Vol. 99, No. 73 (USPS 650-640)
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PUBLISHED SINCE 1889 BY THE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Monday December 12,1988
Fall semester ends today
Today is the final day of classes of the semester. Tomorrow is stop day. Finals begin Wednesday and continue through Dec. 23. The first day of classes for the spring semester will be Thursday Jan. 19.
Fee payment will be Jan.17 and 18.
This is the final issue of the Kansan for the fall semester. Publication will resume on Jan. 19.
Phone systems fuddle patrons
AT&T breakup opens market
By Daniel Niemi Kansan staff writer
Five years after the breakup of American Telephone & Telegraph Co., telephone consumers have encountered more choice and more confusion as competing companies battle for long-distance service and the telecommunications dollar.
"Inevitably greater choice means greater complexity, and I think a lot of people are confused about telephone service — how it's provided, what it costs, what its options are." said Gordon Pitch, professor of business.
Please see related stories in today's Second Section
For Lawrence consumers, the divestiture has meant a higher monthly phone bill for local calls but reduced charges for long distance.
David Nichols, Lawrence's customer representative for Southeastern Bell Telephone, said the basic rate for phone service had not increased since 1983. Nichols said the basic rate was $14.00 a month and the average was $10.70 a month. The Kansas average is $11 a month, and the national average is $13.40.
We're happy to hold the bottom line," Nichols said.
The increase in the monthly phone bill is the result of a Federal Communications Commission access fee. The FCC charges $3.20 a month to connect your phone to a local service. The charge was the end to the rate structure that inflated long-distance charges to subsidize local service.
The end of subsidization has meant a 35 percent drop in the cost of long-distance service.
For example, call waiting in Lawrence costs $3.75 a month.
Also, the divestiture has led to an increase in the number of options available — from call waiting to call forwarding — each of which adds to the monthly phone bill.
Before the breakup, telephone service was simple. AT&T took care of everything from equipment to long-distance service. It also exercised control over what services were available and, some critics charged, was slow in developing new technology.
That changed with the federally imposed divestiture of AT&T $t$ January of 1984. Seven companies were created and ordered to provide equal access to their networks, introducing competition into the industry, such as MCI and US Sprint emerged to take advantage of the equal access order.
The consumer was in the driver's seat.
"The customer has the power," said Po-Lung Yu, Carl Scupin distinguished professor of business. "When the customer has the power, they tend to be more sensitive to the customers' needs." Instead of depending on someone from alternative long-distance services and a variety of options, including call waiting and call forwarding.
To capture the consumer's business, the seven companies created from AT&T — known as Baby Bells — and the new long-distance companies rapidly translated new technology into consumer products.
For example, US Sprint began construction on a recently completed fiber-optic long-distance network, and companies began providing new options in paging, data transmission and video conferencing.
"If there was no breakup, they wouldn't move so fast because they have monopoly power." Po-Lung said. "The power of control is in their hands."
"But after breaking up, if you don't do it fast, the other companies will." The Robe Rolls quickly began.
Also, the Baby Bells quickly began diversifying into other areas.
For example, Southwestern Bell Corp., the company that operates telephone service for Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, expanded into the cellular mobile phone service in 1984, and in 1987 acquired 29 paging systems and 30 mobile phones. Metromedia Inc. Southwestern Bell now serves about 200,000 cellular phone customers.
In addition, Southwestern Bell, through its subsidiaries, publishes telephone directories in 44 states, Australia and South Korea.
Southwestern Bell also exemplifies the shift in focus from basic to applied research. Before the breakup, AT&T's Bell Laboratories concentrated on scientific research not designed to produce products. With the breakup, competition spurred companies to turn research into products.
Although observers acknowledge the full effect of the divestiture will not be known for years, the initial impression is that it has been positive.
"By opening up the competition, we can install a large installation of technology. Eight sites."
"Technology will exponentially explode. I think it will make us closer to the so-called information age."
"From a nationwide point it's a good thing. When you have those managements wake up and be responsible and sensitive to the customer, the customer in the long run will benefit," Po-Lung said.
Soviet quake victims sought
Plane carrying soldiers aiding rescue crashes; 78 killed
The Associated Press
LENINAKAN, U.S.S.R. - Rescuers in this earthquake-ravaged city struggled yesterday with poor equipment and organization to free a dwainess who had been missing for two months said 1,500 people in the region had been saved.
Adding to the tragedy of this stricken city, a Soviet military transport plane carrying soldiers to help in rescue efforts crashed as it approached a city airport, killing 78 people. Tass said.
President Mikhail S. Gorbachev wound up a two-day visit to the disaster area and called
Wednesday's earthquake in Armenia "a grave disaster, simply a tragedy."
"I have seen so many people in trouble who have lost near and dear ones, whole families," Gorbachev told Soviet television. "I have simply been shaken by everything I have seen in these two days. It is simply difficult to bear this in human terms. It is unbearable."
He exhorted rescuers to speed their efforts, warning an epidemic of disease could break out.
Gorbachev and his wife, Raisa, were shown
consoling survivors and speaking with rescuers in Spitak, a city of 16,000 that was virtually destroyed by the quake, and in Kirovakan 10 miles to the east.
He said 3,900 soldiers from the region who were performing military service throughout the country have been deployed in the region.
