RUF
Campus/Area
University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, October 17, 1989
3
Local officials optimistic about recycling program
By Bryan Swan
Kansan staff writer
Although under way for less than a month, a recycling program conducted by the city of Lawrence with the assistance of River City Recycling Co. may be on its way to success.
7XA9
Mike Rundle, city commissioner, said a citywide recycling program was still in the planning phase, but that Malis Old English Village apartments, 2411 Louisiana St., was being used as a test site that could be evaluated in any future planning.
We're lucky that River City started independently. It saves us the expense of doing it on our own.'
— Mike Rundle city commissioner
He said the city had applied for a grant to establish its own program with recycling drop-off points around the city.
Six barrels have been used to collect recyclables for three weeks at the apartment complex to determine the feasibility of the recycling program.
Recyclables accepted at the complex are sorted glass, newspapers placed in paper
Company dissension delays Senate vote on proposal
By Chris Evans
Kansas staff writer
A dispute among owners of a local recycling company could indefinitely delay KU's recycling program, the student body vice-president said yesterday.
Student senators were to have voted last week on the allocation of about $800 for aluminum can containers as part of a recycling pilot program, Jeff Morris said. "We've had problems because of internal problems at River City Recycling Co.
Earlier in the semester, Morris and members of Enviros, a student environmental awareness group, formulated a campus recycling proposal with the owners of River City Recycling. Last week, Morris received a call from Patricia Marvin, the city's recycling coordinator,
who told him that the owners might be dissolving their partnership.
bags and steel and aluminum cans. River City Recycling Co. collects the recyclables from the barrels every Friday.
"She informed me that the companies were split up," he said. "The companies never called me themselves. That really bothered me. Senate could have funded that money and we would never have known."
The owners of River City Recycling are Mark Akin, John Hebert and Kirk Devine. They formed the company earlier this year by combining two recycling companies. Akin and Hebert previously owned Lawrence Recycling Co. and Devine owned the original River City Recycling Co.
Devine said yesterday that the current River City Recycling might be divided into the original two companies because of internal problems. He declined to comment on the nature of the problems.
company had its own program that the city could learn from.
Rundle said the city was fortunate that the
"We're part of the same effort," he said.
"We're lucky that River City started independently. It saves us the expense of doing it on our own. We're working with them now to promote the program."
No final decisions have been made, he said. Until they are, the company will continue to operate.
"We're not going to do anything until the partnership is reconciled or dissolved," Devine said.
Neither Akin nor Hebert could be reached for comment.
Morris said he hoped a recycling program could still be started at the University of Kansas by one of the new companies.
"As of this point, from what I've heard, one of the companies will be able to do the job," he said. "My big worry is that I'm going to allocate this money and it's just going to sit there because there's no one there to recycle."
Morris said the recycling bill would not disappear after Oct. 25.
Kirk Devine, co-owner of River City Recy.
clo C., 716 E. Ninth St., said there were no statistics that could show if the program was successful yet, but that he should know in one or two weeks.
Patricia Marvin, recycling coordinator for Lawrence, said Malls Olde English Village had volunteered to participate in the program.
"The manager of the complex saw that recycling would be a service that could be offered to the tenants," she said. "The tenants were seen as customers who cared about recycling. Now we get to try a lot of things there and find out what works."
Marvin said the program got off to a new start, but that reports of stuffed barrels reached her within a week. She said two more barrels might be provided to the complex, and was hoping to provide a covered container as well.
"It looks like we've struck the right chord," she said.
Gary Stephenson, manager of Malls Olde English Village, said the program had its share of problems, though.
"A lot of people are throwing everything in the barrels," he said. "I've taken trash out of them myself. Also, there are so many people going around collecting aluminum cans that some people just take them out, reaping the harvest for themselves."
5 bands take stage of battle Homestead Grays emerge victorious
By Liz Hueben Kansan staff writer
Steve Kite plays for the band Mauschovonian Love Beat.
When the war was over and the dust had cleared, the Homestead Grays were the victors.
The notes flew over the battleground last night as the soldiers danced.
The battlefield was the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., and the war was the Battle of the Bands, sponsored by KJHK and Student Union Activities. Five area bands for votes from the sold-out crowd.
The Homestead Grays are Chuck Mead, guitar and vocals; Gray Ginther, guitar and vocals; Brock Ginther, bass; and Guy Stephens, drums.
Rowley said the panel would narrow the bands down to 16 finalists.
A tape by the Homestead Grays will be sent to Thirsty Ear Communications, a New York City division of Beggar's Ballot Records, the label for the New York City Rockets, among others, said Bruce Rowley, JKHK program director.
After that, it will be reviewed by a panel, along with the winners of similar battles from other college radio stations, he said.
The five area bands in competition last night were Mauschovonian Love Beat, Handom Aztech, Sin City Disciple, Ground Grazes and Kill Whitte.
Mauschovian Love Beat kicked off the evening with an acoustic set. Guitarist Kory Willis said the band's drummer could not make the gig more exciting than in a band with another band — Norman, Oka.'s, Flaming Lips.
