THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOL.101.NO.114
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
ADVERTISING:864-4358
(USPS 650-640)
THURSDAY,MARCH19,1992
NEWS:864-4810
Senator's motion silences abortion bill
Daron J. Bennett/KANSAN
By Gayle Osterberg and Greg Farmer Kansan staff writers
TOPEKA - Shock flooded the Senate spectators' gallery where about 700 people watched as lawmakers rejected a highly publicized bill that would have legalized abortion in Kansas lawbooks.
After fewer than 15 minutes, the Senate passed by unrecorded vote a motion made by State Sen. Frank Gaines, D-Augusta, to strike from house two bills in an order, asking it is necessary to make bill a law. No discussion was allowed.
Gaines used his constitutional right to protest passage of a bill, making his motion before the bill was explained to the members.
Jennifer Zimmermann, Manhattan junior, and Sonya Horn, Wichita junior, show their support for a state bill to legalize abortion yesterday in Topek.
The Senate's action means that, unless amendments are attached to other bills or a new bill is introduced, the Senate's decision is closed in Kansas for the session.
Pro-choice forces were stunned and anti-abortion activists were elated by
the action.
"I think the Senate voted today for rule by anarchy with total disregard to
sound public policy," said Peggy Jarman, a lobbyist for the Kansas Pro-Choice Action League. "I think it's a
sad day in Kansas, a day that a great majority of senators on that floor will live to regret."
KU pro-choice forces said the move we an attempt by senators to avoid this
"I'm scared, angry and disgusted," said Dodie Lacey, Topeka senior, who attended the session. "It seems to me like they struck a full-blown sweep against women in Kansas because they weren't ready to deal with the issue."
Sky Westerland, Lawrence graduate student, said, "I was prepared for anything. I expected amendments, but I wasn't expecting them to ax the whole bill at once. There wasn't even a chance for discussion. . . tyranny of one voice, what it's what felt like."
Patricia Trausch, president of KU's Students for Life, did not attend the session, but said in Lawrence that the vote was a big victory for the anti-abortion cause.
*I think we need to keep moving from the momentum we've gained from the rally and the vote today and
keep the ball rolling," she said.
House Bill 2778 would have kept abortions in Kansas legal in most cases, with some restrictions on laterterm abortions and on minors seeking abortions.
Lobbyists for the bill complained that some senators who previously had supported the legislation voted yesterday to reject it, including State Sen. Wint Winter Jr..R-Lawrence.
Winter said he had tried yesterday morning to work with both sides to forge a compromise with enough support to withstand a veto by Gov. Joan Finney.
Winter said he had proposed some amendments, including parental notification and informed consent provisions, but only about 20 senators
Finney vowed Monday to veto the bill. Support from at least 27 senators would be needed to override the veto.
pledged to vote for the bill with the additions.
"What you saw today was a breakdown of the system due to the extreme polar positions of either side," he said. "This has made a very sad situation sadder. The atmosphere in the Legislature is so charged with extremism that nothing could get done and that's sad. We would have wasted a whole bunch of time for nothing."
Anti-abortion senators said they would not assume the issue was going to be solved.
"We're all going to be very alert as to what will be coming over, introduced and folded over into other bills," said Simon. Norma Daniels, D-Valley Center.
Apartheid's mark may not be erased easily, students say
"I'm mad now," said Jennifer Zimmermann, Wichita junior. "I feel like we should have done a little more. I feel like the efforts of the other side were so threatening that our side got drowned out."
By Svala Jonsdottir
Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
When Edwin Banda was in grade school in Johannesburg, one of his classes was gardening, and the girls learned domestic science.
As students in the Black, or Bantu,
educational system in South Africa,
they were being trained to work in white
households.
"It prepared you to be a subject of the white minority," said Banda, Johan. "It was important."
Apartheid has shaped Banda's life and those of the people he knows, he said.
