The University Daily
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
KANSAN
Friday, February 25,1983 Vol.93, No.106 USPS 650-640
Buildings plagued by fire-code violations
According to the Lawrence Fire Department, this fire escape at 1212 Louisiana St. is improperly secured. The apartment building is owned by William L. Lemesay, a licensed real estate developer, he will correct fire code violations such as this in his apartments by Tuesday.
By WARREN BRIDGES and DON HENRY Staff Reporters
The part-owner of four apartment buildings will face prosecution if he fails to correct numerous fire code violations by Tuesday, the city prosecutor said yesterday.
The four buildings, which fire inspection records show violate the city's fire code, are partly owned by William L. Lemesany, 502 Country Club Terrace. A fifth building, which has also been cited for code violations, is maintained by Lemesany, the records show.
Mike Gloyer, city prosecutor, said that unless Lemesay met the code or installed a building-wide alarm system by Tuesday, he would misdemeasure charges against him in Lawrence.
JIM MCSWAIN, Lawrence fire chief, said he was concerned about the safety of residents in his neighborhood.
In August 1981, McSwain filed complaints about violations at three of the buildings, fire inspection records show.
He said Lemesany's failure to comply with the previous complaints influenced him to take
The five apartments that must be brought up to code are at 1244 Ohio St., 1212 Louisiana St., 1242 Louisiana St., 1821 W. 26th St. and 1903 W. 26th St.
Gregg Crossman, Lawrence fire inspector,
said that Lemsany had until Tuesday to correct
violations in all five apartment houses.
MCSWAIN SAID that he would accept a building-wide alarm system in each of the apartment buildings in lieu of insisting that Lemesy correct all of the code violations.
Lemesay said he made an immediate effort to install the required fire alarm system as soon
as his attorney, Tim Degginger, had told him about possible prosecution for the violations. He said, however, that he was not sure whether he all would make the deadline.
However, Glover said, "I think they're going to have them in compliance by the deadline."
Lemesany said that the apartment houses at 1242 Louisiana St. and 1244 Ohio St. would have the new systems installed by the deadline.
He said part of the reason that the problems had not yet been corrected was that he and
'It got so bad last year that we had to stick a screwdriver in the fuse box just to keep the lights on. Lemesany said we'd have to live with it.'
-Kamal Ulaby.
Damascus, Syria, senior
MCSWAIN HAD changed the type of system that the fire department required three times in a year.
"I'll do something if they get their goddamn act together," Lermesay said. "I'm not going to put one in and then let them decide in a year that it's no good."
But McSwain said he knew of only one time that the department had changed the requirements. He said the department had eased the requirements once by permitting the installation of alarm systems that did not have sensors in each apartment. The department now requires sensing units only in hallways and other public areas.
Crossman said the system required a central
alarm_with interconnected sensors_in the hallwavs of the building.
McSwan said such an alarm system would satisfy the fire department because it would alarm residents of a fire early enough that they would have a good chance to escaping safely.
LEMESANY SAID, "I don't know if the violations are valid, but I guess they're legal."
Deginger declined to comment because it would violate the confidence of his client, he
In a meeting last week, McSwan, Glover,
Crossman and Dedginger all agreed on the
proposal.
Several residents of the apartments partly owned by Lemesany said living with the violations was worth it for the cost.
mow Down, St. Louis junior who has been a resident at 1242 Louisiana St. since last August, said that despite the fire code violation, the apartment had its good aspects.
"LEMESANY IS pretty lenient about late rent." Dowd said. "I think he understands that college students don't have a lot of money."
Kamal Uabay, Damascus, Syria, senior, said living in his apartment was a "trade-off."
"Only cots me $185 a month to live here
everything paid even — though Mr. Lemessay
was never paid."
Ulaby, who has lived at 1212 Louisiana St. for two years, said that electrical problems were the main cause of his death.
"It it so had last year that we had to stick a screwdriver in the fuse box just to keep the lights on." Ulaby said.
"Lemesay said we'd have to live with it."
ANOTHER POSSIBLE Violation invokes the use of a soda-acid fire extinguisher at 1244 Ohio State.
See FIRE page 5
New education students must first pass writing, math tests
Staff Reporter
Students will have to pass minimum competency tests in mathematics and writing to enter the KU School of Education next fall, with a passing rate of 90 percent officer of the Board of Regents, and yesterday.
By JOEL THORNTON
Staff Resume
The tests will be administered in September 1983 and January 1984 for freshmen or sophomores who want to enter Regents schools of education, Koplik said. The test will focus on
competency in verbal, mathematics and language skills, he said.
