WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 7, 2005
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 5A
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"My experience writing bills helps me avoid the pitfalls that other student groups have," Pathak said. "It was easier for us."
Student groups with no Senate representation often need help from a senator to get through the funding process.
What Senate does with student money
Murali Satuluri, Vizag, India graduate student and member of KU Culture India Club, worked with Pathak and another finance committee member to get money for the club's annual Diwali, an annual cultural event featuring dances, skits and mythological stories. The group asked for funding for lighting, an audio system and advertising for the event. Satuluri estimated the group was asking for around $800.
Each student pays $294.50 in campus fees each semester.
◀ Of that, it $17.50 goes to Student Senate. For this school year, Senate estimates it receives $849,950 in revenue. Here's how Senate breaks that up:
Block Allocation Account $636,214
But when they went to the Senate finance committee to get funds, Satuluri said the committee grilled the group, making them account for every dollar they were asking for.
Line-Item Allocation Account $134,374
- This money is "pre-budgeted" by Senate and allocated every two years. Funds typically go to big corporations and groups that have been around such as the KU Band, the Lied Center, the Graduate and Professional Association and Student Senate itself. Senate gets the largest appropriation of this money: $143,000.
- This money is "pre-budgeted' by Senate and allocated to student groups in the spring as funding for the next year. Groups must have received funding from Senate before to qualify for line-item funding.
Unallocated Account: $79,362
"Many groups aren't clear on what they can get funding for," Satuluri said. "Having senators surely helps in knowing the rules better, because there is someone that knows the system."
- This money is available for general funding and events for all student groups. To qualify, groups must either: 1. not have received funds from Senate before, 2. have received funding from block or allocated accounts and want funds for a special event, or 3. received funds the year before after the deadlines for block and allocated funds.
The group had to come back and provide more details at later meetings. Eventually, the group got the funding they requested and continues to get funding.
Satuluri said without personally working with a senator, the group wouldn't have known all the rules they had to follow to get money.
If a group doesn't work with people in the financial committee, it will have difficulty getting money, Saturdlr said.
Student group requesting funds must be registered with the Student Involvement and Leadership Center.
One group that has connections to Senate is KU Hillel.
Student Senate budget book and rules and regulations
The Jewish organization's president and former president are both senators. The group got $5,060 this year to fund Shabbat dinners. The group also got $400 for general expenses. The $5,060 goes to pay for rent at the Burge Union for the weekly meal, not the food itself.
Nine sponsoring senators backed the bill.
Melissa Horen, Overland Park junior and former president of KU Hillel, said the group needed the $5,060 to finish their fundraising
Even though Senate can fund religious groups which are open to all students, not all groups ask for money.
Austin Smith, Spokane Wash., senior, is president of the Midwest Student Ministries, a Christian group on campus. Unlike KU Hillel, Smith's group doesn't have any members on Student Senate and hasn't asked for any money for this year.
Smith said he would like to get money for his group's barbecues and dances but the process was difficult. Smith said he didn't know how to get money or if his group had to do fundraising to qualify for funds.
He said he didn't have time to be a senator and shouldn't have to be a senator to get money.
Another reason groups with senators for members get funding is that senators notify their own groups that money is available,
Jones admits that outreach to all student groups has been something Senate needs to improve. He said last year there was "next to no outreach."
while other groups might not know how much money is out there.
"Can we contact more groups? Yes, and we're always trying," Jones said. "Funding opportunities are not hidden."
To reach out to groups, he said Senate was trying to get senators to contact all the student groups listed with the Student Involvement and Leadership Center. Senate also has required more outreach from senators.
And because a group didn't get funding doesn't mean they can't try again. The KU Equestrian Team will be trying again for funds to rent horses next semester after the finance committee asked them to first go to Recreation Services.
Until then, according to the numbers, the surest way for a group to get money appears to be having a senator among its members.
Blair said this was the first time she had ever submitted one of her poems, let alone had one published. She said when she found out she would be in Kiosk, it was one of the best feelings she'd ever had.
interaction with a homeless man on the subway.
Kiosk
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— Edited by Becca Evanhoe
"Your friends can tell you your stuff is good, but this gives you a sense of validation." Blair said.
Four writers read to a crowd of 20 in the coffee shop. Leading up to the event, a team of designers and editors labored many unpaid hours to put out this singular compilation. Joe Morgan, Wichita senior and editor in chief, said he enjoyed meeting the writers face-to-face after the 121-page Kiosk had been completed.
"When working on the project, you can start to forget why you did it in the first place, but seeing them here is a good reminder," he said.
Sarah Nelsen, St. Louis senior and one of the designers for Kiosk, said the theme for the magazine this year focused on the nature of collections. The designers took inspiration from entomology displays, where insects are put on pins in lighted boxes and picture frames.
"All of the pictures in the magazine are
from student photography, which hasn't been attempted before. I think the collection theme and photos help to give a unifying, clean look to it." Nelsen said.
Morgan said things became hectic near the end, especially with getting the magazine published. Binding problems caused delays, forcing the book to be printed today. Approximately 1,300 copies were made.
In the past, the free publication had the problem of ending up with too many leftover copies; either students were unaware of Kiosk itself or where to pick it up. Morgan said in an effort to get the publication into more hands, there will be four permanent locations where students can pick it up: Oread Books in the Kansas Union; The Olive Gallery & Art Supply, 15 E. Eighth St.; the English Department mail room, 3114 Wescoe, and the office of art and design, 300 Art and Design building.
Jane Huschka, Garden City senior and design chief, said she was happy with the outcome of this year's Kiosk.
"I think we did a good job of focusing on uniting the art and the literature. We are not favoring one artist over the other; they all deserve equal representation," Huschka said.
Helium
— Edited by Becca Evanhoe
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An astronomer had discovered helium in the sun years earlier, in 1868, and it was isolated on earth in 1895, but it wasn't found in natural gas until Cady's and McFarland's discovery.
"They weren't expecting to find it," said Henry Fortunato, project director and editor in chief of the KU History Project. "They were just trying to find what was in this gas from Dexter that wouldn't burn."
At first, no one knew what to do with helium.
The Kansas City Star reported in 1906 that it appeared to have "no practical value beyond its scientific interest."
"It was not yet recognized that it could be used for lighter-than-air airships, let alone balloons, let alone the other things it's used for today." Fortunato said.
Then, in 1917, the United States government called on Cady and one of his students, Clifford W. Siebel, to research
For 10 years, the United States' supply of helium sat in three glass vials on a shelf in Bailew Hall.
and develop uses for helium
The government was interested in using the substance as a noncombustible alternative to hydrogen for filling air balloons.
They would use helium to fill these balloons in World War II.
The Great Plains became the world's leader in helium production. In 1963, the National Helium Plant, the largest helium plant in the world, was built near Liberal.
Today the Duke Energy-owned plant is still one of the largest in the world though it only employs 21 people.
Clay Butterfield, the plant manager credited the plant with bringing jobs and money to the area for more than 40 years.
Helium is commonly used in rubber balloons, air balloons, deep-sea air tanks for scuba divers and in MRI machines.
Marlin Harmony, professor emeritus of chemistry, said, "That initial finding 100 years ago really provided the opportunity to utilize helium in some very important applications."
Edited by Becca Evanhoe