"Most of my friends have been arrested and some have died," Banda said. "We still have no vote, and our rights are limited in every way."
Banda said the referendum did not signal the end of apartheid.
About 69 percent of the white citizens in South Africa voted in favor of a referendum Tuesday that supports continuing talks to give Blacks voting rights and end white minority rule.
Banda said he was not convinced the white minority would ever allow him to be elected.
"The right wing has vowed to continue to fight," he said. "There is still a long way to go in the negotiations for the new constitution and the interim government."
"Idon't trust the whitepeople in ith Africa," he said. "They have been promising change since before I was born." "The people, not always tomorrow, tomorrow."
Surendra Bhana, associate professor of history and African studies, said he was not sure what the white voters were saying when they approved South African President F W. de Klerk's referendum.
"It may not mean that he has overwhelming support to hand over the government," he said. "They may be seeing us work after their interest in the negotiations."
Dekler has been privatizing many aspects of the government, Bhana said.
"By the time the Black majority takes over the government, they will have less power to address the inequality of the system," he said. "They want a powerful power to get better housing, better education and better health care."
Nadia Meire, Durban, South Africa,
was pleased with the result of the referendum.
Her family has been involved in South African politics for generations, she said. Several members of her family have been imprisoned because of their politics.
"The government does not need to accuse you of a crime to put you in prison," Meer said. "They have detention without trial."
Her father is the vice president of the Natal Indian Congress, which works closely with the African National Congress, she said.
"The black, colored (people of mixed descent), and Indian communities have always had a lot of cooperation." Meer said.
As a South African of Indian descent, Meer received better education than black children did, but it was not nearly as well as white children's education, she said.
Meer said she hoped for a democratic government in South Africa, in which the president would be elected.
"We do not think the president or the prime minister has to be Black, but I think that what the majority of the people believe is that African National Congress," she said.
Ahillea Maurellis, Cape Town, South Africa, graduate student, said the result of the referendum gave him hope for a better future in South Africa.
"There were horrible riots all the time and conflicts between the Blacks and the police," he said. "Every day I saw them smacking smoke coming from the townships."
Like many white children, Maurellis said his life was comfortably sheltered from the race problems in the country. It was not until he was in college South Dakota that he began classes with students of other races that he became aware of the situation.
"There is an enormous opportunity for a new kind of racial experiment," he said. "Nowhere in Africa has a white, formerly colonial, government managed to mutate itself into a democratic government for all its people."
Maurelli said he hoped the negotiations between the government and the BJP would be successful.
The Associated Press contributed information to this story.
During an interpretation of the biblical story of Esther to celebrate Purim, Mollie Winerock, 10, left, Carrie Scheff, Lawrence resident, center, and Sarah Gottlieb, 10, shake noisemakers to drown out the name Haman, an evil man in the story.
Jewish holiday prompts celebration
By Shelly Solon
Kansan staff writer
Kimberly Rosen, 7, felt and looked like a queen in her purple gown as she played the heroine's role at the Purim services last night at the Lawrence Jewish Community Center, 917 Highland.
She and several other girls were costumes for Purim, the holiday honoring Esther, the Jewish queen of Persia. Esther saved the Persian Jews from destruction in the fifth century A.D.
Kimberly proudly said she was dressed as Esther, who saved the Persian Jews.
About 50 people participated in last night's celebration. Children wore
wigs, cowboy hats, gowns and capes. The official holiday is today
Last night's service consisted of a reading from the Book of Esther, which describes the event in which Esther's bravery rescues the Persian Jews from being hanged by Haman, the prime minister to the king.
Paul Friedman, KUassociateprofessor of communications, read the story and encouraged the children to participate. Whenever Haman's name was mentioned, the children twirled noise makers, stomped on the floor and screamed to drown out his name.
"So many of the Jewish holidays are serious and about oppression," Friedman said. "It's nice to have a
festive holiday where we can celebrate."
