THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Tomorrow's weather
Wednesday October 7,1998
Warmer tomorrow with sunny skies.
Kansan
Section:
A
Vol. 109 • No. 33
Still long for the '80s? Big hair, tube socks, glam rock and John Cusack all can be found on this Web site.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Online today
http://www.80s.com
Sports today
Running backs Mitch Bowles and David Winbush share time and carries in the jayhawk backfield.
SEE PAGE 1B
Contact the Kansan
News: (785) 864-4810
Advertising: (785) 864-4358
Fax: (785) 864-0391
Opinion e-mail: opinion@kansan.com
Sports e-mail: matt@ukans.edu
Editor e-mail: editor@kansan.com
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Bonnie Augustine Commissioner
Closing time
(USPS 650-640)
Voted yes on both motions.
"If these bars close at midnight, those patrons are going to go someplace else," she said.
Erv Hodges Commissioner
- Voted yes on both motions.
- "I think it's obvious for the ordinance to specify what a neighborhood bar is. I would expect the staff to talk to a lot of the people who spoke tonight." he said
Marty Kennedy Mayor
**Voted** yes on both motions.
"At this time we are still in a dilemma that we haven't addressed," he said.
Bob Moody Commissioner
Voted yes on both motions.
"As much as I would like to close the Hawk at midnight, I don't think we have any other alternative," he said.
John Nalbandian Commissioner
a. m. closing time far later we'll be able to be able to debate and discuss. We'll be on the road and be able to say if we're going to do it," he said.
Voted yes to draft a neighborhood bar ordinance, but opposed a 2
City Commission to draft ordinance for rules, parameters
By Chris Fickett
Kansan staff writer
Last night, an Oread neighborhood bar got what it asked for in September — the ability to remain open until 2 a.m.
ability to remain open basis Bank
The Lawrence City Commission voted
4-1 to grant The Hawk, 1340 Ohio St., city drinking establishment license.
The Hawk previously was under a temporary city license, which contained a condition that the bar close at midnight.
"I think the commission made a logical decision tonight," said Matthew All, The Hawk owner John Heleniak's attorney.
However, The Hawk's and other neighborhood bars' closing times could be affected should the city approve an ordinance in the next few months.
In a separate vote, the commission unanimously approved a motion to direct city staff to draft an ordinance that
would set parameters for and impose new regulations on neighborhood bars.
David Corliss, city director of legal services, said the ordinance should reflect the Oread neighborhood's concerns.
"We're trying to prohibit the problems that have been articulated this evening," he said. "We would have to draft an ordinance that would target at that issue."
Commissioner Erv Hodges said a compromise allowing The Hawk to remain open until 2 a.m. on weekends and midnight during the week could be a possibility.
All said that he and Heleniak were open-minded but that The Hawk wouldn't accept a decision that would cause the bar to lose money.
"It would be illogical and unreasonable for the owner of The Hawk to support a measure that would put it out of business." All said.
Commissioner Bonnie Augustine was concerned that closing The Hawk at midnight would be unfair because the ordinance could not be drafted in a reasonable amount of time.
See BAR on page 2A
A historical look at impeachments
Three presidents preceded Clinton
By Chad Bettes
Kansan staff writer
President Bill Clinton is battling for his political and legal life as an impeachment vote looms tomorrow, but he is not the first American president to face charges from Congress.
Jonathan Earle, assistant professor of history, said Presidents Andrew Jackson and Andrew Johnson were the first to face congressional inquiry in the 1800s.
Jackson faced congressional ir when he opposed the creation of a national bank, Earle said. A majority of the members of Congress wanted the national bank and thought that Jackson's opposition to the idea would send the country into an economic depression.
When Jackson would not change his mind, Congress censured him in 1835 for what it considered irresponsible behavior, Earle said. The censure was not lifted until several years later.
Earle said, "To show his strong position, Jackson said, 'The bank is trying to kill me, but I shall kill it'"
A more serious and successful effort to actually impeach a president came during Johnson's term in 1868.
