CAMPUS / AREA
University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, December 3, 1991
3
Weak economy can take its toll on shoppers
By Heather Anderson Kansan staff writer
Jeni Trimble already has cut people from her holiday shopping list.
Trimble, Topeka freshman, said she realized she would have to limit her shopping list to family and a few friends this year because she did not have time to work a full-time job while attending the University of Kansas.
Trimble, along with other Lawrence shoppers, began the annual tradition of shopping this week at area stores in search of gifts and worrying about how they are going to afford purchases.
Although the nation's economy is in worse shape than last year, some local retailers said sales during the first few days after Thanksgiving had exceeded their expectations.
Joe Flannery, president of Weaver's Department Store Inc., 901 Massachusetts St., said the store's sales had surpassed those from the same time period last year.
He said he did not expect sales to decrease during the holiday season, even though many students would leave Lawrence during the middle of December after finals were completed.
"Students are preoccupied with finals," Flannery said. "It is hard to get their attention."
Lisa Blair, executive director of Downtown Lawrence Inc., said shoppers were taking more time this year to find bargain gifts.
Downtown Lawrence sidewalks were full of shoppers browsing and pricing items and gifts during the weekend, she said.
Blair said shoppers were in their first stages of bargain hunting and probably would not begin the purchasing stage for another week.
Julie Wise, administrative assistant at the Riverfront Plaza, said she thought people were buying more practical gifts this year.
She said the plaza had not felt the effects of the poor economy yet because holiday shoppers were beginning to buy gifts.
The plaza's parking lot was full last weekend with local and out-of-town cars, Wise said.
She said the plaza still was busy yesterday.
Kirsten Cigler, who works at the Jewelry Source in the Riverfront Plaza, said she noticed people had been buying store with longer lists than last year.
But many people who came into the store already had finished their shopping, she said.
"This has a lot to do with Thanksgiving being so late," Cigler said.
She said the plaza attracted many shoppers because of the variety of stores there.
However, many shoppers have not realized that the plaza is open for longer hours during the holiday season, Cigler said.
Martha Taylor of Lawrence said that she made her first purchase of the holiday season yesterday for her grandson and that she did not plan to finish her shopping for a couple weeks.
Her spending habits will not change this year despite the economy, she said.
Alison Montecinos, Topeka freshman, said she was not worried about her Christmas shopping this year because she had a job during the holidays.
She said she still looked around for the best price before she bought a KU sweatshirt for her father.
Christmas tree critics
Lee Young, left, retired professor of journalism and his wife, Shirley, look at a Christmas tree at the 1991 Lawrence Festival of Trees. More than fifty decorated trees will remain on display at Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St., until Thursday.
Campaign tackles Christmas waste
By Blaine Kimrey Kansan staff writer
As KU students pack for winter break, Environs and the Student Senate Recycling Task Force want them to keep conservation in mind.
"What a student throws away can be perfectly useful for someone else," said Pam McElwee, Environcs co-coordinator.
"It's really a shame, especially during a recession."
"It really a shame, especially during a recession." McEllwee and Liz Smith, head of the recycling task force, are spearheading a campaign to curtail student waste during the holidays.
"There's no need to be wasteful at Christmas," McElwee said.
Environs and the recycling task force have offered to pick up Christmas trees at residence halls, scholarship halls and Greek houses after the residents leave for vacation.
Scott Graham, Enviro member and Cincinnati graduate student, envisired the collected trees would be delivered to Penn House, a social-welfare organization at 1035 Pennsylvania St.
Penn House will distribute the trees to needy families in Lawrence. Graham said
McEllow said members from Environs and the task force would pick up the trees after Christmas if families were unable to deliver them to the four mulching drop-off sites in Lawrence.
Pat Marvin, Lawrence recycling coordinator, said the mulching drop-off sites were:
The Broken Arrow Park main parking lot at 29th Street Terrace and Louisiana Street.
- Centennial Park at Seventh Street and Rockledge Road by the rocket.
■ Lyon Street Park in north Lawrence at Seventh and Lyon streets.
From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. today through Thursday at a table in the Kansas Union lobby, you can sign up to have their CHKU on line.
Members of Environs and the recycling task force will collect trees Dec. 14-21.
Smith said this was the first year that a Christmas tree recycling drive had been conducted at the University of Kennesaw.
"We just want to make people realize that the holidays needn't be wasteful," she said.
People also can sign up to have Enviros and the task force collect discarded items, such as clothes, that can be recycled.
