Volume 124 Issue 132
kansan.com
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
the student voice since 1904
ELECTIONS
Don't forget to cast your vote by Thursday
With Student Senate elections taking place Wednesday and Thursday, students will have the opportunity to vote for presidential and vice-presidential candidates as well as various positions in Student Senate.
To vote, students can go to the ku.edu homepage, where a link to voting will be provided. Students will click the link and sign in using their student ID number and password. Based on the student ID number, a ballot will appear that students are eligible for. Ballots depend on students' year in school and major and whether they live on campus or not.
Voting will begin Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. and will conclude at 10 p.m. On Thursday, voting will start at 6 a.m. and will end at 4 p.m.
According to Keith Adams, Student Senate Election Commission Chairman, there will be laptops set up on campus on Wescoe Beach as well as at Mrs. E's. Students can vote at Wescoe between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. The voting booth at Mrs. E's will be set up from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Wednesday and from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
VOTE HERE
Use this QR code to visit the KU homepage. Then find the voting link to cast your vote.
on Thursday.
In case of Internet malfunctions, paper copies will be available for students at the Kansas Union.
Results of the election will be announced Thursday between 5 and 5:30 p.m.
Viraj Amin
ELECTIONS
Large spending gap between student coalition campaigns
REBEKKA SCHLICHTING
rschlichting@kansan.com
With election season in full swing on campus, expense reports have found that there are different costs associated with each coalition's campaigning method. KUnited has enlisted the help of the Lawrence community, spending $6,176.85 on its campaign; Senatus Populusque Ramenus, which has spent $15, opted to campaign primarily on campus.
Student Senate coalitions Senatus Populusque Ramenus, or SPQR, and KUnited released their expense reports Monday night to the elections commission, whose responsibility is to ensure fair elections and campaigns. It requires candidates to turn in pre-expense and final-expense reports to monitor how the candidates are spending money.
"We weren't looking to fundraise or go out to businesses to try and gain their support and money," said Brian Sultana, SPQR's campaign manager. "We aren't interested in buying votes or elections. We want to expose the idea of buying votes and elections and stay away from it as much as possible."
To attract supporters, SPQR purchased chalk and organized performances on Wescoe Beach, such as poetry readings and rap performances. Its intent is to draw people in rather than pulling them aside to get their votes.
Part of KUnited's advertising campaign included a competition to attract an apartment complex sponsorship, which The Grove won. The winner was chosen based on the facilities and services it had to offer students. After winning the contest, The Grove bought $2,500 worth of KUNited shirts, which was the coalition's largest donation, boxed them up and distributed them to students.
"Some students look at that dollar amount and think that we are buying votes or buying our positions;" said KUnited vice presidential candidate Brendon Woodard. "We watch our expenses and make sure
LOOK AT THE COALITION SPENDING See an online graph of how the coalitions spent their money.
they are as low as possible. You cannot buv votes."
KUinited also partnered with Lawrence businesses to engage students in the election. One of the largest purchases was the buttons, which cost $779. Students can wear them and receive discounts at restaurants around town, including Bird Dog at the Oread, Jayhawk Cafe, Mirth Cafe and Fuzzy's Taco Shop.
"I wish there were more candidates involved in the process this year," said Keith Adams, chairman of the elections commission. "The more people involved in the election process, the more say the students have and the better the elections are."
KUnited, which has won 17 of the last 18 elections, started its campaign during the fall semester. Members visited Greek houses, campus organizations and scholarship halls to recruit members and receive feedback from students. But despite the recruitment, student involvement is lacking.
Election booths will be on Wescoe Beach Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will also be a booth at Mrs. E's from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday. A student ID is required to vote. To vote online, look for the Student Senate elections link on ku.edu. Results will be announced after 5 p.m. Thursday.
Edited by Taylor Lewis
BASKETBALL BUMP
WINNING STUDENTS?
Athletic success unlikely to boost enrollment
LUKE RANKER
Iranker@kansan.com
Men's basketball coach Bill Self often says the University has the best fans in the country. Being a fan is almost a requirement for KU students, and a common campus rumor is that enrollment substantially increased after the 2008 National Championship.
But that may not be the case.
but that may not be the case. According to University officials, the basketball team's success during the NCAA tournament has little effect on enrollment for the next year. Matt Melvin, associate vice provost for student success, said students have to apply by November, so the tournament occurs too deep in the enrollment cycle to affect it.
Melvin said a championship could, however, boost enrollment in later years.
"It could convince those who were already admitted to go ahead and enroll," he said.
