Vol. 99, No. 64 (USPS 650-640)
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PUBLISHED SINCE 1869 BY THE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Tuesday November 29,1988
Arafat denied visa
U.N. may move session to Geneva for PLO
The Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS — Arab nations said yesterday that the U.N. General Assembly session would move to Geneva so PLO chief Yasser Wassan would attend the United States reverses itself within 48 hours and grants him a visa.
In Washington, the State Department said the U.S. decision to deny the visa was "firm and final." It gave reluctant consent to move the debate on Palestinian issues, scheduled to begin Thursday.
U. N. legal counsel Carl-August Fleischauer told a U.N. committee that the United States was violating the 1947 U.S.-U.N. Headquarters agreement to require the host country to grant visas to people invited by the United Nations.
"I am of the opinion that the host country was and is under an obligation to grant the visa request of the chairman of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, an organization which has been
granted observer status by the General Assembly, *Fleischauer* said.
"The agreement does not contain a reservation of the right to bar the entry of those who represent, in the view of the host country, a threat to its sovereignty and security," the lawyer said.
Patricia Byrne, alternate U.S. representative, said the U.S. government disagreed with Fleischhauer's interpretation. She did not elaborate.
The U.N. Committee on Relations with the Host Country, which Fleischauer addressed, heard many speakers condemn the U.S. decision. The chairman, Ambassador Constantine Moushoutas of Cyprus, said in a summary of the "thematic majority" of leaders felt the United States had violated the Headquarters Agreement, but the committee took no action.
The Soviet Union and China, and U.S. allies Britain and France, told Moushoutas' committee that Arafat should allow to speak. Most
nations urged Washington to reconsider, saying the U.S. action was harming prospects for peace in the Middle East.
On Saturday the U.S. government barred Arafat on grounds of being an accessory to terrorism.
A senior U.N. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a resolution probably would be submitted to the assembly shortly calling on Washington to reconsider its decision. He said a vote may be taken today.
If the United States still refuses to grant Arafat a visa, another resolution probably will call for moving the assembly to Geneva, he said.
Only Israel applauded the U.S. denial of a visa to Arafat. Other nations argued it violates the Headquarters Agreement. They said that it counters what they describe as the Israeli claim that its declaration of Palestinian independence that implicitly recognized Israel.
Helping to collect money for the Salvation Army, Rodney Reinder takes time out to play with Matthew Dick, age 5. The collection, sponsored by Hallmark Inc., will be used to purchase food for local people in need. Sherry Dowaia, Lawrence resident, was dressed as Rodney yesterday at Wal-Mart, 2727 Iowa St.
Rowdy reindeer
Aid program to help many who were ineligible before
By David Stewart Kansan staff writer
A new loan program at the University of Kansas can help parents who might have been able to save enough money for their children's education but didn't.
Jeff Weinberg, associate director of financial aid, said last week that up to $2,000 from a Parent Assistance Loan from United Student Aid Funds, Inc., in Indianapolis, Ind., would be available as soon as next semester to students whose parents already have the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PUJS).
To be eligible for the loan, parents must first get a PLUS loan, Weinberg said. Then they must send a credit application to USA Funds. The company does a credit check.
GRIT CHECK. KU's responsibility is to ensure that the student has a minimum grade point average of 2.0 and a need for the additional aid.
the auditorium
The loan's interest rate is tied to that of the PLUS, which is now at 10.45 percent. The interest rate is reevaluated yearly on June 30.
The loans would help solve the problem of some students who did not receive much financial aid because of good financial statements from parents, he said.
Weinberg said that the interest rate, which was low compared with a 21 percent rate for some other educational loans, was projected to stay between 10 and 11 percent.
But those parents frequently do not save enough money to send their children to college because they decide to spend it in other ways to make their families comfortable, such as a nice house or a car. Weinberg
wemberg said that the financial aid office had been aware of the problem for several years because it heard from parents during one-on-one financial aid meetings during summer orientation.
"We've known that there's this group of students who has been denied financial aid because of some special circumstances."
