Tomorrow's weather
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Kansan
Warmer tomorrow with a chance for rain.
Online today
Tuesday
January 26,1999
Section:
A
Vol. 109 • No. 80
Want to have fun with words? Well the dialectizer is a site that turns English text into many other dialects such as Swedish chef or Elmer Fudd. http://rinkworks.com/dialect/
Sports today
The Kansas baseball team started its first full week of practice, heading inside to escape the uncooperative weather.
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Shoplifting suspects sacked
UNO patrons watch as police make arrest
(USPS 650-640)
By Katie Burford
Kansan staff writer
Lunch became stranger than live television when customers eating at Pizzeria UNO, 3333 Iowa St., watched armed Lawrence Police Officers stop two men driving a stolen car on Iowa Street in front of the restaurant.
"Everyone was eating their pizza, watching the show," said Jamie Gilkey. Lawrence resident and UNO employee.
Lawrence Police received a call at 12:30
p. m. yesterday from security members at an Iowa Street department store regarding two shoplifters, said Sgt. George Wheeler of the Lawrence Police Department.
As police arrived, they saw the suspects leaving the department store parking lot, so they ran a check on the car's license plate number. After the check, police discovered that the car recently had been stolen in Topeka, Wheeler said.
Wheeler did not specify when the car had been reported missing.
Police performed a "felony car stop," which means they used appropriate force, including firearms, to safely pull over the suspects. Wheeler said.
Traffic was stopped briefly in the 3400
block of Iowa Street as four officers, with the their weapons drawn, arrested the two Topeka residents.
Wheeler said that the men were unarmed.
He said that he had not yet received the report disclosing exactly which department store the shoplifters had come from or what they had stolen.
Lisa Dankenbring, Lawrence resident and waitress at UNO, said that the customers were pretty calm.
Lawrence Police have not disclosed the names of the suspects.
She said that as the arrest was taking place, there were between 30 to 40 customers in the restaurant and that no one left the building.
lason Williams/KANSAN
KU's 'front door' finally unlocked
New Visitors Center behind Templin Hall opened during break
Bv Kristi Reimer
The KU Visitors Center, which is located at 15th and Iowa streets behind Templin Hall, has been open since winter break. Visitors and prospective students can watch videos and presentations in an auditorium that seats more than 100 people. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
Kansan staff writer
Instead of driving or walking around campus in dazed bewilderdment, visitors to the University of Kansas can make the Visitors Center at 15th and Iowa streets their first stoo.
The Visitors Center, originally scheduled to be finished last August, opened its doors to guests during winter break. The Office of Admissions and Scholarships also relocated to the center, which is behind Templin Hall.
"The idea was that we wanted a new 'front door' to the University," said Alan Cerveny, director of admissions. "It can be an intimidating place because it's so confusing."
But now, visitors can park their cars in the 100-vehicle lot, gather brochures and talk to guides in the center, who will direct them to various locations on campus.
A bus service, which began yesterday, is available to shuttle people to their destinations. The shuttle bus is for visitors only.
Margey Frederick, coordinator of KU Visitors Services, has shown the campus to everyone from Brownie troops to groups of senior citizens. Her job is to guide visitors who are not prospective students.
In a survey several years ago, she found that every other university in what was then the Big Eight offered a center for visitors.
"We didn't have that." she said.
Now, she said, visitors have a place where they can get directions and find out where to buy food and T-shirts.
"The most important thing is to treat the public as a customer," she said. "Whatever anybody needs, we're here to do."
Upon entering the front doors, visitors see a large Jayhawk on the opposite wall, an information desk on the right and admissions offices on the left. A room lined with shelves provide a variety of brochures about the University.
Clusters of couches, tables and chairs are placed throughout the carpeted lobby. Visitors and
prospective students can watch videos and presentations in an auditorium that seats more than 100 people.
Eventually, free-standing glass cases along the front wall will contain displays about academic departments and University organizations. Plans call for a petroactyl skeleton from the Natural History Museum to hang from the ceiling. Cerveny said.
The $1.6 million project was supposed to have been finished last August, University architect Warren Corman said, but contractors were having a difficult time finding skilled laborers such as carpenters and masons.
"Every contractor says the same thing." Corman said. "There's a shortage of workers."
"We might call it our prehistoric Jayhawk," he said.
See KU CAMPUS on page 2A
Durge Burph, scholarship counselor at the Visitors Center,
talks to Lorraine Talbert, admissions counselor. It will act as a front door to the University of Kansas. Photo by Kong Wee Ng/KANSAN
Fraternities considered for KU spot await OK
By Jamie Knodel
Kansan staff writer
The fraternity that will make its new home at the University of Kansas could be decided tonight.
