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Wednesday
November 18, 1998
Section:
A
Vol. 198 • No. 64
http://www.cliffs.com
Vol. 109·No.64
Sports today
WWW.KANSAN.COM
The Kansas men's basketball team beat Penn 61-57 in a game decided in the final moments last night at the Palestra in Philadelphia.
SEE PAGE 1B
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Is Robinson a wreck?
Debate about a new rec center begins tonight. Some question the amount of money students will pay.
Fall 2001 fee:
$28+$40 +site
development fee* =
at least $68
Fall 2001 fee:
$28 + $30 + site
development fee =
at least $58
(USPS 650-640)
Story by Sam Mellinger Graphics by Kristi Elliot
Source: Rec center survey and Student Senate
"Overall," the voice on the phone says, "how would you rate the quality of KU's recreational sports and fitness facilities? Please rank one to five, with one being very poor and five being very good."
Julie Neal picks up her phone and becomes another statistic in the latest push for a new recreational facility at the University of Kansas.
The questions and answers continue to flow for 10 minutes as the Joplin, Mo., freshman gives her opinion on the recreational opportunities at the University.
The survey is part of a Student Senate project measuring—some say molding—student opinion about a new campus rec center.
A pitch for better gyms, courts and exercise equipment, as well as more time to use them, has become a reoccurring theme at the University.
"This is my 18th year here," said Mary Chappell, director of rec services. "This problem is not going to go away. We've reached a point where we're not able to provide what students want."
Faculty members and student body pres-
ident Kevin Yoder cite loads of complaints
about Robinson Center, its hours, its equipment and its size.
"It's not even close to what we need," said Bob Lockwood, Robinson facilities director.
Two years ago, KU students voted down a student fee increase for a $21.5 million recreational center. This year, Yoder
hopes for a different result when he proposes another recreation center construction plan. He is giving a report to Senate tonight, outlining what his recreation task force has found out about student opinion.
Many think the 1966 referendum failed for two reasons: the student recreation fee
increase from $13 to $00 was too much and the West Campus location was too remote.
The new proposal calls for a smaller fee increase and is fuzzy about where the new rec center would be built.
See STUDENT on page 6A
Neighborhood bar proposal to be drafted
By Chris Fickett Konson staff writer
Bars such as The Hawk, The Crossing. The Wheel and Bull Winkles that are located in residential neighborhoods could be closing a little earlier if the Lawrence City Commission approves a neighborhood bar ordinance.
Last night, Commissioner John Nalbandian made a motion to draft an ordinance that would restrict drinking establishments located within 200 feet of two or more residential houses and in predominantly residential areas to a midnight closing time.
Nalbandian's motion was approved with votes from commissioners Bob Moody and Erv Hodges.
The commission voted 4-1 to allow the bar to stay open until 2 a.m., but it also directed city staff to examine the problems associated with neighborhood bars
The decision to draft an ordinance stems from an Oct. 6 action, when the commissioners considered the closing time for The Hawk, 1340 Ohio St.
and outline possibilities for an ordnance that would deal with the issue.
Commissioner Moody said no matter what decision was made, either the neighborhood or the bar owners would suffer.
"We're in a lose-lose proposition," he said.
Commissioner Hodges voted 'yes' to draft the ordinance, but he said he would like to discuss the specifics of the ordinance when it came back to the commission for approval.
Mayor Martin Kennedy wanted to table the issue until the Lawrence-University of Kansas-Haskell Indian Nations University alcohol task force report comes out in mid-December.
Kennedy, along with Commissioner Bonnie Augustine, voted not to draft the ordinance. Augustine said law-abiding drinking establishments should not be punished by the actions of unruly patrons.
"People who are violating the law are not held responsible," she said. "I get
frustrated when the good bar owners get penalized for a few."
Sam Raisbeck, Lawrence junior, said he could not sleep at 2 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday nights because of noise coming from customers leaving The Hawk, the Wheel and Bull Winkles.
Raisbeck also said he hadwitnessed people leaving the bars, urinating and vomiting on streets and front lawns.
Janet Gerstner, president of the Oread Neighborhood Association, said the Oread Neighborhood board strongly supported a midnight closing time and the prohibition of outdoor drinking areas for Oread Neighborhood bars.
"These places do not belong in the area where I live," he said.
Gerstner also said if The Crossing, 618 W. 12th St., could close at midnight and stay in business, The Hawk and The Wheel could as well.
ORDINANCE
Rob Farha, owner of the Wagon Wheel Cafe, 14th and Ohio streets, said all bars were different. Farha said every bar had different amounts of rent and overhead
The Lawrence City Commission voted 3-2 last night to draft a neighborhood bar ordinance. If approved by the commission, the ordinance would:
Require a midnight closing time for drinking establishments located within 200 feet of two or more residential houses.
