THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PUBLISHED SINCE 1889 BY THE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
(USPS 650-640)
THURSDAY APRIL 13 1989
VOL. 99, NO.129
ABOVE: Commercial balloonist Andrew Petrehn. Overland Park sophomore, waves to Lawrence during a balloon flight. Petrehn is a co-owner of Montgolfier Elite, a Lawrence commercial balloon company that gives rides and does banner advertising. RIGHT: Petrehn releases hot air into the balloon during flight. BELOW: As a fan begins to fill the balloon, Petrehn prepares to fly. Yesterday marked the first flight for Montgolfier Elite.
Less interest in sciences costly, expert says
by Max Evans
Kansan staff writer
University enrollment in engineering and other sciences, particularly at the graduate level, is down across the United States, and it is causing a decline in the U.S. standard of living, one national expert said yesterday.
Christopher T. Hill, senior specialist in science and technology at the Congressional Research Service of
the library of Congress, said that the decline in technologies meant less export profits with which to pay the burgeoning U.S. international debt
"We've got to make things and sell them." Hill said. "We owe some $8 billion or $7 billion to someone over the age of 50, we have to pay back the interest."
sas, said that undergraduate engineering enrollment was down more than 9 percent from last year. He said that many students perceived engineering as too difficult, which led them to pursue other fields of study.
Tom Mulinazzi, associate dean of engineering at the University of Kan-
"Business is perceived as making lots of money without going through all the math, calculus and science courses." Mulnazzi said.
"Salaries in the sciences have not kept up with medicine, law and business." Hill said.
At KU, one of the hardest hit fields has been geology.
some merit
Hill said that that assessment held
Lee Gerhard, director of the Kansas Geological Survey at the University of Kansas, said that the shortage
See SCIENCES; p. 6, col. 4
Motives unclear for BSU action
by Cynthia L. Smith
Korean staff writer
Kansan staff writer
When the Black Student Union president declared the BSU constitution invalid Monday night, the action called into question who could vote for BSU officers and who could run for those offices.
An ad hoc elections committee was dissolved at the same time.
At question is whether the constitution was declared void because of parliamentary irregularities or by a political power play.
"If you were an outsider looking in,
I guess you would think there was
some serious, high-powered politic-
ist, a kind of megalomaniac.
Kelly Fultz, IBSU president.
BSU re- enacted its previous constitution, which took effect June 6, 1983. That constitution does not allow indian members to vote for BSU officers
Kim Davis, BSU member, said,
"We weren't happy at it all, but
most of the people were not sure what
they could do about the change."
"I thought that it had gone through proper procedures, but someone brought it to the attention of the general assembly that it had it, and from the evidence he presented, I tried to nullify the constitution." Parsa said.
Paris said, "Nobody wants to take time to settle it correctly. They want a quick and easy answer. Maybe the people were walking out of the meeting."
The 1985 constitution stipulated that three-fourths of the BSU general assembly had to vote to consider any amendment to the constitution. Then a written proposal had to be distributed to all voting organizations before the final vote. To pass an amendment to the general assembly had to approve with the recommendation of the BSU Executive Board.
The ratification of the constitution on Dec 12, 1983, did not follow procedures specified by the 1985 Constitution and is being corresponded to IBSU corresponding secretary.
Because the ratification occurred without a vote to consider the constitution, without the distribution of the proposed constitution and without the recommendation of the executive president, it was declared void, Thompson said.
Tipett's proposed amendment read, "Anyone holding an executive office in the ISU should be allowed to the office outside of this organization."
An unidentified BSU member said on April 3 that ratification of the 1983 constitution had not followed procedures after Paris announced that a resolution proposed by Arda Tippet, BSU member and chairman of the Big Eight Council on Black Student Government, also had not been correct. ratified Dec. 12 and was void.
See CONSTITUTION, p. 6, col. 1
Chicago Seven mogul Abbie Hoffman dead
The Associated Press
Hoffman, m. was discovered about 8:15 p.m. fully dressed under the covers of his bed, Solebury Township Police Chief Richard Mangan said.
NEW HOPE, Pa. — Abbie Hoffman, a Chicago seven radical who founded the Yippie movement of the 1960s, died Wednesday night, authorities said.
His death did not seem suspicious, Mangan said, but police are investigating. There was no apparent cause for the incident, which is scheduled for Thursday morning.
Hoffman's body was found by neighbors, said Bucks County coroner Dr. Thomas J. Rosco, and there was no apparent cause of death. He would not comment on whether any drugs or alcohol were found.
Rosco said he would not speculate on the cause of death.
- Hoffman, a native of Worcester, Mass., rose to prominence with the Chicago Seed, a group of radicals who stood trial on charges of composing to disrupt the heavily 1968 Democrat National Convention in Chicago.
