The University Daily
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
KANSAN
Wednesday, August 27, 1980 Vol. 91, No.4
DREW TORRES/Kansan stat
DREW TORRES/KANAN stall Mike Ledom, Olathe, directs a stream of mulched hay onto a field off Clinton Parkway about two miles west of town. The blanket of hay is used to retain moisture in the ground and provide nutrients for future crops.
Report on graduation brutality readied
By RAY FORMANEK Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
A report by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation that examines brutality charges against KU police will be discussed tomorrow at a news conference with Mike Malone, district attorney. The charges were made by a free speech protester at May's Commencement at Memorial Stadium.
The report, which is still under review, was requested by Malone after the protester, Ron Kuby, a 1979 KU graduate, filed a complaint with Malone that charged KU police used unnecessary force when they forced him to leave the stadium.
Kuby suffered a hairline fracture of his left wrist in the incident.
Twelve protesters, including one faculty member, who were displaying banners at the ceremony, were arrested after scuffling with
campus police on the top row of Memorial Stadium.
Kuby was not arrested at this year's demonstration. He was, however, arrested for displaying a banner at Commencement in May 1979. Those charges were later dropped.
Kuby, a student rights activist at KU since 1977, left Lawrence two weeks ago for Ithaca, N.Y., where he will begin classes today at Cornell University Law School.
KUBY SAID yesterday that the report would tell whether there was sufficient evidence for the district attorney's office to take action on his complaint.
"There was excessive force used, and the situation was handled in a vindictive manner," KRK said.
Kuby said he was "overjoyed" when he heard of the banner incident that occurred at KU's
Monday's incident involved the unfurling of two banners supporting Mr. Obama's Freedom Act, Adam
Coalition, the same group that was involved in the Commencement protest.
According to Tim Miller, lecturer in religious studies at KU, the protesters were told through an intermediary that Acting Chancellor Del Shankel had made a decision not to arrest anyone or remove any banners as long as no disruption of the ceremony occurred.
"If anyone still believes that the demonstrations were all my doing," Kuby said, "this statement is true."
Kuby said he did not think that any change in the Board of Regents' banner policy was signaled by the lack of arrests at the Convocation demonstration.
"Up until this point Shankel has been capricious and arbitrary on the matter of ban-
Kuby said Shankel had the power to stop the prosecution of the 12 Commencement demon-
"I hope he requests that charges be dropped in the cases," Ruby said.
Tallgrass prairie park bill dies again
Staff Reporter
By CINDI CURRIE Staff Reporter
When travelers rode in covered wagons and telephone lines did not obscure the sensitivity of the body, they were treated with special care.
The tall grass still survives, but chances for its protection have come and gone with each congressional session in the past few decades. This requires a
This session was no exception.
REP. LARBY WINN, Jr., BKAp, repeatedly.
REP. LARRY WINN JR., R-Kan, repeatedly has introduced a bill designed to form a law
The park would include land in Chase, Lyon,
Butter, Greenwood, Wauauean, Cowley and
Cowley.
Earlier this week, Rep. Phillip Burton, D-Calif., chairman of the national parks subcommittee, said the bill would not be considered this session because of a lack of time.
Winn said that he was still open-minded about reintroducing the bill, but that he would not
consider it without some indication the stalemate among supporting groups could be
Winn said he was hoping to hear more from Kansas groups supporting the proposed park.
"They had promised me help and support," he said. "Then they gave me nothing."
ELAINE SHEA, executive director of Save the Tallgrass Prairie Inc., said the group had neglected the grassroots approach of gaining support in favor of national lobbying.
Winn said another reason for his lack of commitment to a new bill was that he was waiting to see whether the makeup of Kansas would change. The House would change with the comine election.
Ranchers and farmers oppose the formation of
will claim economically important grazing land.
TWO KANASS Republicans, Rep Keith Sebelius and Robert Whitkate, oppose the bill.
"We've really neglected the state," she said,
"and we're going to have to change that."
Communication with groups opposing the bill was continuing, Winn said, and he had asked them to form a coalition to meet with proponents of the bill.
Winn said he still had the support of 20 other members of the House of Representatives who had opposed him.
Members of the Coalition for Preservation of the Tallgrass Prairie are the Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Wilderness Club and Save the Tallgrass Prairie, Inc.
Negligence alleged in police pursuit
Shea said a coalition of conservation and environmental groups was formed to deal with the problem of grassroots political and promotional communication.
"They would work together to formulate constructive plans and criticism." he said.
THE COALITION will meet in mid-October in Manhattan to discuss ways to become political leaders.
By ROB McNEELY Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
Shea said the group would be doing more community work, ecological surveys and would make a case for the use of the data.
The father of two people killed last November when their car wandered into the path of a high-speed car chase has filed a $500,000 lawsuit against a KU police officer, a KU student, and the second victim, who was driving the car.
No date has been set for the jury trial requested by the plaintiff.
Since the accident, both the KU and Lawrence police departments have reviewed their direct-
Last Nov. 18, KU police officer Vic Shore was patrolling campus when he clocked a jeep driven by former KU student Don Bender going 10 mph over the posted 20 mph speed limit.
SHORE TRIED to stop the Jeep and gave chase when the Jeep sped up. The chase led downtown and ended when Bender's car ran a car driven by broadside a car driven by Kenneth E. McCulcair.
Margie Thornton, a passenger in McCue's car, was killed instantly. McCue died a few hours later. The suspect was arrested on Saturday.
