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Tuesday, November 25, 2014
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Kansan.com | The student voice since 1904
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little talked about the budget and approved a change to the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities on Monday.
Chancellor announces change to student code
MCKENNA HARFORD
@McKennaHartford
Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little spoke about sexual assault, campus safety and the academic scandal at the University of North Carolina on Monday afternoon.
SEXUAL ASSAULT
Chancellor Gray-Little approved an immediate change in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities that clarifies the 'University's ability to exercise jurisdiction over violations of the nondiscrimination and sexual harassment policies on Monday.
The change does not create new jurisdiction or change student rights.
It clarifies what actions the University can discipline students for, depending on the location of the incident. Under Title IX legislation, the University can discipline students during off-campus incidents if the incidents involve sexual assault or discrimination. While this has always been included in Title IX, the University hadn't explicitly stated in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities until now.
The changes come in response to a Douglas County Court ruling that said the code was unclear about the jurisdiction of sexual assault and harassment cases. The University will be appealing this ruling before the end of the year.
I have taken action today [Monday] in order to immediately ensure that our authority to enforce Title IX and keep students safe is clear and unambiguous," Gray-Little wrote in a letter to the provost, the vice provost for student affairs and the student body president.
Since the beginning of the sexual assault discussion this semester, the chancellor has been involved in an increased number of discussions about the nature of sexual assaults
on campus and their complexities.
In all instances there were people who were sincerely expressing a concern about the issue and how we're addressing them, so I think they have mostly been expressions of concern and support for things to go well as a university community as a whole;" Gray-Little said.
Gray-Little said these discussions have been mostly informational, but there has been changes within the University to address the concerns, including a review of sexual assault education.
"There have been efforts in Student Affairs through the Provost's office to look at what kind of educational programs will really be helpful," Gray-Little said.
CAMPUS SAFETY
This year campus safety reports included building checks, which will be used to determine what options are viable for complying with the state concealed carry law that will go into effect for public universities in 2017. These reports were presented to the Kansas Board of Regents last week.
"There have been efforts in Student Affairs through the Provost's office to look at what kind of educational programs will really be helpful."
As of right now, the University will have to allow concealed weapons once the exemption ends because the costs of monitoring all of the buildings on campus are too high, unless the Board of Regents takes actions to prevent it, the chancellor said.
BERNDATTE GRAY-LITTLE Chancellor
CASE CLOSED
SEE CAMPUS PAGE 2
Ferguson grand jury decides not to indict Wilson on criminal charges
ALLISON KITE
@Allie_Kite
The Ferguson grand jury decided not to indict Darren Wilson on any criminal charges for the August killing of unarmed teen Michael Brown.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced the decision shortly after 8 p.m. on Nov. 24 in a statement to the press and public. According to McCulloch, the grand jury decided there was no probable cause to indict Wilson on criminal charges.
Crowds in Ferguson reacted with anger and disappointment while the president and Brown's parents urged protesters to remain peaceful
following the announcement. Live news broadcasts showed protesters throwing objects at law enforcement and trying to turn over a squad car. Around 9 p.m. St. Louis County police confirmed on Twitter that shots were fired near the police department in Ferguson, and later that hour, a police car was set on fire. Police responded by using tear gas, flash bangs and bean bags against protesters.
President Obama addressed the nation shortly after 9 p.m. urging people to remain peaceful in their protest of the announcement.
McCulloch went on to say that the killing of Michael Brown is a tragic loss of life regardless of the circumstances, and encouraged the public to continue the conversation in the hope that a case like this doesn't happen again.
"I urge everybody who's engaged in the conversations, engaged in the demonstrations to keep that going, to stay with that. Not to let that go and to do it in a constructive way — a way that we can profit from this, a way that we can benefit from this by changing the structure, by changing some of the issue, by solving some of the issues that lead to these sorts of things," he said.
"I also appeal to the law enforcement officers in Ferguson to show care and restraint in managing peaceful protests," Obama said.
According to the address, witness accounts described multiple scenarios that varied from one another on multiple points including the placement of Brown's hands despite a commonly held opinion that his hands were above his head in a surrendering pose.
