UDK News Roundup
By United Press International
Hijackers free hostages
SEOUL-Eight hijackers freed 99 hostage passengers from 79 hours of captivity on a pirated airliner Friday, halting the exodus once to take aboard a Japanese official for the flight to North Korea.
Vice-Transportation Minister Shinjiro Yamamura boarded the Boeing 727 jet at 12:59 a.m. EST after the hijackers had released 58 of the passengers. Then the hijackers freed the remaining passengers.
Legality of war challenged
BOSTON—Massachusetts has issued a historic challenge to the federal government's constitutional authority to conduct the Vietnam war without a mandate from Congress.
Republican Gov. Francis W. Sargent, who participated in October's antiwar moratorium demonstrations, Thursday signed a bill, which goes into effect immediately, permitting Massachusetts servicemen to refuse combat duty in undeclared wars as Vietnam.
Inquest notes missing
BOSTON—Information obtained from officials having knowledge of the case indicates court stenographers' notes containing the testimony of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and other witnesses at the secret inquest into the death of Mary Jo Kopechne may be missing or improperly impounded, UPI learned Thursday.
The notes, the only original record of the four-day secret inquest, have not been impounded at Suffolk Superior Court in Boston, which is the official custodian of the 764-page transcript of testimony and the report of Judge James A. Boyle, who presided over the inquest in Edgarton District Court.
Committees allocate funds
Nearly $17,245 for student activities was allocated in a combined meeting of the Student Senate Executive committee and the Finance and Audit committee Thursday. Mark Retonde, chairman of the Finance committee, and Dave Awbrey, president of the Student Senate presided.
Awbrey said the committees had acted in accordance with the
Senate Code, Article VI, which states, " (The University Senate Executive committee) shall act on behalf of the Student Senate in all matters requiring expeditious action."
The allocations will come out of a $30,853 reserve fund of the Student Senate and will be used for fund budget requests for the remainder of the year.
This is the first year the Student Senate budget has equalled or exceeded the Senate's income, said Raymond Nichols, executive secretary of the University.
A committee headed by Dennis Embry, Great Bend junior, was set up to research the question of buying movie and movie-related equipment that could be available to all campus organizations.
80th Year, No.106
The University of Kansas—Lawrence, Kansas
Friday, April 3, 1970
Wescoe Hall question in two parts
Students will vote Tuesday on whether they want another classroom building on campus.
The question of the new $8 million humanities building will appear on a referendum ballot in two parts: "Do you think $7.50 per semester should be used to help finance the proposed humanities building, Wescoe Hall?" and, "Do you agree with the policy of using student fees to help finance academic buildings?"
The building question was brought to a referendum vote through petitions with more than 1400 valid
According to a statement issued March 17 by the University Planning Board, there is no way of funding the project other than through an increase in student activity fees.
signatures, turned in by David G. Miller, Eudora junior.
The petition was begun after the Student Senate voted to pledge the student fees at its February 18 meeting. The proposed $7.50 fee increase would make up the difference between the $8 million cost and the $5.5 million that had already been obtained—$3.6 million from state appropriation and $1.9 million from federal funds.
The federal money will be lost if there is further delay in the project, according to the University Planning Board statement.
If the question is rejected by the students,
(Continued on page 12)
Regent's decision protested
A protest rally and strike was organized Thursday night against the Kansas Board of Regents for passing over the promotions of two KU faculty members.
Student government leaders, Black Student Union (BSU) members and graduate assistants supported the move, but each group expressed different reasons for Wednesday's scheduled action.
David Awbrey, Hutchinson senior and student body president, said it should not be up to the Regents to control the moral and political atmosphere of KU. "We should make sure the University is an autonomous community," he said, "not an organ of the Regents."
Awbrey referred to the passing over the promotions pending further investigation of associate law professor Lawrence Velvel's action and speech in the February 17 demonstration against the Chicago 7 trial. and assistant professor of speech and drama, Frederick Littot's part in the production of play scenes criticized by the U.S. Congress which were presented behind the Iron Curtain.
Students should be informed of the "Regent's clamp" on the atmosphere of the University, said John Naramore, Lawrence senior. Students should get "dramatically involved and should support the strike next week."
BSU members expressed their feelings that the Regents had been abusing blacks for a long time by rejecting their demands and thus "tearing down their humanity."
Velvel appeared at the meeting and said he appreciated the show of support for the cause "of academic freedom and freedom of speech."
John Spearman, Lawrence senior and BSU president, said they planned to support the strike, but they "would do their own work." The BSU will continue to be concerned with the limiting of academic freedom by the Regents, he said.
A group of graduate assistant instructors and teaching assistants voiced their gripe against the Regents. Robert Asch, New York City assistant instructor in German acting as spokesman, said graduate instructors wanted the abolishment of their fees. The Regents, he said, considered such a measure last year but
deferred action, and "so far have done nothing about it."
The graduate assistants also want an increase in base pay to $3,000—an increase of $425 effective September 1, 1970. Asch said. Graduate assistants will support Wednesday's strike, but decided to delay acting on their causes until the week after because, "lumping all the grievances together would water down the issues." Asch said.
Lenny Zeiskind, Lawrence resident, was appointed by Awbrey to do research to determine the exact relationship of the Regents to the University. Other members were asked to talk with students in residence halls, sorority and fraternity houses and scholarship halls.
Final preparations for Wednesday's rally and strike will be made Tuesday in the Kansas Union Big Eight Room after scheduled newsreels, Awbrey said.
Ooops...
Photo by Steve Fritz
Despite signs a Buildings and Grounds truck fell into the trench near Danforth Chapel Thursday. The trench is part of the work of the telephone company to install phones in all the rooms in KU residence halls. The mishap was attributed to the heavy snowfall.