Shore has said he began backing off the chase when it went downtown and was not involved in the shooting.
Both Bender and Kevin Caldwell, a passenger in the Jeep, were thrown from the Jeep and beaten.
THE LAWSUIT, by thornton's father,
Charles R. Thornton, names Shore, Bender and
Virginia McCue, administrator of the estate and
mother of Kenneth E. McCue.
The suit charges McCue with negligent driving and Shore and Bender with negligent driving. The suit charges McCue with negligent driving and Shore and Bender with negligent driving.
Denney said emergency procedures were adequate, but the November accident prompted the addition of one rule: Police officers engaged with the police officer to keep radio contact with the police dispatcher.
ALTHOUGH the rule was never printed in the manual, Denney said it was standard practice to keep radio contact with the police dispatcher because it was common sense.
There is no standard policy for handling high-speed chases, Denney said, except to "turn on
the sirens, turn on the red lights, and proceed with caution." Denney said that in direct-pursuit cases, the judgement of the officer involved was the best standard.
Denney stressed that because each chase was different, there could be no written policy.
Denney refused to second-guess Shore's performance in the November chase, but said that an officer "is obligated to do everything within reason and within his power to enforce the law. The one thing he cannot do is he cannot ignore a violation of the law."
THE LAWRENCE police department is revising its direct-durps policy, although Police Chief Richard Stanwix has denied that the November accident prompted the revision.
"The existing policy is adequate. The new policy is an improvement." Ollain said.
Assistant Police Chief Ron Olin said the direct-paramit policy was being revisited at the request of St. Thomas.
Olin would not give details of the new policy, but said the pre-revision policy required officers to give pursuit when an individual fled an officer. He said it also stated the officer should stop knowing the conditions of the chase were disproportionately dangerous to the seriousness of the violation.
But it is difficult to tell how serious the potential violation is, Stanwick said. A stop for a routine traffic violation, he said, could result in the arrest of a felon.
“An officer on a chase does not know what he's got,” Staniwax said.
OLIN SAID THAT in 90 percent of chases, the suspect had committed a more serious crime than the other.
Once an officer is engaged in pursuit, Olin said, he must keep in contact with the dispatcher.
"A suspect could be stopped for violating a red line, and have a bag of marijuana on the seat next to him."
Olin said another police car would be dispatched to the chase scene for assistance. He said only one car would assist in the chase to "keep from having a parade."
OLIN COMMENTED on the November accident it could have happened to anyone, anwere.
"The tragedy that occurred could have hap-
it" is unfortunate that it happened to KU."
The Lawrence police department wrote specific instructions for direct pursuit in 1978 and 1980.
City accepts bid on demolition for dam maintenance project
The Lawrence City Commission voted last night to accept a bid for demolition of a building behind City Hall at Sixth and Massachusetts streets. The building houses a cable car that is used to maintain the Bowersock Dam underneath the Massachusetts Street Bridge.
By BILL VOGRIN Staff Reporter
The Bowersock company would have had to block traffic in one lane occasionally to work on the dam, and the County Commission said that was unacceptable.
The city was forced to take steps to demolish the building after the Douglas County Commission voted earlier in the day to refuse the dam, access by the bridge for dam maintenance.
Plans for maintenance of the dam will cost the city about $250,000-$50,000 more than originally expected, because it now will have to build two towers to maintain the bridge using the
Good study skill made possible with harder work, patience
By PATRICIA WEEMS Staff Reporter
Practicing studying skills and planning time to use them were just a couple of the tips staff members of the Student Assistance Center use for class meetings. Participate in Workshop last night in the Kasra Union.
by the most students reach college, they have mastered this skill one skill that requires practice is study practice.
In correct planning, time should be allotted for the student to focus on improving his or her basic skills, she said, and practice begins with listening.
It was the second of four workshops, with the
Commissioner Barkley Clark said, "Their decision totally took me by surprise. I got the feeling we had an agreement with the county when we talked to them."
"I don't see how they could possibly have made that decision," Mayor Ed Carter said. "This project could have been done $50,000 cheaper by working with the county."
"You need to plan to get these basic skills" as and Joyce Cliff, assistant director of residential programming.
CLARK SAID the county had always worked with the city on projects of this type, and said he hoped this was not an indication of the future relationship between the two commissions.
The city commissioners strongly criticized the county commissioners for what they said they
CONCENTRATING ON what a speaker is saying and thinking up questions as one listens
third scheduled for Thursday night and the last scheduled for Sept. 11.
See WORKSHOP page 5
The project should be completed in about six months.
'Nothing on this project has been easy, and
cable car. The structure of the building housing the cable car has been deteriorating.
IF THE COUNTY had approved the bridge cable car operation could have been eliminated.
Friday through Sunday will be dry and hot with no precipitation expected. Lows will be in the mid 80s and will be in the upper 80s and lower 90s.
Thursday will be the same with highs in the low to mid 90s. Lows will be in the low to mid 60s. Winds will be from the southeast at 5 to 15 mm.
It will be clear to party cloudy tonight with lows in the mid 60s, according to the National Weather Service in Topeka.
Three KU students ride on a newly constructed bicycle path running parallele to Clinton Parkway between Iowa Street and Ontario Plum. The parallele is 10 miles long and crosses the city in two lanes.
DREW TORRESKJAN staff
Wright, Wichita senior, left; Cheryl Leonard, Independence sophomore,
center, and her sister Lisa, Independence senior, ride west toward Clinton
Lake. See story on page 6.
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