Two national chapters, Delta Sigma Phi and Pi Kappa Phi, are the finalists of a three-year expansion search.
If approved, the addition of one of the chapters would be the first in 15 years.
The 13-member expansion committee, made up of various sorority and fraternity members, administrators and advisers, will submit its recommendation to the Interfraternity Council at tonight's meeting.
The Interfraternity Council could pass the recommendation, or they could vote to table the issue and vote later.
"This is a new group of presidents assuming these positions," Sheahan said. "They might not be aware of the reasons these fraternities were chosen and recommended."
Ryan Sheahan, Interfraternity president, said that if members didn't vote immediately on expansion, it was because they were not familiar with all aspects of the expansion or the finalists.
By tabling the issue, it would give the council more time to learn about Delta Sigma Phi and PI Kappa Phi fraternities.
"The expansion has not been a rush, we want everyone to consider all aspects," he said.
Simons said that the committee would not have a problem if the vote was tabled for a week.
"The expansion has not been a rush, we want
The expansion committee's recommendation must be approved by the Interfraternity Council with three-quarters approval.
If the council votes to accept the recommendation of the committee, the new fraternity would sign a contract between the council, other fraternities and the University. The contract would include the expectations of the new chapter.
Both Delta Sigma Phi and Pi Kappa Phi have the national funding to establish competitive housing at Kansas and a large network of locally based alumni support.
Chapter representatives from both fraternities visited the campus Oct.27 and 28 and met with alumni, advisers, student groups and eventually presented the committee with the advantages of adding their chapter to the University.
After the presentation, the committee asked a set of more specific questions, and each chapter responded to all questions satisfactorily. Simms said.
The committee then developed the recommendation they will broonse tonight.
Simons said that adding a new fraternity would be beneficial to students considering joining a fraternity.
either one of these chapters will bring in a fresh approach and perspective," he said. "Hopefully, it will inspire existing fraternities to explore new avenues."
The new fraternity is expected to establish itself here during the 1999-2000 school year.
Alcohol task force recommendations to be heard by commissioners tonight
By Heather Woodward Kansan staff writer
The Lawrence City Commission will receive a report from their staff at tonight's meeting regarding what actions, if any, the city should take to curb alcohol abuse.
The city staff received the report from the Joint City-Universities Task Force on Alcohol Abuse Prevention last week and will make recommendations to the commission tonight.
"One of the things brought up was that a minor-in-possession charge is not viewed as a sanction of any consequence," Olin said.
he some of the recommendations made by the task force could have a positive influence on alcohol abuse, especially in regard to underage drinking.
Actions the commission could take include:
Funding a program through Crimetopsters in which people are given rewards for providing information about those who manufacture false identification
Tying local liquor licenses to mandatory training for bar employees.
Making stiffer fines for underage people caught drinking alcohol.
The report shows that a fake ID could be obtained easily in Lawrence and that bar owners told members that the fake ID problem was rising.
"Incentive cash awards are often beneficial to this type of
Sgt. Troy Mailen with the KU Public Safety Office said that added support from the city would help Crimestopers.
program," he said. "Cash awards go to callers who give information that we need and wouldn't have gotten otherwise."
Olin said that he would like to see continued cooperation between bars and the Lawrence Police Department in identifying intoxicated patrons and stopping the use of fake IDs.
On Dec. 8, the commission suspended the UPR, which had allowed the owner to rent out apartments in the house. The commission said that the tenants had to move out of their apartments until owner Kenneth Riedemann and his son Dan Riedemann, the landlord who lives in the house, met the conditions set forth by the 1994 UPR.
At tonight's meeting, the commission also hopes to receive a request from the owner of 805 Ohio St. about the Use Permitted Upon Review permit allowing multi-family use at the house.
Chris Mayer, a tenant at 805 Ohio St. and Atlanta graduate student, said in an article published in the Kansan on Jan. 21 that his landlord told him that he should be able to move back into the house Feb. 2.
City Manager Mike Wildgen said that he had not received a letter from the owner of 805 Ohio St., Kenneth Riedemann, but that he expects to receive a letter before tomorrow's commission meeting.
"My understanding is that we will receive a letter stating that the owner has met all of the requirements set forth in the December letter." Wilden said.
If the city does receive a letter, Wildgen said he would inspect the house and report his findings to the commission tomorrow night.