FEATURES: College-age women may be avoiding health-care precautions that could change their lives. Page 9.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
VOL.103,NO.102
KANSAS STATE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TOPEKA KS 66612
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1994
Student faces expulsion from hall
Anti-homosexual signs trigger action
Dan Murrow did not think that he should have to move to a different residence hall for openly expressing his feelings.
By Susan White
Kansan staff writer
"I stood up for my beliefs, and now I am being forced to relocate to Oliver Hall," said Murrow, Kansas City, Kan., freshman.
But Murrow's feelings led to his posting anti-homosexual drawings on his door in Templin Hall in response to having a homosexual resident assistant — and the Department of Student Housing says such drawings violate housing codes.
Morrow said the department had ordered him on Thursday to leave Templin after
finding signs on his door Nov. 16 and Dec.9 that expressed negative feelings toward homosexuals.
"The first sign said 'Homosexuals suck,'" he said. "The second sign, which I did not hang up, said, 'For Abolishing Gay Guys of Temple,' and had a supposed sexually graphic illustration on it. They are also saying that the first letters of each word stand for something."
But Murrow said he did not think that the department had justification for moving him from Templin. He said the charges filed against him violated rights guaranteed to him by the Student Bill of Rights, which is printed in the Spring 1994 Timetable of Classes. He said the Freedom of Protest article assured him the right to peacefully protest within the University community if he was not obstructing the safety of others.
Murrow also said that the bill guaranteed him the right to a fair hearing to respond to
the charges filed against him.
He said he did not have that hearing. Instead, Murrow said, he was instructed to meet with Jim Schmaedeke, director of Templin, during finals week in December to discuss the issue.
On Thursday, Murrow received a letter from Jonathan Long, assistant director of Templin, stating that he would have to move out Friday because of the Dec. 9 incident. However, he said, he was not notified of being on probation for the Nov. 16 incident until the same Friday.
According to the Student Housing Handbook, the University does not tolerate racial or sexual harassment, such as explicit signs, at any time. But students are
"I received the letter telling me that I was on probation on the same day that I received the reprimand for the Dec. 9 incident," he said. "Being kicked out came as a shock to me."
guaranteed a disciplinary meeting to respond to any harassment allegations placed against them.
The Department of Student Housing declined to comment yesterday.
Tom Berger, associate director of the Office of Affirmative Action, said that he could not discuss the Murrow case but that in most sexual harassment cases his office would do one of two things.
"If we were handling the case, we would try to solve things at the lowest possible level," he said. "If the situation was being handled by another administrative entity, we might help or just be supportive."
Murrow had planned to appeal his case to the department today, but because of administrative scheduling problems, the hearing was changed to a later date. Murrow will be allowed to stay in Templin until further notice, according to a letter he received from the department.
Jonathan Conrad, St. Louis senior, proposed to Kelly Reynolds, St. Louis junior, in an advertisement that was printed Monday — St.Valentine's Day — in the Kansan.
Martin Altstaedten/KANSAN
A PERSONAL AD THAT GETS RESULTS
Proposal answered with definite 'Yes'
By Cheryl Cadue
Kansan staff writer
For Jonathan Conrad, St. Louis senior,
placing an ad in the newspaper may never
get the same results.
Conrad's ad, which ran in the Kansan on Monday — St. Valentine's Day — said, "Kelly, please be mine forever! Will you marry me? I will love you forever, J.B.P. S.
Look in your backpack."
However, Conrad did not get immediate results from the intended reader.
"He asked if anything interesting was in the paper, and I said, 'No, not really,'" said Kelly Reynolds, St. Louis junior. "He opened up the paper, and I just died."
Conrad said he had waited for Reynolds
Reynolds said that they had chosen the ring, which he had hidden in her backpack, about a year ago but that she did not know when Conrad would pop the question.
"I had a lot of ideas," Conrad said. "I thought this one would surprise her the most, and she was very surprised."
after her astronomy class to see whether she had read the ad.
Conrad once had a wafer surprise her with her birthday gift by coming to the table with her gift on a platter, Reynolds said. But the ring was a bigger surprise.
"I didn't see it," Reynolds said. "I even looked at the picture that was next to it and read the caption. I was really happy. I didn't expect it at all, and I was kind of crying."
"On Friday, he bought me a new dress and suggested we have dinner Saturday night to celebrate Valentine's Day," Reynolds said. "I thought for sure he would ask me then, but he didn't. I was
really down, and when I'm down I try not to let myself set that excited again."
Reynolds said she and Conrad, who had been dating for about three years, had known each other since the third grade.
"We went to grade school, junior high and high school together, but we never met until a friend's high-school graduation party," Reynolds said. "We started talking, went out and fell in love."
Reynolds said the wedding would take place in the summer of 1966 after she and Conrad graduated. "I think we're both a little nervous but very happy," Reynolds said. "I think we'll be together for a long time."
Hillel group shows support for BosniAid
By Jamie Munn Kansan staff writer
A video of Sarajevo 10 years ago showed the glory of the 1984 Winter Olympics.
But a few frames later, the video showed a Sarajevo where athletic fields had become battlefields.
