Rainy Day
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Kansan
Today: Thunderstorms with a high of 70 and a low of 53.
Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy with a high of 58 and a low of 38.
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Wednesday, November 1, 2000
Sports: The Kansas men's basketball team kicks off its season at 7 tonight against the California All-Stars at Allen Fieldhouse.
SEE PAGE 1B
Inside: Student Senate tries to make it easier for students to transfer credit hours.
SEE PAGE 3A
SPS 650-640) • VOL. 111 NO. 47 For comments, contact Nathan Willis or Chris Borniger at 864-4810 or e-mail editor@kansan.com
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Housing battle begins tonight
Students, residents to voice opinions on proposed plan
By Matt Merkel-Hess writer@kansan.com Kansan抄 writer
The gloves are on, the contestants are ready and tonight they will step into the ring to spar about the proposed housing ordinance that would limit the number of unrelated people who can live in single-family neighborhoods.
After months of preparation, tonight's public hearing receives top billing as one of the most controversial issues facing Lawrence in years.
Showtime is at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.
Student Senate will have representatives speaking from 7:30 to 8 p.m., and buses will be provided for any students who wish to
attend, said Holly Krebs, student rights committee chairwoman.
"This is probably the most important meeting for students to attend of their entire four years of college," Krebs said. "It's the one time that we can have an impact on a city proposal that would really affect our lives."
People on both sides of the issue have signed up to speak through 9:30 p.m.,after which anyone can make a comment, said Sheila Stogsdill, Lawrence assistant planning director.
hing there.
"Hopefully it will help keeping things moving along without it becoming too chaotic," Stogsdill said. "It's a fairly complex issue, so there are multiple perspectives."
Marlon Marshall, student body vice president, will speak for Student Senate tonight. He encouraged everyone to attend the meeting and said that the proposed ordinance would discriminate against students and other young people.
"I think that it's very unfair to students, and in the long run it will hurt KU students and give them limited housing
options," he said. "There are different measures that they could do to solve the problems instead of this ordinance."
The Planning Commission will hear all public comment, discuss the issue and then make a recommendation to the City Commission. If the meeting runs late, the discussion could be tabled until the next Planning Commission meeting Wednesday, Nov. 15, Stogsill said.
She said any future meetings to discuss the issue would not take place during winter break when students were out of town.
"I think there is a sensitivity to not wanting to hurry things along if the timing is not going to allow us to have everyone there," she said.
More information
To read yesterday's in-depth story about the proposed ordinance, including video, links to previous stories and commissioners' comments
For more information, go to http://www.curious.com/thug
-Edited by J. R.Mendoza
More information
see www.kansan.com/tue.html
Planning Commission Public Hearing 6:30 p.m. today
City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.
Group have signed up for comment through 03:00 pm, which provides one comment
The meeting will begin with a presentation of the issue and proposed text amendment to the ordinance.
A speaker representing a group can speak for five minutes. All other speakers will receive three minutes.
Student Senate has nine speakers scheduled for 7-30 to 8 p.m.
Buses will leave from the Kansas Union at 7 and 7.15 p.m., returning at 8.15 p.m.
The hearing will and at 11 p.m. unless the Planning Commission moves to extend the meeting.
Onzas public comment is complete, the Planning Commission will discuss the issue and make a recommendation to the City Commission. Planning Commission action may be deferred until the next Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 15, depending on the length of tonight's hearing.
Green card application may cost visa
By Cássio Furtado Special to the Kansan
International students may not be able to get a visa if they enter a lottery to get a green card.
A new nonimmigrant visa application has prompted International Student Services to warn University of Kansas international students to think twice before entering the United States green card lottery
The cent e r
recently
sent a
message
to its discussion
list telling
interna-
tional students that
a foreign
student
w a s
denied a
new visa
a f t e r
GREEN CARD LOTTERY
For more information, students should contact International Student Services or visit the State Department's Web site at http://travel.state.gov.
The registration mailin period for the green card lottery began Oct. 2 and ends today
entering the green card lottery.
entering the green card lottery.
"It is the office's job to alert students about that," said Lynne Vanahill, associate director.
The new nonimmigrant visa application asks if the individual has entered the green card lottery. United States law requires international students to prove their intent to return to their home countries after graduating.
The government may view entry into the green card lottery as intent to stay in the United States after graduation. By law, the government must deny a new visa to these individuals.
Vanafill said it was unclear whether the U.S. government kept records of people who applied for the green card lottery.
A visa allows a student to come to the United States to study, while a green card grants a student permission to work.
tery.
"They didn't specifically tell us they didn't keep records of that," Vanahill said.
"I know that this new visa application brings some risk, but the reward is worth it," he said. "Getting the green card would be like a dream."
Ramiro Moreno, Asuncion,
Paraguay, sophomore, Joined the
green card lottery in the past and
plans on joining it this year.
Having a hopping good time
The green card lottery makes available up to 55,000 permanent resident immigrant visas each year.
