CAMPUS/AREA UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, October 4, 1995
3A
O.J.aftermath
Carol Thobae / KANSAN
Members of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority congregate in the television lounge of their house, 1433 Tennessee St., during lunchtime to watch the verdict of the O.J. Simpson trial. Members said that now that the trial was over, they would be able to return to their regular noontime viewing of "Days of Our Lives" without interruptions.
KU gives its O.J. verdict
Students, faculty disagree about validity of outcome
By Craig Lang Kansan staff writer
After months of waiting, the verdict is in.
KU students crowded around the televisions at noon yesterday in the Kansas Union to hear the jury's decision on the fate of O.J. Simpson. When the two verdicts of not guilty were announced, cheers and exclamations such as, "The Juice is loose!" could be heard throughout the fourth-floor lobby.
Brenda Peirce, Coffeyville junior, said she thought that the jury's decision was accurate and that Simpson truly was not guilty. She said that she was impressed with the defense's case, which put doubt in the jurors' minds and provided evidence that Simpson had been framed.
"Johnny Cochran did a good job with the 'If the glove doesn't fit, acquit speech,' Peirce said.
Jeff Ware, Kansas City, Mo., junior, disagreed with Peirce. He said that he was convinced Simpson was guilty beyond a doubt.
"The evidence is there," Ware said. "It points right to him."
Both Ware and Peirce said that because the jury did not spend
much time in deliberations, it must have been certain of its decision that Simpson was not guilty
"I think they were pretty sure because they were done so quickly," Peirce said.
Frank Hoover, Wichita freshman, said that he thought the jurors made their decision because of their fear of being ridiculed. He said he thought that they might have been afraid because Simpson was African-American and a sports figure, a riot similar to the one following the verdict of the Rodney King trial could have ensued.
David Gottlieb, professor of law,
said it was wrong for anyone to
make a judgment call explaining
why the jury acted as they did.
"I think it is a terrible mistake to try to assume that one knows the reason that the jury or jurors filed presentable doubt," he said.
Gottlieb said he thought that many people would assume the case was making a statement about U.S. criminal justice because of the amount of attention paid to Simpson's case. However, he said he did not think the case applied to the nation's justice system as a whole because it was only one trial.
"As far as I'm concerned, money can buy justice," he said.
because of the constant media coverage of the trial, viewers had enough information to play the part of the 13th juror.
Sherwood Thompson, director of minority affairs, said that
Amy Turnbull, Lawrence junior and member of the Feminist Collective Force, said the fact that Simpson was on trial for murdering his ex-wife raised the issue of violence against women. The verdict sent a negative message to women who were being battered, she said.
"If they are seeking justice because they are being battered, justice will not prevail." she said.
Thompson said he thought that justice was served and that the jury's verdict showed America the system worked. He said one lesson he hoped Americans had learned from the trial was that people should not be stereotyped simply because of their race or gender.
Thompson said he was sorry to see that the prosecution spent millions of dollars and hundreds of state employee hours just to try to prove Simpson's guilt. He said that same money could have been used by the Los Angeles Police Department in following several other leads that could have brought Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman's real killer to justice.
"I don't know the truth, but I'd like to see the same vigor in the opening of a scientific investigation of finding the true murderer," he said.
Hispanic enrollment increases
The University of Kansas is taking little steps toward the recruitment of minority students, and it is making headway with the Hispanic population.
HALO's efforts help to recruit minorities during recent years
By Hannah Naughton Kansan staff writer
The Hispanic population on campus has been climbing slowly during the last 10 years. It was 1 percent in 1983, and it is up to 2.1 percent this semester.
"Hispanics in years past have been systematically disadvantaged by economic and social status," said Matt Duran, Salina junior and president of the Hispanic American Leadership Organization. "College is the way to boost their own potential for success as well as their community's. That is the only way to empower a community — education."
According to the 1990 U.S. census, the Hispanic population was the third-largest racial group in the United States, following whites and African-Americans. Minority enrollment data issued by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning indicate that Hispanics are the second-smallest group represented on campus.
Damon Broadus, assistant director in charge of minority recruitment in the office of admissions said that the Hispanic population increased from 514 students to 537 students, a 4.5 percent change in the past year.
Duran said that Hispanics were a third-world country within the United States. By recruiting, HALO played its part in helping the community.
People expect a quick fix with minority enrollment, Broadus said. But it is the small steps that improve the situation in the end.
Last year, the University's office of admissions organized a fund-raiser called the Phone-a-thon of Color, Broadus said. Different minority students earned money for their organizations by phoning
Going against the trend
Even though the enrollment at KU's Lawrence campus has been declining in recent years, Hispanic enrollment continues to rise.
Source: Office of Institution Research and Planning Kelly Cannon/KANSAW
high school minority students and talking to them about the educational opportunities of college and especially the University. The office of admissions plans a second fund-raiser in the spring.
Hispanic Heritage Month began Sept. 15 and runs until Oct. 15. HALO has organized several events for the month and throughout the year, Duran said. One of HALO's larger projects is to help with recruitment.
