Disagreement hampers redistricting plan
TOPEKA-An amended reapportionment bill tentatively approved in the Kansas House yesterday would divide the KU student voting population, which has been the threshold of support for Democratic State Rep. Mike Glover.
The redesign of the voting districts in Douglas County was the most significant change in the bill, which would require a new redistricting system.
State Rep. John Vogel, R-Lawrence, who proposed the amendment, said it would bring the western parts of Colorado into the state's energy system.
However, Glover said the amendment apart the city's student population and would threaten his chances
Vogel's plan would take a large block of student voters in central Laurence out of Glover's district
"IT'S CLEARLY gerrymandering of the students," Glower said.
State Rep. John Solbach, D-Lawrence, said, "With Vogel's amendment, part of the new 46th district in east Lawrence would stick into a student area like a c-clamp."
Glover agreed.
"That area of Lawrence has all of those three or four-story houses that are split into apartments and are infested with students," he said. "The issue is whether to split the western part of the city or the central part."
The House bill originally would have created a new
district in east Lawrence. The 40th District. The district represented by Glover would have been moved slightly to
The district represented by Solbach still would have included land to the north and the south of Glover's district.
Glover said Vogel's amendment would push part of his and Glover's district farther west and disenfranchise KU
"ITS GENERALLY understood that even if you don't agree with the opinions or philosophy of another group, they are valid."
Vogel said, "Who are we going to disenfranchise—the permanent residents in west Lawrence who have been there for umplem years or the people in central Lawrence who are only going to be on the two to six years?"
Glover and Solbach argued that it would be easier to split western Lawrence than central Lawrence.
"The last thing we should do is break up neighborhood," Glover said, "but it is easier to split up the western part of the city because it hasn't been built up as much."
The Kansas Supreme Court must approve the House restricting plan before it could become law in 1980.
Solbach said the Court might find Voget's proposal unconstitutional because, he said, it deliberately split the student vote and split the neighborhood in central Lawrence.
However, Vogel said residents in west Lawrence
"I didn't come onto the floor of the House to change John Vogel's district — I came here to protect my own district," Glover said.
deserved to be in the same district because they were permanent residents.
Glover and Solbach objected because Vogel's amendment would affect their district but not Vogel's district.
Exchanges between the Douglas County Democrats and Vogel were at times sharp.
"I want to apologize to the body for the trouble we're having with Douglas County," the clover said. "It's obviously a problem, but it has nothing to do with me."
After debating for about an hour, the House approve Vogel's amendment 62-53, largely along party lines.
The House had approved the first 42 House districts without a bickle before the controversy erupted about the vote.
"YOU'RE TRYING to put me on the witness stand and make me say yes or no, but I'm not going to play that game," Vogel said at one point, after Solbach had fired a series of questions at him.
However, Glover said and the House vote that he hoped Democratic Gov. John Carlin would veto the redistricting bill and force Vogel to compromise on the issue of the student vote.
"We're getting our case together to try to show the Governor he would better off to evert the bait. "Glover
He said Carlin may review the bill next week.
Staff Illustration by Dan Martin
KANSAN
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Women get bid to tournament See story page eight
Lawrence, Kansas
The University of Kansas
Vol.89,No.105
Staff photo by TRISH LEWIS
body president, turned over their student senate offices last night to Margaret Berlin and George Gomer. Although Harper and Robinson they were pleased with their accon-
didance.
Reggie Robinson, former student body vice president, showed mixed emotions last night as he appeared before the Student Senate. Robinson and Mike Harper, former student
Board approves mall land plan
Happy ending
By SHURLEY SHOUP Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
The planning commission voted 8-2 to recommend to the city commission that the City Council consider the report.
The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission last night took the first step that could bring a regional shopping mall to Lawrence.
A company based in Ohio has proposed building a shopping mall with about 80 stores at a site southeast of Iowa Street and Armstrong Road.
The annexation request was a non-poem bearing item on the commission's agenda. The department is planning department's recommendation and remarks from a representative of the committee.
The staff recommended that the commission approve the request but that once the land was annexed, the portion of land in the plain be relied on to flood plain and not RS<sub>1</sub>.
A CITY ORDINANCE states that all annuallanded land come into the city under RS-184.
The planning department told the commission they had evaluated the annexation request on the basis of the land's suitability for development, not on a specific use.
Margaret McKinney, a commissioner who voted against the anexation request, said that only part of the land was suitable for residential or industrial use.
Nearly one-third of the area is in the county flood plain.
McKinney said commercial zoning would allow a parking area in a flood plain, but that commercial use would not be compatible with Plan 95.
Plan '56 is a projection of the acceptable development around Lawrence by 1966.
Some downtown merchants and city officials have been concerned that a large suburban shopping mall would hurt recent efforts to improve the downtown district.
CHUCK WARNER AND HANK Booth, planning commissioners, said the commission should decide only the annexation request and not consider the possible land as well.
"My vote is cast not for the possible land use, but for annexation." Warner said.
Dean Harvey, planning commissioner,
said the land could be used only for
their use.
Booth said, "The city should be able to debate what the use will be, and the best possible way to bring it into the city is RS-1."
Richard Zinn, a representative of the landowners, told the commission that the land was "fully protected."
"The marketplace would indicate it is ready for development," he said.
