Wednesday, November 8, 2000
---
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Stouffer residents denied 2-for-1 parking
By Rob Pazell
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
The Parking Board yesterday denied Stouffer Place residents' request for "two-for-one" parking passes, leaving residents to turn to the Department of Student Housing for a compromise.
Two-for-one permits would allow the married residents of Stouffer Place to get two spaces for two vehicles for the price of a regular permit.
The motion was sent before the Parking Board Rules Committee, which decided that this request would set a precedent prompting similar requests from married students living in other University housing. The board voted 4-3, with two members abstaining.
Beverly Nightingale, rules committee member, said she supported the request before the rules committee meeting but changed her mind when she considered the ramifications.
"This would open the door to allow income-based parking," Nightingale said. "I don't want to set a precedent for allowing a discount based on income."
Morris Faiman, chairman of the rules committee, said the problem should be handled by the residents and student housing
"Bottom line, it's a Stouffer Place problem," said Faiman, who voted against the request. "We ask them to meet with Ken Stoner and look for an alternative plan."
Stoner, director of student housing, said the housing department could not finalize any decisions on the request.
"My board can make recommendations," Stoner said. "But parking decides ultimately."
Stouffer Place has requested purchasing two parking passes for the price of one for three years, and the parking board has denied it each time. The request would have cut down on the cost of living for Stouffer Place and Sunflower Apartment residents with low incomes.
Trisha Kroll, president of the Stouffer Neighborhood Association, said she was optimistic about yesterday's close decision in comparison with the past.
"We've done this for three years, and it's been a quick and dirty decision," Kroll said. "This time it seems like they want to look for a compromise."
A potential compromise presented would be for residents to pay full price for one pass, and half price for the second pass. Kroil, who plans to talk to Stoner tomorrow, would welcome this idea.
"It would be better than what it is now," Kroll said. "It's a step in the right direction."
— Edited by Warisa Chulindra
Former Med Center chairwoman resigns
Handling of clinic's possible relocation prompted decision
By Melissa Davis
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff write
Jane Murray, former chairwoman for the University of Kansas Medical Center's family medicine department, resigned last week as a part-time professor, saying the administrators had "broken the last straw."
Murray said she resigned Oct. 30 because of the center's plans to move the family medicine and obstetrician and gynecology clinics from Wyandotte County to Johnson County.
But public relations representatives from the Med Center, including Dennis McCulloch, director of public relations, said the move was a rumor.
"It was never an option not to be in Wyandotte County," he said.
"To say it was never their intention is called lying," she said.
Murray was chairwoman of the center's family medicine department for seven years, from 1991 to 1997. Although Murray stepped down from her position in December 1997, she maintained faculty status as an unpaid professor working with resident physicians.
Murray said she had written her resignation because talks of a move proved to her that administrators didn't care about the family medicine clinics.
"I think a lot of problems at KU Med are in terms of leadership
"I think a lot of problems at KU Med are in terms of leadership with minimal vision and, now we see, with minimal honesty."
Jane Murray
former chairwoman for the Med Center's family medicine department
with minimal vision and, now we see, with minimal honesty," she said.
Murray said she had stayed with the Med Center because she wanted to teach but changed her mind after many problems started to stack up including:
Dismissal of a faculty member who was responsible for placement of resident physicians in rural areas.
- Assignments of the dismissed faculty members given to a clerical worker.
Failure to employ a permanent chairman for the family medicine department.
"I really didn't want my name affiliated with a place that I really couldn't trust." Murray said.
Donald Hagen, executive vice chancellor, said it was unfortunate that Murray resigned because the move to Johnson County was just a rumor.
Hagen said that someone had mentioned as a possibility a clinic that the University owned in Johnson County but that no decision to move there had ever been made.
"Someone became overzealous, then everyone thought it was going to happen, but no final decisions had been made," he said. "We are redesigning a new space
for family medicine."
Hagen said that the new clinic would be renovated and occupied in five to six months and that it would be on the ground floor of a campus location.
But Murray said the administration was back-tracking when the story broke in the Kansan to avoid heat from the community.
"I don't understand then why they took the current chairwoman to look at possible space to move the clinics," she said.
Hagen confirmed that a new cardiology clinic would occupy the current family medicine space. Hagen said the clinic never planned to move off campus.
"We could never move the clinic off campus," he said. "We need the Med Center on campus for students, professors and patients."
City projects to brook rising water demand
By Matt Merkel-Hess
Edited by Erin McDaniel
Kansan staff writer
The Bowersock Dam needs a facelift, and city commissioners hope to operate soon.
The constant wash of the Kansas River has eroded the concrete-and-stone dam, which had its last significant repair in 1978 when the Massachusetts Street bridge was built.
The commission voted for a $1 million repair plan yesterday recommended by Black & Veatch, a Kansas City, Mo., engineering company. The dam is owned by the city and leased to the Bowersock Mills and Power Co.
Improving the dam is vital for the power mill and maintaining a high water level for the upstream intake of the city's Kaw River Water Treatment Plant, said Chris Stewart, water systems engineer.
"If the dam wasn't there the water levels would be too low with our current intake system." he said.
Black & Veatch estimated a new intake to accommodate a lower river level would cost between $12 million and $18 million.
The city plans to repair the dam this winter while the river levels are low. Stewart said the next steps would be hiring an engineer and getting the project approved with the state.
The commission also approved a city staff recommendation to expand the Clinton Water Treatment Plant — a project originally planned for 2002. The Clinton plant treats more than a third of the city's water supply.
The city will begin the first phase of the project immediately, increasing the plant's supply from 10 to 15 million gallons per day. The project will cost about $6.7 million.
During the past three years, the city's demand for water has increased, hitting record levels this summer.
