The University Daily
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
KANSAN
Wednesday, February 25, 1981 Vol. 91, No. 103 USPS 650-640
Senate panel cuts Regents'82 budget
By GENE GEORGE Staff Reporter
TOPEKA- In one hour yesterday, $3 million was gone.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee, which was scheduled to consider the Board of Regents system-wide budget for two days made all the recommended changes the committee wanted during its first meeting yesterday, including a 7 percent limit to faculty pay raises.
Besides reducing faculty pay raises, the committee's proposed cuts would mean students would be paying more for education and the staff would be forced to cut some programs starting next fall
THE COMMITTEE recommendations must be approved by the full Senate and then by the
The major changes the committee adopted were:
- Cutting the faculty pay increase from Gov. John Carlin's recommendation of 8 percent to 7 percent. The Regents asked Carlin for a 10 percent increase. The committee cut about $1.7 million.
- Cutting the governor's recommendation of $42,000 to cover the increases in enrollments at the high school.
- *Cutting the governor's recommendation of $1.5 million for next year's projected enrollment increases to $600,000, and making the universities manage with what money they have for small increases in enrollment. The committee deleted about $1.5 million.
- Approving an average increase of 15 percent in student tuition, which would mean KU would lose $40 million a year.*
- Cutting $250,000 from the governor's recommendation of a 9 percent increase in the universities' operating budget. The Regents asked the governor for a 9 percent increase.
THE COMMITTEE SUPPORTED the governor's recommendation on other budget items, including keeping the 60 percent fee waiver for graduate teaching assistants, increasing the student employee salaries by $0.000 and $0.000 next year, classified employee salaries by $1.3 million.
Committee Chairman Paul Hess, R-Wichita, said that his committee was close to its goal of slashing $23 million from the governor's $2.78 billion 1982 budget and that lawmakers would rather cut the budget than vote in a new tax, such as Carlin's controversial severance tax proposal.
"I feel that in light of the cuts made in the first three appropriations bills (the session)," Hess said, yesterday, "it is extremely difficult to get budgets . . . without adjusting it downward."
Hess said that although he and other Senate Republicans opposed the governor's proposed 8 percent severance tax on the production of oil, he was confident that motives for cutting the budget were not political.
"This is not an exercise in one-upmanship with the governor," he said. "We are trying to trim that."
BUT THE REGENTS and university administrators have warned the Legislature that if it did not restore the full Regents requests, the universities would lose their best professors.
"There is some concern and disappointment," Richard Von Ende, KU executive secretary, said after the meeting. "We hope we can get the faculty salary increase back. Without the ability to pay faculty members more and with the increase in inflation, we will have trouble."
John Conard, executive director of the John Conard, said he would have to take time to study the proposed cuts. But he admitted that "they're bound to have an adverse effect on education."
The Regents would work hard with House members to restore the committee cuts, he said. "It's going to be a big part of it," he said.
he faculty salaries. If the cuts are
see BUDGET page 5
Classified Senate members in dark on governance role
Staff Reporter
Reluctance is barring KU Classified Senate members from sitting on University governance
By KATHRYN KASE
Staff Reporter
And that, in part, was why SenXe itself was reluctant to have Senate members on his staff. Worthy is what he wrote.
Acting Chancellor Del Shankel is reluctant to recognize the Classified Senate, George Worth, Senate Executive committee chairman, said yesterday.
"WE DO NOT want to take any action because we have two concerns," he said. "The first is that the present administration is very reluctant to recognize the classified employees.
"The other concern is a more deep-seated concern. We don't know that they should be on every University committee because we don't whether they have an interest in every area.
"We think their first move is to talk with the chancellor."
These concerns resulted in SenEx tabling a
proposal last Friday that would have allowed classified employees on governance bodies.
Ernest Angino, SenEx member and professor of geology and civil engineering, said, "Why should we prefer to discuss this when the private has not been recognized by the Chancellor?"
"We were optimistic that it would go through," she said. "I think it would be good for the University if the chancellor would recognize the classified employees. A lot of people look upon us as a pro-union group, and we want people to know we are not that."
