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The University Daily Kansan
Weather
Today: Cloudy with a big of 28 and a low of 14
Tomorrow: Cloudy with a big of 32 and a low of 19
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Wednesday. February 28, 2001
Sports: Jayhawks look for 18th consecutive win at Bramlage Coliseum tonight.
SEE PAGE 1B
Inside: Ash Wednesday marks the day Catholic students begin giving up their favorite things for Lent.
SEE PAGE 3A
For comments, contact Lori O'Toole or Mindie Miller at 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
(USPS 630-640) · VOL. 114 NO. 100
WWW.KANSAN.COM
KU student takes sixth in primary
By Erin Adamson
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
A University of Kansas student is among six City Commission candidates that will advance to the general election on Tuesday. April 3.
Despite snowy, windy weather, Lawrence voters came out yesterday to vote in the city primary election, which determined which six of the twelve City Commission candidates would advance to the general election.
The election results will not be official until midmorning on Friday, when all of the provisional ballots arrive at the courthouse and are counted.
Jennifer Chaffee, Lawrence senior in political science, came in sixth with 570 votes.
Chaffee was one of three candidates who signed an agreement promising to spend hope than $1000.
She said it wasn't hard to spend such a small amount. She made her own signs and attended public candidate forums to discuss the issues she felt were important to the campaign.
less than $500 on her campaign.
She said that a diverse City Commission was important for local government in
Chaffee: came in sixth place with 570 votes
Lawrence and that she felt she would contribute a perspective that was needed on the commission.
Dolores Dolan, a clerk who worked at the polling site at the downtown courthouse, said that students didn't venture out to vote in the bad weather.
"We haven't had the young people flow that we did for the Presidential," she said. A second student candidate, Brett Logan, Lawrence graduate student, finished last with 207 votes.
Scott Bailey came in fifth with 1,551 votes.
Challenger Sue Hack received the most votes in the primary election. At 3,407 votes, she had more than incumbents Marty Kennedy, Erv Hodges or David Dunfield. Kennedy finished second with 3,287, Hodges took third with 3,228 and Dunfield finished fourth with 2,519.
Hack, a civics teacher at Southwest Junior High School, said she was excited about the coming six weeks of the campaign and would continue campaigning as she had.
She said that the housing ordinances would continue to be an issue for the city.
"I've been stressing communication with all groups in Lawrence," she said. "The issues won't change: tax abatements, traffic and growth."
I think people are concerned with the enforceability. "Hack said.
She said she thought that the three-person limit was a reasonable compromise and that the city had done a good job at trying to work toward affordable housing in Lawrence.
Kennedy came in second and said he was pleased with his position.
"I just want to thank the voters for getting out," he said.
Dunfield said he had a lot of work to do in getting his ideas across to the public.
"It means that people haven't really gotten focused on city elections," he said.
He said that hopefully he could convince people that it was worth their time to vote.
As the totals stand now, Adam Mansfield, a former University of Kansas student and the manager of Louise's Downtown, is a mere ten votes behind Chaffee.
Mansfield said that he would remain watchful of Lawrence government no matter what the results of the elections.
He said he might serve on a city board and would continue attending City Commission meetings.
"I'll be at the tax abatement meeting on Thursday." Mansfield said of the upcoming meeting of businesses and city staff to work toward a local tax abatement policy.
"I'll still pay attention to city issues," he said.
He said he has been particularly concerned with the city's policy on awarding tax abatements to businesses that move into Lawrence. Tax abatements are an incentive for businesses to move to Lawrence because the city forgives a certain amount of tax dollars that the company will not have to pay.
Edited by Sydney Wallace
Weather delays commuters
By Lauren Brandenburg
writer@kanson.com
Kanson staff writer
By Lauren Brandenburg
David Perdarias was on his way home from class yesterday when he hit a patch of ice and his front wheels started to lose traction.
"I've been told to turn toward the skid, and I did," said Perdaris, Olathe senior. "I was in the left-hand lane and spun 180 degrees through the right lane. I just remember bearing down on the brakes and praying, 'Please, God, don't let me hit anything.'"
David Perdaris, Olathe senior and commuter student, lost control of his pickup yesterday when he hit a patch of ice near the intersection of K-10 and Franklin Road. Lawrence drivers had trouble traveling because of snowy conditions. Photo by Katie Moore/KANSAN
For students and faculty who regularly commute to class, weather like yesterday's snowstorm can create serious delays.
Within two minutes of Pendaris' slide into the ditch, another truck went off the road. Pendaris said it took an additional two hours for him to drive home after he was pulled out of the ditch.
About five minutes before Perdaris' challenge, John Auld, Leawood senior, hit the same patch of ice and ended up in a ditch just yards away from where Perdaris would land. Auld said that two minutes after he ended up in the ditch, yet another car followed.
Karey Walsh, Lenexa senior, said her half-
nour commute home after class yesterday took an hour and 35 minutes.
Although she went to class yesterday, Walsh, who commuted on and off last semester and commutes daily this semester, said she had to miss class once last semester because of weather.
"If the streets out here aren't cleared, and I can't get out of my neighborhood, I know K-10 isn't going to be cleared," Walsh said.
However, she said her professors tended to be understanding when she couldn't get to class because of weather and she called or e-mailed them before class to let them know.
