Campus/Area
University Daily Kansan / Fridav. March 23. 1990
3
House votes on tax relief bill
By Rod Griffin
Kansan staff writer
TOPEKA — The House yesterday took steps to quell turmoil among property taxpayers when it passed to the government and amended to the current tax laws.
The House rejected 11 amendments and adopted three during the six-hour debate before passing the bill 66-57.
Because the bill would amend the state constitution, it requires 84 votes, or a two-thirds majority, to be placed on the ballot. The House is expected to take final action on the bill today.
The bill, written primarily by State Rep. Robert Vancrum, R-Overland Park, would amend the reappraisal and classification law passed by voters in 1986.
Vancrum's amendment would reduce the tax rate on residential
Kansas '90 egislature
property and vacant lots to 10 percent. Commercial and industrial property assessment rates would be reduced from 30 percent to 20 percent. Fraternal benefit societies would be assessed at 12 percent rather than 30 percent.
The assessment rate for mobile homes would be reduced from 12 percent to 8 percent in real property would be assessed at 25 percent instead of 30 percent.
The proposal would restore merchants' and manufacturers' inventories, amendments to the amendment passed by the House would exempt the first $100,000 of
Some legislators were critical of restoring the inventory tax, which was removed by the 1986 amendment. They claimed restoration could hurt the state's ability to attract new business.
inventory.
But others criticized the current law for giving tax breaks to big business.
"Let's please not forget this makes a very serious policy decision, a very bad policy decision for the business State Rep. Keith Roe, R-Mankato.
"If there one thing I've learned in my eight years up here it's that when the hogs are coming to the trough, they always want more in the barn. Ski Resp. Ken Grotewell, D-Wichita, "Right now the big hogs are getting plenty."
State Rep. Bill Reardon, D-Kansas
Civ. said taxes were the fourth thing
that businesses considered when they planned to move into a state. Location, education and the work force were considered more important than taxes.
"I don't know of anybody who got a rate decrease because their taxes went down," Reardon said.
Other amendments to the bill exempted lodges as armaments.
The personal property of utilities would be assessed at 35 percent—a 5 percent increase. The tax was decreased in 1986.
State Rep. Marvin Barkis, D-Louisburg, urged the House to pass the bill.
"It is the best of the reasonable solutions out there," he said.
State Rep. Bill Wisdom, D-Kansas City, warned House members that something needed to be done to provide tax relief.
Regents move to delay decision on restricted-use fees
By Pam Solner and Sandra Moran Kansan staff writers
TOPEKA — A proposed mandatory $15 a credit hour fee for engineering students was put on hold yesterday, until
He said that establishing that power would set a dangerous precedent and that the fees should be spread to all the disciplines.
"There will be no end to the num-
board of bills acts on a long-term tuition policy next month. Stanley Koplik, executive director of the Regents, said the Regents usually considered tuition fee If restricted-use fees were approved, schools applying for permission to impose a fee would have to show that they were underfinanced, that they had exhausted other sources of financing and that the money was necessary.
ber. He did not think the Regents would consider the issue earlier and was left alone to make decisions.
"I have not seen sufficient evidence that this be moved out of the normal cycle," he said.
Yesterday, the Council chose not to take action on the item because of Koplik's recommendation to delay it until next month, when the Regents will consider a long-range tuition plan.
On Wednesday, the Council of Chief Academic Officers recommended approval of the fee, which would pay laboratory expenses for students taking engineering classes at the University of Kansas, Kansas State University and Wichita State University. That action sent the proposal to the Board of Regents Council of Presidents.
The Regents Task Force on Tuition Policy yesterday presented its recommendations for a long-range tuition plan for Regents institutions. Among the seven recommendations were criteria for authorizing restricted-use fees, such as the engineering fee, when the board could not use supplemental general-use financing.
If restricted-use fees were approved, schools applying for permission to impose a fee would have to show that they were underfinanced, admitted other sources of financing and that the money was necessary.
Speaking for the Regents Students' Advisory Committee, which also reviewed the recommendations, B. Jake White, KU student body president, concurred with all the task force recommendations except the restricted-use fees.
ber of academic programs considered underfunded." he said.
Regent Charles Hostetler told White, "You want the best of both worlds, the finest equipment and the best, but you don't want to pay for it."
Speaking to the Council of Presidents about the proposed engineering fee, Del Brinkman, KU vice chancellor for academic affairs, said the engineering equipment needs were little. The fee proposal recently was waived and approved by the engineering deans at the three universities.
"If there is any place where they feel a fee is needed for equipment, it is in engineering," he said.
If approved, the fee would provide an extra $400,000 for the KU School of Engineering. The money would be used for maintenance, operation and replacement of laboratory equipment.
