CM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58
1 CENTIMETER = 0.3937 INCHES - 1 METER = 39.37 INCHES OR 3.28083 FEE I OR 1.0936 VDS - 1 INCH = 2.54 CENTIMETERS - 1 DECIMETER = 3.937 IN OR 0.328 FOOT
1 FOOT = 3.048 DECIMETERS - 1 YARD = 0.9144 METER
SINCE 1889
Drinking laws slam the door on specials, 18-year-olds. City/area, p. 1.
Harder now to swallow
Chasing Rainbows
No vacation for Jayhawks in Honolulu next weekend. Sports p. 1.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE, VOL. 96, NO 1 (USPS 650-640)
AT&T rings up sales by default
By Jennifer Benjamin
Staff Reporter
Ask people to make a decision, and many times they simply choose not to choose.
Such was the case with about 70 percent of Lawrence's telephone customers, including many students, who did not choose a company to handle their long-distance calls by July 27, said David Nichols; community relations manager of Lawrence's office in the Benton Bell Telephone Co. office.
The other 30 percent of Lawrence's phone customers chose among AT&T, MCI Telecommunications Corp. and GTE Sprint, the companies offering the easy access dialing service in Lawrence.
Easy access dialing followed the breakup of American Telephone and Telegraph Cs in 1984 and enables users to compete equally with AT&T
Those who did not make a choice have defaulted to AT&T for now. Nichols said, but will have another option to choose near the first of the year.
Students, including those in fraternities, sororities and scholarship halls, and other new Lawrence phone customers will have to choose a company when they fill out an application for phone service.
Students in residence halls have phones, but can't make long-distance calls unless they choose a company.
Those customers who defaulted to AT&T will receive ballots in the mail sometime in early 1986, asking them to attend a tree of free charge, Nichols said.
Nelson will "independently and randomly assign people to one of the long-distance companies," Nichols said.
The people will be given between four and six weeks to choose. If they don't reply, Nichols said, their names would go on a marketing Company in St. Louis.
Southwestern Bell chose the Nelson Marketing Company so the distributions would be fair and random, Nichols said.
design it to company but should
another long distance company if
they want, Nichols said, but switch
costs $15.13.
Clyde Chapman, director of Consumer Affairs, 819 Vermont St., said he thought many callers didn't choose a long-distance company because it was easier not to bother with deciding.
Callers who have chosen or been
Chapman said students should consider carefully which long-distance company would serve them best.
Students are concerned about money, Chapman said, but they also should consider a company's quality of service.
He said, "The cheapest rates do not guarantee you the best service.
"A lot of people want to know what's the best long-distance service, but it depends on what you need. It's better to judge what's best for students."
John Lechiter/KANSAN
All the companies offer discounts for their customers, Chamman said. Students should figure out when they make most of their calls and where to often they call. Then they can make comparisons among the companies.
But, he said, students also should consider aspects such as how clear the line will be and when operators will be on duty to help with problems.
"I think a large portion of the 70 percent will stay with AT&T," he said.
Chapman said students should consider benefits a company has to offer.
KU housing and office phones use AT&T.
Mike Kalai, account representative for AT&T, said AT&T had a "Call Me Card," with which students could call their parents at home and charge their parents for the call.
Trails of cars stream through the campus and city during the days problems Tuesday afternoon at 15th Street and Naismith Drive by before the start of the semester. Eric Smith, KU police officer, relieved directing traffic.
Bill McHale, director of public relations for the southwest division of MCI, said MCI also had a credit card.
When considering a long-distance company, students should check
Syd Courseon, media relations manager for GTE Sprint, said Sprint had a card called the "Travel Code."
See Service, p. 8, col. 1
KU officers rank low on salary scale
Staff Reporter
Despite a 10 percent pay raise that went into effect this summer, the top two KU student body officers still make less than their counterparts at Kansas State and Wichita State universities.
effective July 1, the beginning of fiscal year 1988. The internal budget included all expenses related to the Senate, such as payment of officers' salaries and maintenance of the Senate office in the Kansas Union.
William Easley, student body president, and Jeff Polack, student body vice president, received the pay raises this summer, increasing Easley's salary to $275 a month and Polack's to $350 a month.
The raises, part of the 1986 internal budget approved in Januarv. became
"In the end, when you look at the whole year, it comes out about 40 hours a week and $1.75 an hour," Esvald said last week.
Student officers are required to spend at least 20 hours a week on the job.
Wichita State Student Association treasurer. The Student Association vice president and treasurer each receive $333 monthly.
The student body president at Kansas State University is paid $200 monthly. The K-State student senate chairman is paid $225 monthly.
Easily said there had been no pay increase for KU officers in several years. Rising tuition costs and the inability to work outside, impossible to住 outside an outhouse, be impossible
Easley also said the raise was necessary to entice candidates to run for office.
"We did it thinking we'll get some money down the road," he said, "but we also did it for the new administratice increases in tuition, books and books."
Two years ago, the KU student body president's salary was $250 monthly, and the vice president's was $200.
Easley's predecessor, Carla Vogel, split the $0 difference with Dennis "Boog" Higherger, then vice president. Both received $225 monthly.
James was freed last month on $50,000 bond and was a patient at the Kansas institute in Olathe during the evaluation.
See SENATE, p. 8, col. 6
Judge rules ex-student fit for trial
By The Kansan Staff
Former KU student Tammy James on Monday was declared competent to stand trial for first-degree murder in connection with the strangulation of her newborn son.
Grishaw based his decision on the reports of two physicians appointed by the court. The doctors found that James was competent because she understood the charges against her and would be able to assist her attorney in preparation of the case.
