VOL.101.NO.11
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
TOPEKA KS 66612
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1997
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NEWS:864-4810
Thousands protest Azerbaijani elections
The Associated Press
MUNCOW — The southern republic of Azerbaijan held its first popular presidential election yesterday, but its current leader, a former Communist chief, was the only candidate on the ballot.
About 50,000 people carried blank ballots to Freedom Square in Baku, the capital, to protest the election, the independent Turan news agency reported. The protesters called for the resignation of the government, urged the creation of strike committees and demanded access to the republic's news media, Turan said.
Despite the protest and a call for a boycott, voter turnout was heavy, and President Ayaz Mutalibow was expected to win approval easily. news agencies reported. In one-candidate elections, voters can approve or reject the candidate.
Mutilabilov, leader of the republic since 1990, called the election in June, two months before a coup attempt by hard-line Communist Party members led to the disintegration of the party. He quit as leader of the Azerbaijani Communist Party after the coup.
A Soviet television report last night quoted employees of the election commission in Baku as saying Mualibov's election "can be considered a fait accompli." The Soviet new-
agency Tass said.
Official results were expected as early as today.
An opposition figure from the Social Democratic Party withdrew his candidacy last week to protest what the Popular Front of Azerbaijan called undemocratic elections. The front called for the balloting to be postponed because the opposition had not been able to organize.
In Baku, the Popular Front of Azerbaijan said the presidential election had been tainted by voting irregularities. It said that election observers were not allowed in some polling stations and that officials handed out multiple ballots to some people so they could vote on behalf of their families, Turan reported.
Such elections were a hallmark of Soviet politics before President Mihail Gorbachev took power in 1985 but have been rare in recent years under his democratic reforms.
Scarce goods, such as sugar, sausage, candy and cookies, were put on sale at polling places to attract voters, the Popular Front said.
The election commission estimated that 83.7 percent of eligible voters cast ballots.
Mutalibov, 33, is an economist and technocrat who rose through the Communist Party
rankstohead the republic.
After the failed coup, Mutalibov quit as Communist Party leader in the republic and seized party properties. Azerbaijan joined other republics in declaring independence from the Kremlin.
Vagif Samedoglu, an opposition leader, told an anti-election rally that the Kremlin supports Mualibov because he does not demand complete independence, Turan reported.
Turan said the leader of the Popular Front, Abilus Yelchibey, urged government opponents to rally again on Friday to protest the election.
The republic of 7 million, whose population is predominantly Muslim, is engaged in a conflict with the neighboring republic of Armenia, whose population is predominantly Christian. The dispute centers on Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave composed of a mainly Armenian population but is controlled by Azerbaijan.
In Stephanakert, the principal city of Nagorno-Karabakh, only the Azerbaijani population voted, Tass reported. Tass said six people were killed and four seriously wounded in violence Saturday between Azerbaianis and Armenians in the enclave.
Some Soviet troops leave Lithuania after recognition of Baltic freedom
VILNIUS, Lithuania — A convoy of Soviet trucks and armored vehicles left this capital city for Russian territory yesterday — two days after the Soviet Union recognized Lithuania's independence.
Lithuanian President Vytautas Landsbergis has asked repeatedly that all Soviet troops leave Lithuania by the end of the year.
Yesterday's departure had been forecast by Lithuanian government sources and a newspaper Saturday, and photographers and camera crews were on hand.
Sixteen trucks and nine armored personnel carriers were escorted by two Lithuanian police cars from the northern army garrison in Vilnius.
Police at the scene said they were ordered to escort the convoy to the Russian district of Kaliningrad, a Soviet enclave that borders
Lithuania to the west.
A Lithuanian Defense Department representative, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lithuania was treating the departure as a movement because no formal withdrawal had been negotiated.
Deputy Premier Vygmas Vaievila was in Moscow on Saturday to talk with Soviet officials about the troops, Lithuanian television reported.
Republic
On Friday, the newly formed state council of the Soviet Union recognized the 1940 annexation of Lithuania as illegal.
The precise number of Soviet troops in Lithuania has never been made public, but analysts said more than 100,000 were stationed in the Baltics, mostly in Lithuania.
Some Interior Ministry troops have already pulled out from Lithuania and Latvia.
Fiscal belt tightens o state scho for '91-'92
The Associated Press
TOPEKA — School board never seen a budget *while universities have cut it to compensate for shrinking stibtions to their revenue base year of fiscal belt tighter*
"It's the toughest year I' through," said Dale Dennis, state education commission financial services. He's in 1 year as the state's top exp in elementary and see education
Horror stories of budget s abound, and Dennis has hear all. He's the state official who superintendents and budget call for counseling and advice to trim their budgets.
It has been even worse on the 1904 local school districts than in the early 1970s. Dennis said, when a tax law that was the administration of the la Robert Docking prevented c from raising property taxes to their budgets.
The 1991 Legislature, faced tight budget because of slug receipts and overspending in t passed a tax increase packa would have generated an ad $5 million for state aid to sch
The reason for the budget slauc reduced state funding for both school districts and Board of I institutions.
But when Gov. Joan Finney the tax bill in May, it reduce amount of general state aid school districts from $545.9 m 1990-91 to $519.3 million for the school year.
Then, two weeks ago, the Finance Council approved F call for an across-the-board 1-reduction in state spending. The another $2.5 million bite in state aid from school districts.
