THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5. 2007
NEWS
》 STUDENT SENATE
3A
Deadweek, grades among issues for next semester
BY ERIN SOMMER
esommer@kansan.com
As University students prepare for finals, Student Senate is ready for midterms. Student Body President Hannah Love and Vice-president Ray Wittlinger won elections last spring as part of the United Students coalition and have worked this semester with a Delta Force majority in the Student Senate. Below is a summary of where Love and Wittlinger are on their platform issues, including academic policies, parking issues, campus safety, technology and a green campus, as well as other large tasks that Student Senate has dealt with thus far in during their administration.
DEADWEEK
In the spring, Love and Wittlinger said that they would work to implement a real "dead week," during which professors would be prohibited from giving assignments or tests, into the University's calendar. Love completed the research necessary for this issue and wrote a proposal several months ago, but said that she had not presented it because the calendar committee was deciding whether even having a single stop day was necessary. She said she would wait until the calendar
committee, a group under University Governance, made a decision about stop day before they presented legislation about dead week.
Barbara Phipps, associate professor in the School of Education and chair of the calendar committee, said that she had not been presented with information about implementing a dead week.
"A"GUARANTEE
Another academic issue under Love and Wittlinger's platform is allowing an "A" guarantee for students who take classes pass/fail but earn an "A"
Love said that she had not presented this legislation because University Governance did not pass legislation that would have changed the pass/fail system from making an "A" - "C" passing to an "A" - "D" passing.
She said that she would work on this more next semester.
CAMPUS SAFETY
Wittlinger said that he and Love worked to restructure the Campus Safety Advisory Board to allow for
more people and more representation of female safety issues. This included adding representatives from the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center and Panhellenic. He said that he charged the board with looking into putting more cameras and lighting on campus and said he and Love would meet with them either before the end of the semester or at the beginning of next semester.
Wittlinger said that if the board wasn't in the process of putting more cameras and lights on campus during their meeting, he and Love would take the issue to full Senate next semester.
RECREATION CENTER
PARKING
Love and Wittinger promised to open parking spots at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center to students who did not have yellow permits. The plan will be implanted by the time KU students come back to school in January.
Donna Hultine, director of the Parking Department, said earlier this semester that Wittlinger had communicated several times with her and the Parking Commission, and the two will continue to oversee and deal
Hultine and Wittlinger are currently in the process of buying signs to put in the front of the Center where the parking spots will be. Hultine said that after this happens, the spots would be open.
with any problems once the parking permits are in place.
TECHNOLOGY
Love said that she was especially excited about this issue because she felt that if the administration was convinced more technology — such as projectors and computers — was necessary, then it will be provided to students.
Love spoke at the Technology Convocation earlier this semester and said that she was questioned by several administrators whether technology is necessary to enhance education at the University. She said that in order to prove to educators that it was necessary, she is putting together a poll to ask students whether it's something that they want.
She said that she would poll students next semester and would deliver the results to administrators.
GREEN CAMPUS
Love and Wittlinger said that they
would work to improve campus environmental issues, including adding recycling bins in the Park and Ride lot. Both Love and Wittlinger said that they delegated this issue to the Campus Environmental Advisory Board and were unsure what the board was doing about the issue.
ZERO-TOLERANCE FILE
SHARING
Although this issue is not one of Love and Wittinger's platforms, it was an issue that Student Senate as a whole has worked on this semester.
Executive Committee Chair Adam McGonigle wrote legislation at the beginning of the semester that, if it had passed, would have asked KU administration to re-evaluate the policy. McGonigle pulled the bill because Vice Provost of Student Success Marlesa Roney said she would work with the Student Senate to examine the policy.
On Oct. 24, the student rights committee presented similar legislation and, after Love said she would veto the bill, created a task force to
look at the issue.
Student Senate has also followed through on issues that started in previous administrations, including the unveiling of the new Multicultural Resource Center and doing publicity for the four-year tuition compact and the advising survey.
The Kansan has reported throughout the semester that more than a dozen senators have either been dismissed for lack of attendance or resigned from Senate, but Wittlinger said that this is a trend in Senate every year.
"It would be irresponsible for anyone to say this is because of our leadership." Wittlinger said.
Jack Connor, holdover senator,
said that he would like to see more
accountability within Senate and
hoped for more communication.
Connor said that he thought Austin Kelly and Alex Porte, student body treasurer and assistant treasurer, respectively, were doing a good job of fiscal responsibility.
Student Senate ran out of money last year.
Love said that she planned to increase communication between Senate and students next semester.
Wittlinger said that Student Senate would continue to work towards its platforms throughout next semester.
"A lot of them are bold and they're challenging, but we're putting in a lot of work," Wittlinger said.
CRIME
—Edited by Rachael Gray
Former Democratic fundraiser indicted in phony investment scheme
BY LARRY NEUMEISTER ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted a top Democratic fundraiser accused of cheating investors of at least $20 million and using some of the money for illegal donations to political candidates such as Hillary Rodham Clinton.