ZINN TOLD THE commission that the annexation would be a reasonable expansion of the area and would be consistent with the commission's past annexation actions.
Johanna Kollmorgen, a planning commissioner who also voted against the request, said she was not sure a shopping mall would benefit everyone in that area. She said although the city would gain tax revenue, the township would lose it.
Proponents of the mall have said the mall would bring in added tax revenue for the city.
Developers of the proposed mall, Jacob, Viscorsi and Jacob Co. of, Cleveland, said last fall that the mall would contain three stores that had "recognizable names."
Don Jones, an associate of the firm, said the names of the stores would not be released until the issue came before the city commission later this month.
In other action, the commission approved the final plan for a proposed residential subdivision at 23rd Street and Lawrence Park. The commission also selected the oldest building in Lawrence, sica on the land.
The developers altered the original plan, which would have required destruction of the barn, in an attempt to give a private company the ability to purchase and renovate the barn.
The altered plan does not guarantee that the barn would be saved indefinitely, but would delay destruction until other options were eliminated.
Old, new leaders call for unity
By CAROL BEIER
Staff Renorter
Mike Harper, former student body president, called for commitment, and a new plan.
"You cannot defend--you cannot protect the interests of yourselves and those you represent by turning this organization into a quamure of internal bickering," he said.
Both old and new student executives urged Student Senators at last night's joint session of the Senate to forget the dif- ferent cases they had been during elections two weeks ago.
Craig Templeton, administrative assistant to the Senate, said earlier this week that the new administration might be willing to send Senators from coalitions other than their own.
Templeton was an unsuccessful candidate for vice president of the student body. He ran with the Imagination Coalition. In 2012, he won the book 35 of the 110 Senate seats in the election.
THE NEW student body president and vice president were on the Porch Step Committee.
vice president, also spoke last night on Senate. *unity* before *formally* addressing the crisis.
Both Harper and Robinson received standing ovations from the members of the old and new Senates when they stepped down from the lectern.
Reggie Robinson, former student body
Robinson said, "I don't think there is room for factionalism in the Student Senate. The elections should be put behind you. I wouldn't do that, but a sake does nothing for the Student Senate."
In her speech following the transfer of power from the old to new Senate, Margaret Berlin, student body president, addressed on the importance of working together.
GEORGE GOMEZ, student body vice president, listed other issues that will face the new Senate. He mentioned impending decisions on membership in the Associated Students of Kansas lobby organization, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and extension of the handicapped busing program begun in January.
"We will expect a lot out of you," she said.
"One thing we will really accept is unity."
Members of the new Senate heard two speakers on the recent controversy about the Kansas University Endowment Association's investments in South Africa
However, the Senate defeated a motion made by Barry Shalinsky, off-campus senator, that would have allowed concessions to the Election Association's investments.
The KU committee on South Africa released a statement Tuesday that the association was shirking its social responsibility by investing in businesses in South Africa.
CONSIDERATION OF the resolution would have required suspension of the rules of the Senate. The rules prohibit consideration of legislation at the joint session. The resolution is to be part of the agenda for the next Senate meeting March 21.
Berlin announced staff appointments for her administration. Mark Rafferty, Topeka sophomore, will serve as executive secretary, Keith Maib, Gladstone, Mo., will serve as treasurer and Templeton was reappointed as administrative assistant.
Black leader stresses heritage
By MARK L. OLSON
Staff Reporter
The most valuable tool blocks have today to shape their future is knowledge of the achievements and history of their ancestors,
Cleaver spoke to more than 250 people in the lobby of Ellsworth Hall.
this lecture was sponsored by the Black Caucus of Ellsworth Hall, and capped a month of activities at the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History.
Cleaver, a civil rights activist in Kansas City, Mo., has been instrumental in persuading the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration to investigate hiring practices of the Kansas City, Mo., police department.
Clever won the Tuesday primary election to the 5th District of the City Council of Kansas City, Mo.
"ON THE ONE hand. I am glad that you have passed to honor black history during Black History Month," he said last night. "But on the other hand, it is disgraceful that we should have to pause to honor black history."
The 34-year-old Methodist minister and Mid-Central vice-president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference said
Cleaver said that there were many great blacks in history, but that their accomplishments have remained unacknowledged.
He cited examples such as Charles Drew, a black physician. Drew developed the use of blood plasma; for transfusions, yet bied
to death on his way to a black hospital when a "white's only"
hospital refused to treat him.
"It is important that we understand history." Cleaver said, "so that we can wipe out what was negative and put in what is positive."
Cleaver said he thought that the status of blacks had repressed to the 1960s and that it might take another movement like that of the Civil Rights Movement.
The early slaveowners caused the most severe damage to the dignity of blacks, he said.
"The worst thing that white folk did to black folk was not tapping us or discriminating against us," Cleaver said. "It was the rule of silence."
He said that indigency began the moment the first slaves stopped off the boat at the colony of Jamestown, Va.
"That was the beginning of one of the most awful experiences that America has not been able to set over." Cleaver said
Cleaver emphasized a need for greater interest by blacks in the history of black people. He said too many times blacks, especially students, did not make a great enough effort to learn their own history.
"I HEAR THE black students saying the white students wouldn't take it because they thought they didn't need it," Clementine said.
We've got to be careful, we've got to be certain that we do not exclude our racial identity," she did. "God did not mistake us."