THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOL.101.NO.129
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
(USPS 650-640)
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First-day turnout close to last year's
Today is second, last day to cast votes in Student Senate election
By Jay Williams
Kansan staff writer
Last year, about 2,100 students voted on the first day of elections, and 2,600 voted on day one in 1990. The Student Senate Elections Commission only counts the first-day ballots and does not release first-day results.
Seven percent of the student population went to the polls yesterday on day
Chris Thomas, elections commissioner, said that 2,022 students voted at the six polling places on campus. Polls will be open today, the last day of elections, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Burge and Kansas unions, Watson Library, and Wescoe, Murphy and Strong halls.
More than 850 students voted yesterday at the polling table in front of Wescoto Hall, the highest of any of the other five locations on campus.
Thomas said he expected a lighter turnout today based on past election numbers.
STUDENT
"One reason might be that not as many students are on campus Tuesday and Thursday," he said.
ELECTION *SENATE
While she did not know if it was true,
she said the five off-campus candidates.
As students stop to mark their ballots, Leslie Ain, Overland Park freshman, right, and Robin Valentine, Meridan senior, offer their assistance.
Jean Winter, Unless presidential candidate, said some students had said the election could depend on the success the coalitions had in swaying the off-campus vote.
Desey Tziortzis, Vision off-campus
Mike Cohn, Unless off-campus candidate, said tomorrow would be spent reminding people to vote.
"I think most people by now have made up their minds," he said. "The trick is to make sure the people who support you come out to vote."
"The trick is to make sure the people who support you come out to vote."
Mike Cohn Unless off-campus candidate
come out to vote.
candidate, said Vision members who ran for Senate last year enhanced the coalition's campaign. She lost a Senate race last year as a member of the FACTS coalition.
"Everything is going smoothly this year," she said. "We are really organized this year."
Coalition candidates used creative — yet legal — methods of getting out the vote yesterday.
said her coalition placed fliers on the doors of off-campus residents Monday and Tuesday night encouraging students to vote for Vision. The coalition also mailed letters to residence hall residents earlier in the week.
Callie Denton, Elections Commission chair, said no official complaints of election rules violations had been reported.
Election rules state that no campaign materials can be readable from polling locations. Coalition members must be present in campaign materials in front of Wesco.
Kathryn Price, Vision campaign manager and Nunemaker candidate.
"We think they are going to be effective." she said.
Price said the coalition had about 35 members on campus yesterday campaigned while the polls were open.
on campus yesterday.
Winter said Unless also campaigned
She said one Unless candidate campaigned yesterday at the Crossing, a
"He said he was having some success," Winter said.
Unless planned to campaign last night in the Oread neighborhood east of campus and at some Lawrence bars, Winter said.
Getting a break from TAXES
As the mid-April deadline approaches, students have access to free help
By Andy Taylor
Kansan staff writer
"I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to understanding taxes," the Wichita freshman said.
She said she feared the more than 60 pages of gray, confusing jargon and the mathematical calculations.
Christy Radermacher did not want to look at the tax forms she got in the mail after Christmas.
Instead of waiting until the last minute, Radermacher had her father, an accountant, fill out the forms.
"I don't even trust myself filling out the forms because I’m fearful that I will make a huge mathematical mistake and pay more than I needed," she said.
"I'm sure if sats out I would understand the tax structure," she said. "But since my father is an accountant, I don't even think
Wednesday is the deadline for millions of U.S. citizens to file income tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service. And with tax day approaching, KU students could avoid possible and costly goofs.
Radermacher is no different from many KU students whose minds are boggled with income tax worries and seek out help.
Pat Dauerksen, a consultant at Executive Tax Service, 601 Kasold Drive, said that because many college students were calculating income taxes for the first time, it would be necessary for them to understand the basics of taxes.
"it's not the form that is imposing,
it's the directions," she said.
"Learning the laws takes longer than filling out the form."
Duerksen said students make careless mistakes.
"The most common problem is that college students do not ask their parents whether they are claiming them as dependents," she said. "Most students don't know. But they cannot be claimed on their own return and the parents' return."
"Scholarship and fellowship grants only can be excluded to the amount that they pay for tuition, fees and books," she said. "If they pay for room and board, then it is taxable income."
Because many KU students come from out of state or work in other states, they need proper forms from those states and should mail a copy of all forms to the appropriate agencies. Duerksen said.
Duerksen also said students needed to know the law on taxing scholarship or fellowship money.
She also offered a few tips that students should remember:
Graduate teaching assistants are employees of the state of Kansas. Their income can be taxed
Students can be exempt from withholdings on their pay check, but they cannot be exempt from taxes.
"At the end of the year if you have taxable income from your job, you will have to pay taxes." she said.
Duerksen said she had witnessed many college students asking her office for tax assistance.
Even though many KU students remain befuddled about income tax procedures, students and Lawrence residents can find free assistance from a KU organization.
Jason Flaherty, a member of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, said VITA could help low-income residents and students in Lawrence.
