The big chill
Details page 6
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Monday November 9,1987 Vol.98,No.56
Published since 1889 by the students of the University of Kansas
(USPS 650-640)
Fire destroys empty campus building
Staff writer
A fire of suspicious origin destroyed an unused building near the facilities operations buildings late Saturday night.
The building, which is southwest of facilities operations buildings on the hill south of Staufer-Flint Hall, has been scheduled to be demolished since January.
Sgt. John Brothers of the KU police said the fire was being treated as arson. There were no injuries. Damages were estimated by facilities operations to be $5,000.
Jim McSwan, Lawrence fire chief,
said it took 22 firefighters and all the
Lawrence Fire Department units,
which include four engines and a ladder unit, to put out the blaze. Off-duty firefighters were called to help.
called to help.
The eastern half of the 143-foot-long wooden building was damaged by flames when fire units arrived at 10:51 p.m. McSwain said, and then
the fire spread westward through the building.
McSwain said that the fire spread, firefighters' first objective was to keep it from spreading to nearby buildings to the south and north. The fire was under control by 11:30 p.m., he said.
The building had been a barracks in World War II and later the University of Kansas used it as a zoology lab. Tom Anderson, director of facilities operations, said the building had been empty for about a year except for some furniture and debris.
The building and three others have been scheduled for demolition since January to make room for an annex to Haworth Hall, said Bob Porter, associate director of physical plant maintenance.
After the fire was out, KU police provided security until yesterday morning about 9 a.m. when investi-
Late-night blaze draws in crowd
See FIRE, p. 9, col. 5
By MICHAEL MERSCHEL
Staff writer
Hundreds of students looking for fun flocked to the fire that razed an unused KU building late Saturday night. But officials weren't laughing at the problems the crowd caused.
John Brothers, KU police sergeant, said an estimated 1,000 people surrounded the burning building. That caused problems for emergency officials on the scene.
Three people were cited at the fire for driving over fire hoses. Brothers said. Several others had to be stopped from driving over the hoses, which can get caught on the undercarriage of most cars. One hose was damaged in that way.
Because all available KU police officers responded to the fire, mostly for crowd control, KU police were unable to respond to calls on the rest of campus, Brothers said. At such times, emergency calls are handled by Lawrence police.
Brothers said that the crowd never was unruly. The crowd also was never in danger, he said. But, in most cases, it isn't safe for people to gather at a fire because unknown chemicals can explode or toxic vapors can be released, he said. Crowds also could interfere with medical personnel.
But try telling that to the crowd Saturday night, which came from all over campus to watch the building burn.
Many spectators left parties to watch flames consume the building or moved those parties fireside. They gathered in the parking lot next to the computer center and watched the flames illuminate nearby gasoline pumps. Held back by a fence and police, they elbowed for better views on the northwest side of the building, near Haworth Hall.
A few people watched from Haworth's root, and some tried to climb trees to get above the crowd. Few seemed concerned as sparks flew overhead and acrid smoke filled the air. Some tried to sneak past police for a closer view.
"It was better than the movie we were watching," said Steve Ferro, St. Louis senior, who was on the fourth floor of Ellsworth Hall when he saw flames shooting above Haworth.
Sonya Cooper, El Dorado sophomore, said she wasn't worried about her safety when she tried to walk around a security guard to get a closer look.
"I think it's probably safe," she said. "There are people 500 feet away . . . They must have it pretty well under control."
Michael Kaboff, Northbrook, III., freshman, said he was at Naismith Hall, ready to go to a Zeta Beta Tau fraternity party, when he heard about the fire.
See CROWD, p. 9, col. 1
Lawrence firefighters try to keep a blaze under control as flames engulf an unused building near the facilities operations plant. Firefighters brought the fire under control about 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
Ramaley finds plan feasible
By MICHAEL HORAK Staff writer
But she took exception to two parts of a proposed selective admissions plan, saying that foreign language studies should be required and that schools should continue to offer remedial courses if they are needed. She also said selective admissions could result in a change in the population mix at KU.
Judith Ramaley, executive vice chancellor, said selective admissions would have little effect on KU.
The executive vice chancellor of the University of Kansas' Lawrence campus says in a report submitted to the Board of Regents today that KU could live with selective admissions.
The report showed that KU could live with selective admissions, Ramaley said Friday. But, she said there were questions that needed to be answered before a selective admissions policy could be adopted.
Ramaley's report stated that some KU faculty members supported selective admissions, but Ramaley didn't endorse the plan herself. On Friday, she said it would be inappropriate for her to take a stand on selective admissions because she did not have enough comment from faculty and students.
"There has not been adequate time for our faculty and students to study the text."
Ramaley sent her report to the Regents six weeks after Chancellor Gene A. Budig asked her to study the impact of the selective admissions plan presented in September by Regents executive director Stanley Koplik.
Koplik's plan would restrict instate admissions to KU, Kansas State University and Wichita State University based on applicants' high school grades and test scores or class ranking. The four other Regents schools — Emilia State, Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State and the Kansas Technical Institute at Salina — would remain open to any Kansas high school graduate.
Students applying to KU, KState or Wichita State after 1992 would be required to have either a 21 composite score on the ACT, rank in the upper third of their graduating class or receive a 2.0 in a required high school core curriculum. The curriculum would include four years of English, three years each of social science, natural science and math, and two years of a foreign language.
