Basketball: KU women win final exhibition game at home, 108-72. Page 10
Prize: Professor Marilyn Stokstad named as a finalist for international award. Page 3
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
NEWS 864-4810
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1996
PAGE 1 VOL.103.NO.#57
ADVERTISING 864-4358
(USPS 650-640)
KU freshman arrested for reputedly striking RA
A McCollium Hall resident went to jail Sunday morning after he punched a resident assistant.
KU police arrested Juan Neal, Lawrence freshman, after he struck Ronald Bell, Ballwin, Mo., junior, in the head.
KU police officer Gayle Reece said McCollum residents had called the front desk just before midnight Saturday to complain about loud music coming from a ninth floor room.
Bell, the RA on duty, approached the room and confronted Neal at his door.
The two argued about the noise, and Neal reportedly struck Bell.
Bell called KU police from the hall's front desk.
Dan Blood, Lawrence graduate student and complex director at McCollum, said he could not comment on the incident because there was pending action in the case.
According to the arrest report, Neal became combative, belligerant and rude to the police. He also resisted arrest.
Neal appeared in court yesterday and was released on a $750 bond. His next court date is Nov. 19.
—Kansan staff report
Guerrillas,government to sign peace agreement
VINA DEL MAR, Chile — Guatemala has reached a peace agreement with the guerrilla movement that will put an end to 36 years of fighting. President Alvaro Arzu announced yesterday.
Azu told the closing session of the Sixth Ibero-American presidential summit that the final accord with the guerrillas would be signed Dec. 26, formally ending a war that took at least 140,000 lives.
He gave no details before his announcement, which was saluted with a long ovation by nearly two dozen other Latin-American heads of state, who attended the two-day gathering. Among them was Cuba's Fidel Castro.
Arzu said word of the peace pact was relayed to him late yesterday from Mexico, where talks between representatives of his government and the guerrillas had resumed a short while under U. N. mediation.
Government negotiators, army and rebels of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity, known as the URNG, signed a provisional cease-fire in March.
—The Associated Press
Christopher attempts to end Hebron stalemate
CAIRO, Egypt — On his final Middle East trip, Secretary of State Warren Christopher is making a long-shot effort to break a deadlock between Israel and Palestinians about the future of the West Bank town of Hebron.
Here mostly for a Middle East economic conference, which is designed to promote peace through investment and development, Christopher set up a meeting last night with Yasser Arafat and a follow-up session today with Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy.
Israelite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Arafat by telephone Sunday before flying to the United States for a series of speeches, but the two did not break the deadlock.
—The Associated Press
Christopher brought his senior Middle East adviser, Dennis Ross, with him and sent Ross in to see Arafat first.
State Department representative Nicholas Burns told reporters, "We are still working on it, but don't expect a breakthrough."
Christopher will resign before the start of President Clinton's second term in January, and a search for a successor is under way.
New proceses help voters
By Neal Shulenburger Kansan staff writer
Students who registered to vote and never received a registration card had different experiences when they went to the ballot box.
For Sammyne Wentz, Almena junior,
voting without a card was easy.
"When I got there I asked for a provisional ballot and they looked on the list of people who were registered and I was on it," she said. "The
card had been lost in the mail. They just gave me a ballot and let me vote normally."
A measure called rail-sare young helped several students who thought they would not be able to vote otherwise.
"This is the first year for fail-safe voting and no one was denied the ballot," said Douglas County Clerk Patty Jaimes. "They could vote a provisional ballot even if they didn't have a card."
Under this provision, people who did not have a registration card put a ballot in a sealed envelope and wrote their reasons for not having a card on the envelope. Jaimes said
excuses ranged from moving from state to state and failing to re-register to registering at the University and never getting a card.
"If I could verify that any individual had registered anytime since 1989, I basically let their ballot count," James said. "If I couldn't verify it, I didn't let it count."
The measure proved to be necessary for June Newman, Lawrence senior. She registered on Oct. 10 at a table in the Kansas Union. Newman did not receive a card in the mail two weeks later, and when she inquired about it to the state, she was still listed in Johnson County, where she lived during the 1994
election. She found out about provisional voting when she called the Douglas County Clerk's office.
"My polling place is at Kennedy School. I went late in the day and they gave me a voter registration card," she said. "They sealed my envelope and I was told they would be dealt with later."
Newman said that the new voter registration act, which allowed groups and individuals to pick up and distribute registration cards, was a tradeoff at best.
"It makes it more convenient for people to vote, but at the same time it makes these problems more common," she said.
"This is the first year for fail-safe voting and no one was denied the ballot."
