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Tomorrow's weather
Mostly cloudy with the high in the middle 40s. Chance for snow in morning with a low of 25.
Kansan
low of 25.
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Sports: Senior Pete Smart pitched six innings of shutout ball for the Jayhawks, but they split a twinbill.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2000
(USPS 650-640) * VOL. 110 NO. 117
Inside: A recent study reports that binge drinking has increased for college-age students
SEE PAGE 3A
WWW.KANSAN.COM
KANSAS Legislature
Democrats want greater, more equal financial aid
By Katrina Hull
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
State financial aid should keep up with tuition increases, Democratic lawmakers sav.
Two democratic proposals introduced in the House and the Senate yesterday would mandate the governor to increase need-based financial aid at the same percentage rate as tuition.
The concern is that in the last seven years, need-based financial aid has increased a mere 5 percent, while at the same time tuition has gone up over 30 percent," said Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley. D-Topeka.
But Hensley's proposal already failed in a 26-13 near-partisan vote on the Senate floor.
State Sen. Sandy Praeger, R-Lawrence, voted against the proposal. She could not be reached for comment yesterday afternoon.
Hensley said that unfortunately, increasing tuition had become a partisan issue.
"We will not stand by while the Republicans balance the budget on the backs of college students and their families." Hensley said.
Tuition increases at Regents schools averaged 5.7 percent this year. Under the Democratic proposal, the governor would be required to increase money for need-based financial aid programs by an equal or greater amount.
Hensley introduced the tuition mandate as an amendment to another bill, allowing the proposal to reach the Senate floor quickly.
The House proposal will take the slow route through committees before reaching the floor — if it makes it to the floor at all.
State Rep. Troy Findley, D-Dawrence, introduced legislation identical to Hensley's in the House Federal and State Affairs Committee. He said he thought the bill would be assigned to the House Education Committee.
Findley also said he had planned to introduce the legislation last week on the House floor as an amendment, but Republican leaders caught wind and pulled the bill he was going to use as a vehicle for the tuition mandate.
"Strategically we planned to release the proposals on the same day," Findley said.
Strategy aside, one student leader at the University of Kansas said he was glad that the idea was out.
Ben Walker, legislative director for the Student Legislative Awareness Board, said yesterday's proposals could set the stage for changes in the state financial-aid system.
"I think that is something that students should pursue in the future," Walker said. "When there is little legislative oversight for tuition increases, this proposal provides a way that the Legislature can confront the issue and protect students."
However, the common argument against more financial aid is that Kansas universities are still a bargain. Hensley disagreed.
"Kansas universities are some of the best in the nation," Hensley said. "But calling them a bargain doesn't mean there aren't kids out there struggling to afford a college education."
Despite yesterday's Senate defeat, Findley and Hensley said they remained optimistic that something would be done to ensure that financial aid kept pace with tuition increases.
"If we are asking students to bear a greater cost for their education, the state should provide greater financial assistance," Hensley said. "This issue is not going away."
God bless this house
An apartment is available for rent at this four-apartment building that used to be a church. The apartments are located at 1001 Kentucky Street. Photo by Carolyn Mollett/KANSAN
Student, resident living peacefully in renovated church
By Jess Meyer
writer@kanson.com
Kansan staff writer
To many people, a church is considered a safe haven, but Joe Meazle and Betsy Hart call a church their home.
Meaillé, Lawrence graduate student, and Hart, who works for the American Cancer Society from her home office, live in a tiny stone building at 10th and Kentucky streets that was once a United Presbyterian church.
"We've kind of gotten attached to the place," Meazle said. "When we look back on our college days we will always remember living in a church."
About 22 years ago, Bud Jennings, Lawrence resident, decided to buy the building and renovate it just for fun. He said
he saw something special in the structure.
"I thought it was a neat little place," Jennings said. "I wanted it saved."
Meadle said that part of his decision to move into the church was that uniqueness.
"We liked it the best because "it was got a ton of character," Meazle said. "It takes advantage of the high-vaulted ceilings with the loft, and they incorporated a piece of the old altar rail into the balcony."
Meazle said the exterior offered more than aesthetic qualities.
"There's quite a bit of noise on 10th street on the weekends." Meazle said. "But if we shut the windows, the outside walls are so thick with the stone covering that we can't hear anything."
The mailboxes reflect the building's past, too. Each one is labeled with a different apostle
See OLD on page 3A
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Betsy Hart, Lawrence resident, and Joe Meazle, Lawrence graduate student, stand by a stained glass window in their apartment. The apartment was a church until 1978 when the church was renovated and converted to a four-apartment building. Photo by Carolyn Mollett/KANSAN
Bill may allow Legal Services to help more
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
University policy allows students to bring whomever they choose to an academic hearing — anyone but a lawyer from Legal Services for Students.
A bill that will be introduced before Student Senate tonight attempts to change that policy.
"We're trying to make their role more prominent and have them be able to go along with you so they can do a little bit more," said Greg Smith, liberal arts and sciences senator and one of the bill's 21 sponsors.
