4 • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
7
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2003
ZONING
Lawrence approves request to investigate proposed code
By Maggie Newcomer
mnewcomer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The city of Lawrence granted the University of Kansas' request for a study group to investigate the proposed Lawrence Development Code.
The University asked for the study group because the proposal would give city officials more power over campus expansion. Both sides will appoint group members.
Mike Wildgen, City Manager, said the disagreement between the University and the city was over section 2-19 of the development code, which calls for a buffer area at least 150-feet-wide on University property to separate it and surrounding land.
According to a letter from Provost David Shulenburger to Wildgen, if the city adopts the new code, city officials would have influence over structures inside the 150-foot buffer, including the Malott gateway, 15th and Iowa St.,
GSP-Corbin Hall and Memorial Stadium.
Wildgen said the purpose of the proposal was not to review building renovations, but to make sure the uses of those buildings were compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods.
"We don't care where the University puts the daffodils," Wildgen said.
Jeff Weinberg, assistant to the chancellor, said he was glad the city commissioners agreed to appoint a study group.
"Everyone agrees that this is an important proposal," Weinberg said. "We need to find some common ground."
Weinberg said it was premature to discuss the issues that would be brought up in the study group.
Weinberg and Wildgen both said they looked forward to an amicable solution to the problem and that the city and University had always had good relations.
"We share the same city and the same goals," Weinberg said.
DIVERSITY
- Edited by Kevin Wiggs
Affirmative action ruling won't affect KU admissions
By Brandon Baker bbaker@kansan.com kansan staff writer
A majority of the Supreme Court said a diverse college campus population benefited all students and society at large, and colleges may pick their students based, in part, on race.
By a 5 to 4 vote on Monday, the high court upheld the concept of affirmative action at public universities.
The ruling said government has an interest in ensuring a better shot for minorities at getting into top-notch colleges.
In decisions involving the University of Michigan, the majority ruled that race can be one of the factors that colleges use to pick their students, so long as it is not the only factor.
The court's ruling to uphold affirmative action dealt only with the case of
three prospective Michigan law students who sued the university over its policy.
The court also struck down a more rigid point-based screening system used to weed out applicants at Michigan's undergraduate campus.
Though some observers might expect the ruling to have a wide ripple effect through other public and private institutions, administrators at the University of Kansas did not foresee any significant changes in admissions policies.
"We don't use race as a factor in undergraduate admissions," said Lisa Pinamonti, director of admissions and scholarships at the University of Kansas. "We never use that type of admissions process. If you meet requirements you're admitted."
The Associated Press contributed to this story. Edited by Kevin Wiggs.