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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Inside Entertainment
Kansan
Salivate on your Kansan as KU cooks share their secrets.
SEE PAGE 1B
Music camp
Tune out in front of the tube this summer? No way. Young musicians tune in at music camp.
Wednesday
June 23, 1999
Weekly Edition
Section:
A
Vol. 109 • No.151
SEE PAGE 3A
Herpetology collection
'Frog and Toad are Friends'— and they're suspended in alcohol at the Natural History Museum
SEE PAGE 8A
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WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Stadium progress receives booster
(USPS 650-640)
By Matthew Friedrichs
Kansan editor
Reporters and alumni who have purchased rights to the 36 scholarship suites should have access to the Memorial Stadium press box before the first home football game Sept. 11, thanks to an agreement approved Monday.
In a nearly unprecedented move, the University of Kansas has agreed to extend construction deadlines and pay Walton Construction Co., Kansas City, Mo. $300,000 if Memorial Stadium construction is finished in time for the opening game against California State-Northridge.
The Kansas Legislature's Joint Committee on Building Construction, which is required by law to consider any changes in excess of $25,000 to state building projects, approved an agreement between the University and Walton after KU officials said the new press box and suites would not be complete until possibly October without added incentives.
"We felt like this was probably the most viable option for us to get the project done for the first game," said Doug Riat, associate director of design and construction management.
Bob Frederick, athletics director, said that without the incentives, the press box and suites would not have been complete until Oct. 4, after three home games had been played. Frederick said delays could have cost the University as much as $1 million in lost revenue and immeasurable publicity.
"It would have just been disastrous," Frderick said.
Frederick said that problems began in November and that by February, Walton was asking for relief.
we were not in agreement on why they were behind or who was responsible," he said. The delay was caused by unforeseen problems, including sand used for footings that washed out and had to be replaced with the equivalent of three swimming pools of concrete, Frederick said.
Walton has also complained about the quality of the drawings, Frederick said. Both Frederick and Riat said there were no problems with the drawings.
Jack Wright, Walton chief operating officer, deferred all questions about the project to Pat Warren, assistant athletics director in charge of facilities, and to the University. Warren, the design and construction management office and Warren Corman, University architect, share responsibility for overseeing the project and ensuring its completion.
"Our focus is to try to get this job done," Warren said.
The only major change the University has made to the plans was the addition of 16 private restrooms to the suites, he said
Both Warren and Riat said the quality of the construction was not an issue.
The University extended Walton's deadline by 18 days from Aug. 13 to Aug. 31. If the project had not been completed by Aug. 13, Walton would have paid penalties of $2,500 a day for the first week, $5,000 a day for the second week and $10,000 a day in subsequent weeks.
Walton had the low bid for the project at $11,997,000 plus $49,800 for additional work.
Kansan file photo
The next lowest bidder was Law Construction Co., Wichita, with a bid of $12,790,000 plus $120,000 for additional work.
Walton will also receive bonuses —
$250,000 if the press box and suites are
ready for use by Aug. 31 and an additional $60,000 if the work is completed by Sept. 20.
Riat said that completion bonuses were uncommon for building construction, but that they were sometimes used on highway and bridge projects.
Since the agreement was reached about two weeks ago, Warren said that construction had sped up and that he was confident the new press box would be completed by Aug. 31.
The press box and suites are being paid for by the revenue generated from the $22,000 to $50,000 a year suites, a $6 surcharge on ticket sales and private donations.
Edited by Derek Prater
ALCOHOL SIGHTINGS
Sites where alcohol may be served with approval by Chancellor Robert Hemenway:
Allen Field House
Anschutz Sports Pavilion
Art and Design Gallery
Burge Union
Continuing Education Building
Hall Center for the Humanities
James Naismith Society Room
Kansas Union
Lied Center
Lippincott Hall
Murphy Hall
Museum of Natural History
Regents Center
Spencer Museum of Art
Spooner Hall
Summerfield Hall
AIDS project organizes airplane ride fundraiser
sy Kelly Kearns
Kanson staff writer
The airplane ride fundraiser will be held from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, June 26 at the Lawrence Municipal Airport. All proceeds will go to the Aids Project.
Douglas County AIDS Project is offering area residents an opportunity to fly the friendly skies above Lawrence and it's for a good cause.
Gary Finch, coordinating pilot, said that two specialty planes would be flown. One is a 1940s twin engine Beechcraft nicknamed "Dragonlady." It will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The second specialty plane, "Russian Yak," is a World War II Russian fighter plane. It flies only one passenger at a time.
Finch said that 13 pilots will fly a total of 11 planes. The pilots, who are from the Lawrence area, normally don't fly commercial flights.
Pilot Gary Finch is participating in Red Ribbon Flights, a fund raiser for Doualas County AIDS Project. This Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., airplane rides can be purchased at the Lawrence Municipal airport. Photo by Roger Nomer/KANSAN
Finch came up with the idea along with the other pilots because, for 20 years, they had taken part in an airlift fundraiser for the Kansas Nurses' Scholarship Fund.
Finch said that they chose DCAP because they believed it was a worthy cause.