Students already enrolled in education schools will not be affected by the new rule, which was passed.
"It's an attempt to improve the product that comes in and goes out of our schools," Kopilik said. "It's been unfortunate that we have not given more attention to the ability of verbal skills and written expression."
He said the testing requirement was part of a plan to upgrade the skills of Regents schools
IN ADDITION to the minimum competency
tests, he said, students will be required to maintain a 2.5 minimum grade point average to enter and graduate from state education schools. Students are admitted to the KU School of Education.
Koplik said that requiring minimum competency tests would not solve all the problems of inadequate skills in graduates, but it would be easier for employers that their money was being spent wisely.
"THIS IS A part of increasing our accountability and reliability with the public," he said.
Nita Sundbe, director of teacher education at
the KU School of Education, said she thought the new requirements were more of a safeguard than an actual ungrading of standards.
soundbye said she did not think that requiring the tests would necessarily improve the quality of graduates.
"I may be wrong about that," she said. "It's a minimum competency test. I think most of them would already be proficient enough to pass the exam."
Panel blocks bills to raise drinking age
Students now are required to pass a minimum competency test in English before being admitted.
Bv DIANE LUBER
See REGENTS page 5
The other bill would have raised the minimum drinking age to 19, raised the alcoholic content of beverages 19- and 20-year-olds could drink from 75% to 85%, and allowed we allowed sales of 4.5 percent beer on Sundays.
Staff Reporter
TOPEKA — Two bills that would have raised the drinking age for 3.2 percent beer came to a dead end yesterday in the House Federal and State Affairs Committee.
One bill, introduced by State Rep. Ron Fox, R-Prairie Village, and Keith Farrar, R-Hugoton, would have raised the drinking age for 3.2 percent beer to 21.
The committee voted to adversely report the bills to the full House, in effect, killing them.
MARK TALLMAN, executive director of Associated Students of Kansas, said, "Obviously, we feel very good and very surprised."
But Tallman said the issue was not dead yet.
The committee was overwhelmingly in favor of killing the bills, he said.
Any bill dealing with alcoholic beverages could be amended to raise the drinking age once it reaches the floor of the House or Senate, he said.
Fox said the action taken on his bill came as no surprise to him.
"I thought the issue should be discussed and I believe in the wisdom of the body," he said. "I'm not going to do anything else with it this session."
FARRAR SAID, "If they have another way of dealing with the problem, that's fine. But if they voted these bills down without making any change, how to deal with the problem, they're wrong."
Committee Chairman Neal Whitaker, R-Wichita, said the committee did agree yesterday to draft a bill that would tighten the laws governing false identification cards.
The bill will limit the number of forms a person could use to obtain a duplicate driver's license, he said, and it would make it a crime to falsify those forms. It would also raise the penalty for manufacturing a false identification card from a misdemeanor to a felony and would raise the penalties for using or providing the false card.
State Rep Reba Cobb, R-Galva, said, "The ASK group did a good job. They deserve a pat on the back."
See DRINK page 5
Officials investigate shifting Saturday games to afternoon
Staff Reporter
By ANDREW HARTLEY
At a time when the KU athletic department is fighting plummeting attendance at basketball games, officials in the department may have found some help by moving Saturday games to the afternoon.
Two Saturday games remain this season, one of which is a sellout with Kansas State University tomorrow in Allen Field House. The other Saturday games is up more than 500 fam a game.
Last year, Saturday games brought in an average of 9,917 fans; this year, including an expected turnout of about 15,000 this weekend, the average is 10,500.
HOWEVER, officials in the department realize that figures can be deceiving; no
See related story page 5
commitment has been made for keeping Saturday games in the afternoon next season.
Athletic Director Monte Johnson, who took over his post after the decision was made to experiment with afternoon games, said he would not make a decision until the staff could meet to talk with the four other Big Eight schools that also made the change to afternoon tip-offs.
The greatest problem the department will have in determining the success or failure of the experiment will be the lack of interest because of this year's poor record.
Johnson said, "I wish it had been tested with a strong winning record. Testing with an up-and-coming team."
Overall attendance is expected to barely exceed last year's average figure of 9,518, a drop from 13,160 in the 1980-81 season.
TOM HOF, ticket manager, said, "It will be hard to tell exactly what effect the change had this year. It all comes down to the record. The
record has the biggest thing to do with bringing in a good crowd."
The department will also have to consider how well the fans receive the move.
Johnson said he had received only 10 to 12 letters from fans, who hoped the department would take a second look at the time change before drawing up the schedule for next season.
