Funding for middle-class students delayed
By JERRY SEIB
Special to the Kansan
WASHINGTON—For money-starved college students and their parents, Congress offers one of the most affordable degrees.
The good news is that nearly everyone here agrees that Congress must do something this term to give more financial aid to middle-class college families. These initiatives might light over how to provide relief is delaying action.
On one side of the student assistance question is the Carter administration, which wants to give aid by beeing up existing loan, grant and other aid programs.
ON THE other side are three powerful Senators and an influential Catholic school lobbying group. They all favor a bill that would give a tuition tax credit of up to $500 to parents whose children pay any kind of tuition—be it for college or for private elementary and high schools.
Caught in the middle is the Democratic Congressional leadership, struggling to sheepd
KANSAN Analysis
Carter's plan through an unreceptive Congress. In his election year, Congressmen are proving to be more willing to back a proposal to cut taxes than to back one to increase federal spending.
TO COMPLICATE matters, debate on student assistance plans promises to be emotional. The student assistance issue brings together money, time and effort in preparation that already has produced its share of sparkles.
In short, Carter has proposed a plan to expand these programs:
- Basic Educational Opportunity Grants. Carter has asked for $3.1 billion for this program, up from $2.1 billion this year. Maximum grant to students would be increased to $1,800, up from $1,600, and the average grant for middle-income families would go from $850 to $1,050. Students from families with incomes between $16,000 and $25,000 would be eligible for minimum grants of $250.
- college work study. Carter wants to add $165 million to the present $435 million allocation, thereby expanding the program to include more than a quarter of all families in the state who would come from families earning more than $18,000.
- Guaranteed student loans. The plan would provide $867 million, up from the current $450 million annually. The family income limit to qualify for loans is $200,000. If you are excluded, be eliminated entirely. Currently, the limit is $30,000.
- On the other side, a tuition tax credit plan—backed by Senators William G. Roth, R-Del, Robert W. Packwood, R-Oregan, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan D-N.Y.—would:
- Let parents subtract up to $250 from their tax bill to offset college and private school tuition, effective
- Incrementally increase the credit to $500 by Aug.
1, 1980.
Carter's objection to tax credits is simple: he says
they would cost too much. According to reports in the Congressional Quarterly, estimates are that tax credits would cost the government between $4 billion and $6 billion a year. By comparison, increasing money for loans, grants and work would cost only about $1.2 billion annually.
Students and their parents have little hope of benefiting from both plans. The president has said he would accept only one of the bills, arguing that the two together would be far too expensive.
LAST WEEK, the House defeated a move to rush Carter's loan and grant package through before the rival tax credit bill was ready. Then, in the same week, the House leadership called off a crucial committee meeting because it was apparent the committee would send to the floor a bill allowing simultaneous consideration of tax credits and the Carter aid package.
In expectation, charges and countercharges are flying. Public schools' lobbying groups argue that giving tuition tax credits to parents paying tuition to students from high schools would sap students from public schools.
Congressional staff members will resume work on the student assistance plan next week when Congress returns from an Easter recess. In the Senate, bills are waiting for the Panama Canal debates to end.
SUPPORTERS of tax credits say that tax relief is the simplest way to help financially presided families in need.
In an interview published this week, Roth called cash credit "the easiest, simplest method of helping the elderly to save money."
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
In response, Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calf, said tax parents to children sending their children to college.
On the other hand, Stark said that loans and grants would provide money directly to students at the beginning of the school year when students needed it most.
He said tax credits were cumbersome and argued that it was possible that parents would not actually have to pay the taxes.
KANSAN
Lawrence, Kansas
The University of Kansas
Vol. 88, No. 118
Thursday March 30,1978
Lazy day
Dan McGinley, Dodge City junior, and Julie Schlesener, Hope freshman, seemed content
to spend their afternoon yesterday simply relaxing. The two were resting on a hillside east of Potter Lake.
Vermont St. span open to northbound traffic
Staff Writer
By CAROL HUNTER
The first span of the new Kansas River is finished and traffic could begin using it.
The finishing touch, the painting on the underside of the $1,770,000 Vermont Street span, was finished yesterday. Bob Thorn of Finney and Turnipseed, consulting engineers for the project, said yesterday that traffic could begin using the bridge as soon as it was inspected and approved by officials and by Finney and uninsured.
"The inspection could be Friday or maybe the first of next week," Thorn said. "If everything's all right with the county commissioners, it can be opened to traffic as soon as the inspector's finished," he said.
