Campus/Area
University Daily Kansan / Thursday. January 18, 1990
3
Watkins tries to fight epidemics
Fall enrollment will be tied to proof of immunization plan
Mary Jo Brown, a registered nurse, gives an Immunization to Alan Wellman at the Watkins Memorial Health Center.
Phil Ellsworth/KANSAN
By Steve Bailey Kansan staff writer
A plan to place holds on spring enrollment for new students lacking current immunization shots was delayed until Fall 1990, a Watkins Memorial Health Center official said yesterday.
Charles Yockey, chief of staff, said the program to place holds on enrollment was delayed because of a staff shortage. Mr. Yockey who would be affected by the plan.
The program was to require documentation of immunizations for measles, mumps and rubella for all students newly admitted or readmitted to the University beginning with the Fall 1989 semester. The program included incoming freshmen, transfer students and new graduate students, Yockeve said.
Those students not showing documentation of immunization would have had a hold placed on their Spring 1990 enrollment and would not have been allowed to enroll until documentation was presented. he said.
The computer, however included students at the Regents
F
Forty-one adults nationwide died of measles last year. Obviously, one death is too many with a disease that is preventable, and measles is definitely preventable.'
— Charles Yockey Watkins chief of staff
Center in Overland Park, the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, and students born before 1957, who should not have been affected by the program.
This problem delayed the process of determining how many
students had not compiled, and the program was not ready by the time enrollment cards were printed in October, Yockey said.
"About 2,000 students had not complied, and there was no way to hold the enrollment of that many people," Yockey said. "We still have the holds on the computer, but they are not on the enrollment cards."
Instead, 1,400 letters were mailed to students' home addresses in late December that stated that students who did not comply by March 5, 1990, would have a hold placed on their permit to enroll for the April enrollment period, said Ray Walters, associate director of student health services.
Yockey said the program was important because of the measles outbreaks nationwide during the past three years. Lawrence had an outbreak of measles last spring.
"Students need to have these shots because these illnesses are very contagious and can be in the entire University, Xoyek said.
"Forty-one adults nationwide died of meaesle last year," he said. "Obviously, one death is too many with a disease that is preventable, and measles is definitely preventable."
Most students had the shots earlier in their lives, but it is important to find out if the immunizations are up to date, Yockey said.
"Ninety percent of all college students are already immunized," he said. "For most students it is just a matter of documentation."
Diane Hendry, who is in charge of checking student immunization records, said that since Monday she had seen about 200 students.
"I have a feeling not everyone will comply, so we plan to keep this going until school is out," Hendry said.
Circulating virus can be treated and avoided
By Buck Taylor
Kansan staff writer
Although recent weather has been far from wintry, students returning to KU should be reminded that alliments associated with the winter months have not been warmed. A Watkins health official said.
Charles Yockey, chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that though many of winter's maladies were minor, one virus could be more serious. Cases of the "Type-A Shanghai" influenza strain have been reported in Kansas.
influenza diagnosed in December, which is uncommon, because we normally do not see these strains of influenza until the middle of January. Yockey said.
He said that this strain, one of about 2,000 known viral strains, was transmitted through the same means as the common cold. Influenza viruses can be pass on through secretions and by hand-held hand sanitizer or mission, such as through coughing, also has been reported.
Barbara Schnitter, director of nurses for the Lawrence Health Department, said she knew of one reported case of a Type-A virus in
"We had a case of Type-A
Lawrence. It was not the same case reported at Watkins.
"We have heard of only one case here in town, and that was diagnosed by a local physician through a throat culture," Schnitter said. "Other than that case, we have had no other problems."
Symptoms for this strain of influenza usually appear abruptly and can include a fever of 101-103 degrees, headache, a dry cough and severe muscle aches.
"The most uncomfortable of the symptoms are the muscle aches that generally radiate from the lower back," Vockey said.
Shooting death of Topeka freshman ruled accidental Witness recalls victim may have loaded gun that later killed him
Special to the Kansan
By Rich Cornell
The Nov. 13 shooting death of a 21-year-old KU student was accidental, a six-member jury decided Dec. 28 in a Douglas County coroner's inquest. A KU sophomore named Brian shot Brian Robinson, Topea freshman, once in the head with a nine-millimeter Smith and Wesson handgun, said Chris Mulvenon, Lawrence police spokesman.
The critical point of information is that the gun had been handled through the evening, and it was unloaded. This was someone picking up a gun who knew it was unloaded and it was loaded.'
Jim Flory
Douglas County district attorney
Brian agreed to be interviewed only if he was not fully identified.
Robinson, Brian and about a half-dozen other men spent the afternoon of Nov. 12 target shooting near Clinton Lake, Mulvenon said. Then they went to one of the men's apartments in the Tanglewood complex and played with several guns.
The men checked all of the guns when they arrived at the apartment to ensure that they were unloaded, Brian said.
