Play it again, Tim
See p.6
The University Daily
KANSAN
Vol. 94, No. 155 (USPS 650-640)
Published since 1889 by students at the University of Kansas
Some clouds,
some sun
High, 83
Details on p.2
Friday morning, July 6, 1984
Convention survives 40 years as political forum Democratic presidential candidates visit this year NAACP draws political figures
By MICHELE HINGER Staff Reporter
Walter Mondale, Gary Hart and Jesse Jackson are not the first major presidential candidates or presidents to attend the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which ends today in Kansas City, Mo.
Mondale and Jackson addressed delegates to the convention earlier this week, and Gary Hart will arrive in Kansas City at 10:30 a.m. today for a press conference.
Political figures since Harry S. Truman's administration have addressed civil rights issues, using the annual NAACP convention as a forum.
The convention gave both Mondale and Jackson an opportunity to discuss unresolved issues and unity in their effort against President Reagan's re-election.
THE POLITICKING increased as Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, a prominent black political figure whose endorsement both Jackson and Mondale want, but neither officially have as yet, agreed to delegate to the convention Tuesday afternoon.
The NAACP is the key force in civil rights legislation, which is reflective of its political muscle and influence, said Denton L. Watson, NAACP director of public information. However, there has recently
been a shift away from there being one dominant group to focus on a number of civil rights groups.
The NAACP is a political group, said Watson, but it does not endorse specific presidential candidates. Both Republicans and Democrats are members of the NAACP, in the same proportion as the general population.
BUT POLITICAL SHOWS like these have played for decades on the NAACP convention.
"Since the 1940s, the NAACP was the major non-partisan force involved in shaping political platforms, sensitizing candidates and parties on civil rights issues, making sure that all candidates and party officials were fully aware of NAACP's stand on civil rights," Watson said.
Harry S. Truman's address to the NAACP's 38th Annual Conference in 1947 set the precedent for recognition of the group by the federal government, Watson
Truman called for state and local governments to provide positive safeguards for civil rights, saying, "We can no longer afford the luxury of a leisurely attack union prejudice and discrimination."
"That was a major victory for us; and the NAACP has been pushing relentlessly ever since to take a public, positive stand for civil rights." said Watson.
since drawn many presidential candidates and presidents, Watson said. Former president Jimmy Carter attended the conference while in office, he said, and President Ronald Reagan attended the conference the year after his election.
THE NAACP'S annual conventions have
More presidential candidates were at last year's convention in New Orleans than this year's convention, Watson said. Alan Craston, John Glenn, Ernest Hollings and Vice President George Bush all attended that convention.
This is Gary Hart's first year here, Watson said, but Walter Mondale has attended the convention for the past three years.
This NAACP convention was a valuable tool for Jesse Jackson, Watson said.
Jackson has to depend on the NAACP branch structure to follow through his voter registration.
The NAACP announced Thursday it would conduct a voter registration drive at Michael Jackson's "Victory Tour" concert opening tonight at Arrowhead stadium in Kansas City.
The registration drive is part of the NAACP's current push to add 1 million black voters to their rolls. The NAACP will conduct the drive at Arrowhead despite Michael Jackson's religion, which avoids politics, and a lukewarm reaction about security problems from Arrowhead Stadium officials.
By MICHELE HINGER Staff Reporter
Several prominent political figures, as well as NAACP officials, spoke their minds at the 75th annual NAACP convention at H. Roe Bartle Hall in Kansas City, Mo, this week.
Elizabeth Dole, secretary of the Department of Transportation, speaking at the opening session, called the NAACP "one of the most influential grassroots organizations in the country," and praised the group's effectiveness in civil rights legislation, specifically the Voting Rights Act and the declaration of Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday.
THE REAGAN administration has hindered the development of minority rights, said the chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors, Kelly M. Alexander She pointed to the "weakening of the U.S Commission on Civil Rights, opposition to the Voting Rights Act and seeking to provide federal money for private schools that discriminate on race."
Alexander gave the keynote address Monday night, calling the Reagan administration's civil rights record "dismal."
Chicago Mayor Harold Washington told delegates Tuesday that he was looking for a strengthened jobs plank for cities.
Washington asked, in platform position papers, for 1 million federally funded jobs tied to infrastructure improvement and new housing within the next 24 months.
The Reagan administration's civil rights actions also dismayed Peter Rodino, chairman of the House committee on the judiciary to the NAACP convention.
"I HAVE BEEN watching this amum-
tration," Rodino said, "and I don't like
what it's doing or saying. It has trans-
formed our civil rights institutions from
what they were under other administrations
— defenders and champions of
minorities — into agencies that frequently
work to shrink the protections of the law."
The present administration was also blasted Wednesday by Benjamin Hooks, NAACP executive director, who said that the nation had "Reagantis virus," a "disease quarantined and treated by strong doses of the medicines of a voting and civically aware populace."
Hooks was optimistic about the positive effect the NAACP's continuing leadership could have, but was serious about the gravity of the Reagan administration's damage to civil rights.
