Consumer Protection Group Receives Entire Request
By KEVIN SHAFER
Kansan Staff Writer
The Consumer Protection Association of Lawrence was granted its complete budget request by the State.
The money, which will be allocated from the student activity fee fund of unallocated contingencies, was appropriated for use by the consumer protection agency after the Student Senate explanations of the merits of a similar program that was began in Kansas State University in 1970.
Dick Retrum, head of the K-State Consumer Relations Board, said his office had saved students an estimated $5,000 yearly and had been 98 per cent effective in setting student complaints.
BOB LANDMAN, second-year law student from Lawrence, said the University needed a consumer protection agency for students for several reasons. He said that Lawrence had no Better Business Bureau and that no small claims courts were in charge of the registering of complaints by consumers.
He said he hoped a consumer protection agency would provide a collective means for a remedy of
consumer problems and act as a deterrent for future complaints.
Lance Burn, assistant attorney general and head of the consumer protection bureau of the Kansas Attorney General's Office, told the Senate that his office is investigating an alleged development of local consumer protection agencies.
"The attorney general's office handles over 400 consumer-related complaints a month and would like to see private groups get into the action," he said.
LANDMAN and several other KU students have been working on the development of the association. The CPA has been established in an effort to provide education for consumers between consumers and merchants, Landman said.
This description, however, only briefly describes the fairly complicated organization of the CBA.
The CPA will be governed entirely by the Board of Directors. This board is responsible for "policies, procedures, and action taken by the Consumer Protection Association," according to the guidelines drawn up for the operating procedures of the CPA.
The procedure outline also states, "Because the
IN ADDITION to the Publicity and Education Committee will be a Grievance Committee. From this committee will come the entire office staff of the CPA.
prime objective of the CPA is to deter consumer fraud, activities of the Publicity and Education Committee are aimed at preventing abuses that need for corrective complaint handling procedures. $ ^{16} $
The Grievance Committee is responsible for receiving all incoming complaints. The complaints then are investigated by the members of the committee and these members are responsible for handling the complaint until the issue in question is resolved.
The Arbitration Board will comprise five members. Two of these members will be chosen by the CPA itself. Two more will be chosen by the commerce. These four will choose a fifth member.
This board will hear, if necessary, the cases as presented by the party registering the complaint and the party against whom the complaint is being registered.
ACCORDING to the outline of the function of the
CPA. "At the hearing, the Board considers all arguments and pertinent information presented by the candidates."
The Research Committee is responsible for providing the CDA with all necessary background information and resources.
The operation of the CPA is fairly simple.
According to the outline, "Until the end of the 1972 Kansas University fall semester, membership in the CPA is limited to members of the University community, including those individuals referred to the CPA by the Douglas County Legal Aid Society, and to members of the Haskell Indian Junior College community, who pay the required yearly dues (current $1)."
The outline also said that at the end of the first semester the membership would be opened up to new students.
**INITIAL complaints are assigned to a member of the Grievance Committee. The committee investigates both sides of the complaint and submits a written file report of facts involved in the case.**
The outline says, "If a review of the facts of the complaint, it is felt relief for the consumer is warranted by the court."
temps to effect a voluntary settlement of the matter.
"No action is taken, however, once it is determined that there is insufficient basis for the complaint, or that the complaint is one that can not be resolved," the outline says.
If the committee member cannot get the parties involved to voluntarily reach an agreement, the complaint then is referred to the Arbitration Committee.
THE OUTLINE says, "When a party complained against does not voluntarily settle the complaint and does not agree to submit the issues involved to arbitration, or when the party complained against decides to go the arbitration route but fails to abide by the final decision of the Board of Arbitration, the member of the Grievance Committee or the member who makes a recommendation to the Board of Directive that either legal action or some other form of action be initiated against the uncooperating party."
The Board of Directors will decide whether the case should be referred to the Douglas County Attorney.
CLOUDY
Thursday, September 14. 1972
Kansan Staff Photo by JOE COLEMAN
Dave Bahn, Lawrence Senior, Urges Senate to Accept Proposal
Behind him are fellow members of the New Democratic Movement . . .
Bike Thief At KU Confesses See story page 6
Nixon's Finance Chairman Denies Knowledge of Mexican Transaction
WASHINGTON (AP)—A Texas oil executive told House investigators that Nixon fundraiser Maurice Stans approved a Mexico-to-Washington campaign money that was linked to the break-in and bugging affair at Democratic national headquarters.
If it did, they added, accepting it would be a violation of U.S. law that prohibits pointless litigation.
The comments by Pennzoil Corp. President William Liedtke were contained in a confidential staff report for the House Banking Committee distributed to members Tuesday night and obtained by some newsmen.