Weinberg said that ability of the parent loan to satisfy the financial needs of non-resident students was diminishing.
"That $4,000 has become smaller and smaller over the years," he said.
He said that this loan also would help students who study abroad, where the value of the dollar is shrinking, and resident students may become more interested as school-related costs continue to rise.
"We have a flexibility to adjust for future circumstances we can't even guess about." Weinberg said
situations we can use for gather data.
For instance, Weinberg said, the loan could be used to purchase a computer or cover any other education-related costs in the future.
KU has the power to make adjustments to the assistance loan program, so it will be able to make important changes if necessary. However, this ability, and the loan program itself, did not come easily.
$95 million donated to KU Campaign Kansas nearing its five-year goal
By Daniel Niemi Kansan staff writer
A $1 million donation from the Southwestern Bell Foundation has pushed commitments to Campaign Kansas to more than $95 million, on schedule to reach its goal of $150 million in five years, campaign officials said recently.
"We're right on target," said Jim Martin, executive vice president of the Kansas University Endowment and charge of the campaign's fund raising.
Campaign Kansas was launched publicly in May with $76.4 million already committed to the $150 million goal. With the campaign in its second year, more than $65 million has been pledged to the campaign.
"I feel extremely positive as to where we are and about the status of our country," he said, "and national campaign chairman and director of Fourth Financial Corp., in
Wichita. "We have identified people who have the interest and ability to participate at higher levels of support."
One of those participants is Southwestern Bell, which announced a $1 million donation Nov. 22 to create two endowed professorships, one each in the schools of engineering and business. The $1 million will be paid in five yearly installments of $200,000 beginning in 1989.
"Education has always been one of our focus areas," said Alice Antoos, Southwestern Bell's district manager for media relations. "Anything we can do to better education helps Kansas."
Aanstoos said quality education would attract new business to Kansas and would ensure a well-educated work force.
Martin said the campaign was concentrating on leadership and major gifts, such as the Southwestern Bell donation. Leadership gifts
are $500,000 and above, and major gifts are $100,000 to $500,000.
"As we go along, there will be an opportunity for every alumnus to be a part of Campaign Kansas. That includes those who are in a position to give $10 or $25 or $50." Martin said.
Martin said the campaign was scheduled for five years and that the goal could increase.
"It would be a pleasant problem to discover we were doing well and look at revising the goal upward," he said.
Chancellor Gene A. Budig also said he was confident that the campaign would reach its goal.
"It is apparent that alumni and friend's continue to believe in the institution's future." Budig said.
"The efforts will enhance our academic standing, and we will be able to attract and retain able graduate and undergraduate students and attract and retain the very best faculty."
Lawsuit over census planned
By Deb Gruver
Kansan staff writer
The Douglas County Commission passed a resolution yesterday outlining the steps it will take in suing the state of Kansas over the state census figures.
The commission is planning to file both a state and federal case tomorrow over state census figures that
According to the resolution, the commission will participate in and finance up to one-fifth of the amount of a lawsuit challenging the 1988 state census figures and the constitutional amendment on which they are based.
To combat this, the resolution stated that the census showed a substantial reduction in the populations of Lawrence and Douglas County. The commission said the census takers didn't count students and military personnel, which led to the undercount in the area.
The final census figures pegged Douglas County at 59,441 and Lawrence at 44,980.
The census battle is an attempt to save Lawrence's representation in the state Legislature. If the census figures are recognized, the Lawrence area could lose a state representative, said Chris McKenzie, county administrator.
The commission has appropriated up to $4,000 for the lawsuit and will ask other groups to join in the lawsuit.
The Lawrence law firm of Riling, Norwood, Burkhead, Fairchild and Nitcher will handle the case. Patti Hackney, the assistant county counselor, said the lawsuit would be filed by five main entities.
Hackney said those include Leavenworth County, Riley County, Douglas County and the city of Manhattan. The Lawrence City Commission will vote tonight whether to join the lawsuit.
