A warm welcome
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday September 8,1987 Vol.98,No.12
Published since 1889 by the students of the University of Kansas
(USPS 650-640)
Reagan praises Landon at party
Staff writer
by JENNIFER ROWLAND
TOPEKA — Prominent Kansas Republicans and local and national politicians gathered in Topeka on Sunday to see President and Nancy Reagan pay tribute to former Gov. Alf Landon, three days before his 100th birthday.
before his foot fall.
The Reagans stopped in Topeka to honor Kansas' elder statesman on their way back to the White House after a three-and-a-half week vacation in California.
week vacation in California.
Landon graduated from the KU law school in 1908 and 24 years later became governor of Kansas. In 1936 he was the Republican party's nominee for president, but he lost in a landslide to Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Reagan spoke briefly to guests, including dignitaries, members of the media and the KU Band, at Landon's home.
"Governor, you preceded me by a bit as our party's nominee for president, and I had a little better luck, but I also had better years and an easier field," Reagan said. "But no one ever did prouder as a candidate by his party or the nation than you."
See related stories p. 8
Guests included Landon's daughter, U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, R.Kan.; Kansas Gov. Mike Hayden and U.S. Sen. Robert Dole, R.Kan. They sat next to the house, facing about 100 prominent Kansas Republicans and friends of the Landon family who watched Reagan from the lawn of the eight-pilar mansion. Family members looked on from the porch.
About an hour before the president arrived, KU band members trickled in by two and three to the lawn through a tree-lined driveway. Wooden stakes with white ropes divided the guests from the local and national press, which included Wall Street Journal correspondent and KU graduate Gerald Seib, and CBS White House correspondent Bill Plante.
The threat of rain turned into a sprinkle as the presidential motorcade pulled up to the residence, and the president, dressed in a dark suit and maroon tie, and escorted by his wife, walked to the porch and entered the house through the front door. Reagan paused a few moments to smile and wave as the KU band played "Hail to the Chief."
Del Brinkman, vice chancellor for academic affairs, was one of the guests at the Landon celebration. Brinkman said he was a friend of Landon's.
"I thought the governor rose to the occasion," Brinkman said. "He's kind of a living perspective, if you think about it. You've got somebody who has lived 100 years and can still comment on current events."
After a brief private conversation in the Landon home, Reagan escorted Landon to the porch. Standing in front of a red, white and blue sign that read "Happy 100th Governor Land," Landon introduced the president
The crowd greeted Reagan with laughter as he joked about Landon's age.
See REAGAN, p. 6, col. 1
Fred Sadowski/KANSAN
Top, Nancy Patton, Huntsville, Mo. junior, enjoys a piece of cake at former Governor Alf Landon's 100th birthday party. Bottom, President Reagan speaks to guests at the party. The Kansas University Marching Jayhawks played for Reagan; Landon, center; and U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum at Landon's residence in Topeka on Sunday afternoon.
Strange crowds turn out for president
Staff writer
TOPEKA - People sure do funny things when the president comes to town.
By KIRK ADAMS
Thousands of people lined West-
chester Road on the east side of
Gage Park in Topeka on Sunday
afternoon to see President Reagan's
motorcade. Reagan was visiting
former Kansas Gov. Alof Landon in honor of Landon's 100th birthday.
See related stories p. 8.
One woman dressed as a fairy princess to greet the U.S. head of state.
Children climbed trees hoping to get a glimpse of him. Each time the crowd roared, parents held their kids up so they could see.
Local schools brought out their entire marching bands just for a couple of songs.
People do silly things when the president comes to town.
One man filled a large orange hot-air balloon, the "Spirit of Topeka," behind the yellow police ribbon in the center of Gage Park.
The balloonist, Paul Costello,
Topeka resident, said the city of
Topeka had asked the owner of the
balloon to lift it up in the balloon for the president.
"I thought this would be a good medium for him to understand the message we're trying to send," Anderson said. He wanted to make sure that somebody at the parade spoke for U.S. farmers, he said.
Stephen Anderson, a farmer from Alma, pushed a wheelbarrow full of manure to the parade route. A sign on top said, "U.S. Farm Policy."
