Basketball: Kansas women ousted by Vanderbilt, 51-44. Page 10
Parking: Ad hoc group has been appointed to study parking proposal. Page 3
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
****************3-DIGIT 666
KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 3
PD BOX 3585
TOPEKA, KS 66601-3585
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
NEWS 864-4810
TUESDAY. MARCH 18, 1997
ADVERTISING 864-4358
SECTION A VOL.103.NO.120
(USPS 650-640)
Supreme Court upholds illness responsibility law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court let stand a Florida law yesterday that makes it easier to sue tobacco companies to recover Medical money spent treating smoking-related illnesses.
The justices turned down industry arguments that the measure unlawfully seeks to stack the deck in the state's favor.
Florida is one of about 20 states that have sued tobacco companies in attempts to get reimbursed for Medicaid funds spent to treat smokers. Mississippi's claim is scheduled to go to trial in June, while a trial in the Florida case is expected to begin in August.
Florida's claim is aided by a law, believed to be the only one of its kind in the nation, that aims to help the state recover money from anyone believed responsible for a Medicaid patient's illness.
The 1994 measure was aimed at the tobacco industry, according to those who challenged it in court—including cigarette maker Philip Morris and Associated Industries of Florida, a business group.
Philip Morris lawyer Gregory G. Littie noted the action was not a ruling on the merits of the law, and he said his company could renew its challenge after the trial if necessary.
Judge refuses to delay McVeigh bombing trial
DENVER — The judge in the Oklahoma City bombing case yesterday refused to delay Timothy McVeigh's trial despite a stream of news stories about his purported confession.
U. S. District Judge Richard Matsch said jury selection would begin as planned March 31.
The stories about McVeigh appeared in recent weeks in The Dallas Morning News, Playboy and Newsweek.
"I have full confidence that a fair-minded jury can and will be empaneled and that those selected will return a just verdict based on the law and evidence presented to them." Matsch said.
"Judge Matsch has addressed these issues, and we'll hope he's right." Jones said after the ruling.
McVeigh's lawyer, Stephen Jones, had asked Matsch to dismiss the charges or delay the trial.
Matsch noted the story had been reported extensively in the two years since the bombing. Nearly 1,000 prospective jurors have been summoned, and Matsch expressed confidence that careful questioning could produce an impartial jury of 12 members and six alternates.
man crashes fuel-laden truck into abortion clinic
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A man wearing a crash helmet and earplugs smashed a pickup full of propane tanks and gasoline cans into an abortion clinic early yesterday. The fuel did not explode, and no one was inlured.
After driving through the front doors of Family Planning Associates about 2:15 a.m., the man got out and tried to ignite gasoline that had been poured on the outside of the pickup, police Sgt. Bill Henry said. A security guard stopped the man and held him until officers arrived.
Some gasoline burned briefly but caused no major damage to the building, which was empty.
The Associated Press
Peter Andrew Howard, 44, of Bakersfield was jailed for investigation of terrorism with an explosive device at an abortion clinic and attempted destruction of an explosive device. Howard, a nurse who left his job at a hospital in December, has picketed the clinic in the past, the sergeant said.
Henry said the truck bed contained three five-gallon bottles of propane and a dozen five-gallon cans of gasoline.
BSU stands to lose $5,800
Former vice president says group can make do with less
By Dave Morantz
Kansan staff writer
The saga of the Black Student Union's financing continues.
After fighting to keep its block allocation status and seeing almost $10,000 cut from its budget allocation, a former BSU vice president recommended at last week's Student Senate meeting that another $5,800 be slashed from the organization's budget.
Dion Jones, St. Croix, Virgin Islands, sophomore, off-campus senator and finance committee member, said after serving as BSU's vice president last year, he believed the $5,800 could be better
spent on other University organizations.
"I don't think it would have been fair for me to sit there and not say anything when other organizations needed the money more than BSU," he said. "You're not going to, see a decline in what BSU does."
Jones used Hilltop Child Development Center and KU Legal Services for Students as examples of organizations in dire need of money.
The debate about BSU's Senate financing began last semester. After discovering the organization had overspent its account by $420 and had not included the Student Senate logo on some printed materials, the Senate finance committee recommended the full Senate not renew BSU's block-allocation status.
Block-allocation status allows an organization to receive a lump sum from Senate each year and use it at the organization's discretion. Other groups must apply for line-item allocation, forcing them to ask Senate for specific amounts of money for specific events.
In the final Senate meeting last semester, the full Senate rejected a bill that left BSU off a list of groups recommended for block-allocation status, sending the bill back to the finance committee.
In its first meeting this semester, the committee reversed itself and narrowly recommended reinstating BSU's block-allocation status. After deliberating on the amount of money to allocate to each of the 17 groups, the committee recommended BSU receive $20,800,
almost $10,000 less than the
$30,500 the group had requested.
Last week when the full Senate received a budget bill stating how much money organizations would receive, Jones recommended reducing BSU's budget to $15,000. That forced Senate to send the bill back to the finance committee and make a change before Senate could vote on the bill.
The finance committee will discuss the bill at its next meeting on April2. The full Senate will vote on the bill April9.
Julius Williams, BSU adviser, said the organization would have no comment until it designated a representative to speak about the issue.
