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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Wednesday, January 17, 2001
Sports: The Kansas men's basketball team is preparing to meet Nebraska tonight. SEE PAGE 1B
Inside: Lawrence City Commission approved financing for an offleash dog park.
SEE PAGE 3A
(USPS 650-640) • VOL. 111 NO. 71
For comments, contact Lori O'Toole or Mindie Miller at 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Lines lead to petition, frustration
By Amanda Beglin
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
When the waiting line for financial aid refunds wound down two floors of the Kansas Union on Friday, Kiran Jayaram knew it was time for a change.
For Jayaram, Overland Park graduate student, the scene was all-to-familiar. He recalled standing in long lines in semesters past when hundreds of students arrived to collect refund checks.
This semester, he transposed his frustration into a petition to change the way students receive financial aid refunds. But his efforts raised questions about students' rights to petition and hold protests on campus.
Part of the problem was that Jayram didn't ask permission before conducting his petition, said Sgt. Troy Malien of the KU Public Safety Office. There generally is not a problem with petitioning on campus, he said, as long as the proper steps are taken.
"Every student has the same freedom to petition on campus as anywhere else," Malen said. "My guess is the problem was where he was. Usually you have to go through an event coordinator to arrange something like that."
Gene Wee, reservations coordinator for the Kansas and Burge Unions, said that students like Jayaram had the right to set up a table.
"The general rule is that if you're going to set up a table, we want to help," Wee said. "We don't want to hide people. We put them in a place with lots of traffic, like Jaihawk Walk, so people can come to you. That way, people aren't bothered if they're eating or studying. There's a balance between helping the table and protecting others. For the most part, it's successful."
But Jayaram said he just moved out of line and started talking to people.
"I said, 'If you're upset, sign this paper,' and slowly but surely, people began to sign," he said.
"I told him that according to student guidelines, I could be here," Jayaram said. "And then he left."
Jayaram said he was walking alongside people with his petition when Victor Torres, bursar of the University comptroller's office, approached him. Jayaram said Torres asked him what he was doing. When Jayaram said he was petitioning, he was told he couldn't be there.
"She told me I was holding up the line, which is just a huge irony to me." Jayaram said. "There's all these people waiting in line and the problem is that they were waiting in line."
Jayaram said a Union administrator approached him minutes later, as his petition list grew to more than 100 people in less than 30 minutes.
Jayaram said he told the woman he was a concerned student with a right to petition, and then she left.
fortres made a formal complaint, which sent KU Public Safety Officer Steve Mooney and Bill Towns, Kansas and Burge Unions operations supervisor, to the fifth floor in search of Jayaram. They asked him to move away from the line because he couldn't petition in the doorway.
"They told me that if I didn't leave, I could be arrested." Jayaram said.
Wee helped Jayaram set up a table in the fourth floor lobby to continue his petition. Jayaram said Wee told him that he couldn't approach passing students, but that it was not a problem to conduct his petition from the table. Wee said he agreed with Jayaram's complaint and that the financial aid office could have a better system.
"I can't vouch for the process," We said. "We leave it up to them. It's their own right if they don't want somebody there. But the line was the longest I've ever seen it. I agree, there must be a better way."
Jayarum said he would attend the Wednesday, Jan. 31 Student Senate meeting to discuss his petition and ask for help.
"I'm trusting them with this now," Jayaram said. "They are supposed to work for the students, and that's who I'm trying to help."
Jayarum has a few ideas of his own, including a distribution system based on KUID, with designated times for students to pick up their checks.
— BcDied by Laita Schultes
Fraternity closes house doors
By Danny Phillips
writer@kansan.com
Kanson staff writer
The Delta Tau Delta fraternity closed the doors to its house indefinitely this weekend because of a lack of membership, house corporation board president Scott Mark said.
The chapter is still open and will continue to operate outside the building, 1111 W. 11th St. The Delta Tau Delta House Corporation, the entity that owns the house and property, is looking for a prospective lease-holder.
As for the future of the 23 current fraternity members, all have found new places to live, said Jerod Kelley, fraternity president and Olathe sophomore. He said even though the fraternity didn't have a common home right now, the members still kept in touch and planned to continue participating in activities together.
we haven't just split up totally." Kelley said. Kelley said he thought the fraternity lost its house because of financial problems, not because of recruiting problems.
"The whole thing is a money game." Kelley said. He said the $1 million renovation of the fraternity house in the mid-1905 was the beginning of the chapter's financial woes.
Kelley said the fraternity's national organization could have intervened when it saw the chapter was having difficulties and helped pay its bills, but the organization opted to let the building close.
"They want to regroup and see what's going on." Kelley said.
Kelley also hasn't given up hope of moving back into the house.
"Our goal is to come back in the near future on campus," Kelley said.
