18= THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
WEDNESDAY,JULY 2.2003
HOUSING
Resident assistants receive pay increase
By Annie Bernethy
aberneth@kansan.com
kansan staff writer
Discussions between the Department of Student Housing and the RA-Proctor Council has led to the pay raise of resident assistants this fall.
Jennifer Wamelink, assistant director of the Department of Student Housing, said the RA-Proctor Council asked the department last semester to take a look at the salaries of staff members to see if a raise was needed.
RAs typically made $40 bimonthly, plus free room and board. With the new contracts, staff members who have been resident assistants for a year will make an additional $20 a month.
Scott Wilson, a resident assistant at Lewis Hall, said he was happy about the new agreement.
Wilson said he became an RA because he had a lot to offer students and thought it would be interesting to form a community on the floor.
"I feel as though the RAs do a lot and should be rewarded for that," said the Garden City senior.
"I really enjoy that I'm basically getting free room and board to socialize with people, something I would be doing anyway," he said.
Carrie Clopton, Overland Park junior and resident assistant, said she was looking forward to the pay increase.
"Who's going to turn down more money?" she said.
However, because Clopton became an RA last spring, she must wait until spring 2004 for her pay increase.
She decided to become an RA after living in Lewis Hall her freshman year, Clopton said. She is now an RA in the same residence hall.
"I wanted to be part of the complex," she said. "I really liked the idea of working with the staff and the students."
Clopton became an RA because she wanted to meet other people and plan events. After one semester as an RA in Lewis Hall, Clopton said she enjoyed her time.
"I want to be someone people can come talk to if they have problems," she said.
Members of the RA-Proctor Council could not be reached for comment.
— Edited by Jennifer Wellington
MIDDLE EAST
Prime ministers dedicate themselves to future peace
The Associated Press
JERUSALEM — Standing side by side, the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers rededicated themselves yesterday to peace efforts and spoke of a shared future for their people.
Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas declared their readiness to "put the past behind us" as they met for the third time in six weeks to plan their next moves on the U.S.-backed "road map" to peace.
At the outdoor ceremony in front of Sharon's office, the Israeli defense minister and the Palestinian security chief bitter enemies not so long ago — sat next to each other and chatted amicably.
"Even if we are required to make painful compromises, I will be willing to make them for the sake of true peace — a peace
Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas declared their readiness to "put the past behind us" as they met for the third time in six weeks to plan their next moves on the U.S.-backed "road map" to peace.
for generations, the peace that we all yearn for," Sharon said.
Abbas, who stood behind his lectern alongside Sharon, responded by declaring it was time to "put the past behind us."
"Enough suffering, enough death, enough pain. Let us stride forward with courage and without hesitation to the future we all deserve," he said.