UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, December 4, 1996
3A
Nigerian doctor examines nation's brutality
By Bradley Brooks Kansan staff writer
The Nigerian military government's violent suppression of its people and a U.S. oil company's support of that government was explored on the KU campus last night.
Owens Wiwa, a Nigerian medical doctor and human rights activist, addressed more than 150 people at the Woodruff Auditorium in the Karsas Union.
"I am not going to be politically correct tonight, but I am going to tell the truth," Wiwa said. "The Nigerian government cannot explain the brutal-
ties that have occurred against the Ogoni people."
wiwa is the brother of Ken Saro-
Wiwa, a Nigerian environmentalist
and writer who was executed on Nov.
10, 1995 by the Nigerian government
for the alleged murder of four Ogoni
chiefs.
Saro-Wiwa was one of the leading spokesmen against the Nigerian government and the Shell Oil Company for their environmental pillaging of his Ogoni homeland, in northern Nigeria on the fertile Niger delta.
The fact is that we are subjected to slavery on our own lands," Wiwa said. "Oil has meant poverty in Nigeria. Oil has meant a military dictatorship in
Wiwa said that despite the billions of dollars gained by the Nigerian government and Shell as a result of the oil pumped out of his homeland, most of his fellow Ogonians live without running water or electricity.
Nigeria."
Before Wiwa's speech, a 55-minute documentary called Delta Force was shown. Included in the film were home-footage clips of the burned villages and corpses lying on the ground after being ransacked by military troops, scenes of Saro-Wiwa's public speeches, and footage of his trial in the murder case. Many leaders, including Great Britain's prime minister John Major, denounced the trial as
Rebecca Dupree, Independence senior, said she learned much from the documentary.
a means to get rid of opponents to the military regime.
"Ken Saro-Wiwa was an exceptional person. The film showed the transgressions of the Nigerian regime and Shell Oil," Dupree said. "It leaves me interested in hearing the defenses the two have tried to formulate in the last year."
Wiwa said that the execution of his brother and the eight other co-defendants in the murder trial were not the only wrongdoings against the Ogoni people in Nigeria.
"In my homeland, high pressure gas
and oil pipelines run through our front yards," Wiwa said. "In my time in this city, I have not seen any pipelines above ground. If those lines break, it is our homes, our farms, that are destroyed."
Wiwa said that since 1958, Shell had wreaked environmental havoc on his homeland. Gases, such as carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide, have been spewed into the air continually, resulting in the pollution of air and water in the area.
Matthew Caldwell, president of KU Enviros, which co-sponsored Wiwa's speech with KU Amnesty International, said that because of American's hunger for oil, we have a
part in the atrocities in Nigeria.
"The most important thing for students to understand is that we have our hands in the murder of these people," Caldwell said.
Wiwa said, though, that Americans could take some simple steps to help save the lives and land of Ogoni's people.
"You have the responsibility to see that the oil you buy does not result in the killing of my people," Wiwa said. "You can help, Write to Shell and tell them that what they are doing in Nigeria is unacceptable. Write President Clinton. If you want to help us, I plead to you to put pressure on Shell to just be more humane."
Frost-Mason proposes equipment fee
Ry Eric Weslander
Kansan staff writer
Like it or not, students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may purchase new equipment for the college next year.
Sally Frost-Mason, dean of liberal arts and sciences, has proposed an equipment and technology fee of $3 per credit hour for students in the college. If approved by the provost's office, the fee would not be implemented until at least next fall. It would be used to purchase new equipment for all of the college's departments.
Virtually every department that we have has requests for equipment and technology that would be used
for instructional purposes," Frost-Mason said. "This is something that has been discussed for the last three or four years."
Frost-Mason said she had received requests for equipment, including new slide projectors and interactive video equipment, but lacked funds to purchase new equipment.
The proposal Frost-Mason submitted was signed by administrators from Kansas State's College of Arts and Sciences, who submitted to their president an identical proposal with Frost-Mason's signature. Duane Nellis, associate dean of arts and sciences at K-State, said he hoped the collaboration would make people realize that the need was widespread.
"These are the universities that are often held up as examples of excellent universities, yet at the same time we don't have a lot of the equipment we need." Nellis said.
"This will be a chance for us to keep abreast of new developments, as well as replace obsolete equipment." Nellis said.
