Campus/Area
University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, November 27, 1990
3
Setting the scene
Judy Pfeifer, Overland Park junior, paints a set for the production of the Medea myth. Pfeifer was working from a scale drawing to produce the full-size set yesterday afternoon in the backstage area of Cratton-Preyer Theatre. She said the entire set, which she was working on for Theatre and Film 216, would take about two weeks to complete.
Senate may revise student code
Bv Jennifer Schultz
Kansan staff writer
The Student Senate Student Rights Committee conducted a forum last night at the Kansas University for students to express their views about recommended revisions to the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities.
David Suroff, committee vice chairperson, said the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities subcommittee recommended the code.
The committee must approve the final draft of the revised code at tonight's meeting before it can be presented.
A handful of students and faculty members last night
listened to the subcommittee suggestions, which in-
clude:
- Updating the definition of the term "University" to include the Lawrence campus; the Capitol Complex and the Regents Center.
- Replacing the terms "sex" and "sexual preference" with "gender" and "sexual orientation."
- Expanding the definition of the term "hazing."
- Expanding the definition of the term "hazing"
- Extending authority to the department of student life
Prompted by last spring's reported Sigma Alpha Epsilon racial incident, the subcommittee also recommended that University jurisdiction be extended to off-campus organizations.
On March 30, an SAE member struck a KU student and uttered a racial insult to her while she was delivering pizzas to the SAE house. 1301 West Campus Road, according to police reports.
This code would give the University administrative power to deal with registered organizations in response
The chairperson of the committee also modified the wording of its recommendation concerning the expansion of the protection of student press.
Sentencing parity sought
State commission proposes reducing judges' discretion
Bv David Roach
Kansan staff writer
TOPEKA - new sentencing guidelines proposed by the Kansas Sentencing Commission received mixed reviews from members of several rights organizations and from a KU law firm. The committee awards bearings at the Judicial Center.
The commission was created by the 1899 Legislature to address the problems of prison overcrowding and the dangers of segregated between Whites and minorities.
The commission developed the new guidelines, which would use a grid system for determining sentences, that remove most of a judge's discretion in metting out sentences. The grid would match appropriate sentences and only would take a person's criminal background into consideration.
Attorney General Bob Stephan, commission chairperson, said minorities typically had received harsher sentences than Whites because of sociological and economic factors used in determining sentences.
H John Hymn of Concerned Citizens for Equal Justice, a Topeka civil rights group, lauded the commission for its work but said discretionary sentencing by judges was responsible for keeping 'Blacks in the judicial
Several people speaking to the commission said judges should have no discretion when determining sentences.
"We want to make sure that we avoid any future departures from the grid," he said.
However, David Gottlieb, KU professor of law, told the committee that the proposed guidelines already were too rigid and that without more flexibility they could thwart the commission's intent.
system.
Gottlieb said that without flexibility, an 18-year-old high school student with no criminal record who forcibly stole a classmate's lunch money would be required to spend a minimum of three years behind bars.
He also said that the sentencing grid would not effectively eradicate the racial disparity in Kansas' judicial system.
With the new guidelines, prosecutors would be more inclined to reduce charges or dismiss cases before they went to trial. Gottlieb said
"All you're doing is transferring the disparity from the judges to the prosecutors," he said.
Gottlieb said that he was a proponent of the grid system, but that the commission's proposals needed fine scrutiny and would achieve their desired results.
Gottlieb said that the guidelines would give convicted persons barristers sentences than they would serve under the state's indeterminate sentence. "It would lock in enormous increases in prison populations instead of reduce
ing them.
He said that the move toward stricter prison sentences was a political decision and that statistics of these incarcerations noticeable impact on crime rates.
Several commentators also requested the commission recommend that the Legislature apply the law, which is intractably to redict gun injustices.
Thelma Carter, president of the Topeka chapter of the NAACP, said that while she approved of the commission's work, a clause making the guidelines retroactive was necessary.
"To eliminate retroactivity is to send a message to courtrooms to continue giving Blacks longer service, and to give the guidelines take place," she said.
Commission member David Menely, a detective for Topeka police, told Carter that retroactive application of the guidelines could cause legal problems because it might require that some sentences be lengthened, which would violate civil rights.
Gottlieb said these problems could be overcome by instructing the parole board to take the new guidelines into account when considering parole
ASK sponsors letters to Finney
The commission will present the new guidelines as recommendations to the 1991 Legislature.
By Jennifer Schultz
Kansan staff writer
Members of Associated Students of Kansas are sponsoring a letter writing campaign this week on campus urging Governor-elect Joe Finney to support Board of Regents proposals to the Legislature.
ASK members will be at tables from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Friday in the lobby of the Kansas University building, said Greg Hughes, ASK director.
At the tables, students can write personal letters to Finney asking her to support the base budget, the Margin of Excellence, the graduate teaching assistant fee waiver, the Youth Educational Service program and all student financial aid packages proposed by the Regents.
