4A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2008
STUDENT SENATE
Taylor Miller/KANSAN
Adam MGonicle, Wichita sophomore, meets with United Students at its introductory meeting held at Phi Delta Theta. The coalition announced McGonicle as its president, Michael Gassall, Ashland junior, as its vice president candidate.
United Students meets, announces candidates
Coalition hopes to meet with all student groups
BY BRENNA HAWLEY
bhawley@kansan.com
United Students announced at a meeting last night that it is running this year as a student-focused coalition, concentrating more on student issues than the internal workings of Student Senate.
Adam McGonigle, Wichita sophomore, is running as the coalition's presidential candidate. McGonigle is currently the Chairman of the Student Senate Executive Committee.
"We think there are some things with Student Senate we can do better," McGonigle said. "We can create a coalition that is more representative of the campus."
He said the main focus for this campaign would be to get student input. United Students will try to visit all 511 campus groups to see what the students want and need from senate.
McGonigle's running mate Michael Gillaspie, Ashland junior, is new to Student Senate. Ashland was confirmed as interfraternity council senator at the beginning of the semester. Ashland is also director of Jubilee Café, a volunteer program that serves breakfast to the homeless and in-need community members of Lawrence.
"I have an encompassing background of what campus has to
offer", Gillasie said. "I can bring new perspective and new ideas to Senate."
The coalition plans to start visiting student organizations soon to help develop its platforms for the elections in April. It will meet with organization leaders first and then with entire groups to get a broader idea of what students need.
"Although the president of the group may be a great representative, all 50 people in the group may have something else to add." Gillaspie said. "In politics, we sometimes spend too much time talking
I sophomore Student Executive Chair where I've gained an understanding of Senate"
United Students is the second coalition to announce its candidates. Connect, the coalition that also had its first meeting of the semester yesterday, announced its candidates in December: Austin Kelly, Lawrence senior for president, and Jason Oruch. Plano.
Texas, plano
for vice president.
"We can create a coalition that is more representative of the campus."
ADAM MCGONIGI F
when the best thing we can do is sit down and listen to the people we represent."
United Students presidential candidate
McGonagle represented students as a freshman senator last year. Though he was the youngest of all candidates running this year, he said his age would not be a factor in the election because he had already had a chance to work with school administrators.
"Age is usually accompanied by experience," McGonigle said. "I've had a unique experience by being
McGonigle said coalitions usually waited until January to announce their candidates.
"Coalitions can be very divisive in
Senate," McGonigle said. "When m is clear whose side you're on, it can be disruptive."
McGonigle said it was important to him not disrupt the environment of Senate too early.
To join United Students or to learn more about its coalition, visit its Facebook group "United Students."
Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird
ROBERT J. DOLE
INSTITUTE OF POLITICS
The University of Kansas
Presenting...
"MILITARY BLOGGERS
and
America's Wars"
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
7:30 p.m.
at the Dole Institute
Panelists:
Charles J. Holt, Chief of New Media Operations for the Pentagon Ward Carroll, editor of Military.com and Milblog.com John Donovan, veteran and lead blogger of TheDonovan.com
Moderated by Professor David Perlmutter author of Visions of War and Blogwars
2350 Petefish Drive Lawrence, Kansas
(785) 864-4900
doleinstitute.org
City strives to go green
》 ENVIRONMENT
BY ANDY GREENHAW agreenhaw@kansan.com
Lawrence city commissioners are taking positive steps toward lowering greenhouse gas emissions in the city.
Mayor Sue Hack will meet with Vice Mayor Michael Dever today to put together a Climate Protection Task Force, which will be responsible for creating a plan to lower greenhouse gas emissions in Lawrence by 7 percent.
Potential members of the 12- to 15-member board also include individuals from many other stakeholders including Westar Energy, World Company, the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, Haskell Indian Nations University, the Lawrence City Commission and the Sustainability Advisory Board.
Daniel Poull, chairman of the Lawrence Sustainability Advisory Board that proposed the idea, said he wanted the task force to include either a science professor or a high-ranking administrator from the University of Kansas.
"I'm assuming since KU teaches an environmental course that there will be participation." Poul said. "We're hoping the University will submit some ideas for the task force."
Hack said she and Dever would meet to go over recommended members, the timeline for putting the task force together and the compensation needed to afford the program.
to be green with the economic costs that go along with that responsibility? Hack said.
"What were trying to figure out is, 'How do we balance the desire
Conversations about the project have indicated that it will take about a year to put together, Hack said.
The central focus of the Climate Protection Task Force is to comply with the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement that the city signed on March 7, 2006.
