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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
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KANSAN
TALK TO US: Contact Leita Walker, Jay Krall or Kyle Ramssey at (785) 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
THURSDAY
JANUARY 17,2002
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
WWW.KANSAN.COM
CITY OF LAWRENCE
ISSUE 74 VOLUME 112
Landlords must license properties by February 1
Ordinance will maintain neighborhood integrity. Lawrence official says
By Lauren Beatty
Kansan staff writer
Landlords in single-family residential zoning districts of Lawrence may find themselves in hot water if they don't register their properties with the Neighborhood Resources Department's Rental Licensing and Inspection Program by Friday. Feb. 1.
In accordance with city ordinance 7326, all owners of rental property in single-family zoning districts are required to maintain a valid rental license with the Licensing and Inspection Program, which enforces minimum standards for basic equipment and facilities
Single-family residential zoning districts are areas where there are no apartment complexes or duplexes.
"The purpose of the ordinance is to maintain the integrity of the neighborhoods," said Barry Walthall, the neighborhood Resources Department's code enforcement manager. "That benefits the tenants because they know they're living in safe conditions."
But Walhall said he thought more than 1,000 properties still needed to be inspected.
If the property owners don't comply with the regulations, they could face a hefty fine.
The fee for the rental license is $25 per dwelling. The rental licenses are valid for a one-year period. The fine for not registering on time is between $250 and $1,000. A property inspection is conducted every three years.
Walthall said he looked at both the exterior and interior of the dwellings during an inspection.
"We make sure the windows are all intact, all the railings, if there's a deck, we make sure it's not falling apart — general safe conditions." he said.
Walthall said he checked everything in the interior of the house, including heating systems, walls, smoke detectors and stair; to make sure they were up to code.
Bob Ebey, spokesman for Landlords of Lawrence, said his properties were not in the single-family residential zoning districts and therefore not inspected, but he had been involved with the licensing process since the beginning.
"I talked to some other tenants and they are sort of happy about the inspections," he said. "They don't think it's an invasion of privacy."
Patrick Keating, Gainesville, Fla., junior, lives in a house in the zoning district in East Lawrence. He said he thought his house was up to par and wasn't worried about it not meeting the housing codes.
Mike Wildgen, city manager, said the program benefited everyone in Lawrence, including the students who rented properties located in single-family residential zoning districts.
Wildgen said about 75 to 80 people had already signed up for inspections in order to meet the deadline.
"We've got the inspectors ready," he said. "It's a good program, it just takes a while to mature. It's not about big brother, it's about public safety."
Contact Beauty at ibathy@kansan.com. This story was edited by Jeremy Clarkson.
Listen to KJHK at 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 22 for
update to this story.
Every face in the crowd and every name in the phone book has a story waiting to be told. So every week, staff writer Adam Pracht will randomly pick a person and write their story. Watch for it.
Faces in the Crowd
JOHN NOWAK/KANSAN
Tina Tsinigine, a graduate student from Coppermine, Ariz., fields questions from her students on the first day of her intermediate algebra class at Haskell University. Tsinigine, a Navajo Native American, teaches at Haskell as part of the Indigenous Studies program at the University of Kansas.
Graduate student studies, teaches to help Navajos
By Adam Pracht Kansan staff writer
By Adam Pracht
Tina Tsingine is at the University of Kansas to help her people.
Tsisineig is Navajo, a tribe built around close family ties. When she introduces herself to a fellow Navajo, she describes all the clans to which her ancestors belong. "Tiztani is who I am. Kiyaanai is who Iwora for. Bebenowi is my maternal grandmother. Tsedezhghzni is my paternal grandfather."
tives. Usually a Navajo has relatives throughout the tribe. They refer to each other by relationship — brother, cousin, or mother — rather than by first name.
This identification allows Navajo to immediately recognize their rela-
However, the Navajo Reservation where she grew up is in trouble. Tsinigie saw problems in the reservation ranging from poor health care to government corruption.
These problems drew her to the Indigenous Studies program at the University with the goal of entering the School of Law. After she earns a law degree, she plans work to benefit Navajos.
Listen to Tsinigine talk about her Native-American beliefs.
kansan.com
Tsinigine also works at Haskell University as a math teacher. Many students see her has a role model, said Gabriel Begaye, instructor of mathematics at Haskell University. He described heras driven.
I always wanted to go back and work for my people, go back to the
SEE ADVOCATE ON PAGE 6A
Smoking ban will affect all KU residence halls next year
By Caroline Boyer Kansan staff writer
Life may be a bit colder next winter for smokers who live in residence halls — smoking in their rooms will no longer be an option.
smoking next hall.
