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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
TALK TO US: Contact Leila Walker, Jay Krail or Kyle Ramsey at (785) 864-4B10 or editor@kansan.com
KANSAN
FRIDAY
MARCH 1, 2002
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
WWW.KANSAN.COM
ISSUE 104 VOLUME 112
University, GTAC agree to postpone negotiations
By Sarah Hill Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas and the Graduate Teaching Assistant Coalition will wait until May for answers on pay increases for graduate teaching assistants.
The groups met yesterday with a federal mediator.
The coalition decreased its requested salary for GTAs and University negotiators said they would increase funds from the University for GTAs. Both groups agreed to take yesterday's new proposals about salary increases for graduate teaching assistants off the table until May because the University's budget for next year remains uncertain. The two sides are
negotiating a three-year contract.
Keg parties are a fixture of college life. But for liquor stores, the cost of selling kegs can be more than they bargained for. Above, keg shells await student partners at Alvin's Wines & Spirits, 905 Iowa.
Neither side released specific dollar amounts that were discussed.
The two groups met for five hours at Carruth O'Leary Hall and actively participated in discussions about salary increases, said Lynn Bretz, director of University Relations.
Contract talks What
happened. KU and GTAC met with a federal labor mediator yesterday to discuss pay increases for graduate teaching assistants
Robert Vodicka chair of the GTAC negotiation committee, said he thought each group was committed to increasing G T A s salaries.
What this means: Both groups actively participated and discussed the proposals. However, they could not agree on a solution because next year's budget cuts and tuition increases would affect salaries for all University
Bretz said the groups agreed the University should pay GTAs more.
"We also think that faculty should be paid more, and the staff
Vodicka said that he thought the discussions were productive, and he said he was optimistic about the next session in May.
"We represent 900 people," he said. "There are too many ifs that affect people's lives."
What's next:
The two groups and the mediator will resume discussions in May after the Kansas Legislature and Board of Regents make decisions on KU's budget and tuition increases.
Contact Haiti at schitl@kansas.com. This story was edited by Brooke Hesler.
A mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service was called in after the groups declared an impasse in discussions last December. The groups have been working on a new GTA contract since September 2000.
of the University should be paid more," she said.
Vodicka said representatives from the coalition appreciated the University's proposals for a salary increase, but were not comfortable agreeing on final numbers because the plans hinged on next year's uncertain budget and the possibilities of tuition increases.
Kegs can be a hassle
By Melissa Shuman Kansas staff writer
Last year, Keegan Larson spent $2,000 on a keg party.
He and his friends bought 16 kegs for the event and took them to a field south of town. They rented buses and drove party-goers back and forth from campus to the party location.
"We didn't make much money, but we had a lot of fun," said Larson, a Seattle junior.
CHRISTINA NEFF/KANSAN
He said it was not unusual for him and his friends to spend about $200 on a two-keg party, including cups and ice. Larson said they were lucky if they could break even.
"Somebody's got to throw the parties, I just take the responsibility," he said.
Responsibility is something that worries Dan Blomgren, owner of Cork
Often, they don't have a cover charge in order to avoid getting in trouble for having an open saloon.
Where to get a keg in Lawrence
16 gallon keg:  Myers  Alvin's  Dodson's
Boulevard $112.27 $118.79 $118
Budweiser $74.47 $75.59 $75
Killian's $93.91 $102.59 $90
Rolling Rock $84.19 $86.39 $86.40
Natural Light $62.59 $64.79 $64
8 gallon pony keg:
Budweiser $45.31 $47.51 $47.50
All prices include 8% keg tax.
and Barrel stores at 2000 W.23rd St. and 901 Mississippi St. He stopped selling kegs in 1998 about one year after opening his business.
Bloomgren quit selling kegs when he read an article about a drunk-driving accident in which the liquor store was held responsible.
