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University Daily Kansan/Monday, January 23. 1989
13
State death penalty fight to begin
Kansas Senate committee starts hearings tomorrow on Hayden's proposal
by Kathy Walsh Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
Hearings will be conducted tomorrow and we will use on legislation that would reinstate the death penalty.
Keeping a campaign promise, Gov. Mike Hayden proposed legislation last Monday that would re-establish the death penalty as a means of punishment for "the most heinous crimes."
The legislation calls for capital punishment by lethal injection for first-degree murder, drug-related killings and the murder of law enforcement personnel.
Hearings on the legislation will be conducted by the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, with State Sen. Ed Reilly, R-Leavenworth, as chairman.
Reilly, a proponent of the legislation, said the bill would go to the Senate after the committee's vote.
State Rep Betty Jo Charlton, D-Lawrence, said that the governor has not usually passed in the House. Bills usually go to the
House first.
House first.
An Associated Press survey reported before the session that 20 senators supported or leaned toward supporting the re-establishment of capital punishment, and 19 opposed it or leaned against its passage.
passage?
State Sen. Eric Yost, R-Wichita, Wednesday said he still was undecided. Yost was not counted in the AP survey.
Charlton, who is against the legislation because it "reduces members of society to the level of the murderer," said the death penalty historically had not been administered justly.
"The death penalty is irrevocable," she said,
"and if a mistake is made, an innocent person has been (could be) executed."
State Rep. Jessie Branson, D-Lawrence, said she was opposed to the legislation because it dealt unfairly with minorities and low-income people who did not have sufficient resources to obtain competent defense attorneys.
was guilty of murder. Branson also noted the "excessive costs" of the appeals process leading up to the possible execution.
State Sen. Jim Allen, R-Ottawa, said he was a strong proponent of the legislation.
suspect the state latency.
She said that when the state killed people, it also
"I have no reservations," Allen said. "Murderers have no place in society."
Kathy Peterson, Hayden's press secretary, said the governor thought that victims of crime and their families must be taken into consideration when assessing the legislation. Peterson said that the majority of Kansans supported the governor's proposal.
The last criminals to receive the death penalty in Kansas were George Ronald York and James Douglas Latham. On June 22, 1965, they were caught by murder of Otto Ziegler, an Oakley drug worker.
In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the death penalty invalid as a means of punishment. In 1977, there was an effort to restore capital punishment, but the bill was rejected by the state Senate.
PAC role stirs debate in city's elections
by Steven Wolcott Kansan staff writer
A disagreement about the role of political action committees is becoming an issue in the Lawrence City Commission election. The primary election will be Feb. 28.
The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and the Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods both sponsored PACs in the 1987 commission elections, but only the neighborhood association will sponsor one.
this year. The association uses the acronym OWL-PAC, for Organization for Wise Leadership Political Action Committee. The committee was created by the Old West Lawrence Association, but it is no longer affiliated with that group.
"I the 1987 election was divisive. Everybody in the community was upset before it was over," said Gary Toebben, chamber president.
"Yeah, our PAC caused problems for the chamber candidates. They all lost," said Burdett Loomis, professor of political science and a member of OWL-PAC.
"We felt that our PAC and others created an atmosphere where people thought they had to tear each other apart." Toeben said.
PACs get more people involved in elections, Loomis said.
"PACs themselves are not divisive, it is the issues that are divisive," he said.
Steve Lopes, chairman of the Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods, said "PACS are an opportunity for people to come together, put their nickels and dimes in a hat, and influence an election."
Toeben questioned the value of PACs. He said that PACs tended to label candidates.
neighborhood issues or downtown issues," Toeben said.
"What we really need are candidates committed to the entire community, not just business issues,
City Commissioner Sandra Praeger, who is not seeking re-election, said "It was unfortunate that PACs got involved in local elections.
"They are very powerful and effective, but I'm not sure the needs of the community as a whole are met by PACs. By their nature they tend to faxalize a city."
Praeger said that special-interest groups such as neighborhood associations should sponsor candi-
bations.
Both the chamber and the OWL-PAC will sponsor candidate forums before the Feb. 28 primary.
The chamber will sponsor a forum at 7 p.m.
Feb. 20 at the City Hall. Sixth and Massachusetts
hall has scheduled a forum at 2 p.m.
Feb. 12 in the barn of the community
building, 113 W. 11th St.
Engineering students might pay equipment fee
Kansan staff writer
by Marian Weeks Kensan staff writer
A proposal to add a special fee to engineering students' tuition to cover soaring equipment costs was referred in December by the Board of Regents to the Tuition and Fees Committee.
