Volume 124 Issue 91
kansan.com
CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST TO SPEAK TODAY
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Angela Davis will discuss views on gender equality
PAGE 3
the student voice since 1904
HIGH CRIMES
CAMPUS
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
Lights line the sidewalk on the north side of 12th Street. They continue down Mt.Oread to South Park on Massachusetts Street.
Motion-activated lights installed
REBEKKA SCHLICHTING rschlichting@kansan.com
New, vintage-style lights sit along the concrete sidewalk on the north side of 12th street. The path runs down Mt. Oread to South Park on Massachusetts Street, where it turns north toward downtown.
"There has always been crime in the area between campus and downtown," said Elisa Higgins, former community affairs director for Student Senate. "It's never been a safe place for students, especially women, to walk."
In 2009, after years of discussing off-campus lighting. Higgins proposed a lighted path from campus to downtown in an area where the crime rate was high.
Higgins said improving student safety has always been a priority for student senate. "The Oread neighborhood is where a lot of students live and it's pretty dark," said Libby Johnson, a senior from Lawrence and student body president. "There is often a lot of crime there. It's something that's been needed for a long time."
That year. The Kansan published a map of where crimes were committed in Lawrence.
"It was a helpful visual for you because it showed just how much
crime happened in the area between campus and downtown," Higgins said. "That was one thing that spurred us onward."
Her proposal has come to life with support from the student senate, the KU Public Safety Office, the city of Lawrence and other organizations. In a press release, Megan Gilliland, communications manager for the city of Lawrence, said the entire pathway is lit with LED motion-activated lights that stay dim until someone walks near them.
"It's definitely a plus more than it is a negative. It gives a lighted area for people to see others just in case something bad might happen," said Mike Casur, a junior from Vienna, Va, "Someone could come out and attack."
Johnson said she felt the same way.
"Students, whether they are walking home from the library late at night or walking downtown to go out, they should be safe," Johnson said. "No matter what activity, they should be able to be around the campus at night and feel as though they are in a safe environment."
WEED OUT RUMORS
— Edited by Max Rothman
RACHEL SALYER rsalyer@kansan.com
Lawrence can be found on a Wikipedia page titled "Places that have decriminalized non-medical cannabis in the United States." According to the page, "In 2006, the city of Lawrence, Kansas passed an ordinance imposing fines but no jail time for cannabis possession." However, city attorney Chad Sublet said that this simply isn't true.
The definition of decriminalization can be broad, but it generally means to make the possession of marijuana no longer a crime.
In 2006, the city commission passed an ordinance allowing first time offenders to be tried in municipal court, rather than district court. It allows students to keep their financial aid if convicted, but they face a $200 to $2,500 fine and up to one year in jail.
"There hasn't been any decriminalization of marijuana by the city commission," Sublet said. "To the best of my knowledge, it's never even been brought up to the commission."
Under the city's current law, a person can be charged for possessing any amount of THC or marijuana, and a second offense is classified as a felony and will go through district court.
informed that marijuana was decriminalized from different websites and through different people," said Brad Crenshaw, a senior from Topeka who said he wants to open a marijuana business post-graduation .
Learning that decriminalization does not exist in Lawrence hasn't derailed Crenshaw's future aspirations.
"I want to be the Anheuser-Busch of marijuana," Crenshaw said. "If the legalization of marijuana passes, there's no reason it can't be enjoyed like alcohol is now; safely and responsibly."
Sublet said if Lawrence hypothetically decriminalized or legalized marijuana, it would create a conflict at the state level, in which possession of any marijuana is considered a crime.
Some students appreciate that marijuana is not decriminalized
"There would be a conflict where the federal government could still come in and arrest people for the possession of marijuana." Sublet said.
lieve the city's current policies should not be changed.
"I don't necessarily think the city should tell everyone what to do, but making it okay for legal marijuana in any form won't lead to anything
"No true reform will come until it's on a national scale because it's too easy to transport across state borders," Crenshaw said.
-Edited by Taylor Lewis
KANSAS MARIJUANA PENALTIES
- Misdemeanor possession: any amount (first offense)
- Misdemeanor or felony possession: any amount (subsequent offense)
- Felony cultivation: five or more plants
- Misdemeanor or felony paraphernalia possession for cultivation of more than five plants
MAXIMUM
INCARCERATION
- Felony sale: any amount
- Felony sale: within 1,000 feet of a school
10-42 months
- Misdemeanor paraphernalia possession for personal use
MAXIMUM
FINE
$2,500
$100,000
138-204 months variable
14-51 months $300,000
46-83 months $300,000
1 year
$2,500
10-42 months
$100,000
STUDENT SENATE
Source: norml.org
Campaign process takes time
ELISE REUTER
ereuter@kansan.com
Candidates have the option to either run independently or with a coalition. Independent candidates can campaign on their own, while candidates in a coalition campaign with other like-minded students. Cara Smith, a senior from Topeka, chose to run with KUnited last year.
Campaigning for Student Senate elections doesnt just include chalking on Wescoe Beach or handing out fliers. Preparing for elections is a process that begins months in advance.
"If you're interested in running in one, you have to contact the people in charge of it and see if they have an opening," Smith said. "You campaign together. It's a team effort."
Before a candidate can begin the
election process, they must first get a specific number of signatures from their constituency. Smith's requirement was 50 signatures from students who lived on campus. Once a candidate has enough signatures, they begin the campaigning process.
Freebies, such as t-shirts and buttons, help the candidates make their name recognizable. Candidates also will explain their platform and positions on certain issues to as many people as possible.
"You pass out fliers and buttons. It gets pretty intense," Smith said. "There are people stationed every 30 feet on Wescoe."
Candidates will also visit several student groups, send out emails and advertise on Facebook to gain votes.
But it doesn't end there.
Haley Miller, a junior candidate representing the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from Kingman, Kan., is also running for Student Senate this year. She said she's unsure which coalition she will support, but last year she ran with Renew KU. She said Renew KU had long been preparing for elections last year.
"People start planning things months in advance," Miller said. "Last year elections were in April. We started planning mid-February."
"We had an entire email writing night," Smith said. "You want to try to reach out to as many people as possible, and tell them why you'd be a good senator."
Edited by Christine Curtin
CAPTURE THE MOMENT
CLAIRE HOWARD/KANSAN
Caitlin Conners, a junior from Nairn, Scotland, and Tom Winfield, a junior from Derby, England practice their photography skills on the lawn of Watson library Monday evening. Both Conners and Winfield are exchange students from Stirling University in Scotland and were practicing capturing the "decisive moment" for their photojournalism homework by photographing passers-by as they walked on the opposite side of Jawhawk Blvd.
CLASSIFIEDS 7
CROSSWORD 4
CRYPTUQDIPS 4
OPINION 5
SPORTS 8
SUDOKU 4
I contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
Don't forget
The University Career Fair is tomorrow from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Kansas Union.
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