Wednesday June 8,1988
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Published since 1889 by the students of the University of Kansas
Vol. 98, No.146 (USPS 650-640)
Frat may be charged for violating fire code
By Karen Boring
Kansan staff writer
City Prosecutor Jerry Little said yesterday he would file charges against the Triangle fraternity next week for failure to comply with city fire codes.
Jim McSwan, Lawrence fire chief,
said in a videotaped press conference
on May 5 that after the April 26, 1987,
fire at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity
house, the Lawrence Fire
Department developed a program to
bring all KU greet houses into compliance with the fire code.
.
The department inspected the 37 active greet houses in June and July 1987, said Fire Marshal Rich Barr. The corporation board of each house was given a list of violations and was required to turn in plans of compliance, including a schedule for completion, by January 1988. A corporation board is a group of alumni that acts as landlord of the house.
The Triangle board turned in a statement to Barr, asserting that all required changes had been made, Little said. However, when the fire marshal inspected the Triangle house on May 2, he found that none of the changes had been made.
fire department is interested in with the Triangle house in prosecution." Little said. "The next step is filing charges against that fraternity."
Ron Gast, Triangle corporation board president, said a new board, including himself, was elected in February and that the original plan of compliance has been submitted by the former board. Gast said he and other board members learned of the fire-code problems from the house's student officers after the May inspection.
The board is taking bids so it can make a new plan of compliance. Gast said. He anticipated no problems with meeting the December deadline.
"The only course of action that the
"We want to get costs in mind first," he said. "I think we will have a firm plan by this summer and have our work completed by September."
Five other Greek houses also are under investigation by the city prosecutor's office, Barr said.
The Alpha Kappa Lambda andLambda Chi Alpha fraternities and the Alpha Chi Omega sorority have not come to agreement with the fire department on plans of compliance with the fire code, Little said. The
Tau Kappa Epsilon and Phi Kappa Tau fraternities also have been submitted for investigation.
"They either have not submitted plans of compliance or the compliance time frame is not acceptable." Little said. "What I'm trying to do is to open the lines of communication."
The project involves obliterating grandfather clauses, under which older structures do not to have to comply with fire codes enacted after they were built, he said.
Normally, the fire department inspects greek houses twice a year to ensure that existing fire equipment is working properly. Barr said. The present fire-code project, however, involves seeing that the existing equipment adequately complies with today's fire code.
"If they do not involve sprinkler systems, because sprinkler systems are a very large project from a structural standpoint, we are requiring those plans of compliance to be completed by December 1988," Barr said at the press conference. "If they involved sprinkler systems, then we extended that deadline by one year."
Dave Niebergall/KANSAN
Give it a twirl
Terri Maness, Lawrence resident, twirls batons with glow sticks attached to the ends. Maness entertained golfers during the Moonshine Night Golf Tournament on Saturday night at the Orchards Executive Golf Course. The tournament was a benefit for the Achievement Place Boys' Home.
Water safe, tests indicate
Cancer-causing chemical no longer present at Lindley
By Monica Hayde
For two weeks, signs were posted inside and outside Lindley Hall warning people not to drink the water in the building. On Friday, they were removed.
Warning notices were posted in the building on May 20 after state and University inspectors found high levels of a cancer-causing chemical in the water in Room 107. But the latest tests have shown that no health hazard exists, a University statement released Saturday said.
Inspectors from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment found high levels of 1,2-dichloroethane
Official reverses Hoch ruling
Bearse said it was unlikely the water in any other campus buildings was contaminated.
"Tests have not been run campus-wide, but they are in the process of being run," he said. "However, the water coming into Lindley Hall is of acceptable quality, so the assumption is it's probably of acceptable quality going into all the other buildings."
Steve Cater, University environment, health and safety officer, said no one knew why such an elevated level of ethylene dichloride was in the water.
"It's quite possible we'll never know where it came from." he said.
By Paula Messbarger
Kansan staff writer
Paul Markley, who is chief of the fire prevention division for the state fire marshal's office, said after his April inspection of Hoch that the 61-year-old building was too dangerous to use because of fire-code violations.
A state fire官 who said in April that Hoch Auditorium might have to be closed because of fire hazards now says it is a safe building.
But Markley said Monday Hoch is safe and can be used by the University of Kansas for classes and concerts.
