7
VOL.101.NO.11
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TOPEKA KS 66012
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9,1990
(USPS 650-640)
ADVERTISING:864-4358
NEWS:864-4810
Thousands protest Azerbaijani elections
The Associated Press
MOSCOW - 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 Bukai, 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 burnout was heavy, and President Ayaz Mutalibu was expected to win approval easily. news agencies reported. In one-candidate elections, voters can approve or reject the candidate.
Mutualibov, 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 Mualibalu'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 balloons to some people so they could vote on behalf of their families, Turan reported.
Such elections were a hallmark of Soviet politics before President Mikhail Gorbachev took power in 1883 but have been rare in recent years under his democratic reforms.
Scarce goods, such as sugar, sausage, candy and cookies, were out 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, 53, is an economist and techno-
rator who rose through the Communist Party
rankstoheadtherepublic
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 Mutalibov because he does not demand complete independence. Turan reported.
Turan said the leader of the Popular Front, Abulfas 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 was told, Tass reported. Tass said six people were killed and four seriously wounded in violence Saturnity between Azerbaijanis 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.
rence 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 Vygms Vaicivla was in Moscow on Saturday to talk with Soviet officials about the troops, Lithuanian television reported.
Report
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 of state scho for '91-'92
The Associated Press
TOPEKA - School board never seen such a budget b while universities have cut st to compensate for shrinking st tributions to their revenue bas year of fiscal belt tighter Kansas
"It's the toughest year I'm through," said Dale Dennis, state education commission financial services. He's in 1 year as the state's top op-employee and elementary and sex education.
It has been even worse on the 391 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.
Horror stories of budget's sbound, and Dennis has hear all. He's the state official who superintendents and budget call for counseling and advice to trim their budgets.
The reason for the budget sla reduced state funding for both school districts and Board of I institutions.
The 1991 Legislature, faced tight budget because of slugg receipts and overspending in t passed a tax increase packa would have generated an aid million for state aid to school.
Then, two weeks ago, the Finance Council approved F call for an across-the-board 1 reduction in state spending. Then another $2.5 million bite in state aid from school districts.
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.
The Legislature also appo
$396.8 million in general fund
for the universities, which was
million more than they recel
the 1990-91 school year. Finney
cent cut ate up that increase,
the universities with the same
of state money as the previous
That is not all. The Legi changed the distribution form allotting state aid to local d and that cost many of them — yely some of the larger district chunks of state aid.
Because of Finney's 1-percent school districts will have to go with $1.8 million less in gin aid that they got last year.
Wichita's total state aid oi-
nearly $10 million, while Ola
Blue Valley lost about $3 milli-
Topeka and Lawrence lost me
$2 millioneach, and Hays, Gar-
and Dodge City all lost about $
About half the districts lost state aid.
Seniors endure rebuilding years
Rv David Mitchell
Kansan Sportswriter
When the 1987 football season began, former Kansas coach Bob Valesente had redshirted 17 freshman.
Through all the changes the Jayhawk program endured in the past four seasons, only eight of those athletes made it to their senior year.
"You talk about eight survivors, said senior offensive tackle Christopher Perez. "We talk about the dark days — we don't talk about it, because because because because make us sick to our stomach."
The Jayhawk's record was 1-9-1 in Vale-sente's final season. The year's highlights were a one-point victory against Southern Illinois and a deadlock with Kansas State.
"It was kidnaked of frustrating." Perez said. "Our class' attitude was, 'We'll let this happen, but when we get to play we'll never let that happen to us.'"
The team endured humbling losses throughout the 1987 season, including a 71-10 drubbing at the hands of Oklahoma. However, Perez was also one of the most valuable experiences of his life.
While the team prepared for Saturday games, the redshirts got their own special treatment. Every Friday morning the redshirts would wake at 3:00 a.m. for extensive workouts of running, lifting and more running.
"it was about an hour and 15 minutes of much discomfort," Perez said. "At the time it was one of the worst experiences of my life, but it took me to new heights of mental toughness."
through anything."
