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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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ansan
Warm tomorrow with a chance for rain
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Vol.108·No.135
Texas hired former Clemson coach Rick Barnes to replace Tom Penders, whose contract was bought out at the end of this season.
SEE PAGE 5B
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Candidates seek higher turnout at polls
The Committee of Voter Awareness gathered in the Kansas Union Friday afternoon to put the finishing touches on their banner. The group formed to tackle voter indifference in Senate elections. Photo by Sean Haley/KANSAN
New committee will try to raise voter awareness
Bv Marcelo Vilela
mvilela@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Not enough students participate in Student Senate elections on campus, and a committee was created to rectify the situation.
The Committee for Voter Awareness held its first meeting Friday in the Kansas University. Eighteen students attended the meeting and helped make an educational banner and fliers.
The banner reads "Voice your opinion:
Vote!" and shows the dates and locations
where students can vote. It will be hung at
Wescoe Hall today.
The objective of the committee is to increase voter participation at the University of Kansas, and get more people involved in the decision making process, said Mark Auerbach, Warren, N.J., senior and president of the committee.
During the meeting, Auerbach said that the committee's goal was to educate students about the election, specifically about locations where students can vote.
The committee was founded in response to the low voter participation at the University, in which less than 15 percent of the students vote in elections.
"We didn't realize how low the percentage of voters was," said Laleh M-Navai, the committee's treasurer. "Everybody can influence what Senate does, but people don't voice what they want. We plan on improving elections."
Even though the organization is independent of all election candidates and coalitions, Delta Force and Campus Cause donated $35 to the committee. Representatives of both coalitions were at the meeting.
"Anything that can get more students involved in the political process benefits the entire student body," said Kevin Yoder, Campus Cause candidate for student body president. "It's long past due for an effort like this to be made. I hope the committee will stay active in the future."
Matt Dunbar, Delta Force candidate for student body vice president, said that it was good to have a non-partisan group to take a load off the elections commission.
"I hope in the future the group grows and can achieve their goals of providing a non-biased description of the coalitions and candidates," Dunbar said.
Auerbach said that the committees' future goals included creating a Web page to equally represent candidates and their platforms, and receiving funds from Senate.
Students interested in joining the committee must contact Mark Auerbach at 331-2586. Applications will be available throughout the year.
Students and the Senate
The University Daily Kansan surveyed 80 randomly-selected KU students about the upcoming Student Senate elections. During the next five days the results of those polls will be presented. The polls have about an 11 percent margin of error.
Do you plan to vote in the elections?
Today's question:
Other questions this week:
Tomorrow: Did you vote last year?
Wednesday: What issues influence your
decision as to whom to vote for?
**Thursday:** Who do you plan to vote for?
**Friday:** Can you name your student senator?
Research by Sarah Hale and Kristi Elliott / KANSAN
Cammi Heijmann
Student Senate issue spotlight
■ Making enrollment easier for students
■ Corporate interests on campus
See page 6A
Students not interested enough to participate in campus government
By Carl Kaminski
ckaminski@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Student Senate represents every student at the University of Kansas, but few seem to care.
Only 13 percent of students voted in Student Senate elections last year. Few disagree that this is a problem.
Most candidates, regardless of coalition ties, think that most students do not care about or understand what goes on in Student Senate. Therefore they do not vote.
Aaron Profitt, independent candidate for a Nunemaker seat, said that he has seen a complete lack of understanding among the student body.
He said that students should care about an organization that spends their money and has a budget of almost $1 million.
Proffitt said that he wants the Student Senate Web site to keep students aware. He said that he would like to see Senate meetings held in different locations on campus and that Senate should hold bimonthly forums to keep students up to date on Senate issues.
Yoder said he has been in Senate for three years and this past semester was the most unproductive he had ever seen.
Instead of looking at issues, he said senators have been looking at the people presenting them.
Kevin Yoder, Campus Cause candidate for student body president, said he thought some of the apathy stemmed from the unprofessional conduct of senators.
Once they are elected, candidates should drop coalition ties, he said.
"That image of a divided senate doesn't do any good," he said.
Proffit agreed that extreme partisan-ship was a problem in senate, which is why he is running as an independent.
