CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, February 9, 1993
3
BRIEFS
Bill to assure residential tax rate for greek houses on KU campus
A bill that would guarantee residential tax rates for KU fraternity and sorority houses was heard by the House Taxation Committee last week.
"It's not a tax-reliqu bill, it's only to provide some level of assurance." Adkins said.
Greek houses are taxed at the 11.5 percent residential rate, said Rep. David Adkins, R-Leawood, and the bill would assure those living in the houses that they would not be taxed as commercial property.
"I proposed the bill out of constituents of mine who were parents of fraternity and sorority members at KU," he said.
Adkins said that there was not much of a threat of the rate changing to the 25 percent commercial rate, but that if a new appraiser were to come to Douglas County, greek houses might be required to pay the higher rate.
"A new county appraiser might come in and decide that they should be assessed at the commercial rate," Adkins said. "He might say that a greek house is more like a hotel, motel or lodging house."
University housing at KU is tax-exempt.
The bill may be voted on in a couple of weeks, Adkins said.
Literizing in sorority parking lot to bring KU student to court soon
Lawrence police responded twice early Sunday to calls about a man loitering in the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority parking lot, 1510 Sigma Nu Place.
The man, whose name was not released, is a 22-year-old who said he was a KU student.
The first call came after a resident had seen the man leave the sorority house from a fire escape.
At approximately 4:40 a.m., police arrived at the scene and found the man hiding in his car with a coat over him. Police banged on the window of the car for several minutes to get the man to open the door, but the man did not respond.
When police unlocked the door, the man said that he could not hear them knocking on the window and that he would not tell them who he visited in the house.
He was given a notice to appear in court for criminal trespassing.
About one hour later, police were called to the location again.
A tow truck was called to remove the man's vehicle. The man, who still was in the area, began shouting obscenities at the driver of the truck. He was given another notice to appear for disturbing the peace. The man will appear before municipal court Feb. 24 for both notices.
Campus-crime reports decrease as students take care of property
According to the report released last week by the Kansas Bureau of investigation, the number of crimes on campus decreased 31.6 percent during the ninemonth period, the biggest decrease among the seven Board of Regents schools.
Lt. John Mullens of KU police attributed the decrease to students being more aware of their property.
"More people are locking their doors and keeping track of their backpacks," he said. "Thefts and burglaries have shown the biggest decrease of any crimes."
Mullens said that changes in the education programs offered to incoming students during summer orientation helped to reduce crime. The programs inform students on ways to protect themselves against crime.
The city of Lawrence also reported a decrease in the number of crimes. The first nine months of 1992 saw 15.8 percent fewer crimes compared with the same time period of 1991.
Compiled by Kansan staff writers Will Lewis and Mark Klefer.
Todd Williams, director of the Mass Spectrometer Laboratory, loads a sample for analysis into the University's new $530,000 mass spectrometer. The machine, installed in Mallot Hall in December, will aid researchers in studying complex molecular systems.
Machine aids research
Mass spectrometer installed in Malott
By Terrilyn McCormick
Kansan staff writer
A $530,000 mass spectrometer recently installed in the basement of Malott Hall may be of little interest to most KU students, but to University researchers the new instrument is invaluable.
The new machine is a double spectrometer that increases the research options because it can not only determine the mass of complex molecules but also the mass of the fragments that separate from molecules after ionization.
*Acquiring this spectrometer was absolutely necessary to be able to compete
wtn other institutions," said Valentino Stella, professor of pharmaceutical chemistry.
Stella researches anti-cancer drugs and uses the mass spectrometer to find impurities in the drugs.
design in three rounds.
Installment of the spectrometer, financed by a grant from the National Institute of Health, was completed in December. Todd Williams, director of the Mass Spectrometer Laboratory, was trained on the use of the machine and in the analysis of results.
A general mass spectrometer takes a gaseous molecule and makes it an ion. The mass analyzer determines the mass of an ion and therefore of the molecule, Williams said.
Often during the ionization process, energy causes fragmentation of particles. The fragments can also be measured.
The new spectrometer can analyze complex molecules and the fragments, unlike the general spectrometer.
General spectrometers cannot accommodate complex molecules that cannot be transformed into a gas state. A fast-atom bombardment spectrometer allows analysis of complex molecules, but the fragmentation information is lost, Williams said.
Before the spectrometer was available at KU, researchers would have to send their sample to an outside source. This type of analysis would cost $100 to $200 for the analysis only, and a trained expert would not be available to explain the analysis, Williams said.