The committee, which usually meets in March, will consider fees for Fall 1990 in a public session, said Ray Hauke, director of planning and budget for the Regents.
A special fee, which could be recommended by the Tuition and Fees Committee and that could be as much as $10 per credit hour, would be used to offset the high costs of maintenance, operation and replacement of instructional laboratory equipment, said Carl Locke, dean of engineering. The committee could also elect not to recommend an increase.
Locke began developing the plan when he became dean three years ago.
"Engineering education is one of the more expensive degrees at the University because of the equipment requirements." Locke said.
All seven departments in the School of Engineering have suffered because there has not been enough money to meet the dollar demands of the computer age he said.
repairs and maintenance, Locke said.
computers and computer-driven equipment become obsolete on an average of every five years. They have high initial costs and need expensive
"Engineering equipment does not last 20 years as it used to." he said.
Locke said he hoped that Campaign Kansas funds would provide purchasing power and that the proposed fee would cover maintenance, operation and some replacement costs.
Members of the newly appointed Tuition and Fees Committee are Regent Richard Dodderidge; Regent Norman Jeter; Chancellor Gene A. Budig; Donald Wilson, president of Pittsburg State University; Stace Cisneros, student body president of Wichita State University; and Paul Robinson, student body president of Emporia State University.
Deferments lessen hassle for students with financial aid
Tuition postponement saves enrollment
by Scott Achelpohl Kansan staff writer
For students whose financial aid checks are late, postponement of tuition payment until the checks arrive can be an enrollment saver.
Students not granted deferment have their enrollments terminated. Deferments allow students to delay payment of tuition until late aid checks arrive, with a penalty fee of $10.
Postponement, or deferment, of tuition payments is available to students who have confirmation of financial aid approval, said Jeff Weinberg, associate director of the office of student financial aid.
"Until six or seven years ago, deferments weren't granted and enrollments weren't saved." Weinbern said.
The policy of granting deferments grew out of student need, he said.
"We had to have some way of helping these students," Weinberg said. "Without the stickers on KUIDs that come with fee payment, students had trouble using computers in facilities such as Watson library."
Weinberg said students created problems for themselves when they applied late for financial aid. Those students can't receive deferments and usually have trouble with fee payment.
"Students who don't apply in time and haven't received financial aid approval lose their enrollments or apply for temporary leave."
About 100 students had problems with late aid checks last semester, Weinberg said.
"Late aid checks are more of a problem in August than they are in January because students apply late to the University or for financial aid." Weinberg said. "However, it was less of a problem than ever this January since I've been at the University."
Tonya Campbell, a fall KU graduate, said she had received both Guaranteed Student Loans and Pell Grants and had always
We had to have some way of helping these students. Without the stickers on KUIDs that come with fee payment, students had trouble using university facilities such as Watson library.'
Jeff Weinberg associate director of the office of student financial aid
received deferments until her aid checks arrived.
"I was never hassled about the location of my financial aid checks," she said. "The trouble with the checks was knowing when they actually would arrive. Last semester, I received my aid check about a month before school ended. One semester, I even applied late and still received a deferment for a late check."
Lucy Webb, Gardner senior, said she never had a problem obtaining deferments.
"I've had GSL checks come late." Webb said. "I just told the financial aid office the checks were late and they granted deferments. I finally received my check about a month after fee payment."
"There is no deferment when the aid decision hasn't been finalized," said Gary Thompson, director of the Office of Student Records and chairman of the Fees Policy Committee. "If you don't apply on time and an award is not made, you're going to have a problem."
The new fee payment system, which began with new full-page fee statements this semester, will culminate in mail in fee payments in corporate financial aid. The second stage will incorporate financial aid into the payment statements of students, eliminating the need for deferments.
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Monday, January 23, 1989
7:00 242 Robinson
no solo material required call 864-4264
KU KARATE CLUB OKINAWAN GOJU RYU
FREE demonstration and opening meeting TUESDAY, JANUARY 24,7 p.m. Robinson Gymnasium, Room 130
Classes will meet on Tuesdays and Thursday First day of class: Thursday, Jan. 26 Beginners at 5:30, Advanced at 6:30 Robinson Gymnasium, Room 130
The KU KARATE CLUB studies a traditional style of karate known as:
OKINAWAN GOJU RYU
KARATE TEACHES: SELF DEFENSE, SELF CONFIDENCE, SELF AWARENESS For more information contact Doug Hay 841-7143