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Monday, April 1, 1991 / University Daily Kansan
Student Senate finishes budget; some groups will lose financing
By Michael Christie
Kansan staff writer
When Student Senate completed its budget for next year, many Senate members breathed a sigh of relief. A long process, which began at the beginning of the semester, was finally over.
But for some of the organizations that requested money from the Senate, a longer process had just begun. The senate is operating without Senate allocations.
Consumer Affairs is a Lawrence-based organization that helps consumers by providing information and advice on how to stay between businesses and consumers.
"We started in 1972 as a KU organization and in 1978 became a community-based organization because the team was there," said Julia Pitner, director.
Last year, Consumer Affairs was allocated $8,000 by Senate, which was nearly 25 percent of its budget. Its budget is not denied entirely by Senate last week.
Troy Radakovich, finance committee chairperson, told the Senate that the finance committee had determined that Legal Services for Students performs the same services as Consumer Affairs. Legal Services will receive over $180,000 from the agency.
Pitner said Consumer Affairs did not have any attorneys on staff.
"We don't do court stuff," she said. "Legal Services for Students refers people to us all the time."
Pitner said that her organization handled about 350 calls a month, but that the number of calls would probably decrease.
"We're going to have to cut back on
our time to go to have to go to
part-time hour."
The organization currently has two time and one part-time employee.
Approximately 28 percent of the services provided by Consumer Affairs go to KU students, she said. The services were free to students because the Senate allocated student money, she said.
"We're going to have to start charging students for some services," she said.
Most services, like filing a formal complaint against a landlord, will
cost students $10. Pitner said.
Another organization, VOICE, had never received money from the Senate. VOICE, an organization dedicated to preserving peace, requested $2,733 for next year, and was denied financing from the Senate.
"We will continue, regardless," treasurer Cynthia Ingham said.
The money that the organization requested from the Senate would have allowed it to reach a larger number of students, she said.
The Senate finance committee had recommended that the group receive no money, because it was a partisan group opposed to the war in the Persian Gulf. Student Senate does not give money to political organizations such as College Republicans or KU Democrats.
"Now that we don't have to restrict our focus to the war, we can take on a new perspective." Ingham said.
VOICE was not opposed only to the war, she said.
"The militarism is the attitude behind it," she said.
Ingham said she planned to visit the Senate in its last meeting Wednesday.
Local grocery stores promote conservation
By Katie Chipman
Kansan staff writer
Local grocery stores are encouraging Lawrence residents to conserve by giving shoppers alternative methods of packaging their groceries.
The Dillons chain of grocery stores has a money-for-bags program. Customers bring in the paper or plastic bags they have used before and receive 5-cent discounts for every bag the reuse.
Steve Etzel, a cashier at Dillons,
said the program had been successful.
Etzel said that Dillons sold canvas bags and that customers received 5-cent discounts if they used the canvas shopping bags.
"Saturday alone we had 224 bags returned," he said. "It was a busy day because of Easter and the game. I went out about 150 bags returned every day."
Community Mercantile Co-op. 700 Maine St., also has canvas bags for sale
Sheryl Robertson, assistant man
ager, said, "When people use canvass bags, we give them 10 cents off of their purchases."
She said many people brought their own paper bags or string bags to conserve paper. Some people also bring reusable bags to the store to avoid using new ones.
"We encourage people to re-use the 'ew containers,' she said. "There's no point in throwing them away when you can reuse them. We have a peanut butter grinder and, let alone make in their own jars and save glass."
Checkers grocery store, 2300 Louisiana St., has an informational display about how people can become more environmentally aware.
The display has fliers about such things as conserving water, composting waste and recycling.
Angela Herr, a supervisor at Checkers, said many people were interested in the fliers and stopped to look at them when they left the store.
"We refill the fliers almost every week," she said. "They have a lot of information on them."
Romanians pack markets as food prices increase The Associated Press
BUCHAREST, Romania — Panicky shopping empties state stores as the government prepared to more than double basic food prices today. The move is meant to help the economy, but critics say it will devenowerty and miserly.
In the days before the increases, Romanians snapped up chickens, bread, sugar and anything else that was for sale. Only bread and milk stores open yesterday, and only briefly.
The government hopes that the price reforms along with parallel salary increases and a currency devaluation will breathe some life into other sectors of the economy.
Reforms were required by the International Monetary Fund in exchange for a $1 billion aid package to Romania, which is expected to receive final approval Friday.
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