KU
BAYOU BOUND!
SPECIAL FINAL FOUR SECTION INSIDE
VOL.102, NO.129
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
KU
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 1993
(USPS 650-640)
NEWS: 864-4810
Fans bid Jayhawks goodbye
Doug Hesse / KANSAN
About 100 cheering and waving fans yesterday turned out at Allen Field House to send the team off to the Final Four in New Orleans
Basketball team boards bus, plane to New Orleans
By James J. Reece Kansan staff writer
About 100 fans and part of the men's basketball band gathered yesterday to give the men's basketball team a Final Four farewell.
The team left Allen Field House at 2:10 p.m. yesterday for the NCAA tournament in New Orleans, where the Jawahaws will play the North Carolina Tarheels tomorrow
Fifteen members of the band struck up the school fight song as the team loaded gear onto the bus parked at the southwest doors of the field house.
"We're excited more than we are nervous," said Patrick Richey, a junior guard-forward playing in his second Final Four. "The Final Four is one of the most exciting times of your life."
At least one Jayhawk wanted to record the beginning of the tournament journey for posterity.
Senior guard Rex Walters, portable video camera in hand, panned across the crowd of supporters, band members and news, radio and television reporters.
At the end of the 30-minute send off, the team, led by a smiling Roy Williams, quickly boarded the bus and was on the road to Topeka's Forbes Field airport, where the team caught a plane for New Orleans.
The send-off was not only the beginning of the Final Four weekend for the team but the men's basketball band as well.
Two band members, seniors Lindsey Williams, Winfield, and Gary Leopold, Wichita, said the 30-minute performance was one of many planned for the band in the next few days.
"If we win the national tournament, we'll have 12 gigs in New Orleans," Williams said.
Other performances include pep rallies and the "College Basketball Slam Dunk and Three-Point Shooting Championship," which will be televised at 7 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.
Williams said half of the band would leave today because they had to perform this morning for the "Sunrise Spitfest," an event at the Kansas River bridge.
The other 15 members of the band left yesterday.
But for most of the spectators, the road to the Final Four ends at the nearest television.
- Spitoff at Kansas River Bridge. 7 a.m. today.
- Classes canceled from 1:30 to 3:15 p.m. Tuesday for a rally in Memorial Stadium, regardless of Saturday's outcome.
- Class schedule for the rest of Tuesday will be decided after the game Monday.
- For more coverage see pages 9 and 11.
T. C. Halm, Lagrange, Ill., freshman, was one supporter who showed up to cheer on the Jayhawks as they set off for New Orleans.
"Sure as hell wish I was going," Halm said.
Doug Hesse / KANSAN
Senior center Eric Pauley yesterday loaded his luggage into the bus that would take him and the rest of the team to Forbes Field in Topeka.
Police ready for partyers on campus
By Mark Kiefer
Kansan staff writer
Eighteen months. That is how long the KU police department has been preparing for the possibility of a Final Four celebration.
Tomorrow night, police may be able to put their plans to the test.
"We're going to have to and see how well it all works," said KI police Lt. John Multens.
Mullens said seven police departments would be providing assistance to KU officers, including officers from the Lawrence Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff's Department, Kansas Highway Patrol, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas State University, Riley County and Ottawa.
He said at least 100 officers would be available to help control the crowd.
Mullens said police would close down Jayhawk Boulevard before the crowd had a chance to develop.
"The further out, you park and walk in, the faster you will get up here," Mullens said. "If you can get up without using your cars you will be much better off."
A liquor ordinance passed in the fall of 1901 prohibits all kinds of alcohol on campus. Mullens said officers would instruct people with alcohol to pour it out or take it back to their cars.
Officers stationed along the boulevard will be trying to maintain some order to the crowd, Mullens said.
"Our biggest concern is people's personal safety," he said.
we look forward to the wins," he said, "but don't really look forward to some people's reaction to it"
Mullens said that if KU beat North Carolina torom-
row a crowd of about 25,000 would hit campus.
Police are not the only people preparing for a large crowd. Danny Kaiser, assistant dean of student life, said 30 staff members and a number of students would be volunteering to provide information to anyone who may have a question.
"They are not there to be security, Kaiser said. "If there is a fight, we don't want them getting involved."
The Douglas County Ambulance Service will provide five staffed ambulances and 14 paramedics, said Rob Kort, a supervisor with the service. The service also will operate two first aid stations on campus.
Kort said the most common injuries in crowd scenes were lacerations to the head, caused by thrown bottles.
Jim Boyle, associate director at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that Watkins would remain open until midnight tomorrow.
"We're hoping to avoid some of the injuries that we had before," he said, referring to the large number of students who came to the center with cuts and brushes after the 1991 celebrations.
