THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31. 2007
NEWS
3A
CAMPUS
Groups to collaborate for leadership summit
BY SARAH NEFF
sneff@kansan.com
Students from Kansas high schools will come to the University of Kansas today for the second annual Latino Leadership Summit.
Aida Garcia-Franks, Lenexa graduate student and program assistant for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said the summit was to encourage Latino students to go to college. She said the summit would include several workshops that teach high school students what they need to do in the last two years of high school to prepare for higher education.
"We came up with it because with the growing population in Kansas, we thought it was important to get the message of college out there," Garcia-Franks said.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Hispanic American Leadership Organization, the Latino Faculty and Staff Council, and the Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity and Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority collaborated to organize the summit. High school students from Topeka, Kansas City, Kan., Wichita, Emporia and western Kansas were invited.
NASA
Representatives from the Office of Admissions and Scholarships will be available to help potential students with questions about the financial aspects of going to college. Garcia-Franks said the University was not able to offer scholarships, but could direct students to outside scholarship opportunities.
Stephanie Gomez, Newton senior and president of HALO, said HALO representatives would be available to answer questions about college life from a student's perspective. Gomez said she had some friends who attended the summit last year and said they learned a lot about their higher education options.
Ripped solar wing could delay next shuttle flight
Carlos Ojeda Jr., an educational and motivational speaker, will be the keynote speaker for the event. Ojeda was a first-generation college student. He travels to schools across the nation to share his experience and motivate people to go to college.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A giant solar wing ripped as it was being unfurled by astronauts aboard the international space station on Tuesday, creating another problem for NASA at the orbiting outpost.
Next spring, representatives from the University will travel to the high school students' communities and hold informational sessions for parents in Spanish.
The next shuttle flight could be delayed if this latest problem isn't resolved quickly, said NASA's space station program manager, Mike Suffredini. Atlantis is supposed to lift in early December with a European laboratory.
Edited by Luke Morris
"We don't clearly know what we're dealing with yet, and as soon as we know what we're dealing with, then we can talk about what our next steps are," Suffredini said. The astronauts immediately halted the wing extension. By then, the solar panel was already extended 90 feet of its 115 feet. Space station commander Peggy Whitson said the sun angle prevented her and the others from seeing the $2 \frac{1}{2}$-foot tear sooner.
The torn solar wing can still provide power. NASA's bigger concern is the structural problem posed by
"It's just the way it goes," Mission Control said consolingly.
POLITICS
Youth votes make impact on world
BY SASHA ROE
sroe@kansan.com
Ron Paul? Never heard of the guy. Mitt Romney? Is he running for President? With one year until the 2008 Presidential election, KU students' answers to election questions reflect the national trend—college students just aren't as informed or as active as they could be.
Kathleen Barr, director of research and education for Rock the Vote, said getting students to vote was important mainly because of the sheer size of the youth vote. She said there had been a reemergence of youth participation, but there was a long way to go for both candidates and young voters.
"Students could definitely help make or break the election," Barr said.
Renee Robinson, Lawrence senior, said she wasn't interested in the election or the issues. She said she would probably vote for Barack Obama, and was a member of the "Barack Chalk Jayhawks" Facebook.com group. Keaton Hilst, Hutchinson junior, also said that election coverage wasn't a priority for him, and believed it just wasn't targeted enough to college students.
However, Angela McNulty, Olathe senior, said she had watched a few debates, and tried to keep up with the election as much as possible. She said she was waiting to see Obama's and Clinton's stances on gay marriage before she made her decision.
"I know what I want." McNulty said. "But I definitely hang out with some people that are not as informed
Jerry Austin, president of the political and public relations firm Gerald J. Austin and Associates, Inc., and a Fall 2007 Dole Institute fellow, said the college students was very important in presidential elections. He said every year one million North American 17-year-olds turned 18, and the four years between each presidential election produced a potential four million new voters for candidates. Austin said the unfortunate reality was the number of youth registered to vote wasn't anywhere near the number of those eligible to vote.
as they should be."
"The problem is, even though young people have shown an interest in the 2004 and 2006 elections, they still do not vote based upon what their numbers suggest," Austin said. "They could be a force, but if you don't register and you don't vote, you're not a force."
Sara Kisza, Leavenworth sophomore, said she wasn't registered to vote, and Natalie Rodriguez, Belleville, ill., said that because she was out-of-state it was difficult to remember to get an absentee ballot sent to Kansas.
According to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning, the 18- to 24-year-old vote increased in the 2004 presidential election by 11 percent from 2000. Until 2004, the youth voter turnout had decreased by 16 percent between 1972 and 2000. The youth vote still lags behind the older adult vote with 47 percent of 18 to 24-year-old citizens voting, and 66 percent of 25 and older voting.
register to vote
Where: Rock the Vote website www.rockthevote.com
**What to do:** Click on the link "Register to Vote". Fill out the form, print it and mail it to the address on the form. The form will automatically format itself when you enter your state.
