UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, September 22.1994
3A
Martha Robinson, Tucson, Ariz., graduate student, plays the bagpipes in front of the Lied Center, Robinson, who often practices her bagpipes at the Campanile, pre-
head under the overhang of the Lied Center yesterday to escape the rain.
Bagpipes resound across the campus
By David Wilson Kansan staff writer
Like a sailor lured by a siren's call, Foist Miracle wandered to the overhang on the west side of the Lied Center yesterday afternoon to hear Martha Robinson, Tucson, Ariz., graduate student, play the bagines.
The monotone drone of her bagpipes undergirded the high, quick-paced bleats of "Silver Spear," a favorite song of Robinson's. Her bagpipes were loud enough to keep Miracle at a slight distance.
"She sounds pretty good," Miracle said as he crouched on the concrete and smoked a cigarette. "You don't year bagpipes too often. It really grows on you."
The bagpipes have grown on Robinson, too.
She started playing the bagpipes six years ago as a freshman at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., partly inspired by her older sister, who also plays the bagpipes.
Today, her daily practices take her to places all over Lawrence — as long as the place is outside. Bagpipes are too loud to be played inside of Robinson's apartment at Jayhawker Towers.
"Even though bagpipes have this reputation as being a loud instrument, people don't really realize it until they get up close and say, 'Wow,
One of her preferred practice spots is the Campanile, where the rolling green hill transports a listener to an imaginary Scottish countryside.
"I love to compete solo," she said.
"It's a real thrill."
that's really loud," Robinson said.
Competitive performances have taken Robinson all over the United States. She has played the baggipes at Scottish festivals in places such as Phoenix, Santa Rosa, Calif., and Tulsa, Okla.
Robinson is a member of Kansas City St. Andrew Pipes and Drums, a 25-member performing group from Kansas City, Mo. She also takes lessons in Kansas City.
Playing the bagpipes is not as difficult as some pipers have made it out to be, Robinson said.
Group upset over Senate finance confusion
"I've talked to some people who have said pipes are as hard as it gets," she said. "They say it's the hardest instrument in the world. I don't know about that. Who's played every instrument in the world?"
Still, playing the Lament for Mary McLoud" on the baggies is more difficult than playing "Chopsticks" on the piano.
By James Evans
Kansan staff writer
"Just tuning it is difficult," she said. But, the reward for both Robinson and her listeners, is timeless music
Molina, El Salvador senior and group member, said that his experience in trying to get his organization financed had been negative.
Eduardo Molina was a little upset last night about how Student Senate looked at a bill to finance the Latin American Solidarity organization.
"We come to this country with the idea of being able to share our country with people," Molina said. But he has had to learn to deal with bureaucracy in order to get money to teach people about his culture through his organization, he said.
The Latin American Solidarity organization went to Senate finance committee last week with a bill asking for $2,256 to finance the organization's activities. The finance committee, which analyzes groups' specific money requests before the full Senate votes on them, looked at the bill for two hours and pushed the bill down to $456.
"I just think the music is beautiful," she said.
Guerin said that the committee actually had voted to cut the money.
But Stephanie Guerin, Finance Committee chair, said that some of the committee's members had been unclear about the vote. Some thought they were voting to cut a request in the bill for $400 for a newsletter, while others thought they were voting to give the group the money.
Molina said he also was confused. He said he thought that the senators should understand what they were voting for before they voted.
"The finance committee is always trying to find a guideline to say that this or that is not important," Molina said. "The only thing I want to say is that it's not fair sometimes."
Guerin said that the committee members were new and still were learning the ropes of their jobs.
"Basically, the finance committee is very young and inexperienced," she said.
She said that committee members had to learn budget code regulations, senate rules and regulations and parliamentary procedure.
Clinton to help Wheat with fund-raiser this weekend
The Associated Press
Clinton will appear Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Kansas City, Mo., at a $1,000-a-couple reception followed by a $5,000-a-plate dinner, wheat campaign officials said. The events begin at 6 p.m. local time.
