Tomorrow's weather
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Kansan
Warm tomorrow and partly cloudy.
On campus today
Residence halls and Greek housing units are celebrating Halloween with various festivities and events.
Thursday
October 28,1999
Section:
A
Vol.110·No.50
SEE PAGE 6A
Sports today
Kansas volleyball won its own border war last night with a three-game sweep against Missouri.
SEE PAGE 1B
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Phone call investigation leads to New York
Suspect harassed people in other states, police say
(USPS 650-640)
By Michael Terry
writer@kanson.com
Kansas staff writer
An investigation into the 14 harassing and threatening phone calls placed on Oct. 4 have led the KU Public Safety Office to a man living in New York.
Lt. Schuyler Bailey of the KU Public Safety Office said that through the course of the department's three-week investigation,
it was able to identify a suspect with the cooperation of other state agencies.
"The suspect was identified and found to be calling long distance from New York." Bailey said. "The man did not appear to be affiliated with the University, and there were no other reported suspects at this time."
Sgt. Troy Mailen of the KU Public Safety Office said that the man's identity would not be released until either a notice to appear or a warrant for arrest was issued by the district attorney's office.
"Allegedly, the suspect has been making harassing calls to cities in Iowa, Kentucky
and South Dakota, just to name a few," Mailen said. "The FBI is conducting their own investigation at this time, and we are waiting to see what additional information they uncover."
The 14 female students who filed police reports were from seven different residence and scholarship halls.
The man who placed the calls between 12:15 and 3:30 a.m. Oct. 4 threatened to rape and kill women if they hung up on him.
The evidence collected in the case was turned over to the Douglas County District Attorney's Office for determination of charges yesterday morning.
"Because of the interstate connection with this case and the jurisdictional boundaries involved, the other states involved were conducting their own separate investigations at this time." Bailey said.
Bailey said the investigation into the other harassing phone calls placed to female students after Oct. 4 at the University still was ongoing. Two male KU students are suspects for eight harassing phone calls made on Oct. 14. Christine Tonkovich, Douglas County District Attorney, said she would make a decision about whether to charge the suspects by Monday.
—Edited by Ben Embry
A house that's not a home
Greeks who depledge say it's not always easy
By Lori O'Toole
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
It was midway through fall semester last year when Leawood sophomore Nick Williams decided he no longer could balance fraternity life, school and his Kansas City lawn care business.
He had struggled long and hard with the decision to leave his University of Kansas fraternity chapter, which he did not want to identify, before he packed his bags.
"It doesn't feel like it's an option to leave." Williams said. "A lot of people think it's risky. A lot of people are scared to leave. Everything is the house."
He rented and moved into an apartment in a single day and only then told the fraternity members that he was leaving the chapter.
"I didn't warn people because I knew they'd try to give me any reason they could to stay," Williams said. "I knew they'd be angry."
Members of his fraternity, shocked that he depledled, wanted nothing to do with him once he left the house.
"A fraternity is like a really big family, and when you disown a kid, there's no contact," he said. "They don't go out of their way to make you feel bad, but there's no connection. A lot of people act like they don't see me."
Every year, dozens of University fraternity and sorority pledges quietly slip out of their houses and back into the non-greek world. It's a dark side of greek life seldom mentioned.
See STUDENTS on page 8A
Photo illustration by Kyle Ramsey/KANSAN
Women to gather to reclaim the night with rally, march
Information, counselors to help violence survivors
By Erinn R. Barcomb
Kansan staff writer
Downtown Lawrence will belong to women tonight as members of the community gather to reclaim safety for women and children.
The 12th annual Womyn Take Back the Night rally will begin at 5:30 today at the gazebo at South Park on Massachusetts Street
The Clothesline Project will be on display, and materials to make T-shirts to add to the project will be available until 7 p.m. at South Park. The project is a display of T-shirts designed by survivors of violence.