The political landscape was rough for Johnson because he came into office without being elected, Earle said. He was President Abraham Lincoln's vice-president when Lincoln was assassinated.
There was great tension between northern and southern states debating the issue of slavery. Johnson was caught in the middle of the debate, Earle said, because while Johnson was anti-slavery he did not support some of the harsh punishments for the South that other Republicans favored.
Earle said Johnson came under great pressure from Congress concerning his policies. Then he vetoed the Tenure of Office Act, which allowed Congress to approve or reject presidential appointments.
When Johnson named a new Secretary of War, Congress accused
him of breaking the law, Earle said. The House Judiciary Committee and the full body voted for impeachment.
The Senate spared his presidency by one vote.
Clinton: isn't the only president to face impeachment.
Loomis said that the independent counsel statutes had not been enacted during Nixon's era but were created because of Nixon. At one point in Nixon's investigation, he fired the prosecutor appointed by the attorney general.
"They thought he
Burdett Loomis, professor of political science, said President Richard Nixon's actions also landed him in a position to be impeached in 1974.
thought he was a poor president, but enough members of Congress knew it was not a good precedent," Earle said.
"There was such a firestorm of complaint that a new prosecutor had to be appointed that he (the new prosecutor) had to be left alone." Loomis said.
Impact on Loomis said the cultural climate was different today because there is greater public pressure for the release of information. He said a new option also being proposed to Congress was a public rebuke rather than censure or impeachment.
The charges that Nixon faced included lying and obstruction of justice, but he resigned before the Senate conducted or voted on his impeachment.
Loan bill would benefit students
Bv Sarah Hale
Kansan staff writer
President Bill Clinton is expected to approve a bill today that would decrease interest rates on students loans and increase grant maximums.
The bill was approved by Congress last week, including an unanimous House of Representatives vote of 96-0.
With 48 percent of University of Kansas students receiving some form of financial aid, this bill would help save them money in the long run.
The rates became effective July 1, but were only temporary and were scheduled to expire Sept. 30. Congress voted to pass the bill and expend the expiration date to June 30, 2003.
exceed the expired Maureen McLaughlin, deputy assistant secretary of policy planning and innovation at the U.S. Department of Education, said that a five-year bill was normal, and the bill would most likely get re-approved in 2003.
Diane Del Buono, director of the University's student financial aid, said that the students would benefit from the change when they began paying back loans.
likely get a reprieve. The student loan interest rates, which are based on treasury bill rates and are adjusted annually, dropped from 8.23 percent last year to 7.46 this year. This is the lowest student loan interest rate in 17 years.
"Finally, they're taking our considerations into hand and not just the college's," said Tamara Hayward, Topeka sophomore who has student loans. "I'm already worried about all the loans I'll have when I graduate. So it's nice to know that it will be a little lower."
to know that it will be a failure. Another key provision on the bill was an
Student loans
There is a decrease in student loan interest rates from 8.23% to 7.46%.
Source: The Associated Press
increase in Pell Grant maximunms from $3,000 to $4,500. The plan is to gradually increase this amount, so that by 2003-2004, $5,800 would be authorized to students.
authorized to stack Del Buono said that these amounts will not benefit students until the actual amount is appropriated.
She said that in 1992 Congress authorized $4,500 for the 1997-98 year, but only appropriated $2,700 to the schools.
"It's a good thing that they're doing this now rather than later, any little bit is going to help," said Jay Lovett, Hutchinson freshman who receives a grant.
The bill also includes about $300 million in new grant programs for next year. One program, a loan-forgiveness proposal, would forgive up to $5,000 in loans for new teachers if they agree to work for a rural or urban district.
Senate to consider powwow funding
By Seth Jones
By Sean Jones
Kansan staff writer
Think of Student Senate as the godfather of KU campus organizations.
This year, Senate has $62,175 of unallocated money to disburse to student groups. Last year it overspent its $60,089 budget. Money becomes the question again tonight when Senate decides whether it should give the First Nations Student Association $7,160 for its annual nowow.
