Campus/Area
University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, November 7, 1989
3
Plastics company requests shell building
Chamber asks for $6 million to aid project
Penn Plastics, a Creighton, Pa., company. mav soon occupy the shell building in the East Hills Business Park if funds are found.
By Steve Buckner
Kansan staff writer
The shell building in the East Hills Business Park may gain an occupant, providing the company can get financing to close the deal.
The company, Penn Plastic of Creighton, Pa., needs $6 million to develop its second manufacturing plant. Bill Martin, director of economic development for the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, will ask the City Commission tonight to issue a resolution of intent for the $6 million in industrial revenue bonds. He will then present the resolution to the state department of commerce in Topeka.
Martin is fighting several time frames to make the deal work. The state has depleted its allocations for the bonds this year, so the city's request will be put on a first come, first served waiting list for unused allocations. Another factor is that the bonds will no longer be available after this year unless Congress extends the program, so there may be less than two months to finance the deal. Still, Martin said he only could take the next logical steps.
"The key is going to be the resolution of intent for the industrial revenue bonds and get the request to the state for allocation for them as soon as possible," he
said. "They want the building in February, so we'll look at ways to finish the building and the rail spur. But we're not doing anything we would not do anywaw."
The shell building is a $1 million, 81,000 square foot structure built on speculation by Douglas County Development Inc., a non-profit organization affiliated with the chamber of commerce.
Despite the financial obstacles, Martin remains confident that a solution can be worked out. He said bond attorneys thought $12 million might be freed from unused allocations of existing projects and from companies on the waiting list. If Penn Plastic received an allocation this year, he said, the first series of bonds might be for $4.5 million this year, with
the remaining $1.5 million issued next year, provided Congress extended the program.
Martin did concede that the deal would be imperiled without some money from the IRBs.
"then we've got problems," he said. "They really need the low interest financing available through the IRBs. If we get authoritarian, they would probably buy equipment and then lease the building."
"They much prefer to have one issue and wrap it all up at once. At least a partial allocation is crucial for the project to go ahead."
The bonds are available only to manufacturing companies, Martin said. The interest companies earn more from the state and federal taxes, he said.
Companies also save on the lower lending rates of the bonds, which are at 7.5 percent, instead of the higher business loans. Martin said,
Rich Bailey, Kansas Department of Commerce economic development representative, said a request for more than $5 million in IRBs would go to the secretary of the department. The secretary, he said, either would decide to put the request on hold, issue part of it or give none of it. Requests of less than $5 million get allocated from the waiting list. Bailey said.
Bailey said that the waiting list operates on a first come, first served basis and that Lawrence's request would be treated accordingly. He said he could not tell if Lawrence would receive the
bonds.
"I don't have any idea for the program, because so many requests are in coming," Bailey said. "I have no feel whatsoever if it's available or not."
Jay Lasser, Penn Plastic vice president, confirmed that the Lawrence plant, if completed, eventually would have 170 employees, which is comparable to its Pennsylvania operation.
"Our main market would be herbicide, pesticide and chemical containers," he said. "The main reason Kansas is viable is in freight savings. We already ship to Kansas and Colorado, and we could get additional local business."
Palestinian group celebrates month of solidarity
By Cory S. Anderson Kansan staff writer
Cultural exhibit on display in Union; demonstrations planned
The General Union of Palestinian Students is celebrating a month of solidarity with Palestinians in the Middle East.
November 15th is the first anniversary of the Palestinian National Congress' declaration of independence and November 29th is an international day of solidarity for the Palestinian people.
"Here on campus we will sponsor a demonstration sometime around the
15th to celebrate two years of the uprising," said Sadeq Masoud, a member of the union.
The exhibit includes examples of traditional Palestinian clothing, hand-made artwork and books detailing the Israeli occupation of the West
Information tables and a cultural and political exhibit were set up in the Kansas Union yesterday and today.
Bank and Gaza Strip and the subsequent Palestinian struggle for independence.
"This exhibit is being held as a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian people," said Masoud, Lawrence senior. "This is a turning point in our history. We are celebrating the continuation of the uprising."
Ibrahim Elkhatib, Lawrence
junior, said the exhibit helped to
educate people at KU about the situation in the Middle East.
"It helps a lot because the United States has a lot of influence in the Middle East." Elkhatib said. "By informing the other students you can change the public opinion of what's going on over there."
Many people did not know of the situation on the West Bank until the uprising started several years ago,
he said, but the problems started long before then.
The Union exhibit is open today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It includes a slide show and several movies, one of which details the Palestinian unrising.
The exhibit is only one of many ways the union shows support for Palestinians in the Middle East, Masoud said. The group also participates in many cultural events such as the October 14th Celebration of Cultures festival in downtown Lawrence.
