UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Thursday, August 22,1996 9A Police searching for arsonist Six apartments burned in Meadowbrook fire By Ashlee Roll Kansan staff writer Like most dumpsters around town, the ones at Meadowbrook Apartments, 15th Street and Crestline Drive, are full. But the dumpsters at 104 Dover Square, apartment building ZZ, are full of belongings damaged by a fire. Quilts, couches and appliances, scorched and smelly, overflow in the brown dumpsters outside the gutted apartments. The fire that created the mess was reported at 12:21 a.m. on Aug. 14, according to the incident report from the Lawrence Fire Department Jim McSwain, fire chief, said the three-alarm fire started on the first floor of the building. "A three-alarm fire is about as bad as it gets here," he said. We called one full unit back in to help with the fire, so there were 45 firefighters at the scene." The fire had two points of origin on the first floor. "This fire was an act of aggravated arson," McSwain said. Upon arrival at the apartment complex, firefighters discovered smoke in the parking lot north of the building, and coming from the west entry door. Within an hour and a half, the fire department had the blaze under control, but not before six apartments were consumed by the fire and 10 to 12 more were damaged by smoke, heat and water. "There were 18 apartments that had occupants at the time of the fire," said Gary Sampson, interim chapter manager of the American Red Cross. The Red Cross has helped place eight apartment residents who were displaced by the fire. Aggravated arson is being blamed for multiple fires in the Meadowbrook apartments at 104 Dover Square. The fires were reported at 12:21 a.m. on August 14th. Between 20 and 25 of the estimated 36 residents involved in the fire were students, Sampson said. "But at this time we have only heard from about eight," he said. "They have been hard to find because I assume that they have returned home since the fire." Although the fire and police departments are working together on the fire investigation, they have no suspices. Meadowbrook management had no comment about the fire. The fire department is asking that anyone with information call 843-TIPS. KU skips own license plate for now By Stephanie Fite Kansan staff writer The blaze of purple and white on some Kansas license plates is going to come with a price — a price the University of Kansas is not willing to pay. The plates are part of a program called Collegiate License Plates, which aims to raise funds for scholarships for students at Kansas State University and other universities in the program. Fred B. Williams, president of the University of Kansas Alumni Association, said that the program has been successful in some states and unsuccessful in others. Therefore, the University of Kansas has chosen to forgo the program because it is perceived as a gamble. "We want to do programs that benefit our resources at the University, but this program is not efficient because it is largely bureaucratic and is too costly for it to be effective," Williams said. "The law needs to be revised before the collegiate plate program can be more appealing." Kansas State University Alumni Association implemented the collegiate license plate program. The association expects the program to raise $112,500 over the next five years. That is the equivalent of awarding 225 scholarships of $500. Car owners who want Kansas State's purple and white license plate will have to pay an extra $50 in addition to the regular tags- and registration fees. Kansas State has been marketing the plates since last April and has sold about 500. See PLATES. Page 12A. Mattress Sets 9995 Factory New in the plastic Bobbi Bedroom 2429 Iowa, Suite G Lawrence, KS 842-7378 Monday-Thursday 10 am - 8 pm Friday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm K. U. RECREATION SERVICES 208 ROBINSON, 864-3546 Hawk Week and beyond For More Information about SUA, stop by our office on the fourth floor of the Kansas Union, or call 864-3477. You can reach our showline at 864-SHOW. Visit our homepage at http://www.ukans.edu/~sua August '96 Art Print Sale - Aug 19-30. In the Kansas Union Gallery September '96 Community Drum Circle - 6:30 pm on the lawn of Allen Fieldhouse. Become a part of the KU community. FREE! FREE! FREE! Hawk Week Movie - 9:30 pm Aug.19 - Aug.22 ( on Aug.22, there will be another showing at 7 pm. Rumble in the Bronx. Ice Cream Social - 5:30 pm at the KS "Boots" Adams Alumni Center & Traditions Night - 7 pm in the Stadium. Get in touch with the Jayhawk tradition. Beach-n-Boulevard - 7 pm on Wescoe Beach. Good music, hilarious comedy & great times! Convocation - 7:30 pm at the Lied Center. Experience KU's oldest tradition! Union Fest - 10 am - 2 pm at the Kansas Union. Come-n-get-it. FREE STUFF! Clinton Lake Clean Up - at Clinton Lake (where else?!). Do your good deed for the day. Movie on the Hill - 9 pm on Campanile Hill. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Meet-a-Prof. Night - Just what it says. Coordinated by Student Housing. KU v. Ball St. - 7 pm at the Stadium. Get out there and cheer on the Hawks! SUA Canoe Trip - Labor Day Weekend. Get info at SUA. Movie Poster Sale - 8 am - 5 pm in the Kansas Union Gallery. Cover your walls! Great for the room in the residence/scholarship hall, house or apartment. George Winston - 8 pm at the Lied Center of Kansas. Solo piano concert. KU @ TCU - 1 pm. Beak 'em Hawks! Steven Hager - 7:30 pm in the Kansas Union Ballroom. A lecture on marijuana legalization. Johnny Cash - 8 pm at the Lied Center. Tickets on sale NOW. Jeong Ah Shin Gallery Exhibit - in the Kansas Union Gallery. KU @ Utah - 1 pm. FALL MOVIE SERIES FALL MOVIE SERIES Movies play every night of the week. Call 864-SHOW for details. Here's a little bit about Student Union Activities... Forums - this committee coordinates guest lectures, like Steven Hager. First committee meeting will be Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 7 pm in the Regionalist Room, Union. Rec & Travel - sets up great events like the Chicago talk show trip. First Committee meeting will be Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 6pm in Alcove D, Union. Live Music - brings the bands, singers, soloist, Tunes at Noon & Day on the Hill. First meeting will be Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 5:30 pm in the Kansas Room, Union. Special Events - this committee brings to you comedians, Homecoming events and so much more. First committee meeting will be Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 6:30 pm in the Walnut Room, Union. Promotions - this committee coordinates strategies to promote SUA and the Union. First committee meeting will be Monday, Aug. 26 at 6 pm in the English Room, Union. Fine Arts - this committee is responsible for events like the gallery exhibits. First committee meeting will be Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 5:30 pm in Alcove B, Union. Feature Films - this committee selects the new films, blockbusters and popular wide screen movies to be shown at KU. Contact SLA for information on first committee meeting. Spectrum Films - this committee chooses the avant-garde, classic, foreign and cult films to be shown at KU. First committee meeting will be Monday, Aug. 26 at 5 in woodruff Audit., Union. I ---