David Reynoldson, Student Senate treasurer, said if Senate used all of its money, it still had means to fund groups.
"We have a reserve account set aside for emergencies," he said. "When we ran out of money last year we pulled from that account."
Reynoldson said that spending all the money before the year ended was unusual.
"We try to fund as many groups that are worthy of funding that come through," he said. "We don't want to set a trend of taking from the reserve account. It should be
Heavy Runner said the powwow was one of the biggest events of First Nations Student Association.
See FUND on page 3A
"If we didn't get the money, then there probably wouldn't be a pow-wow," he said. "Last year, Senate was gracious enough to fund us."
used only for emergencies "
Celebrations Student Association
"It's a celebration of the ending
Raven Heavy Runner, president of First Nations Student Association, said the money was paramount for the powwow.
Vestal to serve for death of Rosel
Sophomore to spend his weekends in jail
At the 4:30 p.m. hearing, Vestal, Englewood, Colo., sophomore, learned he would serve 30 days in jail, 200 hours of community service and three years probation for involuntary manslaughter.
Tears and tension filled the Division II courtroom of the Douglas County District Court yesterday when Matthew Vestal was sentenced for the March 31 death of Overland Park freshman Lisa Rosel.
Vestal struck Rosel, who had fallen in the intersection of 14th and Tennessee streets, with his Mitsubishi Montero while driving south on Tennessee Street. He pleaded guilty Aug.31.
batter for his sentence also includes a $1,000 fine,
court costs and a probation fee. A special
condition of his probation is that he cannot go to any establishment where the
income comes primarily from alcohol.
Rosel's family members were in court for the sentencing and testified before District Court Judge Jack Murphy, attorneys, media, Rosel's friends and Vestal about the tragedy of Lisa Rosel's death.
"It's not faceless," he said of the crime. "I want you to see what I'm missing. I want everyone here to know."
"I pray each day, and I cry each day," said Walter Rosel, Lisa Rosel's father. Sobbing, he showed a school picture of Lisa to the judge, Vestal and the courtroom. Family and friends wept with Walter Rosel, and throughout the sentencing.
Vestal declined to speak at the hearing and stood still and silent as Murphy read his sentence.
David Achtenberg, Lisa Rosel's uncle and the family's representative, asked for a sentence that would make other young people think long and hard about driving under the influence.
"We ask that the court be sure that every opportunity be given to Mr. Vestal so he can change, and so he can turn his life around," Achtenberg said.
his sentence.
Vestal will serve his jail sentence on weekends beginning Oct. 16, as agreed to in his Aug. 31 plea agreement. The 30 days he will serve, however, exceed the 14-day sentence outlined in the agreement. Vestal's sentence of 200 hours of community service is also an increase compared to the plea agreement.
complex to the point.
"I think this more appropriately reflects the seriousness of the events," Murphy said.
Vestal already has begun a required 60 hours of outpatient care and treatment at DCCCA, 3312 Clinton Parkway, a drug and alcohol treatment center.
After the sentencing, Vestal's attorneys, released a written statement from the Vestal family.
"Matt has accepted responsibility for his part in what can only be described as a tragic accident," the statement read. "Also, we hope that Matt's willingness to step forward serves as an example for the all too many students who have engaged in the same conduct as Matt and Ms. Rosel but who have been fortunate to avoid a similar tragedy."
District Attorney Christine Tonkovich said the verdict was appropriate given the facts of the case.
"This is a tragic crime the justice system cannot repair," she said. "Our hope is that at least some lessons will be learned from this."
Before the accident, Vestal had been at The Crossing, 618 W. 12th St., and had a blood-alcohol content of .081. Angela Boley, Lawrence sophomore, said that Rosel had been drinking at Bull Winkles Bar, 1344 Tennessee St. Her blood alcohol content was .097. In Kansas, the legal limit for drivers under 21 is .02, and for those older than 21 it is .08.