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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PUBLISHED SINCE 1889 BY THE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1989
(USPS 650-640)
VOL.99, NO.87
Pay-raise hopes fade on the hill
Congress' demand to take vote overrides speaker's politicking
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The speaker of the house, Jim Wright, caved in Monday to opponents of a 51 percent congressional pay raise, demanding
a vote that likely will keep senators and representatives from getting any increase.
Jim Wright
Wright set the vote for today.
He expected to give its assent quickly.
and send legislation halting the raise, due to take effect at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow, to President Bush. Senate Republican leader Bob Dole said he expected Bush to sign it.
Wright had planned to let the raise take effect tomorrow, then have the House vote the next day to scale it back to 30 percent. Members of Congress would have seen their annual salaries jump, at least temporarily, from $89,500 to $135,000. The raises also would have affected federal judges and top executive branch officials.
The speaker relented after opponents won a dramatic vote to keep the issue alive on the House floor. He said the chamber would vote Tuesday and promised, "The majority will rule."
The resolution then would go to the Senate, which voted 95-5 Thursday for a differently worded rejection measure.
At a late afternoon news conference, Bush was asked. "Would you sign a bill that vetoes the pay raise, not only for members of Congress, but also for federal judges and other high officials in the government?"
he answered. In an apparent reference to the pay raise, "I said I would support it."
Wright's turnaround came after pay raise opponents mustered a 238-88 majority against a House Democratic leadership motion to adduce.
"The majority will spoken, and the majority will speak emphatically." Wright said afterward.
Wright conducted a private survey of House members last week and said the results showed they did not want a vote before the raise took effect. That, random surveys by The Associated Press and other organizations showed many favored a vote.
A weekend Gallup Poll indicated overwhelming public opposition to the pay raise. The Gallup organization asked 1,001 adults from Friday through Sunday whether they favored or opposed increasing congressional pay from $89,500 to $135,000. The results, with a 4 percent margin of error, showed 82 percent opposed it.
Besides the raise for members of Congress, the presidential commission proposed:
—Increasing the president's pay from $200,000 to $350,000 and the vice president's from $115,000 to $75,000. The raises would not affect President Bush and Vice President Dan Quavle.
Question—Raising the salaries of top federal officials, now in the range of $75,500-$99,500, to a range of $15,100-$15,500.
- Hiking the salary of the chief justice from $115,000 to $175,000 and the salaries of associates justices of the Supreme Court from $110,000 to
- Raising the pay of federal appellate judges from $95,000 to $140,000 and that of federal district judges from $89,500 to $135,000.
Retired congressmen, presidents,
vice presidents, top federal officials
and other federal judges also would
receive higher pensions
Bush's appointees 'bend backwards'
Officials accept tighter standard against conflicts
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President George Bush defended the ethical conduct of high-ranking officials in his administration Monday but said he might have to tighten standards and make "our people bend over backwards" so they avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest.
Bush's statement came as C. Boyden Gray, his longtime counsel and chief ethics adviser, reversed an earlier decision and resigned as chairman of a multimillion-dollar communications company.
Last week, Louis Sullivan, the president's nominee for secretary of health and human services, asked whether he could take a pad sabbatical leave from the Morehouse College School of Law. Sullivan said later he would forift his accumulated sabbatical pay, estimated at $300,000.
Bush said both officials had acted properly and gone beyond what was actually required.
The president also defended former Sen. John Tower of Texas, his nominee for secretary of defense.
Bush said that all of Gray's actions had been reviewed and approved by the office of Government Ethics as he served for eight years as Bush's counsel during his vice presidency.
against new allegations of woman-
ing and drinking, as well as other
matters. Asked if he would still
endorse Tower, Bush said, "Yes, I
can and I will right now."
Earlier, Gray had said he would remain as head of the firm but would refuse a salary, complying with rules announced by Bush last July during the presidential campaign. Gray changed his mind and decided to resign after consulting with the leaders of Bush's new ethics commission and seeing his financial background become front-page news.
Spurred by publicity about his finances, Gray announced he was stepping down as chairman of the family-owned Summit Communications Group, Inc., and putting his personal assets — estimated at $10 million — into a blind trust.
