Thursday April 28,1988
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Published since 1889 by the students of the University of Kansas
Vol. 98, No. 144 (USPS 650-640)
Budget to Hayden for final approval
Package includes Margin of Excellence
The Associated Press
TOPEKA - The Legislature yesterday sent about three-quarters of the state's next annual budget to Gov. Mike Heyden, including money for the Margin of Excellence program for Board of Regents universities
Other major bills passed included the "KanWork" welfare reform program and salary increases for judges.
The House and the Senate passed eight appropriations bills containing close to $3 billion in spending. Hayden had proposed a $1.2 billion budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Hayden praised the Legislature for tackling major appropriations bills on the first day of its wrap-up session. The House-Senate conference committee negotiated the compromises before the wrap-up session.
"Their actions today in passing all but three of the remaining regular
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Mike Hayden
Their actions today in passing all but three of the remaining regular appropriations bills hopefully signifies a readiness to bring this session to a timely and orderly close.
governor
appropriations bills hopefully signifies a readiness to bring this session to a timely and orderly close," Hayden said.
The Margin of Excellence program was proposed by the regents as a way of making state universities more competitive with their peers in other states and to increase faculty salaries.
A conference committee agreed to spend a total of $9.1 million to fund
the program, $5.3 million for salary increases and $3.8 million to improve other academic programs. The regents had requested a total of $10.8 million, $6.3 million for salary increases and $4.5 million for other faculty salaries. The government would increase faculty salaries by an average of 7.5 percent.
Rep. Robert Vancurm, R-Overland Park, urged his colleagues to reject the conference committee's compromise on the Regents budget. The House had voted only to fund the salary increases.
“This has been rather a substantial change in philosophy — we said we would fund the faculty part of the university recognizing that need.” Vancrum said.
However, Rep. Rochelle Chronier, R-Neodesha, said many of the universities would use the extra program money to hire extra professors.
Bus fare to increase in fall
Bv Kim Lightle
Kansan staff writer
Students who don't have a bus pass can expect to pay an extra quarter to get a bus ride next fall thanks to a unanimous vote by the Student Senate Transportation Board last night.
"It throws us off to have cash fares because we don't get a real idea of our ridership." Bryan said.
The board raised the cash fare from 50 to 75 cents to encourage more students to buy bus passes, said Wheyron, coordinator of KU on Wheyron.
Board members also said the increase could be a cushion in case there was a drop in the number of students buying bus passes because of a $5 increase in the cost of a fall pass. Students who wish to purchase a pass will have to pay $25.
Bryan said that he didn't expect the increase to have a big impact on the number of students buying bus passes next fall.
The board also unanimously approved negotiations with Corporate Coach of Lawrence for the continuance of the Secure Shuttle service. The service was established in February to offer free rides home to students who have been drinking or feel safe walking home at night.
The board had discussed discontinuing the service because of the high cost and low student use.
call.
In order to cut costs, the board members voted to reduce the number of vans. The board is charged $17.50 an hour for each van and the service fee is $8.25 per van call on. Under the new plan, one van would be on duty and one would be on
Bryan said the new plan would cut the program's cost from $2,200 to $1,400 a month, a 36.4 percent reduction.
The board also unanimously approved forty hours of extra bus service to allow buses to run during finals. The buses will run from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday during the first week of finals and Monday through Thursday during the second week. Service also will be available from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on May 7.
A decision on route changes for bus service next fall was postponed. The board members delayed the decision to look at the possibility of adding another bus route. No date was set for a decision on the route but Bryan said that the board would have to make a decision within six weeks.
Students will race canoes at KSU
By Julie Adam
Kansan staff writer
Dan Lanning, Ottawa junior, paints the bottom of a concrete canoe constructed by about 25 engineering students. They will compete this weekend against teams from across the country in the annual concrete canoe race at Kansas State University.
The students, who built and will race their concrete canoes in Manhattan on Saturday, say they will win.
Sink or win is the motto for KU civil engineering students this weekend.
