Seeing pink
Eye infection spreads across campus Inside, p. 7.
The University Daily
KANSAN
CLOUDY
Vol. 94, No. 112 (USPS 650-640)
Published since 1889 by students of the University of Kansas
Blue
High, 45. Low, 30.
Details on p. 2.
Friday morning, March 2, 1984
Students choose Costume Party to lead Senate
Carla Vogel, president, with cake, Dennis "Boog" Highberger, vice president, to the right, and Kevin Walker, last fall's Momentum Coalition candidate, to the left with cap, pose after hearing that the Costume Party won the Student Senate election.
Coalition's second try is a success
By CINDY HOLM Staff Reporter
After failing last fall in the disputed student body elections, Costume Party candidates Carla Vogel and Dennis "Boog" Highberger last night succeeded in becoming student body president and vice president.
The two Costume Party Coalition candidates received 1,051 of 2,301 votes cast to win the election. The Starting Over Coalition placed second with 913 votes, and the Apathy — It just Done! Matter Coalition came in third with 202
screamed. "COLLEGE MAN"
COSTUME PARTY SUPPORTERS
began jumping up and down as others
broke out the champagne.
vogel, who switched with Highberger in this election and ran as president, said last night that she was not surprised by the victory.
"The atmosphere yesterday was
good," she said. "I felt like we could win."
Vogel and Highberger were the only two candidates from November's invalidated election to run in this semester's election. In January, Chancellor Gene A. Budig acted on a recommendation from the University Judicial Board and declared the first election invalid.
Highergaster said, "I'm really inspired by the response we've gotten. We've gotten responses from the greeks, the hippies, the punks, the gays, the ROTCs
"I'm glad we went through it again."
Vogel said "Our candidacy made people think and question the system.
"But it didn't make that people can make things happen."
— people of all different backgrounds responded to what we had to say. "
Vogel said that although she was nervous about becoming president, she wasn't afraid of the crowd.
"THERE'S SO MUCH that can happen out there if people just work together." Vogel said.
Mark Parker, Costume Party secretary, said that Vogel and Highberger
would be a contrast to their predecessors.
"Boog and Carla will experiment with new ways to conduct meetings and examine the structure of the University." he said.
Vogel said that the Costume Party's first goal was to increase communal engagement.
She and Higherbear plan to suspend the use of Roberts Rules of Order and to examine alternative ways to run the meetings, she said.
Higherberger, who will conduct the Senate meetings, said during the campaign that he would run meetings on Monday. He had discussion and allow everyone to speak.
"We're going to try it at the meeting to see if they'll go along with us." Highbier said. "If not, we have learn Roberts Rules of Order."
PARKER SAID THAT in the past, Senate leaders had used Roberts Rules of Order to suppress rather than promote discussion, and that most meetings were dominated by the people who knew the rules.
Busby sees defeat as rebuff to Senate
By TODD NELSON Staff Reporter
For Loren Busy, last night's defeat in the Student Senate presidential election represented dissatisfaction among students with the current Senate system rather than a rejection of his Starting Over Coalition.
"Student Senate was on trial." Busy said, "and Student Senate was pronounced guilty. People want to see a radical change.
"I think that this election was due to a flash to Student Senate as a whole. People don't know."
Student Senate and they don't want to vote for anyone connected with Student Senate as it now exists."
More than 20 of Busby's friends joined him at his house to await the election results. Busy sat quietly in his bedroom after learning that Carla Vogel, Costume Party Coalition presidential candidate, and her running mate Dennis "Boog" Highberger, had won.
"I'm TRYING to be as gracious of a loser as I can," Busby said, "but all I'm trying to get across is that the students elected Carla and Boog to run Student Senate and run the student body with what they wanted. And if they can't do
it adequately, then maybe the student body deserves what they get."
Busby, a fifth-term senator, said that his downfall came partly because his opponents succeeded in associating him with the Senate and the election problems that damaged its credibility last semester.
"toth parties effectively identified us as part of the current establishment and we couldn't overcome it," Busy said, "even though the time was long. It was an important thing; it's possible to be in the Student Senate without being part of the inner circle of
See BUSBY. d. 8, col. 1
Turnout is the lowest in a decade
By GRETCHEN DAY Staff Reporter
This week's student body election ended with the lowest turnout in a decade and possibly the second-lowest in the Senate's 15-year
Election records have only been kept since 1974. That year three fewer students voted than did this week.
