VOTE TODAY Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
VOL.102.NO.52
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1992
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
(USPS 650-640)
Campaign ends; decision begins
Bush and Clinton are even in Kansas, poll says
By Lynne McAdoo Kansan staff writer
After months of candidates, crises and commercials, droves of U.S. voters will go to the polls today to select the next U.S. president.
Although Kansas in the past has been a Republican stronghold, this year the election is a toss-up between President George Bush and Democratic nominee Bill Clinton, according to a statewide poll.
The poll, published in Sunday's *Topeka Capital-Journal*, showed Bush and Clinton each deadlocked at 33 percent as independent candidate Rosel Perot trails with 22 percent. In the survey of 1,000 registered voters who plan to vote, 12 percent said they were undecided.
The Central Research Corporation of Topeka conducted the poll, which had a margin of error of three points.
NEWS:864-4810
But a Cable News Network /USA Today national poll of 1,562 registered voters, Clinton was ahead with 44 percent. Bush had 36 percent, and Perot received 14 percent. Six percent of those polled were undecided. The poll also had a margin of error of three percentage points.
Kansas had a record 1.36 million voters register this year, with 75 percent of the voting-age population registering to vote, said John Reinhart of the Kansas Secretary of State's Office. The last voter registration record was set in 1984 with 1.29 million voters. The population of Kansas is currently about 2.48 million.
Kansas Secretary of State Bill Graves predicted yesterday an 87 percent voter turnout with 1.2 million Kansans going to the polls. The previous record was 1.02 million in the presidential election in 1984
when Ronald Reagan defeated Walter Mondale. In 1988, 1 million Kansans voted, but only 933.04* voted in the presidential election.
In other election contests:
Three candidates are vying for the 2nd District state senate seat: Republican Publican Praeger, Libertarian Woods and Democrat Joyce Wolf
The Capital-Journal poll also showed that Republican Sen. Bob Dole had a lead of 63 percent to 31 percent over Democratic challenger Gloria O'Dell. Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Jan Myers led Democrat candidate Tom Love 58 percent to 30 percent in the 3rd District, which includes Lawrence.
In the race for the 44th District state House seat are three candidates: Democrat Barbara Ballard, Republican Brian Kubota and Libertarian Jay Germano.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Lawrence voters also will decide a liquor by the drink question and a school bond issue. Voters across the state will decide two Kansas Constitution questions: a state-wide system of taxation and an amendment concerning victim's rights.
In the race for the 45th District state House seat are three candidates: Democrat Forrest Swall, Kahan, Libertarian Michael Davidson.
Democratic incumbent Betty Jo Charlton, Republican Neva Entrikn and Libertarian Matt Conrad are running for the 46th District state House post.
Liquor stores and places selling 3.2 beer will be closed during poll hours.
The Associated Press contributed information to this story.
Shakeup in the Statehouse
A third of all state legislators did not seek re-election this year, compared with 13 percent in 1988. Here's how pre-Election Day turnover shapes up in both houses;
House of Representatives
34 of 125 state representatives did not seek reelection this year.
17 did not run for re-election in 1988
16 of 40 state senators did not seek re-election this year.
Senate
Dan Schauer/KANSAN
5 did not run for re-election in 1988.
South end of Union to be reopened
Temporary wall comes down, completing first of two phases
By Christine Laue
Kansan staff writer
Curious students peek around the temporary wallboard wall at the Kansas Union like children sneaking a look at their Christmas gifts.
As moving crews assembled work stations for the Student Union Activities office inside, construction workers outside used table saws to sand the red bricks for the plaza area.
Construction crews yesterday began to dismantle the temporary wall that has divided the Union since March, when the Union renovation started. Students on Thursday will be able to see what has been behind the wall, as the southeast entryway opens and the first stage of the renovation comes to an end.
Technicians worked to move the automated teller machines from the temporary inside location to their new location in a special indoor area at the south end of the Union's southeast entry. The machines before the renovation were located outside, at the north end of the southeast entry.
"You can actually get out of the weather to do your business with them," said Pat Beard, manager of building services at the Union.
He said the machines were out of service only during their move and were scheduled to open late afternoon yesterday.
Also scheduled for this week is the opening of the SUA office and the south entryway. Because of delays in construction, the first stage of the two-part project is running a little behind, Beard said. Rainy weather and late arrival of some materials caused the delay.
"It's not unusual for a renovation project like this," Beard said.
He said the delay should not affect the second stage, which will start Monday on the northern portion and which is expected to be completed sometime in June. The switch from construction on the south end to the north end will cause some new temporary walls to be put up to redirect traffic.
Students will be able to use both the north and south entryways Thursday and Friday, but only the south entry starting Monday. That new route will lead students through the south doors and through the new south lobby. Students still will be able to use the information booth and post office and get to their classes, Beard said.
He said the construction presented a challenge to keep the Union's services open to the more than 10,000 people that passed through every day. But he said the inconvenience would be worth the wait.
"It's going to be a really nice usable space," he said.
