tuesday, april 6, 2004
news
the university daily kansan
Lawrence fuel prices on the rise
Despite increasing prices for gasoline costs still lower than national average
By Steve Vockrodt
svockrodt@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Amanda Kim Stairrett/Kansan
At prices of about $1.68 per gallon, Lawrence gas costs less than the national average of $1.75 per gallon.
The prices in Lawrence are higher than they've been in recent weeks, though.
Part of the reason for rising gas prices was last week's announcement from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, that it would reduce production of crude oil by nearly 1 million gallons. The U.S. Department of Energy also predicted that the national average would increase to $1.83 per gallon this spring.
Gas prices reflect projections of future oil supply, and the current uncertainty of future gas supplies and availability drives gas prices up, said Paul Willhite, professor and chairman of the chemical and petroleum engineering department.
Willhite also said that oil prices were based on U.S. dollar amount, and the devaluation of the U.S. dollar pushes prices higher. With the devalued dollar in mind, OPEC countries want to maintain income levels against the dollar and can do so by increasing prices.
The subsequent rise in gas prices has forced Lawrence gas stations to tread the line between competition and maintaining a profitable business.
"They blame it on the war. That's what it all boils down to."
Anthony Cahill, assistant manager of Kwik Shop, 1846 Massachusetts St., said he continuously had to shop prices at neighboring
Anthony Calhill
Assistant manager of Kwik Shop, 1846
Massachusetts St.
Nicole Pounds, Great Bend freshman, pumped gas at Baguio Mart LLC, 2540 Iowa St. Pounds said she was worried about the rising gas prices because it took one tank of gas for her to drive home to Great Bend, which is about 216 miles away. When in Lawrence, Pounds doesn't drive a lot because she lives in Oliver Hall and rides the bus.
gas stations and offer customers an incentive to choose his store. He checks local gas prices and reports back to corporate headquarters, which then sets the final price.
Kwik Shop offered $1.69 per gallon of unleaded gas, which matched the Phillips 66, 1823 Massachusetts St., across the street.
Cahill said instead of undercutting Phillips 66 prices, Kwik Shop allows customers to save 2 cents per gallon on gas with a Dillons card, because the Kroger company owns both Kwik Shop and Dillons.
"They blame it on the war," Cahill said. "That's what it all boils down to."
Cahill's own perspective on the gas prices revolves more around the oil companies themselves.
Cahill is used to customer complaints about fuel prices and their reasons behind why they think gas prices are jumping.
"We only charge what they charge," Cahill said. "If they would drop their prices, we would drop ours."
Lawrence residents can at least appreciate that prices locally are still relatively low compared to other places. On a
recent trip to San Francisco, Amanda Leland, Lawrence resident, saw gas prices of around $2.59 per gallon.
to release a new energy plan this week that could determine the future of gas prices nationally.
The Bush administration is set.
—Edited by Joe Hartigan
reason was given for the postponement, the aide said.
U. S. troops surrounded the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, poised for a major operation in response to the grisly slaying and mutilation of four American civilians by insurgents there last week.
Senator wants seat for nontrads back
By Andy Marso
amarso@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. official in Iraq, canceled a trip to Washington this week, a Senate aide said yesterday. The aide said Bremer was to have given a closed-door briefing Thursday to the full Senate on the situation in Iraq, but Senate officials were informed yesterday morning that the visit to Washington had been put off. No
The Associated Press
Ever since Student Senate voted to replace one Student Senate seat for nontraditional students with a seat for the Stouffer Place apartment complex on March 3, Paul Van Cleave has tried unsuccessfully to get the seat back.
Van Cleave, nontraditional senator, has introduced legislation to restore the seat every week since the vote. His bill passed the Student Rights committee last week but narrowly failed in the University Affairs committee.
Van Cleave has no problem with Stouffer Place getting a senator, but he doesn't think it should come at the expense of a nontraditional seat, he said.
"Having a Stouffer Place senator is a great idea," Van Cleave said. "But taking away one senator from a group that's larger than the senior class just isn't a fair way to do it." Van Cleave said.
Unless Van Cleave restores the nontraditional senate seat, the number of nontraditional senators will go from three to two next year. Van Cleave said nontraditional students were already under-represented when they had three senators, because it is difficult to pinpoint how many nontraditional students are at the University.
Nontraditional Student Services defines nontraditional students as undergraduates who commute 10 or more miles to school, are married, have a child, are military veterans or are at least three years older than their classmates. The University doesn't keep an exact number of the nontraditional students, but Nontraditional Student Services estimates that there are about 5,000.
American officials would not say when they would move to arrest Muqtada al-Sadr, who is holed up in the main mosque in Kufa, south of Baghdad, guarded by armed supporters.
As Senate rules stand now, those 5,000 students would be represented by two senators next year. In comparison, the 5,580 graduate students at the University are represented by eight senators.
The bill that replaced gave Stouffer Place a seat was originally written to add a Stouffer Place senator and a Jayhawker Towers senator without taking
after battles between his supporters and coalition troops killed at least 52 Iraqis and nine coalition troops, including eight Americans
"I think Senate misidentified what kind of place Stouffer is."
WORLD
BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. administrators in Iraq declared a radical Shiite cleric an "outlaw" yesterday and announced a warrant for his arrest, heightening a confrontation
away a seat from anywhere else. Andy Knopp, student body president, said he was concerned about more housing groups asking for senators if Stouffer Place and Iavahwer Towers got seats.
Arrest warrant issued for radical Shiite cleric
Tai Vokins Overland Park senior
Knopp spoke against the Jayhawker Towers seat and said he would support the Stouffer Place seat only if it replaced a nontraditional seat so the total number of senators wouldn't increase. He said a Stouffer Place representative would be able to address many of the concerns of nontraditional students because many Stouffer Place residents were married and have children. The bill passed with Knopp's revisions.
Tai Vokins, Overland Park senior and nontraditional student, said the compromise was unfair because many residents of Stouffer Place were traditional graduate students.
"I think Senate misidentified what kind of place Stouffer is," Vokins said.
Vokins and James Owen, law senator, have worked with Van Cleave to get the nontraditional seat restored.
Van Cleave said he would try to get the bill on the agenda for Wednesday's meeting by bringing it through the Student Executive Committee. He said if that failed he would try to bring it off the floor during the meeting.
Jillian Anderson. Fort Scott junior and nontraditional student, said she appreciated Van Cleave's efforts. She said she hadn't seen Senate doing much for nontraditional students and that more representation would help.
"As long as it's not detrimental to have more senators, I think the more the better." Anderson said.
— Edited by Joe Hartigan