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EAGLE
Tomorrow's weather
Mostly sunny tomorrow. The high should be 63 and the low 34.
Kansan
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2000
Sports: Chief's linebacker Derrick Thomas died yesterday morning, two weeks after being parlyzed in a car wreck. SEE PAGE 3B
(USPS 650-640) • VOL. 110 NO. 92
Inside: President Clinton bars genetic discrimination. SEE PAGE 8A
Minors drank at KU fund-raiser, students say
WWW.KANSAN.COM
By Jim O'Malley writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas says it's committed to preventing the illegal consumption of alcohol. But at University of Kansas Alumni Association festivities honoring some National Merit Scholars Friday night, underage drinking took place in the midst of University administrators.
At least one of the National Merit Scholars attending Friday's Rock Chalk Ball at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown-Muehlebach Tower in Kansas City, Mo., found the enforcement of alcohol restrictions a little lax.
"There was drinking by minors, and I was one of them," said Justin Davis, Overland Park freshman and Rock Chalk Scholar. "The waiter asked me if I wanted red or white wine, and I chose red. It surprised me. I'm 19, and I don't look anywhere near 21."
The Rock Chalk Ball is a black tie fund-raiser held by the KU Alumni Association to provide scholarships for National Merit Scholars. Students who receive the scholarships are Rock Chalk Scholars. Nearly 20 scholars attended the ball, and most were younger than 21.
Davis said there were two high-level administrators at the table with him, but nobody said anything until he had a third glass of wine. At that point, a scholarship counselor told him to stop drinking. he said.
Davis said that after the meal, he and a friend went off to find some more wine. They ran into an alumnus who offered to buy them drinks.
"He bought me a rum and coke," he said.
Davis said he thought the bartenders were carding people at the bar.
This isn't the first time underage drinking has gone on at a Rock Chalk Scholars event. David Kollhoff, Beloit junior, said that when he was a freshman, he attended a reception held at Dyche Hall before the Ball to honor Rock Chalk Scholars. Kollhoff, who is not a Rock Chalk Scholar, said he wasn't carded at the bar.
"I was drinking bourbon and Coke and talking to administrators."
Kollhoff said. "I was 19 at the time."
Kollhoff said, "I was 19 at the time." Kollhoff said he thought alcohol should be available on campus and found it ironic to be underage and drinking with authority figures all around.
"It seemed a little hypocritical to me," he said. "If they're going to establish a policy, they ought to follow it."
Jennifer Jackson Sanner, the Alumni Association's senior vice president for communications and editor of the Kansas Alumni Magazine, said all the scholars were chaperoned to the event and escorted by staff. It was a big hall, and 1,100 people attended, she said, but all students were told to behave responsibly.
"Individuals have to make their own decisions about their conduct," she said. "If anything happened, it was an isolated incident, I hope."
Jackson Sanner said the event had been successful in raising money to help recruit National Merit scholars for the University. The four previous Balls raised more than $400,000, and this year's also did well, she said
Alan Cerveny, director of admissions, said students at his table declined wine.
"It was not a belly-up-to-the-bar event" he said.
Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett, associate provost, said the student sitting next to her said he was 19 and pushed his glass away.
But McCluskey-Fawcett and Cerveny said they were surprised that reports of underage drinking would interest the Kansan.
A few Rock Chalk Scholars who attended said they had no comment, but most who were contacted by the Kansan said they saw no drinking by underage students at the Ball. Nickolas Hein, Wichita freshman, said he didn't notice anything at the Ball or on the ride home with eight or nine other students.
"I think I would have noticed if anyone was a little loud." he said.
Chris Adams, Leawood freshman,
said there was none at his table.
Campus addresses may be necessary
"I sat at a table with my parents," he said.
By Mike Hoffman
writer@kansas.com
Kansan staff writer
"I hope the new system will be in place by the end of the semester," Reynolds said.
The post office probably would use the addresses already assigned by the KU Public Safety Office, which it created for its 911 emergency service system, Reynolds said.
Eventually, mail addressed to any University of Kansas building may be required to have street address rather than just the building's name.
"From a postal service standpoint, there are advantages which will improve mail delivery," he said.
Lawrence postmaster Bill Reynolds said he hoped to present this proposal to University officials in the next 30 days.
Reynolds emphasized that there was no need to address mail differently yet because the current system, which requires only the building name, was still in place.
Cheryl Klug, a secretary at the School of Journalism who frequently handles campus mail, said she believed the change also would make it easier for delivery services such as UPS and Federal Express to deliver items.
"When people want to send us things through UPS, they don't put the street addresses on, and it can confuse a delivery driver who is not familiar with the campus," Klug said.
"I don't think it will make it any easier at all for delivery men," Rehder said.
He said people often looked for the names of halls rather than addresses.
Matt Rehder, Great Bend junior, said he thought requiring addresses was a bad idea.
But not everyone is fond of the proposal.
