Fair housing ordinance awaits test
By John Casady Kansan Staff Reporter
Nearly three months have passed without significant incident since the Lawrence City Commission passed a "fair housing" ordinance considered to be one of the toughest in the country.
There is growing concern among civic leaders that many of the persons who stand to benefit from the new ordinance may not be aware that it even exists. The July 18 passage of the stiff
open housing rule was given little notice by local news media.
Fred N. Six, a Lawrence attorney and former member of the Lawrence Human Relations Commission, said a brochure is being distributed in an attempt to publicize the ordinance which specifically protects KU students from discriminatory practices in the sale and rental of housing.
Only complaint droppea So far only one complaint has been filed under the new ordinance. A Negro
claimed he encountered discrimination in attempting to purchase real estate. An investigation by the city attorney's office revealed that—unknown to the complainant—the property in question had in fact been sold to another Negro. The case was promptly dropped.
Some 50 American municipalities now have some form of fair housing legislation on their books. Lawrence and Wichita are the only cities in Kansas with such ordinances.
Although the language of the Lawrence and Wichita ordinances is similar, the Wichita ordinance is considered virtually toothless, while the Lawrence act is called "strong" by proponents and opponents alike.
Violators of the Wichita ordinance face only the penalty of having their names read into the minutes of a city commission meeting. In Lawrence the same violation can cost the offender as much as $100 and 30 days in the city jail.
See Housing, page 4
Foreigners under fire
Landlords air rent problem
Several of KU's landlords have no difficulty expressing how they feel about foreign student tenants—they have them pushed into pigeonholes reminiscent of the "All Negroes like to dance" image held by American bigots.
Some of the landlords apparently have legitimate complaints about foreign students.
"We've had a lot of trouble collecting rent," Mrs. S. McManness, 1329 Ohio, said. "They say their checks haven't arrived."
tion of appliances also cause antagonism.
Unfamiliarity with American customs, cooking and the opera-
Mrs. Nathan Lynch, 1216 Louisiana, said many foreign students have had little experience keeping their apartments clean. One foreign student, she said, was asked to leave because he poked garbage down the drain.
Foreign students who fail to give her 20 days notice before finding another apartment, Mrs. Lynch said, cause her inconvenience. Undergraduates are required to sign a contract, she
See Landlord, page 13
78th Year, No.18
LAWRENCE, KANSAS Wednesday, October 11, 1967
Craig proposes vote plan for ASC student elections
By John Marshall Kansan Staff Reporter
Sweeping changes in the student government election procedure were introduced Tuesday night by Kyle Craig, Joplin, Mo., junior and student body president.
In a regular All Student Council (ASC) meeting, Craig outlined three areas in which he believed changes should be made.
Jayhawker tightens belt
- Reducing number of elections a year from two to one.
Remember last year's Jayhawker?
Plagued with an on-again, off- again staff and surrounded by charges of inefficiency, the first of the four-section yearbook didn't appear until March, six months after it was sold to students and about three months after the traditional publication date.
The responsibility for tardiness has been placed by many on Editor Blake Biles, Hutchinson senior, and on some of his production staff.
But the price probably will be paid by this year's staff.
The second and third sections appeared in May and the fourth section is just now being mailed to last year's subscribers. Sixteen-page "party-pix" supplements are still stacked in the Jayhawker office.
Enrollment sales of the 1967-68 book approximate those of last year, although the number of potential buyers increased more than 1,000. "Old yearbook hands" as the news cliche goes, say the performance of the 1956-'67 yearbook may have "turned off" student purchasers this year.
- Making class presidents serve as ASC members.
For John Hill, Prairie Village junior who edits this year's book, such a dilemma means "not enough money to do more."
His budget is determined largely by the number of yearbooks sold during enrollment.
Beacause this year's sales of about 7,500 are about the same as last year, his budget will probably be the same, but he faces costs up substantially from last year.
Hill said he'll probably promote the book during spring-
- Eliminating the Hare System of voting.
--semester enrollment, particularly if the first issue appears before then.
However, neither Hill nor Waldron nor even Tom Yoe, director of the KU News Bureau and Jayhawker adviser, know if they'll have to cut back on such things as art work and color photography
WHAT'S INSIDE
See Jayhawk, page 5
The price of the book, $6 during enrollment, has always increased to $7 after enrollment.
Nebraska picked to beat Jayhawks. Page 8.
"We have yet to decide when the one election would be held or how it would be conducted," he said.
AUHR plans Fall Festival.
Page 9.
- Library problems traced in news analysis. Page 10
The business manager, Brent Waldron, Denison, Iowa, junior, plans to raise the price of senior pictures from $$ to $5.50.
- Princeton professor lectures on modern fiction. Page 5.
He called for class presidents to serve as ASC members because "the class officers each represent one-fourth of the student body. It's a significant representation which he can't ignore," he added. "After all," he asked, "What does the student remember after he graduates? He remembers the people he lived with, the school he was in and the year he graduated."
New plan stressed Craig, stressing that the "one election" plan was still in a discussion stage," said holding only one election a year would encourage more student interest in student government.
QUEEN LIZ AND HER "COURT"
They might like to dance in her royal shoes someday, but first Elizabeth Harris' pupils must practice her royal stance. The new American Royal queen teaches ballet in her downtown studio. She was crowned queen Saturday night. She is a junior from Lawrence.
He noted that ASC members represent students by living groups and schools. He recommended that the students also be represented by class.
Craig said "no one understands" the Hare System, a voting procedure in which a voter can vote for each candidate on the ballot in order of preference. Under the system, a candidate may have the most first-place votes, but lose on the re-distribution of quota votes.
The student body president proposed that the system be replaced by a system in which the number of ASC representatives
See ASC, page 3
ASC to sponsor football train to Buffalo game
Rusty Wells, Portland, Ore., junior, said the trip would be made in 15 railroad cars and two "recreational baggage cars." He said there would be room for 660 students.
Plans for a "student migration" to Boulder, Colo., for the Colorado-Kansas football game Nov. 11 were announced Tuesday at the All Student Council meeting.
The train is scheduled to leave Lawrence at 8 p.m. Nov. 8 and arrive in Boulder at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 9.
Cost of the trip will be $31 a student including two meals on the return trip.
The train will leave Boulder at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 12 and is scheduled to arrive in Lawrence about 11 p.m.
---
WEATHER
The U.S. Weather Bureau predicts clear to partly cloudy skies with warmer weather tonight and Thursday. Winds this afternoon will be southerly 10 to 15 miles per hour. The high today will be 60-65 with the probability of rain less than five per cent. The low tonight will be 40-45.
---