Thursday, February 12. 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 3
Police ticket cars parked illegally near campus
A ticket adorns the windshield of an illegally parked car on 14th Street across from Spooner Hall. Burdel Welsh, KU police officer, said students parked illegally near campus more often during the winter. Photo by Graham Johnson/KANSAN
By Graham K. Johnson
By Graham K. Johnson
gjohnson@kansan
Kansan staff writer
Students who park illegally on streets close to campus may evade campus parking tickets only to find equally costly city fines slapped on their windshields.
Employees of the University of Kansas parking department only can ticket on-campus lots, but both the KU and Lawrence police can issue tickets for violations on city streets near campus.
Both departments issue the tickets that are notices to appear in municipal court. The fine for parking-zone violations is $10, and the fine for fire-lane violations is $25
Students who park illegally
Boris Manev, Bulgaria sophomore, said he had been fined more than $250.
can cause problems for local residents, police and other students.
"I have gotten many tickets," Manev said.
"I usually don't have time to look for a space in the morning," Manev said.
He said he thought the parking department would fine him more than the city.
Students often park close to campus because they are late for class. They gamble because they think they are less likely to get a ticket parking on side streets.
Burdel Welsh, KU police officer, said students should realize that the KU police could enforce city laws on off-cam
pus streets adjacent to University property. But KU police have limited resources, Welsh said.
"Parking violations are something we deal with as we have the time and the manpower," Welsh said.
He said KU police prioritize their responses according to the severity of the problem. Cars blocking fire lanes and hydrants are top priority.
Welsh said resident complaints also were a priority.
Residents at Regency Place on 13th Street across from the Adams Alumni Center often have problems with illegal parking, said Eric Histonism, maintenance supervisor for First Management, which manages Regency Place.
"People park illegally by the
alumni center, and it spills over into our parking lot," Humiston said.
The Lawrence police department also deals with resident complaints about student parking violations, said Lawrence police Sgt. Susan Hadl.
"We're not trying to prey upon students but to establish the fact that we have to protect residents' interests as well." Hadi said.
Lawrence police have jurisdiction of all streets in the city. They can enforce the law on and off campus.
Welsh said the parking problem was worse during classes and the winter.
"It's a seasonal thing," Welsh said. "The colder it is, the more cars there are."
Group to discuss Regents reform
By Brandon Coplep bcoplep@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
The House Select Committee on Higher Education will take questions and comments tomorrow regarding the overhaul of the state's higher-education system.
The committee will meet at 2 p.m. at Nichols Hall, which is located on West Campus, to discuss a report that it completed Tuesday. The report recommends replacing the Board of Regents with a new council that would govern the former Regents institutions and Washburn University.
The council also would coordinate programs and activities among universities, community colleges and vocational technical schools.
David Adkins, committee chairman and former student body president, said the plan offered the University of Kansas more funding for faculty salaries and technology.
"This has the best potential of any plan offered in many years to bring faculty salaries up to peer levels," he said. "It should also be attractive to students working on outdated technology or laboratory equipment.
The plan would increase annual state appropriations by 4 percent each year for five years and provide additional funding enhancements of $9.7 million in 1999 and $30 million in 2000. Enhancements would increase by $25 million annually from 2000 to 2003.
Samantha Bowman, Student Legislative Awareness Board director, said the money sounded good.
"We've needed it for a long time, and it would be hard to turn down," she said. "But I don't see us getting a lot more money just because we've got new governance. The problems we've had with financing have been with the Legislature, not the Regents."
Faculty Senate President Laurence Draper, professor of microbiology, said faculty would be glad to get a raise, but it should not be tied to a change in governance.
"I don't see why you can't have these enhancements without changing the governance structure," he said. "Functionally, there is no connection."
Adkins said the plan would improve the University's image in the eyes of legislators who view the University as the 800-pound gorilla of higher education.
"The council would have the support of those legislators because it would be advocating for the smaller institutions as well," he said.
Stephen Jordan, Board of Regents executive director, said the Regents recognized the need for cooperation but not for structural change.
"We want to be the coordinating agency," he said. "The constitution already says we have the authority to coordinate for any institutions the legislature assigns, so we don't see the need for a major rearrangement."
Adkins said the plan simply recognized that community colleges would never agree
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
COMMITTEE
Board of Regents eliminated
- Council on Higher Education created
- Council would govern six universities and Washburn
Local Boards of Trustees govern community colleges
Council's mission
improve transferability of courses develop distance learning programs facilitate cooperation
Recommended expenditures during four years;
$57.9 million property tax relief [community colleges]
$80 million enhancements (faculty salaries, technology)
to be governed by the Regents.
"The political reality is that there is outright animosity, if not pure hatred entrenched in the relations between the Regents and the community colleges," he said.
Chancellor Robert Hemenway said the key issue was whether a new system would enhance the quality of higher education.
"The Regents system has obviously provided high quality, high access and low cost," he said. "I don't think anybody is opposed to looking at alternatives if we can build on the excellence that's already there."
Gettin' fit
Students work out during their Tuesday exercise class. They stay in shape with Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences 108 during winter. Photo by Eileen Bakri / KANSAN
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