University Daily Kansan
Thursday, Feb. 6, 1986
Campus/Area
3
News Briefs
Services scheduled for Shawnee couple
Services for Ronald and Ramona Brown, two KU alumni found shot to death Monday in their Shawnee home, will be at 2 p.m. today in the chapel of D. W. Newcomer's Sons in Overland Park.
There will be no visitation.
There will be no visitation. Burial will be at Johnson County Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
City Commissioner Howard Hill said yesterday that he didn't know who had shushed his car's tires during a commission meeting Tuesday night, but he thought the incident was a cowardly act.
Shawnee police would not release information yesterday about the investigation into the couple's deaths. Mr. and Mrs. Brown died from gunshot wounds to the head.
Official's tires sliced
Hill said he parked his car in a lot across the street from Lawrence City Hall, Sixth and Massachusetts streets, at 6:50 p.m. When he returned at 11:30 p.m., his car was resting on its
Hill said his car had been singled out because it was the only one in a full parking lot that had its tires slashed, but he didn't know why.
"As far as I know, no one is mad at me." he said.
Lawrence police said the tires were apparently cut with a thin-bladed instrument. Hill's car tires were also slashed Dec. 29 while his car was parked in the driveway of his home.
Hill said the police had no suspects. Most people he had disagreements with as a commissioner or as director of KANU-FM would come and talk to him about the problem, he said.
Committee OKs bills
The Student Senate Finance Committee approved a bill last night requesting $750 to help cover the cost of bringing speaker Joan Peters to the University of Kansas.
Peters is a former ABC Middle East correspondent and author of "From Time Immemorial." The Minority Affairs Committee will invite Peters to speak at McGraw-Hill to discuss the Arab-British conflict.
The Finance Committee also approved a bill requesting $172 for the partial support of The Pteridactyl's Egg, a magazine published by the KU Sword and Shield club.
Endowment gets gift
The Kansas University Endowment Association has received $6,700 from the estate of Hazel Lee Simmons, a 1928 KU graduate and longtime Lawrence grade school principal, the Endowment Association said yesterday.
Simmons, a native of Centropolis, taught in Lawrence schools for 42 years and was principal at Cordley Elementary School from 1937 to 1965. She died Jan. 29, 1984, in Lawrence.
Weather
Today will be cloudy and cold with a 30 percent chance of snow. The high temperature will be in the mid-to upper 30s. North winds will blow at 10 to 20 mph. Tonight will be cloudy with a 30 percent chance of light rain or snow. The low temperature will be around 30.
KU reception honors new judge Tacha
Hundreds bid official farewell
By Russell Gray
From staff and wire reports.
Staff writer
Piano music played softly amid the dull buzz of faculty conversation.
Deanell Tacha, smiling and shaking hands vigorously, said goodbye for two hours to members of KU faculty and administration at a reception in honor of her appointment as a judge in the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
KU executive vice chancellors and vice chancellors played hosts at the University reception for Tacha at the Watkins Room of the Kansas Union.
No replacement has been found yet for Tacha, former vice chancellor for academic affairs. Her successor is expected to be announced sometime in April.
fairs, said the reception was paid for by the Kansas University Endowment Association. The Endowment Association can pay for events that the state can't pay for.
David Ambler, vice chancellor for student af-
The University had the reception yesterday because when Tacha's appointment was confirmed, the University was closed for semester break. Ambler said.
Amber said that he had expected several hundred people to attend the reception but that halfway through he thought that number had been surpassed.
"I think I personally will miss her because I think she was a champion for improving undergraduate educational and support services." Ambler said.
Tacha was committed to improving instructional and advising programs and was supportive of the computer enrollment, he said, all o which this is part of a quality undergraduate education.
K. Eileen Allen, professor of human development, who attended the reception, said she got to know Tacha well because Tacha's son had stayed at the Edna A. Hill Child Development Laboratory on campus.
"Deanell has been a person on faculty and in governance who has always listened and responded to faculty needs or students' needs," Allen said.
Tacha said she still would live in Lawrence
and commute to Denver, where the 10th Circuit meets one week every two months.
The court was in session all last week, Tacha
The court was in session at last week, Ketan said, and she enjoyed it. Tacha is one of three new judges on the circuit.
Tacha has decided to stay in Lawrence to be close to the people at the University.
Her family has accepted her transition well and her children have kept her appointment in the proper perspective, Tacha said.
Allen said, "One of the amazing things about Judge Tacha is that she is always able to manage family, career and still be a warm pleasant person and a good friend."
Policemen will back plate law
By Mark Siebert
Staff writer
TOPEKA — A bill that would require two license plates on most motor vehicles in Kansas by 1888 has the support of the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Lawrence Police Department.