The enrollment data shows a short-term increase in enrollment following the 2008 Championship. But University officials say that may be a coincidence.
According to the Office of Institutional Research and Planning, about 400 more freshmen enrolled in Fall 2008 than the previous fall semester. However, the fall of 2009 saw about 500 fewer freshmen enroll.
Melvin said any increase in enrollment is most likely due to scholarship opportunities.
Vanessa Lamoreaux, associate director of communications for the Kansas Board of Regents, said enrollment does play a role in setting tuition. But she said that role isn't significant enough to cause the board to speculate about what enrollment will look like in the fall. She said the regents largely base tuition on what each of the six state universities suggest they need.
Jill Jess, spokeswoman for the University, said campus visit days generally fill up early, so the tournament causes little increase in tour traffic.
"It helps us get out in the national eye, which is good for the school." Jess said.
Melvin said that because the team is usually expected to do well, it draws little extra attention.
Melvin said that if any sport affected enrollment it would most likely be football, because the season overlaps with the enrollment cycle.
"A mid-major like Butler could argue they potentially see a big increase." Melvin said.
Edited by Ian Cummings
Year Undergraduate students Graduate students Total enrollment First-time freshmen
2007 20,298 6,044 26,342 4,084
2008 20,811 6,188 26,999 4,483
2009 20,550 6,276 26,826 3,942
2010 19,852 6,414 26,266 3,702
2011 19,222 6,226 25,448 3,580
Graphic by Hannah Wise
STUDENT SENATE
KUnited and SPQR prepare for elections
ELISE REUTER
ereuter@kansan.com
In preparation for Wednesday and Thursday's election, students gathered in the Student Senate chambers in Alderson Auditorium for a question and answer session between KUnited's presidential and vice-presidential candidates Hannah Bolton and Brandon Woodard, respectively, and the vice-presidential candidate for Senatus Populusque Ramenus, or SPQR. Claire Kerwin.
Brian Sultana, SPQR's campaign manager, and Claire Kerwin, SPQR's vice presidential candidate, explain why they are wearing togas during Tuesday afternoon's Student Senate Q&A session in Alderson Auditorium at the Kansas Union.
TYLER BIERWIRTH/KANSAN
SPQR's presidential candidate Gus Bova was absent from the meeting.
SPQR members entered the room wearing togas as a nod to the Romans and their coalition name. Elections Commission Chair Keith Adams presided over the event, making sure that questions were unbiased and that both coalitions were able to present their viewpoints.
discussion"
"Really, my hope was to make sure the student body had the opportunity to hear what the candidates were discussing and raise awareness," Adams said. "It's very important to have free, fair elections and a student voice. We want to make sure that process is respected and foster an environment for
"I feel like I know them more," Sutton said. "I had lost my want to vote because of the chalking, but I plan to vote again after going to the meeting. I was glad that as representatives, they apologized. I wasn't expecting that. It shows that they have concern for it."
Students at the session asked questions about how the candidates would address the perceived gap between the administration and students, pique student interest in Senate and accomplish the coalitions' goals. Angela Sutton, a junior from Marysville, expressed concerns about rude words in chalking and the excessive amount of campaigning during election season.
Both coalitions discussed how to increase transparency and student involvement. KUnited candidates stressed that students are able to vote for pending proposals by attending commission meetings even if they aren't in the Senate. KUnited vice-presidential candidate Brandon Woodard proposed several different ways of reaching out to students.
"One of the main focuses of my job this year is reaching out to the student body and giving them more information about the student body," said Woodard. "We
have newsletters, press releases and we're looking to have more contact with students, whether that means us going to Wescoe Beach or students coming here."
SPQR advocated the same hands-on approach that it promoted when it decided to run for Senate.
"We want to just be up front," said SPQR Campaign Manager Brian Sultana. "Just be very clear about what you're doing. I don't think you need a whole ton of bureaucracy to do that."
KUUnited candidates said that they have an advantage because of
more experience with the Senate and more administrative ties. SPQR thinks that by bringing in "new blood," they could reach out to more students and change some of Senate's processes, but its main goal is not necessarily a victory; it's to provide provocative discussions.
"I don't expect to win," said SPQR vice-presidential candidate Claire Kerwin. "I think it would be really amusing if we did."
Edited by Taylor Lewis
CLASSIFIEDS 7
CROSSWORD 4
CRYPTOQUIPS 4
OPINION 5
SPORTS 8
SUDOKU 4
all contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
Student Health Services will be giving away free chair massages on Wescoe Beach from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.as part of its Wellness Fair.
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Pockets full of sunshine