TODAY'S WEATHER: Scattered showers with a high of 56. SPORTS: 'Hawks perform under the pressure of being No.1. THE UNIVERSITY DAILY δΈ€ TALK TO US: Contact Leita Walker, Jay Krall or Kyle Ramsey at (785) 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com KANSAN THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS TUESDAY FEBRUARY 19,2002 WWW.KANSAN.COM ISSUE 96 VOLUME 112 Unidentified woman dies in local fire By Rachel Keesee Kansan staff writer A 59-year-old woman died and six apartments were severely damaged in a fire at Coachlight Apartments, 1002 W. 24th St., early yesterday morning. w. 24th St.,early yesterday morning Lawrence Fire Department Deputy Chief Mark Bradford said the cause of the fire was careless smoking. He said no positive identification of the woman or determination of the exact cause of death had been made. of the exact cause of death The fire department received a report of smoke around 1:30 a.m. When fire fighters arrived, flames were visible from a third-floor apartment. Chris Stoddard, Lawrence senior, said he could smell smoke as he was leaving his friend's apartment. Approximately three minutes later, while standing outside, he observed an explosion in the third-floor apartment. observed an explosion in the third floor of Bradford said the explosion was related to a portable oxygen cylinder used by the victim. Zimmerman said he had no idea how expensive the repairs would be, but two apartments would be gutted and those with water damage would get new carpet and new drywall. Richard Zimmerman, the apartment manager, said he arrived at 1:35 a.m. and the fire was going strong. An early estimate from the fire department said damages were at least $250,000. ere at least $25,000. The tenants in 12 of the apartments in the burned building were able to return yesterday afternoon, Zimmerman said. They were still awaiting electricity last night. The other tenants were staying temporarily with rela tives and friends, Zimmerman said. BIG 12 CHAMPIONS Amanda Beglin contributed to this story Contact Keesee at rkeesee@kansan.com. This story was edited by Anne Mergenmeier. JOHN NOWAK/KANSAN A Lawrence resident watches as Lawrence firefighters extinguish a fire at Coachlight Apartments, 1002 W.24th St. LAURIESISK/KANSAN Roy Williams raises his arm in celebration of Kansas' first Big 12 Conference championship since 1998. The No. 1 Jayhawks clinched at least a share of the Big 12 title with last night's 102-66 win against Iowa State at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas improved its record to 24-2 overall and 13-0 in Big 12 play. play. Each Kansas player, coach and trainer climbed the ladder and cut a piece of the net off the hoop, but after everyone had gone the net still hung from the rim by two strands. "We talked about it a great deal and we didn't want to show any disrespect to Nebraska, Kansas State or Missouri, three teams we have left to play." Williams said. The Jayhawks can win the Big 12 championship outright if they win one of their three remaining regular season games. SEE STORY PAGE 1B. Kansans want state funding for education By Adam Pracht Kansan staff writer Karen Schirer is concerned about the public education her son Kasper Schirer, Wichita freshman, is receiving at the University of Kansas. "Right now, I feel that public education is amazingly underfunded," she said. "I think it's incredible that we are able to do what we do in public education with the funds that we have available." have avail- A statewide phone survey con- ducted by the Policy Research Insti- tute at the University of Kansas sug- gested Schirer's sentiment was a common one in Kansas. Beginning in November 2001 and continuing through Feb. 8, 2002,the institue asked approximately 1,600 randomly selected Kansans up to 90 questions on a variety of public policy issues, including education. The researchers asked respondents if state spending on grades kindergarten through 12 and for state colleges and universities should be increased, kept at the present level or decreased. The results showed that 60 percent were in favor of increasing spending for kindergarten through 12th grade, while 35 percent favored maintaining current levels. The results for state colleges and universities were less favorable. Around 52 percent supported maintenance of current funding levels and 38 percent thought funding should increase. The institute also asked respondents, "How strongly would you support or oppose a tax increase to fund increased spending on public K-12 education?" "You're pretty much going to get back everythingyouput inwith people who are better trained, more intelligent and better able to do their jobs," he said. Kasper Schirer said he would be willing to pay higher taxes to ensure education was well-funded. The study found a majority, 58 percent, were willing to pay higher taxes. Chad Kniss, manager of the Survey Research Center, the division of the institute that conducts the surveys, said the question was put on the surveys because last year a majority of respondents on a questionnaire identified education as the biggest problem facing the state. "Those two caveats aside, I think what the poll shows is that there is strong, widespread support for public education," he said Steven Maynard-Moody, director of the institute, said there was usually a gap between what people said and what they would actually do. He also said public opinion should only be loosely connected to government policy. the David Corbin, chair of the Kansas Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, said the committee held hearings on several options for tax increases including cigarettes, alcohol, sales and gasoline. However, with a potential shortfall of about $450 million in the budget, Corbin said tax increases might be difficult to avoid. He said he thought tax increases to fund the budget was not a popular idea among senators and representatives right now. "I think in the back of their minds, everyone knows that they're going to have to raise some revenue, but no one wants to," Corbin said. Contact Pracht at aprecht@kansan.com. This story was edited by Angela Cox. Kansas education survey Source: Survey Research Center VENUS SUNG/KANSAN Crime rate decreases on campus By Rachel Keesee Kansan staff writer The total number of crimes reported on campus has decreased for the fourth straight year, falling 7.6 percent last year, according to the KU Public Safety Office. percent drop. Lt. Schuyler Bailey said the decline was encouraging. The report, released Friday, said 897 criminal offenses were reported in 2001. It also said the number of reported crimes had decreased by 582 crimes since 1997, almost a 40 percent drop. "That means we're doing something right," Bailey said. "And not just we the police, but 'we' as a community." Bailey said increased lighting in University parking lots helped officers patrol the areas. One of the biggest declines was in thefts from automobiles, with 72 reported in 2001, compared to 96 in 2000. Adam Obley, Topeka junior and member of the campus safety advisory board for Student Senate, said he was pleased with the decrease. "I think the contributing factors are the increased lighting and blue emergency phones that we've used student funds to get around campus." Obley said. pus. O'Brien.says Reports of violent crime, defined by the FBI as murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, also declined in 2001. But Bailey said rape and violent crimes often were not reported. Only one violent crime, an aggravated assault, was reported last year. "Even though no rapes were reported to us in 2001, we know it does not mean that rape didn't happen on his campus," Bailey said. "We recognize that rape, especially date or acquaintance rape, is an underreported crime." Although the total number of reported crimes decreased, thefts from a building increased almost 13 percent last year. "A majority of the problem is unattended property." Bailey said. Embezzlement also increased, from none in 2000 to 11 in 2001. "In each of the embezzlement cases, the suspect was identified and was either arrested or the case was sent to the district attorney," Bailey said. Bailey said crime could be better prevented if people reported it to the police. "University administration has always supported this department and its employees as we work to make this campus as safe as it can be, but we rely on the community to do their part," Bailey said. "They should report crimes when they happen and report any suspicious activity they see." Contact Keeesee at rkeesee@kansan.com. This story was edited by Jenna Goepfert. INSIDETODAY Source: KU Public Safety Office VENUS SUNG/KANSAN COMING IN TOMORROW'S KANSAN STATE NEWS ...5A HOROSCOPES ...2B WEATHER ...4B CROSSWORD ...4B TUITION: Find out what students are saying about the latest developments VISITOR: Former chancellor Gene Budig returns to campus. 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. 42 4