Wednesdav. February 24, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Brazilian organization to present cultural event
By Dan Curry Kansan staff write
Maru Gras may have passed, but the Brazilian Carapaval is just warming up.
In honor of Brazilian Week, which begins today and lasts through Saturday, the KU Brazil-Portugal Organization has planned a variety of events to celebrate Brazilian culture.
The highlight of the week, the Brazilian Carnaval, will be held Saturday night at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St., and will feature Brazilian food and drinks. A band from Chicago will play Brazilian music throughout the evening, said Diana Victor, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, senior.
"There is this very famous Brazilian drink with smashed limes, sugar and vodka Caipirinha," she said. "We're going to teach the bartenders at the Granada to make them."
The musical group,
the Chicago Samba School Band, will play traditional and popular Brazilian music,
said Mariana
BRAZILIAN WEEK
Today: Media panel to discuss Globe, a large Brazilian media corporation, at 6 p.m. in 100 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
Tomorrow: A panel discussing soccer in Brazil at 6 p.m. at the English Room in the Kansas Union.
Friday: Brazilian music festival at 8 p.m. at the Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union.
Friday: Traditional Brazilian foods during lunchtime at the Kansas Union cafeteria.
Paiva. Brazil-Portugal Organization president.
Saturday: Brazilian Carnaval at 8 p.m. at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St.
She said that Carnaval was an essential part of Brazilian culture.
"Brazil is like a party country," Palva said. "We are famous for that. So Carnavall time is a big deal."
The KU Brazil-Portugal Organization members plan to do more than party.
"We don't want to stick to only a party." Victor said.
"We wanted to diversify a little. Since we're organizing a whole week of events, we don't want people to only go and have fun. We want people to learn."
The first cultural event of the week will be a panel discussion about media mogul Roberto Marinho, owner of Globo, a Brazil-based network, at 6 p.m. in 100 Stauffer-Flint Hall
Linda Davis, associate professor of journalism, who will be a member of the panel, said Globo fascinating.
"The way Globo got so powerful was by working very closely with the government in the early days," Davis said. "It became an interesting independent voice, championing free elections in Brazil."
A panel discussing soccer in Brazil will be held at pm tomorrow at the English Room in the Kansas Union.
Panel member Antonio Simoes, associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese, played soccer in Brazil growing up.
"I'll show the video and see how soccer relates to the society," Simoes said. "It is a big deal. It can affect even business."
Traditional Brazilian foods such as feijão and arroz will be served at lunch Friday at the Union cafeteria.
Edited by Liz Wristen
By Heather Woodward
City devises plan to finance downtown garage
The Lawrence City Commission took initial steps at last night's meeting to finance a downtown parking garage.
Kanson staff writer
The commission voted to draft an ordinance declaring the 900 block of New Hampshire Street — where the 616-space garage will be built — a redevelopment district. By establishing the block as a redevelopment district, the city can use tax increment financing to pay for the project. A redevelopment district is an area that is not yet deteriorated but may become blighted in the future.
"It's not a blighted area yet," said Mayor Marty Kennedy. "But it's very close to it. Once the redevelopment district is established, we can go through with the formation of the tax increment financing plan."
The project will be paid for through increased sales and property tax revenue produced by the development of retail and office space across the street from the parking garage.
The project will cost $17.8 million.
Private investment firm 9-10 L.C. will provide $8.1 million and the rest will be paid for with city bonds.
"A downtown developer doesn't have to pay for additional street-level parking because that is paid for by the public parking system, which comes from the parking meters and $2 fines," said Dave Corliss, director of legal services for Lawrence.
Corliss said that the city had realized that a multi-level parking garage was needed downtown and that the city had been trying to find a way to pay for it.
"A parking garage is expensive, about $10,000 a space." Corliss said. "25 cents in the meter or a $2 fine isn't going to pay for it. In order to use the special powers of grabbing this extra revenue, the development needs to be in an area that is poorly developed."
Lawrence resident Larry Kipp said at the meeting that he was concerned about the amount of public investment in the project. The Downtown 2000 project, which includes the parking garage, also includes building retail and office space on the east side of the block.
"I'm not sure the amount of retail that's being built there will generate enough revenue or not." Kipp said. "The project is exceptional in terms of the high percent of city funding, and it's exceptional in terms of the high risk."
"We want to ensure that this new area will benefit downtown and maintain its viability," Kennedy said.
