SPORTS: Top high school recruit Raef LaFrentz announces he will play at Kansas next year. Page 11.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOL.103,NO.62
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1993
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
(USPS 650-640)
Law changes Chinese students' residency
NEWS:864-4810
Human-rights violence in China sparks act to protect protesters
By Sanaka Samaras Special to the Kansan
Thanks to a controversial act signed by former President George Bush last fall, KU may see a significant increase in minority enrollment next semester.
An expected 6 percent increase in minority enrollment is the direct result of the Chinese Student Protection Act, or CSPA.
The CSPA, instituted as a response to the 1989 Tianamen Square massacre, has enabled more than 42,000 Chinese students in the United States to become permanent residents.
Between 100 and 150 Chinese KU students may be eligible for permanent residency.
"So when they enroll next semester they will all be classified as minority students and not international students," said Gerald Harris, director of International Student Services.
According to the CSPA, all Chinese nationals who entered the United States before April 11, 1990, and have remained in this country since then, automatically became eligible for permanent residency in July of this year as long as they applied for it.
An official at the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Kansas City, Mo., said some applicants already had been notified, and the rest would receive notice of their status change in the next few weeks.
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
REACTION: Though many KU Chinese students support the Chinese Student Protection Act, concerns have been raised by China's government and students left
According to the Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars, or IFCSS, the primary jobbving group in Washington for the act, about 54,000 Chinese nationals have requested permanent residency under the CSPA. More than 42,000 have been approved so far.
unprotected by it. Page 5.
Songun Huang, chief of staff of the IFCSS, said 90 percent of those who were eligible for permanent residency under this act were working on their master's, doctorate or already have completed their studies.
Huang said the IFCSS lobbed aggressively for the act because of "the blatant human rights abuses in China."
Huang said that he went back to China last July and did not have any trouble with the authorities. But he said he knew of other students returning from the United States who had been harassed during their stay.
He said that protesting human rights violations was not permitted by the Chinese government.
The Chinese government vehemently denied these charges.
"We've never targeted students as a group," said Xialong Wu, consul at the Chinese Consulate in Chicago. "We prosecute people who break the law, just like the United States prosecutes criminals."
Wu said the Chinese government was opposed to the CSPA.
He said that the act had been established because some Chinese were not satisfied with their government. However, he said dissatisfaction with governments was common around the world, even in the United States.
"Does that mean that the United States is going to protect everybody who says they don't like the Chinese government?" he asked.
Shaohui Huang, Lawrence graduate student and president of the Chinese Student and Scholar Friendship Association, sits in his office in Haworth Hall. Huang says that there are many sides to the issues raised in the Chinese Student Protection Act.
Wu said the United States should not interfere in China's internal affairs.
"You shouldn't be telling your neighbor how to arrange their furniture or what color their curtains should be or which vegetables to grow," he said.
The Chinese government introduced several measures last August aimed at encouraging students to return home.
Document No. 44 of the Chinese State Council promises government assistance in finding jobs, increased financing for research projects and allowing returning students to leave China without having go through the normal bureaucratic channels. It also declares a general amnesty to participants in the democratic movement re-entering the country.
However, most Chinese students view Document No. 44 as a gimmick and do not see any evidence of a significant change in government policy, according to the ICFSS.
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
Lawn maintenance?
russe roust, Topeka freshman and Phi Kappa Psi fraternity pledge, destroys a television set in front of his fraternity house. Foust and other members of his fraternity were destroying various junkyard items in the front yard yesterday for an upcoming party.
Dragonfly exhibit shows off work of entomologist
By Brian James Kansan staff writer
A chance to highlight the work of researchers and students in the KU Museum of Entomology does not come along very often, said Byron Alexander, assistant professor of entomology and assistant curator of the museum.
So when Karla Segequist, Topeka graduate student, thought of constructing a 6-foot by 4-foot display of dragonflies in their environment, Alexander was delighted.
The table, titled "Dragonflies at Potter's Lake," looks at the insects' environment and why they live at the lake. Segelquist hand painted the exhibit, which is on display inside Snow Hall's east entrance.
"This entomology museum is funded primarily for research," he said. "We just can't create the huge displays such as the ones in the museum at Dyche Hall," he said.
The display features nine preserved dragonflies of six different species that were
"There is a lot of research done here and there aren't a lot of visible exhibits," she said. "This is one of the best entomology museums in the nation, and I wanted to do it on a subject that would be interesting."
Segelquist said she was glad she could show other students what kind of research was done at the museum.
caught by Segelquist at Potter Lake. The entire exhibit took 150 to 200 hours to complete, she said.
Segelquist said she chose Potter Lake because it was a subject that students
would recognize.
"It's an area of personal interest, and students know it as a campus landmark," she said. "I've seen a lot of them come by and look at the exhibit, and they always seem interested in the pond area."
Alexander said the display, along with drawers of insect specimens, educated younger students from area schools who visited the museum.
Segelquist said dragonflies were commonly found in marshy areas and eat other insects by the lake for food.
Cuomo is top choice for speaker
Problem with location delays speech planning
By Donella Hearne
Kansan staff writer
This spring KU students could have the opportunity to hear New York Gov. Mario Cuomo speak.