"Our goal is to raise at least $7,000 this year," she said.
"I have a lot of friends that have either died of AIDS or are infected now. DCAP works very hard at supporting infected people and they never have enough funding." he said.
Airplane rides cost $18 for adults and $12 for children younger than 12 years of age. However, specialty plane rides cost more. The Dragonlady costs $20 and Yak
two AIDS-related services. One is to provide community education by talking to schools, support groups and others. The second service is case management to people who have AIDS or are HIV positive. DCAP provides financial assis-
This is the second year for the fundraiser to organize such event. Sidney Hardgrave, DCAP executive director, said that last year the grand total raise was $5,445.
costs $30 a ride. Tickets for the Yak must be purchased in advance. All other tickets can be purchased in advance or at the event. For tickets, call DCAP at 843-0040. Rain date is Sunday, June 27.
Hardgrave said that DCAP provided
- Edited by Anjum Aziz
tance, support groups, and help find doctors when needed.
Peer universities offer mass transit models for Lawrence
Source: http://www.city.ames.ia.us/cyideweb/perfstat.htm
By Phil Cauton Kansan staff writer
As the Lawrence City Commission begins work on a start-up bus system expected to be in place by early next year, the question of how the city system will work with the KU system, KU On Wheels, remains unanswered.
Two bus systems currently operating at peer universities — the University of Missouri and Iowa State University — may provide some insight.
An autonomous bus system One system being considered by the commission resembles the transit system in Columbia, Mo. - home to the University of
An autonomous bus system
MU contracts the service of seven buses, primarily for a shuttle running between campus and off-campus satellite parking. Combined with the evening service — which runs from campus to residence halls, Greek houses and the satellite lots — over 6,000 students ride the MU buses daily. They pay only $8.50 a semester for a bus pass.
Missouri.
The city runs 12 buses, 12 hours a day and — at 50 cents a ride — nearly 400,000 passengers have caught the bus since January. Columbia offers all-day passes to handicapped passengers for $1 on specially equipped buses.
"The appropriate concern is what will be good for everybody," Joy said. "If change is going to be good for the students, then from there we can figure out how to help, support and manage a workable bus system."
Jim Joy, MU Parking and Transportation Director, said he would be meeting with the city this year to discuss possibilities for increased cooperation between the two systems.
While the contract is with the city, the system is independent of city control, but city buses can
run through campus.
Ken Koopmans, Director of Columbia Transit, said that he expects merging the two systems could triple passengers on city buses, benefiting both the city and students.
See CITY on page 3A
StudEx calls for changes in University alcohol policy
By Matthew Friedrichs Kansan editor
Student concerns about alcohol policies that have grown more stringent in the past year resurfaced in a Student Senate Resolution earlier this month.
"It is not the alcohol we desire, it is the hypocrisy we deplore," reads the resolution.
The Student Senate Executive Committee voted 11-0 in favor of a resolution that condemns the University of Kansas for allowing alcohol to be served in the James Naismith Society Room adjacent to Allen Field House and in the scholarship suites under construction at Memorial Stadium. The resolution was offered by Partha Mazumdar, Pittsburgh, Penn., graduate senator, and Marlon Marshall, St. Louis, Mo., junior and StudEx chairman.
The resolution comes in the wake of increased University concern about student binge drinking. Last fall, Chancellor Robert Hemenway announced the cessation of beer sales at the Jaybowl and Hawk's Nest in the Kansas Union. The Department of Student Housing mailed letters to all on-campus students detailing a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol violations. The University also hired Jannette Berkley Patton to coordinate an alcohol awareness campaign that will include advertising to encourage responsible alcohol use by students.
"The University is supposed to be a guide for what we do," Mazumdar said.
Tom Hutton, director of University Relations, said alcohol is allowed at special events in designated areas, if approved by the chancellor. Hemenway has approval authority by permission of the Board of Regents.
ry by permission to the event. For Hemenway to approve alcohol at an event, it must be sponsored by a University group and no undergraduates can be present, said Jeannette Johnson, assistant to Provost David Shulenburger. She said five or six events a month are approved.
But Mazumdar and some other students see a contradiction between the University's policy for students and exceptions granted for special events.
Groups wanting to serve alcohol, including the athletics department, must submit a request in advance.
Athletics Director Bob Frederick said the ability to serve alcohol in stadium suites was something he discussed with former Chancellor Gene Budig while planning the press box expansion. Without the potential to serve alcohol, the athletics department could not have built the suites, he said, because the suites would have been difficult to lease.
Pat Warren, assistant athletics director in charge of facilities, said the suite agreement signed by users governs alcohol at Memorial Stadium. Fans who have suites may purchase their own alcohol and have it delivered Friday before game days. They can then serve alcohol during the game at their discretion.
"We're doing the exact same thing that K-State said." Warren said.
At other events, alcohol must be served by Kansas Union catering staff.
As for concerns about alcohol abuse at games, Frederick said the controlled area limited chances for dangerous behavior.
"We certainly haven't had any problems in five years at the Naismith Room," Frederick said.
Edited by Chad Bettes