See RAMALEY, p. 6, col. 1
Aggieville remains quiet after KU-K-State game
By JAVAN OWENS
MANHATTAN - Quiet.
That's the word many used to describe the Aggieville business district Saturday night after the KU — K-State football game.
Earlier that night, live-coverage vans from area television stations were parked around the four-block area. Reporters, armed with note pads and cameras, waited to get the first news of any chaos that might occur. Many packed up early.
A handful of bar-goers remained in the district when bars and clubs closed at 2 a.m. They were outnum- bered by police officers looking toward home.
Alvan Johnson, director of the Riley County Police Department, said at a 2 a.m. news briefing that officers had made only four arrests
and given about 35 citations for illegal use of alcohol that night.
That means will be small agendas at the Riley County District Court today, and Manhattan Municipal Court on Friday, which had cleared their schedules for the sole purpose of hearing the cases of Aggieville law breakers.
This year was different. Law enforcement officers from Wichita, Salina, Junction City, the University of Kansas and the Kansas State Highway Patrol, dressed in riot gear, were stationed in the district. Johnson paid $20,000 had been raised to provide security for the area that night.
"The problem we had last year and years before is that we did not have enough people to effectively enforce the law," Johnson said.
to keep out juveniles and traffic. Security guards were checking pedestrians' coats for cans and bottles at the openings in the fence.
Last year, 40 windows were broken and about 12 stores were looted after the KU — K-State game. Police arrested 20 people.
In 1844, one police officer was stabbed, and other officers were struck by flying debris as they tried to quiet a crowd estimated at 8,000. Police made 24 arrests.
An 8-foot fence enclosed the district
This year, Bob Krause, a K-State official who was on the committee to curtail violence in Aggieville, said the committee's plan worked because the university had stressed positives, such as Parent's Day, Journalism Day and Legislature Day.
See K-STATE, p. 6, col. 1
Kansas highway patrolmen stand guard outside shops in Aggleville in Manhattan after the KU — K-State football game. Police officers had a quiet Saturday night.
Bob Dole visits hometown Russell prepared for announcement of candidacy
RUSSELL—A mix of hometown loyalty and the pressure of national exposure had the town of Russell abuzz this weekend, as Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole prepared to announce his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination there this morning.
Monday Morning
By BRENDA FLOKY Special to the Kansan
See related story p. 5.
"The whole world will be watching on Monday, and we want to impress our favorite son," said Russell resident Pete Williams.
Everywhere in this town of about 5,400, people were preparing or waiting for Dole's announcement, scheduled for 9 a.m. today.
Alexis Rogers, 6, was helping paint a sign Saturday on the front of her parents' drug store, which Dole worked in when he was 12.
When asked if someone important was coming to town, she said, "Yep, Bole Dole."
"Why is he so special?"
"Because," she said as she squirmed and giggled, "if people vote for him, he will be our next president."
Her mother, Tish Rogers, coachman of the Dole Announcement Committee, was at an office next door frantically taking care of last-minute details.
"I if we could get blue paper, that would be great," Rogers told a volunteer. "Oh, I've just about got your list done." She put a freshly lit cigarette into an ash tray and returned to her IBM, which didn't have a correction key. "By the
Between phone calls and questions, she never got a puff of her cigarette. "It's really not the senator coming home," she said. "It's Bob coming home."
From Eighth and Main streets, where Dole was scheduled to speak, many shoppers admired a freshly painted mural depicting Kansas wheat fields and oil wells.
way, I hate to type," she said.
The mural was painted by Hays resident for this occasion, Rogers said.
Downtown stores not only had "Bob Dole Welcome Home" signs and memorabilia, but also signs told about their role in the show as well.
"Bob Dole suited up here first."
read a sign on one downstreet.
"Bob served sodas here," was in b'g letters on the drug store.
The local Dairy Queen already had sold 10 Bob Dole ice cream cakes.
KANSAN GRAPHIC
For weeks, the Russell High School band, choir and cheerleaders have been practicing. They were scheduled to perform for Dole this morning.
Early yesterday morning, crews
"Not overbearing pride," he said. "Roots pride."
Dean C. Banker, a Russell manager of a downtown clothing store, described the feelings of the town in one word — pride.
were downtown setting up bleachers, hanging up banners and putting in the sound system.
Wade Willson, chair member, was 6 years old when he shook President Gerald Ford's hand when Ford and Dole visited during the 1976 campaign.
Now a senior at Russell High School, Wilson was scheduled to sing a solo, "God bless the USA," for Dole and an audience.
"I feel this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he said. "I am honored, because I might be performer of the next president of the United States."
For the past two weeks, Wilson has rehearsed the song at least once a day.
More than 2,700 students from area schools also were expected to attend this morning's events.
"The people of Russell need something like this because of the oil and farm crisis," he said. "It will overcome these local problems."
Dusty Daugherty, a senior at Russell High School, said he was impressed with how everyone was willing to help.
Also developing from the excitement was the rumor mill. In a cafe, two Russell residents were invited to speak at the Secret Service men around town.
"They supposedly can hear everyone's conversations in town," said Herrietta "Henrie" W恩里, owner of a hair boutique. "I bet they're hearing some interesting conversations."
Russell's apprehension and excitement should be gone by 10 a.m. today, when Dole will leave for his next speech in Des Moines, Iowa.