THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
Vol. 90, No. 80
The University of Kansas—Lawrence, Kansas
10 cents off campus
Tuesday, January 29,1980
Wallace lights way to Games
See story and photo page five
House committee approves 'self-help' bill
By STEVE YOUNG
Staff Reporter
TOPEKA- The Kansas House Judiciary Committee yesterday overwhelminessly admitted a "self help" amendment to the Landlord-Tenant Act sponsored by State Rep. John Solbach, D-Lawrence.
Judicial Committee Chairman Joe Hoagland, R-Overland Park, said he would have brought the bill up for a vote last year if he had realized it would generate so much support.
The Solbash hill passed on a voice vote with only two of 19 members dissenting.
The bill, which was introduced last year, is intended to give tenants with negligent landlords a quick and affordable legal means of getting needed repairs done.
Hogland said he thought the bill passed because it was "less offensive" than past "self-heLP" bills and because landlords had alienated some committee members in presenting testimony against the bill last
"There was a lot of resentment of the way landlords presented their case," Hoagland said.
He said some landlords used "strong-arm" tactics in opposing the bill.
A COMMITTEE member, who asked not to be called, informed the hearing room, and "made veiled threats to him."
The committee member also said Lawrence attorney Jack Brand had irradiated some committee members.
Landlord Tenant Act
relevant to the bill."
Brand, who represents Lawrence apartment complex owners, said he didn't know whether legislators had been alienated at last year's hearings or whether that might have affected the vote.
He said that the landlords Hoagland referred to were from Wichita and that he didn't know who they were.
Brand said the committee vote was "unfortunate for tenants because it will cause rent to out."
SUPPORTERS of the Solbach bill, who said as late as Friday that they couldn't predict the vote, were saying they didn't.
Opponents of the bill have said rents would increase because maintenance costs would increase if
Lacy Smith, legislative director of the Associated Students Kansas, the state student body, said the
I was pleased with the job, she said.
Smith, who was responsible for most of his work
"I was pleased as punch," she said.
on the bill, the lobby had not yet mapped its strategy for the vote by the full House.
The House leadership's scheduling committee will determine whether the bill will come for a vote. At that point, the House will decide whether the House floor, Hongsiang he said he thought it would be scheduled for a vote in a couple of weeks. House leader Chu Sheng, who has been
Sulbach said he hoped his bill would not be brought up for a vote soon because “there's a tremendous欠债” on it.
UNDER SOLBACH'S bill, a tenant could have needed repair work done at his own expense if the tenant had been rented.
Repair costs could not exceed $100 or one-half the rent, whichever was greater.
Bridge below
The two arms of the Kansas River bridge form a giant “V” across the river in north Lawrence. The Vermont Street span, bottom, has been handling all the traffic because of
LINDA MUTHIKansan
problems with the Massachusetts Street span. The concrete of that span has yet to cure, which means road salt and other anti-ice chemicals would crack the concrete. See story
"Water Pollution."
Poll backs Legal Services court representation
By SUSAN SCHOENMAKER
Staff Reporter
Buoyed by an "overwhelming" 92 percent
student survey endorsement of court
rulings, the school board Board said yesterday it was planning
another drive to win administrative and
school finance.
Last year's efforts to add litigation to the Legal Services initial program were shelved after meeting with administrative disapproval. Legal service doors were opened last March with the understanding that the permitment, but would remain a possibility.
Legal Services offers advice, education and out-of-court assistance to KU students.
Under the litigation recommendations, court representation would be prepaid by the county sheriff and miscellaneous court costs. In addition, students could not bring suits against the school district.
Eighty-four percent of the survey respondents favored the proposed court representation, even if the service involved a small number of students contacted in the telephone survey.
"I was really amazed student support was so strong," board chairman Steve Leben
said, "Students wanted litigation even to the point of paying a dollar more in student activity fees."
HOWEVER, board members said they would attempt to sieve the cost of their work. They had instructed each student pay $1.25 this semester to contribute to the law Legal Services' budget.
"Unfortunately, we've gone over the budget," Leben said. "But the survey tells us students want litigation and are ready to pay for it."
He said the board would try to head off a student fee increase by petitioning the State Department. Legal Services is scheduled to release this memo to the permanent offices at the Statuary Hall.
Only 13 percent of the respondents said they would contact a lawyer if they had to pay for legal services, although almost half said they needed legal aid at some time.
The survey showed money might be a roadblock for students who need legal assistance.
"The demand is there," board member Terry Matlack said, "and there are ways to add litigation without burdening Legal
MATLACK SAID that although Rudick
was requested for four student law
students and has operated with only three. The Legal
Services case load peaked at 127 clients in
the fall.
Services attorney Steve Ruddick too greatly."
"It is personally frustrating at times not to be able to go to court." Ruddick said. "Negotiations are kept alive by the threat of court action.
The door slammed in the faces of 150 clients during a seven-month period when they were turned away because of program limitations.
Ruddick said his hands were sometimes tied in the negotiation process because he was restricted to out-of-court settlements.
"You can't draw the line when the attorney for the other side knows you can't show up in court."
"It is hard to gauge the exact demand for in-courage representation because it is widely known that more currently is offered," he said, and carried away some very frustrated people."
He said legal assistance was sought most often in landlord-tenant, misdemeanor and consumer cases.
Del Shankel, executive vice chancellor,
said Legal Services could get tied up in
frivolous or unnecessary litigation.
THE PROPOSED litigation service should be a shoe-in the Senate, he said, but the board may face administrative opposition.
"If litigation services was approved," Shankel said, "it would need to be carefully controlled and defined.
