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January 21, 1999
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Vol. 109·No.77
The Crimson Girls competed in a national competition despite the Athletics Department's disapproval.
SEE PAGE 1B
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Joe's Bakery remains closed
(USPS 650-640)
KU students seeking Joe's famous doughnuts are finding that the shop has closed. The popular student eatery, Joe's Bakery, 616 W. 9th St., closed during Thanksgiving Break and has not reopened. Photo illustration by Gus Kaffer/KANSAN
Owner offers no explanation for extended break in service
By Heather Woodward Kansan staff writer
Joe's Bakery closed for Thanksgiving and has yet to reopen.
The closing has left KU students craving late-night snacks feeling sorely disappointed to find the long-time Lawrence favorite with a "Temporarily Closed" sign still in the window.
In a Dec. 16 Lawrence Journal- World article, Joe's Bakery owner, Ralph Smith said that he just needed more of a vacation this year. He made no indication that the bakery would not open on schedule in the spring.
Smith, 41, shared responsibility and maintenance of the bakery with his ex-wife, Melody Smith. The couple divorced Jan. 5. Melody, 41, worked in the morning making the sandwiches, and Smith baked during the evening and late-night hours. Neither was available for comment.
Businesses near the bakery questioned when Joe's will reopen.
"Last I heard, Ralph was going to reopen the bakery for the spring semester, but I haven't seen him," said Jiefen Jensen, owner of Jensen Retail Liquor next door at 620 W. Ninth St.
KU students returning from winter break also wondered why Joe's was closed.
"I went by the other day to see if it was open," said Jenny Williams, Overland Park senior. "Basically, it's a Lawrence icon. I know people who graduated a long time ago and always came back to Joe's."
Laura Eitzmann, a teller Central National Bank across the street.
"Basically, it's a Lawrence icon. I know people who graduated a long time ago and always came back to Joe's."
Jenny Williams Overland Park senior
603 W. Ninth St., said Joe's Bakery usually closed for the summer and other student vacations such as Thanksgiving and Winter Break but opened again when students returned for second semester.
Joe Smith opened the bakery in 1954 at 412 W. Ninth St., and in 1964, the bakery moved to its present location. Joe's son, Ralph, took charge in 1986. Both father and son graduated from the American Institute of Baking.
Whether its the glazed doughnuts, the turkey sandwiches or the butter cookies, students said they missed the taste found only at Joe's, and the store's long hours. The bakery was open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.
"I miss the fritters they had for 99 cents," said Ben DeVoss, Dodge City senior. "I would always go there late at night."
DeVoss and friend Mike Hengler, Minneapolis, Minn., junior both said they had wondered when the bakery would open again.
"I think the whole community did," Jensen said.
Jensen said he was not the only one who found it unusual that the bakery has remained closed.
Long-distance carrier corrects billing errors
Ezra Sykes
Kansan staff writer
Campus Link, the official long-distance carrier at the University of Kansas, has overcharged some students, most of whom live in residence halls.
Braxton Copley, staff attorney at Legal Services for Students, said that the company wrongly imposed a 50 cents-per-month fee for 911 tax on students' phone bills during the 1998 fall semester.
Ron Zyskowski, account manager of billing at Campus Link, said that $1,985 had been distributed to reimburse 1,166 overcharged students.
According to state and Douglas County law, only the local service provider can bill the 911 tax.
On December bills, students' accounts should have been issued credit equal to the amount they had overpaid in the last three to four months for the 911 tax, Copley said.
Zyskowski said that the billing error occurred because the company's financial consultant wrongly advised that the 911 tax should be imposed.
Brian Bartelt, West Des Moines sophomore, said he was curious about the 911 tax on his phone bill after a friend pointed it out.
Bartelt, who lives in Templin Hall, sent an e-mail to Campus Link, but never received a response. He then telephoned customer relations and wrote a letter to the company Oct. 13, but no
CAMPUSLINK
THE COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
response was given.
He took his problem to a meeting of the Templein Revolution, an alternative student action group, and the group agreed that something must be done.
After putting up signs in the residence halls telling students that Campus Link was doing something illegal, Barteit, representing the Templin Revolution, sought advice from Legal Services for Students.
Heather Landon Haigh, an intern at the KU Legal Services for for Students, affirmed that the 911 tax was illegal. Landon Haigh then wrote a letter to the senior vice president of Campus Link.
Campus Link's legal team, after reviewing local laws, affirmed that the 911 tax could not be applied to students.
Zyskowski said that the billing error was an honest mistake.
"We wanted to do the right thing." said Zvskowski.
Campus Link is a subcontractor for Sprint that serves more than 50 universities.
Zyskowski said that he didn't know of any similar problems that existed at other universities but that the problem had heightened Campus Link's awareness about local laws regarding telecommunications.
"I hope customer relations will improve," Bartelt said. "That they will pay attention instead of throwing away letters."
Smartcard services finally implemented
Card options were promised last semester
By Nadia Mustafa
Kansan staff writer
Students frustrated with last semester's smartcard failures received welcome surprises at the residence halls, libraries and other campus locations when they returned from winter break.
