Tomorrow's weather
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Kansan
Tuesday
October 5, 1999
Section:
A
Vol. 110 • No. 33
Mild and dry.
LOW 53
The Sierra Club released a report today about urban sprawl and which states are doing the most to stop it.
Nation today
Kansas tennis
SEE PAGE 6B
The Kansas men's tennis team competed in two tournaments last weekend winning some and losing some.
SEE PAGE 1B
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Hearts on the line
(USPS 650-640)
Jessica Postier, Prairie Village, junior, and Jennifer McAdam, Kansas City, Mo., senior, reflect on their display, which remembers victims of domestic violence. Postier and McAdam coordinated the display yesterday afternoon at the corner of Ninth and Massachusetts streets as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For more information on the display see page 3A.
Photo by Jamie Roper/KANSAN
Meningitis warnings on 20/20 cause parents to call Watkins
By Amber Stuever
writer @kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
An episode of ABC's news magazine 20/20, which aired Sept. 17, warned college students and their parents of an underexposed threat they called the "campus killer."
It hurked in university residence halls and thrived in familiar college environments such as bars and spring break destinations, and strikes and kills within 24 hours
"I wish we'd known about meningitis," said a parent in the 20/20 report who's daughter died from Meningitis. "I wish
someone had told us what the symptoms were, or that this was a problem."
After the report, Watkins Memorial Health Center was flooded with phone calls from concerned parents about this "campus killer" called Menigococcal Meningitis. The disease is highly contagious, and infects about 150 students per year, according to 20/20.
"My mom watched it and she called me the next day," said Tracey Blecher, Dallas junior. "She said, 'You have to go get a shot, I'm really worried.'"
In the week and a half after the report,
Watkins administered 50 meningitis vaccines, compared to only one or two given all of last year.
The 20/20 report said the disease was not widely
1930. "When the disease strikes it is very real and potentially tragic," said Randall Rock, Watkins chief of staff.
See MENINGITIS on page 2A
Meningitis is not new to the University of Kansas. In 1997, the illness struck Robert Brogi, a Deerfield, Ill., who died within hours. A form of meningitis also was diagnosed in Lea Cheyney, Glenwood, Iowa, junior, in 1996, but she lived.
Watkins liable in student death, parents allege
By Katie Hollar writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Nearly two years after the death of their daughter, Angela Griffin's parents are seeking compensation.
Wayne and Connie Griffin have filed a petition asking for more than $150,000 from the University of Kansas as compensation for negligent health care. The Griffins filed the petition with Douglas County Court Sept. 24.
comparison.
On the morning of Sept. 26, 1997, Griffin was found dead in her Ellsworth Hall room. She was a Uvssys freshman.
The petition names five defendants: Watkins Memorial Health Center; the University; Randall W. Rock, Watkins chief of staff; Cheryl Hickert, nurse practitioner; and Robert Brown, physician.
The petition stated that on or about Sept. 25, 1997, Angela Griffin sought and obtained medical care at Watkins. According to the petition, she was seen by Hickert and infectious mononucleosis was diagnosed. Medications were prescribed, and she was sent home. Griffin attempted to follow the treatment recommended by Watkins staff but was found dead in her room just before 10 a.m. the next day, the petition alleged.
Griffin was found by her roommate and her roommate's parents. Her neighbors in Ellsworth reported hearing her coughing all night.
The petition alleged that the medical care provided by the defendants to Griffin was negligent and such care and treatment caused or contributed to her death.
Two counts listed in the petition were wrongful death and survival action, or the unnecessary and conscious pain, suffering
and fear, prior to her death. The Griffins seek more than $75,000 for each count.
Hickert was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Rock and Brown declined to comment, and referred questions to the office of David Amber, vice-chancellor for student affairs.
Ambler confirmed that Griffin was treated at Watkins but did not know the details of her treatment. He said Rock, Hickert and Brown continued to be employed at Watkins.
"There isn't much that we can say." Ambler said. "Whenever a lawsuit like this is filed, it becomes a legal matter. The University has very little comment."
When there was a suit against the University, the state would normally get involved, Ambler said. He said the state's attorney general would determine how the case would be handled.
Tiffany Ball, public information officer at the attorney general's office, said her office had received a copy of the petition.
"It has not yet been decided whether the case will be handled within our office or with outside counsel." she said.
Ambler said that to the best of his knowledge, this would be the first time Watkins had been sued.
Shenpeard said no court date had been set.
Cynthia Sheppeard, an attorney for the Griffins, said her clients had not given her permission to speak with the press, but that everything in the petition was true.
Stephen Sanker, the Director,
"The loss of Angie Griffin two years ago was a tragedy," said Ambler yesterday in a written statement. "It remains so today. We believe Angie's treatment at the University health center was appropriate and met the highest standard of care."