John Reinhart, press secretary for Secretary of State Bill Gravas, said that they expected the lawsuit.
"We have anticipated this," Reinhardt said. "We'll sit down with the attorney general and prepare our legal defense. Many of our programs have been geared in this direction. But we aren't sure what they want. Are they attacking the way we conducted the census? Are they attacking the law?"
The original request to reconsider the figures came from state Sen. Wint Winter Jr., R-Lawrence; state Rep. John Solbach, D-Lawrence; and state Rep. Betty Jo Charlton, D-Lawrence.
Undergrads request better parking board representation
By Mark Fagan Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
Bill Moseley said that even though he was a student, he could see the issue of parking at the University of Kansas from other perspectives.
sity community.
"We could have been a lot more radical, like asking for student parking in the center of campus," said Moseley, Lawrence sophmore. "But that's not what we looked at. We tried to make it as unbiased as possible. We just don't feel the students are getting as fair of a deal as they could."
Moseley, chairman of the undergraduate student subcommittee on parking and coauthor of its report to the parking board, said that his report considered the entire University community.
Morris Faiman, chairman of the parking board, created six subcommittees this fall. Each subcommittee was to examine KU parking as it related to its constituency
most of the subcommittee reports were submitted to Faiman last week, and all will be distributed to parking board members at their meeting tomorrow morning.
and undergraduate students and medical patients.
participate. The subcommittees represent faculty, unclassified and classified staff, graduate
The reports will be incorporated in the board's recommendations to the University Board.
The student report, put together by a committee of 12 students, was the first submitted to Faiman.
"It's totally inappropriate," he said. "It's an unofficial document. It’s merely a work of fiction."
Fainam would not comment on the contents of the student report.
- parking board philosophy. The report contends that the board has no formal philosophy, which hampers proper decision-making.
Several issues included in the document are:
student representation on the board. The
report calls for six students on the board, to more accurately reflect the percentage of campus workers who are students.
■ allocation of spaces in the new parking garage. The report says that students, faculty, staff and visitors should all have the opportunity to purchase guaranteed parking. ■ yellow permit purchases. The report says faculty and staff should not be allowed to purchase "student" permits.
purpose, support or promotion
Moseley said the philosophy of the parking
board, or lack of one, was the most important
part of the subcommittee's report.
"Until the parking board can come up with a basic philosophy, they really cannot make decisions with some goal as an end," he said. "They can only make random decisions."
The report said the board lacked a "sense of direction" because it was "inherently biased, through its structure, toward the concerns of faculty and staff members."
The report cited a recent example of board bias: the rezoning of part of lot 62, Sunnyside Avenue and Illinois Street, from a yellow
zone to a red zone. This summer, the board changed the designation to make up for the loss blue and red spaces caused by construction of the Robert Dole Human Development Center.
Yellow zone users, mostly students, lost 74 spaces ant were not properly compensated.
Students still are underrepresented on the parking board, the report said. Three of 10 board members are students.
The report proposes increasing student representatives from three to six, which would make it a 13-member board.
The board voted to change lot 62 back to yellow after studies by parking services showed lack of use by blue and red permit holders.
The report said that students accounted for 76.8 percent of all parking permits sold, and provided 56.1 percent of the revenue, yet received only 30 percent of membership on the board. Faculty and staff, meanwhile, have seven board members.
Allocation of spaces in the new 776-stall parking garage, now under construction north of Allen Field House, should accommodate all parking groups at KU, the report said.
"On the bond itself it says that parking needs to be provided for students, faculty, staff and visitors." Moseley said.
The $4.4 million garage is financed by the revenue bonds and should be finished by next
he said his subcommittee supported a proposal from Don Kearns, director of parking services, that would allow students, faculty and staff to purchase guaranteed parking in the garage, while some spaces would be set aside for visitors.
Another concern in the report is the purchasing of yellow permits. The report proposes limiting purchases to students, in combination with barring blue and red permits from yellow zones. At present, students, faculty and staff all can purchase yellow permits, which cost $40 a year.