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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Thursday. February 1, 2001
Sports: Kansas basketball recruit Wayne Simien is looking forward to becoming a Jayhawk.
(UPSP. 650-640) • VOL. 111 NO. 82
See page 6A
Inside: A new parking garage is planned for downtown.
For comments, contact Lori O'Toole or Mindie Miller at 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
See page 3A
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Giving false election info could become an illegal act
By Brooka Hesler writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
An incident involving election-eve phone calls that misled voters has prompted the Kansas Legislature to consider legislation that would criminalize similar actions.
Peter Hunter, a second-year law student who ran for the Kansas House of Representatives in November, admitted responsibility for a string of calls in which Democratic voters were told they needed their voter registration card when they went to vote.
Kansas does not require voters to produce their cards when voting. Hunter said he regretted that the calls were made.
"It was a very poor decision," he said. "At the time only God and I knew why I made it. And now I think only God knows."
A bill is expected to reach the Kansas Senate floor for consideration later this month that would outlaw the dissemination of false information intended to prevent anyone from voting, said Sandy Praeger, R-Lawrence, one of three co-sponsors of the bill.
An investigation by the FBI determined that Hunter was at the bottom of the calls, and Hunter said he took responsibility for the incident.
"I was happy with 99 percent of the campaign we ran," he said. "I've shown bad judgment in this instance, though."
On Tuesday, Justin Holstin,
Lawrence third-year law student, told
a legislative panel that Hunter disgraced
the University of Kansas
School of Law.
Bethany Roberts, Lawrence first-year law student, said she saw his point.
Jason Roth, Mission third-year law student, said what Hunter added to the stigma lawyers had of being dishonest.
"I think it reflects badly on the law school for people who don't know any better or who don't know the law school well." she said.
"Here at the law school, we're taught that everything we do should be done in an ethical manner," Roth said. "If he did it and didn't violate any laws, that's one thing. But as for personal ethics, it's dishonest at the very least. It lends itself to the dishonest lawyer stereotype."
While the law school has no official position on the incident, Webb Hecker, associate dean for academic affairs of the law school, said he didn't think the incident reflected on the law school one way or another.
"From my point of view, he just happens to be a student here," Hecker said. "When people are filing an application for admittance, we can't judge what kind of person they are or what they're capable of by looking at some papers."
There is nothing specific in election statutes that states it's illegal to disseminate false information, but some members of the Kansas Legislature are trying to change that.
Praeger said the bill she was sponsoring would make what Hunter did a Class A misdemeanor, subject to a $2,500 fine and up one year in jail.
"I will continue to advocate for the causes I believe in," he said.
"The language right now isn't specific enough." she said.
A similar bill, introduced by the Kansas secretary of state's office, would punish offenders in the form of a low-level felony, which means offenders wouldn't be able to vote. Prager said she would be in favor of the harasser punishment.
"Some people feel that if one tries to detour others from voting, they should forsit the right to vote themselves," she said. "Voting rights are sacred in this country. We've worked hard over the years to ensure everyone has a right to vote, and any attempts to mislead voters should be punishable."
Hunter said the ordeal would not dissuade him from running for public office again.
Praeger said Hunter's actions also reflected poorly on politicians.
Court rules confession OK
Judge says officers didn't take advantage of student's illness
By Lauren Brandenburg
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
After listening to eight hours of testimony, District Court Judge Paula Martin ruled that Kevin Hoskinson, a student accused of kissing and fondling a sleeping female Hashinger Hall resident, voluntarily wrote his confession.
Hoskinson, Garden City junior, testified yesterday morning in the hearing to determine whether police coerced the confession he wrote in September. He is charged with sexual battery for the August incident
that police say occurred in Hashinger's sixth floor lobby. It was the third day of testimony since the hearing began Jan. 19.
Martin waited two hours to deliver her decision yesterday.
"The court finds that Officer Riner did not, in fact, dictate or tell to Mr. Hoskinson what he was to include in his statement," she said.
Martin said that, according to case law, the confession could not be considered coerced unless officers had taken advantage of Hoskinson's mental condition.
Although Hoskinson mentioned to an officer during a polygraph exam on Sept. 7 that he had schizophrenia, he downplayed his mental condition and indicated to the officer that it wasn't a big deal. Martin said
Much of Hoskinson's testimony yesterday was about his perceptions of how the police treated him in their interviews. He testified about what he thought about his conversations with police.
is like he's the Nazi and I'm the Jew," Hoskinson testified. "It's like he's the slave driver and I'm the slave. I felt like he was slitting my throat in a mental way. Is he trying to get me angry? Is he possibly trying to take away my faith in God, my patience?"
Hoskinson said he was frightened and thought the police were trying to control his mind. He said he did not understand the Miranda rights that Det. Mike Riner had read to him and that he had read back to Riner.
Hoskinson testified that he felt as if he had no choice whether to write a confession "because I felt like I was ordered to, because I felt like I if didn't I would be disrespectful to authority."
Hoskinson did not, however, tell the police that he did not understand his rights or that he did not want to talk, he testified.
Martin said she considered this in her ruling. She mentioned that Hoskinson told Riner he thought he'd been treated fairly
When Defense Attorney Sally Howard asked what Hoskinson thought when Riner told him he would "never make it as a professional liar." Hoskinson said he thought Riner understood him better than Hoskinson understood himself. Hoskinson said he wasn't sure why he thought that.
Assistant District Attorney Dave Zabel maintained that the officers had treated Hoskinson with more care than they normally treated people. The officers testified they had done so.