"It has been, by no means, an avalanche of letters," Johnson said. "Most of them have said,
OTHER OFFICES of the athletic department, including the ticket office, sports information department and the Williams Educational Fund office, which deals mainly with alumni, said they had received little or no comment either way on the change.
"If we change back to the evening games, however, we run the risk of being criticized for changing back and forth. The fans will end up being confused."
Johnson said he would also consider the opinions of area merchants, who might be opposed to afternoon games because they draw potential buyers away from the marketplace.
Marian Washington, head women's basketball coach, faced a predicament with the change to Saturday afternoon games. Should the women play after the men at 4 p.m. or before the men at 8 p.m.?
Head basketball coach Ted Owens said yesterday that the switch had not affected his coaching or the performance of the team and that the crowds had not lost enthusiasm.
He said merchants did not oppose having football games in the afternoon, but during the early basketball season, customers might be able to watch Christmas shopping by going to afternoon games.
THE WOMEN this season have played after the men on Saturday double-headers. Washington said that although most fans left before the women played the first time, more fans have
See SATURDAY page 5
Weather
Today will be sunny and warmer with a high in the mid- to upper 40s, according to the National Weather Service in Topeka. Winds will be from the southeast at 10 to 15 mph with a low near 30. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with a high in the mid- to upper 50s.
Youngsters enjoy computer learning
Rv DAVID POWLS
Staff Reporter
A second grader squirms around in his seat as he types commands on the keyboard of a microcomputer, but his face is fixed on the computer's screen.
Another second grader stands behind him watching a clock on a wall.
watching a clock on a wait.
"You've got two minutes," he says.
The child who is typing reaches over and presses the keyboard's "return" button.
Suddenly a square appears on the screen, and then another square, and then a triangle for a roof, and then another roof, and then a road, and then green grass, and then a yellow sun, and then a smile appears on the child's face.
"I'ts my turn," the other says
"I DID it," he said.
Children at Hillcrest Elementary School at 1045 Hillsdorp Dr., said yesterday that the Apple computer in the corner of their classroom was more fun than recess.
Each morning, the students are allowed to sign up for a 20-minute turn at programming the computer.
"They may not be able to communicate all of their ideas to adults, but they understand things in their world." Buxton said. "The computer allows them to learn math, problem-solving and information about the world through experience and interaction.
Soot Buckton, the students' teacher, said the "logo" language of the computer allowed students to communicate in a language they could understand.
"IT MAKES them think because they have to know exactly what something is before they can do it."
By typing commands such as "go forward" and "turn right," the children tell the computer to move a small triangle called a turtle. The computer draws a circle with a picture, it formats the dots that can form a circle.
When the computer does not understand a command, a statement saying so appears on the screen.
Bill Armstrong, principal of the school, said both the teachers and parents of children at the school recognized the need for computers in the classroom.
"Computers are here to stay for a while." Armstrong said. "And students should be
He said members of the school's Parent Teacher Association had bought the school two computers after the school bought one last fall.
THE COMPUTERS cost about $1,400, he said.
"I wish we had 10 for every classroom," he said. "There's going to be a mad rush for computers by schools."
nuxton said school systems tended to discourage children from thinking because of the philosophy that there were only right and wrong actions. The teachers will help change that philosophy, he said.
being flexible.
"Teachers have a tendency to teach based on what they themselves know," he said, "and that is wrong when it comes to computers."
"Young students aren't afraid of computers like adults," he said. "They learn that it is not a matter of being right or wrong but a matter of being fixable."
He said he hoped other schools would also teach programming and not just use computers.
EVERY LAWRENCE elementary school has at least one computer, he said.
"Microcomputers should be used as objects to think with students instead of an objects to behold."
"WE DON'T want to neglect math, spelling and communication skills." Schweeppe said. "But at the same time, computers can be used to do a great deal of basic skills teaching."
Victor Wallace, chairman of KU's computer science department, said he had mixed feelings about grade schools using computers.
He said in the future the job market would show a greater split between people who were familiar with computers and those who were not.
Earl Schweppe, professor of computer science, agreed with Wallace.
"the children who have personal computers now will be terribly advantaged," he said.
It is recess time at Hillcrest School. The teacher asks most of the students are outdoor.
It is necessary to be nurtured.
It teaches and most of the students are outdoors.
But over in the corner, two second graders are still programming the computer.
Larry George/KANSAN
Jill Oelschlager, 7, a second grader from Hillcrest Grade School, works with the computer in her classroom.
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