Edited by Matt James
Task Force to review Senate fines process
By Chris Borniger writer kanson.com Kansan staff writer
The nature of next spring's Student Senate campaign could begin to take shape soon.
The Senate Task Force on Election and Referendum will have its first meeting tonight, and the elections commission's ability to fine candidates for campaign violations could be challenged.
Dede Seibel, student body vice president and chairwoman of the task force, said the commission's authority to impose fines on candidates and coalitions lacked due process.
lacked due process.
"We're studying the things that make this system the good system that it is," she said.
"And we want to sure an appeals process is included in everything."
tiring.
Senate rules and regulations give the University of Kansas Judicial Board the authority to review the commission's rulings, except for findings of fact. Those factual findings include fines.
But Partha Mazumdar, graduate senator and a member of the task force, said the effort to end fines had long been a goal of candidates who racked up considerable fines.
Seibel said the task force would consider an amendment to end that.
Mazumdar said that if an appeals process were available, candidates would be more likely to commit violations, thinking they could avoid having to pay the penalty.
able fines.
In the elections of spring 1997, the Unite coalition earned more than $1,200 in fines for multiple violations of campaign guidelines. Former student body president Scott Sullivan and former
vice president Mike Walden accounted for about $1,060 of those fines.
"Ever since then, they've wanted an appeal process." Mazumdar said. "After you run an electoral campaign, you have about $3 left in your coalition bank account, so it comes out of your own pocket. You don't budget for fines."
new you could sell a million dollars and get away with it, you would," he said. "On Student Senate, there are a lot of people who would too. Elections are going to be as dirty as in years before."
The task force also will examine guidelines in the election code for spending limits, compliance with the Kansas Open Meetings Act, coalition affiliation and criteria for putting referenda on the ballot.
Seibel, however, said the appeals process would not lead to such results.
"If you knew you could steal a
"I don't think it will affect the outcome of elections to a large extent," she said.
None of the members of this year's commission would comment because the commission has not met. Its first meeting is Thursday.
The task force's meeting will be at 8 tonight at the Regionalist Room in the Kansas Union.
Edited by Ronnie Wachtel
Accident at 23rd and Massachusetts streets
Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical staff attend to a victim of a wreck at 10:30 last night at 23rd and Massachusetts streets. Witnesses said the blue car was westbound on 23rd street when it ran a red light and turned north onto Massachusetts Street colliding with a white Honda Prelude. Witnesses said
the driver and passengers in the Prelude could have been students. A nursing supervisor at Lawrence Memorial Hospital said none of the victims were KU students. She did not know if they attended Haskell Indian Nations University. Photo by Matt Daugherty/KANSAN
Regents tour KU campus, address union questions
By Clay McCuistion
and Nathan Willis
and Nathan Willis
Kansan staff writers
Two representatives of the Kansas Board of Regents visited the University of Kansas campus for more than 10 hours yesterday — and were bombarded by everything from possible faculty unionization to high-powered microscopes.
Regent Bill Docking said in a 9 a.m. meeting with University governance leaders that the vote underway at Fort Hays State University on faculty unionization could be a precursor of things to come at the University.
"If we don't do better funding-wise, that's probably where we'll end up," he
said.
Topping the list of positive signs is the fact that the Regents now speak for 37 of Kansas' post-secondary educational institutions instead of just the six public universities, giving them more sweep, Wilcox said.
But trying to determine where the University and other Regents schools will end up as far as funds go has been difficult at this point, said Docking and Regents Executive Director Kim Wilcox. There are both positive and negative signs.
have a lot to gain."
"Facts aren't really what's important," he said. "What's important is the perception the Legislature has. If we can take this opportunity to say, 'yes, we are one big happy family now,' we
Plus, the Legislature still is lukewarm to the idea of raising faculty salaries, Docking said.
There are negative signs, too. Wilcox said that when he met with Gov. Bill Graves last week, Graves outlined a flat budget for next year because of the revenue shortages.
"Many legislators think we haven't made the case," he said. "That is so discouraging to think that you have to have an enormous problem on your hands before you can get the Legislature's attention."
"The governor continued to reiterate his commitment to funding education." Wilcox said. "But he said it's difficult when there's no money."
The visit was part of a concerted effort between Docking and Wilcox to visit all of the institutions under the Regents' supervision by the end of the year.
"The two of us are going to try to make all of them," said Docking, an Arkansas City banker. "There's no substitute to going to each one of the campuses."
After the conference with governance leaders, the two men walked down the hill to Malott Hall for a meeting with Robert Dunn, assistant professor of chemistry.
Wilcox and Docking watched Dunn closely as he explained the uses of a near-field scanning
See REGENTS on page 3A