Campus/Area
University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, January 24, 1990
3
Center prepares children for school
Helping toddlers rewarding KU student volunteers say
By Jonathan Plummer Special to the Kansan
As playtime comes, the preschoolers sort through a box of shoes near the door, each child quickly try to find his own pair. Even before the last shoe is tied, one child turns over the outdoor barrel filled with balls, sand shovels and other toys.
Soon, the playground becomes a circus performed at knee level. Some children form a train down the slide; some see how far they can throw a ball. Some ask if they can be the next one lifted high into the air by the teacher.
Some talk and run with children on the other side of a chain link fence that circles the playground. But a teacher soon gently shoem them back to play with the others inside the fence.
The fence divides the Brookcreek Child Care Center, a specialized preschool for children with learning or behavior problems, from the surrounding Edgewood housing project.
Brockcreek, 1600 Haskell Ave.
specializes in programs that help prepare children for kindergarten classes, but because the center's enrollment is at capacity, children are shrugged away.
Now a group of KU students is trying to make that help available.
KU Friends for Brookcreek, formed in December, is a support group to provide volunteer work at the center and to conduct a fundraising campaign. They hope not only to help those children already inside the fence but to make room for those outside as well.
"I see a need for people to find activities and groups to which they're not just belonging, but can really make a difference in," said Mr. Sullivan, who is the senior and president of the KU Friends for Brookcreek. "We can
see everything we do making a difference in a child's life."
Barash said the organization began when he and some friends volunteered to paint the center. When they met the children and got to know more about the history of Brookcreek, they found themselves spending more and more time there.
"At first I wasn't really a bit interested," said Rick Knubley, Leawood senior. "Brian asked me to paint, and I said fine."
But as he met the children and later played Santa Claus for them at Christmas, his interest grew.
"Something about (playing Santa) got me to feel, 'I need to do more.' The joy I could bring in for just a bit of my time . . . that made me feel real good," said Knobley, who is now the treasurer of KU Friends.
KU Friends has formed at a fortune time for Brookcreek. The center is becoming more independent of the Lawrence Housing Authority, which started Brookcreek as a day care center in 1881. Brookcreek adopted its specialized programs in 1987.
The center gets aid from the United Way, Social and Rehabilitation Services and the housing authority, but a deficit remains.
Barash hopes that with the creation of KU Friends, some of the center's costs can be deferred by students volunteering their time.
Barash said that because the group was young, it could use many more members. He was encouraged by the interest students showed when the group set up a booth at the Kansas Union during spring registration. But the group still is looking for new members.
The group's first organizational meetings are at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Feb. 4 in 1005 Haworth Hall.
Fernando Egea, Overland Park junior, helps Mario Gray Jr. tie his shoes at Brookcreek.
City noise proposal gets initial approval
Kansan staff writer
By Kathryn Lancaster
Commissioners unanimously approved a first draft of the proposal, which would be enforced 24 hours.
Lawrence city commissioners heard little protest last night concerning a proposed ordinance against disturbing the peace.
"It's a control tool for the administration to use to take care of a situation that gets out of control. It's better to keep less." Mayor Bob Schumm said.
The ordinance provides exemptions for emergency work and vehicles, alarm systems, trash pickup operations and aircraft or railroads. It also would exclude temporary crowd noises such as those caused by school, governmental or community groups.
The proposal, which originally was introduced by the Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods, has been revised several times and initially was opposed by student representatives.
The students met with the association and the city staff to work out a compromise on the issue.
B. Jake White, student body presi-
uent, said he was cautiously enthusiastic about the draft passed yesterday.
He said he would urge students to cooperate with the ordinance but also would urge students to watch carefully for any abuse.
William Dann, Lawrence resident, was the only person to speak against the proposal.
Dann said he didn't believe the ordinance would have any effect on noise levels in the city. Nor did he believe that students should have been involved in drafting the ordinance.
"It was not drawn up by people committed to protecting the law-abiding majority from invasive noise." Dann said.
"To say that the KU student body makes up the most inexperienced and irresponsible segment of our school, I hardly understand." "Even as a group, I think we could list a great deal of their contributions to the community."
Commissioner Mike Rundle took exception to one of Dann's remarks.
Commissioners will consider the final version of the ordinance at their next meeting. Feb. 6.
