CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, November 19, 1992
3
Jeff Peters / Special to the KANSAN
Hanging around
Kevin Powell, Kent McPherson and Shannon McPherson, workers with McPherson Wrecking of Topeka, demolish a staircase at the Kansas Union to make room for a new elevator. The workers were working on the demolition yesterday. The Union is in the second stage of Phase II renovation, which involves renovation of the north part of the building.
Senate passes Lecture Series
$10,000 goes to speakers; move to increase veto power of president fails
By Stacy Morford Kansan staff writer
Student Senate last night refused to discuss raising the student activity fee, failed to increase the student body president's veto power and finally agreed to give $10,000 to the KU Lecture Series, all in four hours of debate.
The Student Executive Committee also recommended to Senate that it consider spending $22,000 of its money that had been set aside as a cushion, but place a cap on spending the other $140,000 in case a crisis arose.
Graduate senator Dave Gawell tried to increase Senate's budget by bringing a bill off the floor that would raise the student fee from $25 a semester to $45 a semester. But Senate voted to not even hear the proposal and instead sent it to the finance committee for a recommendation.
Another bill that would have made it difficult for Senate to override a veto by the student body president also was voted down. The bill, which was passed by the Student Rights Committee, 13 to 3, would have required one-third more votes to override a veto than it took to pass it the first time.
"This veto could have serious ramifications," said Kristin Lange, StudEx chairperson. "For pure reasons of ethics, it is inappropriate for us
to make this kind of a change in mid-stream."
To change Senate's rules and regulations would take a two-thirds vote of the Senate. The proposal to increase the power of the veto failed by a margin of three votes.
Senate later voted to suspend its rules and regulations so it could make one more attempt to finance the Lecture Series that would bring a prominent speaker to KU.
The Lecture Series bill began at $20,000,
passed the finance committee at $10,000 and
was voted down in Senate two weeks ago. The
finance committee shot it down in a second
attempt last week. Last night, Senate passed it at
$10,000 after Eric Medil, Nunemaker senator
who represents freshmen and sophomores in
the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,
brought it off the floor.
Lange told the senators that they did have the money to pass the bill, and that they still would have money to finance other groups as well. But if Senate does not finance the series, then there probably will be no series, she said.
"This is going to affect a lot of people," Medill said. "They've been working hard on it, and I know they can bring somebody the people would love to see."
"This is a student lecture series," Lange said. "If the Student Senate won't put any money into it, no one else will either. Everyone is waiting to see what we do."
The lecture series finally passed with more than two-thirds of the votes and was followed by a round of applause.
Towers fight for parking
Residents expect basketball fans will take over lot
By Christine Laue Kansan staff writer
As KU basketball fans scream for their team at tonight's exhibition game, Jayhawk Towers' residents might be screaming because some of those fans have stolen their parking spaces.
A solution to the parking problem does not seem to be in the near future.
The KU Parking Board voted against allowing the Towers to monitor the lots during home basketball games. Donna Hultine, assistant director of parking, said the board denied the request from the Jahawaker Towers Tenants Association because the Parking Department already had budgeted this year's money and would be held liable if an accident involving the monitors were to happen.
The JTTA had requested that four people monitor the lots 90 minutes before and into the games. The association would issue the stickers to residents with cars. The stickers, which would distinguish cars belonging to people living at the Towers and those of people living at residence halls, would allow Towers' residents into the lots. The JTTA already purchased the stickers with the understanding that it could go ahead and pursue its plan, but the Parking Board's decision means residents probably will have to put up with the parking situation for one more basketball season.
"They could come back with a proposal for next year," Hutline said.
She said solving the problem this year was difficult because of the liability issue.
Whether the monitors would be Towers residents or Parking Department employees, the department would be perceived as the responsible party for any accidents involving the monitors.
Other immediate solutions are few, she said. One possible solution would be positioning barricades at the lots' entrances, but then residents could not get in or out of the lots.
However, Hultine said the board would listen to JTTA members if they wished to pursue a plan for this year.
Rick Zikes, advisor of JTTA, said he would attend today's meeting of the Parking Board. He said that he wanted to research other possible solutions and consult the association to see if it wanted to pursue any of those other possibilities.
Ray Newby, co-president of JTTA, said he would like to pursue other solutions.
"If we can find some way to work something out, we will." Newby said.
Research: Joe Harder, Kansan staff writer
Dan Schauer / KANSAN
City seeks ordinance for carriages
By Kristy Dorsey
Kansan staff writer
Beverly Ray (left), of Lawrence, and Rob Phillips, manager of the Eldridge Hotel, prepare to take a carriage ride with their 14-year-old Bejanian draft horse, Patty.
Rob Phillips, owner of the Kansas Carriage Company Inc. and general manager of the Eldridge Hotel, 701 Massachusetts St., was granted a 120-day temporary permit by the Lawrence City Commission three weeks ago when business until a formal ordinance is adopted.
Humane society representatives and city officials are meeting with the owner of a fledgling horse-drawn carriage business to develop a city ordinance to regulate the business in Lawrence.
Although Lawrence Humane Society representatives had expressed reservations about how the operation would affect the animals, the first meeting between Phillips, the humane society and city officials went well, said Tammy Bannister, assistant to the city manager.
"I think they are working together exceptionally well," she said. "The their fundamental goal is the same. The humane society wants the animals to be treated well, and Mr. Phillips has a big incentive to take care of those horses as best as he can."
However, Bannister said there were some problems at that meeting. Confusion arose about a list of horse-drawn carriage operators, and was added by the United States Human Society.
"We just sat down and walked through the list of the humane society's concerns and found that there were some areas where we didn't have a good understanding of what they were trying to get at," she said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to sit back down and clear up some of these areas."
Bannister said there would not be another meeting between the groups until after
Thanksgiving.
Phillips said he was concerned about taking proper care of Patty, the 14-year-old Belgian draft horse that draws his carriage.
"I don't want inhume treatment of animals," he said. "But I don't think it's inhumane."
The carriage, which is operating out of the beer garden located directly south of the Eldridge Hotel, is only running on the weekends, Phillips said. However, he is getting many requests for special events such as weddings, formals and anniversaries.
Phillips said he thought the business added to the charm of downtown Lawrence.
"It's a way to see downtown Lawrence that people haven't been able to see before," he said.
Pam Olmsted, a member of the board of directors for the Lawrence Humane Society, said she thought Phillips was doing a good addressing the humane society's concerns.
Olmsted also said that she thought Patty would be able to work more than four hours a day, the work day suggested in the U.S. Humane Society's guidelines.
"Most of the veterinarians that I have talked to say that because it's a draft horse, there's no problem with it working seven hours a day, because that is what it's bred for." she said.
Olmsted, Phillips and Bannister all said that they had not received any complaints about the carriage business since it began operating.