In voting yesterday and Wednesday, only 2.301 students cast ballots. And though 1,225 fewer students voted in this week's Student Senate election than in the election last fall, election officials said yesterday that they were pleased with voter turnout.
About 10 percent of the student body voted this week. Last November, 3,526 students, or 14.4 percent of the student body, voted. Chancellor Gene A. Budig declared that election invalid Jan. 5 on the recommendation of the University Judicial Board.
ROY GOLDBERG, Election Committee chairman, said yesterday that smaller voter turnout was common in special elections.
"I'm happy with the turnout," he said.
He said the election ran smoothly because of the voting machines and the help of the League of Women Voters, who ran the polls.
President Carla Vogel and vice president Dennis Higherder of the Costume Party topped the second place finishers by 138 votes.
Costume Party received 1.051
See ELECTION, p. 8, col. 1
House approves Wolf Creek rate bill
Staff Reporter
Rv ROR KARWATH
TOPEKA — After a day of political frenzy, the House yesterday tentatively approved a bill that would broaden the Kansas Corporation Commission's powers to set rates for the Wolf Creek nuclear plant.
The bill would give the KCC more flexibility in determining what percentage of the building costs customers should pay. It would also allow them to establish phase-in plans for rate increases.
The House debated the controversial bill for three and one-half hours in the morning, then resumed at 5 p.m. for about an hour before adopting the bill on voice vote. None of the legislators cast negative votes, and the House is expected to give final approval today.
WOLF CREEK, which is two years behind schedule and more than $2 million over budget, is scheduled to go on line next February. Kansas Gas and Electric Co., Wichita, and Kansas City Power and Light Co., Kansas City, Mo., each own 47 percent of the $2.67 billion plant. Kansas Electric Power Cooperatives, a group of 25 rural Kansas power companies, owns 6 percent.
The Senate will now get the bill, which was amended six times yesterday. The bill also underwent substantial changes earlier this week when the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved it.
As it stands, the bill substantially broadens the KCC's power to decide whether utility companies can increase rates to pay for projects such as Wolf Creek. It gives the KCC power to allow utilities to raise rates over several years in a phase in rather than increase their customers' bills all at once.
THE BILL ALSO requires the KCC to exclude the carrying cost of phasing in any part or all of the plant if the KCDE decides that the plant was imprudently planned or built. The requirements would apply if the KCDE determines that the plant would generate excess electricity.
The two key amendments added yesterday basically cancelled each other. The first amendment, submitted by State Rep. Sam Roper, D-Girard, sought to prevent the plant from starting up until the federal government devised a plan to dispose of radioactive waste.
The federal government does not have a plan for disposing of spent nuclear fuel rods. Wolf Creek officials have planned to temporarily store the rods at the plant for 20 years.
Supporters of Roper's amendment said it would protect ratepayers. The plan to permanently dispose of Wolf Creek's waste could add millions or billions to the plant's cost, they said.
"There have been estimates that it will cost anywhere from $100 million to $10 billion to decommission the plant," State Rep. John Solbach, D-Lawrence, said of Wolf Creek.
have been called a crazy. But if that's what it takes to keep my constituents from getting ripped off, then I'll wear that title proud."
State Rep. Marvin Barkis, D-Louisburg, said, "If we vote for this amendment, then we will send a signal to the people who run this plant that we don't follow the position of Ross Doyen."
senate President Doyen, R-Concordia, was quoted in a story in yesterday's Wichita Eagle-Beacon saying that KG&E, KCPL&L and KEPCO customers, not stockholders, should pay for the plant. Much of the support for Roper's bill came from representatives who wanted to send a strong message to Doyen and the Senate that they wanted to protect ratepayers.
Roper said, "I've been called a radical and I
OPPONENTS OF THE amendment said it would prohibit the plant from opening or at least posthone the start-up date.
"The Roper amendment was irresponsible," said House Speaker Mike Hayden, R-Atwood, after the bill had passed.
The second amendment, proposed by state Rep. Robert Vancram, R-Overland Park, kept the Roper amendment essentially intact but did not require the federal government to develop a waste disposal plan before Wolf Creek goes on line.