Investigators said that it appeared at least $80,000 of the money, in four checks, from the firm.
Of the $10,000 from Mexico, $89,000 has been traced to the bank account of Bernard L. Barker, a Miami real estate man and Agent, who was one of five men arrested in the June 17 break-in at Democratic offices in the Watergate Hotel.
Stans, in a statement Wednesday that did not refer to Liedietk's version of the secret transaction, denied that "I knew and approved complex plans to transfer to the contributors to Mexican banks to the军官 committee to re-elect the President."
The Banking Committee report said that Stans first denied knowledge of the $100,000 April transaction when investigators questioned him Aug. 30, but vaguely recalled it in a letter to Patman six days later.
The former secretary of Commerce, who now heads the finance committee for President Nixon, said the report was designed for "obvious political purposes."
He said the leaking of the report to newsmen violated a promise by Banking Chairman Wright Patman, D-Tex. He said the patman's investigators of dishevancy in him and of being 'rude and insulting to the point of using foul obscenities.'
Sen. George McGovern has made presidential campaign issues of the bugging affair and the anonymous Nixon contributions.
The five, armed with elaborate photographic and electronic eavesdropping equipment, have been charged with attempted burglary and named in a $1-
deadline for full-scale disclosures of campaign gifts.
million civil suit by former Democratic
Chairman Lawrence F. O'Brien.
Stans in his statement did not refer to other disclosures in the report which added new details of a last-minute rush by Nixon fund-raisers in April to beat a
Senate Votes Down Chancellor Proposal
David Bahn, Lawrence senior and spokesman for the New Democratic Movement, urged the Senate to adopt the proposal, saying that only a "united action" would result in the fair and reasonable selection of a new chancellor."
By JERRY ESSLINGER
Kansan Staff Writer
The Student Senate, at its opening session Wednesday night, rejected a proposal by the New Democratic Movement that would have requested the Kansas Board of Regents to consider a specific representation of University groups on search committees for a chancellor.
The proposal was declined endorsement earlier in the day by Acting Chancellor Oliver Wendelson, who had met with two representatives of the Democratic Movement and had told them that he also had received other petitions that he did not want to take a position on the matter.
THE SENATE voted down any action on the proposal after questions were raised concerning the feasibility of conducting a study in order to clarify the utility of its supporting the group's proposal.
Under the proposal, the regents would have been petitioned to accept a selection committee comprising 50 per cent students, 20 per cent campus workers, 20 per cent faculty and 10 per cent administrators. Collectively they would select four candidates for all-University referendum would have been conducted as a final process.
BASICALLY, the governor told us we don't have any money," David Dillon, KU's student body president said. "The college he supports he higher education."
Student Leaders Face Governor With Pleas For Additional Money
Another major topic, Docking said, was student membership on the Kansas Board of Regents. The Republican platform is student representation on the state board.
"I don't have any per se objection to it," Docking said, "but many factors are to be considered—how would it be done and how should it be done.
By BOB SIMISON Kansan Staff Writer
"The lean years are upon us now," John McLean, student senate president at Pittsburg, said. "If nothing is done to our enrollment we'll all be in trouble."
The student leaders pointed out that the cost of educating juniors and seniors would be higher for the four-year universities and colleges.
Docking said the smaller state colleges were concerned about dips in enrollment because more freshmen and sophomores were attending junior colleges.
TOPEKA-Gov. Robert Docking heard complaints about the lack of money not only at KU but also at the five other state colleges and universities when he hosted student leaders for dinner here Wednesday night.
Other schools suggested that more faculty in co-commissioned handicapped students be used.
Fort Hays State College and Kansas State University registered the most prestigious oleo.
The third topic KU leaders took to the dinner, a suggestion that classes be dismissed for the Nov. 7, general election, received little support, Dillon said.
"We generally agreed that the state government should address itself to these students more than it has in the past," Docking said.
"One of the important inputs students don't see is that of the alumni," Dillon said. "So I think their presence is justified. But I feel that students and faculty should have more representation on the committee than alumni."
Dillon said he and Senior Class President John Hackney, who also represented KU, discussed the selection of a chancellor with Gov. Docking.
"WE'VE DONE everything we can to make sure there is student representation on the search committee," Dillon said. "We've had a great response, there will be no student representation."
"There was general agreement that
the should be major student input into the
program."
A COMMITTEE comprising 40 per cent students, 40 per cent faculty and 20 per student.
Dillon expressed support for the proposal of Jess Stewart, chairman of the Board of Regents, that would commission students, faculty and alumnae would include students, faculty and alumnae.
"KIDS ARE more concerned with staying in school this year, especially with the tight financial situation." John Romney, University student body president, said.
In contrast with the previous three meetings between the governor and student leaders, campus disorders were not discussed Wednesday night.
