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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Kansan
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Online today
A good online newspaper to read on April Fools' Day is "The Onion."
http://www.theonion.com
Thursday April 1,1999 Section: A Vol.109 No.121
Sports today
The Kansas football team began spring practice with quarterback Zac Wegner cleared to play.
SEE PAGE 10A
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Listserv regulation unclear
(USPS 630-640)
Partisan messages cause for removal
By T.J. Johnson and Nadia Mustafa
johnson@kansan.com
and nmustafa@kansan.com
Kansan staff writers
A new round of arguments erupted yesterday about e-mail messages posted on the Student Senate listserv that addressed campaign issues and figures from past elections.
Jason Fizell, Delta Force candidate for student body president in 1997, and Scott Sullivan, Unite student body president last year, who defeated Fizell in the 1997 election, both KU graduates, posted messages on the Senate listserv about the 1997 campaigns.
The messages sent by Fitzell and Sullivan prompted a message from student body vice president Scott Kaiser, who threatened to remove people from the
listserv who discussed campaigns or coalition politics.
Kaiser said that he would remove listserv members who continued to post partisan messages.
Many student senators agreed that some controls should be placed on the listserv but some said those rules should be written down before being enforced.
Seth Hoffman, Nunemaker senator and Delta Force candidate for student body president, said that the decisions on listserv rules should not be made and enforced by just one person.
"There's no written policy on the listserv, and I think it's really up to the whim of the vice president. Something should be written," Hoffman said.
Kaiser said that as student body vice president he was in charge of running the listserv and could enforce rules to control it.
"As it stands right now, there are no rules, so I make the rules," Kaiser said. "Over the summer, it would be appropriate to have some rules made."
Kaiser said that his temporary answer to arguments about his regulation of behavior on the listserv was to treat it in the same way as behavior in the Student Senate office.
"This is a continuation of a longstanding Senate office policy to keep a non-partisan atmosphere." Kaiser said.
Dede Seibel,
Nunemaker senator
and YOU candidate
for student
body vice president,
agreed with
Kaiser's listserv
regulations.
"There are some
"There are some basic rules that were put out on the listserv at the beginning of the year by Vice President Kaiser," Seibel said. "It basically goes back to free speech, and you can't regulate that, but there are
Kaiser;Said he would remove partisan-san message writers
rules and guidelines that have been set but not formally passed."
Honnan said that this was not the first time this year that Kaiser had threatened to censor listserv users. Hoffman agreed with Kaiser that some formal regulations should be put in place.
Julie Numrich, Senate executive chair, also agreed that regulations were needed.
"This summer in Student Senate it was brought up, but nothing ever came to fruition," Numrich said. "The regulations are something I would tell next year's StuEx chair to put in."
Numrich said that the listserv had been much calmer this year, with fewer personal attacks and less discussion of campaign politics.
"I don't think there has been a need for more actual regulations," she said.
Numrich also said that it would be hard to enforce rules on people such as Fizell and Sullivan, who are no longer at the University.
—Edited by Kelli Raybern
Crisis in Kosovo
Three U.S. soldiers were missing near the Yugoslav border last night. The drug suspects possibly were captured by the Serb military or police
Search and rescue teams from France, Britain and Italy were launched immediately including both helicopter and ground missions.
- The Army teams were last seen on a mission in the Kumanovo area, about three miles from the southern Yugoslav border.
Source: The Associated Press Angie Kuhn/KANSAN
Stepping again
Angelica Contreras, Lawrence resident, and Kristen Bloom, Wichita junior, work out on a step machine at the Lawrence Athletic Club, 3201 Mesa Way. The athletic club partially reopened Tuesday at 5 p.m. Photo by Ruben Noguera/KANSAN
Fraternity appeals hazing suspension
By Jamie Knodel
By Jamie Knodel
jknodel@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Members of one fraternity are hoping that after today they will be able to regain their privileges and be in good standing with the University of Kansas.
Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, has been on indefinite suspension since a hazing incident in October 1997. Today is the first opportunity for the group's members to appeal its suspension.
Craig Hartman, Alpha Tau Omega fraternity president and Prairie Village sophomore, said that since the group's suspension, fraternity members had abided by the probation sanctions mandated by the University.
The suspension included requiring fraternity participation in meetings and educational opportunities that were optional for other Greek organizations.
Nelson said that one of the privileges the University took from the chapter was its ability to hold social functions that served alo
"There is no hazing going on here anymore," he said.
Bill Nelson, director of greek programs, said that the fraternity had lost privileges as a result of the probation and that greater responsibilities had been placed on the chapter.
hol.
Hartman said that since the suspension all members of the group had worked hard to comply with the sanctions.
"We've made a complete turnaround from where we were," he said.
The vice chancellor of student affairs, James Kitchen, with the help of several suspension liaisons that have worked with the fraternity, will evaluate the chapter and determine its future status.
Hartman said that the group had not lost any new members this year and that the fraternity's grade point average had improved each of the four semesters it had been on suspension.
Nelson said it could take several weeks for the University to make a decision on the fraternity's future.
He also said that once the group was not on probation, he expected membership recruitment to be easier.
Members of the fraternity are hopeful that the University accepts their appeal, which is expected to be submitted today and that they are removed from suspension.
