Brother, it's fun
SINCE 1889
Berry brothers live out dream of playing on same team. See page 13.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, NOV 6,1985,VOL 96,NO.53 (USPS 650-640)
Cooler
Details page 3.
Man has paid KU $60 of $257,000 owed
By David Silverman Of the Kansan staff
When Steve McMurry was paroled in December, he was ordered to begin repaying more than $257,000 that he was convicted of embezling from the KU on Wheels bus system.
As of yesterday, McMurry had repaid only $60 to the University, according to the University comproller and Douglas County District Court records.
Mc Murry, who had been director of the bus system since 1974, was arrested in September 1982 and charged in Douglas County District Court with five counts of felony theft of property.
He was sentenced in July 1983 and ordered to pay $257.061.17 in restitution to the Univer-
city. He also was sentenced to four concourse two to five-year jail terms and one two to five-year sentence, which was to run concurrently with the other four
On Nov 23, 1984, a Douglas County district judge granted an appeal and modified McMurry's sentence, making all five jail terms run concurrently.
Mc Murray was paroled Dec. 21, 1984, after serving 17 months in state prison.
John Patterson, University comptroller,
said yesterday that his office had received
two payments from the district court totaling
$60.
"We've left it up to the courts to see what action should be taken," he said. "They are responsible for making sure that there is adequate reimbursement."
pentheon
Tim Bolzer, Lawrence senior and chairman
of the Transportation Board, said the board originally recommended that McMurry be paroled. The board asked for McMurry's release because "he could not pay anything back if he was in jail." Boller said.
Mec Murry, who now lives in Denver and works at an art gallery, said yesterday that he had encountered problems making the payments.
"Given my background, making the payments is difficult." McMurray said. "The court never specified when the payments had to be made. There's a limited amount I can do. I realize my responsibilities, and I'll live up to them."
McMurry would not say what his income was or when he would make his next payment on the debt.
According to court records, McMurry's last payment was made Feb. 14. It was $20
last payment was made to Chuck Simmons, the chief counsel for the Kansas Department of Corrections, said that he agreed to a contract McMurry signed when he was paroled, he was to make monthly payments on the debt as directed by his parole officer.
parole officer. In June, McMurry moved to Colorado and had his parole supervision transferred to a Colorado parole office in Fort Collins.
"He is under supervision in Colorado, and I assume the money will be sent from there to the University," Simmons said.
Paul Cooper, McMurray's parole officer in Fort Collins, said that McMurray had recently moved to the Denver area and was no longer under his supervision.
"We told him to send the money to the
University," he said. "We didn't want to touch the money."
Van Wistman, McMurry's new parole officer in Lakewood, Colo., said he had not met with McMurry. He was scheduled to meet with McMurry today.
Boller said he was waiting for the University's general counsel to take action.
n we don't receive more compensation before his next parole review, we'll write a letter that will recommend that his parole be revoked," he said.
According to Patterson, University officials were tipped off to the misuse of funds in 1982 when a check, made out to the Student Senate, which oversees the bus system, bounced. The check had been deposited into a University State Bank account apparently created by McMurry
Halls darkened bv cable failure
By Theresa Scott Of the Kansan staff
Eleven campus buildings were without electricity for more than two hours yesterday because of a power cable that malfunctioned. KU officials said yesterday.
The power outage caused some classes, tests and work routines to be altered or canceled in the powerless buildings.
Robin Eversole, director of University relations, said Snow Hall, Lindley Hall, Marvin Hall, Hoch Auditorium, the Military Science Building and its annex, Summerfield Hall, Watkins Hospital, the Computer Center, the Haworth Hall addition, KANU-FM studios and the Art and Design Building were without power for two hours and 15 minutes.
non Porter, associate director of facilities operations, said the power outage occurred about 12:30 p.m. yesterday.
While facilities operations workers wrestled with the power outage, some students were glad about the loss of light.
A power line feeding off the cross-campus tie line breaker, which connects the campus's two incoming power lines, shorted and the buildings relying on it for electricity were plunged into darkness.