In the past, HALO sent members out to western Kansas to recruit. HALO hadn't paid close enough attention to that in the past two years but was trying to get the program running again, Duran said.
Broadus said he had read Workforce 2000, which predicted that more than half of college-age people would be from an ethnic minority in the year 2000.
Recruitment of Hispanic-Americans is a high priority right now in order to fight the historical disadvantage of these people, Broadus said. Minorities need access to academic requirements so they can be leaders in the diverse future.
Senator questions Kansan policy
By Sarah Wlese
Kansan staff writer
A Student Senate petition against a Kansan policy seeks to revoke the newspaper's financing if it doesn't eliminate the policy.
Tonight, Senate's University affairs and finance committees will consider the issue.
The petition focuses on a disclaimer at the bottom left-hand corner of the Kansan's front page, which states that the first copy of the paper is free, and additional copies are 25 cents.
Ami Hizer, holdover senator and a co-sponsor of the petition, said the Kansan received about $187,000 from Senate through the Student Media Fee, one of several restricted fees students pay in addition to tuition.
To qualify as student media, organizations must provide their publications or broadcasts at no cost to students. Hizer said the 25-cent policy violated the intentions
of Senate's rules and regulations, and funds should be revoked if the policy isn't eliminated.
Tom Eblen, general manager and news adviser for the Kansan, said the policy was an effort to establish a value for each copy of the paper. It was something the paper had considered in the past but had been trying to avoid, he said.
Last spring, a student protest about an article culminated in the dumping of more than 1,000 Kansans in front of Stauffer-Flint Hall.
"This is simply one of several things that can be done to avoid a recurrence," Eblen said.
"I can't imagine a student having to pay for papers unless he or she engages in throwing away newspapers he or she has no business throwing away."
By making each newspaper worth 25 cents, stealing or destroying large quantities of papers would be theft.
Colleen McCain, editor of the
Kansan, said that the newspaper hadn't collected a cent from the policy and hoped it never had to. Collection only would happen if another dumping or stealing incident occurred.
"We wouldn't collect money from a student who takes a couple of extra papers." McCain said. "The only time this would become an issue is when you get into the hundreds and thousands of Kansans."
Ward Cook, Nunemaker senator and a co-sponsor of the petition, said he opposed the 25-cent policy because it had never been explained — to students or to Senate.
"As a funding benefactor of the UDK, we have the right to question the policy," Cook said. "I think it's their responsibility to tell us exactly what they're doing."
Hizer said that if the *Kansan* wanted Senate's money, it would have to comply with Senate's rules and regulations.
Bob Grunzinger, Senate treasurer, said that he found no violation of the rules and regulations in the Kansan's policy.
Listen up: Woodruff's sound system soon will be state-of-the art
By Sarah Wlese Kansan staff writer
Network Event Theater, a two-year-old entertainment group based in New York, approached SUA last spring with an invitation proposal. In
The best part of the deal — it doesn't cost SUA a dime.
Starting next week, Student Union Activities will take a giant leap from a so-so sound system in Woodruff Auditorium to state-of-the-art Lucas Sound.
exchange for including at least 10 of Network's events in SUA's programming schedule each semester, Network would install about $100,000 worth of sound and video equipment in Woodruff that SUA could use for a variety of purposes.
"We all thought it sounded exciting, but it seemed like too good of a deal," said Danielle Madeira, Tulsa, Okla, sophomore and feature films committee coordinator.
The new system was installed Sept. 6 and includes Lucas Sound,
Bertan said Network would offer SUA about 25 events via satellite each semester, such as movie previews, sporting events and interactive lectures. SUA will promote, staff and collect money from the events, most of which goes to Network, said Hilary Mogue, Overland Park senior and SUA's vice president for University relations.
which includes a four-speaker stereo sound system and an Amprо video projector, said Joy Bertan, director of promotions for Network.
The first event using the equipment will be Tuesday's interactive law school symposium.
SUA also will use the state-of-the-art equipment for movies shown by its two film committees.
"It's like comparing a record player to a CD player," Mogue said. "We were working with very out-of-date equipment, and this has brought us up to the most current technology."
Madeira said that in the past, movie sound was muffled, which led to complaints from viewers.
"We knew we were in need or an improvement," Madeira said. "It's something we always wanted but hadn't been able to afford."
No other movie theater in Lawrence has Lucas Sound. David Innes, general manager for Lawrence's Dickinson Cinema 6, said that the system was desirable but had been too costly to pursue.
Umut Bayramoglu, Istanbul, Turkey, sophomore and spectrum films committee coordinator, said that the new projection system was
also a big advantage.
"Before, we didn't have access to a video projector," Bayramoglu said. "So if we were looking for a film and it was only available on video, we had to cross it on our list."
"With the new system, I think the audience will be much more satisfied and attendance will increase," Bayramguu said.
Madeira said that the 7 p.m. Oct. 13 showing of "The Bridges of Madison County" would be the first SUA movie to use the new system.
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