FRIDAY, MARCH 1. 1996
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
ADVERTISING 864-4358
NEWS 864-4810
SECTION A VOL.102, NO.108
(USPS 650-640)
TODAY KANSAN
SPORTS
The No.3 men's basketball team closes out the regular season tomorrow at Oklahoma. Page 1B
CAMPUS
Lending a helping hand
Volunteers celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Peace Corps yesterday. Page 3A.
NATION
Teen-ager fires on school bus
Police are unsure of the motive of the gunman who killed a pregnant 15 year old. Page 6A.
WORLD
Breast cancer discovery
A gene, when injected, suppresses breast and ovarian cancer cells. Page 7A.
WEATHER
PARTLY SUNNY
High 47° Low 16°
Weather: Page 2A.
INDEX
Opinion ... 4A
State News ... 5A
Nation/World ... 6A
Features ... 8A
Sports ... 1B
Scoreboard ... 2B
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents.
Feminists mark anniversary
Speeches, march recognize women's issues in society
By Susanna Löof
Kansan staff writer
Only a few students stopped to listen to the speakers from the Feminist Collective Force who spoke yesterday afternoon in front of Wescoe Hall.
But Regan Cowan, a member of the group, said she considered the informal speeches a success.
"If one person that passed took one second out of their lives and thought about what we were saying, then it made a difference," she said. "It was a success because I spoke out and said what I believe in."
Cowan, Scottsdale, Ariz., sophomore, was one of the speakers during the event, which celebrated the 24th anniversary of the February Sisters' occupation of a campus building.
"I am taking my body back," she said loudly to pass-byers. "I am taking my voice back. I won't give it away, and I hope neither of you will either."
The audience consisted mostly of Feminist Collective Force members. They gave the loudest support to Christine Smith, who is not a member of the group.
Matt Flickner / KANSAN
"I am Christine of February Sisters," Smith said, and the audience shouted to show their support.
Smith, who lives in Kansas City, Kan., came to Lawrence to participate in the anniversary celebrations.
The speeches were followed by a march to the Kansas Union. Sixteen marchers carried signs and chanted slogans, such as "Women united will never be defeated," and "Wherever we go, whatever we do, yes means yes and no means no."
The participants formed a yose stump circle outside the Union. With their arms around one another's shoulders, they quietly spoke about things they wanted to say yes to.
"I want to say 'Yes' to February Sisters, who made it possible for us to be safe and have justice on this campus," said Amy Turnbull, Lawrence junior and member of the group.
When everybody in the circle had finished speaking, the group stomped and screamed.
"It is very empowering," said Katherine Smith, Beavercreek, Ohio, junior. "It's encouraging to see the activism in people's eyes."
Turnbull said she thought that the University still needed to improve the treatment of women.
"I would like to see more women in positions of authority," she said.
Another issue is lighting on campus, she said. She called for administrative financing of improved lighting.
"I don't feel safe on campus at night," Turnbull said. Smith called for more action against sexual assault at the University.
But some students didn't agree.
"It seems like it is hushed up in a matter which is not acceptable," she said.
Jessica Boich, Kansas City, Kan, sophomore, who watched the march from a distance, said she had not noticed any problems regarding women's situations at the University.
Members of the February Sisters, a feminist group, march to the Kansas Union yesterday afternoon. The march followed speeches by members of the Feminist Collective Force in front of Wescoe Hall.
Feminist protest revisited
Occupation by Corbin gave February Sisters demands, notoriety
By Susanne LöbKansan staff writer
Campus was boiling with activity 24 years ago. Angry students staged protests against wrongdoings of society and the University of Kansas.
One famous protest is the February Sisters' occupation of the East Asian Studies building.
The February Sisters was a group of feminists who were upset with the conditions for women at the University. Inspired by a speech by feminist poet Robin Morgan, the women occupied the East Asian Studies building that used to be located near Corbin Hall.
day, Feb. 4, 1972, and ended 13 hours later. A front page story published in the Kansan on Feb. 7, 1972, describes a meeting between representatives of the occupants, Chancellor E. Laurence Chalmers Jr. and the Student Senate Executive Committee.
Their occupation began at 6 p.m., Fri-
The women presented several demands that they wanted met before they would agree to leave the building.
Their demands included the establishment of free day care on campus, a Women's Studies program and a women's health program.
A majority of the demands were met, but not immediately nor in the exact manner the sisters wanted.
The sisters chose to remain anonymous for several years. They refused to be photographed, and they attacked a photographer from the Kansan who tried to photograph them as they left a meeting.
Carojean Brune, one of the sisters, said in a February 1995 interview with the
Kansan that she was amazed that people still remembered the actions of February Sisters because many similar actions were happening at the time.
Sylvia Stone, administrative assistant of Women's Studies, said she felt grateful toward the sisters, whom she regarded as the department's foremothers.