Carol Blubaugh, Lawrence senior, said her BUS 610, Financial Accounting III, test was canceled because there were no windows in the classroom to let in natural light.
"Most of us rejoiced." she said. "Well, I did, anyway. I wasn't ready for the test."
An official in the dean of business' office said that classes had gone on as usual but that some classes had been shifted to rooms with windows. Howard Hill, director of KANU EM., he station could 'read
Howard Hill, director of RANU-FM, said the station couldn't broaden its coverage.
He said the station had a small, 12-volt battery-operated generator that kept the telephones and a few other machines running for about two hours before the batteries ran out.
Hill said the main concern at the station was that the data from their fund-raising effort last week would be lost in the computer. However, he said, the information was still there when the electricity was restored.
Some classes, such as Ken Sprecklemeyer's ARCH 510 Computer-Aided Design Techniques were canceled because of the lack of light.
Other activities in some of the buildings were carried on as usual despite the darkness.
He said physicians and nurses continued to see patients with flashlights and in rooms with windows, although
Jim Strobi, director of Watkins Hospital, said the power outage was an inconvenience, but physicians and administrators carried on their duties as well as they could in the dark.
See POWER p. 5, col. 3
Art prone
Joe Steiner, Kansas City, Mo. freshman, gets a ground-level perspective in front of Hoch Auditorium for his drawing of part of Jayhawk Boulevard
Alan Hagman/KANSAN
Steiner was doing an assignment for his architectural graphics class yester day afternoon.
Hard times hurt return on KUEA farms
By Sandra Crider
Special to the Kansan
Wheat fields may not crop up on Jayhawk Boulevard, and cows may not graze on Daisy Hill, but the farm crisis still hits Mount Oread.
Martin Henry, KUEA vice president for property management, said last week that good yields on this
The Kansas University Endowment Association is one place where the downward trend in commodity prices has a direct effect. The Endowment Association owns 36,000 acres of farmland, most of it in southwestern Kansas.
Returns on the association's agricultural investments were down about $35,000 from the previous year, according to the 1985 KUEA report for fiscal year 1985. Fiscal year 1986 started July 1.
year's crops had helped counterbalance falling prices.
"That isn't to say prices can't hurt our overall farm income," he said. "It was down moderately last year."
"If I were to make a forecast, I'd say it will be down again this year." A survey released yesterday by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City indicates farmland values in Kansas fell an average of 20 percent in the past 12 months, equaling the record plunges during the Great Depression.
Over the past four years, the selling price of an acre of good Kansas farmland fell from $770 to $446, a 42 percent drop. Ranchland sells now for an average $209 an acre, compared with $395 an acre four years ago.
Ranchland values in the past year fell 25 percent on average and irrigated farmland now is worth 17 percent less than it was 12 months ago.
Mark Drabbennott, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank, said the most recent drops were steeper than ever before and could be expected to continue their pattern for at least the next two quarters, when many farm loan decisions are made.
The survey indicates that farmland values continued to decline this summer. Farmland was down 6 percent, the same drop recorded for spring. Irrigated land fell more sharply, by 7.5 percent, compared with only 1 percent in spring. Ranchland values fell 10.5 percent this summer, compared with 7.5 percent in spring.
The survey of 54 Kansas banks is done on a quarterly basis. Farmland values vary greatly, so the figures are averages.
because farm loans are usually secured with land. As land values drop, the protection against default diminishes.
Henry said the declining prices were not as critical for those who own and supply the operating capital as they were for the farmers.
Banks, meanwhile, are hurting
the Endowment Association's report for fiscal year 1985 indicates that agriculture investments accounted for less than 4 percent of KUEA's total investments, although last year's larger farm income was about 5 percent. The association had more than a 20 percent increase on total investments in fiscal 1985 compared with 1984.
Meanwhile, farmers such as Robert Bacon, who farms 80 acres near Hutchinson for KUEA, are forced to be ultraconservative because the odds are stacked against them
Bacon said he had not purchased any new machinery in the past two years.
