Volume 124 Issue 116
kansan.com
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
the student voice since 1904
Abnormally large flea fossil found PAGE 3
STUDENT SENATE
Rights code to be updated in new bill
VIKAAS SHANKER
vshanker@kansan.com
Pending approval by Student Senate tomorrow, a bill will expand and clarify students' rights on campus by amending the student code of rights and responsibilities.
The bill contains three amendments. The first amendment would change language in the Introduction of the code to clarify that only students living in University housing are subject to the Department of Student Housing's regulations. It also makes the disciplinary process conditional, allowing alleged violations of the code to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
"It combines disciplinary processes so a student doesn't have to go through two separate processes for the same occurrence," said Jane Tuttle, the assistant vice provost of Student Success.
The second amendment expands students' freedom of speech to "views that are communicated through, but not limited to, oral, written, and/or electronic means of communication," according to the amendment. As a result, students can't be academically punished for what they post on Facebook, Twitter or on websites, unless it's considered disruptive to the operations of the University. An example of disrupting operations that would be punishable through the University would be the 2010 suicide case at Rutgers University.
The third amendment will eliminate a statement regarding student publications that was deemed redundant and unnecessary by members of the rights committee. The amendment will remove the sentence, "Similar freedom must be assured for the oral statement of views on all University-controlled radio and television stations," from Article 16 of the code. The preceding sentence already claims that the student press's editors, managers and contributors must be protected from arbitrary sanctions."
PRIVACY RIGHTS UNCHANGED
The bill contained another amendment concerning students' privacy rights in University housing when it originally came to full
Senate on Feb. 29.
This amendment to Article 19 of the code would have specifically assured students the "same rights of privacy as any other person," and to "the rights of privacy against unreasonable entry, searches and seizures."
However, student body president Libby Johnson said she was concerned over the language of the amendment potentially being limiting to students rights.
Johnson said she thought the amendment needed more discussion within the rights committee, so the bill was sent back. "Libby's our student body representative and she saw something," said Aaron Harris, the rights committee chair, about the amendment. "So we just decided to take it out and revert it back to the initial language during the rights meeting."
Harris said the initial objective of the presenters of the amendment, Tuttle, assistant vice provost of Student Success and Student Success program specialist Nick Kehrwald, was to allow University housing greater access to students' rooms. Right now, housing officials can only come into rooms in cases of emergency according to Article 19 of the code. But modified versions changed the amendment throughout the code review process. Tuttle suggested the rights committee take this amendment out of the bill on Feb. 22. The committee took it out of the bill during its March 7 meeting and sent the bill back to full Senate.
BILL APPROVAL LIKELY
Johnson and Harris expect the bill to pass next Wednesday, March 21, in the full Senate meeting. If passed, the bill will still need to be signed into effect by Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little.
Kehrwald, the Student Success program specialist, said he supports the bill. "The whole point is just to update the code," Kehrwald said. "It's to make sure that it's inclusive to speech through electronic means and it makes the rules clearer to students."
— Edited by Gabrielle Schock
Lisa Jackson. Administrator for the Environment Protection Agency, discusses the work of the agency and its goal of keeping the environment clean and strengthening the economy Monday afternoon in the Commons of Spooner Hall. Following Jackson's speech, she answered questions submitted by the audience.
CHRIS BRONSON/KANSAN
ENVIRONMENT TALK
Economy and pollution standards among issues discussed by EPA administrator
VIKAAS SHANKER
vshanker@kansan.com
Lisa Jackson grew up as a minority in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, an area struck by four hurricanes in the last 100 years.
As an engineering student at Tulane University, Jackson got involved with air quality issues and stopping pollution. She saw the impact of pollution and industrial waste on the Mississippi River firsthand. In 2005, Jackson's mother lost her home in Hurricane Katrina.
Now, Jackson is the first African American to serve as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Jackson fielded questions from students, faculty and guests about the EPAs role in boosting the EPA's role in boosting
economy and advocating for a cleaner environment at Spooner Hall yesterday during a visit to the University.