"All the pistols and rifles were unloaded," he said. "Everyone was just screwing around."
Later in the evening, Brian said,
most of the men left the apartment.
leaving only him, Robinson, the man living in the apartment and another Lawrence man.
Robinson was shot in a bathroom in the apartment, Mulvenon said. Brian entered the bathroom, aimed the nine-millimeter handgun at Robinson and shot him.
"The victim had been shaving when the shooting took place," Mulvenon said.
Police records state that the shooting took place about 4:20 a.m. The man living in the apartment immediately called 911.
the apartment had triggered the gun several times during the evening and did not know who loaded it.
"It was supposedly unloaded, and it turns out it wasn't," he said. Jim Flory, Douglas County district attorney, said that during the night of the shooting, Robinson asked whether anyone had live ammunition for the nine-millimeter handgun used to kill him. The man living in the apartment pointed to a dresser drawer that held nine or 10 rounds.
Brian said that he and the others in
he did not know the gun had been loaded, Flory said. He asked the jury to recommend to him whether charges should be filed.
Neither Brian nor the other two men who were there knows if Robinson loaded the gun. Flory said.
"The critical point of information is that the gun had been handled through the evening, and it was unloaded," he said. "This was someone picking up a gun who knew it was unloaded and it was loaded."
The jury in the inquest did not recommend charging Brian with involuntary manslaughter because
To charge someone with involuntary manslaughter, Flory said, a prosecutor must show that a death occurred while the person was lawful act done in a wanton manner.
Included in the definition of wanton is realizing the immediate danger of a situation, he said. Poor judgment is also involved in constitute involuntary manslaughter.
A law concerning deaths resulting from another's carelessness might help in such cases, he said. Such a law would be similar to vehicular manslaughter, which can be proven by an examination while acting without reasonable care.
"Perhaps that's a gap in the existing laws." Fliw said.
Impaired judgment resulting from the four men's use of alcohol may
have played a role in the jury's decision. Florv said.
Mulvenon said a police investigator tested Brian's blood-alcohol level about five hours after the shooting. The result, 0.098 percent, was a little less than 0.10 percent, the amount at which one cannot legally drive a motor vehicle.
Moddrell said a person's blood alcohol level typically dropped 0.025 percent each hour, indicating that Brian's would have measured about 0.22 percent at the time of the shooting.
Robinson died with a blood-aloebo level of 0.10 percent, Mcdonnell said.
level of 90.0°C because another
Brian said neither he nor the other
in the apartment drank much the
night.
"Nobody was visibly drunk," he said.
Brian accepted his friends' invitation to shoot at Clinton Lake Nov. 12 out of curiosity about semi-automatic rifles, he said. Before, he had fired nothing bigger than a .22 caliber gun.
During the police investigation, officers found a long, high-powered rifle, two shotguns, several handguns and knives in the apartment. Mulvenon said.
Brian said his curiosity about guns was gone.
Students, city agree on noise proposal
By Kathryn Lancaster
Kansan staff writer
The roar of protest concerning a proposed city noise ordinance has subsided slightly during the semester break.
Lawrence city commissioners tabled a noise ordinance proposal until mid-January, giving students more opportunity to comment. Mayon Bob Schumm has requested that he be on Tuesday's meeting agenda.
In December, student representatives met twice with city staff and members of the Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods, the group that introduced the noise ordinance proposal.
See related story p. 6
At a Dec. 18 city study session, Schumm presented a compromise proposal drafted by city staff. That proposal was well received by members of both groups.
"The city's proposal is much more acceptable to students and is more fair than the original proposal," said student body president B. Jake White. "Although we don't support any noise ordinance, this one shouldn't cause students any alarm. It's much more fair and rational than the first proposal and is something we can live with."
The city's version includes lesser penalties and broader topic areas than the original proposal, Schumm said. The ordinance is predominantly aimed at controlling party noises and amplification of electronic instruments.
It would be in effect daily from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., but would not affect organized athletic contests or school buildings. Also exempted from the ordinance are short-term public community activities, such as parades, fireworks displays, musical performances, street or park festivals or exhibits.
Steve Lopes, association chairman, said his group was pleased with the proposal.
"Our main concern is the time limit. Eleven o'clock still seems a little early," said White, who attended both interim meetings.
"We feel that the staff's compromise ordinance is very acceptable," he said. "We had to give on a few occasions but we feel that it will do the job."
The association's proposal called for a $250 fine or 10 days in jail for a first offense.
Student representatives opposed that ordinance, saying that it was biased against students and Greek houses and that the fines were excessive.
"I don't really care about fines; they were never an issue," Lopes said. "The fines got people's attention. I just want elderly folks to be able to sleep at night."
Schumm anticipates some controversy when the issue is brought to the commission, but he believes the city staff's ordinance will become law.
"Students still feel that the proposal is aimed at them, but it's not." Schumm said. "It's a good ordinance, but students probably won't be totally happy with it."