AREA
AREA
Lawrence police will sell everything from compact discs to baseball cards at two auctions this weekend. PAGE 3A
PARTLY CLOUDY
A $20 million increase to the South Lawrence Trafficway won't end construction, officials say. PAGE 5A
High 72° Low 40° Weather: Page 2A.
A tree is sunning.
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
VOL.104,NO.39
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1994
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
(USPS 650-640)
NEWS:864-4810
Concern voiced about chancellor search
Releasing names may taint process
By David Wilson Kansan staff writer
The Board of Regents plan to release the names of the five finalists for chancellor has met opposition in the past few weeks from some members of the search committee and editorials in the Lawrence Journal-World.
The search committee meets today,
but the plan to release the five names
to the media after they are submitted to the Regents in December will go forward.
"There has been no request to the Board to change that position," said Stephen Jordan, executive director of the Regents and a member of the committee.
But opponents of the plan could still get their wish to keep the names confidential.
At a search committee meeting last month, Frank Sabatini, chairman of the Regents, said the Regents would consider releasing the names if the finalists did not mind.
Opponents of the Regents policy say that if candidates' names were made public, it would make them appear unhappy with their current jobs.
"We're going to lose numerous individuals who don't want it known that they are out looking," said Dolph Simons Jr., publisher of the Lawrence Journal-World. "No first-class university conducts a search in this manner."
Simons has written letters to some members of the search committee expressing his wish that the names not be released but denied that he
was trying to sway them.
Simons said that a letter to T. P. Srinivasan, head of Faculty Executive Committee and a member of committee, was written only to thank Srinivasan for his comments about the issue.
At least one Regent, John Montgomery, said that despite his opposition to releasing the names, he would not vote to change the plan.
Sherman Reeves, student body president and a member of the committee, said the plan to release the names had already damaged the search process because applicants
lnew their names would be released if they became finalists.
The risk of becoming one of the four candidates rejected was too great, Reeves said.
"Most people would rather avoid that if they're not 100 percent sure they'll get the job," he said.
KU must release the finalists' names because it's a public institution, Reeves said.
"Courts have ruled that a university is a government institution and should be open," he said. "We're between a rock and a hard place — the law, and the need for privacy."
Committee chairman Frank Becker agreed but said the importance of the position may outweigh the need for privacy.
"Some people have wanted us to do this the way a corporation would," he said. "That's nice, but we don't have that same ability. There are several thousand constituents who are saying, 'We'd like to know about this person.'"
Campus blood drive falls short of goal
Simons did not agree that the Regents were legally bound to release the names.
By Shannon Newton Kansan staff writer
KU students don't want to share pints of their blood.
"It's a policy, not a law," he said
"I gave blood in high school, and I puked," said Susan Helmers, Lincoln, Neb., junior. "The girl next to me started hyperventilating."
Helmers said that the experience made her sick and that she never would give blood again.
Many KU students share Helmer's feelings, and they negatively affected the number of donations made during this year's campus blood drive, which took place this week and was sponsored by the American Red Cross.
Yumi Chikamori / KANSAN
"I think students are scared," said Leslie Robertson, Little Rock, Ark., senior. "They think it hurts more than it does."
"The amount of blood being donated is very low," she said. "The public's interest is declining."
Robertson, vice president of philanthropy and community service for KU's Panhellenic Association, was a student coordinator for the blood drive, which took place in the Kansas Union Ballroom.
Ami Whittington, Chicago senior, prepares to donate her blood at the American Red Cross blood drive. The drive took place this week in the Kansas Union Ballroom.
Kathy McDonald, regional community specialist for the Red Cross, said the lack of donations in blood drives this year had become a problem for area hospitals.
McDonald said that the coordinators of KU's blood drive had tried to educate the community of the need for blood.
"I don't think people understand the need for donated blood," she said. "What we collect in our weekly blood drives affects the blood patients receive the next week."
"The blood helps hospital patients get better," she said. "And some patients are given a chance to live."
She said the Red Cross relied on donations from KU.
"Our goal is 200 units a day for KU," McDonald said. "We are very behind on our overall goal."
She said that on Monday, the first day of the drive, 88 pints of blood were collected. Tuesday, 122 pints were collected and on Wednesday, 104 were
See BLOOD, Page 6A.
Kansas losing blood battle to Kansas State
Wildcats have large lead going into the last day of donations
By Shannon Newton Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas lost the Governor's Cup to Kansas State University in a grueling football game last week.
Jeff Sneed, regional coordinator for the American Red Cross, created the friendly competition four semesters ago to get more students to donate blood.
This week, KU may lose another prize to its rival school — the blood drive trophy.
"I wanted to bring the on-field competition
into the donor room,"he said.