C A R E E R S
College Tries The best prizes are jobs
More and more students are entering competitions these days. The contests differ; some, like the two-year-old AMA version, seek real solutions to fund-raising problems facing nonprofit groups. Others, like the annual contest run by the American Advertising Federation (AAF), ask students to design pitches for specific products; this year Nestle is seeking an upscale image for its chocolate products. Still other contests, like those run three times a year by the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), seek hypothetical design solutions for existing structures—such as a new terminal for Washington's Dulles International Airport.
The American Red Cross depends on sales of blood products, such as plasma, for more than half its revenues. But with the AIDS crisis cutting into blood collections, the charity is being forced into new marketing plans to bring in additional cash for disaster relief. To help, the American Marketing Association (AMA), a trade group for advertising pros and students, is sponsoring a collegiate competition for ad campaigns. The prize: $1,000 and—not so coincidentally—the chance to shine in the eyes of potential employers.
ton's dunes from the city. What makes these contests so popular? Organizations get exposure to potential lifetime uses-payers. Corporate backers get good ideas, cheap. In the AAF contest, in instance, they own the rights to the winning ideas; an AAF brochure aimed at potential business sponsors suggests that they'll obtain entree to "Madison Avenue's next generation at a fraction of the cost." But what do contestants get? At the very least, according to Carlene Nolan-Pederson, a senior at Montana State, one can expect an enhanced application to grad school. "This shows my breadth beyond
artwork," says Nolan-Pederson, who took third place in an AIAS contest last fall.
As most, students hope, they will even snare a job. Steve Nisberg, an employment manager at Young and Rubicam, "Ince agrees that winning is impressive." When I look through the thousands of resumes we receive, I look for any related work experience," says Nisberg. "I know how much goes into preparing these presentations." So does David Penick, an associate at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, who says hypothetical design projects are "very representative of what the student] has accomplished." Not every hire professional concurs. "There's a golf a mile wide between schoolwork and practical work," says Steve Achilles, an associate at John Burgee Architects. Still, ambition springs eternal. Like any lottery ticket buyer, contestants figure; you have to be in it to win it.
Pay It as It Lays
BRUCE MEYERSON
In to win: Architectural judges and contestants
library of flipping burgers or pushing a library cart for a pittance? If so, a new book by John J. Lyons, How to Pay Your Way Through College (The Smart Way) (243 pages, Banbury Books, Inc. $7.95) just might change your life—or at least your workday. This is a practical guide to entrepreneurship (don't expect any glittering prose), listing various types of student-run businesses and ways to start them. The best thing about this book, which covers services from pool cleaning to personalized T shirts, is that it doesn't talk in abstracts. Real-life examples and the most immediate and nuts-and-bolts information are provided: start-up costs, profit potential, pitfalls, ways to advertise, lists of wholesale suppliers and more.
At the age of 16, Lyons says, he started a car-cleaning business aimed at luxury-car owners. By the time he had graduated from the University of Delaware, his sideline had paid all of his tuition
and expenses, with $60000 to spare. "Well, he was that one in-a-million cross between Superman and Horatio Alger. you think. But no, Lyons cites dozens of other students who have enjoyed their successes, including two who sold Shetland aquaters at a discount and now run a $40 million-a-year wholesale business. If there is a central theme to Lyon's book, it seems to be. "Anything is possible." So throw off those minimum-wage shackles and get ready to make some real money.
42 NEWSWEEK ON CAMPUS
DOKOTHY WANG
Name: Nelida Perez
Age: 41
Occupation:
Archivist/
Librarian
Education:
B.A.,
Edgewood College;
M.L.S, Columbia;
M.A., NYU
Q. What do you like best about your job?
A. I like working with the historical materials—they're very varied and give so much information. Most minority groups here are underdocumented, so this is very special. I also enjoy working with the people who come in to use materials.
Q. What does your job entail?
A. I run the Centro
U. Where do most archivists work?
A. Some do free-lance work, but most work at institutions. Most major libraries have archive materials; others include historical societies, symphonies and banks.
Q. What courses in college helped prepare you for your work?
A. I run the馆 De Estudios Puertoriquenos Library, a special collection of Puerto Rican studies, at Hunter College Library. As an archivist, I try to document the history of the Puerto Rican community in the United States. I collect, preserve and make accessible to the community the personal papers of individuals as well as the records of organizations and institutions that have played a part.
pare you to learn. A. I majored in English and education in college, but my real preparation for archival work has been in special programs—a combination of practical and theoretical learning. There's actually a debate about that in the field. Many archivists don't have formal training but are terrific at what they do. I think it's better to have a history background and workshops and study in the field of materials as a
Q: What number of a minority in this field?
