UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, August 18, 1993
5F
Student political organizations promote campus involvement
KANSAN file photo
Student political groups attempt to inspire debate on campus. Last year, KU Democrats brought Hillary Clinton to KU before the November election
Students advance parties' ideas, goals
By Carlos Tejada Kansas staff writer
For students interested in local and national politics, the University of Kansas has political groups that will fit just about any political animal.
Plus, student involvement in political groups on campus is a great way to meet people, said Shauna Shindler, Lawrence junior and coordinator of KU Democrats.
Shindler said the KU Democrats signed up 250 members last year and became the largest political organization on campus. The group brought Hillary Clinton to speak at KU before the election and helped the state party win Douglas County for President Bill Clinton. However, Shindler said the popularity of KU Democrats last year was due to the national elections.
Now that the situation has quieted, the KU Democrats will concentrate on other issues, Shindler said.
"This year we're going to have a lot more opportunities to bring in speakers and hold forums on issues," she said.
Shindler said she wanted the emphasis of the group to focus on educating the student body.
"I think that we want more students to get to know the political issues in Kansas and in the nation," she said.
Although the Republicans lost power in last year's elections, the KU College Republicans are not worried, said Leigh Smith, Tulsa, Okla, senior and coordinator of the group.
I think that will help because voters aren't getting the answers they want from the Democrats," she said.
Smith said the group was focusing on bringing in speakers. They have scheduled State Senate President Paul "Bod" Burke to speak in the fall and are trying to schedule either Bob Dole or Nancy Kassebaum for the spring.
Local politics will be as important as national politics for the group. Smith said
"I don't think the students at KU
realize what an impact state politics has," she said. "It has more effect on their lives than national politics."
For the Ross Perot-based group United We Stand at KU, keeping students informed would be the mission, said Richard Heap, Belleville, III., junior and member of the group.
"We feel that if students know why what's going on, the how becomes less difficult," he said. "We want to convey this to students in unique ways."
Such demonstrations could include balloons on Jayhawk Boulevard, Heap said. United We-Stand members would simultaneously release dozens of helium-filled balloons to protest a pork-barrel project on helium funded by Congress.
The group also plans to bring speakers who oppose the proposed North American Free Trade Agreement to KU. Heap said.
"You could almost be brain-dead to realize that this is not in the country's interests," he said. "It's bad economics and bad politics."
Heap said United We Stand would also work with Student Senate to inform the student body of where its fees are spent.
For the KU Libertarians, redefining an entire concept is the goal, said Allen Tiffany, Lawrence graduate student and president of the group.
"We want to redefine what liberalism is or should be," he said "Liberalism used to mean small government and the sanctity of private property.
He said modern definitions of liberalism did not follow the ideas set down by classical liberals such as John Stuart Mill and Ayn Rand.
"Basically, a lot of people don't see a difference between Republicans and Democrats," he said.
He said KU Libertarians offered an alternative to the political party structure.
Tiffany said the group would try to put out a quarterly publication. He said the publication would echo the Libertarians' ideas.
"You cannot separate individual rights from economic rights," he said.
Multicultural groups help KU students
Continued from. Page 1.
During the event, the group brings in speakers on Assin American concerns. The group also holds dimmers and banquets for members and interested people.
"It's basically a way for people to see the role American Americans play in the professional world in terms of being a minority," he said.
For Hispanic students, concerns can be expressed through the Hispanic American Leadership Organization, said Octavio Hincjosa, Hutchinson senior and president of the group. He said new students might find help in adjusting to KUAtHALO.
"Here, fears about school are very typical of Hispanic students," he said. "It happens to be the same case with my own family."
Hinojosa said it was a major adjustment to move to a school with so few Hispanic students Hispanic students make up 1.8 percent of the student body.
He said Hispanic students new to KU should join HALO.
"I think that would be the best step for them, because then they'll be with peers," he said. "It's a family outside the family."
Hinojosa said the group would work on attending the Hispanic Leadership Conference in Chicago in May. He also said the group would work hard to create a positive image for Hispanics.
"It's hard to identify somebody to identify with," he said. "There are so few Hispanic students, professors, and leaders here."
The Native American Students Association also has services available for students.
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