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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday October 15, 1987 Vol. 98, No.39
Published since 1889 by the students of the University of Kansas
(USPS 650-640)
5 residence halls lacking required smoke detectors
By BEN JOHNSTON Staff writer
six years after state fire codes were changed to require university residence halls to have smoke detectors in halls or rooms, five KU halls still do not have them.
Dean Milroy, associate director of maintenance for the office of student housing, said Lewis, Templin, Hashinger, Ellsworth and McCollum halls did not have smoke detectors, but the housing office did plan to install them in those halls.
Paul Markley, chief of the fire prevention division for the state Fire Marshal Department in Topeka, said that since 1981, state fire codes have required residence halls to either have a smoke detector in each room or 30 feet apart in each corridor.
"I am rather surprised KU still has five dormitories that do not have fire detectors, because fire detectors are our top priority in fire safety," Markle said yesterday.
Markley said the fire office inspected the residence halls each year. But each year when the smoke detector rule was not met, the KI>
lin in 1988, in Hashinger and Ellsworth in 1989 and McCollum in 1990, Stoner said.
"I had been operating under the assumption that the plan is accept-
But Markley said the housing office was violating state law by not having alarms in the five halls. He said the housing office could be liable if someone was injured or killed in a fire in one of the halls.
I am rather surprised KU still has five dormitories that do not have fire detectors, because fire detectors are our top priority in fire safety.
AT TALK
priority in fire safety.'
Photos by Jim Larson
DG KANSAS
Arliss Stebbins, Lawrence optometrist, tells people "HELPUC" (I help you see) on his personalized plate. Stebbins said he wanted something different for his car.
Robert Brown, Lawrence dentist, tells people he will give them a "STR82TH" (a straight tooth) with his personalized tag.
Jim Graves, Kansas City, Mo. junior and member of the University of Kansas marching band, plays the tuba. And what sound does a tuba make? "OOM PAH" Graves said he got the tag his freshman year when he started plaving in the band.
And how does a geologist show that he doesn't have a rock for a personality? Ernest Angino, KU professor of geology, puts "ROC"
DQC" on the back of his car.
Besides giving people an opportunity to express their personalities and interests, the plates raise revenue for the states. All fifty states have personalized plates, and the funds are used for general highway financing, highway maintenance and even to protect endangered species, as in Washington.
In many states, the demand for vanity plates has increased. In 1985, when tags were up for renewal, Douglas County issued almost twice the number of plates they had in previous years. Of the 2,200 personalized plates in the county, 945 were issued in 1985.
Irene Alvarez, motor vehicle supervisor for Douglas County.
said she was surprised by the large number of tags issued that year, because the price increased in 1985 from $25 to $40.
"When the price went up we thought they (personalized tags) might decrease, but it didn't have any effect whatsoever," she said.
Texas' personalized plates are
The fees and character possibilities for personalized plates differ from state to state, making them more popular in some states than in others.
Nebraska has a relatively high registration fee for personalized plates. There is a $75 initial fee and a $35 yearly renewal fee. Of the 1.4 million vehicles registered in Nebraska, 10,000 have personalized tags.
inexpensive compared to Nebraska's. Personalized plate registration in Texas is $10 and is renewed yearly. But the inexpensive tags are not overly popular. Of the 13.8 million vehicles registered in Texas, only 170,000 have personalized tags.
In Kansas, 2.6 percent of registered vehicles have personalized plates. And some, if they are clever enough, are sure to get attention, like Crowthers' "HIP-POS".
Crowthers, who has an extensive collection of hippo items, said when she danced with her wife, the couple often questioned "HIPPOS"
"But once they see my hippos they understand." Crowthers said. "I have over a thousand."
Arliss Stebbins is a Lawrence optometrist.
Ernest Angino is a KU professor of geology.
Lisa and Jason Rosenberg are the daughter and son of an allergist.
— Paul Markley
Of the state
Fire Marshal Department
"A jury would probably have to answer that question," Markley said. "If they believed the University was negligent, or not making enough of an attempt to comply with the law, they could possibly be held responsible."
beginning of the school milroy said smoke detectors were installed in the scholarship halls in the early 1980s.
Two halls are about the most that could be wired with smoke detectors in one year because the housing office has a limited number of electricians. Also, the cost of the installation would take money away from other projects such as roof repairs, Stoner said.
Don McConnell, assistant director of maintenance for student housing, said that Oliver still was being wired for the smoke alarms, and that the project would be completed by the beginning of next semester.
Stoner said smoke detectors had been installed in Jayhawk Towers some time after the housing office began operating the Towers in 1980.
from both. The load has to be shared."
NCE
KANSAN MAGAZINE October 14, 198'
Even though the amount of money KU receives from the state is 85.9 percent of the average amount received by peer schools, KU has the largest private endowment. KU's endowment totals $196 million. North Carolina has the second largest endowment at $105 million and Oklahoma has the smallest at $23 million.
s support
KU's total spending for fiscal year 1987, which ended June 30,
was $183.99 million. The Endow-
See PRIVATE, p. 14, col. 1
TOMORROW
Chancellor Gene A. Budig says KU will lose its best professors if the Kansas Legislature fails to approve Margin of Excellence this spring. What do legislative leaders say?
Also, the Board of Regents discuss Margin of Excellence and open admissions.
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