TODAY'S WEATHER: A slight warm-up with a high of 40.
SPORTS: Men's basketball team defeats Kansas State 103-68. SEE PAGE 8A.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
TALK TO US: Contact Leita Walker, Jay Krall or Kyle Ramsey at (785) 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
KANSAN
THURSDAY
FEBRUARY 28, 2002
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Student Senate to give money for Pride Week
By Sarah Hill Kansan staff writer
In two controversial decisions, Student Senate last night allocated money to finance speakers for Queers and Allies' Pride Week and rejected a bill to allow the elections commission to hear complaints about this year's election code.
Student Senate passed a bill that gave Queers and Allies $7,400 for three entertainers during Pride Week, which will be held April 8 to 13. Queers and Allies had requested $10,500.
The bill was tabled in last week's Student Senate finance committee, but was resubmitted and passed last night in the Student Senate executive committee. Queers and Allies was working under time constraints to get the event set up.
"If we get the funding tonight, we can call agents and book the acts tomorrow," said Christine Robinson, Queers and Allies member.
"If we get the funding tonight, we can call agents and book the acts tomorrow,"
Christine Robinson Queers and Allies member
Student senators raised questions during the full senate meeting about Queers and Allies' fundraising throughout the year.
Robinson said that the organization had asked for money from Coca-Cola that was allocated through the Dean of Student's Office, but would not know if the money would be available until after the next Coca-Cola meeting on March 19.
Tina Warinner, Overland Park senior and Queers and Allies member, said the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association each donated $100 to Pride Week.
Tara Wolfe, Queens and Allies treasurer, said the organization had been at the University for 31 years and that Student Senate had funded Pride Week for the last 18 years.
Student Senate also debated a two part bill about the Student Senate elections code.
The first part of the bill would have given students until Friday to voice complaints about this year's changes to the elections code.
Branden Bell, holdover senator and sponsor of the bill, said he was concerned that students were not aware of this year's changes to the code because it was not publicized. The elections commission had refused to extend the original complaint period, which ran from February 4 to 8.
The bill failed by two votes.
The second part of the bill added Oliver Hall as an official polling site to the Student Senate rules and regulations, and mandated that all polling locations would be open on both days of elections.
The bill also charges the Elections Commissioner David Mitchell with notifying the student body of the publication of the election code when it becomes available for public review.
Mitchell said the senate bill was a success for the elections commission.
"They're giving us a huge vote of confidence during the election season and their support for the future," he said.
Contact Hill at shil@kansan.com. This story was edited by Mollie Gise.
The six seniors hold the Big 12 Championship trophy after defeating Kansas State 103-68. The Jayhawks won sole possession of the Championship after beating Nebraska on Sunday. The seniors were honored at their final home game last night.
Freshman nose'her strengths
Editor's note: Every face in the crowd and every number in the phonebook has a story behind it. So every week, staff reporter Adam Pracht will randomly select a KU student and tell his or her story. Watch for it.
By Adam Pracht Kansan staff writer
Jessica Pounds could have a dead fish under her bed and never realize it.
She was born with a condition called anosmia, the complete lack of a sense of smell.
The freshman from Hunter first realized she couldn't smell in the second grade when her teacher showed the class exactly what a sense of smell is.
Her teacher set out paper bags, and Pounds and her classmates had to guess what was in each bag using only their nose. But Pounds couldn't smell anything.
"People don't even realize how often they ask, 'Here, smell this,' and I like, 'Yea, I can't.'" she said.
According to the American Rhinologic Society, more than two million Americans have a smell or taste disorder.
Pounds' case is rare because she was born with the condition and did not develop it from brain damage or chemicals — how most people get the disorder.
Her father, Max Pounds, deals with a similar problem. He can smell, but only if the scent is very strong.
"Me and Jessica, I'm not kidding you, we couldn't smell a skunk if it was under the car," he said.
Jessica Pounds said she often got strange reactions
Jessica Pounds, Hunter freshman, sits in her dorm room at Oliver Hall. Pounds grew up in a town that had a population of only 80 people and was a 2001 high school graduate of 13 people.
when she told someone she couldn't smell. Some people react with surprise; others are just rude.
