Monday
February 10,2003
Vol.113. Issue No.93
Today's weather
36°
Tonight: 20°
CHILLY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN Jayhawks continue dominance over Wildcats in Manhattan p
Contact Kristi Henderson, Jenna
geopfert or Justin Henning at
864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
Tell us your news
Gas tanks remain full with driver planning
By Erin Ohm
eohm@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Gas prices as high as $1.56 per gallon in Lawrence could make students more conscious of the amount of fuel they pump into their cars.
Along with the rising gas prices, the fuel economy of all new vehicles in the U.S. is at its lowest point in 22 years, according to a December report at www.consumerreports.org. But there are ways students can maximize their miles per gallon.
Peter Swenson. Overland Park senior, said he was more aware of gas costs because he had a job in Overland Park and commuted back and forth to his apartment in Lawrence.
"It's definitely a major thing, in my view," he said. "I try to limit my trips so I don't take unnecessary trips and waste miles."
In addition to planning ahead to minimize trips, changes in vehicle maintenance and driving style help students stretch their fuel usage to get the most miles out of each gallon.
The Better Business Bureau recommends using the right gas octane for your vehicle, stated in your car's manual, to get the best gas mileage.
Rick Aldrich, assistant manager at Midas Auto Service Experts, 2801 S. Iowa St., said accelerating slowly and smoothly was one way to get the greatest miles per gallon. Aldrich said this decreased fuel demand on the engine because it allowed the spark plugs to burn fuel built up in the car's cylinders.
A clean air filter and correct tire pressure are other factors that to be checked to make sure a car is at optimum efficiency level, Aldrich said.
"If the tires are under-inflated, it's going to take more force to run the car." he said.
Aldrich recommended students not leave their car idling, such as to warm it up, for long periods of time because this used a constant trickle of gas and could be hard on the engine.
Aldrich said students should maintain a good tune-up schedule every 30,000 to 40,000 miles to ensure optimum gas mileage.
-Edited by Anne Mantey
Tenant issue hits Senate
By George Schulz editor@kansan.com Special to the Kansan
A proposed state Senate bill making its way through Congress would prevent landlords from imposing additional terms on tenants outside of their original lease agreements.
But the leader of a statewide landlords association has made regular trips to Topeka recently in an attempt to stop Senate Bill 15 from doing possible damage to the Residential Landlord Tenant Act. The act regulates lease agreements between landlords and tenants across the state.
"The law is so incredibly good as it is that to open the landlord/tenant act for any reason is bad." said Ed Jaskinia, president of Associated Landlords of
Kansas. "So if we're going to open it up,
there better be a very good reason."
Typical lease agreements require tenants to notify the landlord 30 days before the end of the lease if they intend to move out or to renew the lease. Some landlords send their tenants an intent-to-vacate form before the 30-day deadline, which tenants can simply sign and send back.
"This is something the landlords provide to the tenants as a courtesy," Jaskinia said. "The notice of intent to vacate, as I read it, says if you want to change the terms, here's some options."
Jaskinia said the forms sometimes list requirements if the tenant, for instance, decides to renew the lease with a different roommate. He said the forms also sometimes inform tenants of any fees they may have to pay for property damages that exceed normal wear and tear.
But Sen. Derek Schmidt (R - Independence), who introduced the bill Jan. 14, said in some cases, landlords have imposed additional requirements on tenants in small print on the forms that unfairly bind tenants to terms that were not agreed upon in the initial lease. He said landlords then try to use the tenant's signature from the form to enforce the additional terms.
Schmidt said a form he once received at an apartment complex in Topeka would have forced him to settle any disputes with his landlord out of court if he had signed it. In another case, a group of University of Kansas students would have had to pay arbitrary fees charged by a landlord for property damage.
"My quarrel is, don't stick it in a document that is presented to the tenant as nothing more than a notice that you are going to move out," he said. "Put it in the original lease agreement or put it in an addendum to the lease. But don't bury it in the fine print."
Michael Davis, a property law professor at KU, agreed and said in order to challenge the forms after signing them, tenants would have to go through expensive and time-consuming court battles.
"It puts the tenant in a very difficult position," he said. "They either have to do what they signed to do on this notice, or they have to go to court. I don't know why the landlords would be fighting this. They don't really have any business adding terms to the form."
Education helps deter flames
SEE TENANT ON PAGE 6A
By Jessica Palmenio
ipalmenio@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Two fires at fraternity houses this school year could have been avoided.
The Jan. 25 fire at Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, 1602 W. 15th St., was caused by a reading lamp left unattended, said Mark Bradford, deputy chief of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical. The lamp ignited a nearby mattress.
The fire caused about $6,000 damage to the house, Bradford said. Most of the damage came from smoke and water.
Beta Theta Pi fraternity had a similar
Beta Theta Pi fraternity had a similar but more damaging — fire on Sept. 2 at its house, 1425 Tennessee St.
A power cord to an alarm clock shorted, destroying three bunk beds. Damage was estimated at $70,000.
No one was injured in any of these fires. But overloaded electrical wiring and leaving electric items unattended are two commons fire hazards.
sorority houses can be avoided, according to collegefiresafety.org.
Bradford said the sprinkler system and alarm system significantly reduced the possible damage.
