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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
THURSDAY
MARCH 28, 2002
ISSUE 118 VOLUME 112
Vision impaired by disqualification
By Sarah Hill Kansan staff writer
And then there were three.
Matt Steppe, Vision Coalition presidential candidate, was disqualified from the election by the Student Senate Elections Commission Hearing Board. The board ruled that Steppe misled the Elections Commission by not being enrolled as a student.
Steppe was automatically dropped from his classes on Feb. 6 because of financial aid problems. He has not yet petitioned the school for re-enrollment.
Scott Kaiser, Hearing Board chairman, said the violation occurred when Steppe signed a declaration of candidacy on March 6 and agreed that he met all of the qualifications for running in a Senate election. Candidates must be enrolled in at least one hour and intend to do so for the following year.
Steppe
"He violated his declaration of candidacy on March 6 because he was not a student then," Kaiser said. "As of today, he's still not enrolled, and still violating the code."
The Hearing Board met in a closed session for almost two hours last night to discuss Steppe's fate.
Steppe was charged with violating three sections of the elections code. The charges included submitting false information to the Commission, attempting to mislead the Commission and failing to meet all of the requirements for candidacy.
Steppe told the board he had been working on re-enrolling for the last month, but only received the proper paperwork yesterday. He said he had attended his classes all semester, but only needed to pay his fees and obtain closed class openers to complete the process.
"The process is not to blame, but the process impeded my actions," Steppe said.
The violation complaint was filed on March 12 by Elections Commissioner David Mitchell after someone informed a commission member that Steppe might not have been enrolled.
Student Senate rules and regulations prevented both Steppe and vice-presidential candidate Laura Rupe from running once one of them was disqualified.
Other members of the Vision Coalition can still run for office, but Mitchell will decide if new presidential and vice-presidential candidates can run under the Vision name.
Contact Hill at shill@kansan.com. This story was edited by Andy Gassaway.
Students find ways to observe Passover
Those stuck in Lawrence gather to celebrate holiday traditionally spent with their families
By Maggie Koerth Kansan staff writer
SARA SHEPHERD/KANSAN
Sundown yesterday marked the beginning of Passover, a week-long jewish holiday that celebrates the release of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt.
Overland Park sophomore Leo Khayet, left, and Santiago, Chile, sophomore Tomas Ancelovici share traditional Jewish foods at KU Hillel's Seder, the ceremonial dinner that accompanies the first two nights of Passover. The dinner was held last night in the Kansas Union Ballroom.
Traditionally, Passover is celebrated at home with family and friends, but for many University of Kansas students, traveling home during the week isn't an option.
Eve Katz, Birmingham, Ala., senior, said Passover could be a time of homesickness, but she knew many students who found ways to celebrate without their families.
"You can spend it with the friends here that you made and have the same things and bring everyone's traditions from their families to this one Seder," she said.
Seder is the ceremonial dinner that accompanies the first two nights of Passover. It is the main ceremony of the holiday.
Sue Shafer-Landau, director of Hillel, the University's Jewish student center, said the Seder consisted of a ceremonial storytelling and a dinner.
"We tell the story of Moses and the exodus and the creation of the people of Israel," she said. "There are certain symbolic foods that you eat. They are symbolic of the story and also of springtime and
rebirth."
She said seven foods are traditionally served at Seder. An egg and a sprig of parsley both represent springtime. Haroset, a mixture of fruit, nuts and honey, represents the mortar the Hebrew slaves used to build pyramids for the Pharaohs. Salt water represents the tears of the slaves. A shank bone stands in for the sacrificial lamb. Matzoh is unleavened bread, like the kind eaten by the escaping slaves. Finally, horseradish or another bitter herb represents the bitterness of slavery.
BecauseplanningaPassovercelebra-
tion can be a daunting task for students used to celebrating at home, Shafer-Landau said Hillel gave a student Seder last night.
Seth Rosenstein, St. Paul, Minn.,
SEE PASSOVER ON PAGE 3A
Concern about civil liberties Patriot Act revive ACLU
By Erin Adamson Kansan senior staff writer
The Douglas County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has been revived as a local watchdog out of concern that the national war on terrorism is infringing on civil liberties.
"You cannot
David Burress, a associate scientist with the Policy Research Institute and representative to the national board, said the local chapter needed to be revived in response to the Bush administration's "War on Terror."
practice democrazy without civil liberty."
"You cannot
David Burrell associate scientist and representative to national board of ACLU
"You cannot practice democracy without civil liberty, " Burrass said.
