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The University Daily
KANSAN
Vol. 94, No. 160 (USPS 650-640)
Published since 1889 by students at the University of Kansas
Wednesday morning, July 25, 1984
Penthouse issue still stirs controversy Magazine selling well locally Guccione defends use of photos
By MICHELE HINGER Staff Reporter
Despite a $1 price hike, Penthouse magazine's September issue featuring former Miss America Vanessa Williams is selling like Michael Jackson concert tickets.
"About every third sale we make is a Penthouse," said Jonathan Whalen, an employee of the F-Eleven at 3025 W. Sixth St. "It's been Big Gulp, Big Gulp, magazine, since we've gotten them in."
WHALEN SAID THAT the 7-Eleven store took in $400 more in sales yesterday than on a normal day, almost all of which store employees attributed to Penthouse magazine sales.
Williams posed nude for the pictures when she was 19 and worked as a makeup artist for photographer Tom Chiapel, but said this week that she didn't remember signing a release form for the pictures.
Miss America pageant officials gave Williams 72 hours to resign from her position, which she did at a press conference on Monday. First runner-up Suzette Charles, Miss New Jersey, will hold the title for the remaining two months until the 1985 pageant.
More women and people of different ages are buying this issue of Penthouse than previous issues, said Celia Volk, an employee of Kwik shop, 3440 W. Sixth, WI.
"MOST OF THEM that come in say 'I've got to get myself a piece of history' when they buy it," said Volk. "It's like some historical event."
Only two of the 70 copies received by the store are left, Volk said.
"Even people who don't want to buy it come in and speak a sneak." she said.
The publishers of Penthouse made a bad decision in timing the issue to coincide with Williams' reign as Miss America, said Ed Hathaway, an employee of the 7-Eleven store at 2500 Iowa St.
"They could have waited until after her wear as Miss America was up," he said.
in the first half hour the magazines were in, the store sold 25 issues, said Hathaway, some to customers who bought them two at a time with plans to save one copy as a collector.
THE PICTURES OF Williams, showing her in intimate scenes with another woman, were unusual only because of her title, said Hathaway.
"A woman posing nude with another woman isn't too bizarre for Penthouse," Hathaway said, "but it is for Miss America."
The fact that Williams posed with another woman escalated the controversy that led to her resignation, said Volk.
"I've heard people say things like 'That's better off kept in the bedroom.' I don't think there would have been as much fuss if she hadn't posed with a woman," Volk said. "But for Penthouse, they're pretty run-of-the-mill."
Many people were surprised at the quality of the pictures. Whalen said.
"The photography wasn't that good and they were in black and white," he said.
Poor quality or not, few September issues will probably remain on the shelves for long
E-Z Shop, 1010 Haskell, said Betty Lacer
store manager.
"I was amused when one guy came in and said his wife wanted one." Lacer said. "I don't know if that was a big contrived lie or not."
By United Press International
NEW YORK - Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione said yesterday he felt sorry for Vanessa Williams but said it was her own idea to pose for the sexually explicit photographs with another woman that cost the former Miss America her crown.
"The photographs were taken at her request," Guccione said in an interview with United Press International. "She wanted to break into modeling. It was even Vanessa herself who said, 'I want to do pictures with this other girl.'"
"I didn't take my clothes off. She did," he said.
Guccione estimated he would make up to $10 million on sales of 4.5 million copies of the September issue.
WILLIAMS, 21. of Millwood, N.Y., denied giving permission for the publication of the pictures she posed for when she was 19. She said she gave up her title because she did not "want any kind of battle or fight or division with the people who supported me."
"I know it was a mistake, of course," she said. "The tears came. It was rough. And now I'm ready to work and move on. This is rock bottom and there's no where else to go but up."
Miss Williams, the first black Miss America and the first in the pageant's 63 year history to be dethroned, gave up her crown Monday under pressure from pageant officials after the sexually explicit photos of her and the other woman were printed in Penthouse.
GUCCione said he paid photographer Tom Chiapel "the highest price we ever paid for any editorial matter in the magazine" but would not specify the amount.
Guccione said a Chiapel representative offered both Playboy and Penthouse model registry forms seeking employment.
BOTH MAGAZINES turned down those forms because they didn't allow publication of pictures of Miss Williams. But Guccione said Penthouse went directly to Chapel and got the proper forms releasing the photos.
