VOL.101,NO.4
KANSAN
KANSAS. STATE HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
TOPEKA KS 66612
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 28,1991
(USPS 650-640)
NEWS:864-4810
Students end quiet Lawrence summer
By Melissa Rodgers Kansan staff writer
When KU students returned to Lawrence this fall, they joined a town accustomed to summer serenity and hurried in for an air-age surge in local crime and accident rates.
Last week, KU police responded to an increase of calls involving medical emergencies, driving under the influence, and incidents, small fires, burglaries not thefts.
Not only do more emergencies and accidents occur during the first weeks of the semester, but students thememorning become crime victims, police said.
Both Lt. John Mullens, KU police representative, and LL Mark Brothers, of the Lawrence police, said that when students returned to KU in the fall, emergencies, accidents and criminal activity rise.
Students are easy crime victims, Brothers said. They usually arrive in town driving new cars with nice stereos. Most have good televisions, expensive computers and compact disc players in their apartments.
These items are movable and easy to put on the stolen-goods market, he said.
*"This ready tap pool brings in
the water and keeps the gears up the
lowest potential."*[158]
The reported thefts included bicycles, purses and back packs stolen from public areas. The burglaries involved three car break-ins where the windows were smashed and valuables were stolen from the car.
But students are not the only ones affected.
Mullens said that most of the auto break-ins occurred at night in residence hall parking lots.
Every year at this time, Lawrence police received reports of plants, lawn statues and lawn furniture disappearing from residents' yards, he said.
Robin Chavez, Lawrence resident, said several plants in large, clay pots recently were stolen from her porch. One of the missing plants was a mature, 6-foot fig tree that would be two people to carry it, she said.
Chavez said she thought students were using the plants to furnish their
Lumber, bricks and concrete blocks also had disappeared, mainly from construction sites, Brothers said, and he thought that students were using the material for bookshelves and stereocenters.
The activity level around campus rose tremendously, especially from the beginning of Hawk Week to the beginning of classes, Mullens said.
Brothers said that more than 20,000 returning students, plus about 5,000 new students, caused congestion on city streets.
Some students are used to fast city driving and some are used to slow small town traffic. The different drivers resort to summer residents off guard, he said.
Although incidents of students driving while intoxicated are few in the fall, alcohol consumption caused other problems. Brothers said.
During the week before classes begin, one to 12 students are usually taken to the hospital emergency room
Debating abortion
John MDermott, Lawrence resident, shares his anti-abortion views with a group of students gathered in front of Wecoe Hall. MDermott voiced his opinion on the abortion issue at a rally held at the University of Wisconsin you visit in Wisconsin.
N.Y. subway derailment kills at least four people
The Associated Press
NEW YORK - A subway train jumped the tracks early today, and at least one car was sheared in half. At least four people were killed and about 150 injured, officials said.
The accident occurred at 12:15 a.m. as a downtown train was approaching Manhattan's 14th Street-Union Square station, authorities charged it into the junction and jammed its pillar, the Transit Authority said.
"It was like an explosion," said passenger Joseph Richtkiss. "Some people from another car got thrown into our car. There was a lot of people crying and shouting. People wires hanging down. People were screaming."
Firefighters and police worked to free victims trapped in the wreckage. Victims were lifted out of the tunnel on stretches. Those less seriously injured were taken to a hospital, as needed in the station to be taken to area hospitals.
Fire Chief Kenneth McGowan said at least four people were killed. Mayor David Dinkins,
who ventured into the tunnel, said as many as seven were dead.
The cause of the derailment was not immediately known.
Fire department representative Tom Kelly said the number of injured was about 150.
Caren Gardner, TA representative, said the accident occurred as the train was crossing from the express to the local tracks. The lead car slammed into a pillar, she said.
Bob Slovak, also a TA representative, said the first five cars of the train derailed. Four cars were manged, and two of them cut in half, McGowan said.
One passenger, Albert Webb, 30, said the train was going on, the next thing you know it was going to crash.
Webb said he saw a baby fly out of its mother's arms.
"It is a mess — twisted steel, girders buckled,
one car sheared in half," the maver said.