After her ruling, Martin said she did not want to downplay Hockinson's mental condition in any way. She referenced at least three cases in her decision
GUEST APPEARANCE
Hemenway answers questions at KU Info
Howard, Hoskinson and Hoskinson's father declined to comment on the decision. "Hoskinson's trial date will be set at a
Edited by Joshua Richards
By Danny Phillips
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
It's not every day students ask Chancellor Robert Hemenway questions like "Where's the best place to buy Pop Rocks?"
But as a promotional push for KU Info, Hemenway, with the help of the information line's staff, answered that question and 34 others yesterday afternoon.
The chancellor took phone calls for an hour, and afterward said he had a lot of respect for KU Info staff members, who receive about 700 calls a day.
Lisa Braun, Deerfield senior, aids Chancellor Robert Hemenway as he looks up the number for a tattoo caller at the KU info office. Hemenway answered 35 calls yesterday afternoon, Photo by Melissa Carr/KANSAN
KU Info had all three lines open while the chancellor was in the office, and Hemenway had the entire staff at his disposal, waiting to help him tackle each question.
Many people knew the chancellor was promoting KU Info and called in with personal questions. Anytime a caller asked a general question, the staff would scramble through phone books and almanacs or check the Internet to find the answer.
Hemenway's first caller asked when the Masonic Temple first opened in downtown Lawrence. Four minutes later, after the staff called the museum, Hemenway had the answer - 1910.
Other callers had specific questions for the chancellor.
A student on a cell phone called on behalf of his class to ask Hemenway what his favorite activity was as a child. Hemenway said it was baseball.
Another caller, who bragged about stumping the KU Info staff in the past, wanted to know what the longest winning streak in the history of professional baseball was. That question took some digging.
"I hate sports questions," said Cori Gilbert, Overland Park graduate student and staff member, who frantically searched the Internet.
The caller hung up before Hemenway could give him the answer, 18 games by the 1908 Chicago Cubs.
"I hate it when that happens," said Breeze Luetke-Stahlman, Olathe senior and staff member.
KU Info staff members aren't allowed to tell callers they don't know an answer to
a question, but anytime they get stumped, they write the question and the caller's e-mail address on a clipboard. When they finally find the answer, they send it to the caller.
One question they're still working on is who was the first presidential candidate to campaign in Kansas.
In 2000, KU Info answered 161,000 phone calls, an increase from the past few years. "We're going full blast right now," said Susan Elkins, KU Info program director. "I'm pretty amazed myself."
The amount of calls KU Info receives is directly linked with the amount of activity occurring on campus, Elkins said. She credits two reasons for the increase in business this past year: more events and
improved staffing.
Before Chancellor Hemenway stopped answering questions yesterday, he received a call from an architecture major who wanted to organize a forum to address issues that concerned students in his field of study. Hemenway told the student he would take steps to make that forum a reality.
Kelly Speight, Lawrence senior, said it sounded a bit strange that the chancellor was answering students' questions at KU Info, but she liked the idea.
"I think it's good the chancellor gets on the same level with the students," she said.
So where is the best place to get a Pop Rocks fix?
ON THE PHONES
Chancellor Robert Hemenway answered questions from students on KU Info help lines yesterday afternoon. Some students tried to stump the chancellor and the KU Info stuff, while others asked him personal questions. The questions included:
What was your favorite activity as a kid?
"when did you see the Masonic Temple first"
"winter time"
- "What was the longest winning streak in pro baseball?"
- Hemenway recommended Penny Annie's Sweet Shoppe on Massachusetts Street.
- Edited by Jacob Roddy
Students say cards not as smart as promised
By Cássio Furtado
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas' smart card has passed some tests and failed others since being introduced in spring 1988.
"Sometimes it doesn't go through at Mrs. E's," said John Giampaoli, Overland Park senior. "I may need to change it next year."
Some students say the card's main failure has been its lack of durability. Complaints include cards that fall apart and electronic chips that quit functioning.
Students can replace broken
or worn cards for a $15 fee. Nancy Miles, KU card administrator, said the charge reflected the cost of the card, plus administrative, staff and equipment costs.
She said cards that were defective with no signs of abuse would be replaced for no charge.
Other obstacles have limited uses of the card. University officials announced several plans for the newly released card.
Many of these uses have become second nature for students, but others have failed to be incorporated into students' lives.
While the smart card can be used as a Commerce Bank debit
card, at the libraries and in vending machines, students can't use it as a long-distance phone card or as a bus pass, uses that were originally planned.
"It was a pretty big flasco," she said. "They were completely, totally inefficient."
Holly Krebs, campus transportation coordinator, said that KU on Wheels used the smart card for three weeks in fall 1998, but the results weren't satisfactory.
Krebs said students would have to wait longer to board the buses if the smart card was used as a bus pass. She said this could lead to buses being consistently late.
"The current system is much faster." Krebs said.
Students needed two cards before, one for checking out books and another for photocopies, she said.
But the card has worked well for the KU libraries, said Mary Rosebloom, external relations librarian.
"It has brought more security for students because the cards have the students' pictures," she said.
Miles said the smart card was no longer being used as a long-distance calling card because students didn't use it as much as the University had expected.
Edited by Megan Phelps
Student complaints about smart cards include that the electronic chips do not work and that they fall apart easily, as this one has. Broken or worn cards can be replaced for a $15 fee. Photo illustration by Ashley Bonehane/KANSAN
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