Kelly Huffman, Bellevue, Neb., junior and finance committee chairman, said although he supported the decrease, he was surprised Senate had considered
Jones said the finance committee originally had reduced BSU's request by almost $10,000 because the organization had asked for more than $6,000 for a computer printer and more than $5,000 for salaries of executive officers.
"After the fiasco last semester, I didn't think slashing some of BSU's budget would be considered," he said.
Jones said he also did not think BSU needed almost $5,000 to sponsor Def Comedy Jam, an event he believed an organization like Student Union Activities could pay for.
"If they give me $6,000 for a printer, I'm going to spend $2,000 for a printer and put the rest into the budget," Jones said. "I know the type of programming BSU does, and I really don't believe it will hurt the organization in any way if they had $15,000 or $20,000."
Forwards Jennifer Trapp, Shelly Canada, guard Erin Reed, and forward Patience Grayer show their disappointment at the KU women's 51-44 loss against Vanderbilt, Monday night. With this loss the women have ended their season with a 25-6 record.
Vanderbilt halts Kansas women
By Tommy Gallagher
Kansan sportswriter
For the Kansas women's basketball team, the first home loss of the season couldn't have come at a worse time.
The Jayhawks' season, as well as the careers of five seniors, ended with a 51-44 loss to Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last night at Allen Field House.
"It's pretty tough," Trapp said, crying. "You really work for 4 1/2 years of your life for this. I have no regrets. I love this university. We've had a lot of success here, and we've had a good season."
Other Kansas seniors include guards Tamecka Dixon and Angie Halbleib and forwards Patience
Kansas forward Jennifer Trapp said dealing with the end of her college basketball career would not be easy.
Graver and Shelly Canada.
"These girls competed when there weren't even people in the stands," Washington said. "I feel so badly for these girls because they wanted to win this so much. They came to Kansas when we were still building, and they've left a lot of wonderful things for young players."
Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said this senior class would always be remembered.
Candle display promotes smart decision-making
Greeks fight drunken driving with Safe Break Week festivities
By Harumi Kogarimal
Kansan staff writer
KU sorority and fraternity members lit candles last night, hoping to raise awareness about the dangers of drunken driving before spring break.
Todd Hupe, Highlands Ranch, Colo., freshman and organizer of Safe Break Week for Greeks Advocating Mature Management of Alcohol, said five executive members from GAMMA had placed sand bags with candles near the houses of Sigma Nu, Kappa Alpha Theta, Chi Omega and Alpha Gamma Delta last night.
Anne Donohue, president of GAMMA and Omaha, Neb., junior, said 25 sand bags with candles were placed at each spot.
"It's symbolizing 25 people who died in alcohol-related incidents." Donohue said.
Last year, 25 individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 died in drunken-driving accidents in Kansas. Donohue said.
GAMMA Safe Break Week is March 16-18. Donohue said GAMMA intended to call students' attention to the risk of drunken-driving accidents before they left for spring break. This year is the first time the group lit candles symbolizing the deaths of victims of drunken-driving accidents.
GAMMA also organized a barbecue and a volleyball tournament on Sunday and a Safe Break Week campaign fair on Wescoe Beach that runs through today.
They will be having their version of the game show Singled Out tomorrow from 4 to 5 p.m. at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union.
Also tomorrow, 33 greek social chairpersons will wear Dead Day T-shirts, Donohue said. The black shirts read "I'm dead" on the front and "Last year in Kansas over 400 people died in alcohol-related accidents" on the back.
Hupe said he wanted the T-shirts to send a message to the rest of campus.
"we hope a lot of people read it," Hupe said. "We are trying to stimulate people into thinking."
State Senate debates abortion bill
Act would require in-person advising
By Ann Marchand Kansan staff writer
The abortion debate has reared its ugly head once again in the Kansas Legislature.
following last year's vetof the proposed law known as the "Woman's Right-to-Know Act of 1996," abortion opponents have weakened the bill this year and reintroduced it in the hopes it will pass this session. It has passed in the House and awaits consideration in the Senate.
"My first thought about it was that it was the most condescending and patriarchal thing that I have ever read," said Sarah Deer, Wichita law student and member of the Pro-Choice Coalition. "I think it's really insulting."
But some are concerned about the bill's intent.
Kansas law now stipulates that before a woman has an abortion, she must be notified at least eight hours prior to the procedure of the risks of the procedure and of alternatives to abortion.
Many clinics comply with the law by mailing the information to the woman before her appointment, and it is the woman's responsibility to read the information.
That means a woman who wanted to spend only one day at the physician's office would meet with the physician in the morning and would have the procedure in the late afternoon.
But the act would require the woman be informed in person about the facts concerning abortion, possible alternatives and available options eight hours before the procedure would be performed.
Tamara Morris, vice president of marketing for Planned Parenthood, said the act would place unnecessary barriers on women in rural communities.
"In a state like Kansas, where there
See STATE, Page 2A
SOURCE: 1994 study by Planned KANBAN Parenthood of Mid-Missouri and Eastern Kansas
TODAY
INDEX
Television ...2
Campus ...3
Opinion ...4
World News ...6
Horoscopes ...7
Classifleds ...9
Basketball ...10
4
农
6