"The mass spectrometer allows access to molecular systems that have been difficult or impossible to probe before," Williams said.
Liberal arts will keep economics
By Brady Prauser
By Brady Prauser
Kansan staff writer
Plans to transfer the department of economics from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to the School of Business were canceled last week because University officials decided the merger was inefficient.
The problems of merging the economics department with the business school outweighed the benefits, so an alternative was developed, said James Muyksens, dean of liberal arts and sciences.
Under the alternate plan, faculty from economics and the business school will be interacting more closely in teaching, oversight and research.
An oversight committee will be formed from faculty from the economics department, business school and other University departments to strengthen the economics department. The committee will assist in department chair searches, faculty searches and curriculum issues such as the content of undergraduate courses, Mayskens said.
Faculty in the college were pleased that the economics department did not become part of the business school he said.
"The people in the college feel economics is a strong liberal arts field, and they would like to keep it that way." Muvksen said.
The original merger was planned in November as part of program review, a comprehensive evaluation of KU academic programs that ended in certain programs being recommended for elimination or mergers.
Muyksens said the merger was not planned to cut costs to "make sure the economic department was not only a strong department in and of itself but was a strong contributor to the needs of the University."
The merger cancellation last week was approved David Shulenbur, acting vice chancellor for academic affairs, and Chancellor Gene Budig.
Economics chairperson De-Min Wu said the business school was not divided into departments like the college and that played a role in the cancellation.
in the economics department would have joined the business school, they would have had to restructure. "Wu said.
Speaker says awareness will help save rain forests
By Mark Klefer
Kansan staff writer
For Jason Clay, the sooner people become aware of how their consumer choices affect the environment, the better off the environment will be.
"We have to wake people up here, in the rest of the United States and the rest of the world," he said.
Clay is director of research for Cultural Survival Enterprises, a group that began in 1972 to promote ways for businesses to cooperate with environmental concerns and protect the rights of indigenous peoples.
Clay spoke last night to about 130 people in the Kansas Union Ballroom as part of Student Union Activities' Environmental Lecture Series.
"Conservation is not preservation," he said. "We're not talking about building fences around rain forests and leaving them alone. We realize that this is not an option. People must make a living off of it.
The one-hour presentation included a 25-minute slide presentation displaying various stages of deforestation in the Amazon rain forest.
"Americans don't see rain forests as having people," Clay said. "They need to see that their consumer spending patterns
influence individuals of other countries."
Clay has spent a lot of time with corporations throughout the United States trying to persuade them to develop products using natural resources from the Amazon rain forest. He urged those companies to send money back to the individual countries.
"We have no specific guidelines for the corporations," Clay said. "We want them to give back something to the countries that produce the natural resources. We must begin to view them as partners."
Other products of the rain forests are the crafts the indigenous people create from the trees.
Clay said that some of these products were sold originally for $1 and later were found in U.S. stores selling for $200.
"if they can't get a decent price for what they're making, they're going to use more natural resources just to try and make a living." he said.
Clay said that there were 66 companies making products that had this new type of relationship with rain forest countries.
but it takes the consumers to buy those company's products to make the process work.
"If we are willing to pay just one penny more per package, it will make a phenomenal difference," he said.
Have you dined at The Castle Tea Room
lately?
Reservations only:
843-1151
ROBERT W. MANSKE
ATTORNEY ATLAW
Criminal Defense and Personal Injury
301N. CHESTNUT 913-782-5212
OLATHE, KS 6601 749-4713 LOCAL
Winter is almost over- come in and celebrate with BIG savings on our entire selection of Champion hoods and crews.
SWEATSHIRT SALE
Crews
Hoods
CREWS
* $49.99 For $34.99
* $44.99 For $29.99
* $39.99 For $24.99
* $29.99 For $19.99
Hustle in, they won't last long!
*$59.99 For $39.99
*$54.99 For $34.99
*$39.99 For $24.99
* Includes Champion Logo
840 Massachusetts
Downtown 842·2442
The Etc. Shop
Soothe the Savage Beast
More Than 100
More Than 100 Different Styles!
928 Mass.
ATTN:
Open Hearing for Student Health Insurance
7:00pm in Big Eight Rm. Kansas Union Wed., Feb.10th
HERB SHOP
16 E.8th • Lawrence,
Kansas
(913)749-0367
Origenal Formulas Incense
Bulk Herbs Perfume Oil
Extracts Essential Oil
Tea Blends Massage Oil
Spices Mineral Baths
Flower Remedies Potpourri
Hot Tea Served Daily
---