New studio lights up film department
Kansan Staff Writer
It may notbe Hollywood, but for studentds of the University's theater and film depart- ment, it's a true hallmark.
By Stephanie Patrick
Oldfather Studio replaced Jolliie Hall, which was closed in the spring for safety reasons.
The film studio at Ninth and Avalon streets was purchased by the University in February with a donation of $500,000 from Charlie and Tennis oldfather of Lawrence.
Charlie Oldfather, an actor and former KU law professor, said the couple donated the money after the theater and film department contacted them in December.
the theater and film department first heard about the donation on Christmas Eve 1980, said Jack Wright, chairman of the theater and
Oldfather has not seen the building since oldating the money but is looking forward to it.
"we saw the need, and we had the money," he said.
film department.
"It was like a Christmas present," he said. "The whole department is so much in debt to Charlie and Tensie Oldfather."
The Christian Studio, Newfoundland & Avonville
The building has three sound studios and the best equipment from Chicago to Dallas, said Chris Ferguson.
He said the new facilities offered students the opportunity to have hands-on experience with technologically advanced equipment, and that it was important in a medi- agenerated society.
"We are training people that will be much more sensitive to the media environment we
This is the first semester the building has been used, said Kerry Menzie, teaching assistant and Derby junior. More than 150 students are using the building.
live in." Bergsaid.
Classes taught there range from basic film production to advanced acting seminars.
The department already has plans to produce films, although the building still needs some renovations, including new paint on the interior and more furniture. Merrill said.
The building and some pieces of equipment were purchased from the Centron Corporation, which specializes in educational and healthcare equipment and furniture to the University.
Bob Cole, owner of Centron, said the company sold the building because it had discontinued the film portion of the business in favor of the more lucrative video production.
"For the particular market we serve, film is outdated," he said. "Video is the format of the new media."
Fulcher cited in battery case
Student leader pays restitution to ex-girlfriend
Centron is at Ninth and Mississippi streets.
Editor's Note: The following story and the two that accompany it deal with a very complex issue that has been called to our attention as a current topic of discussion on campus. The Kansas staff members think that three stories are necessary to cover every aspect of this issue and possibly as possible. Our readers are advised to read all three stories to best putthis issue in focus.
KU student body president Darren Fulchen was charged with battering his ex-girlfriend during a domestic dispute in February, according to police and court records.
Fulcher allegedly grabbed Audra Glavas, Kansas City, Mo., senior, by the throat and hit her in the face Feb. 11, according to a Lawrence police report.
By Rochelle Olson and Blaine Kimrey
Kansas staff writers
Glavas suffered dental damage during the reported battery, which occurred at 19:20 a.m. at Glavas' apartment at the Malls Ode English Village complex, 241 Louisiana St., Kevin Harmon, Lawrence police representative, said in June.
Harmon saw photos of Glavas taken after the battery and said that from the pictures it looked as if Fulcher had hit Glavas in the face several times.
The incident was reported at 9:43 a.m. according to the police report. The police said it was an accident.
She said Fulcher was detained for 45 minutes before he posted bail. Bail was $150 and Fulcher posted $22.50. Posting 15 percent of bail is standard in such cases.
Fulcher was arrested at 9:35 a.m. the next day in Lawrence on misdemeanor battery charges, said Mary Banks, Douglas County corrections officer.
The Douglas County District Attorney's
office charged Fulcher with Class B misdemeanor battery Feb. 15.
A Class B misdean
meanor carries a maximum
sentence of six
victimary jail and
a$1,000 fine.
Darren Fulcher
The complaint stated that Fulcher "willfully and intentionally touched or applied force to Audra Glavas in a
rude, insolent or angry manner."
The District Court of Douglas County served Fulcher a summons F.15 to appear in court on January 24, 2016.
On the court date, Fulcher entered into a diversion agreement with the state of Kansas.
According to the agreement, Fulcher was to pay $22 in court costs, $75 in diversion costs and $443.01 in restitution for Glavas' dental expenses - a total of $610.01.
Fulcher was to pay one installment April 1 for $41.75 and then install payments of $94.71 for the next six months for court and diversion fees and accounts, according to the diversion agreement
Fulcher also was to complete 20 hours of community service by July 31 to fulfill the diversity goal.