Vancrum's amendment permits Wolf Creek to use temporary storage for spent rods, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would have to approve the storage areas. If Wolf Creek's
See WOLF CREEK, p. 5, col. 3
Soviet attache denied visa for Olympics
By United Press International
LOS ANGELES — Angry Olympic officials yesterday announced that the State Department had denied a visa that would have allowed the Soviet Union's attache for the 1984 Olympics to move to Los Angeles. The decision could possibly be the athletes' plans to compete in the summer games.
"I don't know how this might affect the Soviets' decision to participate or not participate in the Olympics," Peter Ueberroth, president of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, told reporters outside committee headquarters, "doesn't like this. That's certain."
"But the Ueberth and Harry Usher, LAOOC executive president, said they were upset at the timing of the announcement, which comes just 20 weeks before the Games are scheduled to begin and the same day that the attache Oleg Yurmishkin was scheduled to飞 to Los Angeles.
A State Department spokesman in Washington refused to explain or even confirm the government action but said the matter would probably be discussed at a regular noon briefing today.
"On the day that Mr. Yurmishik was to arrive we learned that he's been denied." Usher said, "The timing leaves me agast."
government can deny anybody and that's OK.
It's the timing that has us upset."
The officials also said they did not know why the visa was denied and Ueberroth added, "Our
"We regret that this decision was handed on the day of your attach's planned arrival in Los Angeles and that the request took so long to be processed," the telex said. "We recognize the importance of filling this position to make necessary detailed preparations for the reception of all members of the USSR Olympic team. Because of my commitment, it is my sincere hope that you will nominate to me another as USSR Olympic attache at your earliest convenience.
He said the LAOOC has "been assured the U.S. government will go along with another Soviet attache."
In a statement issued earlier in the day, the LAOOC said Ueberroth had sent a telex to Marat Gramov, president of the USSR Olympic Committee, formally advising him that Yurnishkin's visa had been rejected.
"We are making every effort to ensure that the matters are expedited in a more efficient manner."
The United States led a Western boycott of the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The Soviets have never stated flatly that they would participate in the 1984 games and are not forced by Olympic rules to announce their decision until June 2.
Yurmishkin would have been in charge of all arrangements for the Soviet team.
Ueberroth said he asked the LAOC's Government Relations Department to seek immediate clarification of the U.S. government's action on several levels.
"We are deeply troubled by the timing of this denial, which appears to be inefficient and unfair." Ueberroth said in the statement. "We do not dispute the decision as much as the length of time it took to reach this decision.
Yurmishkin accompanied Gramov as part of a delegation that visited the LAOOC late last year. Ueberroth said the Soviets' National Olympic Committee made the request to appoint Yurmishkin in early December.
"Frankly, we're puzzled by the length of time it took to make this decision," he said.
"These Olympic Games will only be successful with cooperation from all levels of government, and we hope all future decisions would be made quickly and efficiently.
"Our primary obligation is to abide by the Olympic charter, which we are doing. At the same time we must carefully and closely coordinate our activities with the government."
We realize these issues take time.
"All that we ask is that these government agencies make a special effort — in the spirit of the tremendous efforts athletes throughout the world are making to prepare themselves for the Games — to ensure that the United States will be the best possible host for the Olympic Games."
Cynthia Pistilli/KANSAN
These people, who donated blood to the Red Cross yesterday afternoon in the Kansas Union Ballroom, were among the 830 who donated this week for a blood drive sponsored by the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic.
Five candidates left in race for Democratic nomination
By United Press International $ ^{1} $
"It is clearly a two-man race and it is very close," said Mondale, who was upset by Sen. Gary Hart in New Hampshire earlier this week. "Forget all that front-runner talk — it's all over."
Walter Mondale said yesterday that he was no longer the front-runner in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination, while Sen. Ernest Hollings and former Florida Gov. Reubin Askew dropped out of the race, narrowing the field to five.
Mondale said he saw a two-way battle with the Colorado senator that could go all the way to the San Francisco convention.
San Francisco convention
The former vice president said he would
cnchange his strategy and take on Hart head to head — a tactic that ignores the significance of Sen. John Glenn's continuing campaign.
Also still in the running are civil rights activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson and former Sen. George McGovener, the Democratic presidential candidate in Illinois, who won after the Massachusetts primary March 13.
Hollings and Askew, both broke and badly beaten in both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, pulled out one day after the race was canceled. The first casualty in the original eight-man race.
Askew's withdrawal could have a large effect on the primary in his native Florida, where the city is located.
See ASKEW, p. 5, col. 1