Students are also encouraged to write about how they were personally affected by the Legislature's decision not to finance the third year of the Margin and the decision to cut University maintenance budget request
"It takes three minutes (to write a letter)," he said. "Hopefully, we will get the full budget request of the Regents. If we don't get the Margin.
The cuts created closed and crowded classes and caused faculty members to leave KU. Hughes said.
the University will lose its ability to move forward."
The Margin of Excellence was the Board of Regents three-year plan to bring the total financing of its seven institutions to 85 percent of their peer schools and to bring faculty salaries to 100 percent of their peers. The Legislature financed the first two years but not the third.
Regents schools use the base budget for maintenance and basic improvements to each of the schools.
Hughes said if the University did not receive the full base budget this year, students would see more closed classes, more deteriorating KU buildings and the departure of more faculty members.
"We absorbed the cuts last year," he said. "If we don't get the base budget this year, it will be a disaster."
Hughes said that although the Legislature was facing a tight budget, he was confident that the Margin would be fully financed.
Hughes said that although Finney did not have a specific proposal to do so, he believed it was true.
"I think that the Legislature started the Margin of Excellence and they would really like to finish it," he said.
reallocated from other programs or raised through taxes.
"I think they've got the money to finance the Margin and the base budget," he said.
Hughes said the letter drive would be effective because Finney was a populist governor who was responsive to her constituents.
Carl Rang, ASK voter registration coordinator, said it was difficult to predict Finney's response to students' letters.
The most positive response students could get from her is a promise that she is working on their side, that she is writing the Margin into her budget request and that she will fight the Margin in the legislature, he said.
Ring said he doubted that Finney would make the Margin her highest priority because she had other budgetary concerns.
"But she is not an opponent by any means," he said.
Ring said it was important for students to write letters so legislators would not forget that their decisions affect the day-to-day life of students.
"We don't want to get lost in the budgetary process in Topeka," he said. "Especially when they decide to make cuts."
Security's new radios connect with police, improve safety
By Debbie Myers
Kansan staff writer
Security personnel in campus buildings and housing units recently began using security radios that allow them to communicate with each other. They said the new radio system was working.
Bill Towns, operations supervisor at the Kansas Union, said his staff was able to keep in closer communication when a bomb threat was called to the Union on Nov.15.
"This helped quite a bit because we had closer communication with KUPD, as well as with our own staff." Towns said. "It was easier. We were able to be a lot more effective."
Allan Heinze, director of physical education / recreational facilities at Robinson Center, said the new radios allowed security personnel to contact help faster.
"When we have had some accidents down here, it's worked out great in terms of KUPD and getting help in here quickly," Heinze said.
He said security personnel could keep medical teams informed of changes in an injured person's condition with the new system which was impossible with the old system.
Mullens said $20,000 had been allocated out
Lt. John Mullens of KU police said placing only one call for help on the new radios — instead of using a radio to call someone who could use a telephone to reach police, as was done with the old radios — would save time in an emergency.
of the executive vice chancellor's budget to buy 35 new radios. Since not enough money was allotted to buy radio for each residence it would be costly (most security problems received new radios.
Mulens said Oliver, Elsworth, Gertrude Sellards Pearson-Corbin and McColm halls and Jayhawner Towers received 20 of the four remaining 15 went to other campus buildings.
Deb Miller, residence hall director at Ellsworth, said that there had not been any emergencies at Ellsworth since the hall started using the new radios Sunday but that she thought they would work better than the old radios.
"I think that it will be nice if we need to contact the police directly," Miller said. "If
we don't have a phone, that will be very helpful."
She said the new radios were used more professionally than the old radios because conversations were monitored over the KU police frequency.
The old radios did not always work and often picked up the conversations of anyone in their neighborhood.
But some residence hall directors in the halls that did not receive the new radios said their security would not be threatened by sticking with the old system.
Charlene Engelking, residence hall director at Lewis Hall, said that because Lewis would receive one high quality old radio from the library, she was very pleased that Lewis would improve without the new
Not receiving the new radios also was advantageous because the security monitors did not have to go through training, Engelking said.
She said the old radios were adequate because few security violations occurred in her neighborhood.
"Although when we need them, we really need them, on a day-to-day basis we might not use them as often as say McColllum might." Engelking said.
Mike Triplett, residence hall director at Hashinger Hall, said that communication within the hall was more important than communication with KU police and that it was easier to reach a telephone in a smaller hall than in a larger one.
PIZAZZ! JUST SHUT UP DANCE!
radios.
WEDNESDAY Lowest Prices Legally Possible! $1 PITCHERS It's unbeard of!
THURS.
LADIES'
NITE
Ladies get in FREE
'til 9:30 p.m.
25¢
DRAWS
pizazz (pi-zaz') n. Slang. Flamboyance; zest; flair. (Expressive.) Ultimate dance experience.