David Katzman, professor of history, said the holiday focused on the children and the family.
"This holiday recognizes the longevity of our people's history but also celebrates that our people will continue to be around." he said.
Sarah Gottlieb, 10, and Mollie Winerock, 10, said they liked Purim because they enjoyed stories about royalty.
"It's interesting," Mollie said. "And it's fun to dress up. It's like another Halloween."
Daveen Litwin, director of KU Hillel, said members of Hillel and Jewish students would celebrate the holiday tonight at their Purim party.
She said they spent yesterday fulfilling another part of Purim.
"People put together baskets of fruit and other foods to give to the poor and to families," Litwin said. "The students spent their day giving charity and spending the holiday with their families."
Jack Winerock, professor of piano, who led the prayer at the start of the services, explained the special food for Purim.
"The Hamantaschen is baked and has three corners because Haman supposedly wore a three-cornered hat," he said.
The pastry can be filled with prunes,raspberries or other fruits.
assistant professor of music loses appointment
By Jenny Martin
Kansan staff writer
David Turnbull, assistant professor of music, will not teach at the University of Kansas after this semester.
David Shulenburger, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, said no one in the Office of Academic Affairs could comment on specific cases or faculty members. He said the Handbook for Faculty and Other Unclassified Staff stated that the University was not required to state reasons for termination of non-tenured faculty.
Turnbull is a tenure-track assistant professor who joined the department of music and dance.
Neither he nor his students know why.
He said that he was told about his termination in a meeting on May 2, 1991 with Peter Thompson, dean of fine arts, and Stephen Anderson, chair of music and dance.
May 3,1991 in a letter from Del Brinkman, vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Turnbull said that he officially was notified
"I can't tell you what a shock it was," Turnbull said. "Before this meeting I had no prior notion that there was a problem."
Turnbull said that before the May 2 meeting, he had received only one letter of review.
Thompson and Anderson gave him a second letter of review dated April 1990 after the meeting, which included concerns about his teaching methods, literature selection, and cited his presence while students completed evaluations.
Included in the letter were concerns about his appearance during performances and the possibility of being mistaken for a member.
Turnball said that comments in both letters were unfounded and that he had not heard complaints from colleagues or students.
Anderson would not comment on specific personnel matters but said that the depart- ment should be considered a priority.
David Turnbull
University policy, carried out a review every year of all non-tenured faculty.
"Everything we do in this unit is exactly in compliance with the rules and regulations and guidelines at the University of Kansas," Anderson said.
Frances Ingemann, presiding officer of University Council, said that according to University policy, every department was supposed to
have a yearly review of non-tenured faculty, although the review methods varied among
Usually the results of the review are shown to the professor. But if no review is received by the professor, it does not mean that a review did not take place, she said.
"There could easily be an assessment on the part of the department chair that does not take place in written form," Ingemann said.
Some students and faculty have written letters of support to the department heads and administration on behalf of Turnbull.
Many students within the department are upset at the prospect of losing what they consider to be one of the best professors in the department.
"I think there is a lot of confusion on the part of the students," said Mary Spurlock, one of his studs. its who graduated in December. "Why in the world would you get rid of a teacher who is doing a wonderful job?"
Another of Turnbull's students, Kristin Umbarger, Los Alamos, N.M., senior, said that if there were legitimate reasons why Turnbull was fired it was not obvious to those who knew him within the department.
Gary Leoipal, Wichita junior, said all of the students he had talked to were shocked and disappointed that Turnbull had been fired.
"We're pretty frustrated," she said. "We want to know why someone who has been the best teacher of our music career was fired."
Tom Ashworth, assistant professor of trombone at the University of Minnesota, who was an assistant professor of trombone at KU from 1987 to 1990, said he thought there was a fundamental weakness in the review process at the University.
He said that because the review process did not guarantee that the professors would see the evaluations, non-tenured professors were not afforded the opportunity to learn their strengths and weaknesses.