Although the money only equals about 6 percent of the museum's budget, Tilghman said NEA grants helped to raise more money.
But Congress is considering reducing or eliminating funding for the NEA and the National Endowment for the Humanities. A reduction in financing probably would force KU to eliminate many programs, including traveling exhibits at the art museum.
"The NEA is sort of a stamp of approval." Tlighman said.
"Whatever Congress does, the effect will be doubled." Tilghman said.
For every federal dollar provided, KU must provide at least one privately donated dollar.
If the museum loses NEA funding, graduate students training at the museum might have to be laid off, and traveling exhibits would be lost, Tilghman said.
"We will go back to organizing small shows from our own collections," he said.
Jackie Davis, director of the Lied Center, said cuts in funding from the NEA could also force cutbacks in programming at the center.
"I don't want to raise ticket prices, but we would have to look at that," Davis said. "I don't want to cut the number of programs, but we would have to look at that."
The presenting program, which brings national and international performing artists to KU, has received an average of $15,000 from the NEA every year since 1981. Davis said. The NEA also has given special grants to the program, including a $100,000 grant to help build the Lied Center.
The NEH, which provides funding for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is also being threatened with budget cuts.
Peter Casagrande, associate dean of the college, said cuts in NEH financing would hurt many programs.
"There is virtually not a department in the humanities that would not potentially be affected by this." Casagrande said.
In the past five years, the NEH has given the college more than $2.8 million, which was used to finance faculty fellowships and program grants.
Danny Anderson, associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese, is one professor who has received a grant funded by the NEH.
The grant will allow Anderson to take nine months off to research and write a book on the history of literacy in Mexico. It would not be impossible to write the book without the grant, but it would take much longer to complete, Anderson said. He said he saw NEI grants as a way for professors to be more effective teachers.
"A professor needs time off to keep fresh and alert, to make sure he is recent and up-to-date for his students," Anderson said.
If NEH funding is cut, the quality of education at KU would suffer, Anderson said.
Lisa Perry / KANSAN
The movement to reduce or eliminate funding for the NEA and NEH partially stems from the leadership of the new Congress, Casagrande said.
"In Kansas you're not going to find that kind of support forthcoming," he said. "It's much easier to match money than to start from scratch."
But Casagrande said he did not think that the same amount of financing could be found from the private sector.
"Some leaders feel funding should be privatized." Casagrande said.
Rachel Hunter, music director at KANU Radio, looks through compact discs while on the air. The station could face serious cutbacks in the future if federal financing is cut for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The station receives $283,724 from the corporation.
KANU funding in jeopardy
By Heather Kirkwood
As director of the University of Kansas' public radio station, 91.5 FM KANU, he
Special to the Kansan
For Howard Hill, congressional talk of cutting federal financing for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting isn't just a matter of lofty Washington politics. It's a threat.
knows what the cuts could mean for Lawrence and the KU community.
Depending on the severity and timing of the cuts, Hill will be faced with some difficult choices.
If all of the $283,724 that the station receives from CPB is cut at the end of the fiscal year in October, as some lawmakers have suggested, Hill will have to choose
See KANU. Page 3A.
KU officials stop plans for garages Administrators need more time to discuss the parking proposal
By Matt Hood
Kansan staff writer
University administrators have put the brakes on fee increases that would have paid for new parking garages on campus.
Administrators decided Friday that no proposal for new parking garages would be taken to the Legislature this year.
Richard Mann, University director of administration, said more discussion was needed regarding a new parking structure north of the Kansas Union and replacement garages at Jayhawk Towers.
The construction would have forced an increase in parking permit prices and parking fees.
"We were trying to rush this approval process too fast," Mann said.
Mann said that parking prices would not increase in the coming year and the time would be spent discussing the proposed garages.
The garages were proposed by Barton-Aschman Associates, Inc., a consulting firm hired to study KU's parking problems.
Mann said the consulting firm's report was not completed until December and still was not in final form.
In their January meeting, the Regents endorsed University requests to seek legislative approval of the garages.
He said that the report's late completion forced administrators to rush discussion of plans in order to meet legislative and Board of Regents deadlines.
The University would have needed legislative approval to secure the bonds necessary to build the garages.
Administrators agreed that going to the Legislature with the proposal this year would be rushing the matter. Administrators now plan to seek legislative approval at this time next year.
main said another reason for the rushed nature of discussion was reported safety problems with Jayhawker Towersparking.
Allen Wiechert, University Architect, said the parking structure at the Towers would have to be evaluated. He said concrete had fallen off in chunks from the upper lots. He said that although no one had been hurt yet, the structure needs attention.
Ed Meyen, executive vice chancellor, said the discussion of the University's parking needs would continue in the coming year.
"I think the plan is to continue to review the report and make sure everyone understands our needs." Meyen said.
T. P. Srinivasan, professor of mathematics and presiding officer of University Council, said the parking committee planned to hold open nearings and send out questionnaires to address the concerns of the University community.
"We must come up with a creative and responsive plan," he said.
Kansas sophomore guard Jacque Vaughn leads the No. 3 Kansas men's basketball teamback into the Big Eight Conference race against Colorado at 7:05 tonight in Allen Field House.
Page 5
New Star Trek continues groundbreaking tradition
First woman captain sparks viewer interest
By Brian Vandervliet Kansan staff writer
In 1966, the world was introduced to the Star Trek universe of phasers, transporters and a Vulcan named Spock.
Almost 30 years later, the legend continues with the introduction of the new television series "Star Trek: Voyager." The show, which can be seen on KSMO Channel 62 on Monday nights at 7, had its debut two weeks ago.
James Gunn, professor emeritus of English and director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, said that Star Trek had remained popular because of its vision of the future.
"I think Star Trek tends to suggest a hope for the future that a lot of people would like to believe," he said.
Gunn said the three Star Trek series were different from other shows because of the guiding principles of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. The show has never relied on crushing enemies as a theme, he said.
"Bringing people to justice was never what Star Trek was about," he said. "It was to seek knowledge—to boldly go where no one had gone before."
Dunn said he expected the new show to continue the tradition.
"Star Trek: Voyager" has broken from tradition, however, with the introduction of the series' first female captain — Captain Catherine Janeway.
The change in command has sparked the interest of some Star Trek fans.
Halstead told he was disappointed when Janeway showed too much patience with
crew members in a recent episode.
"I think a female playing the captain has a lot of interesting possibilities, but they'll have to be careful with it," said T. J. Halstead, Topека senior. "They're trying to have her both hard-nosed and sensitive."
"Star Trek-Voyager" has also introduced a Native American First Officer and a Black Vulcan Security Officer to the cast of characters.
But despite the show's more diverse cast, at least one fan of the new series said that race was not a focus of the show.
"I laughed a lot at the fact that they were able to poke fun at the whole technology," he said.
"It is the only noncartoon show I plan to watch on a regular basis," he said.
Pathak said that one of his favorite characters was Doc Zimmerman, a holographic emergency medic.
"I think Star Trek disregards the races and looks at personality issues," said Bogdan Pathak, Albuquerque, N. M., freshman. "I think they have a good idea."
Shawn Weber, Topeka sophomore, said he preferred the previous series, "Star Trek:The Next Generation" but that he planned to follow the new series.
“
Bringing people to justice was never what Star Trek was about. It was to seek knowledge—to boldly go where no one had gone before." James Gunn Professor emeritus of English
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