"Usually if you can't come, you can't come," Walsh said. "They aren't going to have you risk your life."
For Rob Voelker, Lincoln, Neb., junior, a previous accident when he was driving home to Lincoln in a storm like yesterday's made him think twice about whether he would attend a class he takes at Johnson County Community College.
The college saved him that decision yesterday by canceling his Western Civilization II class, but he said he already was considering not attending before the class was canceled.
"In the future, if it's like this, I'm not going."
Voelker said. "It's not worth driving a half hour to take the chance of getting into an accident. One class isn't worth it."
Heather Reilly, a Topeka graduate student who teaches classes, said there had been days when she probably should not have driven to campus. But she's never missed a day because of weather, she said. She had to cancel class yesterday because of car trouble, although she said she was glad yesterday afternoon when she saw the
weather conditions.
Perdaris said he had only missed class once before in his four semesters of commuting, but that after yesterday, he might miss more in bad weather.
"Till be frank with my teachers," Perdaris said. "I'm a pilot. I don't stay alive by making stupid choices and flying into bad weather, and I'm not going to do it driving either."
Tax season
Free assistance available for students
By Kate McCarty and Laurie Harrison Special to the Kansan
Income tax season doesn't have to be the low point of spring. Organizations on campus are helping to ease the burden of filing tax returns by offering free advice to students.
Legal Services for Students offers tax help by appointment until Sunday, April 15. Michele Kessler, associate director, said they were already booked through the first week in April. However, a third attorney recently joined the Legal Services staff and will be able to take appointments within the next few weeks.
Last year, the office helped about 720 students during tax season, and it is expecting the same turnout this year.
"We try to see more people as we approach the April 15 deadline," Kessler said.
The office is located at room 148 in the Burge Union. Students should bring all W2s, 1099 forms, tuition payment, school information and any mutual fund investment statements, she said.
The office can file by paper or electronically.
International students should also bring their passports. They are not able to e-file.
Matt Blume, Hays junior, sought help from Legal Services last year when he had questions about filing his tax return. He said it helped him maintain a sense of humor during a stressful season.
"They cut through all the jibber-jabber and helped me see the light," he said.
Kessler suggested that students try to fill out a tax return themselves.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) service offers free help with filing returns Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays in Green Hall. International students can receive help on Saturdays only.
The service is provided by 35 University of Kansas law school students, said Megan Miller, Wichita third.
"Most students can do a 1040 easily if they just read everything through," she said. "It's not as hard as people think."
year law student and VITA volunteer.
She said each volunteer worked 2 to 3 hours per week providing assistance on a walk-in basis.
Miller said that if students devoted enough time and did the math correctly, completing tax returns could be easy.
Besides using VITA, Miller recommended students visit the Internal Revenue Service's Web site,
www.irs.gov, and www.1040.com.
Jason Caudle, Topeka sophomore,
said he would seek tax help this year.
said he would seek tax help this year. "Every year my taxes seem to get harder with capital gains and scholarships," he said. "It's nice to be able to get free advice."
TAX TIME
Free tax preparation assistance from Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (walk-in basis only):
2:30 to 5 p.m. Mondays at 109 Green Hall
4 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays at 309 Green Hall
9 a.m. to noon Saturdays at 203 Green Hall
— Edited by Sydney Wallace
See pages 6A, 7A and 8A for more tax related stories.
Business closes, leaves students jobless
By Amanda Bealin
By Amanda Beglin
writer@karsan.com
Kansas staff writer
A Lawrence business soon will close its doors, leaving dozens of University of Kansas students unemployed.
Disney Direct Marketing, owned by the Disney Internet Group, will consolidate with an Overland Park branch on Friday. March 9.
Susan Murde, vice president of communications for Walt Disney Catalog Company, said the two branches were consolidating to streamline operations.
The telemarketing center, 1601 W. 23rd St. has been in Lawrence since 1998.
Murde said 58 part-time, hourly and fulltime employees would be able to continue working at the Overland Park branch.
However, 115 seasonal employees will be laid off. Officials at the Lawrence branch refused to give information about the number of University of Kansas students employed there.
Seasonal employees were hired for high-volume periods and scheduled to work until Tuesday, May 1, but they now will work only for the local branch until it closes.
News of the closure sparked mixed response from both current and former employees
Born in Baltimore for former employee Emily Massaglia, Royersford, Pa., senior and Disney Direct employee since October, said she was unhappy about the branch closure.
Michael Bunn, Leawood junior,
answered incoming phone calls for the
company during his sophomore year, but
he quit after just two weeks.
"It's a good job." Massaglia said. "It's $0 an hour, and you set your own hours. You get there, log onto a phone, and you go. There's very little supervision. That was so refreshing from being a waitress."
"It just wasn't for me," Bunn said. "It made me not like Disney. They make up lots of catch-phrases to sell their products."
Massaglia said she was disappointed that the company didn't make the announcement until Monday, just 10 days prior to the closing.
"Some of us were counting on the money," Massaglia said. "I mean, it's right before spring break. But I was hired for seasonal, so I can't work in Overland Park. Oh well, at least I know I'll have spring break off."
Andrew Davies contributed to this story.
- Edited by Brandy Strow
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