McCulloch said in his statement that he expected many to be disappointed and not agree with the lack of indictment, but that it was the duty of the grand jury to look at the evidence they were given.
"All decisions in the criminal justice system must be determined by the physical and scientific evidence, the incredible testimony corroborated by that evidence — not in response to public outcry or for political expediency," he said.
Edited by Rob Pyatt
IEEE JACDBSEN/KANSAS ATHLETICS
Maddie Irelan, a member of the rowing team, is the new Student Athlete Advisory Committee senator.
Student athlete fills SAAC vacancy on Student Senate
MIRANDA DAVIS
@MirandaDavisUDK
Maddie Irelan's Wednesdays just got a lot busier.
The sophomore from Dublin, Ohio said Wednesdays are her busiest day of the week. As a member of the University's rowing team, she wakes up at 6 a.m. to run stairs with the team until 8 a.m. Then she has a full day of classes, tutoring and then, in the height of the season, another practice.
As the newly appointed Student Athlete Advisory Committee senator, she can add weekly Student Senate to that list. She is also in charge of community outreach for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
"We really want our voice to be heard. There are 500 or so athletes so that's quite a few people, who, we feel, sometimes in the past, our voice hasn't been heard on campus, besides the athletic department," Irelan said.
Before Ireland, the SAAC senate seat was vacant for several years. Irelan said she hopes this will bring better
representation to the student-athlete population.
"I want to find a connection between the people on campus that don't really know about what we're doing over here, and what our lives look like, and the differences in their college experience and our college experience," Irelan said.
Ireland said she heard about the the position through SAAC and Sophia Templin, a University softball player and a journalism school student senator. Templin authored a bill in early November, last cycle, that changes the definition of an excused absence within senate. It now includes athlete-related events like practices, games and mandatory tutoring. The bill passed in committees and full senate.
Templin said there has been little student-athlete involvement over the last decade.
"This has kind of left a visible segment of the student population unrepresented," Templin said when she presented the bill in senate.
Templin said many athletes said they felt blindsided by
last year's student-athlete decision and that many athletes wanted more involvement in Student Senate.
Soon after, Irelan applied for the student-athlete senate seat and was appointed. Nov 19 was her first time at senate. She credits Templin with telling her about the position and asking if she would be interested.
"Maddie is willing to do the dirty work and get involved in senate and think about more than athletics." Templin said. "She represents athletics well."
Ireland said she wanted to get involved in Student Senate because she loved SAAC and what she was able to do within the committee. She also hopes to represent the unique needs and perspective of student athletes, who often don't have a traditional college experience. She hopes to be a liaison between the big issues on campus and the student athletes.
Ireland has been rowing since freshman year of high school, but is involved in much more
SEE SENATOR PAGE 3
TOMAS HOPPOUGH/KANSAN
Jane McQueeny attends the Kappa
Sigma hearing on Nov. 24. She
said more than 10 fraternity
members are involved.
A closed hearing took place Monday between Kappa Sigma fraternity and Student Affairs to determine whether it is appropriate to continue interim suspension that began on Sept. 30.
Student affairs to determine suspension status after break
The hearing panel and Tammara Durham, vice provost for Student Affairs, have five days to reach a decision, according to Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director for news and media relations.
"This is not a final hearing and this hearing will not result in a final outcome of this matter with respect to the fraternity or any individual member," said a letter dated Nov.17 from Joshua Jones, student conduct and community standards coordinator, to Kappa Sigma president Jack Schwartz.
Kappa Sigma Board Members told KUJH News before the hearing that attorney Chuck Schimel is no longer representing the fraternity and they are seeking new representation.
Jane McQueeny, director of Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, told KUIH News the investigation has taken longer than 60 days because more than 10 people are involved. She said a typical 60-day investigation involves five to 10 people.
In a previous interview with Schwartz, he said 20 members, including himself, had been interviewed so far about what he called an "unsponsored, spontaneous event at the house without any permission that got out of control."
The impromptu event resulted in a report on Sept. 28 of an alleged sexual assault. Investigations have been ongoing.
Amelia Arvesen
CLASSIFIEDS 8 CRYPTOQUIPS 6 SPORTS 10
CROSSWORD 6 OPINION 4 SUDOKU 6
Ali contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2014 The University Daily Kansan
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