VOL. 100, NO. 18 (USPS 650-640)
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
WEDNESDAY
SEPT. 20, 1989
NEWS: 864-4810
Lawrence picks first Habitat family
The Richters and their daughters Melissa, left, and Leanna are successful applicants for the Lawrence Habitat for Humanity house
By Lisa Moss
Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
But not for long.
The Richter's two daughters sleep on the floor of the family room in their one-bedroom house at 1311 Delaware St.
The family has been selected by Lawrence Habitat for Humanity Inc. to have a new house built for them. Lawrence Habitat is a volunteer organization that builds houses for low-income families.
Mary Richter said she saw a flier about the organization and sent for more information about the program.
"I sent in the application and I didn't hear for four to six weeks," she said.
Then she was contacted by a member of a family-selection committee and was granted an interview.
"They told me they were only building one house, which really brought me down. I thought, 'We'll never get this.'" Mary Richter said.
The Richters were selected from several applicants, said John Ginger-
Mary Richter said she had been to the lot many times.
The house that will be built for the family will have three bedrooms and the Richter's will choose from three floor plans, he said. The house will be built by volunteers and financed by private donations.
Mary and Gerald Richter will buy their house from Lawrence Habitat during 20 years. Mary Richter said.
Lawrence Habitat has purchased two lots and has plans to construct two houses, Gingergie said. The building was built at 27th and Halbrook Streets.
"We're getting a home. It will be ours. We have rented and rented and we want to keep it private." A home. We can have a yard and put a fence around it," she said.
"Our girls don't have a bedroom. This house has a shower, no bathtub, and kids like to get in the tub and
The rental house the Richters live in now is too small for a family of four. Richard Richter said her girls are not able to do not have anywhere to put them.
LeAnna, 7, and her sister Melissa, 3, are excited about being selected for a Habitat house.
"There's going to be a big park right across the street," LeAnna said. "We not it. We were lucky."
A ground-breaking ceremony for the house is scheduled for Oct. 8, Gingerich said.
The Richters are anxious to start building the house.
They plan to put in as much time as they can to help with the building project.
Gerald Richter, a roofer for Diamond Roofing, is going to do the roofing and help with the plumbing. Mary Richter is going to help with anything she can.
"I can hammer, I can paint, I can try to keep everything organized," she said.
Gerald Richter said he would help build his home and other Habitat homes in the future.
"They were decent enough to select us so I figure you've gotta
reality yet till we get started," Mary Richter said.
The Richters hope they will be able to move into the house by spring.
"It just seems like it is not really a
Mary Richter said she has always wanted a house for her children to occupy.
"We are going to treat that home with respect and love it and cherish it for the rest of our lives," she said.
Lawrence group builds on inspiration of Habitat for Humanity
Kansan staff writer
in Lawrence, so he contacted Winn and Dulin.
By Lisa Moss
Lawrence Habitat for Humanity Inc. was begun in November by retired minister John Gingerich, the Rev. Paul Winn, and the Rev. Bill Dulin, all of Lawrence.
A new organization in Lawrence wants to build houses for low-income families, and a KU affiliate of the group plans to start soon.
Gingerich knew about the Topeka affiliate of Habitat, which recently dedicated its ninth house. He was interested in starting an affiliate
In France, so he contacted Winn and Dulun.
Lawrence Habitat has raised $10,000, has purchased two lots and has been approved as a candidate of Habitat International, Gingerich said.
There are 385 communities in the country that have Habitat affiliates, he said.
Habitat International was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller in Americus, Georgia, said KU student Teresa Lieudé, a member of the board of directors of Lawrence Habitat.
Fuller grew up in the South and thought a need for low income housing, she said.
"The precedent is to use as much volunteer time, labor and materials as possible." Luedke said. "The goal is to build simple but decent homes and sell them to low-income families who show a need for low-income housing."
She said the low-income family must prove that it can pay back the organization. The families that are selected could not have qualified for a commercial loan.
"The motto is, "It is a hand up, not a hand out." she said.
Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo. also have Habitat for Humanity affiliates.
There are four Habitat houses in Kansas City, Kan. Kansas City, Mo., which began 10 years ago, is building its 50th house.
Luecked, a fourth-year architecture student, said she was starting a campus Habitat group. The campus organization would work in conjunction with Lawrence Habitat.
Two KU classes were doing volunteer work for Habitat, Luedek said.
"We realize the student force is so strong," she said. "It is a great avenue for students to really get involved. It is such tangible feedback."
Dean Ranz announces resignation Head of library will end tenure after 14 years
By a Kansan reporter
the dean of the University of Kansas libraries, Jim Ranz, announced yesterday that he would resign from his position July 1. 1980.
"I've been dean for about 14 years, and it is a natural breaking point when the science library is completed," he said.
Ranz, who has been dean since 1975, said resigning now made sense with the completion of the Marian and Fred Anschutz Library, which will house the University's science books.
In the 14 years of Dean Ranz's stewardship, the University of Kansas library system has become one of the best in the country. No university can aspire to greatness without a great library. For this reason alone, all of us at the University of Kansas owe a great debt to Jim Ranz.'
vice chancellor for academic affairs
Del Brinkman, vice chancellor for academic affairs, said, "In the 14 years of Dean Ranz's stewardship, the University of Kansas library provides a great service to the country. No university can aspire to greatness without a great library."
"For this reason alone, all of us at the University of Kansas owe a great debt to Jim Ranz."
Rans came to KU from the University of Wyoming, where he served as vice president of academic affairs from 1970 to 1975, dean of academic affairs from 1984 to 1970, and library director from 1955 to 1962.
