KU history Prof finds tie with war, education Inside, p. 6.
The University Daily
KANSAN
Vol. 94, No. 124 (USPS 650-640)
DAMP
High, 40. Low, 30.
Details on p. 2
Published since 1889 by students of the University of Kansas
Wednesday morning, March 28, 1984
Senate OKs bill softening Wolf Creek rate increases
By ROB KARWATH Staff Reporter
TOPEKA — After more than four hours of debate, the Senate yesterday revised and sent back to the House a bill intended to avert or soften the blow of acidity-rate increases predicted for customers of the Wolf Creek nuclear plant.
The Senate approved the bill, 32.8,
after amending it 11 times and rejecting one controversial amendment.
The bill would give the Kansas Corporation Commission broader powers to head off massive electrical-rate increases for more than $300,000 residential customers southeast of Kansas and southeast Kansas and metropolitan Wichita and Kansas City.
The KCC has estimated that electricity bills for customers of the two main owners of Wolf Creek could more than when the plant goes on line in February.
Kansas Gas and Electric Co. of Wichita and Kansas City Power and Light Co. of Kansas City, Mo., each own 47 percent of the plant. Kansas Electrical Power Cooperatives Inc., a group of 25 rural electric companies, owns the remaining 6 percent of the plant.
Wolf Creek, Kansas' first and only nuclear plant, is more than two years behind schedule and $2.63 billion over its original budget.
Despite the 11 changes made yesterday, legislators from both houses and a spokesman for Gov. John Carlin said the bill did not differ greatly from a version passed by the House two weeks ago.
"I's invitable," Rep. Ron Fox, R-Pa-
tigley said, "we look good to me right now."
Fox said he thought the revised bill would speed through the House.
If the House votes to concur, the bill would go directly to Carlin's desk. If the House votes not to concur, the bill would go to a conference committee of legislators from both houses who would seek to iron out the differences before sending a bill back to both chambers and on Carlin.
"We probably will try to concur." Fox said. "At this time I don't think we will have to go to a conference committee."
Mike Swenson, Carlin's press secretary, said the governor probably would sign the bill if it closely resembled the Senate version approved yesterday.
"The governor has no problems with what has been proposed," he said. "I guess you could say that we are not unhappy with it."
The bill was not without dissenters, however. Senate President Ross Doyen, R-Coronado, voted against it because he said it would create extra regulation and would impose unfair costs on Kansas utility companies.
"It would add to the operating costs of the utilities in the state of Kansas"
The other senator who voted against the bill was Senate Vice President Clinton.
Angell said the 38 senators who voted for the bill did so to improve their images with constituents, not because they thought the bill was best for the
“This is a political design designed to save some necks,” he said. “It’s a response to people’s demands against power and against Wolf Creek.”
An amendment proposed by Sen. James Francisco, D-Mulvane, expanded the scope of the bill to regulate labor unions and just less electrical utility companies.
The amendment returned the bill to its original form.
A two-part amendment proposed by Sen. Wint Winter Jr., R-Lawrence,
would help the KCC decide when costs of parts of the plant could not be passed on to customers. The first part of the amendment spelled out 12 elements the KCC could consider when determining whether a plant was prudently planted or built.
Under the bill, if the KCC found that any part of the plant was planned or built imprudently, the KCC could prevent the costs associated with that part of the plant from being passed on to customers through higher monthly bills.
The second part of the amendment said that if the cost of building a plant exceeded the original cost estimate by more than 200 percent, the portion beyond 200 percent could not be passed along to customers.
Another amendment prohibited the cost of any Nuclear Regulatory Commission fines imposed on the plant for violations from being passed on to consumers.
The fourth main amendment directed the KCC to consider electricity generated by the plant and sold to other utility companies as excess electricity.
Under the bill, if the plant produced excess electricity, then part of the cost of building the plant could not be passed on to customers.
The fifth amendment approved by the full Senate would instruct the KCC to consider prohibiting companies from passing on the cost of borrowing money to pay stock dividends while building the plant. The bill originally would have required the KCC to exclude those costs.
The other amendments involved minor changes.
On what appeared to be a strongly partisan voice vote, the Senate turned back an attempt by Sen. Joseph Norvell, D-Hays, to tack on an amendment that would have prohibited Wolf Creek from opening until the federal government devised a permanent nuclear waste disposal program.