Emily Heath, Delta Force candidate for student body president, said that it was the student body president and
vice president's responsibility to break down coalition barriers.
"It comes down to leadership," she said.
Heath said too many students voted down coalition lines rather than looking at individual people and issues.
Heath also said she thinks student apathy toward senate is a problem.
She said that Senate has been too much of a good ol' boys' network and that a lot of people have been too intimidated to get involved in the past.
Yoder said senators should reach out to the student body more to educate them.
He said he would like to see senators hold office hours in their respective schools in order to make them more available to the students they represent. Like Proffit, Yoder said that he would like to see Senate meet in more places than just the Union to make it more visible around campus.
"Student Senate has to talk about issues important to students," he said. "We've got to go to them."
Yoder said senators should think about whether a resolution, such as the one passed this year against armed conflict with Iraq or the one to lower the drinking age to 18, affects students' daily lives.
Heath wants to attract interest by focusing on more than just how Senate spends money.
"That just doesn't get people excited," she said. "I want people to get involved because they care about the issues."
She said resolutions like the one against armed conflict with Iraq were important.
"Too many people think Senate cannot influence things outside senate," she said.
CANDIDATE DEBATE
CANDIDATE DEBATE
Time: 8p.m.
Date: Today
Place: Big 12 Room in the Kansas Union
On the money
Bryan Meeks, Liberal junior, puts for a win. Meeks and two friends played golf during the warm weather at the Alvamar Orchards Executive Golf Course Saturday. With the warm weather this weekend Lawrence also experienced high winds. The National Weather Service said winds reached about 50 mph Sunday afternoon. There is a chance for 50 mph Sunday afternoon. Photo by Eileen Bakri/KANSAN
Native Americans' powwow ends with bang
Ethan Mireles, Lawrence resident, practices before the first dance of the powwow. Ethan competed in a special dance for tiny tubs during Saturday's powwow. Photo by Roger Noner / KANSAN
By Ronnie Wachter
rwachter@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Lance Cully, Lawrence resident, judges college students as they dance during the eighth-annual Spring Pawwow. The pawwow was held Saturday evening in Anschutz Sports Pavilion. Photo by Roar Nomer/KANSAN
The drum was played for five minutes by the 11 members of Thunder Shield, one of six area singing groups that performed Saturday night at the Anschutz Sports Pavilion, to announce the beginning of the festivities.
The Native American Student Association's 1998 Spring Powwow, Dancing On The Hill, started with a bang on a big drum.
The six groups each used two instruments: their drums and their voices.
Vendors lined the walls of the pavilion, selling T-shirts, jewelry, paintings and food to the crowd of more than 600 people.
"It's the same style that has been played for years," said Tim Tall Chief, master of ceremonies. "Very little has been changed over time."
Children ran on the track and played under the grandstand while about 200 people watched the dancers.
Tall Chief said that the music was important but that powwows centered around dancing.
The Spring Powwow began with the Intertribal Dance, a celebration where participants could enter and exit the dance area at any time.
"Some of the dances are simply for celebration; others are individual competitions." he said.
Elyse Towey, Napa, Calif., senior and NASA president, said that although she had been busy during most of the powwow, she had made time to participate in one of the dances.
"I've been running all over this place, but I had to get one dance in." she said.
Tall Chief said that some of the dances had other functions that could not be used at the powwow.
"The Women's Jingle, for instance, is a healing dance," he said. "It is still used today by some nations."
One of the most popular events was a dance by 10 young children. They did the Tiny Tots dance, performed to a rendition of "Three Little Indians" played by the Alliance West Singers.
Towey said that this year's festival had more dancers than previous
NASA powwows.
"It was a real success," she said. "We really appreciated that we had a lot of support from the community, from the Office of Minority Affairs, the Gammas (Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority) and from BSU and Delta Force."
David Rolling Thunder Clark came to the powwow to watch his son, T.C., dance. Clark said that he and T.C. thought powwows were as important now as they ever were.
"He started practicing dances for this about three years ago," Clark said. "It's something he's taking a lot of pride in."
Tall Chief agreed that powwows were vital for maintaining Native Americans' pride in their heritage.
"A lot of people say that you are an American citizen first and a member of your nation second, and that is not the case," Tall Chief said. "You are a member of your nation first."
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