MONDAY, OCTOBER 30,1995
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS 864-4810
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
SECTION A VOL.102, NO.50
TODAY KANSAN
SPORTS
Clawed up
Kansas dropped to No.11 in the Associated Press Poll following Saturday's loss to Kansas State. Page 1B
CAMPUS
Some students are upset about the merging of two departments in the School of Engineering. Page 6A
Department ends: merge left
NATION
The rifle used by a sniper to kill a Fort Bragg, N.C., soldier was bought in Maryland. Page 8A
ATF traces murder weapon
ADVERTISING 864-4358
WORLD
Workers recover bodies
The death toll from a weekend subway fire in Azerbaijan has reached 337. Page8A
WEATHER CLOUDY
High 52° Low 40°
Weather: Page 2A
INDEX
Opinion...4A
National News ...8A
World News ...8A
Sports...1B
Scoreboard...2B
William Kunstler leaves the federal building in Topeka on Jan. 27, 1972, after a district court judge refused to allow him to represent the Lawrence Gay Liberation Front In its lawsuit against the University of Kansas.
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is free. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents.
Photo Courtesy Topeka Capitol-Journal
25 years ago, a student gay rights group at the University of Kansas began a fight for recognition, only to be...
It's Tuesday night at Tellers. About 50 people, mostly KU students, gather for family night, a time when the restaurant celebrates the lives and extended families of the Lawrence gay, lesbian and bisexual community.
The lights are dim; the music turned up; and patrons are immersed in quiet conversations with friends and lovers.
On such a night, lawsuits, protests and struggles for recognition seem like something from another century.
"There is not a place in this town that I won't walk down the street holding my girlfriend's hand," says
The 1970s was
The 1970s was a time of unrest, conflict and change.
Samantha Korshin, St. Louis senior and co-director of LesBiGay Services of Kansas. "I've never experienced any gay-bashing incidents here." But it was 25 years
But it was 25 years ago this fall that a KU
In August 1970, the Lawrence Gay Liberation Front, forerunner of LesBiGay OK, began applying to the University of Kansas for official recognition as a student organization.
student gay rights group began fighting for the freedom and safety that these patrons now enjoy.
But after a year of applying, being rejected, reapplying and getting rejected again, the group sued the University and secured New York attorney William Kunstler as legal counsel.
Kunstler, one of the most famous attorneys of this century, already had a client list that included Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Chicago Seven.
Kunstler remembered it until his death this September — partly because he lost it, but mostly because it was the only time in his long and controversial career that he was barred from representing his client.
And although the KU case lacked the notoriety of many of his trials.
A Time of Change At the University of Kansas and most other colleges, the 1970s was a time of unrest, conflict and change. Students
set fire to the Kansas Union, Black activists protested in Strong Hall and women burned their bras on Javahawk Boulevard.
The Lawrence Gay Liberation Front sued the University for infringing upon its First and 14th Amendment rights.
It was out of this counterculture that a gay rights movement gained momentum at the University and began pushing for greater freedoms and acceptance for homosexual students.
"The climate was about freeing our brothers and sisters," said James Grauerholz of Lawrence, who attended KU from 1969 to 1973 and is the long-time companion and personal manager of author and Lawrence recluse William S. Burroughs.
"You would be a token fag," he said. "But in practice, the social politics were still very romanticized into a macho, heterosexual ideal."
But acceptance and celebration of gays at that time still was rather theoretical. Grauerholz said.
by Phillip Brownlee
In June 1970, a group of students formed the Lawrence Gay Liberation Front. The Front's basic tenets were to support the gay community and to be its center in Lawrence, said Joe Prados, an Austin, Texas, architect. 1973 KU graduate and
plaintiff in the eventual lawsuit.
That next fall, the group decided to apply for status as an official student organization, which would have qualified it to receive student funding.
"Times were primitive for gays," Prados said. "In those days we were just out there in the middle of the ether."
Although KU's Student Senate approved the application, then Chancellor E. Lawrence Chalmers Jr.
denied it.
Chalmers, who now lives in Durango, Colo., said in a recent phone interview that he had no rec-
objection of denying the request or, for that matter, no recollection of the gay movement.
That's not surprising, said Francis Heller, then acting provost and now a retired KU law professor.
"He sometimes didn't remember things that happened 15 minutes earlier. Heller said."
"The times were primitive for gays. In those days, we were just out there in the middle of the ether."
