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News in Brief
Tuesday August 26,1997
NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS AND THE NATION
Campus
Racial slur discovered on Wescoe bulletin board
A poster hanging in Wescoe Hall was defaced with a racial slur last week, KU Police Sgt. Chris Keary said.
The poster, promoting a conference on Black History Month, was hanging on a bulletin board in room 3032 when a person wrote on it, "Nigger lovers. die."
The poster was advertising a University of Kansas event that took place last February, the month designated nationally to recognize African-American history.
William Tuttle, KU professor of American studies, found the poster and notified the police. The graffiti appeared between 3:45 p.m. Thursday and 2:45 p.m. Friday, police said.
The police took the poster as evidence and will fingerprint it as part of the investigation. Keary said any students with information about the incident should contact the KU police at 864-5572.
KU student claims battery from Bleachers' employee
A KU student allegedly was battered at Bleachers' Sports Bar, 806 W. 24th St., at 1:30 a.m. Sunday when an employee reportedly shoved her, Lawrence police said.
The student claimed that the employee had called one of her friends a name. When she confronted the employee about the name calling, the employee reportedly called the student another name and shoved her forehead, police said.
The student then called the police and issued a report. The student did not wish to press charges against the employee.
According to the police, witnesses and the employee claim that the student and her friend were underage and got upset when the bar refused to serve them.
The employee said he asked the student and her friend to leave and then escorted them away when they refused, police said.
Former linebacker to face assault charges in court
The trial of former KU linebacker Michael Harris has been set for Nov. 15 in Douglas County Court.
Harris, a Lawrence senior who walked on to the football team this year but has since been cut from the roster, was arrested July 25 on assault charges. Police said he walked into the Jayhawk Bookstore, 1420 Crescent Road, and threatened another student with a .357-caliber revolver.
The student reportedly owed Harris $445 and Harris allegedly was trying to recover the debt, police said.
Witnesses said Harris grabbed the woman, yelled at her and asked her for his money. He then followed the student into the back of the bookstore, pulled the
weapon out of his pants and showed the gun to her, police said.
Harris was arrested three hours later near Snow Hall. Police found the weapon in his backpack at the time of his arrest.
Harris claimed he had left the gun in his backpack, which he had checked at the front of the bookstore.
Three fellowships awarded to University professors
Two KU professors on the Lawrence campus and one professor at the KU Medical Center received W.T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence during surprise classroom visits yesterday.
Provost David Shulenburger informed students taking financial accounting in Budig Hall that their professor, Tim Shafet, was an award recipient.
"Do you have anything to say?" Shulen-burger asked.
"Take out your papers for a pop quiz," said Shaftel, a professor of business.
Akira Yamamoto, professor of anthropology and linguistics, accepted the other award given on the Lawrence campus.
Daniel Hinthorn, professor of medicine, received a Kemper Fellowship at the KU Medical Center.
A seven-member selection committee, made up of KU faculty, students, and a KU alumnus chose the Kemper fellows from nominations submitted by colleagues and students.
Seventeen professors have now received the awards financed by a $250,000 gift from the William T. Kemper foundation. The KU Endowment Association matched the gift.
Three more awards will be made at the medical center this week.
-Kansan staff reports
National
'Big Tobacco' to cough up $11.3 billion in agreement
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The $11.3 billion settlement Florida reached with the tobacco industry yesterday includes some of the toughest prohibitions on advertising and marketing to children, yet gives the industry some breathing room not in the proposed national deal.
Some critics contend the state's landmark pact highlights the need for Congress to approve the $368 billion national pact so the federal government can regulate nicotine and set penalties for failing to clamp down on underage smoking.
Others, however, suggest Florida has shown individual states could earn more on their own than as part of a national deal, which would supersede Florida's deal if approved.
Gov. Lawton Chiles helped negotiate the 17-page agreement, which includes
"We wanted acknowledgment of the havoc they had caused in the past and some indication that would change in the future," Chiles said. "There is a debt long past due for big tobacco to pay."
provisions to protect children and reimburse the state for Medicaid money spent treating sick smokers.
The state had been seeking $12.3 billion based on claims the industry manufactured a defective product and deceived the public about smoking's dangers.
Florida will receive an initial payment of about $1 billion within one year and at least another $10.3 billion to be paid out for 25 years. The settlement will be enforced by Florida courts and does not need to be approved by state or federal lawmakers.
The state will spend most of the money on programs geared toward children and health issues.
White House examining Social Security options
WASHINGTON President Clinton's top advisers have quietly started laying the groundwork for major repairs to the nation's 62-year-old Social Security program.
Early preparations have included informal consultations with senior citizens' advocates and key lawmakers. The main tonic so far is
Clinton: Laying groundwork to repair Social Security
how to broach the sensitive subject with the American public and Congress.
"There's some work being done to review options," said a White House official who asked not to be identified.
On his vacation, Clinton took papers prepared by White House staff suggesting ways he could open a national dialogue.
Ideas include a series of presidential speeches across the country, or a bipartisan commission that would involve Republicans in public forums.