"Roughly one-third will be used to support school-wide equipment and computer systems," said Carl Locke, KU de of engineering. The remaining two-thirds would be distributed among various departments in the school.
Locke said the fee would be charged only to students taking engineering classes. Requirements such as mathematics and other related courses would not be included.
"I'm guessing they would affect a substantial number of classes that students will be taking," he said.
Locke called a meeting of students and faculty Wednesday to discuss the
Locke said the fee probably would go into effect in Fall 1991.
Keith Thorpe/KANSAN
Spilled fuel
A Lawrence firefighter sprays a detergent solution on diesel fuel near the east entrance of Lawrence Riverfront Plaza. About 50 gallons of fuel spilled yesterday when a tractor trailer ran over a safety barricade, puncturing a fuel tank, a fire department official said. The fuel was cleaned up by firefighters, with the help of the Lawrence Street Department, using sand, detergent and dry cement.
3 measles cases causing concern
By Steve Bailey
Kansan staff writer
Three confirmed cases of measles, two in Salina and one in Clay Center, have health officials concerned that the disease may spread to the University of Kansas.
"In all, there have been seven confirmed cases of measles and 13 suspected cases in Kansas," said Greg Crawford, director of public information for the Kansas Environment. "Suspected cases were treated like confirmed cases for outbreak control purposes."
Kay Kent, health officer at the Douglas County Health Department, said measles also had been reported in Greenwood and Riley
"If there are confirmed cases of measles in the state or in surrounding states, we are on the alert," Kent said. "People need to be immunized because this is a very contagious and dangerous disease."
Kent said no cases of measles had been reported in Douglas County this year.
Crawford said that cases also had been reported in Crawford County.
He said the department had ordered extra doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines to treat patients with health departments that needed it.
Charles Yockey, chief of staff at
Disease brings blahs or worse
Measles is a highly contagious, viral disease that is spread much like the common cold. The disease, which can have severe complications, can be devastating to college campuses.
Immunization with measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are the primary way to avoid contracting the disease. People who have not had the vaccination or had it between 1963 and 1967, when the vaccine was ineffective, should get new vaccinations.
Symptoms of measles:
Sore throat
Fevei Cough
Headache and muscle ache
Watery discharge from the eyes and nose
Photophobia, a condition in which the eyes are painfully sensitive to strong light
A red, blotchy rash that usually first appears on the face and spreads to other parts of the body
Measles, if not treated quickly, can result in pneumonia, convulsions, encephalitis, coma and in some cases death.
'The fact that we haven't had any cases so far this year is encouraging. However, with our widely traveled students, we are always susceptible to having measles on campus.'
— Charles Yockey
- Charles Rockey chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center
Watkins Memorial Health Center, said the period from January to May was the most likely time of the year for the disease to appear.
"The fact that we haven't had any cases so far this year is encouraging," Yockey said. "We've traveled students, we are always susceptible to having measles on campus."
Yockey saw that in places such as Los Angeles and Chicago meaples were a problem year-round. That could affect the University.
"We have many students from
the Chicago area where measles is a real problem," he said. "When students leave the University and come back, there is always the risk of a student bringing back a highly contagious disease.
Yockey said the recent immunization program at Watkins for new students was one way officials were trying to stop the threat of a major outbreak on campus.
Real Representation to offer real commitment
"Because of this, minor outbreaks of measles are going to be possible and even probable over the next few years."
By Matt Taylor
Kansan staff writer
The Real Representation coalition said yesterday that it wanted to represent the entire student body and Senate as well as past Student Senates had done.
Todd Boerger, presidential candidate, and Mike Thomas, vice presidential candidate, said no other coalition had matched their commitment to represent the student body as they. They said their coalition was composed of all students, including several leaders of student organizations.
"We want representation back in Student Senate," said Thomas, Lake Forest, III., junior.
The other main issues they list are: Academic advising. They would like Senate to recruit applicants for peer advising, so Boerger, Winfield
senior. The Advising Support Center and various schools would train peer advisers to help students better understand the timetable and student catalog.
Students feel more comfortable talking with other students than with professors, they said.
■ Communication. They recommended that the University Daily Kansan publish Senate's budget, which would show students how their $28-a semester activity fee was allocated and heighten awareness of student finances. Single child may afraid to disclose the allocations of student money, including the salaries of the president and vice president, they said.
Minority recruitment. Minority enrollment should increase 7.7 percent by 1992, they said. Racial minority faculty also should be increased.
Mike Thomas and Todd Boerger of Real Representation Coalition.
All of their campaign publications are in shades of green to bring awareness to environmental concerns, including expanded recycling and discontinued use of styrofoam in Lawrence, they said.
Beerger said he had deep roots in the University of Kansas.
Boerger said, "We've gone for quality, not quantity, in our coalition. It's time to change to less politics and more student service."
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