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The University Daily Kansan
Weather
Today: Partly cloudy with a high of 53 and a low of 35. Tomorrow: Scattered showers with a high of 53 and a low of 26.
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Monday, November 27 2000
See page 1B
Sports: The Kansas men's basketball team made easy work of Washburn on Saturday night, defeating the team 99-56.
Inside: International enrollment and Study Abroad programs remain strong.
(DPS 650-640) • VOL. 111 NO. 60 For comments, contact Nathan Willis or Chris Borniger at 864-4810 or e-mail editor@kansan.com
SEE PAGE 3A
Secretary of state certifies Bush win
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush react to news that Bush has been certified as the winner of the crucial Florida state vote in the U.S. presidential race. Several hundred supporters cheered wildly as the news was announced while they were marching outside the Governor's Mansion yesterday in Austin, Texas. KRT photo
Texas governor claims victory, Gore contests
The Associated Press
Florida's secretary of state certified George W. Bush the winner over Al Gore last night in the state's near-deadlocked presidential vote — but court contests left in doubt which man will be the ultimate victor and 43rd president of the United States. Bush said he had won the White House and asked Gore to reconsider his challenges.
"Now that the votes are counted, it is time for the votes to count." Gov. Bush said from the state capitol in Austin, Texas, after Secretary of State Katherine Harris, a campaign supporter, announced that he had captured Florida by an infinitesimal 537-vote margin.
Bush announced that running mate Dick Cheney will direct his transition operations in Washington, and that former Secretary of Transportation Andrew Card will be his White House chief of staff.
The Texas governor said the election was close but that he won and would begin "preparing to serve" as president.
Beth Newburger of the General Services Administration said "there is not an apparent winner and the outcome is unclear" so the agency cannot authorize transition funds and offices for Bush.
In his address, Bush delivered a sort of mini-State of the Union list of proposals and promised that he will "work to unite our great land." It was an effort by the Republican nominee to pre-empt Gore by
persuading Americans that the election is over with and that the outcome announced in Florida should be the last word.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, already had declared that it won't be, saying that he and Gore had no choice but to challenge the Florida certification.
But Bush, in a nationally televised address from Austin, said "I respectfully ask" that Gore reconsider further contesting the hairline Florida count.
If the certification of a 537-vote Bush margin stands, the Texas governor would win 271 electoral college votes — one more than necessary for victory — to 267 for Gore.
More information
Harris said Bush had 2,912,790 votes
and Gore had 2,912,253. That gave Bush the 537-vote lead out of 6 million cast, although Harris rejected partial returns from Palm Beach County. An unofficial AP tally including recounted Palm Beach County votes showed Bush ahead by 357.
More information
KU professors' research focuses on the new president's support and politicians' motivation.
See page 3A
James A. Baker III, the former secretary of state speaking for Bush — who was making his own statement later last night — said that count already has been delivered, repeatedly.
What happened: Florida's secretary of state certified George W. Bush the winner of the state's presidential vote.
What's next Vice president Al Gore
What's next? Vice president Al Gore plans to challenge the certification.
What it means: Bush considers himself the winner of Florida's election and gave his acceptance speech.
He said Bush "won this election" under the rules set by law before Election Day, Nov. 7 — and under rules changed after the election. Baker denounced Gore's lawyers for what he called an extraordinary resort to the courts — although Bush has his own set of lawsuits, including the appeal the U.S. Supreme Court, which hears oral arguments on Friday.
Anticipating the certification, Gore was preparing a speech to be delivered today, explaining his case for the continuing challenge.
Gore, who got 337,183 more votes than Bush nationwide on Nov. 7, said he has an obligation to the people who supported him and Lieberman, more than for any Democratic ticket before them.
Sen. Lott called on Gore "to end his campaign and concede this election with the honor and dignity the American people expect."
The votes were delivered to Harris in line with a 5 p.m. EST deadline set by the state supreme court, which allowed hand recounts through yesterday, 12 days past the date she had said certification should be final.