Student pleads to reduced charge
Wilson guilty of drunken joy ride in police vehicle
By Rich Cornell Special to the Kansan
The KU student charged last semester with taking a Lawrence police car while drunk pleaded guilty yesterday after the prosecution reduced one of his two charges.
James L. Wilson, Olathe sophmore, pleaded guilty at a pre-trial hearing in Douglas County District Court to the mediemanear charges of attempted temporary deprivation and operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
In an arrangement in November, Wilson pleaded not guilty to temporary deprivation and operating a vehicle while under the influence.
Borrowing a person's belongings without permission constitutes temporary deprivation. Driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 percent or more is operating under the influence.
During yesterday's hearing, Wilson's attorney, Donald Strole,
James L. Wilson Olathe sophomore
'We hoped for the deprivation to be dropped completely.'
"Your honor, on Oct. 6, 1989. Mr. Wilson had been drinking at The Wheel." Strole said. "He saw a police car with its engine running and nobody in it and the keys in it."
Wilson said, "I drove about a block or so."
Stole said Wilson was drunk when he took the car.
"He must have been," Paddock said.
Paddock found Wilson guilty of both charges and ordered him to return to court for sentencing at 4 p.m. on Feb. 12.
Because Wilson has a 3:30 p.m. class that day, Strole requested another sentencing time. How much did he had no other available times.
pleaded guilty after Rick Trapp, assistant district attorney, agreed Monday to reduce the original charge of temporary deprivation to attempted temporary deprivation.
"He's going to have to miss class," he said. "I'm sure he's missed class before."
"That's the best I could do," Wilson said. "We hoped for the deprivation to be dropped completely."
The operating under the influence charge remained the same.
missed class before.
After the hearing, Wilson said he
Trapp said he agreed to the reduced charge because the original charge would not result in a tougher sentence.
"From our experience, we didn't think it would make any difference in the sentence," he said.
The original deprivation charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail, twice the maximum of the amended charge. Trapp said. But he expects that if Wilson's sentence includes a jail term, it will stem from the driving under the influence charge instead.
Operating under the influence carries a penalty of at least 48 hours in jail or 100 hours of community service. For each of the two charges the maximum jail terms, which can be imposed consecutively, are six months.
Students take time rallying for kids
By Sandra Moran
Kansan staff writer
Laura Templet attended a rally on the steps of the Capitol in Topeka yesterday in support of Child Advocacy Dav.
Templet, Lawrence sophomore, said she and 15 other students went as part of their social welfare class.
Rosemary Chapin, assistant professor of social welfare and one of two KU faculty members at the rally, said, "We did it to bring attention to the needs of children and to be recognized by the Kansas Legislature."
She estimated that 500 people attended the day-long event, which included a rally on the Capitol steps, a general assembly meeting and time allotted to contact legislative officials to express concern about budget cuts.
The rally was organized by Kansas Action for Children, a child advocacy organization.
Templet was involved with the Women's Transition Care Service and saw the effects of government cuts. The service provides shelter for battered women and their children.
"As a mother, I'm concerned with the governor's cuts and how that would affect welfare in the state of Kansas," Templet said.
She said the rally showed statewide support for restoring programs that provide social welfare for children.
Templet said that after the event she contacted the office of State Sen. Wint Winter Jr., R-Lawrence, to express her concern.
"I wanted to make sure that they knew that the people in this district support programs for social welfare," she said.
Tom Laing, administrative assistant to House Minority Leader Marin Barkis, D-Louisburg, said Barkis met with the organizers and that he shared concern about the cutback the Legislature has enacted.
He said Barkis had worked for two years in an effort to get more money into the plans.
"We're not talking about numbers, but about real people," Laing said.
Forrest Seal, assistant professor of social welfare, who attended the rally, said the Legislature was trying to restore part or all of the governor's
"If they pass a measure that restores the cuts, then the fear is that the governor will veto it," Swall said.
Laing said this was just a threat.
"If he does veto, I suspect there will be a serious effort to override that veto." Laing said.
Cummn said the most pressing issue the rally addressed was the recent suspension of a bill that would have increased money for foster care by 10 percent.
This was in addition to a $9-a-person decrease given to children and caretakers by Aid to Families with Dependent Children, an income maintenance program through Social Rehabilitation Services.
An example of the effects of this is a family of four which receives $385 with the new cuts, the family would only receive $349 each month.