Patty Jalmes Douglas County clerk
Playhouse represents hard work
By Cameron Heeg
Kansan staff writer
The KU Habitat for Humanity club is building small for big publicity.
The club is building a 4-foot tall playhouse in front of Wescoe Hall to increase awareness about Habitat for Humanity's KU and Lawrence chapters. The construction will continue through Thursday.
"We are trying to get the word out about what Habitat for Humanity does for the Lawrence community and communities all over the world," said Kathleen Wherry, KU Habitat club president and Olathe senior. "We really want people to get involved with not only the building of the playhouse, but to get involved with other activities the club is working on."
The playhouse will be raffled off on Dec. 8 after it travels to Wal-Mart, 3300 Iowa St., Hyvee, 3504 Clinton Parkway, and Payless Cashways, 3434 Iowa St. Tickets for the raffle are on sale for $1 at all sites. The profit will be used for KU Habitat projects.
Mike Sierra, Payless Cashways employee, assists Kathleen Wherry, Olathe senior, with the construction of a playhouse yesterday. KU Habitat for Humanity will hold a raffle for the playhouse on Dec. 8 as a fund raiser for the organization.
Fric B. Howell / KANSAN
Habitat for Humanity started in 1976 and now has more than 2,000 chapters worldwide. The organization builds reduced-cost housing for low income families.
A house that would normally cost $80,000 to
$100,000 receipt families an average of
$35,000. Volunteer labor and donations of money or materials from businesses makes habitat houses cheaper. Recipient families are required to help work on the house for at least 500 hours.
The KU Habitat chapter restarted in 1993 after a five year hiatus from the University. The club cooperates with the Lawrence chapter to improve low-income housing in Lawrence.
Recipients of Lawrence homes are selected on the basis of need and ability to repay a loan during a seven- to 30-year period.
Jenny Lawson, Lenexa senior and club member, said students should get involved in the organization because it would give them a chance to help Lawrence.
"If you do get involved, satisfaction will come from helping a family in need and also being able to see a finished house that you personally helped build," she said.
Kansas' increase in finances small compared to most states
By Lindsey Henry Kansan staff writer
The state of Kansas has a problem with its financing of higher education, and a study from Illinois State University has the numbers to prove it.
The study, conducted by Illinois State University's Center for Higher Education, reported that state appropriations for colleges and universities were at an all-time high. Nationally, $46.5 billion was allotted to higher education for fiscal year 1996-1997.
Yet colleges and universities in Kansas averaged only a four percent increase, although states like California and Nevada received a 20 percent raise. Missouri received a 16 percent increase in funding for its universities and colleges.
Financing for the University of Kansas increased by $193,102 or 3 percent, the lowest of the six state universities.
Dick Mann, director of University administration, said that although
there were many factors contributing to the lack of money, the decrease could be attributed to the state's slow growth rate.
The study from the Center for Higher Education reported 22 states gave at least 10 percent more to higher education, as compared to two years ago — a feat Kansas hasvet to accomplish.
"There are competing priorities for funding in the state." Mann said. "Higher education in Kansas has to do better, and we have to convince the legislature of that."
"The problem is, we are significantly behind, we are only funded at about 80 percent of our peer institutions," said Provost David Shulenburger. "We need to compete, but we have to advocate the things the Board of Regents have given us the OK for."
Shulenburger said the Regents approved that state universities advocate faculty salary increases and technology improvements during the spring legislative session.
Mann said future financing
depended on how the universities presented their problems.
"it's up to you to make a compelling statement," he said. "we are hard-
pressed to keep up with technology. Without the most modern equipment, it affects our graduates' ability to compete."
Falling behind
Kansas ranks 40th in the nation in funding growth for higher education. Missouri, its neighbor, ranks 5th. Shown here are the states' compared funding growth, the top five funded schools, and
y
University of Kansas $193.1 3%
Kansas State University 134.6 4
Wichita State University 53.4 5
Pittsburg State University 25.6 4
Fort Hays State University 25.0 4
Statewide total 706.7 4
SOURCE: University Relations
University of Missouri 373.0 10%
Southwest Missouri State University 58.6 21
Central Missouri State University 47.0 12
Southeast Missouri State University 38.9 12
Truman State University 34.8 13
Statewide total 775.1 13
Andy Rohrback/KANSAN
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Neather: Page 2
INDEX
Opinion . . . . . . . . . 4
World News . . . . . . . 7
Scoreboard . . . . . . 8
Classifieds . . . . . . 9
Sports . . . . . . . . . 10
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents.