2A
The Inside Front
Thursday March 11, 1999
News
from campus, the state, the nation and the world
CAMPUS
Man seen masturbating in van near post office
A man was seen masturbating in his parked van at about 5:40 p.m. on the south side of the post office, 645 Vermont St., said Officer Dave Anderson of the Lawrence Police Department.
The owner of the car parked in the stall next to the van was returning from the office office when she looked over and saw the man sitting in the driver's seat with the window rolled down, Anderson said.
"She said that she wouldn't have even noticed him except his enthusiastic self-manipulation called her attention." Anderson said.
— Katie Burford
KU student places ninth in sports writing contest
Sam Mellinger, Lawrence junior, took ninth place in the sports writing category in the 39th annual Journalism Awards Program of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.
Mellinger won for a story about the remodeling being done at Robinson Center. The story ran in the Nov. 18, 1998, issue of the University Daily Kansan.
The contest featured 76 writers from 47 universities nationwide.
"I thought it was pretty good just because of all the work I put into it," Mellinger said of the story.
The award provides Mellinger, who will intern with the Cincinnati Enquirer this summer, with $500.
Chris Hopkins
Art historian to speak about esoteric Buddhism
"I don't know what I'm going to do with that yet," Mellinger said. "My car needs a little work, so maybe that."
A distinguished artist historian is calling Lawrence his home for two weeks.
Helmut Brinker, professor of art history at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, is the 20th lecturer in the annual Murphy Lectures in Art. He will speak about esoteric Buddhism at 7 tonight at the Spencer Museum of Art auditorium.
Brinker invited everyone — not just art history majors — to attend the lecture.
"Esoteric Buddhist art is difficult to understand," Brinker said. "But if you see it, you generally get something out of it." He invited even one — not just art
Esoteric, or Vajrayana Buddhism, is one of three types of Buddhism, Brinker said. Buddhism and its art also incorporate other cultures.
"In other religions you see serious persecution," Brinker said. "Buddhism itself never tried to eliminate other religions." *You will need a year of East
Matt Merkel-Hess
Brinker also will speak about East Asian images and icons at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Mo.
NATION
House bill could protect airline passengers' rights
WASHINGTON — Bolstered by passengers' tales of alleged mistreatment by airline companies, the administration and Congress are moving to improve protections of air travelers' rights.
"We have struck a raw nerve here," House Transportation Committee Chairman Bud Shuster, R-Pa., told a packed hearing room. "I can't walk through the halls here without members and constituents telling me their horror stories."
Shuster has introduced a bill — one of several "passenger bill of rights" measures now working their way through Congress — that would require airlines to pay compensation to passengers kept waiting on a runway more than two hours, provide explanations for delays and cancellations and give refunds for flights canceled for economic reasons, among other things.
Vice President Al Gore and Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, meanwhile, introduced yesterday the administration's plans for legislative and regulatory action.
The administration's proposed legislation would require airlines to:
- Disclose publicly their flight delay and cancellation policies
— Provide food and restroom facilities during delays
— Draw up evacuation procedures for extended delays and bumping
— Provide notices on lower-priced ticket outlets
- Double the maximum compensation for mishandled baggage to $2,500, and for being bumped from a flight to $800
Tell the Transportation Department monthly about complaints about their service.
Elizabeth Dole creates exploratory committee
DES MOINES, Iowa — Elizabeth Dole moved a step closer to a full-fledged campaign for president yesterday, announcing the formation of an exploratory committee and saying she sees "a great American yeaing" "that she is ready to fulfill."
Highlighting her qualifications in the race for the 2000 Republican nomination, Dole said she had worked for five presidents — and had held two Cabinet posts — but she also sought to separate herself from other political candidates.
"What does a woman like me have to offer the country?" she asked. "I'm not a politician and, frankly, today I think that may be a plus."
She pointed to her experience as secretary of labor and secretary of transportation as well as her eight years
heading the American Red Cross.
"That's experience and that's what counts," said Dole. "I'm not a seat-warmer. I want to get in there and make a difference."
Her speech was heavy on themes and light on specifics.
"I want to hear from you, this is a people-to-people effort on my part," Dole told more than 400 backers who jammed a rally. "We're going to be laying out positions on all these issues, but we're going to be doing it in a thoughtful way."
Yugoslav president fails to sign new peace deal
WORLD
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia — At top U.S.
organizer failed to persuade
Yugoslavia's president to sign onto a new Kosovo peace deal yesterday. Along the border, Yugoslav forces backed by tanks torched the homes of ethnic Albanians and sent hundreds fleeing.
Three bodies were found — at least two of them men who had been shot in the back in Ivaja, a hamlet near the Macedonia border, where homes that had been burned still smoldered. Residents said neither was a rebel in the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army.