WASHINGTON — Although President Clinton is being shunned by some Democratic candidates in areas where he is unpopular, Rep. Alan Wheat said yesterday he welcomes the president to Missouri for a weekend fund-raiser.
It will mark Clinton's fourth visit to the Kansas City area in the past six months.
The president was in Kansas City in April for a televised town hall meeting on health care, in June to announce his welfare-reform plan and in July to tout his health care reform plan.
Wheat, who acknowledged he trails Republican former Gov. John Ashcroft in both money and opinion polls, said the president's visit will boost his standing in both areas.
"I'm looking forward to having his help in fund-raising and providing a forum for me to get out my message," Wheat told reporters at a meeting yesterday.
Ashcroft was in Washington yesterday to meet with Republican strategists and attend a rally near the Capitol with other Senate candidates and fund-raisers of his own.
Wheat's own polls show him trailing Ashcroft by about 15 percentage points, he said. And although Wheat raised $2 million before the August primary, the campaign was broke after winning the nomination and now has struggled back to between $600,000 and $700,000.
"It's not that I'm having problems. I've never had to raise this magnitude of funds before. It's a lot of hard work. It takes time," Wheat said.
Wheat said the Clinton fund-raiser would net his campaign about $100,000 out of an expected total of about $500,000. The rest will go for other Democratic Senate candidates and the Missouri Democratic Party's Victory '94 fund for state candidates.
"It demonstrates how hypocritical he can truly be." Wheat said. "I'm not sure what has happened to change his mind, other than the opportunity to talk about his record and lack of accomplishment."
Wheat also took Ashcroft to task for refusing to attend any more debates, even though the Republican challenged Wheat to debate in all 114 counties shortly after the primary.
Ashcroft said it was time to focus on his pledge to again visit all 114 counties before the November election, not debate Wheat a fourth time.
"I really think the time for debates is behind us," Ashcroft said. "We've had opportunities to question each other."
Acity ordinance that allows the city to mow unkempt lawns at the owner's expense may cost student tenants money.
Overgrown lawns subject to city's mowers
By Carlos Tejada
Kansan staff writer
If you think mowing your lawn is a tiresome but personal affair, ask the Sigma Chi fraternity.
The fraternity, 1439 Tennessee St., had the lawn of its lot across the street moved three times this summer, according to the City of Lawrence weed inspector's office. But none of the residents touched a lawn mower themselves.
Instead, city officials showed up to do the job for them. And soon after, the bill arrived in the mail.
It's a little-known city ordinance, but it can be a costly one, said Ginehaugh Shenoye, chief building inspector for the city. If the city decides to mow a lawn, he said, it could charge the owner up to $100.
And City Ordinance No. 6535 isn't restricted to weeds: Brush, grass taller than 12 inches or any other form of tangled undergrowth on one's property also is illegal.
"Everybody calls it a weed ordinance," Shaughnessy said. "It's not a weed ordinance. It's designed to be aesthetically regulating."
The city does not mow a person's lawn without permission until a few steps are followed, Shaughnessy said. First, either city inspectors will notice the resident's lawn
is unkempt or neighbors will call the city manager's office to complain. Next, the weed inspector's office will send the resident or property owner a certified letter saying that the person has 10 days to take care of the yard. Then, the city will wait. Finally, a crew will show up and mow the lawn — for a fee.
"They should know, when they get the letter, the seriousness of the situation," Shaughnessy said.
Students who lease houses or apartments in houses aren't necessarily exempt, Shaughnessy said. He said the tenant of the leased or rented property could be held liable for the bill depending upon the agreement that person had with his or her landlord.
If the bill is not paid, the charge is added to the resident's or business' property taxes.
The purpose of the ordinance is more than aesthetic, said Jean Stetzel, weed inspector for the city. She said she remembered one yard on the 1200 block of Mississippi Street that caused a safety hazard to passers-by.
"They allowed the weeds to grow so badly that only one person could go through the sidewalk at a time," she said. "If you were in hurry, you'd step off the sidewalk and into the yard and step into some poison ivy."
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