Wednesday, March 1. 1989 / University Daily Kansan
Patronize Kansan Advertisers
Don't Drive Drunk
Greg Scott Jon Hofer
Party Favors
Custom Screen Printing
T·
G·R·A·P·H·I·C·S
CLIP A COUPON!
TROPICALS 50% OFF
518 East 8th Lawrence, Ks.
913-842-3338
Free plant just for coming in!
4 blocks east of Mass
PENCE
15th & New York 843-2004
841-4833
MasterCard
1008 E. 12th
VISA
Don's Automotive Center Inc.
Import Car & Truck Specialists
Machine Shop Service Available
Order your college ring NOW JOSTENS
Date: Monday-Friday
February 27-March 3
Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Place: Kansas Union Bookstore
Meet with your loosene
on display in the K.U. Bookstores
Speaking about issues from his book, "Liability: The Legal Revolution and its Consequences," Peter Huber, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, New York, discusses product liability. Huber lectured yesterday to journalism and law students in Green Hall.
Revolutionary changes in liability not an improvement,says speaker
by Kris M. Beraquist
Kansan staff writer
Being able to sue people for more reasons and more often is a change in liability law that Peter Hensley won't think is a change for the better.
Huber, author of 'Liability: The Legal Revolution and its Consequences', spoke about liability in the film "The Dream" and law students in Green Hall.
"I have written a controversial book that shows a strong point of view that is not favorable toward the current liability system." "I think the system is costly and only beneficent to trial lawyers."
Huber, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research in New York, said that when the new liability system began in the 1960s, it had good intentions.
Lawyers thought that people who needed the help could get it more easily and that more industrious people would be under the new system, he said.
Actually, Huber said, the opposite has happened. More lawsuits are filed and won, but safety practices have not been encouraged, and lawyers seem to have benefited the most.
"More than 50 cents on the dollar doesn't go to people hurt, but to people like the lawyers and law enforcement," it's an appalling high overhead.
Huber used vaccine companies as an example of the lack of advancement in safety practices. He said that although vaccines had saved thousands of lives, they also had occasional side effects.
"Ten or 12 major pharmaceutical companies have discontinued the vaccine business altogether, and now it's down to single suppliers," Huber said. "The smart money didn't say, 'Oh, we'll have
Huber said the increasing number of liability suits also had forced companies to include needlessly detailed warnings with products. He said the warnings, because of their use of legal lan-
more safety practices.' Far from responding that way, the smart money said 'We don't trust the legal system to distinguish between good and bad producers — we won't distribute it.'
guage and intimidating length, were widely ignored by consumers.
He showed a warning insert from a contraceptive package that had two large pages of small-print details of warnings. He said the packaging was added to the packaging by the manufacturer in response to lawsuits.
Huber, a graduate of Harvard Law School, said one solution to the liability problem would be to let consumers choose which products they trusted, based on warnings written in plain English.
"No ordinary person reads this. Life is too short," Huber said. "Improving safety in a real world for real people doesn't work with long, detailed warnings. Real safety improvements are made with bold, confident, true changes in improvement of technology."
Under the present system, people can get the product first and get the chance to sue afterwards, he said.
"The producers are left out." Huber said. New technologies are not pursued because of fear that misuse of new products or procedures will lead to liability suits. Kevin Kelly, president of the Student Bar Association and a third-year Lawrence law student, said he disagreed with Huber's assumption that consumers could make responsible decisions without detailed warnings.
Alpha Phi awaits board's reinstatement decision
by Michele Logan
Kansan staff writer
Three members of the Alpha Phi sorority have presented a formal appeal to their international executive board, and they have their house's charter reinstated.
Alpha Phi's charter was suspended Jan. 21 because of low membership and failure to meet financial obliga-
tion requirements, spokesman for the executive board.
got through to them."
The sorority has 103 members, 75 of whom live in the house at 1602 High Drive.
Patricia Rogowski, president,
Dawn Tabinsky, vice president,
Rhonda Newcomer, rush director,
traveled to Evanston, Ill., on Feb. 19 to submit their sorority's appeal to the NAACP, and received letters from KU fraternities and sororites in support of the house's attempt to get its charter back.
"All we have to do now is wait for the board's decision," Tabinsky said. "It's hard to tell whether or not we
The sorority was given 30 days to appeal the decision. If the charter is withdrawn, it will be effective at the end of the Spring 1989 semester, she said.
Tabinsky said the sorority had no idea when the board would reach its decision. However, Shumway said he was not sure of the decision before Spring Break.
"The girls had questions to ask of the executive board, and the executive board had questions to ask the girls." Shumway said.
On Feb. 4, members of the sorority sent a letter to each KU fraternity and sorority asking them to write the letters in a journal in favor of charter restatement.
In the letter, the houses were asked to include any social or philanthropic events they had participated in with Alpha Phi.
Shumway said that the board had received several letters from the fraternities and sororites, and that it would take each into consideration.
Tabinsky said, "We appreciate all the greek support we've gotten."
Shumway said Alpha Phi International planned to start a new chapter at KU next fall.
SUPPORT SOBER DRIVING...
- don't drink and drive.
- don't let a friend drink and drive.
- don't ride with someone who's been drinking.
Did you respond to an interview/survey* last week? Two hundred and sixteen Students did as part of the Support Sober Driving campaign. Here is what they said.
SURVEY RESULTS OF DRINKING AND DRIVING ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES AT K.U.
1. Have you used alcohol in the past year? yes 201 no 15
2. Have you ever driven while intoxicated? yes 114 no 102
If yes, when...
past week 26 (12%)
past 6 months 62 (29%)
past year 43 (20%)
3. Have you ever gotten an OUI? yes 5 no 206 (Operating Under the Influence)
4. Have you ever ridden with someone who has had too much to drink? yes 157 no 59 If yes, when... past week 40 (19%) past 6 months 96 (44%) past year 67 (31%)
5. What word would you use to describe this practice of drinking and driving? irresponsible risky insane dumb crazy idiotic
6. Should the laws regarding drunk driving be... tough 203 tolerant 8
<*No systematic sampling technique was used to obtain these results
support sober driving
Bagel Annie's GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION
!Help Us Celebrate Our Grand Opening!
Enter Bagel Annie's BAGEL EATING CONTEST! Sign up at Bagel Annie's. THE EVENT will be held at 5:00 pm FRIDAY, MARCH 3rd. Contestants and observers will receive Free Coke & samples of Bagel Annie's goodies!
The grand winner will receive a Bagel Annie T-shirt & matching cap; a true fashion statement, plus dinner for two at Bagel Annie's and tickets for two to a movie!
Serving freshwater bagels, homemade cream cheese spreads, fantastic breakfasts, fabulous lunches, formidable home-cooked dinners. Featuring kugel, knishes, homemade desserts, sliced meats, cheeses, smoked fish to carry home.
2228 Iowa Lawrence, Kansas 843-2255
Remember: Bagel Annie loves ya!