State law enforcement officials said yesterday that the proposed law would make the identification of vehicles easier and safer for the police and for other drivers on the highway.
The Senate Transportation and Utilities Committee discussed the license-plate bill but delayed taking action.
The bill would require two license plates on most vehicles except motorcycles, mopeds and vehicles with a gross weight of more than 12,000 pounds.
New plates would cost $2 each, the same amount they cost now.
Annual registration rates will go up 50 cents if the bill passes.
10 cents if not on paper.
Committee chairman Bill Morris, R-Wichita, said the committee was waiting for information on how the bill would affect county treasuries that handle car registration fees.
Nancy Welsh, Douglas County treasurer, said she thought the only problem facing the county would be effecting a new state system.
"I don't think the larger problem will come from the treasury standpoint," Welsh said. "The problem is going to come with the individual."
Kansas would join 30 other states that require two plates. The only neighborring state that requires just one plate is Oklahoma.
Kansas had a similar law at one time, Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Jacobs said. It was repealed because it was too expensive. Plates are no longer replaced every year, which makes the law less expensive, he said.
Maj. Ron Olin of the Lawrence Police Department did not attend the meeting but said the bill had some advantages.
"Strictly from a law enforcement standpoint, I think it's a good move," Olin said. "It doubles the possibility of a license plate being identified by a victim."
"Considering the primary purpose of license plates, to afford identification of the vehicle and registered owner and to assure compliance with the registration laws, our mission would be greatly enhanced through a two-plate application." he said.
Col. Bert Cantwell of the Kansas Highway Patrol told the committee that the patrol strongly supported the bill.
Cantwell said the proposed law would allow quicker identification of vehicles, giving officers a longer period to prepare themselves mentally and physically before stopping a vehicle.
Michelle Brouillette/KANSAN
Heated creativity
Debra Seeger, Mission junior, gets a helping hand from Olli Valanne, associate professor of design. Seeger worked on soldering techniques yesterday in a jewelry-making class.
Assistant director to leave
Assistant director to leave Denke takes N.C.State position
By a Kansan reporter
Mark Denke, assistant director or residential programs, will leave the University of Kansas on Feb. 21 for a similar position at North Carolina State University.
"It is a good opportunity and I will be doing some of the same work, but with additional responsibilities," Denke said yesterday.
residence life at North Carolina State.
On March 1, Denke will become the associate director of housing and
Fred McElhenie, director of residential programs, said, "We are happy for him, but at the same time we are sorry to see him leave. He is an extremely talented man."
Denke came to KU as director of Oliver Hall in 1978. The next year he became assistant director of residential programs.
McElhennie said Denke had several responsibilities at KU, including producing office publications, giving information to prospective and current residents, advising the Association of University Residence Halls and training staff members in the living units.
McEllenbie said the office had not yet replaced Denke but was in the process of recruiting possible candidates for the job.
Computer frustrating for school
By Sandra Crider Staff writer
The School of Engineering's new Harris 1000 computer can solve problems twice as fast as other campus computers. But recently, it has been causing problems even faster than it can solve them.
The $300,000 computer, given to the school by the Harris Corp. in October, has been malfunctioning periodically in the past month and also needs new equipment, several faculty members said yesterday.
"From a user's point of view, it's been kind of frustrating since the system has been down as much as it is up. It's not as good as Darwin, professor of engineering.
The gift was intended to teach engineering students to use computers in their work. But the computer's limited abilities have been frustrating to some professors wanting to assign computer work to students.
Karan Surana, associate professor of mechanical engineering, said that he wanted to use the Harris computers for his design classes but that there were only eight graphics terminals linked to the Harris 800 and 1000. He said the school would have to get more terminals before the computer became the standard tool for design students.
"The basic problem is that the terminals we bought are not compatible with the Harris software," he said.
The system also needs additional software, said John Ogg, assistant professor of aerospace engineering.
The corporation needs to write a new program that would allow the school to use the equipment it has, Ogg said.
"When we get the new program in, it will be a great tool," he said.
Despite the problems, most people at the school know that computers are expensive.
Kenneth Bishop, professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, who oversees the technical aspects of the computer, said mechanical problems were taken care of as they occurred.
Equipment problems can only be solved with time and money, said Robert Zerwekh, associate dean of engineering.
Computers become obsolete very quickly, and software and maintenance are needed to prolong their lives, he said.
"Computing and computers tend to eat up a lot of dollars," Zwerek said.
He said individual software programs could run into the thousands of dollars and maintenance for the Harris 1000 and the $1½-year-old Harris 800 was about $60,000 a year.
In spite of the problems involved, faculty and students who work with the Harris 1000 said it was a definite plus to keep the school moving in the lightning-quick computer age.
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