]
THE UNIVERSITY D.
KANSAS STATE HIS
SOCIETY
TOPEKA, KS 6661
VOL.101.NO.91
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1991
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
(USPS 650-640)
NEWS:864-4810
Allies plan next move in gulf
The Associated Press
Question of timing unanswered
SIGNELLA, Sicily — Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said yesterday that allied bombardments had sharply reduced the capability of the Iraqi military, but officials acknowledged that allied commanders had more time to prepare for the decisive next step in the Persian Gulf War.
He said the next phase of the war would likely combine air power with both ground and amphibious combat, but he didn't say how soon it might begin.
En route home to brief President Bush on the prospects for a dangerous ground campaign to oust Iraq troops from Kuwait, Cheney said the air campage had reduced the right-of-way divisions by as much as 40 percent.
A senior administration official said the question of timing was discussed but not resolved during meetings among Cheney, Colin Powell of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and top Desert Storm commanders.
Following the talks, a senior military official said there was a general feeling among U.S. officers that
George Mitchell
'I think the air war can continue successfully for quite some time.'
Senate Majority Leader, D-Maine.
allied forces could use another three to four weeks to prepare for ground combat.
"The guys just off the boat, they could use some more time," he said, referring to ground units that recently arrived from Europe. Such tanks were designated to M-1 battle tanks designed to confront Iraq's Soviet T-27 tanks.
The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity, Cheney, for his part, said there was no pressure from any quarter to get started. He said only Iraq's voluntary withdrawal from Kuwait would avoid a land war.
Democrats and Republican alike in Congress are expressing hope that the ground campaign can be postponed because it weakens Saddam's forces, reducing
U. S. casualties when ground fighting does occur.
"We're seeing now a continuation of the pulverizing by air, which I think ought to continue until we decide that we can hasten the end by some limited ground action." Senate committee member Bob Dole, R-Kan, said yesterday.
"I think the air war can continue successfully for quite some time," Mitchell said.
A similar view came from Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine.
Bush was asked about congressional sentiment and to go slow on the ground campaign.
Queried about damage done to the Iraqi ground forces by the nonstop bombing raids. Cheon offered his
first quantitative assessment on the results of the bombardment, replying. "I'm sure you could find some of them to be down by as much as 40 percent."
Some allied commanders have said a goal would be to reduce Iraqi capabilities by 50 percent before taking on the most potent elements of Iraqi force: dug-in combat troops and massive tank and artillery units.
Along with the ineffectiveness of Iraq's air force, Cheney cited the destruction of weaponry and supplies, the interruption of Saddam Hussein's ability to communicate with his enemies, and the degradation of army morale.
Cheney said, "At some point we would expect to bring other elements of our force to bear on the problem of getting him out of Kuwait. The question is when, and what's the most useful use of those additional forces.
"We have to be cautious, not to underestimate his remaining capabilities. We can't be complacent."
War summary graphic Page 12
Iran's peace plans rejected by Iraqis
The Associated Press
AMMAN, Jordan — Iraqi officials have rejected peace initiatives by Iran and the non-aligned movement and expressed confidence that Iraq can survive a war. The allies, diplomats said yesterday.
The assessment by independent diplomats close to peacemaking efforts was bolstered by statements from Iran, whose president has been leading efforts to fight in fighting, and from Iran itself.
In his first speech to his people in three weeks, Saddam said yesterday that the Iraqis were more devastated than ever, despite the bombing.
Saddam also accused President Bush of resorting to warfare instead of forging a peaceful solution. Mr. Bush's plan would Iraq emerge victorious.
"Iraq is not ready to relinquish the role given to it by God," he
said
At a news conference in Amman, Iraq's deputy premier, Saadoun Harmadi, said Baghdad had taken steps into unconditional negotiations.
But he said also that Iraq was ready to fight until it achieved victory, no matter what sacrifices were involved.
During high-level meetings this weekend in Amman and in Iran, Hammadi rejected allied demands from Kuwait, diplomats said.