Dan Lanning, Ottawa junior,
was putting the final coat of paint
on the canoe that he will swim with.
The annual KSU Concrete Gone Bac
"We've got the winning canoe right here," he said. "This is the year. We've got all thecalculator cards, and we sink unless there are big waves."
Ben Frevert, Pomona senior,
said that about 25 civil engineers
have helped to construct the
canoe, which is a different design
than canoes that KU engineers
have made in the past.
"This year's canoe was built from a racing canoe we borrowed, so our canoe has the same form." Frevert said.
The concrete for the canoe was poured into a mold about a week after spring break, he said, but summer plans were begun in October.
Lanning said that the concrete used for the canoe was a lighter, powdery kind that is buoyant.
The KU engineers are taking two canoes to the race, and this will be the 13th time KU will compete in the race at Tuttle Creek reservoir near Manhattan. Among other schools that will compete are: Oakland University of Oklahoma, University of Nebraska, and Texas & M.
Lanning said that the canoes weigh from 158 to 175 pounds and are $ _{18} \%$ feet long.
The four categories of canoe races are men's, women's, coed and faculty, but Lanning said KU would compete in only three
because only one faculty member had signed up to go.
The contests are judged on who wins in each category and which canoe wins for best design. KU has never won the design category, but Lanning and Frever were confirmed winners. KU's canoe design would win.
was worth it because the canoe race is more like a social event each year.
Lanning said that all the work
Beating K-State would also make the work worthwhile, Lanning said.
"We were going to name the canoe the Final Four, but we would've run into some copyright problems," he said.
New TV eyeglasses designed to replace lens
The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — Scientists announced plans today to develop eyeglasses with tiny color TV screens instead of lenses that may help an estimated 2.5 million people whose vision can't be improved by conventional treatment.
The device will not restore sight to the blind or improve near-sightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, but it will enhance what vision is left in people who suffer from degenerative eye disease, researchers at John Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute said Tuesday.
Wilmer and NASA's National Space Technology Laboratories will
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spend $5 million in the next five years to develop and manufacture the system, said Robert Masssof, a Johns Hopkins university professor working on the project.
The device would resemble wraparound sunglasses with small lenses at the upper-outer corners, connected by optical fibers to a battery-powered computer at the waist, Masso said.
The lenses would capture the field of vision, and images would be conveyed to miniature solid-state television cameras in the waist pack. The lenses are mounted on a display and displayed on the television screens where the lenses would be.
I the device will not restore sight to the blind or improve nearsightedness, far-sightedness or astigmatism. It will enhance the vision left in people who have
degenerative eye disease
"The same world will be on TV screens," Massof said. "For a long time the only thing that's been done
The result would be a clearer and more defined vision than can be produced by conventional eye treatment.
for people with low vision is provide them with a magnifier."
NASA scientists will adapt the technology for the glasses, while researchers at Wilmer will determine how to adjust the glasses after a patient's vision, Mofasd said.
"The breakthrough is the technology that made this all possible," he said. "We are not creating new components for this."
About 11 million Americans have vision defects that cannot be corrected. The glasses could benefit about 2.5 million people who suffer vision impairment, or low vision, said Dr. Arruall Patz, director of the eye institute.
Pickett to retire, turn page of KU history
Calder Pickett
Date fulkerson/KANSAN
By Rob Knapp
Kansan news editor
Calder Pickett is history at the University of Kansas.
"I journalism, I think, everyone knows him," said Mike Kautsch, dean of journalism. "He's done so much in national circles, his name is almost a household word in the field. He has been almost anyone has been in the field."
Pickett, Clyde M. Reed distinguished professor of journalism, will teach his final class tomorrow and bring an end to 37 years of service to the University. In another sense, though, Picket's name has and always will mean history, especially journalism history.
Dana Leibengood, a former student of Pickett and associate dean of journalism, said, "He's clearly no fool, but he is one of the leading historians in the country."
