SPORTS: The Kansas women's basketball team plays Stephen F. Austin tonight in the NCAA Tournament. Page 11.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
VOL.103.NO.121
KANSAS STATE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TOPEKA KS 66612
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1904
(USPS 650-640)
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
NEWS: 864-4810
Parents of victim fight for stiffer law
By Roberta Johnson Kansan staff writer
Gene and Peggy Schmidt waited two weeks to learn what happened to their daughter Stephanie, a Pittsburgh State University student who had been missing since June 30.
Then, after her body was found, authorities told them that it could not be released until someone was convicted for her murder.
Now, after convicted rapist Donald Gideon has been convicted of raping and killing their daughter, the Sehmids are working with the Legislature to create tougher punishments for repeat offenders.
The Schmidt's, who spoke at Green Hall last night, told an audience of 20 law students about the insensitivity of law officials toward victims and of the Schmidt's efforts to tighten Kansas laws.
The Schmidst said that their experience was not an isolated case but that Kansas courts were more sensitive to victims than other states' courts were.
"In Louisiana, a girl was raped and had to watch her boyfriend's murder but was treated as a witness to the murder only." Gene Schmidt said.
"In Maryland, you have to fight for a victim to be told when the trial will be."
A significant problem with the system, Gene Schmidt said, is the inability to prevent further instances of sexual crimes.
He said that an individual could not check someone's criminal history with law enforcement agencies.
The Schmidtis are lobbying for three changes in the system. First, any sex offender could be sent to a mental institution if the offender's release would threaten public safety. Second, if offenders are released, they would be required to register with the county's sheriff. Failure to do so would be a misdemeanor. Third, the offender's record also would be released to employers.
Peggy Schmidt said that if the law had been in effect, her daughter would be alive. Gideon was a repeat offender.
"Donald Gideon committed his first rape when he was 13," she said. "The victim was 83 years old."
in kansas, a victim has the constitutional right to be notified of any changes in the offender's case, such as the possibility of parole, said Lynn Stemm, a victims' assistance coordinator in Johnson County, who also addressed the law students.
File Photo/ KANSAN
If the Schmidt's proposals were made law, potential victims and their families would have more protection, Gene Schmidt said.
"It's every parent's nightmare," Peggy Schmidt said. "We had friends in Pittsburg, and Stephanie could have had help with anything.
"But with all the education and everybody there, she still didn't have a chance."
Office director cites necessity
Tom Berger, associate director of the Office of Affirmative Action, said that he was white males' worst enemy.
By Jennifer Freund
Kansan staff writer
"There's hostility that's out there because, for the most part, young white American males feel that things are being taken away from them," he said.
Last night's discussion at the Kansas Union, entitled "Exploring Political Activism Within the African-American and Jewish Communities," touched on topics such as the backlash against affirmative action and the relationship between the death penalty and African Americans.
Berger said that despite the overall positive effects of affirmative action at the University and in the work place, whites tended to focus on anecdotal examples of affirmative action as reverse discrimination.
"I've had students say, 'Well, my uncle was discriminated against when he went to work at GM, and an unqualified woman or an unqualified African American got a better job than he did, and he's got 55 years of experience," he said.
Berger said that although everyone has experienced discrimination, affirmative action was still necessary to level the playing field for those bearing the brunt of it, namely African American.
The death penalty was addressed by David Gottlieb, professor of law administration. Gottlieb said that the death penalty unfairly penalized African Americans.
"The reason why African Americans should think twice about the death penalty is because it has been an instrument of racial oppression in this country, period," he said.
"Those who are Jewish should look at their history and question if they want to give the state the power to execute again," he said. "Remember that Hitler came to power in a democratic state."
Gottlieb also said that Jews also should oppose the death penalty because throughout history they had been the ones persecuted and ultimately executed.
Patrons of the former Outhouse dance in the "pit," a section of the floor where high-intensity dancing, such as diving off of the stage and slamming into each other, takes place.
Audience members asked whether they could do anything to stop the Kansas Legislature from passing the death penalty.
"It's like you are 20 points down and you have two minutes left on the clock," he said. "But you should still write letters to legislators."
Gottlieb said that though it would be nearly impossible, students should continue to fight the law.
Terry Bell, president of the Black Student Union, said that he had been encouraged by the discussion.
Brian Vandervliet / KANSAN
The Outhouse, located on Route 2, will no longer feature hard-edged bands. The building, which has changed leaseholders, now will be used for private parties.
Music club no longer cutting-edge
The Outhouse changes leaseholder, atmosphere
By Angelina Lopez Kansan staff writer
The Outhouse used to be a tractor barn in the middle of a corn field.
It used to be a worldwide famous concert hall where hard-edged bands such as Ice-T's Body Count could cause havoc and fledgling bands, such as Nirvana and Helmet, could cut their teeth.