A: Not personally. One problem, though, is that schools by and large don't have enough courses that deal with minority groups and issues, so I had to pursue Puerto Rican studies pretty much on my own.
arkley said. re in opera-
l the lack of if a sprinkle. Mark i be closed rected the r at officials or军官 irmed there at Hoch, that emergency
MAY 1988
e has three
Hoch is safe as is. The
Paul Markley
42
played during
o delete this other, because an alternative
state fire marshal's office
emergency rights are an operation.
main concerns when inspecting a building: fire alarms, clear exits and emergency lighting that comes on after the alarm off. Hoch has all three Markley
is it another
He said not having a sprinkler system above the stage would not make it necessary to close Hoch.
7 no potential h music in the
! person, I've ns open," he m concerned, HK. I have no
Hoch Auditorium once was used as the home court for the Jayhawks basketball team until Allen Field House was dedicated in 1955. Hoch has had a long history of safety and structural problems, which led to the University's decision to build a new stadium as center within the next few years.
nor and disc she was not excision would
"The sprinklers are there to protect the buildings," he said. "We care about the buildings, but our main concern is getting the people out."
Tom Anderson, director of facilities operations, said the problem with the original inspection probably was a result of a KU Facilities and Operations employee who was sent with Markley on the inspection. Anderson said it was common practice for KU employees to assist the fire marshals during inspections. He said the employee probably was not familiar with Hoch and its lighting system.
"There is an emergency lighting system, and its been there for at least 15 years!" he said. "The problem was, no one asked the right person."
James Modig, campus director of facilities planning, said his office and a committee appointed by Judith Ramaley, executive vice chancellor, are reviewing possibilities for using Hoch once the new performing arts building is completed. Modig said some suggestions were offices, classrooms or an addition to the new science library.
"We're looking for the general needs of the campus." Modig said.
As for the near future, not much will be done to Hoch, he said. Some of the stonework will be repaired this year under the fiscal year 1988 budget. But there will be no projects for the fiscal year of 1989 because the Board of Regents did not approve the requests.
The Associated Press
Michael Dukakis clinched the Democratic presidential nomination with a four-state flourish Tuesday night and forecast a "golden opportunity" to win the White House in 1988. Republican George Bush labeled himself the underdog heading into the fall campaign but said, "I'm fighting back."
Dukakis dominated Jesse Jackson coast to coast on the final night of a grueling Democratic primary marathon. He was winning primaries in New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico and California by margins of 2-to-1 or more.
Dukakis finishes with nomination
The three-term Massachusetts governor began the night needing about 150 delegates to achieve a mathematical lock on the nomination. He was winning more than 131 in New Jersey, Montana and New Mexico combined, and early returns from California showed him ahead for more than 200 delegates.
Dukakis emerged as the winner of the Democratic primary marathon and owner of a lead over Bush in the nationwide public opinion polls. But Bush, who wrapped up the GOP nomination six weeks ago, holds formidable Electoral College advantages in the South and West, and Republicans have won four of the last five presidential elections.
Thus, the prospect is for a close general election, and Bush and Dukakis seemed to share an eagerness to begin.
"My friends, what a golden opportunity this is for us." Dukaiks said as he savored his nominating triumph in a speech in California. He pledged to use his campaign to stand up for factory workers thrown out of their jobs with no warning, to ease the burden of families hit by medical bills and to "share the rage" of those living in neighborhoods threatened by drugs.
"Every day between now and November, the American people will want to hear how we intend to build a strong and vibrant future for our country," he said. "They aren't interested in slashing attacks: They want to judge our positive ideas for change."
Bush posted uncontested primary victories in all four states and said, "I think I can overcome this deficit (in the polls)," he said.
In a television interview, he likened Dukakis to Walter Mondale, the landslide Democratic loser in 1984, for refusing to rule out a tax increase. "I'll rule it out," Bush said in an interview with CBS, and rely on a spending freeze to reduce the deficit.
He decried the "gloom and doom" that he said was emanating from the Democrats and said the polls would change as he began to establish his own political identity. "When we get through in the fall talking about opportunity and peace and numbers of jobs and how much better things are and what I'll do to keep it that way, I think I can overcome that deficit," he said.