A bumblebee and a bunny share a moment at the Jubilee Cafe benefit concert. The concert was held last night at the Kansas Union Ballroom and all proceeds from the event will go toward the Jubilee Cafe, which is a free breakfast restaurant serving needy members of the community. Photo by Nick Krug/KANSAN
Handful of men study women in KU classes
Edited by Erin Adamson
By Leita Schultes
writer@kanson.com
Kansas staff writer
history Michael McShane—followed them. The class was Gender and Equality, and McShane was aware of his minority status.
Most of the students spent the morning discussing masculinity, but McShane said he sat in class with his mouth shut.
Yesterday morning, nearly 20 women filed out of room 209 in Blake Hall. One man — Timothy Michael McShane — followed them
"I'm kind of a quiet listener," said McShane, Brookfield, Wis., senior. "It's kind of intimidating."
Such behavior is typical for men enrolled in women's studies classes.
"When you are in the minority, sometimes you tend to be quiet," said Marta Vicente, an assistant professor of history who has taught women's studies classes.
Vicente said her women's studies classes were usually 10 percent male students.
At times, McShares's attempt to broaden his mind has been uncomfortable.
Certain topics can be troublesome as well.
"I feel like every time I say something, all eyes are on me," he said.
Certain topics can be troublesome as well. "Sometimes when genitalia is brought up it can be a little uncomfortable and disturbing, but you know, I'm 23. I can get over that," he said.
Most men in women's studies classes are trying to fulfill requirements, but Ben Musser, Lawrence senior, is one of only a couple males majoring in women's studies at the University of Kansas.
"Basically, I just found women more fascinating then men," he said, adding that the first few classes he took "dragged" him into the field.
Musser said that the women in his classes had been accepting and that discussions about women's issues had been fun.
He said his major had changed his perceptions and had made him more sensitive to portrayals of women in society and the media.
"Most men who are in the classes are open enough to different opinions that it doesn't really matter," he said.
MeShane, a film major, hoped the same would happen for him.
He said his dream was to someday make a movie that embodies gender-role reversals
Vicente said men who chose to take women's studies courses could be more understanding than those who face women's issues in other classes.
"Many students, and particularly males, think, 'I'm taking a regular history class, don't talk to me about women,'" she said.
Musser added that men did not understand the atmosphere of women's studies classes.
"Guys are afraid they're a bunch of manhating lesbians," he said. "That's a very unfair evaluation."
Musser said more men should enroll in women's studies classes. He said that their macho friends tease but that girls would appreciate the gesture.
"He's a women's studies major." Musser said his girlfriend tells her friends. "He understands me."
Edited by Sara Nutt
Recording irks callers of short-staffed KU Info
By Jason Krall
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Many students know they can call KU Info for an answer to just about anything. But this semester, students are getting a live representative less often than recent years when they call the hot line.
Susan Elkins, KU Info program director, said KU Info was short on student representatives this semester. The line has about 14 employees but could use at least four more, she said.
Dini Richards, Salina junior and KU Info representative, searches far information about the most popular Halloween costume. Richards said that sometimes shifts weren't filled because KU Info has had problems with being short staffed this semester. Photo by Nick Krug/KANSAN
KU Info answers about 130,000 calls per year. Elkins said, but students called and got the recording more than 33,000 times this September alone. This number includes students who call back repeatedly, she said.
When all representatives are busy, calls are directed to the Jaytalk Line, a recording that lists building hours and events on campus each day. The Jaytalk Line answers students' most common questions.
"There's a lot of information on our Jaytalk Line that answers questions, but people don't listen," Elkins said. "They just hang up."
The recording was added in 1992, about the same time the service stopped operating 24 hours a day. The KU Info Web site, www.ukans.edu/~kuinfo, has links that answer some of the more routine questions.
KU Info operates three lines out of a small office in the Kansas Union. Elkins said the number of lines wasn't the reason students weren't getting through; KU Info simply needs more help.
Elkins said that in January she would like to hire three undergraduate students as representatives and one graduate student to manage the office.
"We have only one person on the phone several times during the day." Elkins said. "We need people who are really lively. This is a really fun place to work."
In addition, representatives answer questions from high school students in evening Web chats on the KU admissions home page.
Representatives use a variety of reference guides and the Internet to answer questions. Many students call with questions about enrollment or faculty office hours at this time in the semester. KU Info does not give out phone numbers for individuals; students should use the phone book for that. Elkins said.
"There's a lot of information on our Jaytalk Line that answers questions,but people don't listen. They just hang up."
Susan Elkins KU Info program director
As a KU Info representative, Brad Weiner, Denver junior, has heard some tough questions and some no-brainers in his time.
"It's fun because you get to see what the entire city's up to at a given time," Weiner said.
KU Info representatives don't claim to be able to answer every question — they do get stumped.
"We're not footproof," Weiner said. "People who sit at home with a 12-pack on Friday night and decide they want to stunn KU Info can probably do it."
KU Info lines are open between 7 a.m. and 2 a.m. every day.
--- Edited by Erin Adamson