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KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TOPEKA, KS 66612
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2,1994
VOL.104,NO.70
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
(USPS 650-640)
NEWS: 864-4810
GATT gains approval in Senate
KU students, Kansas residents both to feel effects of agreement
By Ashley Miller Kansan staff writer
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade cleared its final congressional hurdle yesterday, and some KU professors feel the free trade agreement will affect the state of Kansas, as well as students at KU.
GATT passed 76-24 in the Senate last night after being approved in the House of Representatives Tuesday. GATT is a trade agreement between 124 nations designed to prevent countries from erecting barriers to the flow of free trade.
Agha Rizvii, professor of economics, said the agreement would produce jobs and protect technological advances in the United States.
"I expected it to pass," Rizvi said. "In the long run it will be good for the United States."
The new agreement, which originally was created during World War II in an attempt to reduce trade barriers, will increase worldwide trade by more than $100 billion during the next several years. Rizvi said.
GATT cuts tariffs by about 38 percent on goods and services such as buttons, bulldozers and suits. The agreement also will entirely eliminate tariffs on some products, including beer, toys and paper products. GATT will also create a new group, called the World Trade Organization, which will handle all international trade disputes.
Rizvi said one advantage of GATT was the protection of intellectual property, such as patents and copyrights. The old GATT agreement did not protect it. he said.
Now a country will have to buy another country's technology to copy one of its products. The protection is important to KU students because of its affect on future technology.
"It depends on what you are studying," he said. "But people with higher skills will have a better future."
The free trade agreement also will affect Kansas in agricultural terms, Rizzi said.
By cutting tariffs, the agreement probably will make U.S. agricultural products more competitive in foreign markets, which could mean an $8.5 billion increase in farm exports by 2005.
Rizvi said the agreement also would affect the number of jobs available in the United States. Supporters of the agreement have said that GATT would increase jobs in manufacturing and service industries.
"It will create quite a few jobs, but in the short run it might not be so," he said.
Mehrene Larudee, acting assistant professor of economics, said she thought the studies conducted to form GATT were overoptimistic in the numbers of jobs that would be created.
"The ability of GATT to create jobs has been somewhat exaggerated." Larudee said.
Although Larudee said she did not know all of the details of the agreement, she said she did not agree with GATT because some of its provisions shifted power away from the government to corporations.
"I did not support it but not because I don't support the idea of free trade," Larueed said.
The Associated Press contributed information to this story.
Several Lawrence computer bulletin boards are introducing people to a new way of socializing that doesn't require you leave your home. Page 3A.
Computer connections
"You decide if your potential is limited or limitless. We go hours, days and minutes without thinking of the disease. We only think about living." Michael Johnson, person living with AIDS
Sean R. Crosier / KANSAN
Couple speaks about AIDS
Joshua Stigers, Kansas City, Kan., sophomore and Marjorie Candlin, a greeter for Spencer Art Museum, study the AIDS quilt at the art museum. The quilt lists names of AIDS victims and will be on display in the art museum until Dec. 11.
Michael and Sherie Johnson, a married couple from Milton, Wis., talk to students at the Kansas Union Ballroom for one of the events recognizing World AIDS Day. The couple speaks around the country about living with AIDS.
Meghan Dougherty / KANSAN
Michael Johnson finally decided he was not going to hide from his disease.
By Shannon Newton Kansan staff writer
After he discovered he had AIDS in June 1991, he was scared, and he decided to hide.
"I hid behind stereotypes," he said. "This could not pertain to my lifestyle. My past choices could not have any repercussions."
But Johnson, who spoke to an audience of about 350 people last night in the Kansas Union Ballroom as part of World AIDS Day observances on campus, said that when his wife, Sherie, was diagnosed as being HIV positive, he decided to come out of hiding.
Johnson said that he and his wife decided to talk to students across the country to dispel the stereotypes about the disease. The speech was sponsored by SUA, Watkins Health Center and the Douglas County AIDS Project.
"We never really decided to talk to people about AIDS," he said. "But we wanted to define the disease ourselves. We didn't want others to define it for us."
He said he wanted to do more than walk out on a limb to teach people about the disease and the issues surrounding it.
"I want to walk out on the limb and jump up and down," he said.
He said that he and his wife did not want to force what they thought about the disease on other people.
"America needs to have more discussions rather than lectures and shouting matches," he said.
Michael Johnson said that he received two sobering phone calls about the possibility of him being HIV positive.
"I got a call from an ex-girlfriend," he said. "She told me 'My ex-boyfriend has AIDS. I'm HIV positive. Get a test. Then she hung up."
He said that he thought it was a bad joke at first but that his wife convinced him it was serious and that he needed a test.
Johnson tested negative, and they went on with their life.