The Delta Tau Delta fraternity house, 1111 W 11th St., closed it doors recently due to lack of membership. The fraternity is still an active chapter at KU. Photo by Ashley Bonebrake/KANSAN
- Edited by Matt Daugherty
El Salvador quake hits home for students
By J. R. Mendoza editor@kansan.com Kansan wire editor
This is one instance in which Ryan Dolan can be proud of his procrastination.
Dolan, a Lawrence junior and Kansan columnist, had planned to visit his older sister and her family in El Salvador last weekend, but he decided to postpone his trip because of papers he had to write.
Saturday, when he was supposed to have been there, the country was hit by a magnitude-7.6 earthquake.
"My parents joked at the time that preracination paid off for me." Dolan said. "My parents were really happy I didn't go."
The death toll has reached 672 and was expected to rise as authorities reach communities isolated by landslides. Officials said that more than 2,500 people were injured by Saturday's quake and that nearly 45,000 had to be evacuated.
But Dolan still thought that he should have been there with his sister, Beth
Pleitez, who lives in Santa Tecla, a suburb outside of the capital, San Salvador. She lives there with her husband, Hector, and two children, 2-year-old Alejandro and 6-month-old Carmen Sofia.
Beth Pleitez was hurt after a water heater fell on her, but none of the rest of her family was injured. Dolan said.
"She got a badly-bruised leg," Dolan said. "She thought she had broken it."
Dolan said he found out about the quake just hours after it happened and felt bad that he wasn't there for his sister.
"I talked to her Monday," he said. "She's doing fine."
Despite surviving the quake, the Pleitez family had to sleep outside for a few nights because of aftershocks.
"The country is in really bad shape." Delaware "A lot of people are homeless."
Dolton said. A lot of people are homeless. His sister is helping rescue crews and other people who were affected by the earthquake, he said.
"She's a pretty take-control person," Dolan said. "She's making sandwiches and food bags and taking clothing and blanket
Kyle Ramsey/KANSAN
donations for the homeless. They need everything."
He said his sister and her family were very lucky that they didn't suffer greater injuries.
Oliver Komar, Newton, Mass., graduate student in ecology, said his wife, Lorena
Rosales, had family in El Salvador.
Komar visits the country to conduct research. He had been unable to call his family because the circuits had been tied up, he said.
"I'm sure everyone was trying to call," Komar said. "Most of the family had said they were OK so far."
But he said a lot of questions remained as far as other family and property he and his wife had there.
"We're still a little bit nervous about family we haven't heard from," Komar said. "The tremors could still cause further damage."
He said his wife had planned a trip back to El Salvador and would leave Friday. A flight scheduled earlier had been canceled because the airport was closed in the country.
"We have faith that everything will turn out OK." Komar said.
— The Associated Press contributed to this story
— Edited by Melinda Weaver
New international students consider language an obstacle
By Michelle Ward
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Huyan Ho Lee has never taken a class in English. Instead, he has taught himself the language.
Lee has spent years honing his skills, which will be tested this spring. As a new international student, the Korean freshman worries about living in an English-speaking country.
For many of the approximately 120 international students new to the University this semester, language is a concern.
"I am nervous about speaking English," he said. "I have never been in a country where people speak only English."
"Language is big for a lot of reasons," Potts said. "It helps us understand what is important in class. Language allows us to understand humor, to relate to peers and even to read a newspaper."
The importance of native language and how much people use it is often taken for granted, said Joe Potts, director of International Student Services. When students reside in a place where their language is not dominant, it is a huge transition.
The difficulty of processing a new language is not the focus of most international students. Instead, they are excited about living in a new country with unknown expectations, Potts said. They experience a honeymom phase, as most international travelers do.
Hermant Shah, a sophomore from India who had his first day of classes at the University yesterday, said he was eager for classes to begin. His excitement about his new semester outweighed any nervousness.
Shah said he couldn't wait to start working on his business degree, which is why he came to the
"Language allows us to understand humor,to relate to peers and even to read a newspaper."
Joe Potts
Director of International Student Services
University of Kansas. He had heard about the business school's good reputation.
The campus is much bigger than he expected, Shah said. He noticed differences in class size and scheduling in America as well. His classes in India were much smaller, and he attended class from 7 a.m. to noon each day. He was not able to plan out his classes.
Shah said he had confidence he would meet many new friends. He also said he found Americans to be very nice in his first few days in the country.
"People are so kind here," he said. "I really like it here. I don't miss my house at all. I don't know about the future."
The future could bring a bout of homesickness for the new international students.
In her first semester at the University, Marilyn Helvas greatly missed her family and native country. However, the Besancon, France, graduate student worked through her homesickness. She said she did it by making friends with American students.
"You can't be shy," she said. "You have to speak to American students. They will help you."
Windows of opportunity
- Edited by Jay Pilgreen
The ins and outs of college life resume. Students making last minute adjustments to their schedules filtered through Strong Hall yesterday. Photo by Jamie Roper/KANSAN
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