Fighting on the day that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic met with U.S. peace envoy Richard Holbrooke also broke out near Vucit, 18 miles from Pristina, the provincial capital of Kosovo. Reporters at the scene said government forces were backed by 10 tanks and two armored personnel carriers.
A neighbor said one of the victims had called on a mobile phone to say that Serb police were coming into the village and that residents were going to make a run for it.
Holbrooke pressed Milosevic to accept a peace plan or risk NATO strikes during more than four hours of face-to-face meetings yesterday.
Fifty-four young women murdered in last six years
CUIDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — All of Consuelo giro Gonzalez's senses are heightened each night around 1 a.m. when she steps off the bus onto a desolate dirt road near her home.
"I get off, and then I take off running because of how afraid I am," said the 30-year-old mother of three.
Many of the victims were thin and dark-complexioned, with long hair. Most were raped and then stranded or stabbed, their bodies dumped in the desert on the outskirts of town. At least a dozen worked in the booming assembly plants known as masquadoras.
Female factory workers here such as Aguero are consumed with fear because of at least 54 sex murders of young women during the past six years in the Juarez area along the U.S. border, across from El Paso, Texas.
-The Associated Press
A KU student's car was damaged between noon Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday in the 100 block of Coventry Manor, a Lawrence Police report said. The damage was $3,940.
ON THE RECORD
A KU student's golf clubs were stolen between
3:30 and 11:30 a.m. Sunday in the 1900 block
of Stewart Avenue, a Lawrence Police report
said. The clubs were valued at $470.
A KU student's car was stolen between 5:30 a.m. saturday and 12:30 p.m. Monday in the 600 block of Gateway Drive, a Lawrence Police report said. The car was valued at $3,000.
A KU student was cited for having a dog at large at 1:23 p.m. Tuesday north of Haworth Hall, the KU Public Safety Office said. The student was given a ticket.
A Lawrence resident was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol at 1:59 a.m. Wednesday at 11th and Mississippi streets, the KU Public Safety Office said. Police pulled the man over after he was seen driving over a curb.
A KU public safety officer was dispatched at 11:37 p.m. Tuesday to Robinson Center on a report that a KU student had sprained his ankle while playing basketball, the KU Public Safety Office said. A friend of the student drove him to the hospital.
A fire extinguisher was stolen between 3 and 6 p.m. Feb. 3 from the fourth floor of Oliver Hall, the KU Public Safety Office said. The extinguisher was valued at $40.
ON CAMPUS
The Office of Student Financial Aid is reawarding Federal Work Study funds for the Spring, 1999 Semester. To apply, access an online application at the Web site www.ukans.edu/~ofsa. For more information about the program, call 864-4700 or stop by 50 Strong Hall.
■ Writer's Roosts, sponsored by Writing Consulting: Student Resources will be open today at the following times and locations: from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Burge Union and 4003 Wescoe Hall, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Alcove C in the Kansas Union, and from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Multicultural Resource Center.
- KU Enviros and Ecumenical Christian Ministries will sponsor a vegetarian luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the ECM building. Call Shannan at 841-8033 for more information.
- Amensty International will meet at 7 tonight at the Glass Onion, 624 W. 12th St., for letter writing. Call Kyle Browning at 842-1351 for more information.
- The University Senate meeting at 4 p.m. today has been moved from the Union to the Visitor's Center at Templin Hall. Call Molly Mulloy at 864-5169 for more information.
Campus Crusade for Christ will meet at 7:30 tonight at the Kansas Room in the Union. Call Lindsey Chalfont at 864-1562 for more information.
KU Young Democrats will meet at 8 tonight at the Partors in the Union. State representatives, Barbara Ballard and Troy Findley of Lawrence will be the featured speakers. Call Phil Stevenson at 841-7307 for more information.
Visitor's Center nears completion of final details
By Lori O'Toole
Special to the Kansan
Piecing together the cast of a pterodactyl with a 23-foot wingspan in the foyer of the new Visitor's Center could be tricky.
The prehistoric bird is only one of the finishing touches University of Kansas departments now are working on for the center, which opened in January.
Facilities operations is overseeing several projects such as tearing down the old information booth, landscaping the area around the center and making the campus entrance more physically attractive and more user-friendly.
On Feb. 16, crews removed a concrete island from 15th Street, which will make the left turn into the Visitor's Center parking lot easier. Buses are now running from campus to the center every 30 minutes.
Mike Richardson, facilities operations director, said the building's parking lot almost was complete after the recent addition of a wheelchair ramp. The lot will provide at least 100 reserved visitor spots.
Richardson said the landscaping project was financed with $17,000 from the provost's office. It was designed by Gregory Wade, Design and Construction Management Landscape Architect.
Wade said the plan contained a variety of plants including deciduous and evergreen shrubs, Norway Maple trees and soil stabilizing ground covers.
"I planned it to have special color emphasis in the spring and fall, but it will be attractive all year round." Wade said.