"I taught me about getting through hard times. If I could get through that, I could get
After the 1887 season Coach Valesente was fired and replaced with Kent Sate coach Glen Mason, testing the underclassman's new toughness.
Mason's first season was better than Valesco's last. The "Hawks finished 1-10 in 1988. Through the "dark days," nine of the 17 redshirts left the program. Four transferred, two flunked out, one quit and two suffered career-ending injuries.
Perez said there were days when he thought of hanging it up himself.
"There were more times than I can count." Perez said, "but I've had fewer as the years go by. We've gotten better, and we will continue to get better."
Perez has been a large factor in the team's improvement. He has started every game for the last three seasons. He was named to the second team All-Big Eight in 1990.
Recruiting has also been a factor in improving the team. Mason's incoming classes have been highly regarded by recruiting analysts for the last three seasons. After climbing to 4-7 in 1989, the team tied for fourth in the Big Eight in 1990.
EIGHT. 1950
This season the Big Eight Coaches' poll ranked the team fourth. Perez said he was glad he stayed around.
I didn't redshirt I wouldn't be here right now." Perez said. "I want to be a part of this team as long as I can and take the team as far as I can."
"I'd like to dedicate this season to the guys who've been through it all," Hilleary said. "If
Junior quarterback Chip Hilleary said that the younger players looked to the fifth-year seniors for leadership.
I could dedicate the season to one guy, I'd dedicate it to Chris Perez."
Perez said, "I take a lot of pride in the fact I'm still around. The younger players call me uncle. They call Flaschbairst. Grandpa."
lance Flachsbarth, defensive end, also has seen a lot of Jayhawk football. The Lawrence native is the son of former Kansas quarterback Lee Flachsbarth.
"My dad played here. I grew up a KU kid, soit was kind of a dream of mine to come here," Flachsbaith said.
Unfortunately, a lot of what he has seen has not been good.
"The first year was kind of a joke," he said. Like Perez, Belfarth said that there were days when he questioned enduring the rebuilding process.
"When you put out so much effort and get much out of it, you ask yourself, 'Why am I doing it?' " Flacksbarth said. "With the potential this year's team, I know what is why I did."
The seniors are ready to enjoy the success of their hard work.
hard work.
"We've put in our time and paid our dues," he said. "We've taken some hard knocks. It's our time to get a piece of that pie."
he gets a pitch. Like Perez, Flachsbarth said that the seniors deserved some of the credit for the turnaround Coach Mason had directed.
"My class were wrenches when Mason got here," he said. "We weren't his first recruiting class, but we were his. We're the foundation."
Senior fullback Roger Robben said that the biggest change he had witnessed in his five years was the team's change in attitude. "My first year there was a feeling of accer
"In my first year there was a feeling of acen-
tance about losing," Robben said. "Guys just took it in stride as if it were just something that happens. That really shocked me. I wasn't going to allow that to happen with our class."
Robben said he never doubted that things would change.
would change:
"We knew we were going to have a whole new attitude, "Robben said. "We were weeding out the old ideas."
He attributed the new perspective to Coach Mason.
"When Coach Valentese was here it was more laidback," Robben said. "Coach Mason wasn't going to go for that."
Kobben recalled a day when Mason promised that a bad practice would equal extra running. The team ran the hill near the Wheel eight times.
"That was when the weaker ones began to fall by the wavside," Robben said.
"Winter conditioning gave us a taste of what the coaches were going to expect from us. Coach Mason was going to do away with the negative attitude that was there. That losing attitude had to be wiped off the slate."
Robben said that the rebuilding process was a valued learning experience.
"When you go out and play as hard as you can and still come out on the short end, you develop an attitude that things are going to get better," he said.
When the rebuilding process is complete Perez said his class should be remembered as the group that led the charge.
"I want to look back 10 to 15 years from now, and when people talk about the powerhouse of collegiate football they will be talking about Kansas," he said.
- Sports Talk - Thursday nights with guest football players 7:05-8:00
- All 5 Home Football Games
- Sportscasts every weekday - 7:30a.m.,8:30a.m. 4:30p.m.,5:30p.m.
Kansas Football 1991 / Friday, September 6, 1991