Willner violated others' academic freedom, professor says
Witness says professor on trial 'poisoned the atmosphere' of the department of anthropology
By Angela Baughman Kansan staff writer
"She's poisoned the atmosphere of our department." Allan Hanson, professor of anthropology told the *Time* magazine for Tenure and Related Problems.
Anthropology professor Dorothy Willner has been the perpetrator, not the victim, of violations of academic freedom, a witness said yesterday at dismissal hearings for Willner.
Hanson, the second witness to testify yesterday, said that three things he knew were true:
First, he said, Wilner refused to accept departmental responsibilities, such as attending faculty meetings and serving on committees.
Hanson said Willner had communicated to him that her lack of participation stemmed from her belief that she was being discriminated against. But Hanson said he did not think that
any discrimination had taken place.
Further, he said he felt Wilner wanted to record faculty meetings to compile information for lawsuits, which did not foster an atmosphere for collegial exchange. Anthropology faculty voted against recording their meetings.
Second, Hanson said Willner's relations with faculty, staff and students had generally been negative. He said she had threatened and abused virtually everyone who had worked with her. He said he interpreted certain passages in correspondence from Willner to himself as threatening.
Hanson said Willner's behavior also had driven department secretaries to leave, seeking "more pleasant and safe working conditions."
"She has not dealt with her colleagues in a civil, courteous, professional manner," he said, adding that Willner also did not foster an atmosphere that prompted students to
engage in learning.
Third, he said that the amount of time the department had devoted to deal with Willner with no results
'S
She has not dealt with her colleagues in a civil, courteous, professional manner.'
— Allan Hanson professor of anthropology
"Her destructive and abusive conduct has been going on now for more than 10 years," Hanson said. "There comes a time when one has to say 'enough is enough.'"
caused him to believe that her relations with the department should end.
Donald Koster, representative for Willner during the hearings, also finished his cross-examination of
Robert Smith, professor of anthropology.
Smith said that the department had been fair in its treatment of Willner, and that it had granted her special privileges.
He said that Willner was the only department member to bring discredit to the department "in the sense that she was the only member of the department who seemed to be suing the whole department."
Smith said that Willner's unsuccessful 1982 lawsuit against the University, in which she claimed sex discrimination and other violations of her civil rights, had brought no change in the Willner situation and that there was no reason to believe anything would change.
"It was the using of the threat of bringing legal actions that was destructive," he said. She became "very unpleasant, very severe and impersonal" in her communications,
Smith also testified that Wilmer had written a letter to a graduate student saying that the student was without integrity academically because she had accepted a grade of "P" from Robert Squier, professor of anthropology.
In earlier testimony, it was revealed that Squier had assigned the "participation" grade to the student for one of Willner's classes because Willner had gone to Israel to do research and could not be reached to assign a grade.
Smith said Willner's Israel research trip was an example of the special privileges that had been given to her. He said he thought it was unusual for a dean to grant such a leave with pay without getting recommendations from the department.
Courses close early for Spring Humanities, social sciences are in demand
By Stacy Smith Kansan staff writer
Sherri Lewis, Manchester, Mo., junior left, the Enrollment Center yesterday with a copy of her Spring schedule and a green piece of paper.
Her schedule listed two classes for six hours of credit. The green form enables her to add an additional nine hours of credit, the needs to graduate next December.
Junior and senior level humanities and social science courses were closing most quickly as Spring enrollment entered its seventh day yesterday.
"It's frustrating," she said. "I'm right on a set schedule. If I'm off even a little bit, it will put me a semester behind."
James Carothers, associate dean of liberal arts and sciences, said he thought the enrollment process was going fairly well this semester despite the usual problems with cement in certain liberal arts classes.
As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the departments with the most closed classes were English, history, communications, sociology and psychology.
"Those are departments with a large number of majors. The courses in those areas are also attractive to students in professional schools," he said. "By the time the seniors get through, there's usually a substantial number of those closed."
Carothers said the seniors always were given priority during enrollment in order for them to graduate on time. However, he said the freshmen, sophomores and juniors were doing a better job of listing alternatives when their first choices were closed.
Edith Guffey, assistant director of student records for the Enrollment Center, agreed that alternatives were important when enrolling.
"Students should come with at least three or four alternatives," she said. "The students who come with alternatives are at a clear disadvantage."
"It takes a lot of staff time to hand out enrollment permits and a lot of student time," she said. "We thought this was a more efficient way. It seems to be working well."
Students should check the home and school address on their enrollment sheets carefully because of the change made last semester concerning the mailing of grades, Guffey said.
"Grades now are always mailed to the type II address, their home address, so students need to be mindful of that address on their enrollment sheet," she said.
Main Spring enrollment ends Nov. 20. Students who need to add courses can pick up enrolment completion forms at the Enrollment Center in 111 Strong Hall. The only opportunity to enroll in additional classes prior to the add period in January will be Nov. 21.