Peeping out
BULLS
Details, page 2
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday
Published since 1889 by the students of the University of Kansas
April 22, 1987
Vol. 97, No. 138
(USPS 650-640)
Students uninformed of contra issue, Abrams says
Gareth Waltrip/KANSAN
A crowd of nearly 150 marches to the Kansas Union for a rally before a speech by Elliott Abrams, assistant U.S. secretary of state for inter-American affairs. Abrams spoke to about 900 people yesterday afternoon about the United States role in Central America.
Protesters rally to oppose contra aid
Bv PAUL SCHRAG
Staff writer
Chanting "no guns, no bombs, no more Vietnamese," about 150 people marched from Wescoe Hall to the Kansas Union yesterday to protest U.S. support for the contrasts.
Protesters marched down Jayhawk Boulevard at noon in rows of two, three and four, forming a line nearly a block long. Many carried banners and posters with slogans such as "Contras are Somoza's Murderers" and "Precedon Yes. Contras No." A police car preceded demonstrators.
The target of the demonstration was Elliott Abrams, assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs, who defended contra aid in a speech before about 900 people at 1 p.m. in the Kansas Union Ballroom.
"We made our point effectively," said Rhonda Neugebauer, programming assistant at KU libraries, who led some of the chants as marchers in the Union "Elliott Abrams knows the Kansas cann'ts support contra aid."
The march was sponsored by Latin American Solidarity.
Elliott Abrams, assistant U.S. secretary of state for inter-American affairs, responds to a question from the audience. Abrams spoke yesterday in the Kansas Union Ballroom.
Some of the marchers briefly deviated from the prepared slogans of chant leaders to shout, "Ronnie, I don't do no good. Send him back [to Hollywood]."
One poster said, "U.S. tax dollars pay for murder, rape, torture in
I was surprised that so many students care about this issue. This turnout showed that students are not going to stand by and let Elliott and Ronnie murder people any more.'
Bob Kirch
Lawrence senior
Outside the Union, protesters cheered as several people gave short speeches denouncing Abrams and the Reagan administration's policies in Central America
Central America."
The crowd booed at the first mention of Abram's name. It roared approval when John Bode, Manhattan senior, said, "I have no experience in Central America, but that's what I'm in common with Elliott Brams."
tors, "We represent the majority opinion in this country. We can be heard if we unite our voices against this terrorist policy."
During the speeches, several people in the crowd shouted their opinions. "How can you sleep at night, soot!?" "Arrest that man." "Nazi!"
Bob Kirch, Lawrence senior and a member of Latin American Solidarity, said, "I was surprised that so many students care about this issue. This turnout showed that students are not going to stand by and let Elliott and Ronnie murder people any more."
Neugebauer told the demonstra-
Before and during the demonstration, some protesters described U.S. policies in Central America as simplistic, illegal and immoral.
Dan Parkinson, Lawrence, carried a banner with the words "Vive Sandi- nado, Vive Nicaragua." He participated in the demonstration to help educate people, and to encourage others to speak out, he said.
"In light of the recent disclosures of the administration's criminal policies, if we don't start bringing our government under control now, we will be involved in an invasion of Nicaragua within the next two years," he said.
Roger Holden, Lawrence, said,
"The contrasts are a darkness in Central America, and the U.S. is helping to create that darkness."
Contra supporter can't explain gap
By ROGER COREY
Staff writer
Congress' knowledge of the Nicaraguan situation has been growing in the last few years while college students' knowledge of the subject has remained stagnant, a spokesman of President Reagan's Central American policy said yesterday.
Elliott Abrams, assistant U.S. secretary of state for inter-American affairs, spoke to 900 people in the Kansas Union Ballroom.
Abrams has been an active supporter of the contrasts, who seek to overthrow the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. He is at the center of a campaign by National Guard administration to win congressional approval for contra aid.
"I find the debate in Congress improving," Abrams said. "More and more members have gone to Nicaragua and the rest of Central America. The average member of Congress, senator or representative, is much better informed now than he or she was one, two, three or four years ago."
He said the dangers of the situation in Nicaragua now were more clearly understood by Congress. But there is no increase in the level of understanding on college campuses.