Reynolds said his recommendation to the University was that the addresses be clearly displayed on all campus buildings.
Proposed legislation would limit credit card company's solicitation of students. Photo Illustration by Craig Bennet/KANSAN
Credit card offers under fire
Proposed legislation to fine credit companies soliciting KU students
By Katrina Hull
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Before Rocky Nichols enrolled in graduate school at the University of Kansas last spring, his mailbox was free from credit card offers. Then the mailings began with a special student offer from American Express.
This alarmed Nichols, a democratic state representative from Topeka, enough to propose a law that would distance credit card companies from college students.
"I didn't sign up for college to increase the amount of junk mail in my mailbox," Nichols said.
But the offers don't just come through the mail — credit card companies aggressively recruit new customers on campus and by phone.
State Reps, Ralph Tanner, R-Baldwin, and Jim Garner, D-Topeka, have joined Nichols in sponsoring the bill that would fine credit card companies for soliciting on Kansas campuses and fine schools for
"Sometime when students are establishing credit they are only too happy to take first cards that come along without reading the fine print."
credit counselor
releasing students' names to credit card companies.
Joanne Hickey, information services coordinator for the University registrar, said that releasing student names to credit card companies was illegal under Kansas law and that the University did not do it.
But Brenda Selman, associate registrar, said that didn't mean student names weren't readily available.
"The fact is that the University publishes a phone book and anybody that wants to can purchase that phone book," Selman said.
Robert Baker, a credit counselor at Consumer Credit Counseling, 2518 Ridge Court, said the availability of credit cards made it easy for students to get into credit card debt. Students often don't understand how a credit card works, he said.
"Sometimes when students are establishing credit they are only too happy to take the first card that comes along without reading the fine print," Baker said.
If a student reached the $1,000 limit on a credit card with a 21 percent interest rate and only made the minimum $20 monthly payment, it would take 13 years to pay off the balance. Baker said.
Nichols said the proposed law wasn't meant to play parent to college students.
"I believe college students are big boys and girls and they can make up their own minds," he said. "But it's not the proper role of government to actively partner up with credit card companies and to invite them onto campus."
But that partnership isn't always bad, said Linda Cullina, associate vice president at Intrust Bank. Her bank issues credit cards through the Alumni Association, and the Alumni Association in turn contributes to the University.
"We're watching it very closely." Cullinan said of the proposed law. "The student credit card environment has come under a lot of scrutiny because of large issuers pushing the boundaries."
See STATE on page 2A
Williams Fund hosts stadium open house for potential clients
KU to lease unoccupied Memorial suites
By Zac Hunter
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
Astronomers around the Lawrence area had to be disappointed when the bright lights of Memorial Stadium disturbed their crystal-clear sky Monday night.
The Williams Fund treated prospective clients to an open house Monday in hopes they would lease the eight-to-10 unoccupied suites at the stadium for the upcoming football season.
Darkness was interrupted on campus between 7 and 10 p.m. by the lights, which were used to give the visitors the feel of a college football Saturday on a February Tuesday.
"It was an atmosphere thing,"
Those who attended also watched the Kansas basketball game on the MegaVision screen, which was added before the fall football season.
said Darren Cook, director of operations. "You don't want them to come down to the suites and stare out into a dark hole."
"It was as close to a game day atmosphere as we could come up with," said Scott McMichael, director of Williams Fund/K-Club.
The event attracted 30-40 people who were donors of the Williams Fund or were connected to the school in some way.
This was the first time the Williams Fund had held an open house, and McMichael said the evening might bring the suites closer to capacity.
"We have a donor base here with the Williams Fund, so that's kind of an active network of interested fans, supporters and alums," McMichael said. "Also, with our ESPN connection, we have corporations that are interested."
While most visitors Monday were part of the network, there were some walk-ins that inquired about the availability and price of
"We had one or two people that are very interested," McMichael said. "I think now it's just a process of following up and hopefully getting them on the dotted line in the next few weeks."
The event was the first of its kind at the stadium, but the stadium and its new additions have not been collecting dust since the football season ended in November.
the suites. As a result, there are ongoing stadium tours for those interested in viewing the suites.
Football team recruits are often
Another open house might be held if there is significant interest during another road basketball game. McMichael said that having the basketball game playing while the visitors experienced the facilities definitely helped the selling process.
orought to the stadium and allowed to watch their high school highlight reels on the MegaVision. The idea is to get the recruits excited about playing for Kansas by showing their highlights and superimposing KU football jerseys on mug shots of the players and showing the player profile on the big screen.
Moreover, the University is looking into other uses for the stadium.
McMichael said the University was looking into holding concerts there, which has become popular at campuses throughout the nation.
"Obviously, the suite holders would have access to the suites at those times when there is an event in the stadium," he said.
However, access to the suites will cost the suite holder more than the base price for the football season. The suite holders would have to purchase some tickets to the events, but the price would be on a per-event basis.
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