One diplomat who requested anonymity said, "He made it clear Iraq is confident it can withstand the expected allied ground attack against its forces in Kuwait and inflict such heavy casualties that the United States will be forced to reconsider."
Cougar prowls rural home
This story includes reports subjected to review by allied military censors.
exotic menagerie
By Katie Chipman
Kansas staff writer
Gary and Jan Prager love animals, and they have a particular liking for exotic ones. Their pets include four Rhea ostriches, a pygmy goat, a potbellied pig and their newest pet, a cougar.
The Pragers, residents of rural Douglas County, bought the cougar in September at an exotic animal sale in Horton.
"He's just like a house cat." Jan Prager said. "He's gentle and not aggressive at all."
She said she bought the cougar,
named Coug, for the unusually low
price of $425. She had seen cougars
sell for $600 to $900.
Cough is from a fifth generation of domesticated cougars, Prager said. He is 6 months old and weighs 35 pounds. He has been bullying and he will weigh about 200 pounds.
Unlike a wild cougar, Cougnt doesn't eat raw meat, she said. Instead, he eats specialized food that fulfills all of his nutritional needs.
The Frangers said that their other house pets were not afraid of Cougi but that to be safe, they kept the smaller animals away from him.
"He has his own room in the basement," Prager said. "It has an iron door on the front of it."
Congi stays indoors during cold weather and occasionally goes outside with his owners on a leash and collar, she said.
Although Couigi is not dangerous, his claws were removed to prevent injury and destruction during playing. The Prayers said.
Gary Parray said, "He's really strong in his legs. When we're feeding him, it's all you can do to pull the bottle away."
Jan Prager said, "Cougars don't like a lot of people being around. They're intimidated by groups of people.
In the summer, they plan to build an outdoor pen complete with a tree for Cougi to climb, she said.
"My next project is a wallaby."
Jan Prager, rural Douglas County resident, holds the leash of Cougi, a 6-month-old cougar cub. Cougi weighs 35 pounds and may grow to about 200 pounds by the time he reaches maturity at age 2.
Bill would cause NCAA to change current rules
Kansan staff writer
TOPEKA - State Sen. Wint Winter Jr., R-Lawrence, has been working on legislation that he hopes will have the impact of a Seud missile on the NCAA.
Winter said the bill, which he expected to introduce sometime this week, would force the NCAA to change its controversial enforcement practices and abide by the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution, guaranteeing a fair trial to those accused of committing a crime.
Under current NCAA guidelines, for example, the accused does not have the opportunity to confront the accuser, nor is a tape recorder or court reporter used when a hearing is conducted
Two NCAA investigators take
notes of what they hear and thus notes become the official statement of the person being interviewed.
"What's broken is the NCAA." Winter said. "They are not required to, nor do they comply with, the basic safeguards of the process."
"Their enforcement procedures would be unlawful if they were done by the state."
Winter also said that the bill would require the NCAA to punish the person or people who violated the regulations rather than innocent vie-
The news of the legislation came as a surprise to David Bess, assistant executive director for enforcement who called the action a public stunt.
"I've never heard of the person you're talking about, but he doesn't
know what the current legislation is," he said. "I think this kind of thing is totally inappropriate and doesn't help the association at all.
"It sounds like a popular thing to do in that area. I'd say it's a political football at this point."
Berst said that the final judges of NCAA procedures were the member institutions who adopted and proposed legislation.
"For the senator to go forward with this bill, he's telling the Regents institutions in Kansas that they are not appropriate legislation," he said.
But Lonny Rose, sport law professor at the University of Miami and a former KU assistant athletic director, saw things differently when he
See NCAA, Page 12
Recession and weather lead to decrease in construction
Kansan staff writer
By Vanessa Fuhrmans
Kenneth staff writer
Lawrence has been lucky," said Mark Bulhier, chairperson of the Lawrence Board of Realists and a broker at Stephen Realist, 2701 Eighth Street. He had steadily grown in the last few years, things have slowed down."
