THURSDAY APRIL 10,2003
NEWS
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4A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
5A
THURSDAY,APRIL 10,2003
TALK TO US
Kristi Henderson
864-4854 or khanderson@kansan.com
Jenna Goeppert and Justin Henning
managing editors
864-4854 or jgoeppert kansan.com and
ihenning@kansan.com
Leah Shaffer
readers' representative
864-4818 or ishafer.kansan.com
Amanda Sears and Lindsay Hanson opinion editors 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Sarah Jantz
retail sales manager
864-4358 or adsales@kansan.com
Eric Keiting
business manager
864-4358 or adsaLES@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson
general manager and news adviser
864-7667 or mglbson@kansan.com
Matt Fisher
Matt Fisher
sales and marketing adviser
864-7666 or mfisher@kansan.com
EDITORIAL BOARD
Be smart to be safe on campus at night
Students have the right to feel safe both during the day and at night on campus. The addition of more blue lights and street lamps would be beneficial to the campus, but students can increase their own safety by using a little common sense.
Schuyler Bailey, KU Public Safety Office police lieutenant, said students needed to be rational when on campus at night.
"I would encourage people to walk in groups whether they are male or female. There is a sense of safety in numbers and not being alone," he said, "If you utilize the bus system and Saferide, don't walk alone and avoid places that are dark or out of the way, you should be pretty safe."
Colleen Reed, Lawrence doctoral student, said she took certain precautions when she was on campus at night.
"When I'm leaving a building I always have my keys ready, I have a flashlight on my key ring," she said. "I vary my route, and I call someone and let them know when to expect me."
KUnited and Delta Force have proposed possible strategies to improve the situation. Among the platforms, KUnited has proposed a jaywalk service where students can call and request to be accompanied to their car or home and Delta Force has suggested an increase of lighting and blue lights across campus.
Bailey said campus crime had been steadily decreasing during the past five years.
However, students must remember that crime is inevitable in any community with more than 25,000 people. The University of Kansas is not exempt from this despite the amount of lighting or any other system that could be implemented.
More street lamps and blue lights would improve safety issues on campus, but students cannot rely on the University or political coalitions to keep them safe.
Students need to take responsibility for their own safety. Do not walk alone, stay out of dark places and always be aware of your surroundings.
M Amanda O'Toole for the editorial board
REALITY CHECK
Jennifer Wade for The University Daily Kansan
Free for All
Call 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
For more comments, go to www.kansan.com
Sex forever, porn forever, Dennis Dailey forever.
PERSPECTIVE
My friend and I were wondering if any of you over there at Free For All would like to bring us nachos. If so, we're in Room 125 at the Best Value Inn.
I'm a KU student who will be in Iraq in less than three weeks, and I want those who are protesting this war to realize that we are not only liberating Iraq but giving freedom to those who are protesting us liberating Iraq. Thank you, and have a good day.
My roommate just declared that she would rather avoid speaking to the opposite sex for a month than have to live without a Cadbury egg ever again.
Endorsements don't bias coverage of news
the opinion side as separate as possible; said Lindsay Hanson, associate opinion editor. Reporters don't vote on candidates, and neither do the section editors. Hanson herself refrained from casting a vote because she is also a copy editor. It's important to keep the news side separate from the opinion page because the news staff must objectively report and edit news about Senate.
B
A new day dawns, Jayhawks, and it's time to shake off that basketball induced stupor because an important event occurs today: Student Senate elections.
READERS' REPRESENTATIVE
Tuesday, while many of you were still nursing hangovers, The University Daily Kansan published its guide and endorsement of Senate candidates. To decide who to endorse, the Kansan distributes surveys to the candidates asking about their stances on issues and leadership experience. The surveys are compiled and reviewed by the opinion editors, members of the editorial board and the editor-in-chief, Kristi Henderson. Not all editorial board members are journalism students; they come from a variety of backgrounds and majors. Based on the survey responses, the board decides which candidates to endorse.
Leah Shaffer opinion@kansan.com
When endorsing candidates, the Kansan aims to keep the news side and
So the Kansan editorial stuff goes out
of its way to make sure students have an objective source to help them make voting decisions. But what students really need to know on election day, is "why". Why should students take the time to vote?
With only 15 percent of the students voting last year, that question is not being answered enough. So, for those of you wondering what the purpose of voting this year is, here's a quick answer: money.
It's your money.
Every year, Senate controls approximately $800,000 from student fees. According to the Senate treasurer, Ryan Evans, about $600,000 of that is already set to go to certain programs such as the Lied Center. And approximately $92,000 of that goes to student groups from the previous year that have requested the money. That leaves about $90,000 to be allocated to more student groups, events, programs — whatever. It's the
"whatever," that voting helps decide. Senate has the power to raise and lower your student fees.