Palm Beach County halted its count to file partial results, with the state in time for the deadline, and reported a net gain of 180 votes for Gore — with an unknown number to come post-deadline. Harris did not include those recounted votes in the certified totals.
Audit of University ends in settlement
Kansan staff write
By Jason Kraill
The University of Kansas owes $776,900 following an Internal Revenue Service audit that covered 1993 to 1997.
University officials reached a settlement with the IRS last week requiring the University to pay $568,200 in back taxes and $190,300 to 350 student and temporary employees who were excluded from a benefits program before 1998.
The employees will receive an average of $543 each. They were excluded from the program because University administrators misinterpreted the tax code, said Lynn Bretz, interim director of University Relations.
The IRS has conducted similar audits on about 25 universities nationwide. Each of those universities averaged a $3 million settlement, Bretz said.
The University of Kansas Athletic Corporation will pay its portion of the settlement
AUDIT SUMMARY What happened: The University will pay $776,900 in a settlement to the Internal Revenue Service for tax-code violations between 1993 and 1997.
What it means: The settlement includes $568,200 in back taxes, $190,300 in compensation to 350 student and temporary employees and $18,400 in penalties.
What's next: The Kansas University Endowment Association will pay the settlement by June 30.
out of its corporate fund, and the University's payments will come out of the University budget.
"Everybody knew there was going to be a settlement of some kind at the end," she said. "The IRS went to all of these universities with a similar palette of issues, so we started preparing from that day."
The University and the athletic corporation will also pay back $247,400 after the IRS ruled income taxes should have been paid on complimentary and discounted tickets for faculty and staff to athletic events in 1983 and 1984.
But covering the costs will not require cutbacks because the University had been setting aside cash in the budget since the audit began, Bretz said.
Bretz said the settlement, including interest, would be paid by June 30.
The athletic corporation also owes $150,300 in back taxes on advertising revenue for commercials on the Jayhawk Radio Network during the broadcast of athletic events, said Theresa Klinkenberg, director of administration.
You have to pay it back in the settlement.
About $18,000 in general penalties round out the IRS bill.
"The laws are pretty complicated, and how you get to the maximum amounts for those accounts is pretty complicated," Klinkenberg said. "You try to do your best and make sure you're accurate, but mistakes can happen."
The University failed to withhold $170,500 in taxes on student employee wages for Social Security in 1993 and will have to nav it back as part of the settlement.
Twinkle town
Massachusetts Street takes on a festive glow with the addition of holiday lighting. The lights were turned on last Friday night. See more pictures of holiday decorations on page 6A. Photo by Nick Krug/KANSAN
Lewis residents may be booted for incomplete volunteer work
By J.D. McKee writer@kanson.com Kanson staff writer
Some residents of Lewis Hall may not be welcomed back next year because they are refusing to participate in mandatory community service.
After completing the community service hour, the residents are required to submit a participation journal stating what kind of event they attended and what they gained from the event that would benefit their
- Edited by Megan Phelps
Residents signed a participation agreement in August, agreeing to spend one hour in a community service, diversity or leadership event every month.
"Promoting academics and community service is fine,but forcing us to do it is wrong."
Megan Buker
personal growth and development
Leavenworth sophomore
Students who do not submit the journal must attend a hearing before the Lewis Hall Participation Review Board, made up of students, to explain why they had not been involved. Refusal to do so could result in the student being removed from the hall or not being allowed to reside in Lewis next year.
Valdez Russell, assistant complex director of Lewis and Templin halls, wrote a letter in early November to students who had not submitted participation journals telling them they had placed themselves "in jeopardy of remaining a Lewis Hall resident."
Randy Timm, assistant director of student housing, said it was a possible that students would be asked not to return to Lewis, but it wasn't the first step in the process.
Megan Buker, Leavenworth sophomore, said she didn't have a problem participating in the program until it was made into an ultimatum.
"I don't think you should be kicked out for something that wasn't on the contract originally." Buker said.