Abrams said he did not know the reason for the gap. Members of Congress want U.S. interests protected and are afraid of Soviet domination of the earth. But the majority of opinion polls indicate that the public does not support U.S. involvement in Nicaragua.
"That fear has not apparently
made him angry. Congress the col-
lege opposes."
He said the media had become better at reporting on Central American issues, but he also saw a gap between what was being printed and what the public read.
"If you read the New York Times, Washington Post, Miami Herald, Newsweek and Time magazine, you find a growing respect for the military capabilities of the resistance. You find increased reporting about Sandinista repression," Abrams said.
"But apparently these things are not being read by students on college
He said one reason the Nicaraguan issue was controversial on college campuses was because students were afraid of being drafted.
He said the United States initially offered a large foreign aid program to the Sandinistas after the overthrow of Somoza in 1979.
Abrams' speech was interrupted several times by hecklers and demonstrators shouting "No contra aid," but he only gazed at them and continued to read from his prepared text.
"We threw money at them," he said.
But the Sandinistas' immediate response was to begin a military build-up and to open military ties to the Soviets.
"We offered Nicaragua the Peace Corps and they rejected it, and began sending their young people to Cuba for training," he said.
Abrams said the Reagan administration would not rule out the possibility of U.S. military intervention in Nicaragua. The United States is taking part in a large series of maneuvers in Honduras, involving regular troops and national guard troops from a number of states. The maneuvers go beyond Honduras to South America.
"The purpose of the exercise is to familiarize our troops with the area, to show the Sandinistas our determination to help Honduras defend itself, to train Honduran troops and to give U.S. troops real training." Abrams said.
Abrams maintains that he knew nothing about the Teheran connection in the Iran-contra affair. But he has been mentioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee in connection with the administration's efforts to solicit private aid for the contras.
odd if I were not asked to testify. Abrams said at a news conference after his speech, "Who are they going to ask to testify if they don't ask the assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs?"
He said Oliver North was the key man in the National Security Council on Latin American policy. Abrams was the key man for the state department
"I think it would be exceedingly
Charles Stansifer, KU director of Latin American studies, said Abrams' speech was considerably downplayed.
"I think he toned down the vigorousness of his support for the contras." Stansfer said.
Hugo Murillo, visiting professor in Latin American studies from Costa Rica, said Abrams' speech was nothing new.
"He put forward his line of thought," Murillo said. "It is a well-known position."
He said that U.S. support of the contras actus is strengthened by the government.
"The Sandistas would have a tough time if the United States left them alone," Murillo said. "Now they have the support of the people because they are under attack by mercenaries and the United States."
Bottom Line retains seats, faces fine
By LISA A. MALONEY
Staff writer
In a meeting that ended about 2:30 a.m. yesterday, the Student Senate Elections Review Board decided to fine the Bottom Line presidential and vice president candidates $156.42, instead of revoking the coalition's seats.
But the implications of the board's decision aren't quite as cut and dried.
Both Jason Krakow, Bottom Line student body president-elect and Stephanie Quincy, Bottom Line student body vice president-elect, said they were pleased with the results.
The elections review board had fined Bottom Line another $150 on Monday after it decided that the coalition had received a $200 discount on the cost of printing 1,800 campaign posters. Without the discount, the coalition would have gone about $150 over budget.
The board ruled that the poster discount, from Schifman Printing Co., in Kansas City, Kan., was not available to the general public, although the owner Bob Schifman, who worked for the board that he gave special discounts to nonprofit organizations, schools and churches.
"I don't want to seem like a sore loser, but the reason fair and democratic elections work here is because everyone's on the same financial plaveround."
Brian Kramer, First Class vice presidential candidate, said, "Sure, you can say $150 isn't going to influence 400 votes, but where do you draw the line? Obviously, the election becomes a matter of how many connections you have or how big your pocketbook is.
Krakow said, "It would seem to me that the term 'general public' would
refer to students at KU, and we had a signed statement from Schifman saying that he would grant that discount to any student group."