One of the EPA's goals is to expand conversation on the environment, Jackson said. "Communities care deeply about environmental issues. They just may or may not see themselves in the same issue as someone who's in a different type of community or has a lot more money or something of that nature."
The EPA sets national environmental and pollution standards, while states set their own policies and extent of regulation. Jackson said national standards are important because "the air doesn't stay in one state, and the water doesn't stay on the street." Regulations in one state
can affect the level of pollution in neighboring states; environmental justice is important on the state and national level. "It's an issue of basic care and economic leveling of the playing field," Jackson said. "Everybody should play by the same set of rules."
Jackson commented on offshore drilling — a hot national topic after the BP Gulf oil spill in 2010 — and said it had an impact in evaluating the regulatory process.
"Whenever tragedy happens, people go 'Where were you?' she said, explaining those types of questions from the community help environmental agencies and companies like BP change and adapt to environmental concerns. She also talked about the affect of lobbying on EPAs policies and the cultural impact of environmental
decisions on American Indian territory and hydraulic fracturing, a process of fracturing the earth to mine natural gas and oil.
After the event, Jackson said college students always had a special relationship with the EPA.
"Young people always get it because they know they're getting ready to inherit what we leave them," Jackson said. "And so we leave them huge challenges like climate change."
Jackson also said students should look at how they already live on campus by using public transportation, choosing efficient foods and living in small spaces. One of the cool things about most campuses is that when they make up their mind, they go cleaner or greener", Jackson said.
BUSINESS
Students create clothing line, follow dreams
David Cohen (left) and Nike Kleiger (right), founders of Livin Elite clothing company show off t-shirts from their brand. The two started their company last year and received their first shipment of t-shirts two weeks ago.
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
David Cohen, a senior from Arlington Heights, Ill., and Nike Kleiger, a senior from Washington D.C., launched Livin Elite two weeks ago after almost a year of planning.
KELSEY CIPOLLA
kcipolla@kansan.com
The friends and roommates spent the time working on a business plan, convincing their parents to lend them $3,000, finding a designer and a manufacturer, deciding on a logo and setting up an online store. When the first official batch of t-shirts arrived two weeks ago, Cohen said it was an amazing moment.
Live your dreams. For two students, those words are more than a cheesy catchphrase. They were the inspiration of their new clothing company, Livin Elite.
CLASSIFIES 7 CRYPTOQUIPS 4 SPORTS 8
CROSSWORD 4 OPINION 5 SUDBOK 4
"There were so many times this fall when we were going through the design process when we were like, 'Is this ever going to happen?'
Starting the company was the kind of leap of faith that they want other people to feel empowered to make.
Cohen said that unlike other lifestyle brands that cater to a certain sport like skating, surfing or mixed martial arts (MMA), Livin Elite is more focused on a message; pursue your passion in life, no matter what.
Working with Livin Elite was a good way to acquire more commercial experience while getting to know other young people in the community who are passionate about what they do, Doke said.
Kleiger said.
"We've got to live the dream if we're going to tell people to pursue what they love. We're trying to do it right and go for it all," said Cohen.
"I're really nice to find people that love what they do as much as I love what I do." Doke said.
To reinforce the idea, Livin Elite decided to sponsor local talent, including rapper Nico Yoch, as well as student and amateur MMA fighter Jared Nance, a senior from Trinity, North Carolina. Yoch wore a Livin Elite shirt last week in Lawrence during sound check for his performance at the Granada and the company founders are working to develop promotional gear for Nance's
Yoch and Nance are also being profiled in a video manifesto for the company, filmed by Josh Doke, a senior from Goodland. Doke also put together a video look book for Livin Elite, which shows all of the company's designs being modeled.
Being paid in t-shirts also didn't hurt.
Don't forget
The company's signature t-shirt is available online in black and white. In the coming months, Cohen and Kleiger hope to expand their online store to include hats, limited edition t-shirts and tank tops.
upcoming fights.
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
Looking for an internship this summer?
Come to the Internship Symposium today from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Burge Union.
Edited by Amanda Gage
Today's Weather
Sunny with southeasterly winds at 5-15mph.
HI: 80
LO: 60
it's getting hot here, so put some sunscreen on