SUZANNE CUPP, Classified Senate president,
said she was disappointed about the tabled
proposal and that Shankel had not recognized
her organization.
At last Friday's SenEx meeting, Worth suggested that Shankel would not recognize the classified employees while he was acting as president and to restrict the next University administration.
Shankel could not be reached for comment.
Putting it on last Fiddle in San Francisco.
But discussion at last Friday's SenEx meeting
vision at last Friday's Se1Nx meeting
See CLASSIFIED page 5
Facilities and Operations employee maneuver a portion of the sign announcing the Rock Chalk Revive into place above the main doors of Hochschule Mannheim.
wall, workers screwed in the nearly 300 light bulbs needed to light the display. This year's Rock Chalk Revue will be performed on March 6 and 7 in the auditorium.
Health hazards alleged at Med Center
By BRIAN LEVINSON Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
Improper disposal of trash at the University of Kansas Medical Center has exposed facilities operations employees there to potential health hazards. The university has also opened operations employee of 18 months; said yesterday.
"Trash bags that have infectious materials in them are supposed to be disposed of separately from the rest of the trash," Lennon said. "Those bags are ending up in the automatic trash disposal system instead, and when I have to go in, someone else I am exposed to the infectious material."
Lennon said he was not sure what he had been exposed to.
"All I know is that I have gotten sick from being exposed to the material and so have four others."
RODGER ORKE. University director of support services, who directs facilities operations and housekeeping, said that although employees were exposed to infectious materials, there was no evidence for Lennon's allegation that employees had become sick from exposure.
Bob Brought, director of housekeeping at the hospital, was not aware of the situation prior to Lemon's arrival.
"I think the danger posed by the waste is being blown totally out of proportion." Brought said. "It is not infectious waste, but non-sterile waste."
Brought said non-sterile waste included used batages and dressings and other trash from the naturnal.
"The level of exposure is not beyond what a person would get from walking down the street," he said.
DAVID WAXMAN, executive vice chancellor for the Med Center, deferred comment to Oroke. Acting Chancellor Del Shankel could not be reached for comment.
Trash bags at the Med Center are color-coded according to their contents. Under the system now in effect, red trash bags contain infectious waste and yellow bags hold general, non-harmful
The trash bags are stored in the trash disposal room. Lennon said. When housekeeping employees dump trash they pick up the red bags and use them for harmless trash, confusing the
Oreke said the color-coding system was causing the problems.
"Trash bags are sometimes put inside other trash bags by employees." Oroke said. "We are changing the colors and explaining the system to all of the housekeeping employees."
TRASH AT THE MED Center is dumped into stations on each floor of Bell Memorial Hospital. These stations are part of a huge vacuum system, called Transvac, which collects the trash in a central room. It is then hauled away by private contractors to a landfill dump site.
The problem occurs when the bags are ripped open at the central room. Lemon said. Since the bag was ripped at the center, it cannot be used.
automatic disposal system, they are also ripped open.
Odkra said when the ripped bags' contents clog the machine, employees must go in and unclog it.
"When employees go into the central room to clean it or unclog it, they must wear protective ainsuits and respirators." Orko said. "They don't breathe the material or touch the equipment. There is nothing further that is practical to do to increase the protection of our employees."
Lennon said he was not sure how well the rainsuit worked.
LENNON COMPAINED about the situation to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration Feb. 9. OSHA officials could not be heard today for comment on the status of its compliance.
Lennon accused the Med Center administration of indifference to the alleged
"This has been going on for a year and there were still red bags in the automatic disposal system yesterday," he said. "The administrators don't care."
Oroke said the Med Center was installing an automated cleaning machine in the trash collection room so employees would not have to clean the room anymore.
Neither the new cleaning machine nor the new color-coding system is in effect yet.
"I think (the Med Center administrators) should be concerned about our health," Lennon said. "They seem to be more concerned about public opinion, and I think that is outrageous."