While such laws don't cause problems for liquor vendors in Kansas, Blomgren said he was convinced that the cost of
Note: Glass House Liquor, 2301 Wakarusa Dr. has kegs of Bud Light, Miller Light and Coors Light for $73 each, plus a deposit for the keg shell.
"A keg goes out of here and you have no control over who drinks out of it," he said.
These deposits help offset the costs of keeping the kegs.
Four stores in Lawrence have kegs on hand. They all require deposits for taps, trash barrels and shells — or the actual keg container.
"I would make about $4 per keg, and that $4 is something I don't need for that amount of responsibility." he said.
selling kegs and the lack of returned equipment were more than would be worthwhile.
Rebecca Alden, co-
State Senate could require keg registration
By Meredith Carr Kansan staff writer
If Kansas State Bill 407 becomes law, it would require liquor stores selling kegs to register their customers' personal information.
The bill passed the Senate last week, but will not become law until a hearing in the House of Representatives. The hearing has not been scheduled, but a decision is expected before the Legislature ends its current session in late spring.
The bill will require registration of kegs by retail beer sellers. It also would require that kegs of four gallons or more be tracked with an identification number. A retailer's license may be suspended for failure to put an identification number on a keg.
Only three liquor stores in Lawrence would be affected by this new bill. Each already requires information before it sells kegs to individuals. This information varies, but basic information such as the individual's name, driver's license number, phone number and address is required.
SEE REGISTRATION ON PAGE 6A
February Sisters celebrate
By Leah Shaffer Kansan staff writer
A presentation by an activist who inspired the February Sisters to demand that the University of Kansas institute a women's studies program marked the group's 30th anniversary.
"KU has one of the oldest women's studies programs in the world thanks to February Sisters," said Christine Robinson, Lawrence graduate student and coorganizer of the event.
About 200 people attended the presentation last night at Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union, which included a speech by Robin Morgan, a founding activist in the women's liberation movement. Two original Sisters, Mary Coral and Christine Smith, were among those attending.
The February Sisters were a group of women at the University of Kansas who in 1972 peacefully occupied the former East Asian studies building near Corbin Hall for 13 hours until their demands were met. Their demands included the creation of a women's studies program and the establishment of a day-care center, which the University has today. The sisters had been inspired by a speech given a week earlier by Morgan, a feminist poet.
"How time flies when you have fun making trouble," said Morgan, joking with the audience.
Morgan, who is the author of The Demon Lover: The Roots of Terrorism, talked about how violence was romanticized by men. She said that men were beginning to understand that this image of manhood was detrimental to their lives.
Shifman told the story of how a father shot his own daughter eight times because he and his son could not cover up the pregnancy that occurred when one of his friends raped her. The girl survived. Her father was never charged, and her brother was only sentenced to seven years in prison.
Both Morgan and Shifman said there was still much work to be done in the women's movement.
The event also included a presentation from Pamela Shifman, co-executive director of Equality Now, a group that specializes in international human rights efforts for women. Shifman discussed the issue of "honor crimes." An honor crime occurs when a woman is murdered often by a male relative — because of an allegation that the woman has done something shameful to her family.
DJ Morris, Grand Junction, Colo., senior, attended the lecture and said that she was interested in women's studies because she wanted to work in a domestic violence shelter. Morris said she used to be in an abusive relationship, and she wanted to council women in a similar situation.
Morris said she agreed with Morgan that crimes like rape were acts of terrorism.
Contact Shaffer at lshaffer@kansan.com. This story was edited by Brooke Hesler.
JOHN NOWAK/KANSAN
One of the founders of the women's liberation movement, Robin Morgan took time to sign books and meet people after she gave a talk in the Kansas Union last night.
INSIDETODAY
STATE NEWS ... BA
HOROSCOPES ... BA
WEATHER ... BA
CROSSWORD ... BA
COMING IN MONDAY'S KANSAN
MEN'S BASKETBALL: Coverage of Sunday's game against Missouri.
TASTE OF ASIA: The feeding frenzy of exotic foods begins.
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
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