THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOL.115 ISSUE 128
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
STUDENT SENATE ELECTIONS
Erin Droste/KANSAN
Coalitions debate platforms
Jessica Wicks, Colorado Springs, Colo., junior, questions candidates about providing condoms to students in the student housing facilities at the informal debate on Wescoe Beach yesterday afternoon. Presidential and vice-presidential candidates from KUUnited, Delta Force and Student Voice coalitions answered student questions.
The candidates fielded questions asked mostly by students who were involved in Senate coalitions.
BY DANIEL BERK
dberk@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITE
Candidates running for student body president and vice president participated in an informal debate vesterday on Wescoe Beach.
Blake Swenson, Topeka senior and former Delta Force presidential candidate, asked KUnited's candidates for feedback about their platform, an issue of debate among opposing candidates. Candidates have criticized it for containing issues that administrators were already working on.
Nick Sterner, KUnited presidential candidate, responded that it was important to put issues on KUnited's platform that were relevant and feasible and that it did not piggvback issues.
"People that question our platform haven't been around Senate enough," Sterner said. "We knew this was an issue that was going to be brought up, and I thought we handled it exactly the right way."
Elaine Jardon, Delta Force presidential candidate, said she was not surprised by KUnited's platform. She said this was not the first time the coalition had picked issues that were already in
SEE DEBATE ON PAGE 6A
STUDENT SENATE
Senator expelled
Senate committee members note expelled senator absences, lack of dedication
BY DANIEL BERK
dberk@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITE
After questions arose about dedication, Student Senate Executive Committee members expelled a candidate running for student body president from Senate Wednesday night at a StudEx meeting.
Dennis Chanay, presidential candidate for Student Voice and freshman senator, was expelled from Senate because he did not show a strong dedication for the future of senate, Arthur
Chanav
Jones, StudEx chairman said. Chanay said he would still run for president.
There are nine people that serve on StudEx, the five committee chairmen, the student body president and vice president and
the two University Senate Executive Committee representatives. The two members from SenEx were Nick
Sterner, presidential candidate for KUnited, and Marynell Jones, vice presidential candidate for KUnited. Arthur, who is Marynell's brother, said Sterner and Marynell did not vote because it would have been a conflict of interest. Arthur also did not vote and just ran the meeting.
Arthur said the decision was not based on political involvement.
Chanay was initially suspended from Senate because he had exceeded the number of excused absences that are allowed for senators. He appealed that suspension in front of
StudEx Wednesday night and was denied the appeal.
Arthur stressed that Chanay was expelled not only because of the absences but because he did not demonstrate to the committee that he would be able to attend future meetings.
Laura Rose Barr, chairwoman of the Multicultural Affairs Committee, and has no coalition affiliation, voted against Chanay. She said there was a lot of discussion about it, but
Laughter: A common language
VOLUNTEERING
SEE EXPELLED ON PAGE 6A
Group focuses on emotional wounds
BY ESTUARDO GARCIA
egarcia@kansan.com
KANSAN Writer
For many tsunami survivors, aid came with a camouflaged uniform, steel-toed boots and a rifle over the shoulder, but for a lucky few, aid came with a bright red nose, chunky sneakers and a bubble-blower necklace.
"I always wore bubbles," said Brynn White. Overland Park sophomore. "It always broke the ice if someone was shy."
Brynn and other members and volunteers of Patch Adams' Gesundheit Institute spent spring break on a clown trip to the coast of Sri Lanka. The focus of the trip was not to heal the wounds of the people, but to heal their spirits by bringing laughter and joy to those who have lost everything.
Contributed photos
On the first day, Brynand and the rest of the group, chartered a bus and drove to refugee camps.
One of its first stops was a school for the deaf in Colombo. Some of the clown's routines involved music or other noises, which these children were not able to hear.
Volunteers overcame the sound barrier as well as the language barrier.
"Clowning is a language of its own. Kids know how to play," Brynn said.
And play they did.
One of Adams' requirements for doctors on these clown trips is to create a clown alter ego.
At each stop the group walked out fully dressed and was ready to run, play. hold and laugh with the children.
(Top) Brynn White uses her bubble blower necklace in a Sri Lankan hospital to play with a shy child. The child ran behind a door when he saw the clowns from the Gesundheit Institute. White used the bubbles to ease the child's anxiety. (Right) Brynn White and other members of the Gesundheit Institute make an unscheduled stop during their trip to Sri Lanka. The small refugee camp was happy to see the visitors and the group was more than happy to play with the kids.
Bowen White, Brynn's father, played a proctologist with a balloon-enhanced backside.
At first Bowen refused to become a clown, but after a little coercion,
he took the risk and became Dr. Jerko. Now he would never go back, he said.
Dr. Jerko is sensitive about his name constantly being mispro-
nounced. "That's Yerko, if you don't mind."
SEE LAUGHTER ON PAGE 6A
STUDENT HOUSING
Officials from the Department of Housing are interviewing residents of Stephenson Hall to determine who will be allowed to stay in the scholarship hall in the fall. The interviews are being conducted for the first time because of complaints the department has received about hall residents' behavior. Stephenson Hall is located at 1404 Alumni Place, at the corner of 14th Street and Jayhawk Boulevard.
Erin Droste/KANSAN
Stephenson residents interviewed
Bad behavior sparks first-time renewal method
BY ERIC SORRENTINO
esorrentino@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Stephenson residents were required to have individual interviews with the Department of Student Housing or else they would not be allowed to live in the hall next fall.
Residents of Stephenson Scholarship Hall had to fill out more than Intent-to-Return cards to return to the hall next semester.
This is the first time the department has ever had to call an entire residence in for this type of interview, said Ken Stoner, director of student housing.
Housing officials met with Stephenson residents March 16 to discuss incidents of unacceptable behavior this semester. Interviews started last week and are scheduled until April 25.
"It's a privilege to live there, and we need to talk about the nature of that privilege and what their obligations are." Stoner said.
Stoner could not comment on specific individuals, but said the incidents entailed repetitive trashing of the facility without cleaning it up and a resident demeaning another resident.
Fifty men live at Stephenson, 1404 Alumni Place.
Stoner said he expected about 35 students to return to Stephenson next fall.
Stephenson was historically a residence known for its wit and satire, but Stoner said this was more serious an issue.
"We can all stand the satire, but when you push the envelope beyond what would be considered good fun or satirical and it becomes physically overt in some way, then I think it needs to be addressed," Stoner said.
Andrew Stangl, Wichita sophomore, said he was moving out of Stephenson next year because of
housing's requirements.
He said he was falsely accused of vandalism earlier in the semester. Stangl said about 15 members of Stephenson went to a female scholarship hall at 3 a.m. one Saturday night and sang songs outside the hall. He said the women let the members in the hall.
"I distinctly remember that I went to bed at midnight that night," Stangl said. "I had been asleep for three hours at the time they accused me."
Stangl said residents threw various objects off the fire escape this year, but he had
SEE STEPHENSON ON PAGE 6A
Today's weather
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2005 The University Daily Kansan
Mountain woman
A 2004 graduate of the University will spend a month climbing the 20,320-foot Mount McKinley in Alaska. Jessica Drees will take snow samples for research when she is on the mountain. PAGE DA
Vice presidential candidates
Quarterback opening
Read profiles of Stephanie Craig, Sara Garlick and Marynell Jones, the three candidates for student body vice president. PAGES 348-350
The starting position is up for grabs and there are two, possibly three contenders for the job. As of now, junior Jason Swanson seems to be Coach Mark Mangino's front-runner.
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