Johnson County Judge Pro Tern William Grisham declared James, 22, of Olathe, competent and scheduled a preliminary hearing for 2 p.m. Aug. 30 in Johnson County District Court to hear Dennis Moore said Monday.
James, who was present at the 10-minute hearing, sat silently as the judge delivered his ruling, Moore said.
James is charged with the premeditated killing of her infant son at her parents' home in Oathe, Moore said. According to the Johnson County coroner, the infant was strangled shortly after he was born, although the exact time of death could not be established.
Police said then that James 'father found the dead child wrapped in a blanket in his daughter's bedroom about three hours after she was taken to Olathe Community Hospital for treatment of excessive bleeding.
James told police and hospital personnel at the time that she had not been pregnant and denied having the baby.
James, a KU junior last year, was living at her parents' home for the summer. Authorities have said that there was no indication that James' parents knew their daughter was pregnant.
Ronald Willis, theatre department chairman, plays master of ceremonies during Traditions Night on Tuesday as he welcomes the freshman class to campus. See story, p. 3.
Buddy Mangine/KANSAN
4 fraternities owe taxes on property
By Gary Duda
Staff Reporter
Four KU fraternities were listed earlier this month on the Douglas County treasurer's office's list of delinquent property taxpayers.
The living groups, Acacia, Kappa Sigma and Alpha Phi Alpa, along with Phi Kappa Theta, owe nearly $12,000 in 1984 property taxes. The amount will continue to increase until the compounded daily will be added to the debts, Ruth Vervynk, Douglas County treasurer, said Tuesday.
The list, released Aug. 9, said Phil Kappa Theta, 1941 Stewart Ave., was among the top 20 delinquent tax liens in Michigan and owns back taxes of more than $8,000.
Two of the houses also must pay taxes from earlier years, according to the treasurer's office. Acacia, 1100 Indiana St., owes taxes dating back to 1881 and Phi Kappa Theta ows 1983 and 1984 property taxes.
Verrynck said taxes owed by the two fraternities were a problem because of the large amounts and the long period of non-payment.
She said action would not be taken
this year against the houses because taxes must be delinquent for four years before the treasurer's office is able to auction the property. Once four years have passed, pileup at the tax office delays the auction process.
Acacia, however, is approaching that deadline. Veryrynk said that if the fraternity did not pay its taxes by January 31, it could be auctioned off by the county
Phi Kappa Theta owes $6,233.52 in property taxes for the past two years.
Schmidt said that Phi Kappa Theta was making payments against the back taxes, but that the 18 percent in charge it made more difficult to erase the debt.
"The house had a problem back in the mid '70s." Schmidt said, so the money we are paying now goes on previous years' property taxes.
property rights of the past two years.
Harlow Schmidt, president of the fraternity, said the property tax problem dated back to the 1970s.
Vervynck said fraternity and sorority property taxes usually were not a problem. But often, she said, the same houses were delinquent.
Former tenants sue for return of security deposits
By Jill White Staff Reporter
Mike Lewis says he learned this summer that apartment security deposits sometimes aren't returned as quickly as the law says they must be.
New Lewis, Grand Island, Neb,
senior, is suing the managers of the apartments where he lived last year to recover $500,000 that the securi-
ty still owned him.
"I don't like getting taken." Lewis said earlier this week, "so I decided to sue them for all I could get."
Last spring, Lewis said, he obtained a statement from his manager at Gatehouse Apartments, 216 W. 28th St., New York City, for security deposit in four to five weeks.
Lewis said he expected a return of $250 by the end of June.
Since May, eight suits have been filed in Douglas County Small Claims Court against Gatehouse for unreturned security deposits plus a penalty allowed by law. Seven tenants filled similar suits against Jayhawk, West Apartments, 524 Frontier Road, and three tenants fenced against Village Square Apartments, 850 Avalon Road.
Lewis is not alone in trying to recover unretuned security deposits. Since January, 27 suits have been filed in Douglas County seeking refunds.
Lewis said that when he discovered that his landlord was waiting until this fall to pay him — when new neighbors were moving in, the old ones — he decided to get ad-
"I's a common problem," said Cynthia Holly, director of the legal service group. "Every year we see a lot of fraud." The real thing is netting security deposits returned.
A tenant whose security deposit is not refunded within 30 days is entitled to sue for 150 percent of the deposit plus the original deposit.
Under the Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant Acct, a landlord must refund damage no more than 2 days after inspection or 14 days after damage is assessed.
Week and tenant may be entitled to the deposit refund, depending on the condition of the apartment when they move in. Tenants do not receive the money because
they forget to leave a forwarding address, she said.
Nirmal Roy, staff attorney with Legal Services for Students, said he usually recommended a series of measures to recover unrelearned security deposits.
But many times the management is clearly at fault, she said. Lewis said his problems stemmed from a change in management during the summer. He maintains that under pressure delay in payment entitles him to $625.
After determining that the tenant is entitled to the return, a certified letter should be sent to the manager along with a copy to the out-of-state landlord. The landlord receives 50% of the amount due. If the deposit is 30 days late, the amount demanded
would include the deposit plus 150 percent.
Usually the management service will return an acknowledgment slip and a check for the deposit without the penalty. Roy said. If this happens, students must be careful not to leave the deposit in full. The deposit has been paid in full. By doing so, Roy said, they waive their rights to recover the penalty.
If the check has no markings, Roy said, former tenants can sign the check and write "under protest, accepting as partial payment of claim" on the check, sign their name and file suit in the Douglas County Small Claims Court for the remaining amount.
Roy said some problems may arise
See DEPOSITS, p. 9, col. 1