Gray is the latest Bush appointee to find himself in the spotlight after questions about his ethical or personal conduct.
Allegations about drinking and womanizing by Tower resulted in a delay on a confirmation vote by the Senate armed Services Committee.
As part of a new recycling drive, Steve Henry, Little Rock, Ark., senior, throws away his aluminum cans.
Recycling drive begins with Wescoe
by Max Evans
Kansan staff writer
The first day of a recycling effort in Wescoe Hall resulted in a few aluminum cans, a substantial amount of wastepaper and a lot of support from students.
Enviros, a student organization that promotes environmental awareness, placed plastic drums for aluminum cans and cardboard boxes for newspaper and computer paper yesterday in Wescoe cafeteria and on Wescoe's fourth floor.
100. "Maybe it'll make a difference," said Mark Rasmussen, Lawrence senior. "It's really not the money, but maybe it'll change some attitudes."
Rasmussen, who is not a member of Environs, said that he had picked up newspapers from the fourth floor of Wescoe and put them into the box marked for recycling.
RECOVERY Response also was favorable from workers in the Wescoe cafeteria
terra Carol Kelsey, Fau Chiu Wu, junior, who works in the cateriace said, "I think it's great. It's going to really cut down on the amount of garbage we have."
But most of the effort in the cafeteria has been from the cafeteria workers, said Steve Anderson, Missouri. Misses in the cafeteria, who also misses in the cafeteria,
"The people leave their stuff on
the tables." Anderson said. "The bus people have been sorting the newspapers out, but there aren't that many cans."
Christine Biller, Murphybsboro, Ill., senior and Environs member, said that the group had talked to most of the department heads in Wescow about picking up their wastepaper as part of the effort. Computer paper, which had been outside many of the offices in Wescow, made up the largest bulk of yesterday's collected recyclables.
Biller said the whole recycling effort was an experiment aimed at convincing the University that recycling was feasible.
"We're going to try to show the University that it's profitable, and hopefully they'll take over," Biller said.
Environs members will empty the drums daily into a central storage area on the fourth floor of Wescoe Once a week, starting Feb. 14, the materials will be picked up by Till-Star, a recycling company from Topeka.
Mike Tiller, co-owner of Till-Star, said the group would recycle aluminum, newspaper, computer paper and some plastic.
"It takes a while to get a new program going, so we'll just see how it goes," Tiller said.
ASK lobbies legislators for Margin
bv John P. Milburn
Kansan staff writer
However, the effort made by student groups has been influential in defining the role of education in the State Senate. Wint Winter Jr., R.Lawrence.
"Two or three years ago, students
TOPEKA - Students who spent hours lobbying for the Margin of Excellence may have tried to prove a point which already has been accepted, members of the Legislature said yesterday.
"There are not really that many swing votes for the Margin of Excellence in the Legislature," said State Rep. Alfred Ramirez, R-Bonner Springs. "I think that in many cases we pretty well have a feel for how our constituents want us to vote."
Members of the Associated Students of Kansas spent yesterday meeting in small groups with state officers to solicit support for the Margin.
The Margin of Excellence is the Board of Regents three-year plan to bring the total financing of its seven institutions to 95 percent of their peer schools and to bring faculty salaries to 100 percent of their peers.
1. knock it is getting to the point where every special interest group feels they need to be here to express their views," Ramirez said.
Direct student lobbying has shown to the Legislature that students are concerned about the type of education that they receive, Winter said. Before, if students didn't come to speak out, the Legislature assumed that students were content with the current system, he said.
other tough decisions that deserved attention.
prioritize.
He said that it was agreed by the Legislature to finance the second year of the Margin, but the question would be to what extent.
"We've got X number of dollars, and highways, prisons and mental health issues to consider." Ramirez said. "That's when you have to prioritize."
He said that faculty, staff and members of Regents lobbied the Legislature, but that these groups had a vested interest in education.
Ramirez, member of the House Education Committee, said that he supported the Margin, but that the Legislature was faced with several
State Rep. Betty Jo Charlton, D-Lawrence, said that once the House had decided upon the return of the tax windfall, it would look to education as one of the top priorities.
