SPORTS: The Kansas-Nebraska football game will be televised by ESPN on Nov. 7, Page 9.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
VOL.102.NO.47
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1992
(USPS 650-640)
ADVERTISING:864-4358
Kansas Union fire forces evacuation causes no damage
NEWS:864-4810
Spark ignites chemical-filled canister in maintenance shop on second floor
--at an afternoon that was a boom for Wesco Terrace was a bust for the Kansas University.
By Stacy Morford
Kansan staff writer
A flaming, chemical-filled canister forced more than 1,000 people to evacuate the Kansas Union and held Lawrence fire fighters at bay for almost three hours yesterday afternoon.
Lawrence Fire Marshal Rich Barr said sparks from an undetermined source in the Union's second floor maintenance shop ignited acetylene gas that was leaking from the fire hose. As a result, the gas could ignite, can sustain a torch-like flame until the gas burns off.
"Given where it's located and the amount of the product, it's safer for us to let it burn itself out in the room rather than risk bringing it outside where it could possibly ignite inside the canister," Barr said after the gas had burned for almost two hours.
But David Williamson, a union custodian working on the third floor above the maintenance room, said he could feel excessive heat coming from the floor when he left the building.
Barr said the Union's emergency sprinkler and alarm systems never kicked in because temperatures inside the building were too low.
The Union was fortunate that the incident occurred in the maintenance shop because its floor, walls and ceiling are concrete and its doors are made of steel, he said. If the flame had receded into the canister and caused an internal explosion, flying shrapnel would have been contained in the room.
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
He and other Union employees began evacuating the building more than three minutes before the fire alarm sounded, he said. Union management had to activate the alarm manually.
"Nobody really believed there was a fire," said Shawn Bedient, a Lawrence resident who was serving lunch in the cafeteria when he learned of the fire. "The whole stairway was filled with people, but there was no mass hysteria."
At 11:34 a.m. firefighters had completely cleared the building of people. Barr said he was pleased with the students' response time. He said 20 minutes was a small amount of time to clear a building as large as the Union.
The evacuation occurred before the quarterfinal round of a 54-team, collegiate debate tournament taking place in the Union. The debate and four classes in the Union had to be canceled.
A Lawrence Fire Department truck (at top) sits ready as Lawrence firefighters (above) investigate an acetylene canister fire at the Kansas Union. Six fire trucks, two paramedic units, four KU police units and a hazardous materials unit were on scene.
The only injury was reported by a maintenance worker whose right hand was burned as he tried to close the valve on the acetylene canister when it first caught fire.
The maintenance shop, which houses tools, supplies and replacement parts, was filled with smoke, but no physical damage.
Union gets burned by lack of lunchtime diners
By Stacy Morford
Kansan staff writer
A noon-time evacuation of the Kansas Union caused by a maintenance shop fire drained thousands of dollars from Union businesses while packing throngs of hungry students into other campus lunch locations.
Andrea Albright, a baker at Yellow Sub,
624 W. 12th St., said she helped to make more than 400 submarine sandwiches for a lunch crowd that was at least three times the usual Monday size.
"There were people spilling out onto the curb all afternoon," Albright said. "Now we're having to re-prepare everything."
She said the sandwich shop even run out of meatballs and tofu during a noon rush.
Lines at Wesco Terrace also snaked out the cafeteria doors. When the crowd let up after 2 p.m., every wheat and onion bun at the deli was gone, every piece of pizza and frozen bean burrito had been devoured and the potato chips and candy racks were almost bare.
"We were dumbfounded at first," said Denise Svaglic, Wescoe Terrace supervisor. "The dining room was overflowing and so was the terrace, and we had no idea why."
"We have a lot of services in here, and they all came to a screeching halt this morning," said Helen Harrell, Union Information Counter manager.
said the Union lost about $3,000 in food sales after the building was evacuated.
"Initially I was very upset about all of it, but really, what we lost today, we made up for it."
Jay Glatz, Union food service manager.
He said the Union raked in almost $6,000 in food sales during the homecoming game. On non-football Saturdays, he said revenue rarely exceeded $800.
Yesterday's losses were not permanent either, said Jim Long, Union director. He said the Union's business-interruption insurance would pay for most of the loss.
Candidate runs on Libertarian Party platform
Local man promotes ideals of less government, fewer taxes in state House race
By KC Trauer
Kansan staff writer
Ten years as an owner of a small carpentry business persuaded Michael Davidson to the Libertarian Party's cause — less government, fewer taxes.