The Douglas County District Attorney's office declined to disclose where and whether Fulcher completed the community service.
The diversion agreement states that prosecution will be suspended if Pulcher fulfills the terms of the agreement.
But on June 13, the District Attorney's office filed a motion to terminate the diversion agreement and resume criminal proceedings after he because he had missed his June payment.
A hearing was set for July 3
Fulcher made his April and May payments, the motion stated.
Pulcher, however, made the payment, and on June 25, the District Attorney's office withdrew the motion for the hearing.
No new motions have been filed since
Fulcher and Glavas declined to comment on the battery charge...
Rumors of assault swirl since February
ByEric Gorski
Kansancampuseditor
It has been more than six months since student body president Darren Fulcher made his former girlfriend.
During that time, rumors have swirled around campus. Some people have pulled the court records on the case. One student senator said he had ahold of them in June.
Leaders from some KU women's groups said they learned of the case by chance. Fulbrider told Fulbrider to discuss it in July.
In the past week, the story has resurfaced from a variety of sources. Fulcher, despite repeated requests, has refused comment this week on the issue.
The alleged victim, Audra Glavas, also has declined to be interviewed.
KJHK, the University's student-run radio station, broadcasted a story last week on the show and court reports of the case.
Photocopies of Fulcher's court files and hand-printed bills with information about the story reportedly were posted inside the Kansas Union.
Campus women's groups are readying their response to the incident and plan to disband as part of a meeting Friday.
Another player in this story, one that has been silent until today, has been the University Daily Kansan. The Kansan did not know specifics about the reported battery until this summer, Kansan editors said.
Shortly after the election in April, the Kansan received a call from an anonymous person about Fucher being involved
in a battery, said Chris Siron Kansan editor in Spring 1991.
Michael Christie, the Student Senate reporter, said he went to the Lawrence police station to look for a report but failed. He knew of no report number or the date of the incident.
"No one想 to check court records," Christie said. "I really wish I would have done it, looking back, but given the fact that during this campaign, a lot of rumors and conspiracy theories are out and forth ... we were getting calls every day."
On June 19, an anonymous source informed a Kansan summer staff member of the Fulcher story, said Jennifer Schultz, managing editor of the summer Kansan.
The Kansan staff changes every semester.
Siron said, "The only thing we knew about it was rumors."
Mike Brassfield, editor of the summer Kansan, said the source gave information about a June 16 motion by the Douglas County District Attorney's office.
The Kansan planned to publish the story June 25, he said. But that day, the Douglas County District Attorney filed a motion that canceled his sentence after Fulcher made the payment that had been delinquent.
During the summer semester, the Kansan publishes every Wednesday, and the newspaper received the information on June 19, a Wednesday.
After the newspaper received the tip, Rochelle Olson, a Kansan reporter, gathered information from several interviews interviewed Fulcher and Glayas, Brassfield said.
The motion was to revoke a diversion agreement into which Fulcher had entered Feb. 15. According to the motion, Fulcher had failed to make one of his monthly court payments, and a hearing on the case was set for Julv. 3.
Brassfield said he that he never wanted to suppress any information, but that he was uncomfortable running the story because he thought it had no current news angle after the hearing was canceled.
"That really hurt the chances for the story because it was July and we had this story about something that happened in February," Brassfield said. "Whether (Fulcher) was a public figure or not, I felt it would have been hard to run the story without looking vindictive.
"I wanted to be fair to everybody. I've never really been comfortable with (the decision not to run the story). It still haunts me, but I stand by it."
This fall brought another twist to the newspaper's relationship with the story.
At a Student Senate orientation meeting in Overland Park on Thursday, Kansan reporter Blaine Kimrey, who had heard about the Kansan's summer decision on the Fulcher story, approached senator Jason McIntosh.
McIntosh, who ran for student body president on the Facts coalition against Fulcher's Impact! ticket, said that he was told of the reported battery in late May or early June by another student activist. He pulled Fulcher's municipal court records, which are public record.
Kimrey also pulled the documents on the case. McIntosh
SeeFulcheronpage3