Robert B. Waddill/KANSAN
Junior college transfer Mike Norseth looks for a receiver during a passing drill. Norseth is expected to battle Mike Orth for the starting quarterback position on the Kansas Jayhawk football team. The Jayhawks started spring practice yesterday.
BSU balance sheet Organizations deny direct ties with group
By MARY SEXTON Staff Reporter
Four of the nine organizations identified by the Black Student Union last week as under its jurisdiction say they have no direct relationship with the BSU.
The groups' reactions stem from a letter distributed to the Student Senate Finance Committee at a budget request hearing last week. At the hearing, the BSU requested $19.343, saying that it had jurisdiction over 806 black students and nine student organizations.
The nine organizations identified by the BSU are Black Panther Holistic Council; Residence Hall Black Caucuses; Black Student Union Chair; Blacks in Communications; Minority Business Student Council; Black Students' Honor Society; Minority Assembly of Students in Health. Student Council for the Recruitment Motivation Education of Black Engineers
(SCoRMEBE) ; and the Black Law Students' Association.
The four organizations saying they have no direct relationship to the BSU are: Minority Business Student Council; Black Students' Honor Society; Black Pan-Hellenic Council; and the Student Council for the Recruitment Motivation Education of Black Engineers.
LISTED UNDER THE Black Pan-Hellenic are four fraternities and four sororites, and listed under the Residence Hall Black Caucuces are six University residence halls.
In the request, the BSU said that it, "functions as an umbrella organization for all black student organizations on campus and for minority students between minority students, faculty, and staff."
However, Milton Bradton, Minority Business Student Council treasurer, said the council, which is one of the nine organizations named, had never been associated with the BSU.
mininories," he said. "We are a support group for students in business."
"We're not just black students. We serve
Madeline Edwards, Black Students' Honor Society president, said that the BSU did not have jurisdiction over her organization. The BSU did not block, blacks, she said, they have different functions.
IN THIS CASE, Edwards said, the BSU put themselves in too strong a role.
But Cheri Brown. BSU president, said that from its inception, the BSU was designed to serve as an umbrella group over all black groups on campus.
She said that the umbrella was created before she took office, and as president, she planned to replace it.
"Whether an organization chooses to affiliate with the BSU is up to the individual choice.
"In the past, it hasn't been that big of a deal," she said.
See BSU, p. 5, col. 3
Budget proposal incomplete, member says
By MARY SEXTON
Staff Reporter
A member of the Black Student Union said yesterday that the BSU's proposed budget for next year did not explicitly include the most important, and costly, expenditure for next
However, the BSU's budget proposal, submitted to the Student Senate Finance Committee last week, did not indicate that this year's budget would be $8,000 would be used to finance the conference.
tee, temporarily stepped down as committee chairman last night in order to explain that most of the budget money would be used for next year's Big Eight Conference on Black Student Government, to be held at the University of Kansas.
Kevin Harrison, who is also co-chairman of the Student Senate Minority Affairs Commit-
Jon Gilchrist, Finance Committee chairman, said that the budget request submitted to the committee did not indicate that the increase would be used for the conference.
THE BUDGET REQUEST was submitted by the BSU president Cheri Brown, who said in the request that the money would be used to stop discrimination at the University of Kansas.
BSU is requesting $19.343.
See MINORITY, p. 5, col. 3
City approves Indian Center location
Relief is how one Lawrence Indian Center official described his feelings after the Lawrence City Commission voted unanimously last night to approve a location for a community center that has taken a year and a half of struggle for approval.
By SHARON BODIN Staff Reporter
"I'm really gratified that this thing is on me," said Virgil Free, a home counselor or the Indian agent.
The commission's action means that the city will now begin taking bids for the project, he
The proposal includes a $38,400 building and other preparations of a site several blocks west of 19th Street and Haskell Avenue on Moodie Road.
'I'm really gratified that this thing is finally on its way.'
— Virgil Free, Indian Center counselor
Indian Center counselor
The cost of the project is more than $57,000.
The contingency fund is an emergency account kept by the community development program for miscellaneous needs throughout the year, Goodell, director of community development.
The cost of the project is more than $7,500.
THE CITY ORIGINALLY allocated $55,000 in community development funds for the community center, and the difference between that amount and the cost will come from a contingency fund.
Community development funds come from the
federal government and are distributed by the city.
He said that was a logical place to help the project, because the building would be on city property, and the city might have a need for the building in the future.
