TODAY'S WEATHER: Partly cloudy and cool with a high of 62.
SPORTS: The softball team split its doubleheader against Nebraska.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
TALK TO US: Contact Leita Walker, Jay Krall or Kyle Ramsey at (785) 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
THURSDAY APRIL 25,2002
WWW.KANSAN.COM
ISSUE 138 VOLUME 112
Racial profiling suspected in connection to routine stop
By Rachel Keesee
Kansan staff reporter
Kristina Williams had never felt like a victim of racial profiling.
Not until Monday, when the Topeka sophomore was pulled over by the Topeka Police Department in central Topeka for driving 35 miles per hour in a 1995 Jaguar in a 30-mile-per-hour zone. Her mother owns the Jaguar.
"I feel that the questions the officer said to me had nothing to do with me speeding." Williams said. "Usually the first thing an officer says is, 'Do you know what you did wrong?' But he asked me what I was doing over here. I don't know if he thought I was a drug dealer. I don't know what he thought. The whole gist of the situation was I'm a black female driving a Jaguar in an area well known for drugs."
The American Civil Liberties Union defines racial profiling as police targeting someone for investigation on the basis of that person's race, national origin or ethnicity.
Williams said she was driving in the area to pick up T-shirts for the Black Student Union, of which she is a member. She did not file a complaint with the Topeka Police Department. Williams said she didn't know if her case would be convincing.
John Sidwell, public administration officer for the Topeka Police Department, said the illegal part of racial profiling was when it was the sole factor in a legal action.
"It would also be his word against mine," she said.
"That's not tolerated, period," he said. "If someone says, 'They stopped me for speeding,' because they were black, well, speeding is illegal. One of the confusing items people get is that race is part of a description. It will always be there."
Williams said she didn't think the officer needed to treat her as he did and she didn't want people to think she was using her race as an excuse.
"I hate hearing people say, 'Oh, they just hate me because I'm black,'" Williams said. "This has never happened to me before. I was breaking the law. He did the right things, but the questions he asked me ... He wasn't belligerent, but he did get loud. To feel what others go through, I was like, 'Wow, it does happen.'"
winams said she was also cited for not wearing her seat belt.
"I asked him what else he'd get me for," she said. "He said a whole lot more if he searched my car."
Sidwell said racial profiling had never been reported to the department and anyone with a complaint should report it.
"We'll take the information on the complaint and it will be investigated," Sidwell said. "If it turns out that there was a racial
SEE PROFILING ON PAGE 5A
SARA SHEPHERD/KANSAN
Student senators say their last goodbyes before filing out of the Kansas Union Ballroom following their final Senate meeting. A joint meeting was held last night before the meeting of the new Senate.
Senate adjourns for year
Bv Sarah Hill
Kansan staff writer
In a night of disagreement, Student Body Vice President Kyle Browning was interrupted during his last speech and next year's Student Body Vice President Loren Malone overturned what she said was Browning's opinion on a controversial issue.
Justin Mills and Kyle Browning left office as president and vice president in last night's joint senate meeting. Jonathan Ng and Loren Malone, this year's KUnited candidates, took office in next year's first meeting.
The evening began with Mills' tinal comments to Senate. He said he was proud of his work toward banning credit card solicitors and of the Bring Justin Home campaign, which raised about $50,000 for victims of Sept. 11. Mills encouraged senators to continue voicing their concerns to the Board of Regents about plans to raise tuition.
"They think that because Senate is over, the struggle is over," he said. "We still have a few weeks."
Mills also thanked his supporters in Student Senate, the University, the Organizations and Leadership office, as well as his critics who spoke out against him before he took office.
"I'd like to thank all those 'haters' out there," he said. "I think we did a damn fine job this year. You made us better."
During Browning's end-of-year speech, senators raised questions about a decision he and Mills made on Referendum B, the initiative on this
montn's Student Senate election ballot that would give students living in greek housing off-campus representation.
Andy Knopp, an engineering senator this year and author of the referendum, interrupted the speech to ask Browning if he had the authority to overturn the referendum.
A vote was taken to see if Senate wanted to reverse Browning's decision. The vote failed.
Browning replied that, as the presiding officer of Student Senate, he had the power to rule on the issue. Browning ruled that the referendum was non-binding because it was placed on the ballot without Senate passing a bill. Browning said Knopp failed to turn in a petition to the Student Senate office to initiate the bill.
Before adjourning, this year's senate voted to favorably approve a resolution to allow student spouses and domestic partners to receive health care from Watkins Health Center; and passed a resolution asking students to become responsible for 76 percent of proposed tuition increases instead of the proposed 95 percent.
Ng said he was committed to implementing KUnited's platform issues, including reforming Student Senate's relationship with the University's administration, building a new Multicultural Resource Center, developing a centralized online calendar and improving transportation.
After the first meeting adjourned, Ng and Malone officially took office as president and vice president.
Before working on the issues, Ng said Senate must ignore party lines between coalitions.