Matlack said four of five peer universities offered bursarys for course presentation.
"KU is at all progressive. If anything, we're lagging," he said.
"I have, in addition, serious philosophical questions on the desirability of utilizing public funds to handle the private legal matters of students."
Longevity pay increases are given to employees who have reached the end of the state's merit pay schedule, which takes into account reporting to regularly scheduled increases.
The board said it intended to ask legal experts' and students' opinions before preparations for the vote. Senate. Local attorneys and outside legal professionals will be consulted on the case.
Collins is paid under the longevity schedule.
In addition, a petition in favor of litigation will be circulated among students, board members said.
"We're here to represent the student body, not to preordain Legal Services," Mattack said.
ClassEx members rap pay plan
Classified Senate executive council member Joseph Collins said yesterday that under the current longevity pay increase, he would have to maintain regular raises only once every five years.
The current pay plan for classified employees has several Classified Senate members concerned that it provides no long-time employees to stay at the University.
Between these increases their only raises are any cost-of-living increases voted by the legislature.
Staff Reporter
By BILL MENEZES
"If these are the only raises people get, there is little incentive for them to stay at their job, even a job they enjoy," he said.
This system could force some employees to leave jobs they liked but could not afford, Collins said.
"In 1972 and 1973 there was no cost-of-living increase, but the Legislature voted a 5 percent increase in merit pay raises," he onose on the longeity system got nothing.
COLLINS SAID that for fiscal 1979 the Legislature gave a 7.25 percent cost-of-live increase and a 4.8 percent morti-rent increase then published a 12.0 percent increase.
"The actual figure for those on longevity was 7.2 percent, but the figure they banded in public in was that they were giving everyone a 12 percent increase," he said.
increases had not kept pace with inflation.
HOWEVER, under a plan押 plan proposed by Gov. John Cardin employee who have already pledged to work in the system and are evaluated as "outstanding" in their job would qualify for three more years.
Jan O'Neill, Classified Senate president, said the average cost-of-living raise given by the state since 1970 has been about 4.5 percent.
Collins said his next longevity increase was scheduled for 1983.
Bruce McReynolds, director of the state Department of Administration, said the new plan would pay all classified employees a case of 11 percent upon its implementation.
From then, on employees in the longevity schedule would return to their normal increases every five years and cost-of-living or retirement benefits, those receiving "outstanding" evaluations.
MEKYRENLS SAID an "outstanding" employee's third annual merit increase would bring that employee's salary to the maximum amount the state is willing to pay.
He said these increases would provide an incentive for employees to do well, even though only a small percentage of them would be evaluated as 'outstanding'.
Collins described the governor's plan as a "great idea."
"There would be more incentive for people to do well and stay with the state," he said.
David Lewin, KU director of personnel, said longevity increases usually averaged about 5 percent.
Classified employees now receive their first longevity increase one year after they complete the merit increase schedule and then every five years after that for no more than 5 years.
Immigrant students analyze Soviet crisis
EDITOR'S NOTE: The name of one of the students quoted in this story has been changed.
By GRANT OVERSTAKE
Staff Reporter
Two Soviet immigrants who are KU students said yesterday that the Great Bear lumbered into Afghanistan because it was hungry for oil.
No one can predict the movements of the Soviet Union, they said, because it does what it wants, when it wants.
"Nothing can be predicted when it comes to the Soviet Union," Alex said. "It depends on who has the clout in the Kremlin. Neither Russia nor the US are ready to peacefully be peaceful coexistence or World War III."
"This is part of a long-standing drive for Middle Eastern oil. They don't need a warm-water port as much as they need a warm-water port, and they have justified it." A private drive "is private drive."
Marina, another student, said the Soviet Union would like to cut off the oil in the Persian Gulf because the cutoff would paralyze the Western world.
"And that has been their goal for some time," she said.
They agreed that a boycott or move of the Moscow Olympics would hurt the Soviets.
"Should the Olympic baycott come, through it, will be a tremendous slap in the face of the Soviet Union. Alex said. "Atthis moment I don't believe it will happen, and for good reason."
"They know the weaknesses of the American democratic process, and that many people in this country can't bring themselves to admit that somebody, in this instance the athletes, have to sacrifice them in the best interests of the United States."
THE GRAIN embargo could have a delayed effect, they said.
"There are always food shortages over there," Marina said. "In Russia you wait in line for everything, especially meat. The only time you see lines like it is here there is a really big movie show, like the movies that have Star Wars Wars at the supermarket."
Alex said the Soviet government might not tell its citizens why the United States had embargoed Soviet grain.
"They would rather not," he said. "But I think the grain embargo will begin to affect them in a few months."
They agreed that Carter's plan for renewed draft registration was necessary.
"There is an American notion that there are draft proceedings in the Soviet Union. No way. Don't be confused about it." Alex is sure they may pick up right off the street."
Marina said the standing U.S. army was weaker than the Soviet standing army,
"I don't think people should turn their backs on their country at a time like this, because if you still want a country you'd rather get willing to let out and defend it," she said.
COMPARING THE recent invasion of Afghanistan to the 1986 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia should be avoided, Alex said.
"There are some parallels, but Afghanistan was not technically a member of the Soviet bloc," he said. "They were not there and it was an independent Moslem country."
"Supposedly, if you believe the Soviet Union, they had been invited by the Taraki
See SOVIETS back page
BEN BIGLER/Kansan staff
KU'Mean Scott (45) swishes the ball out of Tammie Romstad's (33) hands after the Wildcat rebounded the ball in last night's game. K-State shed out a 67-66 victory. See