The Associated Press
Eastern purchase fails
NEW YORK — Peter Ueberroth's proposed $464 million purchase of strike-bound Eastern Airlines collapsed because of an impasse with its unions and parent Texas Air Corp., commissioner announced yesterday.
Eastern President Phil Bakes said the Miami-based airline's strategy was to reorganize as a smaller carrier serving 50 to 60 percent of its pre-strike schedule of 1,440 flights a day and employing 15,000 to 18,000 people, compared with 31,000 before the strike.
The announcement that the Ubere-
rroth deal had collapsed came follow-
ing days of intense negotiations that
continued yesterday as a federal
bankruptcy judge tried to salvage
the sinking deal.
A key issue blocking the deal was whether an outside trustee should be appointed to run the airline until the sale was completed. The union prop-
has been opposed by Frank Lorenzon, chairman of Texas Air, who would lose his authority of Eastern Air. Mr. Lorenzon if the Uberderma deal has failed.
Eastern's unions have accused Lorenzo of gross mismanagement and of stripping Eastern of vital assets since Texas Air bought the airline in 1986, and have expressed doubt that they would continue daunting it in charge.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Burton Lif-
land met yesterday with attorneys
for Eastern its unions and the Ueber
Lawyers, arguing the deal negotiated only days earlier
Any deal required full agreement from Ueberhorn, Lorenzo. Eastern's three unions and Eastern's creditors.
Trans World Airlines Chairman Carl leahn, who had been approached by Eastern's Machinists about making a possible offer, issued a statement yesterday saying that he remained interested in Eastern.
Arrested members of a cult admit to slaying of 12 people near border of U.S, Mexico
MATAMOROS, Mexico — Members of a voodoo cult of drug smugglers, arrested in at least 12 ritual shayings, including a U.S. college student said yesterday that they were planning to gain demon protection from police.
The Associated Press
It was the third drug-related mass killing discovered along the U.S.-Mexican border within three weeks.
Police dug for two more bodies yesterday at the ranch where they found the 12 mutilated bodies and burned them. Caliban they believed the blood了cultly.
"We killed them for protection," Elio Hernandez Rivera, 22, of Mata
mors, told reporters. He said at a news conference that he shot and killed one victim and decapitated another.
"Very clearly they believed the human sacrifices and the animal sacrifices put a magical shield around them that protected them from evil or harm, even up to bully attacks. Texas Attorney General Jim Mattos
In addition to University of Texas pre-med student Mark Kilroy, the victims included a Matamoras volunteer, a Teen Volunteer volunteer, and a 16-year-old MEXI
See VOODOO, p. 6, col. 6
Campaigners cause KU students to run - away
by Carrie Harper
Kansan staff writer
"Please take a couple of minutes to vote." said Cindy Snyder to almost every passerby as she went through the hallway.
After last week's Board of Class Officers
election, most students have an excuse ready for the
test.
Saying "I've already voted" or "I've got about six of those already" are the most common evasive techniques. And yet, many voters don't know how to deal with the issues or the coalitions in the election.
Snyder, a Nunemaker senator candidate and Augusta sophomore, said that her coalition had printed about 3,000 fliers and would be printing more.
Every year during Student Senate elections, students cannot walk down Jayhawk Boulevard without being bombarded with campaign literature.
This year is no different.
Scott Vanatta, Lawrence sophomore and Nunemaker senator candidate, said that people spotted the pamphelems from about 25 yards away and veered away or crossed the street.
"I figure if they don't make eye contact, they don't want one." Vanatta said. "A few days ago, I was handing these out and we were saying, 'No thanks, I already voted,' before the elec-
"I don't like people coming up to me and standing in my face and following me down the floor."
Dawn Coy. Hutchinson freshman, said that she had not followed the Student Senate issues and that she had managed to avoid the coalition representatives on campus.
Jordan Lerner, Overland Park junior and campus candidate for the Senate, said that he
"When you stick something in someone's hand, generally they're going to read it." Lerner
"I figure if it's something like Student Senate, it must be important, and I might as well take the time to read it because it affects us directly." Toba said.
Pete Tolpa, St. Louis sophomore, said that he didn't get annoyed when people gave him the ball.
Ed Kowlashi, San Antonio, Texas, senior; said that he usually took the fliers just to be polite. He said that the information should be available. He said it can hurt it but that it should not be pushed on people.
"Today, I thought they were a little too nushy." Kownsr said.
After throwing away some campaign literature that had just been handed to him, Anthony Rox, Western Springs, Ill., sophomore, said that he couldn't care less about voting for Student President.
"I usually walk around with my hands in my pockets, but today they caught me with my hand."