Those college stations participating then will receive tapes of the 16 finalists and listener response will decide the one winning band that will receive a one-album recording contract with EMI Records. he said.
Then came Random Aztech of
I really hate the 'Battle of the Bands' concept. I think all the bands were good.'
— Brock Ginther Homestead Grays bassist
Lawrence, with their political, experimental lazz-funk-rock.
Mac Knighton, Random Aztech guitarist, said, "We really enjoyed the opportunity to play."
Kansas City's Sin City Disciples played after Knighton's band, bringing the audience to the stage with their brand of biker-acid blues rock.
The night's main event, however,
was a concert by national A&M
recording artists Soundgarden, on
their "Louder than Love" tour.
Wrapping up the battle were Lawrence up the homestead Grays, with old-time country bluesy rock and Kill Whitey, a straight-ahead metal band with synchronized head-banging.
Angela Baker, Leawood junior and member of the SUA Event Staff, said the show was sold out close to its opening at 7 p.m. She said many people were turned away.
Many of the performers praised other bands when the show was over.
The 'Grays' Mead said, "We all felt good going into it. We were in good shape. We've been working our elbows out." He drank a beer, indicating what great shape his elbows were in.
John Paul, drummer for the Sin City Disciples, said, "We really had a good time. All the band's were great."
"It went better than we ever thought it would," he said. "I feel like we're superior."
Brock Ginther said he thought the night was supposed to be more of a showcase than a competition.
"I really hate the "Battle of the Bands" concept," he said. "I think all the bands were good."
State to pay part of health-care tab
By Doug Fishback Kansan staff writer
The state of Kansas is helping to foot the bill for premium increases in 1900 employee health insurance, but not everyone at the University of Kansas is pleased with the plan.
The total health insurance premium for all Kansas employees covered by state-plan insurance will increase from $89.4 million this year to $106.5 million in 1990, according to a Kansas Department of Administration newsletter sent to state employees last month.
The state will pay for $11.4 million of the $16.2 million increase, the letter said, leaving employees to shoulder $4.8 million of the increase. The state's cost will increase 18.2 percent from this year's level; the employee increase is an 18.1 percent jump.
David Katzman, professor of history, said he would rather see KU break away from the state health department to devise its own employee coverage.
He said the state plan, with its restrictions and stipulations, did not take into account the special needs of University employees.
Katzman that he became ill last April during an out-of-state trip but that he waited to get treatment until he returned to Kansas because his insurance plan covered only care from approved doctors here.
He said state-plan insurance ignored the fact that KU employees traveled to do research and took sabbatical leaves.
In addition, he said, the service that he and his family had received under HMO Kansas was inadequate.
"HMO Kansas has not always provided us with the kind of access to medical care that my family needs." Katzman said. "We're being taken."
John Blakemore, supervisor of the employee benefits office at the University of Missouri at Columbia, said the university had funded and administered its own health insurance program for nearly 12 years.
Full-family coverage under the
He said the health plan available to KU employees lagged behind those of other universities to the point of an incentive to prospective professors.
"We are, I think, simply non-competitive with our peer institutions," Katzman said.
Missouri plan costs employees $47 month with a $50 deductible, he said, or $83 a month with a $100 deductible. Both plans carry a 20 percent employee co-payment. Blakeenmore
Even if KU officials wanted to leave the state plan to set up a University insurance program, they likely would not be able to, said Raymond Davis, chairman of health service administration at KU.
"I think it would be a cold day before the state Legislature gave the Regents of Kansas, especially the Regents inside, that kind of autonomy," he said.
Susan Youner / KANSAN
Davis said that the Legislature's history of involvement with Blue Cross had led lawmakers to view the company as a "quasi-state agency," and that they would not be likely to leave the relationship.
Davis said he thought that pulling the relatively healthy University population from the state plan would not be wise because it would raise health care costs for the other segments of the state employee group.
Davis did say, however, that insurance offered by the state did not serve some of the needs of University employees.
In past years, state insurance officials have considered a self-insured plan for the state. In such a plan, Kansas would create its own
"There are a lot of variations that the plan needs to take into account." Davis said. "We're not in an experimental mode."
reserves for paying employee claims instead of contracting with a private company.
However, Madi Vannaman, acting benefits manager for the Kansas Health Benefits Administration, said it had been in Kansas' best interests to deal with private underwriters because state employees had been a high-risk group, making it difficult to predict claims.
Blue Cross & Blue Shield officials claim to have lost $16 million on the claim.
Vannaman said that she had published notices and sent requests to several insurance companies but that only Blue Cross had bid on the state's business. She said the perceived risks of insuring Kansas employees may have discouraged other companies from bidding.
"There may come a time when Blue Cross may not bid on our group," Vannaman said.
In that event, she said, the state would be forced into self-insurance.
"Self-insurance is something that we will always have on the back burner, just in case of necessity," Vannam said.
For lack of a better plan, Katzman said he would take advantage of the Blue Cross enrollment period this month to change his coverage from HMO Kansas to Blue Select, his only alternative under the Kansas plan. Blue Select wil let him depart from the list of preferred doctors — for the price of an increased deductible and co-payment.
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