"I felt I was goven- ment's tax collector," said David- son, who thought that manovreg=
ulations and taxes kept him from expanding his business. He now is running for the Kansas House of Representatives in the 45th District against Republican Bob Skahan and Democrat Forrest Swan.
Davidson, 35, is one of four Lawrence Libertarians running for the Legislature. Their small, tight-budget campaigns have several goals, including giving voters a choice and communicating Libertarian philosophies.
Before this year's campaign, the Kansas Libertarian Party attained party status, meaning that the party could nominate candidates in each race without having to go through the rigorous task of collecting signatures.
The Libertarian's party status has meant increased visibility for the candidates, said Frank Kaul, candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 3rd District.
"IIf weren't on the ballot, I don't think I would have been invited to eight different candidate forums and all the major media debates," said Kaul, who is president of KU Libertarians. "You get attention paid to von."
The Libertarian candidates, who were nominated at a May 30 convention in Wichita, have spent varying amounts of time and effort in campaigning, Kaul said.
Davidson, a 1991 KU graduate with degrees in mathematics and philosophy, admits that he has not actively campaigned for the election. He said he spent most of his time renovating the house he is about to sell and taking care of his 10-month-old daughter Amanda.
Davidson said he was running because he thought Libertarians offered the right answers to the nation's problems.
One of those problems is a large government that chokes small businesses such as his through taxes and regulation, he said.
"I was trying to hire employees, to give people jobs, and it ended up that because of taxes and paperwork that it was prohibitive for me," he said.
Davidson realizes that the radical ideas he and the Libertarian Party promote, such as privatization of education, mean changing an entrenched system of government. He also knows that in this election he has little chance to win.
But that should not stop people from voting for him, he said.
"I believe you should vote for what is right regardless of whether a candidate has a chance to win," Davidson said.
"A vote for a Libertarian is sending a real message that you want less government intrusion in our private lives."
After a childhood of physical, sexual and drug abuse, Chris McHale has learned to be proud of who she is. Modeling nude for KU's art and design department is just one way she demonstrates her pride.
Students take advantage of more used record stores
See story, Page 7.
By Kristi Fogler
Kanean staff writer
Students may want their MTV, but they may not want their old Dire Straits, Michael Jackson or Bruce Springsteen.
Gil Bavel, manager of Alley Cat Records, 717 Massachusetts St., said his store paid sellers about $5 for compact discs and $1.25 to $2 for tapes. He said his store resold compact discs for about $8 and tapes for about $4.
Old and unwanted tapes, vinyl records and compact discs can be turned into cash by selling them.
In less than four years, three stores specializing in used records, tapes and compact discs
Bavel said buying used tapes and compact discs had many advantages, including:
discs have many advantages, including
■ less expensive compact discs, tapes and
- a guarantee against damaged goods, often not available from retail stores
try-before-you-buy policies that allow customers to listen to a tape or compact disc in the store before purchasing it
■ less expensive compact discs, tapes and records
a larger selection of rare and underground music
Bavel said about 60 percent of Alley Cat Records business came from KI1 students.
"They come in looking for money for food or
beer and sell a big stack of compact discs," he said.
Increasing food and beer prices and harsh economic conditions have made stores like Alley Cat Records even more popular in the last few years, Bavel said.
"A lot of people need the extra cash because of depressed economic conditions," he said. "Business is real good right now because of the economic conditions."
Steve Wilson, manager of Kief's Discount Records, Tapes and Discs, 2429 Iowa St., said he did not think the recession dramatically affect discs or caused disc impacts or caused a boom for Lawrence stores.
Wilson said reselling compact discs was detrimental to the industry because the discs were resold for less than the retailers paid for them. He said that compact disc cost retailers about $10 a disc and $25 per album to sell them for about $15. We own a disk is resold for $8, it devalues the product. Wilson said.
"It's the same as siphoning gas from a gas station and selling it at half price." he said.
Wilson said that although used record stores might be cheaper, they did not always have what the customer wanted in stock.
"We have what people want, when they want it," he said. "At used record stores, they won't have something unless someone happens to bring it."
Kin Chin / KANSAN
at Schmidt of Topeka browses through used compact discs at Alley Cat Records, 717 Massachusetts St. The store sells used records, tapes and compact discs at discounted rates.