the
arms
over,
nenty
ally
KU
University Daily Kansan
Thursday, May 6, 1976
Uninformed
From page one
present cochairman of the Senate Sports Committee, agreed that the Wednesday night Senate meetings were often social gatherings.
*THE YEAR AS well as last year, the
dancers don't know what they're
on't out. 's she said.*
She said that the problem wasn't as great as last year, but that there were still some students who voted on and passed legislation they had never read.
She said Senate information was available if students would take the time to learn.
With uninformed senators present at the meetings, she said, conscientious senators
Adrienne Hyle, graduate student senator, said the lack of timely notice about Senate affairs was a fault of the system. She said she thought senators should have all the information ahead of time so they could read it at home.
THE SENATE MAILS out the Student Senate Record, the official notice of the meetings. However, additional legislation may be available until right before the meeting.
Teddie Tasheff, student body president,
said she knew there were instances when
people didn't know what the issues were.
She said the problem was common at
the first of the year but not after the first few
meetings.
Jon Josserand, student senator for four years, said one of the inherent problems in the Senate was the great turnover of senators every year.
He said that turnover meant continuity was lost, and work did a couple of years better when it was done with improvements had been made in this area because everything was now written down.
HE SAID HE wouldn't call the Senate a "social club," but thought it was natural that a social structure developed among them who spent a lot of time working together.
Along the same lines is the subject of a Senate clique.
"When I first came into the Senate, it definitely was a clique," Ed Rollos, senator for almost four years and former student body president, said.
Rolfs said the Senate had changed a lot since then because of the strong influence of graduate student senators who weren't familiar with other group and looked objectively at issues.
HE SAID THE graduate students became more involved in the Senate about two years ago, after the administration gave them a paid position and the Senate gave the Graduate Student Council a block allocation.
The graduate students caused the Senate to open up and proved that legislation was needed to protect them.
Reynolds said she still saw cliques in the because because sides were taken, but not on them. "They're not really good," he said.
"I find it very unfortunate that at this level of student government, aides are taken out of the classroom."
She said many uninformed senators voted by partisanship instead of by issues.
Rolfs said, "People vote the way they feel, but the way they feel is largely in their hands."
HYLE SAID THAT if a person was undeed about an issue, he might decide to vote the same way as a person whose opinion he respected.
Grubbaud said that wasn't a very healthy situation.
"Senators forget who they are," she said. "They forget they are representative of the students at this University. Everything is so much better when we put what their constituents would want."
Rolfs said senators from Oliver Hall had actually polled students in the past to get their opinions. He said, however, that senators were usually in touch with friends and classmates about issues but not really with their constituency.
Tasheff criticized the Senate's minority representation.
IN THIS YEAR'S Senate, for example,
there are three black students and one
foreign student. Last year there was only
one black senator.
Rufs said the recent formation of the Minority Affairs Subcommittee was an effort to get minority students involved by representing the affairs and elections of the Senate.
Josserand said minorities probably didn't
realize how easy it would be for them to get elected to the Senate. He said a minority group could form a coalition and if they could get at least 159 minor students to vote for their nominees, 10 or more minor students could easily get elected.
He said he didn't know of such an organized effort so far.
He said minorities, like all students, probably didn't think the Senate did too well.
"IT'S HARD TO see you, as one of 115 people, could affect anything," he said.
A breakout of a Senate roster of 108 senators (some have been dropped from the roster because of absenteeism or class conflicts) shows the following:
Few students realize the Senate's importance or the issues it deals with, he said, and if he were to ask students how a severe weather storm would affect them, they'd say "it won't affect me."
—According to the University of Kansas Faculty, Staff and Student Directory, there are 50 senators in Greek living groups, 32 in campus residences and 26 in residence bills.
— There are 20 freshmen, 26 sophomores,
13 seniors, 13 seniors, 14 graduate students and
students in general.
- SIIXTY-SEVEN senators are male, and 41 are female.
Steve McMurray, Students Rights Committee chairman, said he thought a lot of people from the Greek living groups were also studying in France, a lot of people in sororities or fraternities.
Hyle said the results showed who the interested people were, even if it seemed that an unusually large part of the Senate lived in sororities or fraternities.
Thursday
Shrimp Creole on Bed of Rice
Broccoli Spears
Tossed Salad with
Green Pepper Ring
Homemade French Bread
Carrot Cake
Friday
Fried Chicken with Honey
Baked Beans
Escalloped Potatoes
Peach & Cottage Cheese
Salad
Fresh Biscuits
Strawberry Shortcake
In addition to our Colonial Style Menu our staff will be attired fitting the period-in costumes of their own creation.
here will be a spinning demonstration on Friday in the cafeteria from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Need help with your finals? Come for a FREE MINI-LESSON in
SPEED READING and STUDY SKILLS
TONIGHT
You will improve your reading within the hour without cost or obligation.
7:30-8:30 p.m.
Plan now to take Reading Dynamics this summer
. . . Cut your study time in half!
... Read over 1000 words per minute!
. . . Organize and simplify for better comprehension and recall!
SUMMER SCHEDULE
Mondays 7-9:30 p.m. June 14-July 26
Tuesdays 7-9:30 p.m. June 15-July 27
EVELYN WOOD READING DYNAMICS
located in Adventure a bookstore
9th & Iowa
Hillcrest Shopping Center Phone 843-6424
Carousel Charge
BankAmericard
Master Charge
Cash too!
Advertise in the Kansan. Call 864-4358