If that isn't reason enough to vote, think of it this way. Like it or not, Senate is the most direct-access route to University administration. Senators represent the student population, and that voice can make a difference in everyday aspects of campus life. With programs like KU on Wheels and The Newspaper Readership Program, Senate makes a modest but crucial difference in students' lives every year.
A third answer to the question of "Why?" is, "Why not?" With online voting, this year it's easier than ever to give your input. Why vote? Because it's your money, your campus and your opportunity to make sure next year's Student Senate will be a great one.
Shaffer is a Hays senior in journalism and environmental studies.
PERSPECTIVI
Proposed bus route won't raise student costs
GUEST COMMENTARY
In an effort to clear up any confusion or miscommunications, I wish to offer my professional viewpoint on KUnited's platform proposal of the Jayhawk Express. Recently The University Daily Kansan corrected a mistake saying a free bus route would require a student fee increase of $15. Wrong. The Jayhawk Express would run on the current budget and student fee.
Tim Akright
opinton@kansan.com
Claims have been made that this issue hasn't been discussed and couldn't go into effect next school year. Wrong on both accounts. KUnited representatives have discussed the Jayhawk Express' feasibility with transportation board adviser Aaron Quisenberry and me. In addition, the transportation board can change routes at any time, using hand-
One of the final issues is adapting the current KU on Wheels route system to accommodate the Jayhawk Express. Routes will need to be altered, but that needs to happen, regardless. The several routes that serve the few riders living off campus exist because of the lack of coor-
bills and map insets to alert students to the changes.
dination between KU on Wheels and the city to provide a more cost-effective and widespread transit system to the University of Kansas.
Student fees and bus pass rates will have to increase significantly soon to cover growing costs. But the city and University are working on plans to make The T, the Lawrence bus system, more accessible to students. Meanwhile, KU on Wheels, inevitably, will be revamped to focus only on campus and the immediate surrounding areas. The T will cover the rest of the city.
I support any movement toward a more efficient, cheaper system, regardless of who presents it. This vote will determine whether KU on Wheels continues to be a pass-based system or
whether it takes the first steps toward being a system for those with a KUID.
Students must decide when KU on Wheels should transition to a campusfocused system that's free for anyone with a KUID. The Jayhawk Express vote can be a starting point for the change or a decision to sit back and wait for inevitable budget constraints. Look at all the issues. Ask the candidates themselves — they are the ones who can best answer you. This election is your opportunity to influence the future of the University. Don't let your voice go unheard.
Akright is an Overland Park junior in English. He is transportation coordinator for Student Senate.
United States Student Association makes education possible
Education is a right for all people, and membership in the United States Student Association, addressed on the election ballot as Referendum 2, is a big step toward making the University of Kansas a part of that process. Vote yes on Referendum 2 today. Articles in Tuesday's University Daily Kansan blurred the real issue at hand: education. Despite the hard work KU students do to succeed academically, money and privilege play an essential role in attending this University. I am no better than a student who could not afford to come here, but my wallet tells me I am. The fact that I have to
GUEST COMMENTARY
Jeff Allmon opinion@kansan.com
tion as a privilege is something that must be changed. The 40-page USSA position paper discussed in the Kansan, which a student "found" (as if USSA was hiding it), is not a document outlining the actions
USSA takes in opposition to certain issues. It outlines USSA's stance on these issues based upon a democratic process from within its membership. Is USSA lobbying to end "intellectual colonialism?" No, that would be futile and somewhat ridiculous
USSA is instead lobbying to make Pell grants an entitlement, thus solidifying them in the face of federal appropriations. USSA is lobbying to preserve campus safety provisions in the Higher Education Act. And USSA is lobbying to eliminate the drug question on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which subjects students to double jeopardy.
Not everyone may agree with certain
The glaring disproportional nature of the fact that spending on weapons far outweighs spending on education should
aspects of USSA's stance on particular issues, but making our University a part of USSA will give us a voice in its body and in Washington. We could change aspects of those stances that we disagree with. But most of those issues are not addressed in USSA's action agenda, which governs its lobbying strategy. And the action agenda for USSA is firmly focused on making education a reality for all. We have the power to change the stance of the federal government toward its future and toward its students.
A
beg the question: Where do we, as students, stand in the minds of our federal government? Surely there is something wrong with a picture that places our importance somewhere near the amount spent on the government's postage for the Gulf War. This is what USSA fights, not "intellectual colonialism." All students deserve better from their government, and USSA membership will make the University part of the process that makes education a right for all students.
Alilmon is a Wichita senior in philosophy. He is community affairs director for Student Senate.