"I had everything that I could dream of, a good job and a family," he said. "I had my arms wrapped around the American梦."
Then, Johnson said, his love story took a tragic twist.
In June 1991, Johnson was playing frisbee with his two dogs and woke up the next day with a rash that he thought was poison ivy.
"I went to the doctor, and he gave me a shot to get rid of the poison ivy," he said.
Ten minutes later while driving home, Johnson said he passed out and wrecked his car.
For the next 12 days, Johnson remained in the hospital taking tests to see why his immune system was too weak to absorb the shot.
Johnson said he was tested for everything from leukemia to arthritis. And on his 12th day in the hospital, he was told the doctors could not find anything wrong with him. and he was released.
But the next day his celebration was over. Johnson received his second call about his chance of being HIV positive, this time from his doctor.
"One call was bad enough," he said.
"But I had to get two."
Johnson was told he had full-blown AIDS. While a healthy person has a T-cell count of 300, his T-cell count was three.
Johnson said that after he found out he had AIDS, his biggest fear was telling his wife.
Three days later, Sherie Johnson tested positive with HIV
Christine Nelson, Wilmette, Ill., junior, said she came to the lecture because she cared about the issue of AIDS.
"It was a lecture that I wasn't expecting though," she said. "I expected them to be very sobering. They are dynamic with a good sense of humor."
Paul Wolters, SUA President,
said he was pleased with the lecture
the organization had organized.
"Everyone needs to be more aware of the issue, and World AIDS Day makes the issue that much more important." he said. "The AIDS epidemic touches all of us."
Activity fee could be raised to $35
By James Evans
If the full Student Senate takes the advice of the Senate finance committee, the Student. Activity fee will be increased from $28 to $35 next fall.
Kansan staff writer
"We haven't had funds to support groups like we would like to," said Stephanie Guerin, head of the Senate finance committee.
The activity fee, which is included in each student's tuition, goes to Student Senate. The Senate then allocates the money to campus organizations.
She said the financial needs of groups on campus had grown faster than the level of funding that Senate could provide.
Guinir said the committee made the recommendation based on 40 hours of investigation and research into how to create an adequate budget to support organizations on campus.
Some student organizations receive block allocations, or lump sums of money, from Senate on a one-year or two-year basis to use at their discretion. Chad Browning, Student Senate treasurer, said that campus groups that were receiving block allocations had been finding finances from
"It's our turn to help them more in paying for things," he said.
sources other than Senate.
The increase to $35 would allow organizations to receive the current level of funds adjusted to the inflation rate, Browning said. He said the increase was based on a 3.5 percent inflation rate. The increase would give the Senate a $1.5 million budget for fiscal year 1996 to distribute and to help pay off the $83,100 shortfall.
For fiscal year 1965, Senate came up $93,100 short in its budget. Browning said. The money was taken out of State's reserve fund. The shortfall in finances was due to lower enrollment this fall than was projected, he said.
"When you project budgets, every once in a while you have a bad year," Browning said. "The shortfall was not because of financial irresponsibility."
The fee increase is below the level the fee should be at for fiscal year 1996, Browning said.
"Based on inflation the fee should be at $39," Browning said. "However, we are only asking for $35 because $7 is so large an increase."
The activity fee has not been raised in eight years, Browning said. The activity fee was lowered in 1992 and
Multi-Cultural Center, $20,000
Block allocation account, which is used to finance groups in two-year periods. $841,000
Proposed budget
Senate unallocated account, which is used as a backup for the line item allocation. $45,000
Student Senate reserve account, which is used in emergency situations or when Senate goes over budget, $45,257
Line-item allocation, which is used to finance groups or events as needs arise throughout the year. $552.242
Student Senate's budget for fiscal year 1996 will be about $1.5 million. The money is allocated for the following:
KANBAN
If the $35 fee passes the full Senate Wednesday, the fee will be looked at by David Ambler, vice chancellor of student affairs, and by the chancellor. The fee increase would then be up for final approval by the Board of Regents in May.
1993 by $3 to $25.
Scott Smetana, Plainville sophomore, was in Douglas County District Court yesterday afternoon for a preliminary rape hearing, which will determine if there is enough evidence to proceed with a trial. But his case was delayed after Rick Trapp, a Douglas County
Kansan staff report
Preliminary rape hearing postponed
A preliminary hearing for a 21-year-old KU football player who was charged with rape was postponed yesterday until Jan. 27.
Scott Smetana
assistant district attorney, and Smetana's attorney agreed to postpone the hearing.
Details of the charge or charges against Smetana, who is a fullback, were not known yesterday because court documents were unavailable.
Smetana's lawyer, Michael Riling, and Trapp were unavailable for comment yesterday. Riling was in a deposition, and Trapp was in court all afternoon.