MONDAY, FEB. 18, 2002
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 24
New election codes spark tension in Senate
By Sarah Hill Kansan staff writer
Ben Burton did not expect to be greeted by a flurry of accusations when he announced the first meeting for candidates in this year's Student Senate elections last week.
Burton, Student Senate executive chairman, and election commissioner David Mitchell were accused by senators of keeping changes to the election code to themselves.
Before his Student Senate Executive Committee report at last week's Senate meeting, Burton announced the date of the candidates' workshop. Senators wondered why they hadn't heard anything about the hearing on election code changes that traditionally precedes the workshop.
"I think people at least would have liked the opportunity to look over the code before the deadline." Bell said.
Branden Bell, holdover senator, said that Student Senate and prospective candidates were not told about this year's changes to the election code, preventing students from making changes to the code. He said that most people heard about the new code at the Feb. 13 Student Senate meeting.
Bell said neither Mitchell nor Burton notified anyone when the changes to the election code were posted.
"One of them should have taken the initiative." he said.
Mitchell said he sent copies of the new code to the dean of student's office and the Student Senate office on Feb. 4. The deadline for complaints about the code was Feb. 8.
Diana Rhodes, Student Senate secretary, said she received the revised codes two or three weeks ago. Rhodes is in charge of collecting official Student Senate information. She put the code in a notebook in the Student Senate office.
Rhodes said she had made a copy for one senator involved in this year's race.
"A review would throw off the schedule set by the election code. There were plenty of opportunities to make changes before election season."
David Mitchell Election commissioner
The guidelines Mitchell followed were from a handbook given to him by last year's election commissioner. The handbook did not specify that he publicize the revisions.
"Everyone should know to be looking for it," he said.
Burton agreed with Mitchell. He said that any student, affiliated with Student Senate or not, could pick up a copy of the changes at the dean of student's office.
Bell also questioned the election commissioner's non-partisan status. Mitchell lives with Drew Thomas, off-campus senator and Delta Force member.
"It definitely doesn't look good." Bell said.
Mitchell said there was no conflict of interest. He said he told the elections commissions during his interview that he had a roommate who was a potential candidate, and that he and Thomas had a professional and ethical relationship.
Thomas said that he thought Mitchell was unbiased and was not concerned about their relationship.
"He hasn't told me anything and I haven't asked," he said.
Mitchell said there was no course of action he could take to review the changes.
"A review would throw off the schedule set by the election code," Mitchell said. "There were plenty of opportunities to make changes before election season."
Contact Hill at shill@kansan.com. This story was edited by Justin Guenley.
Festival to mix cultures highlight diversity
"Its a documentary about the Asian community in the Midwest and how they feel about the American experience," Wang
Filmmaker Renée Tajima-Pena will speak and present her Sundance Film Festival road movie-memoire My America — or Honk If You Love Budha.
"We want to show the KU community that 'Asian' is more than just East Asia. It makes them understand that 'Asian' has a whole broader meaning."
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Shen said that the biggest event of the festival would be the "Taste of Asia" on Saturday, March 2, at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread.
By Leah Shaffer
Kansan staff writer
Events also planned for the festival, sponsored by Student Senate and Coca-Cola, include a Filipino Dance Troupe performing a traditional dance known as the "Sinagata."
Wang said groups including the Cultural India Club, Japanese Student Association, Chinese Student and Scholars Friendship Association and Vietnamese Student Association would all come together to share food, fashion and dance during the "Taste of Asia."
Valentino Almeida, graduate student from Bombay, India, and president of the Cultural India Club, said the club had been involved in the festival in previous years, and he was trying to schedule it into this year's events.
"I like this program because we have all the cultural clubs coming together," he said.
Contact Shaffer at lshaffer@kansan.com. This story was edited by Gillian Titus.
Organizers of this year's Asian Festival said their goal was to unite various groups representing nations ranging from China to India in order to reflect the celebration's theme of "Strength Through Diversity."
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Jerry Wang Asian American Student Union president
The festival lasts two weeks and begins at 10 a.m. today at the fourth floor lobby in the Kansas Union. Yilan Shen, Topeka senior and publicity chair for the AASU, said it would feature an assortment of culturally inspired entertainment — such as student-sumo wrestling — to create interest.
Jerry Wang, Atlanta senior and president of the Asian American Student Union, said the festival would dispel myths about a relatively unknown part of the world.
"We want to show the KU community that 'Asian' is more than just East Asia. It makes them understand that 'Asian' has a whole broader meaning," he said.
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