"We're just putting it up for the president, and right after that we'll take it down," Costello said.
There were other protestors, too, but most people were just trying to see the president.
Automobile noises and rumors that the president's car was coming prompted false alarms from one end of the crowd, which repeatedly burst into applause.
we'll take it down.
People do weird things when the president comes to town.
Two people who were excited about seeing the president were Reggie and Kellen Hunt, 8- and 69-years-old, of Holton. Their mother, Jackie Hunt, a 1974 graduate of the University of Kansas, said she brought the boys to the park to see the president. They had to wait a while. Hunt said, but they did get a good view of him as he drove by.
As he passed, Reagan waved with a happy, laughing smile.
When asked if Reagan looked the same as he did on television, both Reggie and Kellen said yes. But later Kellen admitted that he had never seen the president on television. The two were not aware that Reagan was in town to celebrate
When the president did drive by, the crowd roared and jumped in a wave of sound and movement that followed the car down the street.
"He had a horse called Old Red." Fisher said. "You used to see him from time to time riding on his grounds."
An Lenton's on duty. Robert Fisher, 63, of Topeka, was more aware of Landon.
rister said he, too, had come to the park to get a glimpse of the president.
Alf Landon's birthday
Kathy Williams, Topeka resident, came to see the president, but she had other things on her mind. too.
Williams held a sign reading, "Justice, Not Bad Old Boys," which referred to Reagan's power to appoint judges to the United States Supreme Court.
Williams said she decided to carry a sign at the parade because she didn't think many people would be protesting.
would be president.
"The president needs to know that there are people in this part of the country who'll oppose his poli-
See CROWD, p. 6, col. 1
Commission may discuss parking at Colony Woods
By VALOREE ARMSTRONG
Staff writer
Lawrence city commissioners tonight are expected to discuss about 100 overflow parking spaces built last week without the city's approval at Colony Woods apartments, 1301 W. 24th St.
The parking lots were built because of a misunderstanding between the city and complex-owner Randall Davis, said Linda Finger, city planner.
city park. Colony Woods added the additional parking spaces last Wednesday and Thursday to accommodate the almost 900 KU students who live there. Parking shortages quickly developed at the complex during the first week of classes at the University of Kansas. Some of the 100 spaces are near the area designated as a flood plain in the original city-approved site plan for the complex.
Geaid Burkhardt, Colony Woods manager, said he thought city officials had given the go-ahead for the additional spaces.
But Finger said Friday that there was a misunderstanding between Colony Woods and City Hall. The complex should have received city approval before beginning construction.
Finger said the city would not file suit against Colony Woods.
"We're approaching it from the standpoint that it was a misunderstanding and let's resolve the issue," she said.
the said. Colony Woods could have faced
fines from $10 to $100 for each zoning code offense. The City Commission still must approve a revised site plan, although the changes already have been made.
But commissioners might bring up the issue soon. City Commissioner Sandra Praeger said yesterday that she expected the issue to be discussed at tonight's commission meeting, which begins at 7 p.m.
If commissioners don't approve the new spaces, Colony Woods must make changes accordingly — even if it means tearing out what's already been built. The city is scheduled to consider the plan at its Sept. 15 meeting.
Praeger said that she hadn't talked to all the people involved, but that she thought Colony Woods officials had tried to be responsive to the parking problems they were having.
"But they should have known any alterations to the site plan would have to be approved," she said. "Any change would have required flood plain changes. That area is so sensitive because of flooding concerns downstream — we'll be very concerned."
Colony Woods is adjacent to a main drainage viaduct that has caused flooding to the south of the complex, Praeger said.
She said city officials would not consider inconvenience to Colony Woods' owner and manager.
You park; you pay
"We have to look at the best interests of the community," Prager said.
Staff writer
Rv IAVAN OWENS
Lot near stadium receiving meters
Some students who regularly park in lot 91 by Memorial Stadium may soon have to pay an additional 25 cents an hour to park there.
the installation of 500 parking meters for the yellow-zoned parking area southeast of Memorial Stadium will be completed some time this month, said Donna Hultine, assistant director of parking services. The lot has about 1,100 spaces.
in the past, visitors who paid 75 cents a day and students with yellow-zone permits shared the lot. Access to the lot was controlled by a booth at each of the two entrances.