"We would not have acted irresponsibly because we would be too vulnerable." Guccione said. "We had her signature on the release examined by handwriting experts.
Williams said she could only recall signing an application to be placed on a model registry and said Chiapel assured her the photos would only be in silhouette, she would not be recognizable, and they would be kept secret.
"All in all, I still feel sorry for the girl because she did make a mistake. I believe she was very badly treated by the pageant, and I believe she should have fought to retain her title." Guccione said.
HE SAID CRITICISM from black organizations had no merit.
"the fact that the girl is black had nothing to do with our decision. She could have been purple and I would have published them just as quickly. If we hadn't published the photographs, somebody else would have."
Roy Grutman, a lawyer for Guebcone, said he met Monday with lawyers for Williams, and he expected them to sue the magazine. However, no action has been taken.
"If she does sue me, I assure you she isn't going to say in court under oath that she didn't sign that release." Guccione said.
Local troublemakers keep bonding agent in the bail business
By CAROLYN COLEMAN Staff Reporter
Like many small-business owners, Vanessa Mock depends on repeat customers to increase her revenue.
Mock is a bonding agent, and trouble-makers provide her livelihood.
"Basically I just have regular clients. There are some people who no matter what they do, they can't seem to stay out of trouble." she said.
"I don't let people call me a bail bondsman— all the jail personnel and my clients call me the bondslady, and that's all right." Mock said.
MOCK AND OTHER bonding agents free people from jail when they are unable to post their own bond.
when a person is arrested, he may pay the full amount of the bond out of his pocket, stay in jail or pay a bonding agent a premium of 10 percent of the bond amount.
If he chooses to pay the premium, he will often have to get an indemnitor, who promises to repay the bonding agent if the accused doesn't show up.
The accused may put up jewelry, a car or a mortgage as collateral with the bonding
"I prefer jewelery," said Mock, who wears several pieces of collateral.
If the accused does hold up his part of the agreement by showing up in court, he will lose the premium, but he will get the collateral back.
IF THE ACCUSED person doesn't return for his hearing or trial, the bonding agent has to pay the court the full amount of the bond.
Unlike law enforcement agents, bonding agents don't need to go through the courts to get someone who has fled to another state.
However, once the bonding agent pays the court, she can sell the collateral or collect the principal plus interest and collection costs from the indemnitor.
However, Mock says she doesn't often go out of state, and she doesn't have much problem with people jumping bail.
"I can go get them anywhere and any time by any means as long as I have a certified copy of my bond." Mock said.
Mock won't say how much money she makes, but she says her commission is less than $100 a month.
"IVE MADE ENOUGH money to pay off my car, make my house payments and go on vacation," she said.
She started her agency seven years ago when she was 23. An associate of her father, a former bail manship, gave her the idea.
An Indianapolis insurance company, Allied Fidelity, takes all the financial risks. They send her the money to pay the court if the accused skips town.
While the business is financially risk-free and provides a service most people wouldn't want to do without, there are only two bail bond agents in Lawrence.
There aren't a whole lot of people who want to work 24 hours a day seven days a week.
"I was building radios for airplanes at King Electronics before that," she said.
Larry Weaver/KANSAN
elianthus annuos, more commonly known in Kansas as the sunflower, shows signs of wilting as temperatures continue to reach the 90-degree mark.
Angino attempted to keep discussions of a re-zioning request in East Lawrence and reorganization of the Community Development Advisory Board brief by limiting who could comment and by ignoring some who sought to address the commission.
Commissioner Nancy Shontz, after Angino took a vote on one motion before she could comment, said, "I feel like there's a builder now, just rolling down the road."
THE COMMISSION REJECTED, 4.1, the request to re-zone property at 1225 Rhode Island St. and the vacant lot just to the north of the property in favor of commissioner Howard Hill voted in favor of it.
Angino's gavel limits comment at city meeting
After the commission heard the report of Price Banks, planning director, and Mike Vieux, the developer, on the request, Angino
Mayor Ernest Angino wielded a quick gavel last night as he guided the Lawrence City Commission through discussions of two controversial issues.
By SHAWNA SEED Staff Reporter
See BOND, p. 5, col. 4
I feel like there's a bulldozer here, just rolling down the road
Nancy Shontz city commissioner
Several homeowners in the area expressed fears that the proposed office development in a residential area would eventually destroy the character of the neighborhood.