The KU Lecture Series committee has chosen Cuomo as its first choice to speak at KU next spring. But nothing is final because a definite location for the lecture has not been found.
The field house is the only facility at KU that is large enough to accommodate the crowd that the lecture series draws. The committee is planning to meet with the KU Athletic Department to discuss a possible delay in the renovations, which would allow the speech to take place at the field house.
Last year Attallah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X, and Yolanda King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., attracted more than 4,000 people to the lecture.
David Stevens, lecture series committee co-chair, said that if Cuomo came the crowd would probably be that large or even larger.
If the field house is unavailable, he said, the only alternative would be the Lied Center, which only seats about 2,000. If the Lied Center were used, students would have to be turned away, just like Friday's scenario with Noam Chomsky's speech, Stevens said.
Kathryn Price, co-chair of the committee and Student Senate representative, said she thought Senate would rather see the lecture at the field house.
"That's what Student Senate wants, to be able to draw the biggest crowd," she said.
The committee already has formulated a letter to invite Cuomo, but the date cannot be confirmed until a location is reserved.
Space is one factor in finalizing plans for the lecture. Other factors include the speakers' availability and the their fees.
If Cuomo is booked and cannot attend, the committee has drawn up a list of alternatives.
The committees selections are based in part on the results of a poll taken at last year's lecture series presentation, Stevens said.
"Everyone got a poll sheet as they came into the speech," he said. "Of 30 possibilities we chose the 10 with the most votes and decided from there."
The decision has been difficult, Stevens said, because of the diverse interests represented by the committee members. They have tried to settle on a speaker who is known for personal achievements, will bring the most people and carries the deepest message.
"We think Mario Cuomo meets almost all of those criteria," he said.
Price said that candidates had to be approved by Student Union Activities and Student Senate, the main sponsors of the bill, and their fees had to fall within the series' budget.
"I think he's a really good choice and a lot of people will turn out to see him," she said.
Stevens said Cuomo's speaking fee of $20,000 was within the range the lecture series could afford.
"Twenty thousand is pretty average for a speaker with that kind of name recognition," he said. "Jerry Seinfeld charges $80,000, and Bill Cosby's fee is over $100,000."
Stevens said he thought the committee had made a good choice.
"There has been a lot of debate in the committee," he said. "There are a lot of people with broad interests. It's a diverse group and I think a good representation."
Rockabilly rage
Bands such as the Rev. Horton Heat and Hellcat Trio are taking the once underground music and feeding it to the masses.
Page 9.
Critic unimpressed with Lied Center sound
Auditorium acoustics still require tuning
Since the Lied Center opening, the University of Kansas previously had heard nothing but praise for its acoustics reverberating through the walls of the auditorium.
By Chesley Dohl
Kansan staff writer
But Sunday, Scott Cantrell, classical music editor for The Kansas City Star, made that praise resonate no more.
In Sunday's edition of the Star, Cantrell criticized the acoustics of the Center, saying the auditorium lacked resonance and clarity for symphony music.
Cantrell attended the San Francisco Symphony's performance at the Lied Center
last night. He said the sound of the San Francisco Symphony projected out into the 2,024-seat auditorium, with an "in your face 'hi-fi' sound" that quickly died.
The problem with the Lied Center acoustics, he said, is the space between the exterior grillwork on the sides of the auditorium and the sound-absorptive curtains within.
"The technology has been around for some time to design music halls to adjust to any type of performance in auditoriums," Cantrell said. "They had the opportunity with this new facility to tailor the acoustics — but somewhere they failed."
But Peter Thompson, dean of the School of Fine Arts, said he was not upset with Cantrell's criticism. He also said there were still adjustments to be made with the Center's acoustics.
"Technically I don't believe he was wrong
in his criticisms," Thompson said. "But I believe he may have overstated his opinions."
Cantrell may have had a problem with the center's acoustics, but members of the symphony praised its sound quality.
"This was our first experience with a full house and large orchestra," he said. "I don't want to make apologies for the Center but I do hope we can make adjustments in the direction of his criticisms."
Herbert Blomstedt, conductor for the San Francisco Symphony, said the tuning of the acoustics was in fine hands with Kirkgaard and Associates, the acoustical
Thompson said the San Francisco Symphony was the first one to use the Lied Center. But he said that during the symphony intermission, the curtains were adjusted and it had made a noticeable difference in sound quality.
consulting firm in charge of the Lied Center's sound dynamics.
it's a wonderful hall and a wonderful building," Blomstedt said. "It's nice to play in, and it has very clear acoustics."
Lynn Bretz, University relations, said Cantrell also compared the Lied Center's acousties to some of the nation's well-known concert halls.
"You have to understand the Lied Center is a multi-purpose facility." Bretz said. "It's flattering he's comparing it to the other halls of the world."
Nancy Kaiser-Caplan, director of development and public relations at the Lied Center, said KU was still in the process of tuning the hall.
Cantrell drew some attention to the Lied Center. Kaiser-Canlan said.
"We've encouraged him to do a follow-up story." she said.