THE INSPECTION will take about half a day, he said. The county officials and their consultants will inspect the general appearance and appearance of the project, he said.
"The officials won't spend that much out there." Thorn said. "They kind of have to take our word for it. We know it's all done. we've checked every bolt."
When the Vermont Street span is opened the Massachusetts Street bridge will be closed to traffic and torn down. Temporary traffic lights have been installed on Sixth Street at the south end of the Vermont Street to help control traffic crossing the river.
WORK BEGAN on the Vermont Street bridge April 22, 1976. When work was halted in January because of cold weather, 10 heats were conducted. John McGivern of, J.F. McGivern Inc.,
Topeka, the painting subcontractor. He said teamwork had bead above 40 degrees in addition to technical skill.
McGiven Inc. resumed painting last week, he said, but the painters were hampered by rents.
The general contractor, Anderson Construction Company, Holton, was allowed 500 working days to finish the project, which included tearing down and removing the building. Thorn said that as soon as the Vermont Street bridge was opened to traffic, Anderson would be
issued a work order to begin tearing down the Massachusetts Street bridge.
HE SAID Anderson should not use dynamite to break down the bridge because
"And we've got to be extremely careful because of the dam underneath it," he said. "Anderson does have permission to drop the sink, but then he'll have to clean on the debris."
Eldton Davis, general manager for An-
derson, said the company did not plan to use
it.
Kansas Senate approves KU, Med Center budgets
The Kansas Senate gave final approval yesterday to a $33.14 million University of Kansas budget and $36.5 million KU Medical Center budget.
State Rep. John Vogel, R-Lawrence, a member of the Ways and Means Committee, said he expected some attempts to amend the bill. The amendment attempts will probably come in the area of women's athletics or some parts of minority group funding, he said.
The bill, which includes funding for all
aids to students in Kansas, was passed 372
on a roll call.
R-Overland Park, that would have reinstated the governor's recommendation for women's athletics was defeated during Senate debate Tuesday.
The bill moves to the House Ways and
Costs Committee before going to
the whole House for final action.
ALSO, TO break up the concrete pavement, the company would use a machine that raises a large breaker and then drips it, he said.
Meyers said she would take the amendment to the House Ways and Means Committee in hopes that the committee would adoit it at least in part.
The governor recommended an increase of $311,000 for women's athletics, but the Senate Ways and Means Committee cut that increase to $46,000.
An amendment by State Sen. Jan Meyers,
Under the committee's recommendation, funding for women's athletics at KU would increase by $10,853 over last year. The governor's recommendation would have included funding for women's athletics at KU by $85,115. Women's athletics at KU received $159,000 last year.
"We plan to use a big crane with a really heavy ball," he said.
Thorn said that Anderson had used 331 of the 550 working days by the end of last week. If Anderson exceeds the 500 working days the company must pay liquidated damages of $420 a day for each additional calendar day, so on average, necessary to complete the project.
Anderson in January requested an extension of 57 working days, but the request was rejected.
The Massachusetts Street bridge should take less time to construct, he said, because little work on the approaches would be necessary. He also said that work on the Vermont Street bridge was slowed because of delays in delivery of structural steel.
Although the company still must tear down and replace the Massachusetts Street bridge, Thorn said, he estimated that the project was 60 percent completed.
Peter Whitenight, commission chairman, said yesterday that half of the 54 bridges were already built, were being built or were in the process of having their contracts
ANDERSON WILL receive $3,717,579.57 for building both bridges. The bridge project is part of an $11.75 million bond issue passed on January 28, 2009 to fund construction of 90 counties.
Although the 50 bridges originally were to be built within five years, Whitengain said, six or seven years probably would be necessary for completion of the project.
Paraquat-sprayed pot not sold in Lawrence
Bv PEG SPENCER
Staff Writer
Although local drug dealers and law enforcement officials usually do not see eye to eye, they agreed yesterday that Mexican marijuana sprayed with the herbicide paraquat apparently is not being sold in the Lawrence area.
Despite rumors to the contrary, local police and several drug dealers say that there are no confirmed reports of the paraguay-sprayed marijuana in Lawrence.
One dealer said, "There's not any of it in
PARAQUAT. A sun-activated defoliant used to clear jungle areas during the Vietnam War, was sprayed on Mexican marijuana fields last year as part of a United States supported effort to cut down the threat across the Mexico-United States border.
Lawrence. If there were, the word would be setting around."
However, some marjiuan fields that had been sprayed were harvested immediately.