When Shelley Miller, a member of the East Lawrence Improvement Association, asked to speak. Angina reiterated that he would entertain comments from property owners.
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said he would hear public comments, but only from property owners in the area.
HE FINALLY RECOGNIZED Miller, who rents in that area, when she said that she represented a homeowner in the neighborhood and the neighborhood association.
Miller said that elderly people in East Lawrence feared that office development was taking too much time.
The commission deferred action on proposed changes in the Community Development Advisory Board after a discussion and controversy and strong action by Angstro
Angino and Commissioner David Longhurst have proposed changing the board, which advises the commission on the allocation of federal community development funds. The commission is to attend the board's meeting tonight before taking action.
COMMENTS MADE BY MILLER, who is a member of the board, brought heated remarks from Longhurst, prompting Angino to admonish him.
Miller said that she did not understand what changes the commissioners wanted in the board. She said that the board had been efficient and represented the interests of low-income people in Lawrence.
Longhurst said that the board performed its advisory function well, but that it had no right to "sit in judgment of the city's community development staff or the City Commission."
When Miller said that the board did not sit in judgment, Longhurst broke in, "Every
See CITY, p. 5, col. 1
Federal research dollars may not be free, officials say
By CINDY HOBSON
Staff Reporter
Research at the University of Kansas doesn't just involve a scientist mixing chemicals in a lonely laboratory.
For example, the Kansas Geological Survey, located in Moore Hall on West Campus, is studying ways to predict the likelihood of an area having an earthquake, said Don Steeplees, chief of geophysics and geochemistry.
Staff Reporter
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is partially funding the study — along with the United States Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation and the Army Corps of Engineers — wants the Kansas Geological Survey to put together a more realistic earthquake map. Steeples said.
BUT RESEARCH IS expensive, and often must be funded with federal grants. Federal agencies gave KU departments and schools more than $20 million in research grants last year, called Carolyn Cross, director of research support and grants administration.
Though the University welcomes federal
grants, one KU research facility has felt the drawbacks.
Richard Moore, professor of electrical engineering and a researcher at the remote sensing laboratory in Nichols Hall on West Campus, said that when a department applied for a grant, someone was specified as the principle person who would perform the research.
"The grant is given to the University." Moore said, "but the contractor (federal agency) says that a certain person has to work on it."
WHILE THE SPECIFIED person can be changed, the chance exists that if that person leaves KU to go to another university, the grant may accompany him, leaving a hole in that department, Moore said.
The remote sensing laboratory is experiencing such a problem. Two researchers, Fawwaz Ulaby, director of the lab, and Adrian Fung, a researcher, have resigned to go to other universities.
As a result, the lab, supported entirely by federal funds, could lose about one half of its federal funding. Moore said.
The lab, which focuses on the study of the
ALTHOUGH FUNDING is competitive and hard to get, many KU research projects receive federal funds, said Richard Schiefelbush, director of the Bureau of Child Research.
earth by satellites, now receives about $1 million from the government, Moore said.
The bureau receives $4 million per year in federal funds, the most of any department in the University, he said.
"You have to do competent work and have an appropriate talent pool to use in competing against other centers." Schiefel-busch said.
Schiefebusch said that organizations such as the bureau did not need well known
"But you need someone who has hallmarks of excellence," he said.
"THESE IS NO QUESTION that you need established, recognized individuals in the
However, David Kraft, director of the Center for Research Inc. and dean of the School of Engineering, said that a well-respected researcher had a better chance of getting a grant approved.
field to obtain grants, but you don't necessarily need a lot of funds to attract a named individual. He can generate momentum on his own." Kraft said.
Schiefelbusch said the bureau had lost researchers in the past.
"we have had scientists leave," he said,
"and have lost large grants. It's not uncharacteristic."
Grants don't have to go with a departing researcher though, he said.
"IF THEY ARE people who can continue to do the work, the grant might stay." Siebelchieff said. "The agency wants the best resolution."
Most federal agencies use peer review to determine the feasibility of a study, Schiefel-busch said.
But first, a faculty member or graduate student with a research idea wanting federal funds must develop the idea, obtain a sponsor from a University department and then submit the proposal to a federal agency for review.
The review committee judges the proposal on the grounds of relevance, importance and timeliness. Schiefelbusch said.