The University of Kansas unveiled a new set of smartcard services this semester.
The new services allowed students, faculty and staff to take advantage of the microchip embedded in their smartcards, which will allow the cards to be used for more than just identification.
Students who live in university housing can use their smartcards to do laundry. Card readers have been installed in Corbin, Gertrude Sellards Pearson, Ellsworth, McCollum, Templin and Hashinger halls; Jayhawker Towers Apartments and Stouffer Place.
Card readers were also installed on some library copy machines, eliminating the need for a separate copy card. Old copy cards will no longer be valid later this semester, but some copy machines will retain a coin option.
Card readers at residence hall dining centers automatically deduct money from res-
I nently use my smartcard to do laundry," said Matt Hiudt, Cincinnati, Ohio freshman and Oliver resident. "It's convenient because I never have any quarters."
Card readers can be used to verify current enrollment at the Allen Fieldhouse ticket office and to allow entrance into residence halls and Robinson Center. Students can also check out equipment and play intramural sports at Robinson with their smart cards.
ident's meal plans. In addition, students can use their smartcards to make inexpensive purchases and laser printouts at the Computer Center.
"I'm excited that the basic functions have been implemented," said Nancy Miles, smartcard administrator. "There is a lot of potential with the card, and we would like to tap into it."
See SOME OPTIONS on page 3A
Students lose apartments to poor conditions
By Jamie Knodel
Kanson staff writer
Although Chris Mayer doesn't mind his room at Lawrence's Eldridge Hotel, he wishes he were at home.
"While the Eldridge is beautiful, when you're not on vacation staying in a hotel is not that exciting." the Atlanta graduate student said.
Three residents of 905 Ohio St., including two KU students, have been living out of their suitcases for the last month waiting to see when they will be allowed to move back into their apartments. The tenants have been forced out of their apartments because of the landlord's failure to comply with city codes.
Students who live in this house on the 800 Block of Ohio Street are hoping to return home soon after being forced to move out because of city code violations. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
On Dec. 8, the Lawrence City Commission suspended the Use Permitted Upon Review that allowed the owner of 805 Ohio St. to rent out apartments in the house.
The commission said that the tenants had to be out of their apartments until owner Kenneth Riedemann and his son Dan Riedemann, the landlord who lives in the house, meet the conditions set forth by the 1994 review.
Residents Bill French, Mayer and Mark Stover, Lawrence post-baccalaureate undergraduate student, signed an adendum to their lease that stated that they were expected to be out of their apartments from Dec. 20 to Jan. 12 and that January's rent would be waived.
French returned to the apartment Monday night because he
Kenneth Riedemann had the residents sign the addendum so that the building could be brought up to code during the three-week period.
City Manager Mike Wilden said that if the city confirmed French's occupation of the apartment that legal action would be taken and that the owners would be taken to Municipal Court.
said that Kenneth Riedemann had not informed him that the permit was not reinstated and because Kenneth Riedemann had not offered him other living accommodations.
Kenneth Riedemann had offered alternate housing for the other tenants. Stover said.
Stover and Mayer have been staying at the Eldridge Hotel, 701 Massachusetts, and Stover checked out of his hotel room yesterday.
However, Stover said that he was under the impression that they would be able to move back to 805 Ohio St. yesterday. He plans on staying at his parent's home until the issue is resolved.
City manager Mike Wildgen said yesterday that the conditions of the review still had not been met and that the multi-family portion of the house could not legally be occupied until the commission approved it.
Dan Riedemann would not comment.
Kenneth Riedemann is restoring the home and is financing the restoration by renting out certain rooms, Wilden said.
In order to rent out the rooms, Kenneth Riedemann obtained permission through the review to house more than four unrelated individuals to live in the single-family dwelling unit. Because review conditions were not met and the construction milestones in the permit have not been achieved, the city suspended the review in December.
Wilden said that when Kenneth Riedemann applied for the review, he agreed to meet special conditions and to make specific improvements to the home.
The tenants said that while the house was not up to code, there were no major problems that affected their residence.
Since Dec. 8, Kenneth Riedemann has submitted that information. He also has obtained a valid building permit, and has
Inspectors in October determined that fire, electrical, planning and zoning codes had been violated at the property.
Wildgen said that for the tenants to be allowed to live in the house, Kenneth Riedemann needed to submit building plans for past work and evidence that the work passed city inspection and did not violate city codes.
applied for the property to be placed on the Lawrence Register of Historic Places.
Despite Kenneth Riedemann's submissions, Wilden said that he still needed to be issued a temporary occupancy certificate before the tenants could legally move back in.
Mayer said that there was work being done to the house and that the landlord told him that he should be back in by Feb. 2.
Dan Riedemann's occupancy is not violating any policies because single-family residency was allowed, and the city's primary concern was multi-family use of the house. Wilden said.
French is ending his lease Feb. 1 and a main reason was the unresolved problems with the city, he said.
"The hassle isn't worth the money I pay to live there," he said.
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