One of the more difficult projects facilities operations crews are working on is the removal of the information booth located in front of the Visitor's Center.
Warren Corman, University architect, said the booth had directed visitors to campus locations for at least 15 years, but that it was no longer needed.
Bud Stallworth, design and construction management assistant director, said a lead and asbestos test found traces of asbestos in the booth's roof.
"It isn't a significant amount, but it must be handled safely," Stallworth said.
An abatement contractor will be hired to remove the contaminated area before demolition, which Stallworth said would occur in three to four weeks. The demolition only should take a couple of days to complete.
New signs that direct visitors around campus eventually will be erected in front of the center.
Margie Frederick, Visitor's Center coordinator, said the various projects would have a strong effect on prospective students and visitors.
"The initial impression is so important," Frederick said. "The corner of 15th and Iowa is now the front door to campus."
The deadline for all of the projects is April 28, when the center will offer an informal open house.
- Edited by Clint Hooker
ET CETERA
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
The University Daily Kansas (ISSN 0746-4962) is published at the University of Kansas, 119 Staffer-Flint Hall, Lawrence, Kc. 60454, daily during the regular school year, excluding Saturday, Sunday, holidays and finals periods, and Wednesday during the summer session. Periodical
postage is paid in Lawrence,
Kan, 66044. Annual subscriptions
by mail are $120. Student
subscriptions of $2.33 are paid
through the student activity tee.
Postmaster: Send address changes to the University Daily Kanson, 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall. Lawrence, Kan. 66045.
The Kansan prints campus events that are free and open to the public. When information is submitted, the event's sponsor, name and phone number must be on the form, which is available in the On Campus mailbox in the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. Items must be turned in two days in advance of
the desired publication date. Forms can also be filled out online at www.kansan.com/services/oncampus — these requests will appear on the UDKI as well as the Kansan. On Campus is printed on a space-available basis. On Campus is a free service provided by the Kansan to the University community.
841-PLAY 1029
We Buy, Sell, Trade & Consign USED & New Sports Equipment
Massachusetts
Academic Computing Services presents:
FREE COMPUTER TRAINING for the KU Community
Week of March 15-16 & March 31-April 1, 1999
928 Mass. •Lawrence, KS
Stock up.
Making the Most of Microsoft Office Help — Learn how to use the Help menu of the MS Office suite of programs more effectively. Tuesday., March 16, 4 - 5:30 p.m./ Computer Center Auditorium
Web-Database Integration —Create a Web based interface to a database with an HTML form and CGL scripting. See how to combine a database and CGL script to produce dynamic Web content using mSQL and Perl in the UNIX environment.
Prerequisite Web Authoring, Computer and CGL scripts or Comprehensive Web Programming or equivalent skills. Tuesday., March 16, 8:00 p.m.-Computer Center PC Lab. Room 2024
Web Authoring: Intermediate—Create links, place graphics and learn other HTML techniques. Prerequisite: Web Authoring Introduction or equivalent skills. Monday, March 15; 1 -4 p.m./ Computer Center PC Lab, Room 202A
All ACS classes are FREE to KU students and faculty and staff members registered at UK. All SRS patients with registered ACS must log on at www.ku.edu/ku/srs before registration or at kU-04H4A. Some classes are 17% fee nor free. The complete ACS online schedule is at www.ku.edu/ku/srs and in Lawrence, IL for free (bookmarked) www.ku.edu/ku/srs available via the Customer Center. For questions please contact Willian Mazzola at kU-04H4A.
*PowerPoint: Intermediate* -- Explore some advanced features including charts and graphics, drawing tools, and action bu-
tons. Prerequisite: *PowerPoint: Introduction* or equivalent skills. Requires registration fro all a fee for non KU. Thursday..
April 1, 2 - 4 p.m./ Budig Hall Computer Lab PC Lab, Room 10
Web Authoring; Cascading Style Sheets—Learn a new way to set colors, font styles, and layout in Web pages that sepa rates style from content. Prerequisite: *Web Authoring; Intermediate or equivalent skills.* Wednesday., March 31, 2 - 5 p.m.
Computer Center PC Lab, Room 2024
UNIX Introduction —Learn the basics of UNIX, the operating system on FALCON; FAGLE, LARK, RAVEN and HERON
Thursday, April 1, 1–4 p.m./Computer Center PC Lab, Room 202A
MEET PAUL. HE'S YOUR TICKET TO THE BEST TIMES OF THE SEMESTER. WHETHER YOU'RE MEETING FRIENDS OR MAKING NEW ONES, FATSO'S IS THE PLACE TO BE, AND PAUL IS THE MAN WHO WILL LET YOU IN.
IF WE'RE FANTASY ISLAND THEN THIS IS RICARDO MONTALBAN.
JUST MAKE SURE YOU BRING YOUR 2 FORMS.
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