SCOTT HOOKER/Kansan staff
Pete Reistmas, Tonganoxie, lifts hay for his hogs at the Lawrence Livestock Sale. See related story page 8.
Poles show national spirit
By PENNI CRABTREE Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
"This is not just an economic movement, it is national," Anne Cienclia, a Polish-born KU professor of history, said. "The formation of independent trade unions is a part of the formation of modern rights that have been taken from them, like free speech and free press."
After eight turbulent months of strikes, sit-ins and the lingering threat of Soviet military intervention, Poland is experiencing a new wave of hope.
According to several Polish-born Lawrence residents, Poland is in the throes of a national "re-birth" that could force reforms in every aspect of Polish life.
"The leader of Solidarity, Lech Walesa, has spoken often of his being a Pole first," Cienclai said. "The workers are working hard and willing to bring about many kinds of reform."
"Years and years of economic mismanagement is at the root of the worker's movement in Poland," she said. "Years of poor central planning, of government corruption and waste made the economic situation intolerable for Poles.
CIENCIALA, who visited Poland last year,
and joined the union. Solidarity, as more than a worker, helped
But the most pressing reform needed in Poland is still economic. Claicla said.
"When the government tried to back out of its commitments, workers were forced to use the strike weapon to get Warsaw's attention," she said.
VISITING ASSOCIATE professor of political science, Marcin Sar, a resident of Warsaw, said that despite setbacks, the government reform in Poland was encouraging.
The economic situation calls for radical change, but the change must be brought about by a political effort.
"The decisive factor in reforming our economy is in maintaining the delicate balance between the government, the unions and the Catholic church," Sar said.
ANOTHER POLISH citizen, Krystyna Markinchkova, immigrated to the United States in 1976 and was waiting to receive her citizenship. It did not change that change would be a "blow but sure process."
"Reform should be left to the government," Sar said. "Solidarity's role is to put pressure on the government, to accelerate change in the right direction."
"When I returned to Poland last year for a visit, I could feel a change in the air." Marcinkowicz, president of the Polish Club, said. "I was shocked by the situation and the set of the corruption in the government."
**Marcinkowski** said that she and many other Poles did not fear Soviet military intervention in Poland, mainly because the Utopian Union had economic problems of its own.
"The movement in Poland is not against the U.S.S.R.," she said. "It is not against Communism. We realize that we need a strong ally must stay in the Soviet block.
"The movement is against the people running the system," she said, "and we want the right to criticize and remove the people who deserve criticism."
Coleman wants state to pay for non-student use of Union
The Kansas Legislature may cheat KU students out of more than a quarter of Coleman, a state lawmaker and legislative member.
Coleman said that because the student-funded Kansas Union was used for purposes other than student activities and recreation, students should be reimbursed for non-student uses.
He said that the students shouldn't have to absorb the entire cost burden for all uses of the Union, and that the reimbursements should be based on tuition as high as lower student fees or better union operation.
Last year, the Legislature agreed to reimburse the Regents schools' students for 50 percent of their tuition.
State Sen. Ron Hein, R-Topeka, who is chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on KU, said the Legislature probably wouldn't apportionment in next year's budget appropriations.
Coleman said this showed an inconsistency in the policy-making of the legislators.
"They're saying, 'Yes, you are right, we should not use your buildings for academic purposes,' " he said. "But then they turn around and don't give us full reimbursement."
Coleman noted that students were burdened further by the fact that they were paying more for the Union each year than the cost of the bonds which paid for the original construction.
"We're right and they know it, but they're still keeping $4,780 from the students."
He said the student fee assessment for construction of the Union was computed on the basis of the number of students enrolled when it was built. Now, with increased enrollment, more money is paying off the bonds and a surplus has resulted.
The money is still being used for operation and
See UNION pear 5
Weather
There will be mostly sunny skies today with a high temperature near 70. Winds will be from the east to southeast at 15 to 25 miles per hour.
Tonight skies will be partly cloudy. Winds will be from the east at 5 to 10 miles per hour. The low temperature will be 54.
Tomorrow will be partly cloudy with a high temperature near 70.