Ranz, an Atlanta, Neb., native,
received a bachelor's degree in 1942
from Nebraska State College and a
master's degree in library science in
1948 from the University of Michigan.
In 1960, he completed a doctorate in
library science at the University of
Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
Rans said that he didn't have plans for the future, but that he had planned to do so.
"I think overt it's been a pleasant and satisfying experience," he said.
Puerto Rico reels in Hugo's wake
The Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — National Guardsmen with automatic rifles patrolled San Juan yesterday to prevent looting after Hurricane Hugo devastated the island, killing at least 14 people, leaving 27,000 homeless and causing food shortages.
Two people were killed Sunday, but no other storm-related deaths were reported in Puerto Rico since Hugo's 125 mph winds hit Monday, said Maria Dolores Oronoz, spokesman for Gov. Rafael Hernandez Colon.
Civil Defense spokesman Cianzele Rivera said Hugo killed 25 people in the eastern Caribbean, but she had no island-by-island breakdown. Previous reports said six people were killed on the island and five perished on the French territory of Guadeloupe and two were killed in Antigua.
hit the region in a decade, cut power to more than half of Puerto Rico's 3.3 million people, government and civil defense officials said yesterday.
Hugo, the most powerful storm to
Damage to Puerto Rico's electricity network was estimated at $20 million, said Jose A. Del Valle, manager of the Puerto Rico Electrical Power Co.
Govern. Colon's wife, Lela Mayoral, in a radio announcement, said the government was organizing a relief effort for devastated offshore islands.
Del Valle said the company expected to have service completely restored to San Juan by today and cent of the island by the weekend.
Damage was extensive in the capital's Condado tourist and residential district on the beachfront, which is home to many restaurants, inhala, boutiques and restaurants.
the height of the storm.
There appeared to be heavy damage to agriculture. Luis Orama, mayor of the mountain town of Maricao, said loss to the coffee harvest would run in the millions of dollars. Banana and orange crops also were hard hit.
Oronzo said the government called out 2,500 National Guardmen to help police with rescue and security. Guardmen with automatic rifles were riding with police in their cruisers. Much of the looting occurred at
Rafael Rodriguez, owner of the open-air Key Out Cafe, said looters cleaned out the $400 in his cash register. The cafe was a jumble of chairs, tables and tangled sheet rugs. Rodriguez estimated damage at $5,000.
Civil Defense director Heriberto Acevedo said the three hardest-hit areas were the offshore islands of Culeba and Vieques and the eastern coastal town of Ceiba.
9/18/E9
Knight-Ridder Tribune News
House throws down gauntlet on minimum wage
WASHINGTON — House Democrats geared up yesterday for another fight with President Bush about the minimum wage, cutting back their version from three years to two but voting for provisions he is almost sure to veto.
The Associated Press
In a voice vote with Republicans voting "no" as a party bloc, the
Democrat-controlled House Education and Labor Committee approved the same bill that Bush vetoed in June but with a change in yearly base increases. Two yearly increases of 45 cents each in the wage floor would replace the originally proposed three annual increases totaling $1.30.
In a memo, Labor Secretary Elizabeth Bole reiterated Bush's promise to veto any bill that would raise the
current $3.35 wage floor to $4.25 in less than three years or that would establish a subminimum "training wage."
The committee's chairman, Rep. Augustus F. Hawkins, D-Callif, said the reduction from the previous $4.55 wage floor that had been sought was aimed at garnering support from Southern Democrats and some Republicans for an override of
another Bush veto
Although both the House and Senate last year approved the $4.55 minimum wage with a 60-day subminimum training wage applicable only to first-time workers, neither could muster the two-thirds majority needed to override Bush's veto.
Senate sources said the bill could be brought up there within the next three weeks.
Math department examines dropouts Changes implemented to keep students
By Anita Meyer Kansan staff writer
Fifty percent of Math 002 and 101 students dropped the courses during the 1988-89 school year, according to a KU assessment of the math program.
Department of mathematics officials want to change that statistic.
"We found a very high percentage of students who are not ready for 101 but take it because there's no college credit for 002," said Marilyn Carlson, director of college algebra. "They go in without enough preparation." They were at the second level of Russian without having had the first. I'd be very frustrated."
Students are self-taught in Math 002 and 101 under the department's self-instructed mastery plan (SIMPL). They pace themselves but must pass tests by department deadlines. The same test may not be taken if students achieve pride is achieved, but a test may not be taken more than twice in one day.
Carlson said that she and other members of the department implemented changes this semester in a way that hoped would lower the dropout rate.
More guidance was given to students at the beginning of the semester, she said. Department officials met with Math 101 students three
times and with Math 002 students two times. At these meetings, math officials discussed study skills and motivation with students.
"It's up to them to take the initiative." Carlson said.
Students were strongly urged to take a placement test before they started their classes, she said. The test is not mandatory, but Carlson said she hoped it would be in the future.
Another change in the program is that students now may earn extra credit for attempting algebra problems, Carlson said. Students are given two points for each assignment to do three fourths of the problems.
Students were informed that math tutors were provided free of charge.
Carlson said she hoped students would do more homework and lower the dropout rate.
Sam Alkairhy, math tutor, said,
"Students will say, "I hate math,
but I am confident I can try. The more
homework you do, the better a math
student you will be."
But he said he didn't think that the department changes had affected student response.
"On the placement test, some students will do very badly." Aklairya said. "Then they'll take the class and do well."
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