Friday, January 16, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Field house cleanup not easy
Athletic Department reduces paycheck for grade-schoolers
by konnie wachter
Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas Athletics Department shortchanged a group of elementary school students who cleaned Allen Field House following the Jan. 7 Kansas vs. Colorado men's basketball game.
About 15 Prairie Park Elementary School students cleaned the field house in an effort to raise money for a class trip to Washington, D.C. Despite their efforts, the department said the students did an inadequate job of cleaning and cut their pay from $1,400 to $750.
The students felt they did what they were supposed to, said Kendra Grosdidier, fifth-grade teacher and leader of the group of students who cleaned the field house.
Students, along with some parents, worked into the early hours of Jan. 8. The group returned to work several more hours on the evenings of Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 in an attempt to finish the job before the field house was needed again. The field house was scheduled to play host to the fifth annual Fill The Field House women's basketball game on Jan.10.
"It was quite obvious they hadn't finished," said Ron Penny, facilities maintenance supervisor. "We had to do a considerable amount of it the night before a women's basketball game."
Grosdidier said her group of students and parents did not know what
was required of them until the night before the Colorado game. She said Penny called her that night to discourage her from taking the job.
"We weren't even given a list of what we needed to do until the second night." Grosdidier said.
"Knowing firsthand what it's like to handle a backpack blower, it's ludicrous to think that children could handle a job of that size," one said. "The supervisors should have been more attentive of the situation." Others felt the damage.
Some of the field house janitors, under the condition of anonymity, supported the students' effort in cleaning after the sellout crowd.
Others felt the department was being too stingy.
"Withholding the money is unacceptable," one janitor said. "The Athletic Department should grow up and pay the full amount."
Fee for basketball-game parking repealed for disabled motorists
By Marc Sheforgen Kanson staff writer
Motorists with disabilities no longer are charged a $6 fee to park for Kansas basketball games.
Beginning with the Jan. 7 men's home game against the University of Colorado, automobiles with state-issued tags were allowed to park for free in the 58 handicapped spaces in the parking garage north of Allen Field House.
The parking department also began running a shuttle service for motorists with disabilities from the Lied Center lot to the field house.
The fee retraction pleased Lona Downing, a disabled Topeka resident who had been parking for free for 10 years before the fees were imposed. Downing said she was
happy the parking spaces would again be free but she was dissatisfied with having to park at the Lied Center after the 58 spaces were filled.
"If you are going to make people go to the Lied Center, it ought to be the healthy ones," she said.
Debate began at the beginning of the basketball season about whether the $6 fee, which had never been charged to motorists with disabilities, was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The act states that people with handicapped-parking permits are exempt from metered parking fees.
This year, when motorists with disabilities drove up for the first game, this was not the case.
"I was rather shocked when I went
to the first game, and they said,
"That'll be $6, please," said Downing,
The University's parking department did not consider the charging the motorists with disabilities to be in violation of the ADA because the open toll gates and standard parking fee made the spaces non-metered.
However, after several complaints from motorists with disabilities and a meeting with Kansas ADA Coordinator Anthony Fadale, in which Fadale indicated the new fee may raise legal questions, the fee was suspended on Dec. 4.
On Dec. 18, the fee was temporarily reinstated for the men's home game against Pepperdine University.
On the night of the Colorado game, the parking department permanently retracted the fee.
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SPRING BREAK BEST
Library Orientation Tours
Date and Time Corrections
Several dates and times from last week's tour announcement were incorrect. We apologize for the error and are re-printing information for all remaining tours.
Staff tour guides will introduce information resources and services available through the University of Kansas Libraries. Scheduled tours are approximately 45-60 minutes long.
Music Library 448 Murphy 864-3496
Tuesday, January 20 10:30 am
Wednesday, January 21 2:30 pm
Watson Library 864-8991
Saturday, January 17 11:00 am
Tuesday, January 20 1:00 pm
Wednesday, January 21 11:30 am
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For more information contact Recreation Services at 864-3546 or stop by 208 Robinson.
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