"It will be great for us if the University accepts the appeal," Hartman said. "We will be able to get involved in campus activities again."
Meetings honor partnership with Costa Rica
By Chris Hopkins
hookins@kansas c
By Chris Hopkins
chopkins@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
Costa Rica is a country that most University of Kansas students might have trouble pointing out on a map, but this weekend the University will celebrate its 40-year partnership with the country.
One highlight of the symposium will be a speech by former Costa Rican president and 1987 Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias Sanchez at 8 p.m. Thursday in Budig Hall.
"Costa Rica: Democracy Environment and Peace," is a symposium that will take place today, tomorrow and Saturday at Budig Hall, Spencer Museum of Art and the Kansas Union.
Kenneth Rohquett, Cardago, Costa Rica, sophomore and member of the exchange program, said that he would try to attend Arias' speech.
"He's one of the most important figures in Costa Rican politics," Roquhuet said. "I was really young
when he was president, but he projected an incredible national image for Costa Rica in the '80s, and he still does today."
The arrangement with the University of Costa Rica is the oldest partnership between a university in Latin America and the United States.
Part of the reason for the stability of the University's exchange program with Costa Rica is the extraordinary stability within the country itself. The country has not had military forces since it abolished its army in 1948 after a civil war.
This is the 40th anniversary of the University's student exchange program with University of Costa Rica in San Jose although formal exchanges took place as far back as 1946.
"Costa Rica is an extraordinary
Orley Taylor, professor in the entomology and the ecology and evolutionary biology departments, is one of more than 100 KU faculty who has represented the KU in Costa Rica.
Richard Bachman / KANSAN
country ecologically," he said. "It's been a strong democracy for a long time. It's been a very stable country both politically and economically."
Members of the symposium planning committee had difficulties finding enough financing. The committee had little money until members found donors to support the program.
The second major speaker will be Gary Hartshorn, executive director for the Organization for Tropical Studies at Duke University. He will speak about deforestation and reforestation at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Budig Hall.
symposium planning committee and said that without the donors, the Chancellor's office, the Provost's office, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and others, the symposium wouldn't be happening.
Anita Herzelf, associate professor of Latin American studies, was on the
"Everybody has chipped in to make it possible," she said. "It was a University-wide effort, which is great."
All of the evening symposium speeches are free and open to the public. Registration is required for daytime events and costs $10 for students and $45 for faculty. Registration will be from 7 to 8 ontight at Budig Hall and from 8 to 3:08 tomorrow morning at the Kansas Union.
A complete schedule of symposium events can be found at www.kumc.edu/kuce/app/cr/schedule.html.
American troops missing along Yugoslav border during mission
The Associated Press
An immediate search and rescue mission was launched, involving ground and helicopter teams from several NATO countries and the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps based in the Macedonian capital of Skopje, U.S. officials said. Searchers included 80 to 90 soldiers on U.S., British, French and Italian helicopters.
WASHINGTON — Three U.S. Army soldiers were missing in Macedonia near the Yugoslav border last night after possibly being captured by members of the Serb military or police while on a reconnaissance mission, the Pentagon and NATO officials said.
The Army team had been on a daytime reconnaissance mission in the Kumanovo area, about three miles from the southern Yugoslavia border when they reported "they received small arms fire and said they were surrounded," according to NATO.
NATO officials didn't say who had surrounded the soldiers, but Col. Richard Bridges, a Pentagon representative, said it was presumed to be Serb Army troops, paramilitary units or perhaps special police forces.
After more than half a day and half a night of an intensive search effort, the Pentagon said U.S. and NATO forces were facing a difficult terrain and environment.
Searchers were unable to find the missing team's vehicle, which had been traveling on a civilian road during part of the reconnaissance mission, U.S. officials said.
facing a difficult terrain and the search will continue until we find them or until we have some idea where they are." Bridges said. "It's pretty rough out there."
Asked if the soldiers' captors might have taken them over the border into the Serbian portion of Yugoslavia, Bridges refused to speculate. But he said U.S. search teams were not expected to enter Yugoslavia, which is now under NATO attack.
"Right now there's a ... concentrated ground search," Bridges said.
"They're not going to cross the border," he said.
They're not going to cross the border. The missing team was one of several Army units guarding the Yugoslav-Macedonia border during the ongoing NATO air strikes against the Serb military in Yugoslavia.
several of the teams had been out on a reconnaissance mission yesterday afternoon together, but had split up to engage in some rough terrain training, the Pentagon said.
The urgent radio cries for help came between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Madagascar time (6:30 to 7 a.m. CST), the Pentagon said.
At the White House, National Security Adviser Sandy Berger advised President Clinton of the missing soldiers "and will keep him informed as the information becomes available," said NSC representative David Leavy.
"We're still determined to push forward on our sustained air campaign and the operation will continue" against military targets in Yugoslavia, Leavy said.
NATO forces, including ground and helicopter teams, and Macedonian police immediately launched a search for the missing team, U.S. officials said.
missing team, U.S. officiates said.
The Army reconnaissance team was a part of the former U.N. peacekeeping operation in Macedonia called "Able Sentinel," which ended in February, Bridges said.
The force of about 1,200 troops included about 350 Americans, who remained in the region following the March 24 start of NATO air strikes in Yugoslavia against Serb military targets.
See NATO on page 2A