Volume 124 Issue 135
kansan.com
Monday, April 16, 2012
Moving to an apartment?
The Kansan ran a front page story Friday stating SPQR won two freshman/sophomore senate seats in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. However, further vote tallies show that SPQR did not win any senate seats.
ELECTION
The only non-KUnited seat a graduate studies senator position was awarded to independent candidate Thomas Ringenberg. There was no candidate for the School of Social Welfare's two senator seats.
Voter turnout took a dive from last year with only 8 percent of students casting their ballot.
The KUnited coalition won the presidential and vice presidal election and 53 of 54 senator seats after last week's elections, shutting out opposing coalition SPQR from Student Senate next year, according to unofficial elections results.
Last year, KUnited and opposing coalition RenewKU both ran strong campaigns that ended with an increased voter presence: 21 percent of the student body. That was up 9 percentage points from the 2010 elections.
SPQR's strategy fails to get votes
Check out this semester's fourth and final apartment guide
VAKAAS SHANKER
vshanker@kansan.com
Edited by Christine Curtin
The campaigns for last week's elections were a different story. KUnited spent more than $6,000 on campaign efforts, while SPQR spent $15, according to the coalitions' mid-elections expense reports.
Many of SPQR's chalking was found rubbed away Thursday morning, but some messages still remained. Elections commission chairman Keith Adams said that SPQR did enough cleaning to stay in the elections.
The two coalitions' final activity and expense reports are due Monday at 5 p.m. The elections commission is expected to officially validate the elections results on Wednesday.
SPQR faced a serious violation of the Student Senate elections code during a hearing on April 11 for obscuring KUnited's chalking. Members of the coalition were ordered to clean up all chalking by 10 a.m. April 12, or the elections commission would invalidate any seats awarded to the coalition.
INSIDE
AN ALL-NIGHTER
RESTLESS CHARITY
Teams walk for twelve hours to raise money for cancer research
KELSEY CIPOLLA
kcipolla@kansan.com
For 12 hours Friday night and early Saturday morning, students struggled to stay awake for a good cause.
Friday was the University's Relay for Life, an all night fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. So far, participants have raised $28,500, but fundraising will continue throughout the rest of the year
"It was such a powerful event," said Jacquelyn Pedigo, a graduate student from Wichita. "I love the metaphor of staying up all night and being so tired but fighting through it."
Pedigo has participated in Relay for Life since it first came to the University in 2003. Over the years, she has raised around $1,000 to help fund research for an illness that took the lives of her aunt and two grandparents. Raising the money and walking in Relay makes her feel like she's making a difference, Pedigo said.
"Every little bit counts, but the more people that participate and the more times you do it, the bigger the difference it makes," she said.
Jana Schwartz, a freshman from Topeka, got involved in Relay for the first time this year after hearing that many of her friends wanted to get involved.
"It's fun because you're raising money, but you also get to really see what you're raising
money for, and everyone is here for the same thing," Schwartz said.
Although one person from each time is suppose to be on the track at all times, Schwartz said her team, "Save Second Base," didn't work out a schedule in advance for who would walk at certain times. They did come prepared with blankets, computers and a deck of playing cards to keep themselves entertained during the long night.
Bre Kirkhart, the chair of Relay and a junior from Wichita, said that although fundraising efforts brought in $28,500, Relay is still shy of the $40,000 goal.
TARA BRYANT/KANSAN
"We have a long way to go, but we can at least get closer to it," Kirkhart said. She said raising $35,000 might be a more realistic target.
The University's Relay isn't the only opportunity to get involved with Relay For Life in Lawrence. Douglas County organizes it's own relay, which will be at Free State High School June 6 at 7 p.m.
Ashley DeSandre, a senior from Pocono Lake, Pa., gives Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little information on how to detect breast tumors Friday evening at the Relay for Life event.
— Edited by Pat Strathman
Upcoming fundraisers for Relay include country night at the Ranch on April 21 and a percentage night at On the Border, April 24. Donations are also still being accepted through the organization's website.
TARA BRYANT/KANSAN
Cancer survivors, who wore special purple shirts, take the second lap of the Relay for Life walk with their family members and caregivers Friday evening at the Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center. More than 400 students and community members participated in the event.
CAMPUS
Comedian brings laughs to 'Gaypril'
Fortune Feimster excited to help celebrate acceptance
KELSEY CIPOLLA
kcipolla@kansan.com
Coming out to your parents, turning the tables on potential kidnappers and being mistaken for a guy; no topic was off limits for comedian Fortune Feimster, who performed Saturday night as part of Queers and Allies' Gaypril celebration.
Feimster was a semi-finalist on NBC's "Last Comic Standing" in 2010. She now works as a fulltime writer and performer for "Chelsea Lately," comedian Chelsea Handler's late night show.
Nathan Stitt, a senior from Clay Center and media coordinator for Queers and Allies said the organization tries to choose a balance between educational and entertaining events.
It was Feimster's first Gaypiril performance, and she said she was excited to be a part of some-
Stitt said that Feimster was a great choice for Gaypril because she is outspoken and successful, despite the fact that lesbian comedians are underrepresented in the
"When I was in college, there weren't many people who were out, so to have a group and events that put on these sort of things is really cool."
I had had it when I was in college,
because maybe I would have come
out of the closet back then."
Megan Domnanish, a first year law student from Topeka, said the show was extremely entertaining.
entertainment industry.
thing that promoted acceptance. "When I was in college, there weren't many people who were out, so to have a group and events that put on these sort of things is really cool," Feimster said. "I wish
FORTUNE FEIMSTER
COMEDIAN
thing that promoted acceptance.
"I watch Chelsea Lately every night, so I was excited to
get to see Fortune in person," Dominan said.
Before her show, the comedian ate dinner with students at Mrs. E's and explored Massachusetts Street, but it was the Lawrence
Feimster performed a 45-minute routine that explored everything from adjusting to life in Los Angeles after being raised in North Carolina to posing as a Hooters waitress. Feimster also included in her performance an impromptu tap dance and rendition of the Ying Yang Twin's song "Get Low." After her stand-up, she took questions from the audience, many of which were about working at "Chelsea Lately" and working with her famously snarky boss, Chelsea Handler.
"We're going to go into the basement together," she said. "We're going to hunker down and hug each other, because I don't know how to deal with tornadoes. You're going to be like 'Fortune was supposed to be funny and she just cried the whole time.'"
weather that made the biggest impression on Feimster.
"She's so cool to work with," Feimster said. "People see this rough exterior on the air when she's making fun of people, but she's the coolest boss ever."
Index
Edited by Caroline Kraft
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Comedian Fortune Feimster performs a standup routine in Hashinger Hall Saturday evening as part of Queers and Allies's Gapril line-up. Feimster has appeared on NBC's "Last Comic Standing" where she finished as a semi-finalist and is also writer and performer E! Network's "Chelsea Lately".
CLASSIFIEDS 11
CROSSWORD 4
CRYPTOQUIPS 4
OPINION 5
SPORTS 12
SUDOKU 4
It's the last day to drop or withdraw from classes at the registrar's office.
Small chance of showers
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
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