Almas Sayeed, event organizer, said the rally would mirror last year's event.
violence Information tables from community
A men's circle, led by Robert Minor, professor of religious studies, will take place at the gazebo. The men will gather to discuss ways to stop violence against women and children. Sayeed said that although the circle was relatively small in
and also to provide a testament for victims. A march through downtown Lawrence will follow the circle.
organizations, speakers and performers also will be part of the event.
The event is not limited to women, however.
The night will culminate at 8 p.m. at Watson Park with the women's circle. The circle is a chance for survivors of violence to speak out against their abusers
Sarah Morrison, volunteer coordinator for Women's Transitional Care Services, a sponsor of the rally, said her service
comparison with the women's circle, it had been growing.
would have an information table at the gazebo and peer counselors on site. She said the counselors would be volunteers trained to deal with victims of violence.
Womyn Take Back the Night is the culmination of Domestic Violence
"It becomes 'Take Back the Dusk.'" she said. "I think there's a kind of attraction about the darkness. I think there's something really cool about being out in the cold."
Awareness Month. Sayeed said she preferred having the event in October when the weather was cool and the sun set earlier.
A committee of about 10 people began to organize the event after Labor Day, Sayeed said. The community has donated to the
The community has donated to the event. Mass Street Music, 1347
Massachusetts St., donated a sound system. Sayeed said JKHK, the University of Kansas's radio station, was willing to do the same thing.
Womyn Take Back the Night usually has
"I think there's a kind of attraction about the darkness. I think there's something really cool about being out in the cold."
Almas Sayeed
event organizer
- Edited by Katrina Hull
T-shirts featuring the year's logo for sale at the rally. Sayeed said this year patches would replace T-shirts because the event lost money on the T-shirts last year. A Kansas City company is donating the patches.
"Community support has been really important this year," Sayeed said. "The march could never have happened without them."
Hugo Pelaez, Cali, Colombia, former graduate student, stands in front of Strong Hall. Pelaez is seeking $200,000 from the University after an accident that he claims led to the deterioration of his health and loss of his job. Photo by Kate Levenson/KANSAN
Former student seeks $200,000 from University
Bv Katie Hollar
Kansan staff writer
A former University of Kansas graduate student is seeking $200,000 from the University after an accident that he claims led to the deterioration of his health and the loss of his job.
In October 1998, Hugo Pelaez of Cali, Colombia, fell into an open manhole near Jayhawker Towers. Pelaez, who is blind, said he injured his lower back in the accident.
In the months following the accident, Pelaez said his health deteriorated. He was able to finish teaching that semester but did not teach during the spring semester.
As a result, he lost his graduate teaching position in the French and Italian department—and thus, his paycheck and health insurance.
Pelaez said he contacted several University officials in an effort to get his job back but did not receive help. He said he was told to fill out forms but was not offered any assistance with them.
"I'm blind," he said. "There's no way I could have done it on my own."
Pelaez said his health continued to worsen. In addition to his back problems, he said he developed an ulcer and a sinus infection. Moreover, he suffered from depression and was prescribed antidepressants. And he said although the Watkins Memorial Health Center staff was very helpful, he still had not received any help from the University.
"I wasn't asking for any money," he said. "I wanted peace of mind that they would be with me on this."
Pelaez said he decided to contact an attorney when he realized the University would not help him. On Friday, the University offered Pelaez a $25,000 settlement.
He refused the University's settlement, even when they doubled the offer, Pelaez said.
"It totally convinced me that they're just trying to see how much money I want," he said. "This is not money-related. I just want justice to be done."
University counsel did not return messages.
Pelaez said he was determined to take the issue to court. He said his case was an example of how the University discriminated against the disabled.
"I've made it my moral obligation to draw attention to this issue. It's not fair," he said. "I can leave the courtroom without a dollar in my pocket. It doesn't matter. I want this school to learn a lesson and to be ready to help people. If I don't say anything, they'd keep doing it."
Daryl Graves, Pelaez's attorney, said he would not comment as litigation was pending.
Pelaez has not filed a petition yet.
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Edited by Matt Gardner