The resolution requires participating cities to, by the year 2012, lower
greenhouse $ \mathrm{g}_{\mathrm{s}} $ emission levels by 7 percent from what they were in 1990.
The agreement was created in response to President Bush's refusal to submit the Kyoto Protocol to the U.S. Congress for ratification. The
In the two years since Lawrence agreed to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, not much has been done to accomplish the resolution's goals. Poull said.
Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement among developed countries to reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
Agreement, purchased green tags to off-set 3 percent of the city's power usage to wind power, implemented the green tag program and signed an agreement to purchase plug-in hybrid vehicles as soon as they're mass-produced.
Only four of about 30 commitments listed on the city's Web site have been completed. In the two years since making these commitments, the city has signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection
"What we're trying to figure out is,'How do we balance the desire to be green with the economic costs that go along with that responsibility?"
are items that require a long-term commitment to identify and address on a continual basis"
This checklist can be misleading, said Tammy Bennett, assistant public works director, because many of these commitments are immeasurable. "These aren't just items you can check off a list," Bennett said. "These
Promoting energy efficiency is one of these examples. The city commission has taken steps toward this goal, such as adopting a new environmentally friendly energy code last year, but it's impossible to check it off as accomplished because promoting energy efficiency is an ongoing process with no clear end. Bennett said.
SUE HACK Lawrence mayor
Hack said she would announce plans for the Climate Protection Task Force at tomorrow's city commission meeting.
— Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird
MAINTENANCE
Handle vandal inconveniences Jayhawker Towers residents
Vandalized door handles trouble Jayhawker Towers residents. The handles were broken several times last fall, as well.
BY CALEB SOMMERVILLE csommerville@kansan.com
Someone has been vandalizing the doors of the Jayhawker Towers. This is not spray paint or toilet paper, either. Someone has been ripping the metal handles off of the doors, making it nearly impossible to get into the building.
"We don't know who the vandal is," said Diana Robertson, director of student housing.
Jon Goering/KANSAN
Since last fall, door handles have been repeatedly broken off the basement door on the east side of Tower C. The vandal or vandals apparently bend the handle backward until it snaps off near the keyhole, leaving a jagged edge. To then enter the building, residents must attempt to turn the small inch-long part of the remaining handle.
Each handle is connected to a KUID-scanning box that allows residents to scan their cards to get in. Every time a vandal breaks a handle.
a new box must be installed.
Each box costs about $250.
Robertson says she doesn't know why the vandalism happens, but she thinks the vandal is a resident without a KUID or someone who is not a resident
said. She encourages any students with information to come forward to end the inconvenience.
Residents of Tower C aren't very happy about the vandalism, either.
"I don't like it. It's a pain in the ass."
"What we need there is help to identify who's doing this."
DIANA ROBERTSON Director of Student Housing
of Tower C trying to get inside.
said Neil Hyde,
Overland Park
sophomore. He thinks it's done
on purpose.
Robertson said maintenance hd replaced so many boxes that it is out of backups, and the basement door to Tower C was currently inaccessible from the outside.
"I hate it, man," Hyde said.
"What we need there is help to identify who's doing this." Robertson
Jesse Jones, Hutchinson senior, doesn't think the vandalism is done on purpose, but he
says it's still annoying when it happens. He said the doors got stuck sometimes, so some residents jerked too hard trying to open the door.
"The handles are really easy to break." Iones said.
Jared Anderson, Olathe senior,
said he had actually seen someone
try to break the handle off before. He
doesn't see the point in the vandalism, though. In fact, his roommate once cut up his hand trying to turn a broken handle.
Anderson has come up with his own method of opening broken doors.
"I just grab a newspaper," he said. Student housing sent a letter to all Tower C residents asking for their help.
"Please be aware of fellow students entering the building improperly and report any information you may have about the previous damage or any further damage," the letter said.
"The card-swipe system is there for the convenience of the students obviously, and it's discouraging that we, in essence, have to inconvenience them," Robertson.
She said they were working with the Public Safety Office to stop it.
Edited by Katherine Loeck
YARN BARN
Before
Beginning Classes Starting Soon!
Get 20% off class yarns!
Intermediate Classes as well.
Stop by 930 Mass. St. or visit www. yarnbarn-ks.com for a schedule.
After
Jan. 31 (Thurs.
Feb. 5 (Tues.
Feb. 13 (Wed.)
$20.00
$25.00
$25.00
4 weeks
6 weeks
6 weeks
7-9 PM
7-9 PM
7-9 PM