Flaherty, a Topoka senior, said comprehending taxes was difficult even for business and accounting majors. Flaherty is majoring in business.
"We've seen more Lawrence residents here than college students," he said.
"It's definitely confusing even for people in my tax class," he said.
About 60 members of the KU Accounting Club help the VIA program, which is administered through the IRS.
Tips for students
Many students do not fully realize their obligations and rights concerning their taxes. Some important points that students should know:
Students cannot be claimed both on their parents' return and their own return.
- Students must fill out tax forms for every state in which they worked.
- Only scholarship money applied to tuition, fees and books is non-taxable.
Graduate Teaching Assistants' stipends are taxable.
People can be exempted from withholdings from their checks, but not from taxes.
Source: ExecutiveTax Service
VITA volunteers can offer assistance until Wednesday at two sites in Lawrence : the Lawrence Indian Center, 1423 Haskell Ave. and the Penn House, 1035 Pennsylvania St.
See related tax stories, Page 6
GTAs and GRAs take formal action in union formation
Committee files to hold vote on status
Kansan staff report
A committee of graduate teaching and research assistants said yesterday that it would file to vote for a union.
In a news conference at the Kansas Room in the Kansas Union, the five members of the committee said they would file more than 750 "show of interest" cards with the Kansas Association of Public Employees in Topeka.
The association requires that at least 30 percent of an organization's members complete the cards before the a union can be voted on.
He said that although the committee planned to file after the news conference, a vote on the union probably would not occur until the fall semester.
David Reidy, member of the committee and a GTA in philosophy, said the more than 750 cards represented about 50 percent of the GTAs and GRAs on campus.
The committee, which was organized by GTAs and GRAs and is not sponsored by the University of Kansas, said GTAs and GRAs needed a full fee waiver as well as salary increases and health care benefits.
Currently, KU GTAS and GRAs receive the appropriate waiver for the warrior. Wax Waters and Marines are not required.
"...A systematic problem requires a systematic solution."
David Reidy
GTA in philosophy
recently recommended a 87.5 percent waiver in the Board of Regents budget.
Reidy said he thought the union was the only way to effectively address such concerns.
"We think there is a systematic problem with graduate student issues at the University, and a systematic problem requires a systematic solution." he said.
Howard Mossberg, dean of graduate students, said yesterday in a written statement that GTAs and GRAs were primarily students, not employees.
"While the goals of graduate teaching assistants and full-time faculty are similar, their duties are different," he said.
GLSOK members receive threatening telephone calls
Bv Shellv Solon
Kansan staff writer
Members of Gay and Lesbian Services of Kansas filed reports yesterday and Tuesday with KU police about threatening telephone calls and messages left on the answering machine at the GLSOK office, KU police said.
GLSOK members said they thought the calls were a response to Gay and Lesbian Awareness Week, which began Sundav.
Lt. John Mullens, KU police representative, said five separate telephone calls had been reported.
He said one call would fit the terroristic threat category.
trict Attorney will rule whether it is a felony or a misdemeanor. Mullens said.
If the caller is found, the Douglas County Dis-
He said the rest of the calls would be considered harassment, a misdemeanor.
Whoever left the messages used words like "farout." Mullens said.
Some GLSOK members said harassment was more prevalent this year during GALA Week than during last year's events.
"I don't notice any significant harassment at all," said Rob Taylor, GLOSK memorial. "We do the same visibility events. The more visible we are, the bigger the people who desire us to be silent are."
GLSOK this week sponsored a march down
ayhawk Boulevard and has planned a "kissin'
club" at the gym.
of Strong Hall.
Taylor said that until this week, anti-gay and lesbian activity had been less common than in previous years.
Janet Pryor, co-director of GLSOK, said she file a report with KU police Tuesday because of threatening messages on the answering machine at the office.
She said she had encouraged others to report any harassment to the police or to the University Ombudsman.
Eric Barnhart, co-chair of GALA Week, said he filed a report yesterday after receiving harassing phone calls in the office.
"One person called and asked what fag thing was going on that day," he said. "Then he asked
She said she put their phone number on the GLSOK office machine so anyone interested could receive more information about GALA Week activities.
what he had to wear to be a faggy town. It told him I was not a cigarette, since that's what a fag is.
Scott Manning, GLSOK member, said people had been making harassing calls to the
Anne Bracker, Lawrence freshman, said she answered seven harassing calls that morning.
"A guy called and asked when the water gun war was because the gag haters of America were out to get us," Bracker said. "I asked him what his name was and he said he was Jeffrey
Lisa Brenner, a representative from Headquarters, Inc., said that at least one caller consistently called this week saying that he wanted information about GLSOK but then made derogatory remarks.
office since last week when fliers were put up around campus advertisting GALA Week.
She said Headquarters, a 24-hour counseling and referral service, was careful about giving out the information because the harassment had happened at other times besides GALA Week.
"It's been a lot more publicized," he said. "People have even been calling Headquarters claiming to be gay bashers and say they want the names of gays and lesbians."