After he leaves his job on July 1, Davis said that he would spend a year on sabbatical by writing, preparing classes and practicing law.
was one of the top priorities. She said that the efforts of ASK should be focused on the soft votes
Brinkman said that Mike Davis, outgoing dean of law, was interviewed by the committee that characterized the candidates needed.
"When people go on sabbatical, the University offers a choice." Davis said. "They can either be given one semester's leave at full pay or receive one year's leave. You must also be appropriate to take a full year's leave to give the new dean the appropriate elbow room."
Gov. Mike Hayden has tried to tie the issue of Washburn University to the Margin proposal because of the budget surplus that exists in the state she said. That surplus could be used to finance the Regents schools, including Washburn.
legislators without a large student constituency who haven't made up their minds. She said that few of these votes existed in the Legislature but deserved attention.
Davis said that he met with the committee last week and discussed with the members the kind of attitude he thought would most
Charlton also was concerned about the status of Washburn University.
"I'm looking for a recommendation from the committee." Brinkman said. "After I receive the recommendation, I'll join the committee in the interview process."
help an applicant succeed as dean of law.
Winter said he did not support the inclusion of Washburn into the
Search for law dean replacement continues
See LOBBYING, p. 6, col. 5
July 1. he said.
academic in managemenBrinkman said that the search committee members were nearing the point at which they could select the finalists and begin the interview process.
A national search to find a replacement for the KU dean of law is continuing and should be concluded in April said Del Brinkman, vice chancellor for academic affairs.
view process
The committee and Brinkman bank announce in April the name of the person who will assume the deaw of law position or
by a Kansan reporter
Students unite in Margin appeal
by Alan Morgan
TOPEKA — Despite bad road conditions from the weekend snowfall, students from the seven Board of Regents schools converged on the capitol yesterday to lobby for the second year of the Margin of Excellence.
Kansan staff writer
About 250 members of the Associated Students of Kansas spent the day urging representatives and senators to support the Margin.
The Margin is the Regents three-year plan to bring the total financing of its seven institutions to 95 percent of their peer schools and to bring faculty salaries to 100 percent of their peers.
"All of the students from the various State Regents schools are working as one organization, for one goal today," said Kelly Milligan, Topeka senior and director of the KU chapter of ASK.
"We have to give and take a little for all of the schools to obtain a common goal. It's important that we have an organized front when lobbying for Margin of Excellence."
ing forMargin ofExcessive loss Hayden's recommendation to fully finance the second year of the Margin is considered generous by members of ASK but has raised some concerns.
brough. Milligan said that about 75 KU students attended the lobby day at the capitol. He said that various members of ASK planned to return to the statehouse throughout the spring session to continue pushing for the legislation.
legislator. the majority of the students that attended the lobby day were from KU and Kansas State University. Other schools each sent 20-30 representatives, said John McIntyre, director for Asian students at the Margin a needed boost. He added that about 100 people from KState attended.
"The general funding Hayden proposed for Margin of Excellence was wonderful," Milligan said. "We're now concerned that there are some we feel that it is too generous. We may have a hard time with getting some aspects of the legislation through."
from K state access are that "This is day crucial for us." McIntyre said. "People will recognize the number of young people interested in the legislation. I think they are impressed that students are willing to travel to the statehouse and talk with them about their schools.
They know that statistics show that students are generally apathetic and this type of showing sends a strong signal that we are concerned
about our education."
McIntyre said that many of the legislators would enjoy getting a chance to talk with the students.
ASK members attending the lobby day agreed to urge the legislators to support full financing for the Margin.
The students told the legislators that they would be willing to accept higher tuition to fund their education and was provided for lower-income students
ASK members also urged legislators to approve a $50,000 increase for the Youth Education Service Program. The program provides jobs for college students who work as tutors in children with academic problems.
Liz Lampie, Kendall freshman, said that she hoped ASK would be able to get the support needed for the Margin.
given.
"Being from western Kansas, I realize they probably have what they consider to be more important issues like farm concerns and highway funding." Lampa said. "But as a student of KU, I hate having a graduate teaching assistant for all of my classes.
"I think it's important to improve the situation in our state colleges so we can keep Kansas students in Kansas."