And it used to be a sanctuary for people of all ages who wanted to dance, drink and have a good time beyond the reach of Lawrence police.
But last week, the glory days of the Outhouse ended. F.J. Rost, Lawrence sophomore, signed a four-year lease with Donnie Melnbruch, owner of the building.
Mellenbruch said that Rost planned on using the building for private parties. Rost has torn out the stage and is installing a disc jockey booth. For a sorority party in the building last weekend, Mellenbruch said, Rost featured Karaoke and private catering.
"Whenever I went out there, I would try to have ahorrible time," Mellenbruch said about the former Outhouse. "But I usually enjoyed it."
For 11 years, Mellenbruch rented out the building to a variety of promoters that put together the concerts.
But because of the time commitment and the insensitivity of some promoters who did not clean up after the shows, Mellenbruch said, he decided to lease the building to a long-time renter.
Andy Dricker was one of the last people to get the opportunity to appreciate the Outhouse as a grimy, underground club. Dricker was a drummer for the band Lowlife, the final group to play in January on the Outhouse stage.
He said that many of the bands that played at the Outhouse were nationally established bands that weren't appropriate anywhere else.
"They were the bands too ugly for Liberty Hall," Dricker said.
Bob Cutler was part of a group of people who originally developed the idea to promote the Outhouse as an-oho-barred, punk club. As a soundnaut for the Outhouse, he missed only seven shows during the 11-year period.
"The Outhouse wasn't run by the establishment. It was run by the kids," said Cutler, who is now the soundman for the Hideaway, 106 North Park St. "It was a small segment of people that decided we could call up bands and entertain ourselves."
Because they were outside Lawrence city limits, Cutler said, the kids could entertain themselves, regardless of age and without fear of Lawrence police.
He said that there was a feeling of freedom to call up an obscure band that the kids wanted to see and not be concerned that the band would draw only 30 people.
In fact, the obscure bands were one of its biggest draws.
"All that stuff about Lawrence being the next Seattle, that started at the Outhouse," Cutler said. "We played bands that the Bottleneck wouldn't touch until they got in the charts."
Ken Baker, a St. Louis junior and fan of much of the music that was played at the Outhouse, said that the Outhouse was known throughout the nation.
"People say, 'You've got the Outhouse!' instead of, Where's Lawrence, Kansas?" he said.
Cutler said he understood that not everyone liked the music and the regular fans of the Outhouse.
"Regardless of what people think, a lot of kids have grown up there," he said. "They learned who they were, and they learned how to deal with people, although it might have taken a fat lip. Now there's nothing to replace it."
A woman's work
There was a time when career women were by definition, teachers, secretaries or nurses. But today, many women are working in traditionally male-dominated fields. Page 9.
New class to tackle language barriers among sexes
By Jamie Munn
Kansan staff writer
Sara Sistrunk, Lawrence graduate teaching assistant, said the students in her course, "Language and Gender," would examine differences in language, including class, ethnicity and culture.
For some KU students in the fall, homework for a new class could include talking with and listening to their friends.
In the course, she said, she hopes to redefine how people think about the sexes in conversation.
"Gender is not just male or female," Sistrunk said. "It has to do more with roles people have in society."
Factors such as politeness and sexual preferences could affect a person's choice of words, she said.
Power relations in speech also have been the focus of studies, she said. But the context of conversations was an important distinction for students to consider.
"A mother will speak differently to a child than to her boss." Slistrunk said.
She said speakers in male-male, female-male and female-female conversations also used different vocabularies.
Development in gender linguistics had often paralleled innovations in feminist theory, she said.
But one complaint, Sistrunk said, was that most studies
centered only on white, middle-class women and men.
She said her class would emphasize a range of cultures and languages of several groups, including Lakota Native Americans, Hungarian peasants and the vernacular of African Americans in Philadelphia.
Frances Ingemann, head of the linguistics department, said the course was the first ever in this field offered by the department.
Ingemann said Sistrunk was the first in the department to specifically address this topic.
"The interesting thing is the fact that she is looking into a variety of languages, not just one," she said.
Ingemann said she thought that the class would be small enough for students to participate in discussions. But as more people hear about the course, the class will be one of interest to many students, she said.
Jamie Hopkins, Kansas City, Mo., senior, said she would take the class this fall because of the variety of study.
She said she thought that Sistrunk was especially wellversed in the subject because she had studied languages in many of the cultures she would discuss.
"It would provide a totally different outlook on the subject." Honkjaas said.
lennie Zeiner / KANSAN
Hopkins said she had taken communications courses that had spent only a brief amount of time on gender in language.
Sara Sitrunk, Lawrence graduate teaching assistant, will emphasize communication among different members of society in a course titled, "Language and Gender." The course will be offered in the fall semester.
"To have a whole course devoted to that is really interesting," she said.
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