4A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
FRIDAY,FEB.22,2002
FACEOFF
Housing resource center: friend or foe?
Tell Senate not to spend your money frivolously on center
A few weeks ago, I signed an apartment lease. To find an apartment, I looked in the yellow pages of the Lawrence phone book. I looked at the classifieds in the University Daily Kansan COMMENTARY
Audrey Snyder
opinion@kansan.com
and the Laurence Journal-World. I looked on the Internet at apartment search pages. I walked into Dillons and picked up a free Lawrence Apartment Search Guide. Then, I called complexes
to find out rent and deposit charges.
I talked to landlords and complex managers and found a place with a polite manager, clean apartments and firmly-attached balconies.
Apparently, some student senators think you are too stupid or too lazy to do these things. If you are mature enough to live off campus you can do these things on your own, but Student Senate wants to hold your hand. And it wants to use your money to do it, money that could pay your soon-to-increase tuition or your rent.
A Kansan article "New center to help students find housing," Dec. 3) quoted Kyle Browning, student body vice president, as having said that the center would help students to find apartments and would tell them how to set up utilities. The center would cost about $17,000.
Ben Burton, student senate executive committee chairman, said in a story in the Kansan ("Senate creates housing board," Feb. 5) that the money would come from the Reserve Account — basically, extra funds that hadn't already been appropriated elsewhere.
enewhere. The center would also advise students on how to set up utilities. This must be the most uncomplicated thing I have ever done.Call the gas, electric, water and phone companies (numbers listed in that handy phone book) and tell them you want service. As long as you know your name, address and Social Security number, they will walk you through the rest of the process. You hardly have to do anything to get bills in the mail.I promise.
The center would also help students who have problems with landlords. Legal Services for Students already advises students with landlord problems or lease problems. None of the information Student Senate will compile will be new. None of it will be exclusive to the housing center. None of it will be information that you cannot find on your own, and $17,000 is a lot of money to spend compiling information easily obtained elsewhere.
So, what about that $17,000? Since Senate has extra money, I'm sure we could suggest more worthy things for them to do with it. Tuition increases are a hot topic. Student senators have been trying to persuade the Board of Regents against big tuition increases and could probably use that money to fight
Center would provide valuable housing help for students
Last semester, after a year of researching, planning and perfecting, Student Senate put plans into motion for an Off-Campus Living Resource Center. Though in no way unique to the University of Kansas—many universities have such centers—there is nothing like the Resource Center in our community.
More than 20,000 students live off campus. Many of them have learned hard lessons that could have been avoided had someone been there to answer their questions.
Paid for by the Senate Reserve Account, and directed by a part-time student, the Off-
Snyder is a Shawnee junior in political science.
Take responsibility for where your money is being spent. Call the Student Senate office.Tell student senators that you can find this information on your own.Tell them where you want them to spend that $17,000 and the rest of the money in the reserve account. Tell Student Senate not to insult your intelligence.
Lawrence resident, will be easier.
By this fall, there will be a single place to contact for answers to these questions—for free. While many details are yet to be decided (which means if you have ideas, throw them our way), the plan is for
quit, so you need to know what bus to take?
an office in the Kansas Union where anyone can drop in anytime.
Have you needed a place to store things while living in a temporary place, or traveling abroad? Do you and your friends want to sign a rent lease, but are unsure how to get started? Did you know you can get dial-in Internet access from KU for $35 a semester? Have you thought about signing a roommate contract before you have roommate problems? Did your car unexpectedly
There you will find a map of Lawrence with marked bus routes, apartment complexes.
COMMENTARY
Breeze Luetke-Stahlman
opinion@kansan.com
multi-family zoned housing and Lawrence services, such as the Post Office, outdoor and indoor aquatic centers, library, public parks and others.
Legal pamphlets discussing landlord-tenant issues, the infamous "How to Have a Legal House Party Handbook," Internet access to a database of
rentable facilities and recommendations of which landlords deserve your business will be available.
There will be a director to point you in the direction of services the Off-Campus Living Resource Center plans to work with, such as Legal Services for Students, KU on Wheels and the Center for Community Outreach. There is nowhere, on or off campus, you can currently go and get this information in one place. And while some of it will come from other KU offices, other things will be brand-new, such as printed housing guides to take with you as you house or arment hunt.
For the first time, off-campus students will have a version of their own resident assistant. Instead of only knowing about Lawrence living based on personal experiences, every student will have access to institutional knowledge. What could be bad about avoiding slumlords once and for all, getting the best deals on must-have services and saving money? Keep your eyes out, and get those questions ready.
Luetke-Stahlman is an Olathe senior in economics and American studies.
FRIDAY FACEOFF KANSAN.COM POLL
Last week's question: Do you think Starbucks is innocent or evil? Results:
Yes, of course they are evil
No. they are innocent. 18.6%
They are neither innocent nor evil
Go vote on this week's faceoff poll on Kansan.com Should Student Senate have spent the money on the Off-campus Living Resource Center?