"Their activism shows that when people work together they can be empowered and make change happen," Stone said.
Remembering the February Sisters is also important to several KU students.
"They really made a difference," said Katherine Smith, Beavercreek, Ohio, junior. "We can still feel it today."
The peaceful occupation has been commemorated with a forum every year since it took place. This year's forum, held last night at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries, was called Contract on Women: Interpreting the Radical Right Agenda.
E-mail not such a secret to Secret Service
By Nicholas C.Charalambous
Kansan Correspondent
Wendy Damman has strong political opinions, but she never thought she would be the subject of a Secret Service investigation.
The Secret Service said that Damman, Williamsburg freshman sent an e-mail message to the White House saying Bill Clinton would sooner or later be "staring down the barrel of a gun" because he had signed the Telecommunications Act.
Damanman said she sent a message to the White House expressing anger toward the president but she denied writing those words or threatening his life in any way.
"Not anything I said was more than you'd read in the opinion column of a newspaper," she said. "I'm not at all radical. I said the bill was a horrible abuse of legislative power and that I could not believe he'd passed it."
A Secret Service agent interviewed Damman for 45 minutes on Feb. 20 in the academic resource center of Ellsworth Hall.
The agent was escorted by a KU police officer.
showed their badges and asked to talk to her in private.
Danman said she was writing to friends on the Internet in Ellsworth's computer lab when she saw two plainly dressed but official-looking men counting computers. When they reached computer 24, the one she was using, the agent and the officer
Damman said the agent asked her opinion of the Telecommunications Act, if she was angry enough to harm the president and whether she was a member of the Communist party, the militia or other leftist or rightist radical groups. She was asked to provide the names of her family and a full physical description of herself.
Damman said the agent also questioned her about an e-mail message someone had sent to her but that she had not read yet.
"If we choose to send e-mail back and forth, I thought that was one-on-one," she said. "I was very incorrect it can be read by a third person."
The Secret Service denied monitoring her e-mail as part of the investigation.
Damanan said she was distressed by the interview and vows never to state her political opinions on the Internet again.
"It's like people who have been burglarized: They kind of feel like part of them has been taken away and kind of insecure about the world around them," she said.
After the interview the Secret Service agent told Damman that no further action would be taken against her.
However, the case must be presented to the U.S. Attorney's office
before it is decided whether she will be prosecuted, said Douglas Bucholce, special agent of the Kansas City, Mo., office of the Secret Service.
"Anybody has the right to freedom of speech but not to threaten the president of the United States," Buchholce said.
The Telecommunications Act, passed Feb. 8, made illegal the transmission of indecent or offensive material to minors on computer networks. Civil liberties groups are challenging the act on the grounds that the concept of indecency is too broad and that the act limits free speech.
Tents and hostels are spring break alternatives
Editors note: This is the fourth story of a five-story series on alternative travel information for students.
By Sarah Morrison Kansan staff writer
Every spring, thousands of students flock to Texas and Florida for some fun in the sun. But a coastal
vacation does not mean students have to get burned by expensive lodging at spring break hot spots.
Cindy Kosser, representative for South Padre Island, Texas, said expensive hotel lodging was not the only choice for students vacationing on the island during spring break.
Thirty miles of undeveloped beach outside the city limits can be used for camping by students traveling on a tight budget, she said.
"Most of the activity is within the city limits at the resort areas, but students could camp on the beach at night and come into the city during the day times to enjoy the activities," Kosser said.
Michael Fine, recreation coordinator for the Kansas Union, said Wilderness Discovery in the Kansas Union rents camping equipment to budget travelers every spring break.
No permit for camping on the beach in South Padre is required, she said.
Two-person tents rent for $7 the first day and $3.50 each additional day. Four-person tents cost $10 the first day and $5.50 each additional day.
"Our stuff goes all over the place: the Grand Canyon, Colorado and certainly the beach," Fine said. "We rent sleeping bags, lanters, cook idets, stoves, anything students need
for camping."
Reservations for equipment rental during spring break are being accepted now. Fine said.
A representative for the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce, another popular spring break destination, said camping was not allowed on the beach in Daytona. But camping is permitted in areas outside the city.
Both Barret, manager of the Orlando/Kissimmee resort in
For students who want a cheap vacation with the luxury of running water, there are five youth hostels in Florida that offer lodging for less than $20.
Kissimmee, Fla., said that for $16 a night, the hostel offers amenities comparable to more expensive resorts.
"We have a volleyball court, a tetherball court, and the property is located on a lake. It is quite beautiful," Barret said.
The property also offers free use of paddleboats on the lake. The resort is five miles from Disney World, she said.
Other hostels are located in Orlando, Miami Beach, Key West and FortLauderdale.
For more information on Florida
hostels, call 500-443-5294.
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