TODAY'S WEATHER: Warmer with more sun and a high of 46.
SPORTS: Kansas women hope for a rebound at home tournament.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
TALK TO US: Contact Kursten Phelps or Leita Schultes at (785) 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
WWW.KANSAN.COM
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30,2001
ISSUE 64 VOLUME 112
Credit card solicitation ban passed by Senate
By Luke Daley Kansan staff writer
A ban on credit card solicitation on campus now awaits administrative approval.
approval. A petition banning credit card solicitation from campus passed by a 35 to 20 vote during Wednesday's Student Senate meeting, but changing the University's policy will be decided by provost David Shulenburger.
Shulenburger said banning credit card solicitors would involve exploring legal issues regarding the singling out of one form of commercial speech.
"It's less a question about money and more a question of legality," he said.
move a question of legal importance. Michele Kessler, Legal Service for Students associate director, said that it wasn't legal to completely ban one form of commercial speech and allow others. Representatives from various types of businesses would have to be treated equally by the same restrictions. If credit card solicitors were banned from campus, other solicitors might have to be banned as well.
Shulenburger said banning credit card solicitors would not prevent students from getting credit cards but also didn't think the solicitation was appropriate to have on campus.
Tiffany Lopez, Asian-American Student Union senator, said even though she voted in favor of the ban, she was concerned that student groups that received money from the solicitors could have problems finding other funding if a ban went into effect.
"I think it might have been a hasty decision." Lopez said.
The group received about $2,400 for sponsoring credit card solicitors to solicit on campus last year. Lopez said.
She said she didn't have any sympathy for solicitors who took advantage of students, but the money they gave to student groups could be missed.
Catherine Bell, Nunemaker senator representing freshman and sophomores, voted against banning credit card solicitors but only because she didn't want student groups to lose money.
"It would be hard for those student groups to get all that money from Student Senate instead." Bell said.
Sarah Hoskinson, liberal arts and sciences senator and co-sponsor of the bill, said if the administration didn't ban credit card solicitation, she and other student senators would take it to the legislature. The Student Legislative Awareness Board will send the petition to state senators and representatives to support a bill that would ban credit card solicitation at all Kansas universities.
Peerschools affect tuition
Fee increase may help KU funds catch up with other universities
By Paul Smith Kansan staff writer
Contact Daley at 864-4810
The University of Kansas is playing catch-up with its peer institutions, and increased tuition may be the only resource to propel the University in that effort as further state funding is unlikely.
Provost David Shulenburger offered six tuition increase proposals for campuswide discussion on Wednesday. Tuition could rise between 15 and 62 percent next year and could affect either incoming freshmen or all students.
Chancellor Robert Hemenway, in his regular Monday message last week, said that the state budget director would not recommend any new funding for higher education.
The latest projected shortfall for the
state budget is more than $300 million.
Shulenburger said the University needed to increase revenues by $50 million to reach the average funds available to its peer institutions for operating expenses as well as salaries and benefits.
Some of the institutions that KU considers its peers are the University of Iowa and the University of Colorado.
Janet Murgua, executive vice chancellor for University Relations, said KU had a history of keeping tuition low but among the revenue sources available, a tuition increase needed consideration.
Within the Big 12, only three universities charge cheaper tuition and fees, including Kansas State University, while the University of Missouri charges $2,000 more each year.
Shulenburger said that KU's tuition was among the cheapest in both the Big 12 and the 34 public institutions in the American Association of Universities. That position is not expected to change, despite the proposed tuition increase$^{a}$
Even if the greatest increase was implemented — charging all in-state students $173.75 per credit hour by 2006 — KU's resident tuition and fees would cost $5,764. That would make KU the sixth most expensive university among the AAU public institutions if tuition rates elsewhere remain static, which is unlikely, Shulenburger said.
"Over the next five years, I think we will see increases for all those schools in at least the 5 to 10 percent range each year." Shulenburger said.
Murguia said that a tuition increase would directly benefit the University because the Legislature changed the University's funding strategy last year.
Under the new tuition retention and block grant policies, the University will be able to keep excess tuition receipts, and that excess will not be offset by a reduction in the Legislature's funding.
"We are now in a position to better leverage our tuition funds to reinvest them into the University's needs." Murguia said.
Each tuition increase proposal includes an $8-per-credit-hour technology fee, which would generate money to regularly upgrade the University's computers and other equipment.
Shulenburger said the University now had 62 cents to spend on technology to every dollar the peer institutions spend, but the technology fee would make up that difference.
Also, 20 percent of the net revenue generated by any tuition increase would be set aside for student financial aid.
Murguaia said the University did not want to "price out" any Kansas students from getting their degrees here.