Most of the 15 people who attended a meeting Tuesday night at Lawrence Memorial Hospital were concerned about the USA Patriot Act, which Congress passed following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Patriot Act gives domestic law enforcement and international intelligence agencies more power to track which books a person buys at a bookstore or checks out of the library, check Web sites a person visits, place roving wire taps and detain and hold immigrants in custody without bond indefinitely.
Doris Stine, a Lawrence resident, said she joined partly out of concern that college-aged Americans who were her sons' ages didn't know about issues that affected them, such as proposed random drug testing in high schools and the USA Patriot Act.
"I think it's crucial," Stine said. "I think a lot of people are aware. But there are too many people that aren't."
No students attended the Tuesday meeting, but Burgess said he had received e-mails from interested students.
Former Kansas ACLU president Steve Lopes said one of the group's goals should be to involve KU students. He said the largest student chapter of the ACLU in the country was at the University of Kansas in the early 90s. The University does not have an active ACLU
Massimo Ferrara, Naples, italy, senior, holds his 2 year-old daughter, Saskia, in the front of Wescoe Hall yesterday afternoon for the tuition rally.
SEE ACLU ON PAGE 3A
FATHER/DAUGHTER
SARA SHEPHERD / KANSAN
Ask car dealers good questions to drive away happy
By Melissa Shuman Kansan staff writer
Sumithra Rao, Overland Park junior, is glad she did some research before she bought a 1998 Nissan Altima. The last time she bought a car, a 1999 Honda Civic, she had to sell it back because she couldn't afford the $280 payments every month.
Before she went car shopping this time, Rao talked to two friends who are car dealers in the Kansas City area. She also consulted the Kelley Blue Book and the National Automobile Dealers Association Handbook to find the values of used cars.
"I learned a lot more about how to deal with car dealers, I realized from the first time that I needed to do a lot more research." Rao said.
"You have to be careful because sometimes they will try to mark up the price." Rao said.
When she bought her Altima, the
Many resources are available to students for researching used cars. This April, Consumer Reports magazine published its annual auto picks of 2002. The magazine includes a list of reliable used cars and potential maintenance problems. The report surveyed problems of 204 auto models ranging from 1994 to 2001. The report said the most common problems with aging vehicles were with brake systems, power equipment and body hardware. The fewest complaints were about exhaust, cooling and ignition systems and the engine.
INSIDETODAY
The Federal Trade Commission offers used-car buying tips online at www.ftc.gov. The FTC requires that dealers post a Buyers Guide about each car for used auto sales. The guide must explain the warranty offered with the car and list problems that could arise. The guide must also
"He said it hadn't been in a wreck and I believed him because you have to disclose that information," Rao said, "I could tell just by looking at it. There wasn't a scratch on it. I checked under the hood and everything was fine."
Car buyers can check out the validity of the car's title deed to see whether it was stolen or the insurance company bought back the car after severe damage. The Department of Revenue's Motor Vehicle Division at (785) 296-3298 keeps track of automobile title deeds sold in Kansas.
CAMERA ON KU ...2A
HOROSCOPES ...2B
WEATHER ...6B
CROSSWORD ...6B
Rao inspected her car closely and asked her dealer whether there would be any problems.
A carbuyer can also call the manufacturer to find information about the car's service using the Vehicle Identification Number. However,
"AVIN number check on a Toyota car can only give the history of the vehicle's service was done at a Toyota dealership." said Jeff Bethel, used-car salesman to Crown Chevrolet-Oldmobile-Toyota, 3400 S. Iowa St.
car was on sale for $11,000. The dealer marked it down to $10,500,
but Rao talked him down to $10,000.
Bethel tells his customers the best way to check on used cars is to call the previous owner.
checking with the manufacturer will only give service information provided by same-brand dealerships.
recommend written contracts and inspection with an independent mechanic.
Sometimes the previous owner won't know all of the car's history, and some car dealers use a company called CarFax. The company provides the title deed history of the car for a fee of about $20.
"It's not as informative as people think, it's not going to tell you if the car has been in a wreck unless it was enough to total the vehicle," said Dale York, a sales manager at Dale Martens Nissan and Subaru, 2112 W.
SEE CAR ON PAGE 3A
COMING IN TOMORROW'S KANSAN-
BASKETBALL: Look for our special section on Saturday's Final Four game against Maryland.
SEX: How long does it take to get in a quickie?
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