Perhaps a greater testament to Pickett's influence are the piles of letters stacked on a bookshelf in his office, letters from former students, wishing him well in his retirement. One ex-student, now with an overseas bureau of the Wall Street Journal, wrote that no one could make people think but that Pickett stimulated people to think
Pickett looked at the letter. "But
he misspelled 'regrettable.' Boy, am I going to get on him for that." A grin lurked somewhere inside of grin.
'Bouncing around'
Pickett, accompanied by his wife, Nola, came to the William Allen White School of Journalism in 1951 with a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. His career to that point had been a mix of jobs in journalism, including two years as a copy editor at the Desert News in Salt Lake City, and educator in church teaching undergraduate maternity matter, Utah State University, and the University of Denver.
Although his previous jobs had been varied, his reason for leaving them had been the same. He wanted a job in New York, where he seen his opportunities as limited.
"I seemed in those years to go from job to job where opportunities didn't exist," he said.
"I was bouncing around, trying to find myself, as many young people do at that age." Pickett said.
KU did not at first appear to be any different than Pickett's previous stops. He said he stayed for the first years mainly because he did not
See PICKETT, p. 5, col. 1
By Donna Stokes
Fire violations found at 4 KU fraternities
Four KU fraternity houses were charged with fire code violations Tuesday, but the charges were not related to an in-depth investigation expected to be released next week.
Kansan staff writer
The four houses given citations were Phi Kappa Theta, 1941 Stewart Ave.; Alpha Tau Omega, 1537 Stenstes St.; Kappa Sigma, 1045 Emery Road and Alpha Kappa Lambda, 2021 Stewart Ave.
Fire department officials said they would drop the charges if the fraternities met fire codes. The city attorney's final decision whether to prosecute.
Violations in houses included the following:
Phi Kappa Theta failed to repair emergency lighting in the main stairway, north wall and second floor; correct electrical hazards throughout the building, provide exit lighting on the second floor, and install the proper suppression system in a kitchen hood.
Alpha Tau Omega failed to maintain exit lighting in the basement and fourth-floor hallway; correct electrical hazards in a room and replace switch and outlet covers, repair a manual alarm pull station on the fourth floor, and repair fire doors on the second and third floors.
Kappa Sigma failed to correct electrical hazards in the kitchen and laundry room and near the main electrical panel; maintain exit lighting in the three sleeping rooms, third-floor hall, lobby and south basement doorway; repair emergency lighting in the basement and west stairwell; maintain fire extinguishers on the third floor, library and laundry room; maintain smoke detectors in a sleeping room on the third floor; provide access to a second floor fire escape; and maintain the fire alarm system in operating condition. The house also was cited for storage of combustible materials in the attic.
Alpha Kappa Lambda failed to correct electrical hazards in the
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The four houses given citations were Phi Kappa Theta,1941 Stewart Ave.; Alpha Tau Omega,1537 Tennessee St.; Kappa Sigma, 1045 Emery Road and Alpha Kappa Lambda,2021 Stewart Ave.
boiler room, computer room and television room; storage of combustible material in the attic and within three feet of an open flame device; and use of a multipl adapter in the computer room.
The Delta Upson fraternity, 1025 Emery Road, was also listed as one of the house cited for fire violations. The department has dismissed by the fire department.
"I received a call from the fire department this morning that said charges for Delta Upsion were dismissed, because house members had corrected problems," said Jerry Little, city prosecutor.
The Delta Upsion fraternity had been cited for failure to correct electrical hazards in two rooms and near a soft drink machine, maintain exit lighting in the library and in the rear stairway, repair emergency lighting in the second- and third-floor dormitories, and maintain fire extinguishers in the library, boiler room and living room.
Richard Barr, Lawrence fire marshal, said he would drop charges against the four houses if they comply with fire codes. However, the final decision is up to Little.
"It's up to me to decide whether charges will be dismissed." Little said. "I haven't decided yet. I still may proceed with some kind of fine.
"I will work with the fire department on that and will listen to their recommendations."