At both universities, administrators said they had spoken to students to find out whether they would support a technology and equipment fee.
"They don't want this to go into some pool of funds somewhere," Nellis said. "They want to see the direct infusion of these funds into the appropriate laboratories."
Frost-Mason said she had spoken with several student members of the College Assembly who initially were opposed to the idea but changed their minds after discussion.
"It is extremely important to include students in the decision-making process," she said. "This is not going to go very far without the support of students."
Julie Hanson, Arden Hills, Minn., sophomore and member of the assembly, said she would not mind paying the fee.
"It's not really that much money, and I think most people wouldn't mind paying it," Hanson said. "Anything that would bring us up to date in technology would be beneficial."
City says no to company's bid for another hospital
By Liz Musser
Kansan staff writer
Hazing policy increases members' responsibility
Lawrence will remain a single-hospital town.
The Lawrence City Commission voted unanimously last night to deny a permit that would have allowed Columbia/HCA to build a hospital in northwest Lawrence, west of Highway 40 and Folks Road.
Almost 400 Lawrence residents gathered at the Holiday Inn Holidome, 200 McDonald Drive, to hear and discuss Columbia's and Lawrence Memorial Hospital's cases on the proposed hospital.
Kansan staff writer
By Ashlee Roll
In the wake of recent hazing incidents at the University of Kansas, officials have extended the responsibility in cases of hazing to include chapter officers and individuals who have prior knowledge of hazing and do not report it.
"The fact is that we have had an anti-hazing policy for 10 years, and there is a state statute that makes it a criminal offense, and there are still incidents of hazing," said Vice Chancellor David Ambler. "With incidents like Delta Chi, the University showed that it wasn't going to tolerate hazing. There were several incidences this fall, and we realized that we still need to have everyone's attention."
"When one member of an organization acts on their own and violates the code, the officers will
The code of student rights and responsibilities says, "Organizations, their officers and/or individual members may be sanctioned in a manner suitable to the circumstances."
Ambler said officers of greek organizations were not in jeopardy of being held responsible for incidents they were not aware of.
not be held responsible," he said,
"only when we can clearly demonstrate that officers know it happened or aided and abetted."
The code of student rights and responsibilities defines hazing as including, but not limited to, "any action, activity or situation which recklessly, negligently or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health, welfare or safety of a person; creates excessive fatigue, mental or physical discomfort; exposes a person to extreme embarrassment or ridicule; involves personal servitude; or substantially interferes with the academic requirements or responsibilities of a student."
Ambler said hazing was a ritualistic part of an organization, and the organization could be held responsible for its members' behavior.
Grey Montgomery, student body president, said the language added to the code was not to isolate individuals but to allow responsibility for a violation to rest on the whole organization.
"There may be officers that have heard of something and didn't do anything. Now they will be held responsible," Montgomery said. "The Senate deems by letting something happen, it's just as bad."
David Watkins, the attorney representing Columbia, said that a second hospital in Lawrence would provide the community with a choice in health care which, in turn, would force LMH to lower its costs.
"Right now, people leave Lawrence because their insurance gets beds cheaper in Kansas City," Watkins said.
He also said that, unlike other industries, competition in the health care business causes prices to rise because it forces hospitals to enter an "arms race" to obtain the most expensive equipment.
Watkins also said that a second hospital would provide more competitive wages for health care employees and that it would increase the tax base of the community.
Ray Davis, a member of the LMH board of trustees, said that 71 percent ofLMH's market used the local hospital. Davis said this market acceptance was higher than other area hospitals.
Joe Harkins, LMH board member, said that a second hospital in Lawrence was unnecessary.
"It's laughable to propose that there is a need for another hospital in Lawrence." he said.
Harkins also said that Columbia was not interested in competition, but in eventually forcing LMH to close.
"Columbia spells competition K - I -
L-L." he said.
Two hours of public comment followed the presentations of Columbia and LMH.
Commissioner Allen Levine said that although the decision was hard for him to make, he did not think Columbia's proposal provided anything very different from what Lawrence already has.
Commissioner Bob Moody said he did not think tonight's meeting resolved the issue of health care in Lawrence.
"Both of these businesses have a tremendous challenge ahead of them," he said. "My biggest fear is that LMH will become complacent. Complacency will bring LMH down faster than anything I can think of."
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