CAMPUS: The University begins to make its case in the employee status hearing for graduate teaching assistants. Page 5.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOL.103, NO.24
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
ADVERTISING; 864-4358
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1993
(USPS 650-640)
NEWS:864-4810
student reported missing since Saturday
Last seen by roommate before game
By Scott J. Anderson Kansan staff writer
Family and friends are seeking help to find a KU student who has not been seen since Saturday.
Rob Johnson, 22, of 1737 Ohio St.
Apt. 12, was reported missing by his
roommate and cousin, Kyle Johnson,
on Saturday, according to Lawrence
police reports.
Rob Johnson was on his way to the Kansas football game when Kyle Johnson last saw him, the report said.
Kyle Johnson said he was very worried about his cousin and that his disan-
Rob Johnson
"We played tennis a few weeks ago, and we shot the breeze for about 15 minutes every now and then," Kelly Johnson said. "But he was busy being a GTA, and I was busy trying to graduate."
Rob Johnson is a graduate teaching assistant in math. His step-father, Mike Jaworski, said Rob had not taught a class or attended his own classes since Thursday.
Jaworski said Rob Johnson was supposed to meet his parents for dinner after the game. But when they arrived at his apartment, Rob Johnson and his car were not there.
"We're looking all over for him." Jaworski said from El Dorado. "This
is very unusual for Rob. We don't know what to expect at this point."
Jawsowski said the family had no indication that Rob Johnson was depressed before his disappearance.
depressed before his disappearance. Police officials said yesterday that Rob Johnson and his car, a yellow 1978 Buick Skyhawk, had been reported to the National Crime Information Computer, a database that allows law enforcement officials to identify and recover stolen or missing property or lost people.
One student said he thought he saw Rob Johnson walking near the scholarship halls Tuesday.
"I think I saw him, but I'm doubting
myself about it now that I know he's missing," said Angel Garcia, Olathe sophomore. "If that wasn't him, I sure hope they find him."
The residents of Stephenson Scholarship Hall, where Rob Johnson used to live, also are involved in the search. They have made 200 to 300 fliers that they plan to post on campus to alert people to his disappearance.
Mark Tregellas, Pratt senior, was Rob Johnson's roommate at Stephenson for a year and a half up until this semester.
"I talked to Rob about a week before," Tregellas said. "We were going to go see a movie that Saturday. I called Saturday, and Kyle said he had
left. Kyle called again on Sunday and said he had reported him missing. The whole thing is quite surprising."
Tregellas said he had no indication that Rob Johnson was having problems.
"He was teaching that math class and kind of getting a kick out of that," he said.
Jaworski encouraged anyone who might have information about Johnson's disappearance to call Lawrence police. Meanwhile, his family and friends are anxious for his return.
"We're just waiting," Tregellas said. "That's about all we can do right now."
Storm damage leaves University with cleanup bill
Crews' efforts to clear campus debris may take $10,000, extra removal time
By Brian James Kansan staff writer
Left with a loss of nearly $10,000 worth of trees on campus and an overwhelming amount of debris, campus and city officials are still being blown away by the damage and the ensuing cleanup demands left by Tuesday's storm.
"This was a messy storm more than anything," said Mike Richardson, director of facilities operations.
Cleaning up campus after a typical storm normally takes about one day for facilities operations workers. Richardson said.
"This was unusual," he said.
"Providing there are no more storms, we should finish by the end of the week."
Crews have been hauling trees, branches and debris left in all areas of campus since the storm, Richardson said.
"That's not even including the money the street maintenance division in Public Works will spend," he said.
Tom Wilkerson, assistant director of Lawrence Parks and Recreation, said cost of the cleanup — including extra personnel, overtime pay and equipment — could top $50,000.
Street maintenance officials could not be reached for comment.
Wilkerson said the department answered damage reports from north Lawrence to 28th Street.
"The storm was so much more widespread than others," he said. "We've had 200 reports of affected areas by the storm and they haven't stopped coming in."
Wilkerson said property owners should not expect city crews to pick up downed trees in their lawns.
"They can either hire a private contractor to come take it away or bundle the branches to put in the trash." he said.
City crews will pick up trees or
"...we were fortunate—it could have been a lot worse."
Mike Richardson Director of facilities operations
branches that are lying in streets or the areas between curbs and sidewalks.
Wilkerson estimated cleanup efforts in Lawrence would take two to three weeks.
Larry Brock, division superintendent for Kansas Power and Light in Lawrence, said 40 extra trucks were brought in from surrounding communities to help service downed power lines.
Brock said the combination of trees, electrical wires, and heavy winds resulted in 8,500 Lawrence residents without power for several hours after the storm.
KPL crews had restored electricity to most residents' homes by yesterday afternoon.
"Some trees that did not fall during the storm are falling now, leaving us with more of a mess," he said. "We've been efficient, though, with jumping in and restoring power when that happens."
Crews still will be trimming trees, replacing downed poles and wires the rest of the week, Brock said.
Though the storm left its mark on campus and in Lawrence, Richardson thought Lawrence was lucky.
"We had high winds and a ton of rain, but we were fortunate — it could have been a lot worse."