The policy change affects McCollom, Hashinger, Oliver and Gertrude Sellards Pearson-Corbin halls, Jayhawker Towers, Stouffer Place and Sunflower Apartments. The University's scholarship halls banned smoking almost 20 years ago, and three residence halls — Templein, Ellsworth and Lewis — are already smoke free. Naismith Hall, which is privately owned, also has a nosmoking policy.
Ken Stoner, director of student housing, announced Jan. 9 that all student housing facilities would be non-smoking next fall.
In November the Department of Student Housing announced it might make all residence halls nonsmoking for next year. Diana Robertson, associate director of Student Housing, said the final decision was made during winter break in order to include the clause in the
SEE SMOKING ON PAGE FA
Paul Reeves, Coffeyville freshman, tries to keep warm while smoking his cigarette outside Hashinger residence hall Tuesday afternoon. The Department of Student housing announced last week the residence halls will be smoke free next fall.
Tuition hikes still debated
By Meredith Carr Kansan staff writer
Students have one more month to help determine a future tuition increase at the University of Kansas.
Chancellor Robert Memenway, Provost David Shulenbur, Student Body President Justin Mills and a handful of students met with the Board of Regents yesterday to update the Regents on KU's vision for the future and the University's tuition-increase proposals for reaching that vision.
proposals. The administrators presented three tuition-increase scenarios under consideration. At the request of Mills, the Regents granted the administrators more time to discuss the scenarios with students. KU is scheduled to present its preferred scenario to the Regents next month.
The first chance for students to discuss the tuition increase will be at 7 p.m. next Tuesday in Hashinger Hall.
Last October, administrators created three scenarios to increase tuition beginning in Fall 2002.
The increase is being proposed to increase the budget for the University.
"The focus has to be on how to make a better university." Hemenway said. "We've been holding a major university together with Band-Aids and chewing gum."
He said he wanted KU to be a top-25 university within the next eight to 18 years and the tuition increase would help ensure this goal.
The tuition increase would provide an increase in student financial aid, teaching assistant wages, research assistant stipends, and staff wages and benefits, according to the document presented to the Regents.
Mills said he was unhappy about the way administrators had informed students of the proposed increase.
"It is my opinion that KU has done an embarrassingly poor job of informing students on an issue that dramatically affects them, future students, and the future of the University." Mills said.
Shulenburger said students were confused about why the University's tuition figures were based on comparisons with the universities of Oregon, North Carolina, Colorado, Oklahoma and Iowa. He said these schools were considered KU's peer institutions based on similarities between the schools.
"We don't necessarily compete with North Carolina and Oregon for students, but we do compete within the Big 12 for students, and students are going to go to a university that has adequate funding for programs." Shulenburger said.
Contact Carr at mcarrt1@kansan.com. This story was edited by Eve Lemon.
Listen to Mills discuss the possible tuition increase.
Langston Hughes is pictured on a poster promoting the symposium.
SARA SHEPHERD/KANSAN
Symposium honors Langston Hughes
By Leah Shaffer
By Lean Shafter Kansan staff writer
Lawrence and the University of Kansas are preparing for a symposium in celebration of a hometown poet who inspired generations with his words.
More than 350 people have registered and up to 500 people are expected to attend the Langston Hughes "Let America Be America Again" symposium. The event, which will be covered by C-SPAN — Channel 53 on Sunflower Cable — is a centennial look at the acclaimed African-American poet and the influence of his works on others.
INSIDETODAY
The symposium will begin 7 p.m. on
"Lawrence is really coming out for this. The symposium is one of so many activities that will take over the town," said Curtis Marsh, associate director of marketing at KU Continuing Education and organizer of the event.
Thursday, Jan. 31 at the Lied Center when Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker will present "Remembering Langston." The conference then will run from Feb. 7 to Feb. 10 and will include Danny Glover's Feb. 7 presentation, "An Evening with Langston."
Other community events related to the symposium, such as a gallery walk and poetry readings, will take place Feb. 1. At 7 p.m., the Lawrence Arts
Hughes was born on Feb.1, 1902, in Joplin, Mo., but soon moved to Lawrence, where he lived until 1915. Maryemma Graham, professor of English and co-organizer of the event, said the centennial was the time to celebrate Hughes' work because it brought attention to the symposium and Lawrence.
"He wrote about everything. He wrote poetry that speaks to people's lives in a concrete way," Graham said.
Center will present The Langston Hughes Creative Writing Award at the Raven Bookstore on 8 E. Seventh St.
COMING IN TOMORROW'S KANSAN
SEE HUGHES ON PAGE 6A
SATIRE ... 5B
HOROSCOPES ... 2B
WEATHER ... 6B
CROSSWORD ... 6B
LIED CENTER: A Costa Rican bassoon quartet leads off the spring schedule at the performance center.
ADD/DROP: Where and when and what classes you might still want to take.
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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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