SDAV APRIL 2013
4A - THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
TUESDAY,APRIL8,2003
TALKTOUS
Kristi Henderson
864-4854 or khenderson@kansan.com
Jenna Goepfert and Justin Henning managing editors
864-4854 or |goepfert@kansan.com and
jhenning@kansan.com
Leah Shaffer
readers' representative
864-4810 or lishaffer@kansan.com
Amanda Sears and Lindsay Hanson
opinion editors
864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Eric Kelting
business manager
864-4358 or adsales.kansan.com
Sarah Jantz
retail sales manager
864-4358 or adsales.kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson
general manager and news adviser
864-7687 or mgibson@kansan.com
Matt Fisher
sales and marketing adviser
864-7666 or mfisher@kanan.com
RERUNS OF OUR LIVES
Neil Mulka and Emily Elmore for The University Daily Kansan
ENDORSEMENTS
Go to page 10A for Kansan editorial board endorsements of Student Senate candidates in today's "Voter's Guide 2003."
The board reviewed surveys submitted by the candidates and voted by silent ballot to choose the best candidates for each Senate seat.
Find the board's endorsements and read the candidates' survey responses for an informed decision.
PERSPECTIVE
Delta Force campaign to move dialogue into city, Legislature
Do you enjoy fall break? Have you ever checked your e-mail on campus at one of the NEST terminals? Has the Off-Campus Living Resource Center helped your search for off-campus housing? Have you voted at the Daisy Hill voting site?
You have seen the direct result of the work of Delta Force. Over the last seven years, we have worked to improve the lives of all students of the University. Delta Force meets year-round, gathering student concerns and looking for ways to build upon the stature of our fine University. Our commitment is as strong as ever, and we want to focus on making this institution even better.
The first way to do that is through the institution of an online course evaluation system. Recently, University Council approved a resolution to further explore the idea of online course evaluations, but we want to move this project from research to reality. Students should be well informed on the courses they sign up for before they pay for them.
GUEST COMMENTARY
Delta Force also wants to make campus and adjacent areas safe for all students. Recent findings from the task force for the Commission on the Status of Women show that 47 percent of women surveyed limit their enrollment in night classes because of safety concerns. Areas adjacent to campus, which include, but are not limited to, the walk from the Memorial Stadium lot to GSP-Corbin Hall, the walk from IRP Hall to Emery Road, areas around Watkins and Miller Scholarship Halls and Daisy Hill, need to be addressed. Students pay $2 per semester for a campus safety fee. It's time to ensure that the fee works for the safety of all students. We are committed to working with the city and with the University to assure that safety is an issue, which requires action and not just campaign rhetoric.
Fallon Farokhi and Drew Thomas opinion@tansan.com
To truly solve the problem of safety, it is essential that we address
We are committed to working with the city and with the University to assure that safety is an issue, which requires action and not just campaign rhetoric.
the root of the problem. Last semester alone, there were more reported rapes of students on and off campus than in previous years. It is necessary to stem this tide by supporting the expansion of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Program of the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center. There is one part-time employee who has to educate the entire student population on issues of sexual assault prevention. Unfortunately, one individual cannot address the concerns of sexual assault of 27,000 individual students. We want to make this a full-time position or add another part time position to this office. With support, this program can work to ensure that we address the element of safety.
Looming tuition increases have also created much concern on our campus. Although these work to improve our University, they must be done responsibly.
One avenue for that is the Tuition Advisory Council. But monitoring the flow of new tuition dollars does not alleviate the burden of the debt that it creates. Therefore, we would lobby the Kansas Legislature to pass a 10 percent cap on the amount that tuition can be raised within a given year.
This is not a new idea, and many states are making the move to assure that state institutions are accessible to all. Among these are Colorado, Michigan, Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Nebraska and Arizona, to name a few. We want Kansas to follow this lead. It is not only something that can be done; it's something that should be done to ensure everyone has access to a quality KU education.
To make Lawrence friendlier to students, Delta Force will work to end discrimination against students in rental policy. Two years ago, the city commission voted for a measure to lock students out of "their neighborhoods." In a city that thrives on the existence of the University, it is hypocritical to treat us as "outsiders" or "commuters." Thus, we call for the reexamination of city ordinances 7323 and 7326 to ensure that law does not inherently discriminate against a large faction of the Lawrence population. We believe that with last week's election of three new city commissioners, we can advance this cause.
Regardless of how you come down on the issues, vote tomorrow or Thursday. Vote for Referendum A, which would give freshmen true representation within Senate. Support Referendum B, which provides students an opportunity to use the resources of the United States Student Association, an organization that lobbies Congress for student concerns. Voting is essential to the strength of student voice in addressing administration, city commission, the Legislature and beyond. Every vote is essential legitimacy of a body that exists to benefit you, the students. Help make your University an even better place. Rock, chalk, Jayhawk; go KU.
Thomas is a Hays senior in political science and international studies. Farakh is a Lawrence junior in elementary education. They are Delta Force candidates for president and vice president of Student Senate.
PERSPECTIVE
KUnited strives to implement relevant, attainable platforms
Accountability. That is what KUnited brings to Student Senate. Every year, coalitions talk about what they intend to do the next year, but the first question students should be asking is, "What have you done for me this year?"