Please see QUAKE, p. 6, col. 5
The estimated death toll increased Doctors Without Borders, an international relief organization, said in Amsterdam that Health Minister
Tripping the light fantastic
Carol Rhodes, Wichita senior, front, and Caci Garbo, Lenexa university Dance Company performed its final shows of the fall sophomore, perform a dance called "Ripple and Undertow." The semester Friday and Saturday in Elizabeth Sherborn Dance Theatre.
Holiday depression a possibility
Kansan staff writer
By Deb Gruver
With final exams looming in the next few weeks and Christmas commitments just around the corner, holiday depression is about to hit.
Linda L. Keeler, psychiatrist and coordinator of the Mental Health Clinic at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that starting around Thanksgiving, she began to hear concerns about the
"With Christmas, we all have this idealized view of the season — the Christmas card view — but that's just not the reality all the time." Keeler said.
She said students might find the break even more stressful than the rest of the semester because of taking finals and being away from home.
"With finals going on so long this year, students may have some other pressures that could depress them." Keeler said. "It's an adjustment to go home. You have this whole new set of demands placed on you."
Although Nancy Bessemer is looking forward to her Christmas break away from the University of Kansas, she will be home for only a few days.
"It's always fun," said Bessemer, Chicago senior. "I had to be there the whole time with 20 million people in the house, I might get tired of it. But she said the short nature of the holiday break
But she said the short nature of the holiday break depressed her.
"The relatives are coming in; you're running back and forth to the airport," Bessemer said. "You just hop on the plane back and think, 'My God, I never really got to sit down with anyone.' Sometimes it's really hard to leave."
The holidays also can be disappointing, Keeler said.
"The day happens, and it's over," she said.
"There may be some kind of a let-down."
In her own family, Keeler said cutting down the Christmas tree was a big tradition. Although no one wants to miss it, picking out the tree usually ends up in an argument
That kind of stress is usual, she said, but may tip some people into depression. A volunteer at
headquarters, a 24-hour hotline service in Lawrence, said that the organization received calls from people who were depressed because of what happened during their holiday stay at home. Keeler said that time conflicts also might complicate the student's break from school.
"There has to be some give and take between the family's agenda and the student's agenda," she said. "There can be some anticipated conflict there. A lot of students may just want to sleep during the break, but their families may have plans."
Clayton McHenry, Hampton, Va., freshman, will spend his break in Lawrence trying to catch up on sleep and reading. He'd like to go home to see his financial buddy but won't be able to because of financial reasons.
Although McHenry is somewhat depressed about not being able to go home, he said that he wasn't
"I'm just going to sleep," McHenry said. "I'm going to rest for the next semester I probably won't."
A collage of toys and toothpaste fill the couch in Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett's office. McCluskey-Fawcett, chairman of the psychology department, is encouraging her students to donate gifts for needy families in Lawrence. "Students have an obligation to put something back into the community other than money in the stores," she said. "I'd like to see students get more involved in the community they spend four years in."
Santa seeks extra help from KU students
By Grace Hobson
Kansan staff writer
And white vignettes of sugar plums will dance in some children's heads, some children will be thinking of a hot meal, a warm blanket and a pair of slippers. The touch of light with is almost too remote to even dream about.
When Santa Claus comes stuffing stockings and leaving presents under the tree, many children in Lawrence will be left out.
"Students have an obligation to put something back into the community other than money in the stores," she said. "I'd like to see students get more involved in the community they spend four years
Students in Lawrence can help these children, said Kathleen M. McChuskey-Fawcett, chairman of the Law School.
"Nothing has to be very elaborate," she said. "Even five bucks can make a difference."
Some students have already gotten into the holiday spirit of giving Katherine Killen, Owain White and others a present.
journalism background to help an infant in need of a breathing monitor.
Killen was interested in volunteering in Lawrence and following the advice of Stephen Faewt, professor of human development and McCluskey-Faewt Faewt's husband, she decided to go to Penn House, a non-profit organization for the need. When she was told about an extension an expensive breathing monitor, she decided to write a radio站 to raise the needed $600.
There are many organizations in Lawrence to help those less fortunate.
- Penn House, 1035 Pennsylvania St., is a non-profit organization for low-income families. It operates an adopt-a-family program, in which families register to be adopted. About 95 families need to be adopted.
McCluskey-Fawcett's child psychology students have also gotten into the spirit of helping. A board member of Penn House, she appealed to her students to donate a small item to the organization to give to its needy. About 25 students donated everything from toothpaste to toys.
To adopt a family, volunteers are asked, but not required, to donate one item of clothing for each
family member, a toy for each child and food for a meal. The families registered vary in number, from a single person to several members. Volunteers may request the size of family.
**The Lawrence Indian Center, 1920 Moodie Road,**
operates an adopt-a-family program similar to the Penn House program. The phone number is 841-
7202.
The Salvation Army, 946 New Hampshire St. serves dinner from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Volunteers are needed to help prepare meals and serve meals, to spend the night at its homeless shelter and to donate food, clothes and toys. The phone number is 843-418-818.
■ Head Start Community Children's Center, 925 Vermont St., needs toys and money to give children at its Christmas party. The phone number is 842-2515.
■ Warm Hearts of Douglas County. P.O. Box 1600, is raising money to pay heating bills for those who can't Contact Martin Jones at 843-3039.
The Ballard Community Center Inc., 708 Elm St., needs people to wrap gift and donate toys, clothes and food for families. The phone number is 842-4729.