The money from the contingency fund was allocated by the city to pay for a sewer line to the area. The city paid $10,000 for this.
The city will lease the building to the Indian center for use as a community center to serve deaf people.
THE INDIAN CENTER'S proposal for the community center came before the City Commission last week, but because of disorganization, the center did not protest the protect. The item was deferred until next month.
Free said he had trimmed the budget by
See CITY, p. 5, col.1
Hart wins in Connecticut; Mondale has delegate lead
By United Press International
HARTFORD, Conn. — Gary Hart overwhelmed Walter Mondale in the Connecticut primary Tuesday. Hart, whose campaign scored its first victory, asked his opponent a clean break from "establishment politics."
with all 722 precincts reporting, Hart had 115,915 votes or 33 percent, Mondale had 63,963 or 28 percent, and Jackson had 25,833 or 12 percent. All candidates received the same number of candidates who have dropped out of the race.
Hart, who has blasted Mondale for negative campaigning and been embarrassed in the process by some of his own false charges called, his wife, Alicia, for negative campaigning and negative politics."
"I BELIEVE ALSO it represents people in that state who have longed and yearned for a message of hope and promise for this nation's future. It is also what I speak with the establishment politics of the past."
Connecticut has 52 national convention delegates. Hart won 33 to Mondale's 18. Jackson
In all, however, Mondale has 698 delegates,
Hart 427, and Jackson 88 - 305 are uncommitted.
For the nomination, 1,967 delegates are needed.
On Tuesday, 252 delegates will be at stake in
On Tuesday, 252 delegates will be at stake in New York.
Looking forward to next week's primary, Hart said that Tuesday's victory proved that he had the message "that the voters of New York and the rest of the country want to hear."
Jackson again pulled an overwhelming black vote — estimated by NBC to be a turnout three times as large as four years ago — and carried 70 percent of the nearly 1,000 votes over Hart. Mondale was third.
The Colorado senator performed solidly in virtually every part of Connecticut. Network exit polls showed that he again scored most heavily among young, affluent, well-educated, suburban and independent voters. Mondale had his best showing in the cities but still lost them to Hart.
"It was a very good win for Gary Hart. I commend him. He put on an excellent race, obviously, and got a good result," Mondale said.
Jackson was strongest in the cities, with a 22 percent vote in Hartford in the early count. In Bridgesport, the state's largest city, Jackson was on of Mondale with only one precinct left to report.
Hart needed the Connecticut victory to overcome the perception that his campaign might be slumping after its dramatic early victories. After Mondale won the season-opening Iowa caucuses as expected, Hart scored one of the major upsets of political history by easily winning the New Hampshire primary on the last Tuesday in February.
Rights committee rejects bill altering finance panel's rules
By CINDY HOLM and JOHN HANNA Staff Reporters
The Student Senate Rights Committee last night rejected a bill that would have restricted procedures of the Student Senate Finance Committee.
The committee voted 12-4 to defeat the bill, which would have set the Finance Committee's quorum at 20 members, prohibited it from asking for membership lists from groups asking for funds and opened the committee's hearings to the public.
THE BILL ALSO would have prohibited committee members from presenting a budget for a group asking for money and prohibited the committee from discriminating against groups on the basis of their beliefs, social standing, sex, national origin, disability, or economic status.
Jon Gilchrist, chairman of the Finance Committee, said that last night the committee had voted to rescind its request to require that organizations provide membership lists on the recommendation of the University of Kansas General Counsel's office.
The committee also voted to open budget
deliberations to the public, Gilchrist said, but only committee members would be allowed to speak.
The Rights Committee voted on an amended version of a bill submitted by Stu Shafer, a member of the Free Speech Movement, and Shirley Gilley, off-campus student senator.
The original bill was based on a letter to the Senate from Free Speech Movement, a coalition of student organizations, that charged the committee with violations of its own rules, violations of civil rights, conflict of interest and individual rights.
Shafer said he would continue to investigate a possible rule violations despite the committee's denial.
"I FIND IT SHOCKING that people on a committee that protects rights are more concerned with protecting the rights of would-be abusers than the rights of the oppressed." Shafer said.
Gilley said that he had introduced the bill last night so that the Senate could consider it before the budget hearings ended. The hearings began last week and will continue through next week.
She said that because a bill must go through a committee before it went before the Senate, the senator had to provide his signature.
See RIGHTS, p. 5, col. 1