In the 15-count indictment, the government accused Norman Hsu, a 56-year-old clothing-industry entrepreneur, of duping investors nationwide with a massive Ponzi scheme.
The government said Hsu also violated federal campaign-finance laws by making contributions to various political candidates in the names of others. A message left with a lawyer for Hsu was not immediately
returned.
Hsu was once a valued supporter of Clinton, raising more than $1.2 million for her and other Democratic candidates in recent years. He turned into a scandal when it was revealed he had been hiding from the law in plain sight.
He had been wanted in California since 1992, when he fled after pleading no contest to grand theft charges
in a fraudulent clothing import business. He posted $2 million bail in August, and his lawyer said his fugitive status was just a misunderstanding. But Hsu missed a court date Sept. 5, fled by train and was arrested at a Colorado hospital after attempting suicide.
more than $800,000 to donors whose contributions were linked to him.
Hsu's work on Clinton's behalf has been an embarrassment for her presidential campaign, which has returned
The indictment said Hsu from 2000 through August 2007 convinced his victims to invest at least $60 million in companies that supposedly extended short-term financing to businesses.
Hsu faces six counts of mail fraud, six counts of wire fraud and three counts of violating the Federal
Election Campaign Act.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the fraud charges, and five years on each of the federal campaign-finance charges. He also could face millions of dollars in fines.
Hsu is in custody in California on unrelated charges and was expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan in several weeks, prosecutors said.
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
Are you a Student AND a Parent?
JOIN KUSP
Kansas University Student Parents
Friday Dec 7th 6 p.m.
Stouffer Place Community Center
learn about
no-cost child care opportunities, non-traditional student advocacy projects,
building community, family-night out, outreach programs and more
for more info write to jamie kahn at rue1@ku.edu or call sonia hall at 785 727-8520
Potluck dinner at 6 pm, meeting at 6:30. Everyone welcome children and families!
Come join us for worship on Sundays at 5 And Spaghetti for the Soul on Wednesdays at 6
We are celebrating our 45th year at KU! For more information contact lutherans@ku.edu or www.kultherans.com
We are Reconciling in Christ Community, ALL ARE WELCOME.
Lutheran Campus Ministry
LAST of the
"Presidential Politics from the Inside" Study groups hosted by Dole Fellow Jerry Austin
Major John Hansen is a 25-year Army veteran. He will discuss the way military service members receive information and how they vote in the U.S. and overseas. 4pm Tuesday, Dec. 4th at the Dole Institute of Politics
Human Sexuality in Everyday Life With Dr. Dennis Dailey, KU Professor of Social Welfare
Cost:
Students $35 and non-students $45
($5 late fee for registration after January 26)
Non-credit course
Contact: The ECM office at 843-4933
Cookies for Dinner Stop Day Eve 12/6/07 the ECM (between KU Alumni Center & The Crossing
Time: Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm
Beginning January 31 for 10 sessions at the ECM
12:04 Oread (1 block north of Kansas Union)
Registration 10am-4pm at the ECM
Benefiting ECM Border Studies Alternative Winter Break to El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez,
Chihuahua
$5 All You Can Eat Cookies & Hot Chocolate
Games & Ugliest Holiday Sweater Contest
Gingerbread House Building Contest ($10 Individuals & Teams Pre-
Register @ Facebook "Cookies for Dinner")
Do Your Part
6:00-8:00 @ the ECM (between KU Alumni Center & The Crossing)
CAAS will be on Wescoe Beach all week accepting monetary donations for the EKAN food pantry turkey and ham drive. They will also hold a clothing drive; volunteers may donate used coats, mittens, gloves, hats, etc.
CAAS is hosting Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week Dec. 3 - Dec 7
December 5,2007
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
CCO needs volunteers for the Children's Holiday Party on Wednesday Dec. 5 hosted by MILK. It's in the ballroom of the Kansas Union from 3-5pm. Volunteers are needed before, during, and after the event to set-up help with activities and crafts with the kids,
and clean-up after, and they can email
milk@ku.edu if they can help out.
Center for Community
Outreach
is now accepting applications for Program Coordinators for CAAS and Lifeline! Applications can be picked up in the CCO office in the Kansas Union or online. Please email CCO at cco@ku.edu or visit our webpage at http://www.ku. edu/-cco for more information. Applicatoins are due Thursday Dec. 6.
PAID FOR BY KU
Stop Day Eve Benefit Concert Lloyd Likes Mike
Thursday, December 6, 2007
8:00 PM
Donations will be accepted to fund the Campus Garden at KU! For more information, e-mail earth@ku.edu
Applebee's Dining to Donate Enjoy a meal that's filling~ and fulfilling.
PRIZE
DRAWING!!
Submit receipts to each ku-by
12/13 for chance to win!
chance to win!
Present this flyer to your server on Friday December 7th (all day!) at 900 W 8th St or 2820 S lawn You must login with ID# 6340 before entering.
Details and additional buyers
order at www.hobbeeshura.com
Hobbees'
COMMUNITY
connections
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