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Leita Walker
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EDITORIAL
We all know more about the tuition increase now than we did several months ago. An alarming number of students didn't know about the planned increase when the administration produced the initial proposals, and what they did know was sketchy at best.
Student activists shed light on tuition increase mystery
happening Student Senate has made significant progress in its fight for the facts. By organizing activities such as a protest at the Kansas capitol last week, and distributing handbills to people waiting in line for basketball games, Senate is providing information about the tuition proposals of which most students aren't even aware.
This is due, in part, to the efforts of various student groups who feel it is important that everyone have the opportunity to know the truth and have clear ideas about what is actually happening.
Recently more people are better informed, have begun expressing their opinions on the matter, which is exactly what needs to happen right now.
The Board of Regents will make its final decisions regarding the proposals in April. The date was pushed back from a previously announced date of mid-March. Whether this has anything to do with students expressing their views is unclear, but it doesn't hurt groups planning more activities.
There was an apparent need for something better, something that stated the facts in a clear and simple manner, addressing student issues and involvement. So far, Student Senate and other student groups have done exactly that.
The University set up meetings late last semester to inform students on the issue, but didn't draw large numbers of people. The meetings simply outlined complex proposals without
It is not a given that the Regents take everything said with completely open ears. But if no one speaks up, then no student perspective will go into the decision making process, and any negative results will be blamed on the lack of interest on the part of students.
addressing the implications or the concerns of those in attendance.
People are speaking up, however and opinions are making their way across campus and across the Board of Regents' desks. That makes a difference.
Sara Zafar for the editorial board.
864-0500 free for
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Not all of them will be published. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
For more comments, go to www.kansan.com.
The article about the GWAR band was really disgusting.I would appreciate no blood on our papers again.
I just wanted to say that if you guys are going to spend all the Free for All talking about the basketball players, you should move the Free for All section to the sports page, so I can safely ignore it. Thank you.
The GWAR cover of the University Daily Kansan is the worstthing I've seen since the Robert Chamberlain column. Come on Kansan, get it together.
Just a random thought: sorority girls, stop using random in every sentence.
To my roommate in Lewis Hall, your birthday was in October. Time to take down the birthday decorations.
I just wanted to let that cute guy that sits behind me in history know that I would love to get to know you, so don't be so shy, and talk to me already.
Me and my roommate just took it to the street, and I kicked his ass.
I'm reading the Free for All online right now. To the person who said we need ski lifts instead of buses, I don't think that's going to work. Kansas is flat. Come to Colorado where there's mountains.
I just think it sucks how I went to Robinson tonight and had to pay 10 bucks to park just because of the basketball game.
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Yeah, my room just ate my remote again.
Got stamina *cause I come from Canada.
I saw the Asian Student Association doing fake sumo wrestling in front of the Union today. What the hell was that?
We are No. 1. Two is not a winner, and three no one remembers.
How come old people can sit in the student section, but students can't sit in the old-person section? Change the seating around already.
I love waking up early in the morning, and the first thing I see on the paper is a woman who is not even dressed.
is it me or does Aaron Miles look kind of like Rudy Huxable?
Chris Wristen, I don't have a blue T-shirt. Is there somewhere I can get one for free, or can you buy one for me?
All the comments in the Kansan are just so random.
The Kansas starting five is the best starting five in the nation. Jeff Carey has no business on a basketball court.
Ooh that's right, they all suck.
Old people, basketball groupies, muscle cars, toast and John Travolta. What do these things have in common?
I really think they should retire Chris Zerbe's number for all he'd done for Kansas basketball, and while they're at it maybe they should bring Chenowith and retire his jersey. No. 44 would look really good hanging from the rafters.
How many mainstream kids does it take to change a light bulb?
Zero, their parents pay for somebody to do it for them.
I guess Chenowith was right about one thing: Shane Power and Jake Sullivan really don't have any business playing Division One basketball.
I'd just like to say that Zerbe is way hotter than Boschee.
Go Kk!
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Who is this straight guy that hates everything about Britney Spears? Who is he?
It seems like you guys are taking forever to get these things printed. It's approximately 10:30 p.m. on Monday night. Now let's see when you show up. Thanks.
I think that instead of suspending the color guard we should suspend Boston and St. Johns for suspending tonight's game. I like KU, Hee, hee.
赔
Why would anyone put GWAR on the front page of the paper when the newspaper is supposed to be newswor thy?
Dude, you're never getting your football stool back.
Who else thinks that Miles should grow out a huge 'fro for next season?
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We're No. 1. We're No. 1. We're No. 1. Good job, boys.
Bosch, you're finally a Big 12 champion. Come on baby, cut that hair. Shave it for Senior Night.
The Deita Chi basketball Team Three is very solid this year.
Insult me all that you want now that I have the monkey.
Hi, I'm kinda drunk right now. I'm sitting here watching TV,
and I thinking, "What is up with these damn railroads?"
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