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THURSDAY • MAY 19 • 2011
City official mulls effects of new homeless shelter town’s homeless issues largely would be solved. “That’s not the case,” he said. “I think some issues definitely could be worse for downtown. The ones causing the biggest Carter issues for downtown are the least likely ones to be at the new shelter. The plan going forward seems to leave them with
By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
A new city commissioner said he thinks the public may have the wrong idea about downtown, the homeless and what happens once the Lawrence Community Shelter leaves 10th and Kentucky streets. City Commissioner Hugh Carter said Wednesday that he suspects about 90 percent of the public believes if the community shelter moved to a new location that down-
KU proposes tuition increase By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — The price of an education at Kansas University and all the regents schools would go up this fall semester under a proposal before the Kansas Board of Regents. KU has proposed increasing tuition and required fees from $4,012 to $4,234, a $222 or 5.5-percent increase for an undergraduate taking 15 hours. The tuition for a non-Kansas resident would increase from $9,504 to $10,179, a $675 increase or 7.1 percent. Graduate students would face a 5.5-percent increase for residents and 5.9 percent increase for nonresidents. If we are Tuition going to give and fees under the our students Comthe high-quality KU pact — education they first-time, degreeexpect, we must be able to seeking freshmen compete.” — which would be f ixed for — KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little four years, would increase from $4,366 to $4,611, or $245, which is a 5.6-percent increase. Nonresident students would see an increase from $10,769 to $11,304, $535 or 5 percent. The regents will hear the proposals today and vote on them in June. KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said the increases are driven by budget cuts and demand from students to continue to improve the university. “Students are very much in favor of trying to maintain excellence,” Gray-Little said. Students at KU Medical Center would see a 4.9 percent increase. Because of the KU Compact, 65 percent of returning undergraduates would have no tuition increase, according to KU officials. The increased tuition and fees
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Please see TUITION, page 2A
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to be a drop-in center somewhere in the city,” Henderson said. “It is a common thing for a community to have a drop-in center in addition to a shelter.” Carter stopped short of saying he thinks the community needs a dropin center. He has been a strong proponent of getting the shelter out of downtown, but he said he wants to make sure the city has a plan to deal the homeless who may stay in Please see HOMELESS, page 2A
Regents Survey results provide talking chairman points for listening session abruptly resigns
By Chad Lawhorn
clawhorn@ljworld.com
Last week, downtown merchants got together to talk about whether store hours in downtown ought to be longer. Now, City Commissioners Hugh Carter and Bob Schumm are hosting a downtown listening session at 5:30 p.m. today at City Hall. The session is open to the public. Schumm originally proposed the meeting as a way to discuss what the city could do to help lower the downtown vacancy rate. But if the recently released city survey is any indication, there are several other downtown topics that may be on the mind of residents. Here’s a look at what the survey had to say about downtown: ● Availability of parking: This category received the lowest ranking among all downtown questions. A total of 42 percent of respondents were satisfied with the availability of parking. That’s down from 43 percent who were satisfied in 2007, when the survey was last taken. ● Downtown after dark: People feel a little safer in downtown during the nighttime hours, but it looks as though there is still work to do. A total of 48 percent said they were satisfied with downtown safety after dark. That’s up from 45 percent in 2007. Interestingly, the perception of downtown safety Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo during the day fell slightly during the time period. It ENJOYING AN AFTERNOON LUNCH, KANSAS UNIVERSITY JUNIORS Alexis Stonestreet, left, now stands at 87 percent, and Katelyn O’Donnell dine at the Burger Stand at the Casbah, 803 Mass., on Wednesday. down from 90 percent in In a recent city survey, only 53 percent of residents were satisfied with the mix of retail 2007. The margin of error stores versus bars and other entertainment businesses. Tonight, a public downtown listening for this survey is plus or session will be at 5:30 at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St. minus 2.7 percent. ● Retail vs. entertain- nesses are open: Not to be downtown: Not surprising- en a more aggressive ment: The public is growing outdone, residents were ly, people feel like it is about flower planting program less satisfied with the mix of even more dissatisfied with as easy as ever to get to and also has hired workers retail stores versus bars and the hours that downtown downtown. A total of 69 from Cottonwood Inc. to businesses are percent said they were sat- help with litter control and other entertainment open. That catego- isfied with the ease of get- other issues. According to businesses downry had the largest ting to downtown. That’s the survey, 83 percent of town. Only 53 persingle drop in satis- essentially unchanged from people are now satisfied cent were satisfied faction of any the 70 percent in 2007. with the “beautification” this year. That’s question — not ● Beautification of of downtown. That’s up down from 60 perjust downtown downtown: Improving the from 68 percent in 2007. cent in 2007. That questions — asked appearance of downtown That 15-point increase was seven-point drop CITY on the survey. A is one of the community’s the largest increase for any was the second COMMISSION total of 57 percent great success stories of the single category in the largest drop in satisfaction of any city issue said they are satisfied with last several years, accord- entire survey. asked on this year’s survey, the hours of downtown ing to the survey. During — City reporter Chad Lawhorn can be which numbers seven pages businesses. That’s down the time period, the city’s reached at 832-6362. Follow him at Parks and Recreation and more than 100 questions. from 65 percent in 2007. ● Hours downtown busi● Ease of getting to Department has undertakTwitter.com/clawhorn_ljw.
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Carter said it is unrealistic to believe that all of the homeless individuals that use the drop-in center will be willing to join the shelter’s programs. “We need to quantify how large of a number we’re talking about, and then we need to start putting some heads together to figure out what we do at that point,” Carter said. Shelter director Loring Henderson said Carter brings up a good point. “My thoughts are that there needs
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nowhere to go for large portions of the day.” That’s because plans for any new shelter, a site that still hasn’t been found, do not include a drop-in center. The current shelter does include a drop-in center that allows the homeless a place to go during the day. The new shelter, according to plans previously approved by the City Commission, will be open only during the day to people who have joined the shelter’s jobs program and follow other regulations.
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By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — Gary Sherrer, the chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents, on Wednesday shocked the Kansas political and higher education world by announcing his resignation at the regents’ monthly meeting and then walking out. The former lieutenant governor who has been a highprofile figure in state government for years said there existed an environment of mistrust and disrespect between himself and sev- “I am getting eral members of too old to be in the board, places I don’t which oversees want to be, with higher educa- people I don’t tion. When asked, he want to be with.” refused to mention any names. — Gary Sherrer “This negative relationship is not in the best interests of Kansas higher education,” said Sherrer, of Overland Park. As Sherrer left, he received a standing ovation from the regents and those attending the meeting. “Thank you very much for your service to this board, and thank you for your service to the state of Kansas,” said Vice Chairman Ed McKechnie of Arcadia, who then presided over the rest of the meeting. Later, in speaking with reporters, Sherrer said he was upset that his fellow board members refused to select him to lead a search committee to find a new president at Emporia State University. The current ESU president, Michael Lane, had announced his intention to step down June 30. Sherrer graduated from Emporia State and has fond memories of the school, saying it changed his life. He said it would have meant a lot to him to chair the search committee. Sherrer’s four-year term on the board of regents was scheduled to expire at the end of June. But, he said, he didn’t want to wait to leave. “I am getting too old to be in places I don’t want to be, with Please see REGENTS, page 2A
COMING FRIDAY Instead of dumping unwanted belongings in local Dumpsters, students in residence halls have caught on to recycling.
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