Ray Moore, chairman of the parking board, said the board had changed the lot because the University of Kansas needed to accommodate visitors.
"We wanted to eliminate the expense of booths but continue to have the same flexibility of who could come in and out of the lot," Moore said.
Huline said the meters were not designed for the students who pay $40 annually to park in the lot. But students may want to pay the 25 cents an hour because the meters will take about half the spots in lot 91, which is the yellow-zoned lot closest to the Union.
"Anyone with a yellow sticker can park at the meters, but they will have to pay the meters," Hultine said. "It will be just like lot 90, down by Robinson."
Yellow-zoned lots 92, 93 and 94, which are all adjacent to lot 91, will not have meters.
Hultine said students who parked at the meters would have to abide by the meter's time limit of ten hours. Violators are subject to multiple ticketing at $2 a ticket for every additional hour over the limit.
Hultine said the number of meters was not arbitrary. From calculations
at the booths last spring, parking services estimated that an average of 500 visitors a day used lot 91.
Moore said setting aside an area just for visitors would force more students into lots farther from campus. But the plan will alleviate the competition between visitors and students for parking space, he said.
"Parking is tight, and everyone is in the same boat." Moore said. "We haven't gotten to the point where we can guarantee everyone a parking spot."
Hultine said the new policy was a part of a parking overhaul plan that the parking board adopted in the spring to increase parking availability. As part of the plan, lots 91 and 94 were resurfaced and redrawn this summer, adding 150 spaces.
The change in lot 91, which is listed in the Parking Regulations 1987-1988 pamphlet, will go into effect after the meters are installed.
Today is the first day of the Tuesday Forum, a weekly opinion-editorial page. This week's page will feature a graduate student's summer experiences in the Soviet Union. See page 5.
Inside
greek houses must meet stricter city fire code
By BRAD ADDINGTON
Many KU fraternities and sororites will have to make changes in coming months to comply with a stricter interpretation of the city fire code, Lawrence Fire Chief Jim McSwain said Friday.
Staff writer
The new interpretation of the code coincides with a fire prevention program that officials began after an April 26 fire at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, 1645 Tennessee St. The blaze caused about $300,000 damage.
As part of the program, the fire department conducted inspections of all KU Greek houses this summer. In the coming months, the department will check up on violations that were found
According to the fire code, so-called "grand
father clause" violations are allowed only "if, in the opinion of the chief, they do not constitute a distinct hazard to life and property."
a distinct hazard to humans. McSwain said he had adopted a more stringent view of what violations presented a distinct hazard because of serious fires in the past. Therefore, many Greek houses will have to make changes.
to make changes. McSwain would not specify the changes required in individual houses. He said the city attorney's office had advised him that those records would not be public until officials had completed their efforts to get houses to comply.
Changes that might be made include the installation of smoke detectors and enclosing stairwells
Fire officials have informed each of the houses' corporation boards of the required
able, McSwainman,
Joelle Gleim, Dearfield, IL, senior and
president of the Sigma Delta Tau sorority, 1625
Erehill Road, said she doubted the house
would have to make many changes. She said
the house had been renovated over the summer
in compliance with the city fire code.
changes. The corporation boards, which consist of alumni members, will submit schedules for making the changes. Fire officials will then determine whether the schedules are reasonable. McSwain said.
Pete Owens, Omaha, Neb., senior and vice president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, said his fraternity had worked closely with the fire department this summer during the house's renovation.
"The fire detector we have in the house right now ran about $20,000," he said. "We tried to
exceed the code in every way we could."
As another part of the program, the fire department will present a 10-minute videotape to all Greek houses this semester on how to prevent and respond to fires.
McSwain said that the department was aware that the program could be costly but that the elimination of life-threatening hazards would justify its cost.
"This is the most important life-saving program, in my opinion, that has ever been enforced in Lawrence," McSwain said.
Only two houses now have sprinkler systems — the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, 1500 Sigma Nu Place, and the Sigma Chi fraternity, 1439 Tennessee St. However, many houses have decided that they want sprinkler systems, McSwain said.