A blast from both the economy and cold weather this winter have caused new construction to drop nearly 50 percent from last winter.
After experiencing several years of economic growth, Lawrence development and construction is beginning to feel the crunch of a recession.
Although Lawrence has eschewed the economic hardships in the past that have plagued other communities, he has acknowledged that city will not be so fortunate this tim-
According to records from the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Department, 63 building permits for multi-family units were issued in January, compared to 118 in January 1990.
David Gunter, a city planner, said, "The economy is causing people to be more cautious about investment in urban expansion of projects.
"Interest rates are pretty good, but it hasn't helped locally."
Guntert that because of the building slump, the planning department was not as busy as it was at this time last year.
In addition to building permits, applications for site plans, the initial phase of construction, have also decreased. he said.
Because it takes a few months to
process sure plans, now is the ideal time to apply if someone wanted to build in the spring. Gunter said.
Buhler said the large amount of development in the past few years had created a glut in the housing industry. Instead of building homes, people now are buying or renting older homes.
"It has a lot to do with over-
supply," he said. "Two or three
years a lot of new houses were
built in a lot of new market is not that much in demand."
Many contractors say, however, that the slump is only temporary.
Fritzel said that after so much growth in the 1980s, it was only natural that development in Lawrence had reached a plateau.
"It's a cooling-off period," he said.
"It's just a hiccup in the economy."
KU Med Center to implement use of Norplant birth control
By Amy Francis
Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas Medical Center is one of 84 health centers that will introduce a new model of birth care Thursday.
The procedure will not only provide a method of birth control for the woman but education for doctors. This is the first new method of birth control to be introduced in the United States in 30 years.
Six white polymer-like implants, called Norplant, will be inserted into a woman's upper arm, said Julie Strickland, assistant professor of gynecology and obstetrics at the Med Center.
The Med Center will help inform other doctors how to perform the insertion.
The implants are 34 millimeters long and 2.4 millimeters wide, she said. They provide a continuous low dose of levonorgestrel, a synthetic form of the female hormone progesterone.
"It's a fairly simple technique," Strickland said. It works very much like a shot. You don't even need to know how to do it.
Norplant has been studied for 20 years in other countries. Strickland said
Strickland said it was 99.7 percent effective in preventing pregnancy for up to five years. After that, the rate dropped to 50 percent.
- Candyde Waitley educator for the health department in Watkins Memorial Health Center
'Approximately one in seven students will have a sexually transmitted disease at one point before they graduate.'
If a woman wants to continue to use Norplant, new implants can be inserted in the same location where the original ones were, Strickland said. The implants are inserted in the upper inside of the woman's arm.
implants should be removed.
Strickland said that its cost was comparable to the cost of buying oral contraceptives during that period.
If a woman decides she no longer wants the contraception, Norplant can be removed and fertility will return within three months, she said. It is recommended that Norplant. The estimated cost of removal is $75.
Its effectiveness also is comparable.
As effective also is comparable.
According to the American College Health Association, the pill is 97 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. A condom is 99 percent
effective, and the combined use of a condom and a spermicid is more than 99 percent effective.
But Candyce Waitley, educator for the health department in Watkins Memorial Health Center, said there were possible problems with those methods.
She said spermicide could not be used more than 15 to 20 minutes before intercourse, and the pill was safe.
Strickland said that Norplant was not recommended for women who wanted short-term birth control, who had a liver disease, a history of blood clotting or undiagnosed genital bleeding.
It is recommended for women who cannot take an oral contraceptive, have previously had an unwanted pregnancy or who are nearing menopause. she said.
"By and large, the biggest complication is irregular menstrual bleeding." Strickland said.
But there are some possible disadvantages to Norplant.
Another possible disadvantage is that Norplant provides no protection against sexually transmit-
Waitley said, "Approximately one in seven students will have a sexually transmitted disease at one point before they graduate. Most are treatable, but not necessarily curable."
Mellissa Unterberg/KANSAN