But a statement issued by Chalmers on Sept. 9,1970,gave the following explanation:
"Since we are not persuaded that student activity funds should be allocated either to support or to
continued on page 5A
'Powder' may mislead moviegoers
Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual History Month
Humans employ entire brain, professor says
By Novelda Sommers
Kansan staff writer
The brain does some pretty amazing things.
However, it couldn't give someone the power to move inanimate objects without touching them. Even operating at 100-percent efficiency, there is no evidence that the brain would enable its user to perform supernatural feats, as portrayed in the Disney movie "Powder," which opened Friday.
"It's science fiction," said David Holmes, professor of psychology.
In the movie, the character nicknamed Powder can detect the thoughts and feelings of others. Powder's abilities
Holmes said he had not seen the movie but had heard about its premise.
are a result of lightning striking his mother while he was still in her womb.
"If we cut out only a tiny section of your temporal lobe, you won't be able to talk," Holmes said. "You would just speak gibberish."
Holmes says humans already used all of their brains. If any part of the brain is damaged or removed, an ability such as speech or movement also is lost.
Bethany Dixcy, Tulsa, Okla., freshman, guessed half. But she said that even if people could access more, she did not know if they should.
He said a common misconception was that humans only used half of their brains.
"I think we use enough now to get along fine." Dixcy said.
Holmes said that although people already used their entire brains, they could use their brains more efficiently.
He said that the mind functioned like a library. If the books at Watson Library
"When you study something, you have to link it to something else," Holmes said.
were shelved randomly instead of by subject, finding a particular book would take a long time. When the brain memorizes information, recall is easier if facts are connected to ideas or to other facts.
People who linked facts together and improved their memory recall would not be smarter, but they would be able to recall more information faster. Holmes said.
of
Doug McIntyre, Overland Park senior, said he learned in a high school psychology class that people only used 15 to 20 percent of their memory capabilities.
"If I could maximize my brainpower, I probably would resolve all of my interpersonal problems," he said. "I don't think I would have supernatural powers, but if I did, I wouldn't use them for evil."
(USPS 650-640)
--exchange between Kansas and
Tom Leininger / KANSAN
Juan Carlos Wasmosy, president of the Republic of Paraguay, answers questions at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union. President Wasmosy met with students and faculty on Friday as part of a trip to Kansas.
Leader says University has aided democracy
Paraguayan president praises KU
By Stephanie McDuff Kansan correspondent
Wasmosy, who took office in 1993, cited growth in his country's economy, educational reform, a crackdown on drugs and an increasing international presence as indicators of Paraguay's march toward democracy. In the speech, the president thanked the University of Kansas for its support and interest in Paraguay. He wants to see an increase in the cultural
The president of the Republic of Paraguay said Friday that the University of Kansas had played a small part in his country's progress toward democracy.
Juan Carlos Wasmoss spoke to faculty members, members of the community and state legislators about progress made in Paraguay in the past few years at a dinner held at the Spencer Museum of Art.
Paraguay, he said.
After Wasmosy's speech, Chancellor Robert Hemenway praised Wasmosy's efforts toward establishing democracy in Paraguay as well as the president's concern for education. Hemenway said he looked forward to continuing and expanding relations between the University and Paraguay.
"Paraguay and Kansas have much to learn from each other."
Robert Hemenway Chancellor
of that goal, Hemenway said he would like to see an increase in faculty exchanges with Paraguay.
"In short, we look forward to continue the work of the government and the people of Paraguay through the entire Paraguay-Kansas relationship." Hemenway said. "It is truly an exceptional relationship. As in all such exchanges, we mutually gain as much as we give. Paraguay and Kansas have much to learn from each other."
Hemenway awarded Wasmosy a plaque bearing the inscription, "For meritorious service on behalf of democracy in the Americas and the University of Kansas."
Alejandro Dominguez, Asuncion, Paraguay, senior, said he was surprised that the president had been so open and friendly to the students while visiting.
Dominguez said the students also were able to tell the president their views on the cultural exchange between Paraguay and Kansas.
At a brunch yesterday at the Lawrence Ramada Inn, each of the Paraguayan students in the Kansas-Paraguay Partnership Program, an exchange program, visited with Wasmosy.
Julio Ullon-Briuela, Asuncion, Paraguay, senior, said he was impressed with Wasmosy's concern for the students in Kansas.
He said that despite the traditional restrictive barrier of presidential protocol, Wasmosy tried to get in touch with students' opinions and concerns about their country and the Kansas-Paraguay exchange program.
KANASB TRIP! The president of the Republic of Paraguay finished his visit yesterday. Page 2A