She also said that the participation agreement wasn't part of the original contract she had signed during the summer.
Timm said that the student housing handbook given to all students living on campus referred to the program several times.
"It was outlined and detailed in multiple spots," he said.
Timm also said that the program was instituted after Lewis reopened in August 1999 following renovation. The program began because student housing research found that students who were involved in community service performed better academically than students who were not involved in community service.
Jenni Gottschalk, resident assistant at Lewis and Leavenworth junior, said all residents received a letter during the summer about the program.
"It kind of frustrates me," she said. "I understand people are busy, but they did sign this contract. It's something they agreed to."
"They signed a contract saying they would do this," she said.
Even though some students said they didn't have enough time, Gottschalk said she thought everyone could make it to one event a month.
"Some people just don't have time for it," she said. "Promoting academics and community service is fine, but forcing us to do it is wrong."
Edited by J. R. Mendaza
College-bound students consider KU's diversity
By Leita Schultes
Kansan staff writer
If those high school seniors are part of the minority population, the University of Kansas is especially interested in bringing them to Lawrence.
The midpoint of the school year is fast approaching, and for many college seniors, it's a time to figure out where they will live and work after graduation. For many high school seniors, it's a time to choose colleges.
But whether the people and programs devoted to minority recruitment reap results is a question ultimately decided by the high school students visiting campus.
Kemeyl Rieves, a senior at Raytown High School in Kansas City, Mo., said that she was leaning toward attending the University of Missouri after a visit to Lawrence. She said the MU campus was in-state and more familiar to her.
MU's minority enrollment is 15.5 percent; which tops KU's 8.9 percent, and she said those numbers were worth considering.
Though she said she didn't feel uncomfortable walking on KU's campus, she said she wanted to go a school where she wouldn't have to search for people of her race.
More information
Check out Wednesday's Kansan for a more detailed look at diversity at the University.
Rileves guessed she saw five African Americans on her tour of the University.
"I think I would have been more apt to go there if there had been more," she said. Although the number of minority students is down this year from last fall's 9.1 percent, KU works to recruit and retain students of color with the Diversity Peer Education Team and a multicultural recruitment team.
The Multicultural Resource Center recently broadened its concept of diversity, and HAWKLink — a recruitment and retention program for minority students — has become a year long service.
Jose Interiano, a senior at Witchita East High School, said multicultural students should be more involved in such programs. And although he thinks the number of minority students should be bigger at KU, he said it wouldn't effect his college decision.
He said KU was a good school, and had what he was looking for.
Antwan Smith, a senior at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy in Kansas City, Mo., agreed.
He said KU's campus seemed typical and he would only expect to see more minority students at historically African-American colleges.
Although the students said minority enrollment was of only small importance, they did offer suggestions to improve KU's diversity.
Smith said he looked at minority numbers but they were "not a real priority."
Rieves said the University should offer more multicultural scholarships.
Rieves said it seemed that there were a lot of African-American athletes on scholarship at KU, but not many regular students.
Claudia Mercado, assistant director of multicultural recruitment for the Office of Admissions and Scholarships, said her office didn't offer a specific scholarship to students of color.
She said different departments across campus offered such scholarships, and that
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"It seems to me that all of the people that recruit for KU are Caucasian, which is fine, but not everyone feels as though they can identify," she wrote.
Ashley Boone, a senior from Southeast High School in Wichita, wrote in an e-mail that the University needed more minority recruiters.
Mercado agreed a more diverse recruitment team could probably help increase minority enrollment.
her office was working to get more funding for race-specific scholarships.
"But all of our counselors are there to recruit all students," she said.
Still, Boone said she was positive she would be at the University next fall. Her reaction is exactly what recruiters want to hear: She said the campus was beautiful and the atmosphere was welcoming.
"If I was concerned about how many African-American students there were at a school, I would be scouting the historically Black universities," she said. "I don't believe that a person can only feel comfortable around those who have the same skin color. After all, it's about the way we treat each other as people, not as one race to another."
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— Edited by Clay McCuistion