Valerie Bontrager / KANSAN
Bob Abbott, facilities operations employee, cuts off a tree limb at a University-owned house at 1043 Indiana St.. The tree was knocked over by the storm Tuesday and took down a power box disconnecting the phone, cable and electricity to the building.
KU,relax: Drayton behind bars
Former Kansas football player captured in Florida
By Scott J. Anderson Kansan staff writer
Former Kansas football player Kenny Drayton was captured yesterday in St. Petersburg, Fla., 10 days after he escaped from an Arizona prison.
A team of U.S. marshals and police officers arrested Drayton at a residence in St. Petersburg. The arrest stemmed from a tip from someone who saw Drayton featured on the television program "America's Most Wanted" on Tuesday night, said Mike Potter, spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service in Fla. Fla.
Potter said Drayton did not resist arrest. He is being held in the Pinellas County Jail in St. Petersburg. A hearing will be held today to confirm Drayton's identity. Authorities in Arizona said yesterday that Drayton said he would challenge being returned to Arizona by refusing to sign an extradition waiver.
Drayton was convicted in Bisbee, Ariz., on Sept. 10 on 14 felony charges, including rape, sodomy, kidnapping and armed robbery. He faces a possible sentence of 305 years in the Arizona State Penitentiary.
On Sept. 12, Drayton and three other convicts escaped from the Cochise County Jail in Bisbee. One of the men overpowered a guard and took his keys and radio. He then released the other three men. The four went to the jail's garage, pried open a door and fled on foot.
One of the men was captured in Arizona on Sept. 14. The other two are still at large, said Carol Capas of the Cochise County Sheriff Department.
The Florida marshal's office could not confirm that Drayton had family in Florida. College football media guides list Drayton's hometown as Homestead, a suburb of St. Petersburg.
At the time of the escape, Lawrence and KU police thought that Drayton might return to Lawrence. Fliers were posted in residence and scholarship halls and in campus buildings urging students to be on the lookout for Drayton.
"We're glad to hear that he's been caught, and we hope it helps put people on campus at ease again," said Sgt. Rose Rozmiarek of KU police.
Drayton was a wide receiver for the Jayhawks from 1988 to 1991. He was named an honorable mention to the 1991 All-Big Eight team. Potter said Drayton's mother told marshals that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had invited Drayton to training camp twice.
Drayton did not graduate from the University. He was last enrolled in Spring 1992.
Drayton had been charged with two misdemeanors in Lawrence. A charge of theft was dismissed in 1991 because of a lack of evidence. In 1992, he was convicted of taking a car without permission but without the intent to steal it. He was ordered to pay restitution and served probation.
Bring on the night
Disc jockeys at KJHK keep company in the wee hours of the morning with caffeine, good music and a few weird listeners.
Page 3.
Clinton presents health care program
He discussed the proposal with Democratic and Republican leaders at the White House before outlining his goals for Congress and the country during a nationally broadcast speech.
WASHINGTON — President Clinton proposed a massive make-over of the nation's health care system yesterday and said the country must guarantee lifelong medical care for every American regardless of income or well-being.
The Associated Press
"This is a good beginning," said Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan. "I would hope in the next six to eight months we'll have a bill."
But other Republicans grumbled that government was taking on more than it could handle.
Polls show most Americans believe the system needs to be fixed but are uncertain about the best way to change it.
The administration's plan, which is the
product of eight months of work under the direction of Hillary Rodham Clinton, is based on the premise that it can extend health care coverage to the 37 million uninsured while shrinking the nation's $900 billion medical bill.
Health care costs are rising at more than twice the rate of other services and represent one-seventh of all U.S. spending.
Clinton's plan would require all employees to pay 80 percent of the average health premium for their workers. Employees would pay the rest. Small businesses and low-income workers could apply for subsidies.
Giant insurance-purchasing pools called health alliances would be created in each state to negotiate with doctors, hospitals and insurers. Consumers would buy coverage through the alliances.
Since 1912, when Theodore Roosevelt called for national health insurance, many attempts have been made to enact universal coverage. All of them have failed.
Growth in the government's two biggest health programs — Medicare and Medicaid — would be reduced by $238 billion over five years.
Questions about how Clinton would pay for the program lingered even as he announced his plan. He is certain to seek a sizable boost in cigarette taxes, but it is unclear how big. A tax on corporations that opt out of the health alliances and set up their own programs is another possibility.
"If you read the history of health care, it's like people ... passing each other in the night." Clinton said. "Now you've finally got everybody in the country focused on it. We can seize it and move forward if we can maintain this determination to stay in touch with the real problems of our people and the spirit that we have now of working together."
Bill of health
Basic elements of the Clinton health care plan:
Under federal supervision, each state would create one or more alliances, or "buying clubs," that would negotiate with doctors and hospitals to provide health care for all members of the alliance. Every family or individual would be required to join an alliance, which collects premiums and pays doctors and hospitals.
By preliminary estimates, the plan would cost about $70 to a month for a basic family policy and $30 for an individual. An employer would pay an additional $280 a month for a family plan and $120 for an individual. The basic rule is that an employer would pay 80 percent of the average monthly premium of all plans available in an area.
The government would subsidize the premiums of individuals or families whose income is not at least 11/2 times the poverty level.
(1)
Source: The Associated Press
KANSAN