Animals get out to visit people with Zoomobile
"This is an administration completely willing to live with high, double digit black unemployment, while it quickly rescues major business organizations in need of financial assistance — those in need of industrial welfare."
By CINDY HOBSON Staff Reporter
The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department welcomed some interesting visitors yesterday.
Dottie Evans and Pat Zidizunias showed a wide variety of animals in three programs to appreciate audiences of mostly children. They brought a tarantula, a crow, a parrot, two baby possums, a ferret, a wallaby and a boa constrictor.
The Kansas City Zoomobile, sponsored by the Heart of America McDonald's Restaurants and the Kansas City, Mo. Parks and Recreation Department, brought eight live animals to the Lawrence Room of the Community Building 115 W. 118 st.
The Zoomobile program was started a year ago by the Docents to bring animals to groups who were unable to go to the zoo, such as people in nursing homes. Evans said.
Evans and Zidjiunas are members of the Kansas City Zoo Docents. The Docents are a group of regional volunteers who teach and guide for the zoo
AS ZIDZIUNIAWls walked around the room with an aquarium containing the tarantula, one child raised his hand and said, "You know what? I saw a tarantula walking once."
The program was expanded this summer for other groups, such as schools, she said.
The Zoomobile, a van painted with a picture of Honore Donald, carries the items from the museum.
Evans told the audience that the animals were wild and that she and Zidziunias were trained to handle them. She cautioned them not to touch wild animals they might find in their back yards.
THE CROW PERCED on Zidziianus' arm. She said the crow was nervous, so she didn't walk with him. As she was putting him into his cage, he flea across the room. The children gasped and then clapped when he was retrieved and put into his cage.
Evans walked around the room with the
terror. She said ferrets usually ate snakes
in their habitat.
"Can they catch tarantulas if they move real slow?" one child asked.
See ZOOMOBILE p. 5, col. 1
Benji Bennett, 7 years old, said that the
Dottie Evans, a Kansas City Zoo Docent, introduces area children and adults to a baby possum, one of eight animals brought to the Lawrence Community Building, 115 W.
StudEx product ban yet to be tested
By MICKI SAMPSON
Tuesday the Student Senate bought an $18.99 coffee maker, their first purchase since the Student Senate Executive Committee passed a resolution last month forbidding the purchase of capital products from companies with a subsidiary in South Africa.
Staff Reporter
11th St., yesterday by the Zoomobile program. The program began last year to bring the zoo to groups, such as nursing homes.
But aside from the purchase of the coffee maker, which isn't made by one of the companies, the new resolution will stand dormant this summer.
DENNIS "BOOG" HIGHBERGER, student body vice president, said that the Senate office was not planning to make any other changes in the legislation for groups funded by the Senate would wait until
the start of the school year to make their purchases.
Highberger said that he did not bring the bill up in the absence of the Senate in order to "train读 it through."
He said that he had intended to bring the bill up this summer to make sure that any purchases the Senate, or groups funded by it, made at the beginning of the fiscal year would not be from companies with had subsidiaries in South Africa.
The legislation, introduced by Highberger at the last StudEx meeting, called for no Student Senate funds to be spent with universities that had subsidies in South Africa.
THE GOVERNMENT OF South Africa practices a form of racial discrimination
Under the apartheid system, a minority of
whites virtually rule over blacks, who are the majority of the population.
Highberger said that since these companies support the apartheid system, the University of Kansas should not spend money for their products.
American companies who have subsidiaries in South Africa support the low wage system for blacks enforced by apartheid, Highbergger said.
At the StudEx meeting last month, the bill was put aside for further discussion, but the resolution that was passed will last until the full Senate meets again in the fall.
"It's something the full Senate needs to talk about," Jef Polack. Senate rights
POLACK SAID that the South Africa bill
See SENATE, p. 5, col. 2
Poll shows young voter distaste for old style Mondale liberalism
Staff Reporter
By SHAWNA SEED Staff Reporter
Ronald Reagan's lead over Walter Mondale among young voters in a recent Gallup poll reflects youth disenchantment with old-style liberalism, according to an associate professor of political science.
Allan Cigler, the associate professor, said that Reagan's 33-point lead over Mondale among voters under 30 surprised many, but that he was not doing much when interfacing the factors behind it.
CIGLER SAID that people equated that
"To some extent, young people tend to suspect the New Deal liberalism that Mondale represents," he said.
Young people don't see themselves benefitting from social programs, he said. Young people pay into programs like Social Security, but they don't think they will ever collect.
liberalism with social programs, and that those programs tended to help older people.
However, a local Democratic party official said that young people in Douglas County remain interested in Mondale's candidacy.
Karen Clark, vice-chairwoman of the county Democratic party, said, "I've had all sorts of phone calls, particularly from young people, who want to work for Monday."
One woman who has campaigned for Mondale in Lawrence said that Mondale's
111
See POLL, p. 5, col. 3
A