He said he and his family not only had to be cautious with their business but also had to tighten their personal budget because of low commodity prices.
pri
"I don't have as much money to spend after I pay my expenses," he said. "Sometimes I don't have any money to spend after I pay my expenses.
"We shut off our water heater now whenever we aren't using it.
"Our living standards have gone down a lot. I used to take my wife out to eat once in a while. Now I don't."
Bacon is one of the farmers who share seed and fertilizer costs with the Endowment Association.
See FARMLAND, p. 5, col. 1
Fall Student Senate elections lack competition
By Bonnie Snyder Of the Kansan staff
Nearly half of candidates are unopposed
Twenty-seven of the 66 candidates from the Chrysalis and Common Sense coalitions are running unopposed and will remain unopposed unless write-in candidates join the campaign.
No one is running against nearly half of the senatorial candidates in this fall's Student Senate elections.
In addition, the schools of business and journalism do not have enough candidates to fill the available Senate seats. The school of law and "Special" students have no candidates running.
David Day, chairman of the Student Senate Elections Committee, said the Senate would have to appoint senators from the schools if no one ran for the seats in the Nov. 20-21 elections.
Ruth Lichtward, vice presidential candidate for the Chrysalis Coalition, said yesterday. "It doesn't sit too well with me that someone can
David Epstein, presidential candidate for the Common Sense Coalition, said, "It's going to be really difficult to motivate our candidates."
Lichtwardt said she would encourage students to enter the race as write-in candidates.
"I hope some people in the schools where people are running unopposed care enough to say, 'Hey, this shouldn't be.'"
"Please, oppose our candidates," she said.
"Just do something."
get elected without ever finding out what the people want.
Twenty-five of Common Sense's 48 candidates and two of Chrysalis' 18 candidates do not have opponents.
Epstein said he was disappointed that so few candidates were running. He said he wanted his senators to get the chance to prove their worth.
Steve Glicchir, senatorial candidate from the Common Sense Coalition for the School of Engineering, said he would campaign the same way he would if he were being strongly opposed. Five people are running for four engineering seats.
Dennis Enslinger, senatorial candidate from the Chrysalis Coalition for the School of Fine Arts, said, "I know if I'm unopposed, I'll probably get a seat, but I still want to make people aware of what's going on in my school."
Lichtwart said running Senate candidates unposed was comparable on a small scale to presidents in some countries running without opponents. The voters have no choice.
aware of what's going on. He said that although senators were chosen to represent schools, he had not seen many of them addressing issues that concerned their schools. Two candidates are running for the two fine arts seats.
The closed meeting, at 3:15 p.m. in the Regents Room, will be a continuation of informal meetings the students and administrators conducted this summer, David Amber, vice chancellor for student affairs, said yesterday.
Students did not run for several reasons, she said. Some students did not have time, some were uncomfortable with the Senate structure, some saw no reason for change and some were apathetic.
Members of the KU Committee on South Africa and KU administrators will meet today in Strong Hall to discuss activities and concerns of students against apartheid.
Protesters not charged yet p..8.
She referred to a coalition that ran two years ago called Apathy — It Just Doesn't Matter.
S. Africa discussion to resume
Six independent candidates are running, but none are unopposed. The deadline for write-in candidates to file in the Student Senate office is Nov. 17.
By Jennifer Benjamin Of the Kansan staff
Epstein said he hoped students still would be interested in the elections because the presidential and vice presidential platforms were clearly different.
"I have the sneaking suspicion that if that coalition ran now, they'd win," Lichtwardt said.
Two Common Sense candidates are running against each other for the School of Social Welfare seat.
Although students and administrators do not know exactly what direction the informal group will take, they have decided to continue to meet.
Ambler said each member of the group probably had his own goals in mind. Specific group goals were not established.
Ambier said Chancellor Gene A Budig appointed him, Frances Horowitz, vice chancellor for research, graduate studies and service, and Del Shankel, professor of microbiology and biochemistry, to talk with students about such issues
The group formed after a meeting Budig conducted with members of
See FORCE, p. 5, col. 5