"The key recommendation that I carried into the White House is that we need to spend some time bringing the American people into this discussion," said John Rother of the American Association of Retired Persons, among those consulted by Clinton's staff.
The nation's pension plan is projected to start spending reserves in 2012 to keep ahead of more than 70 million baby boomer retirements expected about then.
By 2029 the reserves will be gone, and Social Security payroll taxes won't bring in enough each year to cover retirement checks.
DETROIT — Dow Corning Corp. offered Monday to pay more than 200,000 women up to $2.4 billion to settle claims that its silicone breast implants caused illnesses when they leaked.
Dow Corning offers to pay implantees $2.4 billion
But the Midland, Mich.-based Dow Corning would not admit that breast implants cause disease, but said it was making the offer to agree to disagree with the women.
"We still believe very strongly that the scientific evidence shows there's no connection between breast implants and medical conditions, although we do know there are local complications and that implants can occasionally rupture," said Dow Corning chief executive Richard Hazleton.
The $2.4 billion offer is part of Dow Corning's attempt to get out of bankruptcy court, where it has been trying to settle implant claims. The plan requires the approval of a bankruptcy court and a two-thirds majority of women suing the company.
The Dow Corning plan marks an increase from the company's original $2 billion settlement offer that was part of a $4.2 billion global settlement offer made by several breast implant makers.
That plan fell apart because an unexpectedly high 440,000 women sought payments. The offer comes days after Dow Chemical, which owns half of Dow Corning, lost a key negligence case in Louisiana over implants.
Jama Russano, who has had an implant for 26 years, said the $200,000 payment she could receive wouldn't cover her nearly $300,000 in medical bills.
"I felt almost insulted, I felt like this is such a tragedy," said Mrs. Russano, 40, of Northport in Suffolk County, N.Y. "Many women will bear the burden of Dow's mistake."
On the Record
A KU student's black two-bike car-top carrier was stolen between 11 p.m. Aug. 18 and 10 a.m. Aug. 19, from the 1700 block of 24th Street, Lawrence police said. The carrier was valued at $150.
A KU student's compact disc player and 100 compact discs were stolen between 2:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. Friday, from Gower Place, Lawrence police said. The items were valued at $1,800.
A KU student's buck knife, motorcycle title and keys were stolen between 11 p.m. Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday, from the 400 block of Greystone, Lawrence police said. The items were valued at $20.
A KU student's car door mirror was damaged between 4:30 and 4:40 p.m. Sunday, in the 700 block of Indiana, Lawrence police said. The damage was estimated at $40.
A KU student's video bag, Sony camera
battery and video tape were stolen between 7:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday from the 2300 block of Indiana, Lawrence police said. The items were valued at $55.
A KU student's 1997 Honda CRU was damaged and a black leather purse stolen between 12 and 1 a.m. Sunday, from the 1400 block of 24th Street, Lawrence police said. The damaged was estimated at $50. The purse and items in it were valued at $150.
A KU student's car tag was stolen between 8 p.m. Wednesday and 11 a.m. Thursday, from the 500 block of Fireside, Lawrence police said. The tag was valued at $10.
A KU student's 1993 Chevy Blazer was damaged and MasterCard and compact discs stolen between 1 and 8:30 a.m. Saturday, from the 1400 block of Tennessee, Lawrence police said. The damage and items were valued at $1,300.
A KU student's futon seats and Lazy Boy couches were stolen between 5 p.m. Aug. 17 and 8 a.m. Sunday, from the 2000 block of Stewart Avenue, Lawrence police said. The items were valued at $2050.
A KU student's IBM Aptiva 486 computer was stolen between 2 p.m. Aug. 11 and 4 p.m. Thursday, Lawrence police said. The computer was valued at $1,200.
A KU student's 1990 Jeep was damaged and stereo faceplate stolen between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Thursday, in lot 59, KU police said. The damage and item were valued at $250.
Two $100 bills were stolen from the fifth floor hallway of Snow Hall between 10:20 and 11:10 a.m. Thursday, KU police said.
A KU student's parking permit was stolen between 12:30 and 2 p.m. Thursday, from the Learned Hall parking lot, KU police said. The permit was valued at $45.
A KU student's Geo Metro was damaged between 6 p.m. Aug. 16 and 4 p.m.
Thursday in lot 111, KU police said.
A KU student's 1991 Jeep was damaged and Sony speakers stolen between 11 a.m. and 5:10 p.m. Thursday in lot 111, KU police said. The damage and items were valued at $600.
A KU student's windshield was damaged at 12:45 a.m. Sunday in lot 100, KU police said. The damage was estimated at $500.
A KU student's stereo faceplate, cabinet and cellular phone were stolen between 3 p.m. Friday and 10:15 a.m. Sunday in lot 110, KU police said. The items were valued at $425.
Correction
An error in yesterday's editorial, "Keeping our hands on the wheel," reported money netted by KU on Wheels was funnelled into a reserve account to repay loans owed to the Lawrence Bus Company. The money in the reserve account repays loans to Student Senate.
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