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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
TALK TO US: Contact Leita Walker, Jay Krall or Kyle Ramsey at (785) 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
KANSAN
THURSDAY MAY 9,2002
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
WWW.KANSAN.COM
ISSUE 148 VOLUME 112
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HUTCHINSON NEWS
WHAT LIES
BENEATH
Mysterious explosions rocked a central Kansas town, leaving officials asking why flames engulfed the town of 40,000. The answer hid underground. STORY BY SARAH HILL
An explosion on the morning of January 17, 2001 made headlines across the country.
Fire Chief Gary Frazier was in a staff meeting at about 10:45 that morning.
"We heard an explosion," he said. "We had a large column of smoke in the downtown area and glass blown out from the windows."
Flames engulfed the buildings that housed a party shop and a furniture store. The roof of one building blew onto a neighboring building.
Frazier said the fire looked like a gas fire when firefighters arrived at the scene.
"In a gas fire, the flame looks different," Frazier said. "The fire had a bluish tint."
Firefighters turned off the gas main that supplied the building. But the fire did not stop.
"We started with basic firefighting, but we were having trouble putting the fire out," Frazier said. "After we shut the gas off, we still had a gas fed-fire."
SEE BENEATH ON PAGE 5A
KUID problem delays decision on meal plan
By Caroline Boyer Kansan staff writer
With the end of spring semester drawing near, it remains unclear whether students will be able to use their student housing meal plans elsewhere on campus next fall.
The department of student housing's proposed Flex plan would put $20 on KUIDs for students to buy food at Mrs. E's Express, the Kansas and Burge Unions and Wescos Terrace. Ken Stoner, director of student housing, said a final decision about the plan
would not be made until after the end of the semester.
The extra $20 has already been included in meal plan contracts for next fall, and the contracts have already been signed, but the question of whether it can be used remains.
Student housing eating facilities cannot read the chip. Nancy Miles, director of the KU Card Center, said that the Unions would not be able to get readers that can read the stripe by next fall.
Jay Glatz, director of food services for the Kansas Union, said in early April that the only things holding the plan back were issues about how to put the money on the KUID. He said that although these issues were still unresolved, the department should still get the plan organized by the start of fall semester.
Stoner said there had been some miscommunication between the many
organizations dealing with the issue, and it has been part of what has kept the program from being approved.
"You go to 20 meetings with University officials, and some people say 'Well, it's still up in the air,' and some could be real optimistic and upbeat about it." Stoner said.
Glatz falls into the optimistic camp.
"I agree with Dr. Stoner, there are still some things that need to be worked out," He said. "They'll get to that point, because that's what the students want."
SEE FLEX ON PAGE 8A
Students vow to challenge ordinance in courts
By Lauren Beatty
Kansan staff writer
When the inspector comes knocking on his door, Aaron Kirby said he would refuse to let him in.
The Los Angeles senior lives alone in a house in East Lawrence. His residence is of one of hundreds of rental units in the neighborhood classified as a single-family home.
But because of a city ordinance that went into effect Feb.1, his property still must be inspected to make sure it meets housing and safety standards. Kirby is a member of the Citizens Rights Committee, a group made up of Lawrence residents who oppose the ordinance. They plan to challenge the ordinance in court.
Kirby said there had never been a complaint against him, and he had never violated any city housing codes. The inspection is set for June, but Kirby said he had the constitutional right to stop the inspector from doing his job.
"It seems like a gross violation of the Fourth Amendment," Kirby said referring to the Constitutional right against unreasonable search and seizure.
Kirby joined the Citizens Rights Committee to try to change ordinance 7326. Kirby is the only University of Kansas student renter who is a member of the committee.
"No one else wants to get involved and put out the effort," he said. "There is apathy in the city and a lot of people are unaware of the ordinance."
If the city doesn't change the ordinance, the committee and its lawyer, Chris Miller, plan to sue the city.
Members of the city commission and City Manager Mike Wildgen have said they fully supported the ordinance and so did the community. They said they would not reconsider the ordinance.
Mayor Sue Hack said the attorney general also backed the ordinance.
Miller said he was surprised at the city's response.
"I thought the city would be more interested in reconsidering the ordinance," he said. "We're talking about taxpayer dollars expended in fighting a lawsuit we think we can win. We think we have an excellent shot at getting this scheme proved invalid."
Kirby said if the group decided to sue, he would back the groun until the end.
"We seem to be pretty united," he said. "It's not an issue of money. We want to reverse this statute. We think it's wrong."
Barry Walthall, code enforcement manager, said there had been about 650 to 700 inspections since the ordinance went into effect. He said the program had run smoothly, with only a few refusals.
"If they refuse to let us in, we will get an administrative warrant and find some other means of getting entry," he said.
Contact Beaty at beaty@kansan.com. This story was edited by Sarah Warren.
Future, current educators face newly weakened job market
By Erin Adamson Senior staff writer
Education budget cuts and a shifting student population mean many new teachers, including University of Kansas education majors, may not find work in their school districts of choice.
The state's three largest districts, Lawrence, Wichita and Shawnee Mission, have cut teaching positions because of anticipated state budget cuts. In Lawrence alone, 65 educators have lost their jobs. Teachers who lost their jobs will be competing with spring graduates for teaching positions.
Kendra Haskell, Liberal senior and elementary education major, does have a job waiting for her after graduation.
"I feel really fortunate, and it really is a blessing that I have a job" said Haskell, who student teaches, or interns, at Cordley Elementary School, 1837 Vermont St.
Haskell found a job teaching kindergarten at Indian Hills Elementary, a growing school in West Topeka. But most of her fellow fifth-year interns haven't had the same success.
"At my school there's six interns, and last year at this time they all had jobs," Haskell said.
Mike Neal, assistant dean of education administration, said teachers graduating from the University weren't the only ones facing a challenge.
This year, she said none had jobs.
"Essentially, what's happening in
Kansas is happening across the country." he said.
Nationwide, state legislators are cutting education budgets, forcing some school districts to fire teachers.
So far, many students who have completed their fifth year don't have jobs, Neal said. He said many Kansas districts were waiting to hire teachers until the state legislature approved a budget in May.
Fifth-year education majors completed six weeks of student teaching in the fall and 14 weeks of an internship this spring. Forty-eight students finished internships in elementary schools this spring and 40 students finished internships in secondary math, science.
SEE EDUCATION ON PAGE 8A
LAURIE SISK/KANSAN
GONE WITH THE WIND
A large branch blocks Indiana Street near 17th Street last night at the beginning of a thunderstorm. The branch fell from nearly 20 feet in a residential neighborhood.
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