Kennedy said that creating the area as a redevelopment district would protect it against future deterioration.
Al Hack, a representative of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber had unanimously voted in favor of the project and its public financing plan.
"The more that we had a chance to look at this project, the more we realized that this is a win-win situation for everyone involved," Hack said.
Edited by Steph Brewer
Last night the commission:
CITY COMMISSION
■ Approved licenses for the following drinking establishments: Jack Flanigan's Bar & Grill, 804 W. 24th St., (contingent upon State License); American Legion, 3408 W. Sixth St.; J.B Stout's, 721 Wakarusa, No. 100; The Pool Room, 925 Iowa St.;
Approved licenses for the following retail liquor stores: Koehler Retail Liquor, 721 Wakarasa, Ste. 107; Hird Retail Liquor, 601 Kasold, B-101.
Adapted an ordinance continuing the city commission quorum at four members. (The ordinance requires the commission to annually establish the city commission quorum).
Brad Wolcott and Aaron Wolcott, owner of Advantage Termite and Pest Control, Inc., expected to lose their office space in the 900 block of New Hampshire when they moved in September. The block will be cleared to make way for new retail and office space. Photo by Roger Nomer/KANSAN
City Commission approves salary increase for members
Last night the Lawrence City Commission approved an ordinance that would increase commissioners' salaries to $9,000 per year and the mayor's salary to $10,000 per year.
The ordinance, read for the first time last week, would kick in after the new commission is elected this spring.
The mayor and the commissioners' salaries have been $6,000 for the past six or seven years. Mayor Marty Kennedy said.
The three commissioners not running for re-election this spring, Bonnie Augustine, Bob Moody and John Nalbandian, voted for the increase in salary, Kennedy voted against the
raise and Commissioner Erv Hodges abstained.
Kennedy's and Hodges' terms as mayor and commissioner will continue through next year.
"The city commission changes every two years," Kennedy said. "There haven't been any former commissioners that have taken this kind of action," he said. "I want to establish now that I will do the best job I can do for the city whether its $6,000 or $10,000. It's more of a civic and public duty."
- Edited by Duane Wagler
Heather Woodward
Computer users can browse, test KU Web site prototype page
By Jennifer Roush
Kansan staff writer
While the Web site, www.ukans.edu, is undergoing extensive revisions that will make navigation easier and downloading faster, users can link to a prototype page.
tor for Academic Computing Services.
Computer users who visit the KU Web site can sneak a peek at the University's new home page before it officially replaces the old page.
Jerry Niebaum, assistant vice chancellor and director for Academic Computing Services, said he hoped the new page would replace the current one before the end of the school year.
The page has averaged about 350 hits a day since it became active, and Loats said she had received about 100 completed surveys.
Visitors to the prototype page are invited to view the site and complete a survey, which is sent to the page's administrator. The link has been active since Feb. 17, said Julie Loats, Web administra-
She said she had planned to create a new KU Web site since she arrived at the University two years ago. She said she had heard some students complain about the site. They thought it loaded too slowly and that it was too complicated to navigate.
Loats said the new page would replace the home page and KUfacts section, which is the main page for the Lawrence campus. She said that the Web site's address, or URL, would remain the same and that the new site would not cost students an increase in dial-in account fees.
Loats said making the Web site easier to navigate was the main focus for the prototype page.
A KU A to Z link will contain an alphabetical listing of all departments, organizations and offices affiliated with the University. The link also will offer University departments by multiple names.
"Someone who moved to Taiwan might want to find the Regents Center," she said. "They wouldn't know that the name has chaned."
Loats said the 100 survey results reported that the two most popular changes were the KU A to Z listing and the student and faculty member e-mail directory.
Other changes included fewer and smaller images so that the page would download more quickly for users with slow Internet connections.
The image on the main page also will be changed periodically to reflect different seasons and KU activities. For example,
in the fall, there might be images of the campus or of Kansas football, while images of commencement or Kansas basketball could appear in the spring. The photo on the main page also will change each time the user reloads the page.
Loats said the page still would be accessible for people using text-based browsers such as Lynx, which was developed at the University.
"Lynx has such a rich tradition at KU," she said. "We didn't want to lose that."
Loats also said she didn't want to name a definite deadline for the Web site's completion. However, she would like to see the old page replaced within six months.
Once the prototype page is finished, it must be approved by the KUfacts advisory committee that will make a written recommendation to the Office of the Provost.
- Edited by Sarah Hale