Most fires that occur in community living situations such as residence halls and fraternity and
The Department of Housing's policy bans all explosive or combustible materials, candles, incense and open flames.
"Believe it or not open flames are the biggest problem we have," said Ken Stoner, director of student housing.
Resident assistants employed by the University monitor fire safety on each floor. Former RA Lisa Baghal, Leavenworth senior, said as an RA she had been more concerned with more important aspects of her job than monitoring candle use.
"Someone having a candle in their room was not the biggest thing I had to deal with." Baghal said.
Housing also performs regular checks of rooms during each break to look for safety violations.
At the beginning of the year, the fire marshal also inspects for violations.
Many fraternity and sorority chapters take similar precautionary measures.
"If there is something obviously unsafe, we would remove it and leave a notice for the student." Stoner said.
Common fire hazards
Alcohol use
Smoking
Halogen floor lamps
Overloaded power strips
Unattended electrical appliances
appliances
Source:
Source:
www.collegefiresafety.org
"The fire inspectors check rooms for extension cords, piggybacking, and Christmas lights," Amy Waldron, Overland Park junior and Kappa Delta president, said.
Fire inspectors check the houses regularly for possible fire safety violations, including piggybacking, the overloading of an electrical outlet.
Kappa Delta also shows a fire safety video once a year to all of the house residents. Waldron said.
Chapters also have regular fire drills that are monitored by the fire department.
Regular fire safety programs, including regular inspections.
Topeka junior and Phi Kappa Psi president, said.
But problems still occur no matter how many precautions are taken. One such problem is the false alarm. According to collegefiresafety.org, students become less reactive to alarms after each false alarm, which could cause some students their lives.
Not all false alarms are intentional, Stoner said.
Some can be attributed to dust or dirt getting in the smoke detector, or smoke from burning food that is under control. Stoner said.
Intentionally pulled false alarms are not that common, Stoner said. Students caught pulling a false alarm can actually be cited for a fire code violation and have to appear in court, Bradford said. The fine is at the discretion of the judge.
The housing department tries to deter false alarms by installing plastic covers over the alarms.
Any student found setting a false alarm
safety instruction and evacuation plans, can significantly reduce injury and damage during a real fire.
"Thankfully, we have such policies in place because it saved us from potentially major damage," Blake Shuart,
would be expelled from the housing facilities. Most culprits are turned in by other residence hall students, Stoner said.
"You tork off the people your living with and that's how they get caught," Stoner said.
- Edited by Michelle Burhenn
Eric BraenyKansan
Arthur O. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times and chairman of The New York Times Company, responds to a question after accepting the 53rd William Allen White 2003 national citation. Sulzberger said journalists must value accuracy Friday in Woodruff Auditorium.
Sulzberger stresses credibility
By Nikki Overfelt
noverfelt@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The New York Times isn't perfect, according to its publisher.
Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr., publisher of The New York Times and chairman of The New York Times Company, received the 53rd annual William Allen White Foundation 2003 national citation on Friday. In order to prepare for his acceptance, Sulzberger researched The New York Times' coverage of William Allen White, he told the audience of approximately 200 in Woodruff Auditorium.
Sulzberger found the critical coverage of White to be far off base, he said, and he was quick to point out other big mistakes The New York Times has made over the years. For example, it reported that Martians built canals on Mars, he said.
Despite those few inaccuracies,
The Times has grown to become one of the most respected newspapers in the world. In Sulzberger's 11 years as publisher, The New York Times has received 25 Pulitzer Prizes. He has served as chairman of The New York Times Company since 1997.
Sulzberger isn't the first in his family to receive the award. His father, Arthur O. Sulzberger did in 1974.
"Receiving the award in his foot-
steps is very, very satisfying," he said.
Sulzberger spent Friday touring Lawrence and the University. He ate breakfast with journalism students and spoke to reporting and editing classes. His award ceremony took place after a faculty lunch.
In his speech, Sulzberger challenged the media to use "wisely directed courage," in the words of White, during this time of world struggles.
story, he said, journalists must not forget their societal duty to be accurate.
White would be proud of the media coverage of Sept. 11, Sulzberger said. The media rose to its journalistic duty and made the unimaginable understandable for the public, he said. The media is also rising to the challenge of the war in Iraq, he said.
Journalists must build on these achievements and drop the bad habits that the media gets a bad reputation for, Sulzberger said.
"I appreciate all the Sunflower
Sulzberger also joked about being a "semi-native son" of Kansas because his wife is from Topeka.
"When journalists are rated below politicians and used car salesmen in credibility points, it's time to change," he said.
The news should not just be another form of entertainment,but must be honest and set a higher standard for readers by inspiring open dialogue and debate,Sulzberger said.
State has to offer,"he said.
Kevin Greene, St. Louis senior, said he enjoyed how open-minded Sulzberger was.
"It's nice to see somebody running this powerful corporation that doesn't seem very biased and appreciated a lot of good values," he said.
Because Kathy Williams, Leavenworth senior, isn't a journalism major, she said it was good for her to hear about the struggles of the media from a journalists perspective.
James Gentry, dean of the school of journalism, said it was wonderful to have Sulzberger accept the award and speak at the University.
"The speech was inspiring and resonated with the values that are at the heart of what a free press is all about," he said. "I found it one of the most on-point speeches any of the White citation recipients has made."
—Edited by Anne Mantey
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