The 34-15 vote against adopting a resolution supporting the proposed came after an unsuccessful compromise attempt and senators to drop the referendum issue.
Leroy McDermott, Lawrence graduate student who initially asked for a suspension of rules so that the proposal could be considered by the Senate, called on the at least to take a stand on the proposals search committee representation.
"We should at least pass a resolution expressing an interest that a search committee be composed and selected in a Democratic manner." Mr. Dermott said.
A SPECIAL CONCERN of his group, Bahn said, was that civil service workers at the University be given adequate representation on a search committee. "The selection of a chancellor is purely a matter of the university and the workers' union strike last summer," she stroates that they are an important segment of the University." Bahn said.
Bahn said the Senate would not be overstepping Kansas law by passing a resolution. "We understand that Kansas law says the selection of a chancellor is to be done by the regents," he said, "but that would mean the selection by the regents' adoicing our proposal."
In other action, the Senate voted unanimously to allocate $400 to establish
an independent office for KU Student Employment Services, which has been operating out of the office of student financial aid since Aug. 14.
MARK BREWER, Wichita graduate student who has been in charge of the service, said there was a growing need for a student job placement agency. He told the Senate that the KU Affirmative Action Board had recommended that the job placement service be continued and expanded.
Twenty to 40 students seek employment daily and the death of women's office already has turned over its placement services to him, Brewer said.
A resolution requesting that the University Daily Kansan publish all roll call votes of the Senate within three days of each Senate meeting was passed after the vote. The bill was identified as an attempt to create a system through which students could be notified of the activities, attendance and voting of their student records in the course of the semester by Jan Kessinger, Lawrence senior, deleted from the bill a stipulation that the information be "centralized on a single page" of the Kansan and added to the bill a separate page for information generated by the Senate be responsible for furnishing the information to the Kansan.
U.S., Soviets Near Pact; Moscow Center Possible
MOSCOW (AP) — A leading Soviet news correspondent, reporting on Henry A. Kissinger's talks here, said Wednesday the United States and the Soviet Union are on the verge of signing a giant new trade pact. The pact may include an American trade center in Moscow, complete with hotels.
Kissinger, President Nixon's special advisor, wounded up three talks of talks with Kremiln leaders and prepared to leave Turkey, where he and talks with Prime Minister Edward Hill.
The Kremlin talks have been held since Monday in secret.
But Victor Louis, a Soviet citizen who writes for the London Evening Standard
from Moscow, said in a dispatch to the newspaper Wednesday that one of the outcomes of the talks would be a trade agreement with worth $4.90 billion a year by 1977.
Louis has often reported accurately on what has transpired inside the Kremlin.
He wrote that Kissinger's decision to extend his stay in Moscow by one day "seemed to underline" that the trade relationship had gone beyond the stage of consultation.
"The pact would lead to trade and Export-import Bank credits on a scale that only the superpowers could afford," he said.
Docking Doubts Kay's Credibility
By BOB SIMISON
Kansan Staff Writer
TOPEKA-Gov. Robert B. Docking said Wednesday night, that the major issue of this year's gubernatorial campaign was the challenge opponent, Morris Kav (B-Lawrence).
Docking made his remarks in a press conference at the governor's executive mansion, after a conference with college and university leaders.
"I think right now that in talking to people one of the major topics is the credibility of my opponent," Docking said. "I think the people of Kansas are too smart for this big Rock Candy Mountain song." Kay has called for the elimination of
Kay has called for the elimination of sales tax on food and medicine.
"It would be a nice thing." Docking said,
"but it is if it is facially responsible in the present situation? To be responsible means cutting programs or adding revenue."
Republicans have charged that Docking was dodging issues by taking no position on the presidential campaign of Sen. George F. McGovern.
Docking he be doubted that state and local revenue sharing would make up for losses in the case.
"I'm running for state office, not for national office." Docking said, "I think I've been very consistent in this. Local issues are not related to national issues."
"I think that a governor should have
"I've also known President Nixon for years. My father was chairman of the Eisenhower center over in Ahlene. We have very cordial and friendly relations."
When asked whether he was sympathetic to the McGovern campaign, McGovern said that George McGovern for years, and we're on very cordial and friendly relations.
good relations with the national administration and he should be free to disagree regardless of whether the administration is Republican or Democrat.
About public school financing, Docking said a uniform state property tax was possible in light of the recent court ruling that restricts unqualified financing system was unconstitutional.
Revenue from such a tax would probably be distributed according to a court-approved formula, Docking said. He said that insurance claims could possibly enrich local programs.
"It probably will take more state money but all it is editorializing before the final decision," he says. "I recommend a balanced budget that will answer the needs and this might mean closing some tax loopholes. But we're being with an indefinite area at this time."