Friday, January 23, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Student Senate dissection resolution passes, polling site debate concludes
By Melissa Ngo and Marc Sheforgen mngo@kansan.com msheforgen@kansan.com Kansan staff writers
After concluding a long debate about Daisy Hill polling sites, a resolution supporting dissection alternatives was passed at Wednesday's Student Senate meeting.
Senate passed the resolution in favor of adopting a University of Kansas policy to provide alternative learning methods for students opposed to dissecting animals.
The resolution states students have a right to education that does not violate their moral or religious beliefs.
Kevin Yoder, Interfraternity Council Senator and head of the Senate ethical task force, said it was not necessary to perform dissections to understand biology.
"In the religion department, you could learn the religion, but you wouldn't actually have to practice it." he said.
Michael Schmitt, spokesman for Proponents of Animal Liberation and member of the task force, said alternatives to dissection, such as computer programs and plastic models, could be effective and inexpensive.
Such practices are used by many top medical schools such as Yale, Harvard and Stanford.
Dean Stetler, chairman of undergraduate biology at the University, said a model was not an effective substitute for actual dissection.
"You're not going to learn how to appreciate the details by looking at a piece of plastic or a computer screen," he said.
The biology department does allow for some students to choose an assignment other than dissection, but the initiative must be taken by the student.
The resolution passed in Wednesday's meeting calls for the biology department to inform students of alternatives at the beginning of each semester.
Stetler said a policy giving all students the choice of alternate assignments might be abused by students who do not actually have moral or religious objections.
"Is it a moral belief, or is it the 'ick' factor?" he said.
Although the resolution will not force the biology department to adopt a new policy, Schmitt said it would send a message saying students wanted a policy guarantee. He said it would give him and others clout when they go before the administration to get a policy enforced.
Also concluded at the meeting was the debate about proposed residence hall polling sites.
Senators decided to send the issue to a student vote after a 33-20 decision that the legislation violated Senate rule 6.5.2. The rule states the Elections Commission is responsible for establishing and enforcing all rules and regulations relating to Student Senate elections and campaigns.
Brad Finkeldel, elections commission member, said the commission's decision to set up the three new sites at Ekdahl Dining Commons, Oliver Hall and Gertrude Sellards Pearson-Corbin Hall, will not be changed by Student Senate's failure to pass the pollting site bills.
Students can vote during the April 1998 Student Senate elections to mandate that the Elections Commission permanently activate the new polling sites.
Seth Hoffman, All Scholarship Hall Council senator and author of the original Daisy Hill bill, said he was disappointed the legislation did not pass. He said he was happy the debate generated by the legislation led to new sites this year.
A breakdown of Wednesday's Student Senate agenda:
SENATE BUSINESS
Bill to fund Saferide tabled
Bill to fund speaker
Al Franken
passed
Pettition to add a Daisy Hill polling site and a bill to add polling sites at GSP-Corbin and Oliver Halls sent to referendum
Resolution supporting a University Policy protecting student ethical choice in the dissection of animals passed
In addition to the polling site issues, Finkeldei also discussed changes to the elections code. These changes included lower spending limits for candidates.
The preliminary draft of this year's elections code will be available Monday.
Students can file complaints about the code and discuss their concerns at a commission meeting on Feb. 2, Finkeldei said.
Neither Cook nor Walden thought
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"There has been a lot of division and personal agendas in Senate, and I feel that this has skewed us
By Melissa Ngo
mngo@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Cook: Resigned as College of Liberal Arts and Sciences senator.
Cook said he resigned because he thought he and the Senate were ineffective in representing student this year.
she thought the division in Senate sometimes led to good things, she could understand how Cook could be frustrated.
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Ward Cook, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences senator, resigned from Student Senate yesterday after three years as a senator.
Cites ineffectiveness division as reasons for leaving position
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"I think that when the spotlight shifts from issues pertaining to elections back to issues that really matter for students, there will be improvement," Walden said.
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Mike Walden, student body vicepresident, said Sullivan most likely would, accept the resignation. Walden said he appreciated and identified with some of Cook's concerns but thought Senate could improve.
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away from the important issues," Cook said.
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Walden said he was disappointed Cook had resigned.
Veteran senator Ward Cook resigns from seat
Cook addressed his letter of resignation to Scott Sullivan, student body president. Sullivan would be the one to accept Cook's resignation but was unavailable for comment yesterday. The resignation will not be official until Sullivan accepts it.
"Personally and professionally, it's difficult to see him go," he said. "Ward's been a great asset to Senate for over three years."
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"Last night, I felt that everybody wanted the site, but instead of coming up with the solution of how to get it, we started arguing about semantics," Cook said, referring to the Daisy Hill polling site.
Cook said he wanted to continue to work on the Campus Lighting and Safety Board and on the Parking Board but it would be Sullivan's decision.
this would lead to more resignations.
"I'm not hoping to try to create a big revolution," Cook said. "I just felt that right now was the best time for me."
Cook said he did not resign primarily because of last night's decision concerning Daisy Hill legislation but it was the final straw in a pile of problems he saw in Senate this year.
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