Eugene Fox, professor of botany, said that paraguay killed the plant by inhibiting
one of the reactions of photosynthesis. Once the plants are taken out of the sunlight, deterioration of the leaves stops but paracoua remains on the plants.
MARY CAROL KELLY, spokesman for the National Institute of Drug Abuse in Washington, said that a study done by the NIDA found that 21 percent of Mexican marjuana samples gathered in the United States had been sarpaed with paraphrase.
However, Kelly said, the study does not
mean that 21 percent of all marjiana being sold in the U.S. contains the herbicide.
It does, however, prove that parapatt-sprayed marijuana is making its way across the border, causing concern nationally and the health of the marijuana consumers.
KELLY SAID that there was no health risk involved if the consumer absorbed paraquat in the amounts that would exist on sprayed marijuana.
See POT page 14
*If someone swallowed concentrated See POTpage 14.
Women athletes fear budget cuts
By JAKE THOMPSON
Staff Writer
Funding for next year's women's athletic program looks bleak.
With the next year's proposed budget, Anne Levinson, president of the Council of Women Athletes, said yesterday, each of the teams' fears cuts in their programs.
Marian Washington, women's athletic director, Monday arranged with Mike Harper, student body president, to speak to the Student Senate on April 1 or 12 asking for money for the women's athletic program.
Washington's action came in advance of yesterday's Kansas Senate vote to approve the University of Kansas fiscal year 1979 budget, which costs $10,835 increase for women's athletics.
UNDER THE BUDGET proposed by Gov. Robert F. Bennett, but later cut by the Senate Ways and Means Committee, women's athletics at KU would have received a $3.3 percent increase of $85,115 over last year's budget of $157,546.
Washington said yesterday there was a necessary now to examine a number of
"We are not going to be able to identify any one avenue for funds for next year," she
Student Senate voted last fall to cut all funding of the program for fiscal 1979. It could be used at any time.
He said that funding went to programs such as the Graduate Student Council, recreation services, legal aid funding this year instead of women's athletics.
Harper said last night he did not think there would be any changes in the Student Senate position because women's sports was not a priority item.
HE SAID he would meet with Washington and members of the KU administration today to discuss the issue. The University said in a statement that the fee, Harper said, as a solution next year.
"The University will probably allocate a special fee if the legislature doesn't approve it."
Washington said, "We requested $200,000
over this year. We requested $25,000
and the FUNDING is $149,000."
Washington said she was disappointed with the Senate's defeat of the $85,000 increase but would have to wait for the final decisions of the Kansas House.
THE $8,500 was KU's assist at a $311,000 increase in funding for women's athletics at the University of Texas. F. Bennett requested in his budget proposal. The Senate Ways and Means Committee reduced the total increase in funding for women to $4,000 for all six Regents' schools.
The bill now moves to the House Ways and Means Committee before being considered by the House. It can be changed by the committee during debate on the House floor.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Capsules From the Associated Press, United Press International
Miller
UMW approves contract for construction workers
WASHINGTON—The United Mine Workers bargaining council approved a new contract yesterday for mine construction workers, clearing the way for a final ratification vote next week. Meanwhile, UMW President Arnold Miller was hospitalized after a mild stroke yesterday. See story page two.
Italy receives kidnappers' demands
ROME—A letter purporting to come from kidnapped ex-Premier Aldo Mero urged the Italian government yesterday to give in to the demands of his Red Brigades captors rather than "sacrifice the innocent." Police have ordered an examination of the letter to determine its authenticity. Earlier yesterday, investigators said a photograph of Moore issued by the Red Brigades shortly after his kidnapping might have been faked.
Carter travels to Brazil to ease strained relations
BRASILIA, Brazil—President Jimmy Carter flew to Brazil yesterday to mend fences with President Ernesto Geisel, a once-staunch ally. Carter spoke to Brazil's military dictator on the two issues that have sorely tested
U. S. Brazilian relations—human rights and nuclear energy. Afterwards, he made plans to meet two Catholic cardinals harshly critical of Geisel.
Weather . . .
Summer seems to have hit Lawrence, with high temperatures in the 80s both today and tomorrow. Skies will be clear, with light winds both days. Lows should be in the 50s.
Locally . . .
Are you one of the many University of Kansas students to receive a letter from the Keyton Corporation telling you of a free gift that can be claimed at a sales presentation? If so, Judy Kroeger, administrative director for the Lawrence Consumer Affairs Association, says you should contact the details of special membership offers from buying clubs. The operation she says she does not recommend the offer "unless you're rich." See page 9.