Moving into their new space at the Union yesterday were Sue Morrell, program department manager for SUA, and Todd Hatton, SUA president. Hatton said that the new space, which provides SUA with four offices, has a good location because it is by the south entry.
He said that the temporary SUA office at the Burge Union will be open through Wednesday and that the new office will open at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Their information telephone line is not operating, but people can get tickets for the Lemonheads concert Nov. 9 at both locations when they are enclosed.
After SUA moves out of the Burge Union, the Burge Union Bookstore's computer store will move into SUA's space after some modifications, said Mike Reid, manager of the Union Bookstores.
"I'm really excited about our location," Hatton said.
A worker from Ferrell Construction of Topeka finishes installing the trim near the new location of the automated teller machines at the Kansas Union. The machines will be working today, and the Union's southeast entryway and new SUA office will be open Thursday.
Patrick Tompkins / KANSAN
Legislative shakeup is inevitable
By KC Trauer
Kansan staff write
Change is coming to a state legislature near you.
Because many legislators are not running for re-election, change is inevitable for the 1993 Kansas Legislature.
In Lawrence, Sen. Wint Winter Jr. and Rep. John Solbach have retired, and two-year Rep. Sandy Prager has switched her election aspirations to the state Senate. That has left Rep. Betty Jo Charlton as the sole incumbent in Lawrence's state legislative elections.
Regardless of the election's outcome, Lawrence will send a more inexperienced group of legislators to Topeka to be higher education advocates, a prominent job description for Lawrence legislators.
"The top three issues for this community are education, education and education," said Winter, a 10-year senator.
State financing affects many constituents, including University students and employees, and a legislator must convince other unsympathetic legislators of the need for more money," he said.
"I've had people, other legislators, tell me they wouldn't trade districts with me," Winter said. "From their perspective, this is a very demanding district."
Winter said that gaining experience in building coalitions and spending eight years on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, four as vice chairperson, helped him as an advocate for higher education.
Solbach, a 14-year representative, remembers 1980, when he and Charlton were the only Lawrence legislators with experience. Solbach became the senior delegate with only two years experience.
"Those were difficult years for Douglas County and the University of Kansas simply because we were handicapped by being new delegates," he said.
Credibility and influence come slowly for new legislators, who are watched closely by their colleagues before they are trusted, Solbach said.
Burdett Loomis, professor of political science, said that despite the relative inexperience of Lawrence's next legislators, Lawrence and the University would not lose too much clout in the Statehouse.
"I don't see that anybody is going to turn their back to us; politically they can't afford to," Loomis said. "What's really crucial is the advocacy role the University plays. That's probably more important than who is our representative."
Loomis said that because so many key legislative leaders were stepping down, especially experienced Republican senators, junior members would have more of an opportunity to lead committees.
Donations help food pantries accommodate low-income families
Fearing persecution
A teaching assistant at the University of Kansas survived the weeks of student demonstrations in 1989 at Tiananmen Square in China. Now after seeing other Chinese student leaders persecuted by her government, she fears speaking out.
Verbal commitment
Scot Pollard, a 6-foot-10 center from Kennewick, Wash., has verbally committed to play basketball for the Jayhawks next season. Pollard averaged 10 points and 12 rebounds a game as a junior. Pollard, along with three other high school seniors, are expected sign national letters of intent with the Jayhawks when the early signing period begins Nov. 11.
See story, Page 5.
See story, Page 7.
By Muneera Naseer
By Muneera Naseer
Kansan staff writer
Some students might look at residence hall food and say, "I would rather starve than eat this," while many needy people in Lawrence would look at those meals and say, "I would rather eat than starve."
The Army received 12,000 food cans, collected by several KU organizations as part of a Halloween food drive. The food cans will be divided among five more food pantries: Lawrence Indian Center, Penn House, E-KAN, Helping Hands in Eudora and Ballard Center.
Canned food, collected through food drives and donations, is a main source of meals at several community shelters and organizations in Lawrence.
"We store them in our food pantries and use them for meals," said Captain George Windham of the Salvation Army.
Windham said that the cans would also be used to offer meals during the Christmas season.
Kishor Allada, president of Students Against Hunger, one of the KU organizations that participated in the can drive, said that the drive was to make sure there was enough food for the centers to feed the people who visited them.
Other plans are under way to help the needy have a better holiday season.
Lawrence community centers began taking applications yesterday for the Christmas Adoption program. This program allows people to adopt low-income families for the Christmas season and buy them holiday gifts.
Linda Lassen, assistant director for Penn House, said that several low-income families had come in and signed up to receive gifts and Christmas meals.
Last year, almost 217 families signed up with Penn House for the program, she said.
"Most of the families are single moms with children," she said.
Lassen said that adopting families were asked to give at least one piece of new clothing for each person, one toy for each child and something personal and usable for the parents.
She said that Christmas meals could be included but that alcoholic beverages and cigarettes were prohibited to ensure that the families were receiving nutritious food.
Kip Chin / KANSAN
Mike Ghedotti, Westland, Mich., graduate student, sorts through canned goods at the Salvation Army, 946 New Hampshire St. Three student organizations helped collect about 12,000 cans for the Salvation Army last week.