University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, October 31, 1989
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Student Senate scrambles to rewrite election rules
By Lara Weber
Kansan staff writer
With about a month remaining until deadline, Student Senate members are working frantically to change the rules for Senate elections to avoid penalties stemming from violations during the Spring 1989 election.
After the election, it was determined that the winning coalition, Common Cause, violated spending limits outlined in article six of the Senate rules and regulations.
According to the rules, the candidates could have lost their seats for the violation. A University Judicial Board this summer fined B. Jake White, student body president, and Jeff Morris, student body vice president, a portion of their salaries and ordered them to complete community service work.
David Ambler, vice chancellor for student affairs, suggested that because the 'election rules were unclear, the new leaders be given until Dec. 1 to rewrite the rules. If this is completed, the penalties will
warned.
In August the Senate Student Rights Committee was told to rewrite the rules. A subcommittee was named in September for that purpose.
be waived.
The subcommittee has met several times but has not yet rewritten the rules. It has scheduled three meetings this week, however, and hopes to present a bill outlining the proposed changes to Senate next week.
The elections committee does not believe the rights subcommittee has worked fast enough on the issue.
Eleanore MacNish, chairman of the elections committee, said she worked with several other Senate members to create a separate proposal for new election rules.
MacNish said her committee
She said the election committee reviewed the proposal and wrote legislation for Senate to consider. The bill was tabled at Wednesday's Senate meeting when complete information was obtained distributed because of duplicating problems. It will be considered at the Nov. 8 meeting.
decided to write the proposal, even though the rights committee was working on it, because the changes would directly affect the elections committee.
Key changes in the election committee proposal include the establishment of a matching funds policy. This would replace the current system of spending limits, which is being reviewed for possible unconstitutionality, she said.
Under the matching funds proposal, candidates could qualify for a possible 50 percent reimbursement of
campaign expenditures from Senate.
campaign expenditures from Senate. Candidates also would be required to attend campaign workshops so that questions regarding the election rules could be clarified and procedures explained.
Last night, the rights subcommittee discussed its own plans for rewriting the election rules.
Aaron Rittmaster, chairman of the subcommittee, proposed the development of an elections commission, an apolitical group that would oversee elections and enforce campaign rules.
Common Cause hopes to turn campaign promises into reality
By Lara Weber Kansan staff writer
Promises, promises.
Student Senate candidates make plenty of them as they campaign for office. The ability to live up to these promises, however, can make or break a politician.
Common Cause, the winning coalition in the Spring Senate election, has been working since the summer to keep its campaign on track. But the governor said to fulfill other coalition officials said
B. Jake White, student body president, said
his campaign promises focused on campus safety and cooperation.
Among the ideas proposed during the campaign were a campus recycling program, an escort service for students who feel uncomfortable walking from campus late at night, a new orientation program for freshmen, continuation of the AIDS Task Force and increased campus safety.
"I think the campaign promises we ran on have either been accomplished this summer or are currently being worked on," White said. "Senate has done a very good job of meeting the expectations we set out for
Senate has been working with River City Recycling Co. to implement a recycling program on campus.
White said that Senate was on schedule with plans for the program but that the program was on hold because of internal problems with the recycling company.
"This summer we got a lot accomplished," White said.
This summer, new crosswalks were installed from the residence halls to the parking lots in the Daisy Hill area, providing
increased safetv. he said.
To further increase campus safety, Senate decided to develop a student escort service.
White said Senate could not afford a full-fledged escort service, leading them to incorporate the idea with the then-struggling Secure Cab program.
"One of the most important things so far has been to revive the Secure Cab program and make it a success in addition to implementing the escort service with it," he said. "It's really important that we make the campus safely accessible at night."
One campaign promise has proven tougher
to fulfill than the others, though.
In April, Common Cause suggested the development of a new elective course at the University called "University 101." The course would be open to freshmen for one hour of credit and would teach students about options available at the University and how to improve study habits.
White said Senate members have presented their idea to the administration.
"We took it about as far as we could," he said, adding that students could not create any course.