"There is no doubt in my mind that while we have different ideologies, we have the same commitment to the student body," he said.
Malone's first act as Student Body Vice President was to overturn Browning's decision on Referendum B. She said that because it was Browning's opinion that the referendum was non-binding, she could have her own opinion in the new administration.
"Kyle made the decision according to Rules and Regulations that the referendum was not binding." she said. "I can interpret Rules and Regulations, and I'm enforcing Rules and Regulations. I uphold the referendum."
After Malone made the decision, senators questioned the legitimacy of her action.
"She's ruling on something that was originally not a bill," said Drew Thomas, off-campus senator. "She's changing something that didn't meet regulations to something that meets regulations. That's not legit."
Thomas said senators who opposed the decision, which is not specifically prohibited in Rules and Regulations, could challenge the decision in the next senate meeting in the fall.
Contact Hill at shill@kansan.com. This story was edited by Andy Gassaway.
"It's a sticky situation," he said.
Mangino shirt not allowed for greek use in fundraiser
By Caroline Boyer Kansan staff writer
The Junior Greek Council of the Panhellenic Association and Interfraternity Council will not be able to use a T-shirt with a caricature of University of Kansas football coach Mark Mangino riding a Jayhawk to raise money for charity.
The council is throwing a nonalcoholic tailgate party at 5 p.m. tomorrow to take part in the football team's first scrimmage.
Julie Chonko, vice president of interfraternal relations for the Panhellenic Association, said the council had planned on selling the T-shirts for the scrimmage to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.
The first T-shirt design included a caricature of football coach Mark Mangino riding a flying jayhawk and waving a tattered University of Oklahoma football jersey. The drawing was surrounded by the words "Out with the old in with the new/ Come see what Mangino can do."
Paul Vander Tuig, administrator of University Trademark Licensing, did not approve of the caricature because he thought the way the Jayhawk was portrayed was inappropriate. He said he wouldn't have known the caricature of Mangino was the coach if it didn't say so on the shirt.
"I don't sign off on coaches' likenesses without them knowing about it, but because there was already an issue for me with the style of the Jayhawk, I went ahead and rejected it," Vander Tui said.
The council's second design, which had the same phrase but replaced the Mangino cartoon with a Jayhawk and a KU football helmet, was also not approved. Vander Tuig said this was because he, the Athletics Department and coach Mangino thought the phrase on the shirt was disrespectful to former coach Terry Allen.
"We were really kind of saying that our former coach was kind of a commodity, that we just kind of trade coaches in every few years," Vander Tuig said. "I just didn't think that would be something that the University would want to have on a T-shirt."
Although the T-shirt idea fell through, the council members decided to continue with the tailgate party anyway.
"The basic premise is not to be a money maker, but to just show support for the football team." Chonko, Overland Park junior, said.
The council's spring event is usually planned with the intention of
SEE T-SHIRT ON PAGE 6A
Students travel to Washington, D.C., join national protest
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Topeka freshmen Jessica Cook and Ryan Pratt, center, help carry a banner in an anti-globalization march. They were part of a group of KU students who attended protests this past weekend in Washington, D.C..
By Mandalee Meisner Special to the Kansan
Helicopters buzzed overhead, drums beat and ambulances whined in the distance as 100,000 people converged in Washington, D.C., last weekend to protest globalization and military actions in the Middle East.
Among the activists were six University of Kansas students, who traveled halfway across the country to voice their opinions and participate in their first national protest experience.
A Kansas reporter went along to watch the action from the sidelines and record the group's reactions to the volatile atmosphere surrounding the nation's capital. This is their story...
Day1 Thursday
Shrum, Olathe freshman, had just stopped by her home to pick up a pair of walkie-talkies she planned to use on the trip. A large plastic bag slouched in the back seat, revealing snack foods like crackers, frosted cakes and oatmeal cookies.
"We're going to Washington, D.C.," she said, clutching the steering wheel of one of the cars and looking over at Laura Adams, Topeka freshman, who sat beside her.
With her hands gripping the wheel, she looked determined to get to the protests as quickly as possible. More than 1,000 miles of tollbooths, rest stations and driving games separated the KU students from their destination. They would cross five states in 18 hours with little time to spare for bathroom breaks and proper meals.
Snrum and Adams joked about getting arrested or hit by rubber bullets — the harsher realities of past
aged to contain her excitement.
Shrum admitted that she should have learned more about what she would be protesting in less than 36 hours.
"I just hope this is as peaceful as possible." Adams said, looking out the window. "I'm against violence of all kinds at a protest. It's just not a good way to get your point across."
large-scale protests that had escalated to violence. The conversation turned more serious.
"I just wish I knew more about the principles behind it." Shrum said.
Adams reassured her that the best way to learn was to be there in Washington, D.C., where hundreds of fliers, hand-made signs and speeches awaited them.
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SEE WASHINGTON ON PAGE 5A
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