Radio station prank: Kansas disqualified from Final Four
I'm nopting that having gone through this a couple of times that some of the silly things can be avoided," Boyle said.
By Will Lewis
Kansan staff writer
Often times April Fool's Day jokes are funnier to the joker than to anyone else.
That was the case yesterday when a Kansas City, Mo., radio station's attempt to fool people left some laughing and upset others.
KISF-FM announced that the Kansas men's basketball team had been disqualified from the NCAA
tournament.
Kip Taylor and Debbie Jackson, disc jockeys at the station, began their play at about 6 a.m. and carried it through until 9:30 a.m.
"We probably got about 200 calls," Taylor said.
about the prank from the start, he said, a larger portion did not have a clue.
"It didn't take a genius to figure it out." Taylor said. "It was just fun."
"I didn't want anyone killing themselves," Taylor said.
He said he let people in on the joke when he felt the time was right.
The joke began when the disc jockeys said they received a fax from an infractions committee saying that one of the players did not meet eligibility requirements.
Although many listeners knew
Taylor told listeners that Indiana University would take KU's place in
the tournament and that upset fans had gathered at Arrowhead and Royals' stadiums to protest.
rte then interviewed fictitious sources who he claimed were connected to the University and NCAA.
Taylor said the timing of the prank boosted its effectiveness.
"It was better than telling people I was going to be flying over naked on a hang glider," he said.
"It was basically just a three-and-
one-half hour episode of theater of free mind, which is what radio is all about," he said. "There is one day a year that it is OK for these types of white lies."
Taylor apologized to KU officials, but he said he did not regret the prank. "It was meant as a joke, to have fun. So bev, have fun," he said, laughing.
But the radio station was not the only place swamped with calls from distraught fans.
Chris Padgett, a graduate intern at
KU's sports information department, said concerned fans kept the phones ringing for much of the morning.
Padgett said it was unfortunate that the joke centered on an athletes' academic eligibility.
"Obviously everyone here has a sense of humor," he said. "I think the biggest area of concern was that they picked academics.
"The University works so hard to stress academics to students. It was kind of a sensitive subject."
Child care concerns
Senate denies appointment of Regent
A group of student senators gathered yesterday at the Office of Student Affairs to hand deliver a bill that would raise money to expand the Hilltop Child Development Center.
See story, Page 3.
By Ben Grove
TOPEKA — State senators yesterday voted not to appoint one of their former colleagues to the Board of Regents.
Kansan staffwriter
Arguments against former State Sen. Jack Steineger mainly came from veteran legislators who said he had not supported higher education during his 28 years in the Statehouse.
Others, many of them freshman, said they were impressed with Steineger's qualifications.
After the 24-16 vote, Steineger, 68, a retired Kansas City, Kan, attorney, defended his record as a strong advocate of the Regents universities.
Steiner served on the Senate Ways and Means subcommittee on Regents issues and on the Legislative Educational Planning Commission.
But State Sen. Paul Feleciano, D-Wichita, said that during his 21 years in the Senate he had never seen Steiniger vote for a tax increase that would support higher education.
"Ive never seen him make the ultimate sacrifice and that is to cast a vote to fund the programs," Feleciano said after the vote. "It's very hypocritical for the governor to put me in this position to have to vote for a man who doesn't practice what he preaches."
Gov. Joan Finney nominated Steineger and stood by that nomination even as Steineger's record drew criticism this week.
Steineger said that he had long opposed tax increases but that money from proposed tax increases was never specifically marked for the Regens universities.
Steinger said he felt betrayed by his former colleges.
"They didn't justify," Steineger said
But State Sen. Jerry Karr, D-Emporia, said the vote was "purely political" and that grudge-harboring veterans may have influenced some of the 21 freshman legislators in a Senate of 40 members.
"People who supported my nomination examined my qualifications and said, 'Can you effectively question the qualifications of this man?' And the only answer was from the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, who was not happy with some of the votes I've cast."
"Those of us who served with him had real doubts about his ability to serve as a Regent. "Kerr said.
"It's sad," Karr said. "The Board of Resigns is the last place this kind of action
Steiniger said he had a "long-standing feud" over economic development issues with State Sen. Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson and chairman of the Senate Education Committee.
should occur. He said the quality of Steineger's qualifications were superior even to current board members.
State Sen. Christine Downey, D-Newton, voted for Steinerge's appointment and said she had never met Steinerge but was impressed with his qualifications.
"I am disappointed to find there another
anda besides qualifications," she said.
Lawrence's only state senator, Republican Sandy Paeger, said she also did not know Steineger but voted against his appointment.
"I had to trust the feelings of my colleagues who were uncomfortable," Praeger said.
Chancellor Gene Budig yesterday declined to comment on whether the University supported Steineger's nomination. He said that it was in the University's best interest that the Regents appoint someone as soon as possible.
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