"We feel strongly about maintaining and increasing access to KU for all students, especially those in financial need," she said.
— The Associated Press contributed to this
Interracial couples shrug off obstacles
Contact Smith at 864-4810
story.
By J. R. Mendoza Kenyon staff writer
Kansan staff writer
Some students have found that interracial dating is accepted by their friends and families, but that doesn't mean they don't encounter difficulties.
Lesli May, Topeka junior, is Caucasian. She said one of her friends frustrated her by making jokes about the fact that she is dating a Puerto Rican and made fun of her boyfriend's culture and language.
"Sometimes it makes me upset." May said. "Sometimes he goes too far. I try not to take it seriously."
Despite the jokes, May said her family and other friends had no problem with her dating a Puerto Rican.
She said her boyfriend's family lives in Puerto Rico and also accepted her.
"They didn't judge me." May said. "We seemed to get along fine."
She said neither her race nor her boyfriend's race mattered when they decided to date.
Irad Orduna, Pomona. Calif., senior and Sheri Johnson. Shawnee senior, have been going out for more than a
"He's open-minded about dating interracially, and I am, too." Mav said.
year. Orduna is Latino, and Johnson is African American. Both said race did not play a role when they decided to date.
"The reasons for being attracted to her were because of herself and not because she was a different race," Orduna said.
Orduna said his parents didn't accept his relationship with Johnson.
"I think my parents, when they knew for the first time that she wasn't Latina, it was kind of like, 'Oh, really,' he said. "They were kind of wondering but were like, 'He is his own person and makes his own decisions.'"
Johnson said her parents just wanted her to date someone who respected her.
"That was the main focus," she said. "When I told my mom Irad was Latino, it wasn't an issue with her. My dad was wondering. Why she — maybe she couldn't find a Black guy. But when I told my parents more about Irad, it was more than him being Latino. His race became a back issue."
Contact Mendoza at 864-4810
JOHN NOWAK/KANSAN
Irad Orduna, Pomona, Calif., senior, and Sheri Johnson, Shawnee senior, have been dating for a little more than a year now. Though interracial couples have become more common over the last half century, they still face difficulties that same-race couples don't face.
Eleanor Craig, an executive assistant at Accessible Arts, takes on student volunteers for her organization, which provides access to the arts for children with disabilities. The Volunteering in the Arts Fair took place yesterday in Hashinger Hall.
Volunteer fair offers students options
By Jeremy Clarkson Kansan staff writer
JOHN NOWAK/KANSAA
The Volunteering in the Arts Fair at Hashinger Hall yesterday presented students with opportunities to express their artistic abilities through volunteerin
Twelve businesses from Lawrence; Kansas City, Kan.; and Topeka offered information to students about volunteering opportunities within their companies.
Some of the groups at the fair included the Lawrence Community Theater, East Topeka Senior Center. Douglas County Extension, Accessible Arts, KANU 91.5 FM radio, Brandon Woods Retirement Community and the Mulvane Art Museum.
Allyson Flaster, arts program coordinator for Hashinger, said this was the
first year the hall had organized a volunteer fair and was looking for ways to get hall residents and members of the community together.
"People want to do stuff like this and don't know how to get involved," said Flaster, Los Angeles graduate student.
Finding businesses who were looking for volunteers was easy, she said. Flaster said she saw filers for some businesses and called places looking for volunteers.
Rick Howell, activity director coordinator for Brandon Woods Retirement Community, 1501 Inverness Drive, said the center had had student volunteers in the past. He said many students came in to fill volunteer hours for classes
"We're excited to have a chance to get new people to come in," he said.
Before the event, Flaster said fliers were posted throughout the hall and at
various buildings on campus and the event was advertised with chalk on the sidewalks in front of Hashinger.
INSIDETODAY
Paula Richardson, Lawrence senior,
said she saw a flier after she finished a
class yesterday. She said she was looking
to find a place that would allow her to do
three-dimensional arts and was interested
in ceramics and sculpture. The retirement community looked appealing,
but she hadn't decided yet.
David Kitchner, Topeka freshman, said he was interested in radio work, which would make KANU the primary choice, but he hadn't decided yet, either.
WORLD NEWS ... 2A
HOROSCOPES ... 5A
WEATHER ... 6A
CROSSWORD ... 6A
"It's hard to do something with so much to do this winter and finals coming up," he said.
Contact Clarkson at 864-4810
COMING IN MONDAY'S KANSAN
NEWS: A KU student has written a book to help children deal with the Sept. 11 tragedy.
SPORTS: The men's basketball team takes on No.4 Arizona.
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at 119 Stuffer-Flint Hall.
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