About 50 KU students and Lawrence citizens gathered last night in silence to watch the video and a panel discussion for BosnAid, a humanitarian relief fund for refugees in the former Yugoslavia. The fund is sponsored by the Hillel Foundation, a national Jewish student organization.
Hillel raised more than $100 for BosnAid at the discussion, said Steve Jacobson, president of KU Hillel.
Jacobson said the basis for BosniAid was to provide a respectful and informative discussion about the events in the former Yugoslavia.
"In this war, as in any war, there are victims on every side of the conflict." he said.
Jasminka Hadzimejim, a member of the panel who was born and grew up in Sarajevo, said that she didn't like talking politics but that it was difficult to avoid when talking about the conflict.
"Bosnia, as a multicultural region, still exists," Hadzimejlic said. "I hope it will endure this and remain tolerant and open for humanity and human relationships."
Jasminka's husband, Sakir, said he agreed. He said Bosnians were tired of the fighting.
William March, assistant professor of Russian and Eastern European studies, said the vast majority of people in the former Yugoslavia got along.
"It's up to you to say 'No' to fascism, or you will be next," he said. "Now is the time to fight; there is no more time."
He compared the rebel Serbs to extremist racists in the American South.
"This war has been about ethnic cleansing, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel," March said. "But mark my words, the war has been won by those who want a multiethnic society."
He also said that the tide had turned in the fighting and that he expected that trials for war crimes would be extensive.
"We, I, Serbians condemn all these atrocities of the perpetrators," she said. "Yet, at the same time, we all wonder, 'Where is the regard for the Serbian victims?'"
But Pavichevich Harkins, national coordinator of the Serbian American Information Network, criticized the lack of fairness in the media coverage of the conflict.
Harkins said Serbs had been blamed for much of the conflict's ethnic cleansing but that they had been driven from their homes, too.
"The most tragic thing that has happened in this conflict is that it never had to happen," she said.
Hillel still is accepting donations for BosniAid.
Week named for Rock Chalk
Kansan staffreport
The Lawrence City Commission last night proclaimed the week of Feb. 20 to 26 "Rock Chalk Revue Weck."
Julie Thies, Overland Park senior and executive director for Rock Chalk Revue, said the show provided both entertainment and benefits for the community and the University.
"All the money raised goes to the United Way," Thies said. "Support of the show is support for the community."
Greek houses, scholarship halls and residence halls perform stage shows during the annual threeday run of Rock Chalk, the ticket sales from which go the United Way of Douglas County. Rock Chalk has donated more than $10,000 to the United Way, and its participants have completed more than 25,000 hours of community service in the last three years, according to the Rock Chalk organization.
Rock Chalk will run Feb. 24, 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Almost, but not quite The No. 15 Kansas women's tennis team lost to the No.1 Texas Longhorns yesterday 6-3.
Page 11.
Speedy tax refunds can tax students' checkbooks
By Cheryl Cadue
Kansan staff writer
Quicker responses mean higher prices for returns
Getting an income tax refund can be quick, but some may find the quick refund costly.
"The faster you want your refund, the more expensive filing will be," said Pat Derksen, office supervisor for H&R Block Executive Tax Service, 738-C New Hampshire St. "It really depends on the person's circumstances, how much they're getting back and how much they need it."
Derksen said the quickest way to get a refund was through a Refund Anticipation Loan—or Rapid Refund, as it is commonly known—and then filling the return electronically.
Depending on how complicated a customer's tax returns are, the fee for completing the returns varies. At H&R Block, the cost for completing simple forms ranges from $25 to $30, Derksen said.
With Rapid Refund, the anticipated amount of the refund is loaned by a bank to the customer for a set fee. The Internal Revenue Service then sends the customer's actual refund check to the bank, Derksen said.
A bank will not loan money if the anticipated return is less than $300 or more than $3,000. Derksen said. H&R Block's fee for electronic filing is $30, and the bank's fee is $29.
Without Rapid Refund, electronic filing takes from two to three weeks before the refund check is available, Derksen said.
"About 85 percent of the returns we've done have been electronically filed, and an awful lot of people do the Rapid Refund," Derksen said.
With electronic filing, Taylor said, the refund check can be deposited directly into the customer's savings or checking account if the customer filed electronically in the past.
Chris Taylor, employee at The Mail Box,
3115 W. Sixth St., said that for most people
who filped electronically, the cost was about
$30.
"Electronic filing might not be best if you're not getting a lot back or if you don't need it," Taylor said. "In some cases, you might as well put a 29-cent stamp on your return and mail it."
Taylor said that between 30 and 40 people have filed electronically this year at The Mail Box and that he expected the number to double before the April 15 income tax deadline.
Because most people find electronic filing easier than mailing the return, the IRS encourages electronic filing to reduce the amount of paper used. Derksen said.
Lesstaxing
For no consultation charge, KU students looking for help filling out income tax forms can find help at:
Penn House—1035 Pennsylvania St. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
**Indian Center of Lawrence**
= 1423 Haskell Ave, Open
Tuesday and Thursday from
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
School of Law — Green Hall.
Open Sunday through Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Help for international students is available.
KANSAN