Good for: Out-of-State students
Where: Douglas County Courthouse 1100 Massachusetts or http://www.douglas-county.com
What to do: Fill out the voter registration online or in person at the courthouse Mail the form to the Douglas County Election Officer 1100 Massachusetts, Lawrence, KS 66044.
Austin said motivation and assisting students in the registration process were the main factors in youth involvement. He said it was important for candidates and organizations to go where young people hang out, and encourage them to vote.
"I use the phrase, 'when you go duck hunting, you have to go where the ducks are.'" Austin said.
Good for: Kansas students
Barr said the Rock the Vote site,
www.rockthevote.com, had an easy "Register to Vote" link available for students from every state.
Politicians have also been using the Internet to appeal to college voters. Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube have been popular sites to show support for candidates. Facebook features election applications, and allows students to add candidates as friends and join support groups. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-III) has been the most successful on the site with 157,896 friends, and 382,202 in the group "One Million Strong for Barack."
Austin said the Internet had changed everything by providing more information and visual aspects that attracted young voters. He said this election would reveal the power of the social network sites had on youth involvement.
Barr said appealing to students through pop culture, and technology was a good first step because that was where to find students. She said the use of social networking sites, like Facebook and MySpace could only be useful if the politicians actually reached out and got the 20,000 "friends" involved.
Austin said there was a lot of interest in the upcoming election, especially with the possibility of the first black or female president. He said he hoped the students realized they had a worldwide as well as national impact.
"The American election is looked by the world more than any other election," Austin said. "Yet we still have a problem getting people to participate."
a partially deployed panel.
The damage was especially agonizing for the 10 space travelers because two of shuttle Discovery's crew had just wrapped up a seven-hour spacewalk and were still reveling in the smooth extension of the first of two retracted solar wings on a newly installed beam.
During the spacewalk — the third of their mission — Scott Parazynski and Douglas Wheelock installed a massive beam holding a pair of solar wings, which were folded up like an accordion. It took three days to move the beam from one location on the space station to another 145 feet away and was
considered one of the hardest construction jobs ever attempted in orbit.
Parazynski also dealt with the other problem on the space station and inspected one of two rotary joints that keep the solar panels turned toward the sun. Steel shavings were found during
a spacewalk over the weekend in the joint on the right side of the station. Parazynski was asked to look at the left joint for comparison. Everything inside that joint looked pristine it will remained in a parked position.
Associated Press
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
October 31,2007
"Presidential Politics From the Inside"
A study group hosted by Dole Fellow, Jerry Austin Presents:
Come and learn about Presidential Campaign Ads with Raymond Strother, a National Political Media Consultant.
4:00pm on Tuesday, Nov. 6th at the Dole Institute of Politics
--a Student Senator?
Sponsored by Student Senate
PAID FOR BY KU
Just Drinks
Come and enjoy FreeFair Trade coffee, tea, and chocolate.
Mondays, 4pm at the ECM
Interested in becoming
Jr/Sr CLAS (1)
Fr/So CLAS (1)
Graduate (2)
Off-Campus (1)
Non-Traditional/Stouffer Place (1)
Student Senate is currently accepting applications for the following seats:
Education (1)
Non-Traditional/Stouffer Place (1) Education (1)
For more information please contact Adam Mcgonigle at amegonigle87@yahoo.com, or stop by the Student Senate office in 410 Kansas Union.
...
...
A series dedicated to exploring relationships and how real people experience them.
communication & fighting fair
Presented by Dennis Detweller, LSCSW
Oct. 29, 7-9 PM at the ECM, 1204 Oread Ave.
A common complaint heard from respective partners in a relationship is, "we just don't communicate." Truthfully, we are always communicating. The unspoiled messages, hidden adages, and expectations that cause conflict and misunderstanding if left unaddressed. This session addresses effective communication and fighting fair.
homosexuality
Presented by Bob Minor, Professor of Religious Studies
10.2, 7-9 TW at the ECM. 1204 Ares Oak
This session explores the issues of homophobia and how they impair not only faith communities but also the quality of each person's life, regardless of sexual orientation.
Come to me, or some, or all. More information is available by e-mailing tabagabalu.educc. This series is open on 816 kultur faculty, staff and staff at the Lawrence University sponsored by Fonlanked in Leuven, Lutheran Church Ministries (ECLA) University Nazarema Church, First Presbyterian Ministry and Ecumenical Christian Ministries (ECM), Organized by SSEC (Sexuality Education Committees).