GUEST COMMENTARY
KUnited is a coalition in its second year running for election to Student Senate tomorrow and Thursday. We have no common ideology, just a common commitment to serving the student body. We offer experience, with 22 returning senators, and diversity, with more than one-fifth of the coalition coming from multicultural backgrounds. We can also show results, having followed through on every promise of last year's platform. Our ideas are tangible and relevant to the student body. Every issue on this year's platform will directly benefit KU students.
KUnited has been busy this year finding ways to put money back in students' pockets. We recognize that protesting tuition increases has failed in the past, and that the University is committed to the five-year plan for tuition increases that is currently in place. Catherine is the only student serving on the Planning and Resources Committee, which advises the provost on how to spend tuition enhancement dollars. This year, we successfully lobbied for a 50-cent wage increase for all student hourly positions on campus. Next year, we will incorporate an online book exchange with online enrollment, which could save you $200 per semester. This would more than offset the tuition increase. Furthermore, we will not raise any student fees without sending the proposal to an online campus vote, so that you will have a chance to "Have a Say Before You Pay."
Did you know you pay $32 per year for KU on Wheels buses? If
Andy Knopp and Catherine Bell opinion.com/hansan.com
As you look at the platforms of each coalition, ask yourself, "Are these realistic ideas? Are these issues really saying anything? Or are the candidates just promising to 'look into something' or 'lobby for something?'
you don't have a bus pass, you're getting only some bad fumes for your money. KUinited will establish the "Jayhawk Express," a free on-campus bus route that will run a figure eight around campus, taking you to the Union, Jayhawk Boulevard, JRP Hall, up the hill and to the new Recreation Center. It will be free to any student who shows a KUID.
KUnited is a coalition of actions, not words. While other coalitions talk about bringing online course evaluations to the University, KUnited has been working through SenEx and University Council to make these evaluations happen this spring. Our resolution passed, and thanks to the efforts of KUnited, you will be able to view other students' online course evaluations by next fall.
Campus safety is another important issue for us. As chairman of the Campus Safety Board, Andy coordinated Campus Safety Week, handing out hot chocolate and surveys on Wescoe Beach in December, identifying safety concerns of students. During his time as chairman, the board has funded more than $90,000 in lighting projects,
which includes four new blue emergency phones. KUnited has worked and will continue to work to better light this campus. But lighting alone will not make students feel safe. KUnited will implement "JayWalk." a service similar to SafeRide. Any time a student feels uncomfortable walking around on campus at night, be it home from the library or just to their car, the student could call JayWalk. Two volunteers, one male and one female, would come to escort them.
As you look at the platforms of each coalition, ask yourself, "Are these realistic ideas? Are these issues really saying anything? Or are the candidates just promising to 'look into something' or 'lobby for something?'" Students need to critically evaluate the promises and claims being made and decide whether they are truly reliable. As coalitions talk about their accomplishments, ask yourself if these individuals have actually affected these changes or whether they are simply riding on the shoulders of student leaders from long ago. Our accomplishments over the past year are evidence of our ability to deliver on our promises. A new Multicultural Resource Center, online course evaluations, more parking lots opened at 5 p.m. instead of 7:30 p.m., and the largest voter registration drive in University history are all proof that KUnited is putting actions behind our words.
We are confident that our issues are not only relevant to students,but they represent tangible goals we can finish next year. We hope that you agree and will show it tomorrow or Thursday by voting KUnited.
Knopp is a Manhattan junior in accounting and business administration. Bell is a Coffeyville junior in political science and communication studies. They are the KUnited candidates for president and vice president of Student Senate.
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
A hypothetical question: If you had to pee really bad and you were driving in your car, and a squirrel ran out in front of the road, would you hit the brakes knowing you could piss your pants, or would you take the squirrel out?
I'm so normal I don't even have white suburban angst.
The Corbin Complex Director should be fired for letting people reserve our spots. She can give me my $180 back for my parking pass, too.
Somebody took my laundry out of the dryer, and I guess before they put their in, they left their panties in my laundry. So I have your panties if you're missing them. They're blue, size small.
Michael Moore's weight doesn't have anything to do with capitalism. Capitalists are people who aren't lazy who are out making a bunch of money, so you're idea's a little flowed.
I went to high school in Coffeyville, and Catherine Bell is a rock star. I go to Mizou, but she's student
body president at KU, I'll transfer there.
Ben McCarthy, lighten up.
展
I am the real vodka-drinking. Russian warrior.
The girl in the apartment above me is playing KU band music, and that would be fine except for the fact that it is 7:15 in the morning.
B
What the cheese, Kansan, repeating the crossword puzzle from Friday in Monday's paper? Now what am I supposed to do in class?
Yo, Ben McCarthy,you're stupid for putting your picture in the paper.
面
I walk into class on Monday morning, and what to my horror do I find but a reprint of Friday's crossword puzzle billed as new. Oh no!
Ben McCarthy, don't let the door hit you on the way out.
This is to the person who was complaining about Catherine Bell's crap in high school. I will personally fill out your admissions paper to Mizzou, because you need to go where all the other
Ben McCarthy should transfer to Mizzou so he can worry about academics instead of the basketball team.
sucky people live. Catherine Bell rocks, and if you can't see that, transfer.
I just wanted to say that I went to Coffeyville High School too, and Catherine Bell rocks my socks off.
If Hemenway doesn't cancel school after we win the national championship, I'm taking me and my riders over to his house.