Last week, Kansas State had its blood drive and collected 648 pints of blood. As of yesterday KU had collected 420 pints.
Sneed said that although donations still would be collected today, he did not think KU could beat Kansas State's number of donations.
"K-State's blood drive had an interruption because of the KU-K-State football game," Sneed said. "But they still had good numbers. I'm disheartened that we're not going to win. I didn't think KU would ever lose to K-State."
KU has lost the blood drive competition every semester it has taken place.
Leslie Robertson, student coordinator for KU's blood drive, said she had sheted that KU had
never possessed the trophy.
"Every year we try to beat K-State, but we haven't done it yet," she said.
Sean Lehr, student coordinator of Kansas State's blood drive, said the competition gave Kansas State students an incentive to donate blood.
"We have won the trophy every semester," Leer said. "I want to keep it here."
KU students still have one more day to try to steal the trophy from Kansas State.
The blood drive, which has been in the Kansas Union Ballroom since Monday, will end today. Students can donate from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Templin Hall and Oliver Hall. Students do not have to be residents of the halls to donate blood.
Hearing postponed for Beers
Kansan staff writer
Chad Beers' preliminary hearing in Lincoln, Neb., was postponed yesterday, and he will remain in a Nebraska county jail for at least three more weeks.
Beers, 24, was in court yesterday morning for a preliminary hearing to determine if authorities had enough evidence to convict him on six criminal charges. After about an hour and forty-five minutes the hearing was stopped because Nebraska prosecutors needed to contact a police officer to testify on one of the counts.
Linda Schrock, court stenographer for Judge Jack Lindner, said the hearing would be continued at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 4.
Beers has been charged with attempted robbery, second-degree attempted assault, theft by receiving stolen property, fleeing to avoid arrest, terrorist threats and use of weapons to commit a felony.
Beers is being held on $500,000 full bond in the Lancaster County jail, which means he will have to pay the entire amount to be set free, Schrock said. But Beers also has a federal hold against him, so even if he came up with the money, federal officials would take him into custody.
On Aug. 30, two days before Beers was scheduled to be transported to a federal penitentiary for the 1993 kidnapping of an Arkansas man, he escaped from an Arkansas jail. He then spent eight days on the run that took him from Fort Smith, Ark., to near Tulsa, Okla., through Lawrence and eventually to Lincoln.
Beers was caught by police after robbing a convenience store and leading police on a high-speed chase. He was driving a stolen Lawrence public works truck.
If convicted in Nebraska, Beers will have to serve his sentence there before federal officials could take custody of him. Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas officials also have the option of pressing charges against Beers.
Blair wants to freshen commission
Editor's note: This is the second of two stories profiting the candidates for the Douglas County Commission's District One race. The Kansan will profile all the candidates and issues on the Nov. 8 ballot.
The South Lawrence Trafficway goes $20 million over budget.
By Carlos Tejada Kansan staff writer
Douglas County spends $145,000 for jail space it can't use.
These are examples of poor planning and a lack of future vision on the part of the Douglas County Commission, said Lisa Blair, administrative assistant for both Downtown Lawrence and the Lawrence Alliance. Such examples motivated Blair, a Democrat, to run against Republican incumbent Mark Bluhler for the county commissioner District One seat.
"It lacks decisive leadership," she said.
County Commissioner
Planning and diversity are the cornerstones of Blair's campaign. And she has shown aptitude at both in her leadership of Downtown Lawrence, said Pat Kehde, owner of Raven Bookstore, 8 E. Seventh St.
Election '94
"It works incrementally. We need to work decisively. We have to plan ahead."
"She brings a fresh point of view from a community that hasn't tal'ways been heard from," said Kehde, president of Downtown Lawrence, a group that lobbies and represents downtown businesses.
The 42-year-old Blair, a collected-looking woman who speaks in measured tones, is a New Jersey native who came to Lawrence in 1990 with her husband, Cliff.
See BLAIR, Page 6A.
Blair soon found the job with Downtown Lawrence. In 1992, she also took over the Lawrence Alliance, an antiracism group originally formed to fight housing discrimination.
"We visited here," she said. "We were looking for a community to 'orange our kids up in. Lawrence was the place."
and her three children, Chris, Brandon and Sean.
"I've brought diverse parts of the population together, and I've struggled to make all residents part of the community." Blair said.
As a commissioner, Blair said, she would work to keep development centralized and tightly controlled.
"It's being allowed to grow undirected."
Blair has helped the Alliance organize workshops, town meetings and special events to celebrate culture and promote diversity in Lawrence.
Julianne Peter / KANSAN
First time candidate Lisa Blair, Democrat, is running for Douglas County Commissioner for District One.