The capacity of the two water plants is 28.5 million gallons per day, which was exceeded once this summer by almost one million gallons. A pump failure during a peak-use time would require forced rationing. Stewart said.
"With both water plants, we could just about meet the demands this year," he said. The second phase of the Clinton Lake project will now start in 2005 and will increase the plant's capacity from 15 to 20 million gallons per day.
In other action:
Commissioners approved leasing office space from the Lawrence Riverfront Plaza to accommodate housing and neighborhood development, as well as fire, housing and environmental inspectors and a city training room.
The commission met with business owners from the 900 block of Massachusetts Street to resolve problems with temporary parking created to mitigate lost parking spots on the 900 block of New Hampshire because of construction. After debate among the business owners, the commission approved moving the block of four 15-minute loading zone spots to halfway between the crosswalk of the 900 block of Massachusetts Street and the intersection of Massachusetts and 10th streets.
— Edited by John Audleholm
The dam under the Massachusetts Street bridge is eroding. It was lost repaired in 1978. The city plans to repair the dam this winter when water levels are low. Photo by Brad Dreier/KANSAN
Nontraditional student finds niche through organizations
50-year-old adjusts to university life
By Jennifer Valdez
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Deena Hardie says it's weird being a college student but never getting gardened when she tries to buy beer.
it's one of the many things that separates Hardie, a 50-year-old nontraditional student, from other students at the University of Kansas. She said she often thought she was socially out-of-place on campus.
"It's not like you're coming into a situation where you already know people," she said. "When you're out of town, out of state or generation, it's different, and getting involved in student organizations was
really wonderful for me."
Hardie serves as one of four nontraditional student senators
involved in organizations such as KU Nontrads,the Senate Finance Committee, University Council and the KU Organization:
in Student Senate. She's also
Hardier says the University takes good care of nonrats
organizations
Administration Committee.
Governance and
Hardie said her involvement
perspective different from other date
as a nontraditional student in these organizations gave her a perspective different from other
students.
After graduating from high school in the late '70s, Hardie moved to New York. She ended up working 20 years on Wall Street as an institutional stock broker.
"After high school, I wanted to have fun, make a lot of money and live in New York, so I did," she said.
Hardie moved back to Kansas in 1997 and started classes at the University of Kansas in Spring 1998. Some of the reasons Hardie moved back were to take care of her mother and to expose her daughter to the Midwest.
"I thought my daughter would like to see Kansas, and she likes it here," she said.
Shyra McGee
"She's very open-minded, and that's what we appreciate."
Wichita senior
Her daughter, Lauren Hardie-Vallone, is a freshman at the University.
Hardie is majoring in history with a focus in East Asian studies. When she graduates in May with a bachelor's degree, Hardie said she would like to pursue a career in portfolio management, where she would manage investors' money in stocks. Hardie said she liked working in stocks because it wasn't a gender-competitive field.
"It's a great job for women because there's no pay discrepancy," she said. "Finance is talent-based, not gender-based, and that's hard to find."
Shyra McGee, Wichita senior, works with Hardie in KU Nontrads.
"She was always supportive of nontraditional students and was a 'getting-things-done' sort of person," McGee said. "She's very open-minded, and that's what we appreciate."
Hardie said she appreciated the opportunities the University provided for nontraditional students such as the on-campus day care center, tutoring services and organizations such as KU Nontrads.
"With an organization like Nontrads, it's great because it's a great resource center," she said. "It's not like dealing with the University; it's dealing with people who are going through the same things."
"The University is doing a good job in accommodating nontrads. They're bending over backward for us, and it warms my heart."
— Edited by Amy Randolph
Former residents continue disputes
By J.D. McKee
writer@kanson.com
Kansas staff writer
Although two months have passed, the song remains the same for former Jefferson Commons residents who said they were overcharged for damage to their apartments.
Jeremy Arthur, who used to live in the complex, said many former residents still disputed charges and have refused to pay.
"I'm currently writing letters back and forth with them," said Arthur, Erie senior.
Several former tenants have complained that Jefferson Commons, 2511 W. 31st St., took their $275 deposits and charged them sometimes hunderds of dollars extra upon move-out without justification. They say Jefferson Commons sent letters to former residents threatening to sue if the charges weren't paid right away and would not discuss the matter on the phone.
Eve Horn, vice president and divisional manager for property management within the student housing division of JPI, which owns Jefferson Commons, said if tenants felt they were wrongly charged, management would go through the bills again.
Horn said that the charges were usually for damages to the complex.
"If we didn't have to do the work, they shouldn't have been charred," she said.
"If they damage the unit, we're going to charge them for it," she said.
Arthur said that Jefferson Commons did agree take a minimal amount off his charge but that it was not enough to placate him.
Arthur said he didn't agree with the fees.
"The amounts they charged were excessive." he said.
Cornell Mayfield, tenant and landlord counselor for Housing and Credit Counseling. Inc., said the tenants shouldn't allow that.
Arthur said he and his roommates had hired a carpet cleaner before they moved out but were still charged for having the carpet cleaned.
"They should go to small claims court to get that back," he said.
Arthur said the Better Business Bureau called in the complaints, but Joyce Woodard, president of the bureau, said there had not been a trend of major complaints about Jefferson Commons.
"There has not been a pattern of outstanding problems." she said.
Arthur said that although many had chose to dispute the charges, others had paid.
"That's probably what I'll do," Arthur said. "it's easier to pay than to get a lawyer."
Arthur said he was angry about the way the complex took advantage of tenants.
"It works out in their favor." he said. "If they threaten this out of college students who have other things on their mind and don't how this works."
*Edited by Cline McCreation*
- Edited by Clay McCuliston