Smith said the collected items would be delivered to Penn House, the Salvation Army and other charitable organizations.
Graham said informational pamphlets were available at the tables about how to have a more ecologically responsible food system.
Suggestions include using recycled paper to wrap presents and giving gifts made of recycled products, he said.
Regents ready to begin settling mission statement questions
Creighton is the Regents main representative on the Special Committee on Mission, formed by Jack O'Connell, head of the Board of Regents.
By Alexander Bloemhof Kansan staff writer
The dispute between the Board of Regents and Regents universities about a mission statement for the Regents system will be settled Dec. 9 in Salina, Regent Robert Creighton said yesterday.
approve it."
The committee, which consists of Regents, Regents staff and representatives of the universities, faculty and students, was formed to resolve differences between two separate mission statements. The two statements were proposed earlier this semester by the Regents staff and by the universities' chief academic officers.
"We'll meet (Dec. 9) to approve a document that will be submitted for approval to the Regents at their December meeting," Creighton said. "that everybody is pleased with and hopefully the Board of Regents will
Controversy about the system mission statement began when the Regents staff earlier this year drafted a proposal that would have taken power away from individual schools.
After protests from all six Regents universities, the Regents in September asked the Council of Congress to draft an alternative proposal.
The heads of the academic affairs offices at the Regents schools drafted a proposal that would leave power on the individual campuses.
Their proposal was endorsed by the heads of the Regents schools at the Regents meeting in November.
become the basis for compromise.
"I think the advantage with the CoCAO document is that it doesn't force the institutions into a straight jacket like the staff document did. It allows the institutions framework and allows the institutions to move through that," he said.
"If you have to start working from a document, there is no way you could start working from the staff document," Wilson said.
However, the Regents did not approve the document because they wanted more time to examine it.
He said yesterday that he expected the CoCAO document would
Don Wilson, president of Pittsburg State University, serves on the committee as the chairperson of the Council of Presidents, which consists of the heads of the Regents schools.
Wilson said that he did not think the Regents staff would push its document and that the Regents were content with the CoCaO document
"I don't think it's possible to start all over," Brinkman said. "We'll have to choose one document and work from there. I would hope that the CCAAD document will be there is the CoCAAD document, which is somewhat of a compromise."
Del Brinkman, vice chancellor for academic affairs, is the only representative for the University of Kansas on the committee.
Annie Golden has worked at the Kansas Union Bookstore for six years.
He agreed with Wilson that the CoCAO document should become the basis for compromise.
By Gayle Osterberg Special to the Kansan
It's 4:55 p.m., and the lights are dimming at the Kansas Union Bookstore.
A few students are scattered here and there, picking out last-minute items as an intercom announces that the store will close in five minutes.
Annie Golden fidgets momentally with her blue plastic name tag at register number nine. There was a rush on the floor, and she is ready for work to be done.
Seeing a slow customer finally wander toward the check-out area, the soft-spoken grandmother of four tosses him a friendly wave.
"I can help you over here," she said.
hephy youvouer hefere," she said.
Golden friends of six years ago when her husband died because she said she did not see any one in staying home doing nothing.
So Golden's friendly smile and wave have greeted customers ever since, whether they come in at 10 a.m. or 4:49 p.m. And she does not have to worry about doing nothing. The store, she said, is always busy. She enjoys being around the students and the public. In
general, that's why she does it.
She sells them all kinds of things — gifts, sundries, textbooks, and a lot of art supplies on Sundays.
The last customer of the evening approaches the register. He and Golden engage in a few moments of lighthearted conversation.
A puzzled expression clouds Golden's blue eyes for a moment, then she smiles.
"Have a great week, Annie," he said, smiling as he turned to go.
"I never understand how they know my name, then I remember my name tag," she said.
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Hand carved creches *baskets *wall-hangings *brass, teak, and ebony carvings
*greeting cards *candle sticks *wooden toys *earrings *rings
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December 2-6, 9 a.m.-5p.m. (wednesday till 7:30p.m.) at
Ecumenical Christian Ministries - 1204 Bread (1bk. north of Kansas Union).
Sponsors: Lawrence Mennonite Fellowship, West Side Presbyterian, Plymouth Congregational, Lone Star Brethren, Lutheran Campus Ministry, Trinity Episcopal, Lawrence Coilation for Peace and Justice, Ecumenical Christian Ministries at KU (Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and Church of the Brethren.)