"I'll say, 'I cannot smell,' so a guy will just fart like that," she said. "It's like they save it up for me to smell or something."
Pounds said she managed well without a sense of smell. She has politely pretended to sniff the flowers and when she buys perfume, she has someone describe how it smells to her. A friend once told her a musty smell was like the lighting in old pictures.
The problems her lack of smell cause are usually minor, such as not recognizing when food has spoiled. Because the sense of smell and taste are closely connected, Pounds finds that a food's taste does little to influence her eating
DELTA FORCE
SEE PROFILE ON PAGE 3A
Keith
CORRECTION
Two candidates for student body vice president were misidentified as presidential candidates in photos on the front page of yesterday's Kansan.
VISION COALITION
Steppe
Loren Malone, vice-presidential candidate with the KUUnited coalition, was identified as Karen Keith, presidential candidate with the Delta Force coalition. Kit Brauer, vice-presidential candidate with Delta Force, was misidentified as Matt Steppe, presidential candidate with the Vision Coalition. Here are all of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Rupe
KUNITED
Na
Malone
Fire forces victims to re-evaluate their lives
By Rachel Keesee Kansan staff reporter
Two people whose homes burned in a fire last week at Coachlight Apartments have been reassessing the value of material possessions and trying to get their lives back in order.
For Harrison, also a former staff member of the Kansan, that loss is at least $10.000.
Carolyn Willis, Portuguese lecturer, and Laurie Harrison, Lawrence graduate student, were both fortunate enough to have renter's insurance that will cover the loss of their possessions.
"I think I'm still in shock, because I haven't really felt anything yet," Harrison said. "I lost probably 99 percent of my stuff. All my clothes, all my kitchen products, my furniture, all my books and all my CDs. Anything really you can think of. I lost."
The fire began at about 1:30 a.m. Feb. 18 in the apartment of Janet Murphy, 59 who died in the fire. The Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical Department said the blaze was caused by careless smoking.
Harrison's apartment was one door to the east of Murphy's and was virtually destroyed. With the help of her renter's insurance company, she found a new apartment.
"It was either this or a hotel for an unknown amount of time," Harrison said.
The insurance company will pay for the first month, because Harrison already had paid a full month's rent at Coachlight.
Harrison said she planned to stay in the apartment until the semester was over because she didn't have time to go apartment-hunting.
"I dropped one class, so now I just have two," Harrison said. "I don't think I will be able to catch up and do good in my classes if I should move before May or mid-May when the semester is over."
The dropped class also pushed back Harrison's graduation date at least a semester.
"It's frustrating, because I know it's going to be more expensive and I'll have to get a few more loans," she said.
Carolyn Willis said the fire had not caused her any major concerns, but it made her reevaluate the importance of material possessions.
"At first I was shocked, then I was angry, and now I'm calmer," Willis said. "But they're just things. You can buy new things."
Willis said she was fortunate to have just smoke and water damage, and her insurance was paying to have all her possessions professionally cleaned to get rid of the smoke odor.
She had just bought renter's insurance in December.
"I never expected to have to use it, especially not two or three months after I got it," she said. "They'll even reimburse me for food I lost and the mirror that broke, although I had to pay a $200 deductible."
The insurance company also found an apartment for Willis.
"Unfortunately, I didn't have a lease, so I'm hoping to get in another place in two or three weeks," Willis said. "I haven't decided whether to move back into my old apartment or not. It's not really a safety thing, but it does make you think. It only takes one time."
Willis said she was telling everyone to get renter's insurance.
"For peace of mind," she said, "it's worth it."
Contact Keesee at rkeesee@kansan.com. This story was edited by Gillian Titus.
INSIDETODAY
COMING IN TOMORROW'S KANSAN
HOROSCOPES .2B
ENTERTAINMENT .1B
WEATHER .6B
CROSSWORD .6B
TEACHING ASSISTANTS: GTAC and KU officials will try to negotiate a contract today
KEGS: Learn where to get the cheapest bulk beer in Lawrence.
4
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.