The amount of the discount was then added to Bottom Line's audit, pushing the coalition over budget by $156.41. According to the Senate's report, the power to revoke all of a coalition's seats if its audit is over budget.
The review board increased the amount by one cent so the amount is $1.89$.
See SENATE, p. 6, col. 5
Third test says victim not drunk
The KU rugby team, which qualified for the Western National Championship, will leave for Dallas tomorrow and compete in the single-elimination tournament this weekend. See story page 11.
Touah tournev
Every hotel, hotel, motel, inn and bed and breakfast place in Lawrence is booked for the weekend of graduation. May 15-17, and waiting lists are long. See story page 5.
No room
Bv PAUL BELDEN
A blood test ordered by the father of a KU student killed last month in a car-train wreck has indicated that the student was under the legal limit of intoxication, the student's father said yesterday.
Staff writer
The test was the third done on the blood of Dan McDevitt, Salina sophomore, who was killed March 27, along with three other KU students, when a train going about 65 mph struck their car broadside. The test ordered by the father indicated that McDevitt's blood was 98 percent alcohol.
One of the two previous tests had indicated that McDevitt's blood was below the legal limit of 10 percent and therefore indicated that it was just at the limit.
McDevitt's father, Bill L. McDe-
vitt, of Salina, said, "As far as we're concerned, two out of three is a
Although Kansas Highway patrolmen have said they could not determine who was driving because all the students were thrown from the car, McDevitt said he was worried that people would assume his son was driving because the car was owned by the McDevitt family.
He said he ordered the test, conducted at SmithKline Bio-Science Laboratories in St. Louis, out of concern that people would think his son caused the crash by driving sick.
Alan Sanders, Douglas County coroner, conducted the first unofficial blood test a few days after the accident. The result of that test was a .085 percent blood-alcohol content in McLatter. Mditter that week, Sanders
released the official results of a test conducted by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. That test indicated that McDevitt's blood was 10 percent alcohol.
McDevitt said he and his family were shocked when they saw the KBI results on television news.
Bill W. McDevitt, Salina senior and Dan's older brother, said, "It seemed like they had no concern for the families involved.
"Nobody tried to get a hold of us before the (KBI) results were released."
See BLOOD, p. 6, col. 3
"I think that all the kids' fraternity brothers and sorority sisters need to know that it wasn't quite as bad as it
The victim's father said he ordered the third blood test for his own peace of mind.
Effect of faculty union on students debated
Staff writer
By BENJAMIN HALL
Debate over whether the KU faculty should form a union has so far revolved around the obvious group, the faculty. But students and faculty also disagree about how a union might affect students.
Gordon Woods, Ulysses graduate student and student representative to the University Senate Executive Committee, said yesterday, "My initial reaction would be that a faculty union could undermine University governance."
Woods said he thought a union might muffle the student voice in Koch's group.
"We really didn't attack it from that point of view." he said.
"I'm afraid that the impact of students would be lessened," he said. "It seems that a union might give faculty more strength in University governance and make them less receptive to student opinions."
David Downing, associate professor of aerospace engineering and a member of a University Senate committee on collective bargaining, said the committee didn't try to investigate a union's possible effect on students.
Downing was one of three committee members who visited Pittsburg State University to look at the effects of a faculty union there. He said he affected students in Pittsburg State's union affected students by improving faculty morale.
"At Pittsburg State, the morale of the faculty was really pretty poor
Editor's note: This is the third in a five-part series on the possible formation of a faculty union at the University of Kansas. Today's story focuses on how a faculty union could affect students.
- Tomorrow: The effects a faculty union has had at Pittsburg State University
Friday: The all-faculty forum on collective bargaining.
before the union," he said. "I can't imagine that some of that wouldn't get into the classroom."
T. P. Srinivasan, professor of mathematics and chairman of the committee on collective bargaining, said at a University Council meeting earlier this semester that it was difficult to assess some impacts of collective bargaining.
The committee's report said, "Unions do contribute to greater bureaucracy and higher operational costs. Their effect on quality' long term cannot be determined on the basis of the available fragmentary data."
A 1976 study by the National Student Educational Fund, "Students and Collective Bargaining," said
1
See STUDENTS. p. 8. col. 1