- Require a midnight closing time for drinking establishments located in predominantly residential areas.
Owners of bars that are affected by this ordinance can petition the city commission for a variance.
If a bar requested a variance, the commission would hold a public hearing to decide if the bar would be allowed to close at 2 a.m. instead of midnight.
costs and different peak hours and clientele.
Commissioner Nalbandian said the ordinance should include a variance provision that would allow bar owners who would be affected by the ordinance to petition the commission to close at 2 a.m. instead of midnight.
University to examine hang tag regulations
By Seth Jones and Liz Wristen Kansan staff writers
For 12 weeks this semester, the parking board has been denying requests for hang tags because of a rule that doesn't exist.
At yesterday's Senate Executive Committee meeting, members talked with Don Kearns, director of parking, and Glenn Prescott, parking board chairman, about why students were being denied hang tags.
The parking board has been denying requests from students for hang tags unless they had two vehicles that they drove to school. Last year, when the parking department decided to go back to stickers as parking permits because so many hang tags were being stolen, the department agreed that students could get a hang tag simply by asking for one.
Bob Hohn, Senate Executive Committee chairman, read examples of students' being denied hang tags. One example was because a student didn't want to put a sticker on the car, and another was because someone was afraid children would rip the sticker off.
Bob Basow, University council president, said if there were criteria that had to be met, students needed to be informed.
"Right now, it states if you want one, you get one," he said. "By denying students hang tags, we're enforcing a rule we don't have."
Basow suggested that the parking board grant hang tags to everyone who wanted one and at the beginning of next semester, create rules on criteria.
"There should be two reasons to want a hang tag," he said. "One, you drive multiple cars, and two, you car pool."
Prescott said he thought it was a misunderstanding for the policy to say that anyone could get a hang tag, and the board's original intention was for hang tags to be limited to specific circumstances.
"Somewhere along the way, the original wording of the policy was confused," he said.
Prescott said all students who originally were denied hang tags would be written letters saying they could have one and that students who wanted hang tags had until the end of the semester.
"Assuming the chancellor approves the change, then we'll apply new rules at the end of this semester as to who can and who can't get a hang tag," he said.
Prescott said once students had a hang tag, they would not be affected by rule changes next semester.
"As long as they get the hang tag this semester when it's stated that they can have one, I don't see any effort to try to get the hang tags back after we've issued them," he said.
Kearns said the reason for changing from hang tags to stickers was the high number of hang tag thefts, especially in residence hall areas.
Kansas Union runs dry after University bans alcohol sale
Kansan staff writer
University of Kansas student Jason Ziemianski said he would not go bowling at the Jaybowl again.
By Pallavi Agarwal
The Mission Hills senior was upset that alcohol no longer will be served in the Kansas Union, where the Javbowl is on the bottom floor.
"This is going to take away from my support of the Kansas Union," he said.
Starting last week, the University banned the sale of alcohol in
Warner Ferguson, associate director of the Kansas Union, said the decision did not bother him.
the Kansas Union after a citywide task force recommended stricter alcohol-use policies to prevent alcohol abuse among students. The University is already a dry campus.
"Students don't look at the Union as a place to have beer," he said.
"The sale of cereal malt beverages in the Union has been dwindling every year."
cereal malt beverages, and beer previously had been sold over the counter at food services and the Jaybowl. It also was served at catered functions and private parties in the Union.
The Union has a license to sell
Mollie Divine, Wayzata, Minn., senior, said she was not going to miss drinking beer in the Union.
"If I'm going to drink, I buy beer at the liquor store or the bar," she said. "The only people I know who drank at the Union were friends who worked there and would steal it and drink it."
But while most students cannot drink on campus, alcohol may be served in at least two campus locations—the chancellor's residence and the Naismith Club, in the Wagonnan Center, adjacent to the Allen Field House.
Jeff Weinberg. assistant to the
Some fraternities also serve alcohol. Although they are on private property, they are affiliated with the University. The task force plans to meet with the fraternities and Encourage them to be alcoholfree.
The Naismith Club serves alco-
He said that it was never the intent of the task force to look beyond students.
chancellor, said it was incorrect to include the chancellor's residence and the Naismith Club in the same category as fraternities.
"The chancellor's residence is a residence where a family lives, and alcohol is used for official entertaining." he said. "At fraternities and sororites, a vast number of those who consume alcohol are under 21 years."
hol to alumni and supporters of the University, said Scott McMichael, director of the Williams Educational Fund, which falls under the umbrella of the University of Kansas Athletic Corporation.
Alcohol is not sold at the club or served to students, he said.
44.
The Adams Alumni Center, which is adjacent to the University. also serves alcohol.
Weinberg said University directives did not apply to the alumni center because it was not a part of the University.
.