Although the bill still would not allow Legal Services lawyers to represent students in court, Smith said he hoped one day that would happen.
"It's a slow process, but our goal is to eventually get to that point," Smith said.
Jessica Bankston, Nunemaker senator and another sponsor of the bill, said her vision for the bill was that lawyers could advise students during a hearing but would not argue for them.
Legal Services only has been able to advise students on University issues for about a year and a half, said Michelle Kessler, associate director. Since then, Legal Services has advised students on issues such as parking tickets, housing contracts and residency applications, even though they can't attend hearings.
Services are free.
Although the bill was student-generated without input from legal services, Kessler said the change would be OK.
"We've always been open to appearing in hearings with a student," Kessler said. "Since we're funded with student-fee money, we're happy to do whatever students want us to do."
While Legal Services is financed by $8 per semester student fees through Senate, it operates as a part of the University.
Kessler said employees at Legal Services get state paychecks and attend meetings at the Department of Student Life and Student Affairs, which may cause some to see representation against the University as a conflict of interest.
Legally, it isn't, because Legal Services wouldn't ever represent the University, Kessler said.
"When they're thinking conflict, they're thinking it might strain relationships between us and other offices," Kessler said.
However, Kessler said she thought many students sought outside council for disciplinary hearings. She said they might think Legal Services was on the side of the University.
"They might think, 'I see you hanging out with the dean in the student union,'" Kessler said.
Flaming Lips to bring new sound to town
By BriAnne Hess
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
It's not punk, pop or rock.
It's the Flaming Lips.
The three-man band performs at 9 p.m. tonight at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. Tickets are $12.50 in advance and $14 at the door. The granada box office said a few tickets remained yesterday.
"The reason I like it is because it's not what you hear on the radio and MTV — it's different, and it challenges what other music does," he said.
Ryan Paget, Scott City senior, said he became a Flaming Lips fan when he heard the band's latest CD, The Soft Bulletin, on KJHK.
Paget also said that the music had strong instrumentation, movement and depth and it didn't really fit into any one musical style.
Ikla Iwanczuk, Lawrence freshman, bought tickets to the show as soon as she read the Flaming Lips were coming to town. She said she first heard the band when its single "She Don't Use Jelly" was released in 1993.
"I hate classifying music," he said. "I classify it for myself as to whether it's good or not."
When her roommate bought The Soft Bulletin, Iwanczuk said she was floored because she was expecting the same kind of music. It wasn't.
The Flaming Lips will perform from their latest CD The Soft Balloon at 9.p.m. tonight at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. Contributed photo
"It's just a big epic work," Iwanczuk said.
"It makes you happy right away."
The Flaming Lips is comprised of Michael Ivins on bass, guitar and vocals; Steven Drozd, guitars and vocals; and Wayne Coyne on strings and guitars.
Ivins said that the concert would feature
The band also added some brass and strings instead of just sticking to guitars like it did on previous CDs, Ivins said. Because no one in the band knew how to play a string or brass instrument, technology helped the band expand its capabilities and allowed them to orchestrate the music.
music mostly from The Soft Bulletin and that the CD connected on a more personal level than the band's earlier music.
"You can put it on and go on an emotional journey through the whole thing," Ivins said.
why limit ourselves to blue and green when there are 64 colors in the crayon box?" Ivins said. "Through the miracle of modern science we can do it and use it to further the song itself."
"Sometimes you can be your own worst enemy as far as how you do things and as far as who you are," Ivins said. "After a while, we just threw that all out the window and decided not to let ourselves get in the way of doing what it was we wanted to do. I think Pogo said 'We have seen the enemy and he are us,' and that is so true."
Ivins attributed the band's 17-year existence to enthusiasm and teamwork.
Ivins said that, philosophically, the band was not really influenced by a certain band or type of music and that the group's music didn't really fall into a specific musical genre. He said the band's music matched the members' attitudes about life.
"You could never just wake up one morning and decide to change things." Ivins said. "But once it's done, it's like it's been like that forever."
Chenowith says he'll hardly have time for Senate
Yesterday's edition of the Kansan reported that Eric Chenowith, Orange, Calif., junior and Kansas men's basketball player, said he wanted to run for a liberal arts and sciences seat with the United Students coalition.
Yesterday, Chenowith said his running for Senate had been blown out of proportion.
"I thought it would be a good idea to do this because it would be a fun thing to do in my spare time," he said.
Senate meetings are held every Wednesday night , which, during basketball season, may conflict with his hoops schedule.
Chenowith: Says Senate would be fun in his spare time
"People are talking
about how I'm going to balance this and college basketball, "Chenwai said.
So, how is he going to balance it?
"All I'm going to do is go and vote every once in a while," he said. "I'm hardly ever going to be able to make it. It's not a big deal at all. I have practice, so I'm going to go when I can."
Some issues he endorsed included the nosmoking policy near entryways and getting more benefits for the spirit squads.
—Kansan staff report