Monday, January 31.2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A • Page 3
Legislators address student tuition issues
By Katrina Hull
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Korb Maxwell, student body president, said state legislators were receptive to student concerns about tuition increases and financial aid last week at two committee meetings.
Maxwell and student leaders from Kansas State University and Wichita State University met Thursday with the Legislative Educational Planning Committee. The student body president from Emporia State University joined on Friday for the Senate Education Committee meeting.
"They listened with an open ear." Maxwell said about Thursday's meeting. "It gave us a good springboard to let them know our issues."
Democratic leaders plan to propose legislation later in the session that could take back a $3.20 per credit hour tuition increase and increase state support for financial aid, said Gavin Young, communications director for Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka.
"I think the biggest thing that came out of the meeting is that senators realized that students won't stand in the background and [that they] want to be involved." Young said.
Maxwell said the meeting provided him with the opportunity to tell legislators he was disappointed that the Board of Regents left students out of the process during its handling of the December tuition increase. The increase, prompted by money shortages
in the state budget, was the second of the fiscal year.
Student leaders also requested increased financial aid to help ease the burden of rising tuition rates.
Democratic leaders invited student body presidents from Regents institutions to Friday's meeting, where senators questioned Regents about the tuition increases and gender discrimination claims.
Maxwell: Said his relationship with Regents improved
Maxwell said that although the Regents definitely deserved some criticism, the end goal was making student concerns known. He also said the relationship with the Regents improved after the meetings, and legislators better understood students.
"It's a little bit like water under the bridge now," said Maxwell about the tuition increases.
By Jim O'Malley
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
An annual late-night pub crawl through Lawrence by area bicyclists may have reached critical mass.
Since the early 1990s, local cyclists have gathered for a mass pub crawl on a Saturday night in January. Between 75 and 100 riders went pub-crawling last Saturday, Jan. 22, and for the first time, some of the riders got traffic tickets.
Lawrence police ticketed at least three bicyclists shortly after 10:00 p.m. on West Seventh Street between New Hampshire and Vermont streets for impeding traffic and not having lights.
Timothy Badley, of Lawrence, was one of the unlucky ones.
"That was a $40 mistake," he said.
He was ticketed at Seventh and New Hampshire streets for obstructing traffic and not having a light. Badley said he had a glow stick with him, but for some reason took it off his bike and put it in his pocket.
Badley said he joined the ride around 10:00 p.m. at Charlie's Eastside Bar & Grill, 900 Pennsylvania St., and followed the other riders on a designated route to various taverns around Lawrence.
But he said other riders took up a collection to pay the fines.
Although some participants were penalized for not having lights, the riders couldn't be cited for drunken bicycling.
"It's not illegal to drive your bike under the influence of alcohol," said
Lawrence Police Sgt. George Wheeler. "I think that's why they're doing this. But cyclists have to comply with the rules of the road and have to have a headlight and rear reflectors.
"The good news is if you get a ticket, on your bike, it doesn't go on your driving record as a moving violation. The bad news is you have to pay the fine. But it won't increase your insurance rates." he said.
Kansas cyclists can't be charged with drunken bicycling because the state's drunken driving law applies to drivers of vehicles, and the law doesn't define bicycles as vehicles. Wheeler said.
In some states, though bicycling under the influence is against the law. Florida, Hawaii and Ohio, for example, define bicycles as vehicles, so riders there can be charged with drunken driving. California has passed a specific "pedaling under the influence" law in 1985.
Although it's not against the law in Kansas, Wheeler said he definitely wouldn't recommend riding a bike after drinking. It's dangerous to get in traffic on a bike and ride erratically, he said.
Badley said that, except for the ticket, the ride was great fun. It was unreal to see so many cyclists out riding on such a cold night in January, he said.
Badley didn't last through the whole crawl because he got too cold riding down the Hill from campus.
going to fall on it, the said.
Nick Schmidt, Denver,
Colo., junior, was working at the Crossing, 618 W. 12th St, on the night of the pub
"I felt like my hands were going to fall off," he said.
crawl. He said someone called about an hour before the cyclists arrived to let the bar know they were coming. The Crossing was their fourth or fifth stop, he said.
"This year's was the wildest ever," he said. "It was crazy. They bought a lot of beer. They had one or two casualties from traffic citations by the time they got to us."
Phillip Smetka, owner of The Bike Shop, 818 Massachusetts St., said the pub crawl was an unorganized semi-secret annual ride. It started with a couple of friends, and snowballled during the years, he said.
The ride was usually held on Super Bowl weekend, Smetka said, but the founders moved it up a week this year, partly to keep the numbers down. But there were still about 100 riders, he said.
"And I don't drink at all," he said.
Smetka said none of the local bike shops was involved in organizing the ride. He said the ride was more about cycling than drinking. He had only participated in the ride once.