The Legislature also appere $396.8 million in general fund for the universities, which was million more than they recei the 1990-91 school year. Finney cent cut ate up that increase, the universities with the same of state money as the previous
Because of Finney's 1-pcre school districts will have to go with $3.18 million less in generaid than they got last year.
That is not all. The Legi changed the distribution form allotting state aid to local d and that cost many of them—e ly some of the larger district chunks of state aid.
Wichita's total state aid to nearly $10 million, while Ola Blue Valley lost about $3 million Topeka and Lawrence lost me $2 million each, and Hays, Gar and Dodge City all lost about $
About half the districts lost state aid.
Inside are 48 little reasons not to drink and drive.
Help stop drunk driving. Support Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
MADD - Douglas County Chapter
P.O. Box 3925, Lawrence, KS 66046
842-4141
Send your donation today:
Team looks to end 10-year period without bowl bid
Friday, September 6; 1991 / Kansas Football 1991
By Jeff Kobs
Kansan Sportswriter
That game, which the Jayhawks lost 10-9 to
the last postseason bowl appearance for Rasheed
Ten years ago, the Kansas Jayhawks opened up the season with a 15-11 victory at Tulsa. That victory was followed by seven games in which the Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham Ala
Three years after Coach Glen Mason's arrival and his pledge to rebuild the Kansas program, there is much optimism among fans and players.
"I think they have an excellent chance of playing in a postseason game," said former Kansas coach Don Fambrough, who coached the Jayhawk team that played in the Hall of Fame Bowl. "When your talking about it (a bowl game) this early in the season, you can remember a lot of things can happen, good or bad.
"I think it is the first time since Coach Mason has been here that his team has the numbers, the talent and the depth to really play."
Fambrough said a factor like bad luck with injuries could spoil the season.
Senior linebacker Lance Flachsbarth, who has seen the worst of Kansas football in Mason's tenure, hoped to see the best this season.
"Plus, there are a lot of good football teams in the country. But I think they have a goal."
"The postseason is a long way off," he said.
"A lot of things can happen.
"This year, more than any other, you can feel the excitement," Flachsbart said. "Going to a bowl game has crossed my mind, but it crosses every senior in America's mind. Our first goal is to take one game at a time and win as many as possible."
The fact that Kansas returns 51 lettermen, of which 10 are returning offensive starters and nine are returning defensive starters, has some fans hungry for postseason play.
"We want to give this community, the students and Jayhawk fans everywhere a winning season. They've waited a long time."
"We definitely have a good shot of making it to a bowl game," Chad Lippelgoog, Wichita senior, said. "With a few wins at the beginning, the girls will follow."
"Ever since I first came up here as a freshman, I've been waiting for the team to break out."
Dennis Miller, Wichita senior, disagreed.
he doesn't think the Jayhawks have turned
the ball away.
the next year.
"We should improve on last year, but not enough for a bowl game," he said. "We might be closer to a bowl next year."
"I think we do have a shot at a winning season, though."
Kansas finished the 1990 season tied with Iowa State for fourth place in the Big Eight and finished in the conference's upper division for the first time since 1984.
With 19 returning starters, including quarterback Chip Hillery, who was named the No. 2 receiver in the NFL.
The Big Eight skywriters kansas to finish fourth in the conference behind Oklahoma, Colorado and Nebraska The Jay-ers of North Dakota and the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll.
Kansas has played in two Orange Bowls. In
However, Kansas has not historically fared well in postseason games. The Jayhawks' lone bowl-game victory came in 1961 at the Bluebonnet Bowl. Behind All-American quarterback John Hadl, Kansas beat Rice 33-
nation by Sporting News, Kansas might have the experience necessary to make postseason play.
"I think it's the first time since Coach Mason has been here that his team has the numbers,the talent and the depth to really play."
1948, the Jayhawks lost 20-14 to Georgia Tech, and in 1969 they lost to Penn State 15-14.
Other bowl games include the 1973 Liberty Bowl, a 31-18 loss to North Carolina State and the 1975 Sun Bowl, where Kansas lost to Pittsburgh 33-19.
Fambrough, who is the only coach in Kansas history to coach two different bowl teams, said that a bowl game was a rewarding event.
"I think there are two things players and coaches dream about," he said. "One is to win the conference, and the second is going to a bowl game."
"Even though the Hall of Fame Bowl was not a major goal, it was a reward to the team."
10
The Jayhawks were plagued with bad luck from the very beginning of the Hall of Fame Bowl. Starting quarterback Frank Seurer was the team's leader in the regular season wagon against Missouri.
The Jayhawks fell behind when they fumbled the opening kickoff and Mississippi State recovered on the Kansas 17-yard line. The Bulldogs scored on the first play and the Jayhawks, down 7-0, and could never recover. They finished the season 8-4.
Dick Purdy, Lawrence High School football coach, recruiting coordinator for the University of Texas.
"Bowl games are pretty personal," he said.
"It depends on things like how many fans you
"If Nebraska went six and five they would
be able to play at least as many than some other
schools at eighteen and three."
Purdy said that after the team played in the best game, it became much easier to recruit play.
"We had an outstanding recruiting year," he said. "We lost only three players in Kansas and we were not a contender."
"It's exciting going to a bowl game, everybody was elated."
Purdy is optimistic the Jayhawks are in good times
"It takes time to rebuild a program," he said. "People must be patient."
"I think Coach Mason has built a solid program. I think they're going to do it (go to a bowl game) sometime soon."
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