Phil Ostronic, Lawrence freshman, said he went on the pub crawl two years ago. The unknown organizers of the ride had set up a ticket system and called bars and taverns in advance, he said. The year he rode, the group started with about 50 riders, and made 13 stops. Some dropped out as the crawl went on. he said.
Ostronic said that although he was a freshman, he was 24, so he was legal.
"It was cold as hell," he said. "The night's a little fuzzy, but it was fun."
Firefighters escort residents of Southridge Plaza Apartments, 1704 W. 24th St., back into their homes to get belongings. More than 30 residents were displaced Friday night after fire struck the complex that afternoon. Photo by Melissa Thoran/TKANSAN
Three-day stretch yields three fires
Continued from page 1A
The fire was contained in one building of the complex, and the most serious damage was confined to four units in that building. But Lexie Engleman, acting battalion chief, said there was extensive smoke damage in the hallways and in those units that had doors left open.
Ron Morley, who lives on the first floor of the effected building, said that he didn't know exactly what had happened and that his apartment had not been damaged.
"The alarm went off," he said. "Ano then the police ran through banging on doors, telling everyone to get out." The Lawrence fire department responded with nine units to a 2:34 p.m. alarm. Engleman said a second alarm sounded 3 minutes later.
took a hose to the third floor and attacked from there."
Joe Schaunburd, the first in officer,
said smoke was coming from windows on the second and third floors.
"There was smoke in the building,
and the doors were hot." he said. "We
Engleman said there was zero visibility when the firefighters entered the building, but they found the source pretty quickly using the department's new infrared imaging equipment.
Once the building was secured, firefighters escorted residents into their homes to gather possessions. The building was released to its owner Friday evening.
No one was injured in the fire, but several pets had to be rescued.
Engleman said yesterday that the cause of the fire and damage estimates would not be released until this morning.
Residents with continuing needs can contact the Red Cross at 843-3550 for assistance.
The apartment fire was only one of three blazes Lawrence firefighters have responded to since Thursday. The first incident occurred Thursday morning at Plymouth
"There was smoke in the building, and the doors were hot. We took a hose to the third floor and attacked from there."
Joe Schaunburd Lawrence firefighter
Congregational Church, 925 Vermont St., when a construction worker used a propane torch to thaw a frozen pipe. That fire caused $500 in damage.
A third fire engulfed a house Saturday morning at 1244 Prospect St. The fire, which left the house uninhabitable, was reported at 11:37 a.m. Firefighters had it under control by 2:30 p.m. The house was unoccupied, and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
By Karen Lucas
Workshop aims to help grad students find grants
Special to the Kansan
Graduate students can move a step closer to landing a dissertation fellowship or summer research grant by attending the Graduate Student Grant/Fellowship Workshop.
The workshop, sponsored by the Humanities Resource Center, will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and March 9 at the computer laboratory at the Ermal Gingerer Academic Resource Center in 4074 Wescoe Hall.
The first half of each workshop will give students hands-on experience in searching Web sites for funding, said Kathy Porsch, grant development Officer and director of the workshop.
"We will take the participants step-by-step through the search process, showing them the best Web sites to
use to find funding specific to their interest areas, as well as strategies for limiting searches to useful sources and information, rather than screen after screen of garbage." Porsch said.
The second half of each workshop will focus on how to write an effective grant proposal, she said.
"The need for knowing how to obtain external funding is getting more and more important all the time because university budgets are getting smaller." said Bill Moseley, Lawrence graduate student and workshop presenter.
He also said a fellowship would look impressive on a student's curriculum vita.
June Mecham, a Lawrence graduate student who attended the workshop last February, said she would
"We will take the participants step-by-step through the search process, showing them the best Web sites to use to find funding specific to their interest areas."
Kathy Porsch director of workshop
recommend it to others.
"It's a good place to get started and get your feet wet." Mecham said.
Graduate students interested in attending the workshop should call Porsch at 864-7834 or e-mail her at kporsch@ukans.edu by today for the Wednesday session or by March 7 for the second session.
Emergencies happen when you least expect it
EMERGENCY
A medical emergency can be scary. Regardless of the emergency, regardless of the time, Lawrence Memorial Hospital has the right people and facilities to handle it.
We understand your concerns and fears. Our staff is specially trained in emergency medicine. Plus, we're the only 24-hour full-service emergency department in town located just minutes from the University of Kansas. And that means we're here for you when you need us.
24-Hour Emergency Dept.
749-6162
325 Maine Street
Lawrence, Kansas 66044
Community Care-Community Pride
Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Society Meeting
5:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1,
English Room (Kansas Union)
"Financing A Legal Education / The Financial Aid Process Presented by the Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Drake University Law School
and
"2000 Summer Institute: Legal Studies In Cambridge, England"
Presented by the Assistant to the Dean
at the University of Kansas School of Law