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THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 | VOLUME 130 ISSUE 27
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
Student activist Kat Rainey addresses Full Senate on March 9, urging them to fund the Multicultural Student Government
Alex Robinson/KANSAN
▶ LARA KORTE
@lara korte
It is a waiting game for the newly created Multicultural Student Government at the University.
The group's funding is part of the fee review bill and hinges on Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little's decision. Gray-Little must approve or modify the bill by the end of the semester.
"If she doesn't agree with any part of the budget, she could veto that part or strike that part," said Mike Williams, University Senate President.
The senate fee review bill, which becomes the campus fee students pay every semester, allocates funds to campus organizations. Student Senate voted 51-9-6 to fund the University's first-ever Multicultural Student Government on March 9. If the chancellor approves of the entire bill, it will go to the Board of Regents for final approval before becoming part of the University's official budget for the fall.
Right now, the MSG exists as a registered organization through the Student Involvement and Leadership Center. Proponents said it is one of the first multicultural student governments in the nation; however, its path forward is unclear.
Although Student Senate approved the government last month, Williams said the University Senate code would need to be changed before the MSG could function independently of Student Senate. He said members of MSG consulted him a few
weeks ago about how to become a government.
"The concern I have with where things stand right now, is the timing of what they hope to accomplish," Williams said.
With roughly three weeks left in the semester, Williams said it is virtually impossible to make the changes and establish the new government as part of the University code.
And it is unlikely for the administration to create a code that includes another student government because it takes time. The faculty senate has been in the process of revising its own code for over five years, he said.
"The problem with a parallel government is that, by my read of the code, is that's not really a possibility," Williams said.
If MSG is unable to exist as a separate government, there are other options, Williams said. One would be for MSG to be a caucus group within Student Senate instead of a separate student government.
"A caucus within a representative group like Student Senate can actually wield a lot of power, and in many ways it still requires that members be elected, that certain distribution of membership be allocated," Williams said.
Regardless of what power or recognition the MSG receives from the University Senate, Williams said it can still exist as a student group. He said it could use that platform to voice its opinions and influence senate actions.
Outside of University Senate, there is potential
Currently no Regents policy exists to mandate that a University can only have one student government, said Breeze Richardson, Communications Director for the Regents. But the Student Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations to and helps advise the Regents, allows only one representative from each of the six universities.
for representation on the state level, although the process is difficult.
Each representative must be the highest student executive officer, according to Kansas statute 74-3229. For the University, that would mean the Student Body President.
Richardson said the statute would have to be changed for the Multicultural Student Government
to obtain representation on SAC. That adds roughly another year or more to the process.
"They'd have to introduce the bill to the legislature, and wouldn't have an opportunity for that until the legislative session in 2017," Richardson said. "Then depending on the success of that bill, there's lots of steps."
Williams said it is highly unlikely the state legislature would be open to giving the University a second seat on SAC for a member of MSG when it wouldn't do the same thing for every other school.
"Every other school in Kansas hasn't gone down this path," Williams said.
SEE MSG PAGE 2
Campus accessibility information available on new ADA website
▶ TANNER HASSELL
@thassell17
The newly restructured ADA Resources Center for Equity and Accessibility recently unveiled its new "umbrella" website, designed to help members of the University community with disabilities find and utilize resources to get around on campus and around Lawrence.
According to the new website, the Center in conjunction with the Academic Achievement & Access Center (AAAC) and other campus partners, seeks to create an environment that is friendly and accessible to University community members, as well as visitors with disabilities.
"Before the new website was unveiled, there wasn't a place you could go to have access to every single type of accessibility that's available on campus or in Lawrence," ADA Resources Center Director Catherine Johnson said. "The new site serves as an umbrella website for all of these services."
Johnson, who took over as the director in January, said the new website is part of restructuring how ADA resources are delivered at the University.
She said the Resources Center was called the Office of Accessibility and ADA Education before she arrived. It was renamed to better reflect the image was what she had in mind for the service.
"My vision of what we're doing is looking at both accessibility under the ADA and accessibility issues across campus," Johnson said. "We also do a lot of work with inclusion on campus, making sure the environment is inclusive for individuals with disabilities."
Johnson and University graduate student Jennifer Marcinkowski currently run the Resources Center. For Marcinkowski, a student with disabilities, she said creating the website helped
"I suffer from reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a nerve disorder that sometimes affects my ability to move my arm, push, pull or lift things. Some days I can't lift my arm above my head." Marcinkowski said. "I also have a brain disorder called pseudotumor cerebri, where the brain behaves as though it has a tumor when it doesn't. It creates excess fluid, which creates pressure on the brain and eyes. It can eventually lead to loss of eyesight."
address issues she experienced when first coming to the University.
Tomner Hassell/KANSAN Graduate student Jennifer Marcinkowski currently helps run the Resource Center.
SEEADAPAGE2
Tanner Hassell/KANSAN
Alex Robinson/KANSAN
Gabby Naylor, new student body vice president, speaks to Student Senate
Senate meets for last time this semester
CONNER MITCHELL
@ConnerMitchellO
The final Student Senate meeting of the 2015-16 academic year saw a transition from the current Senate body to the newly-elected OneKU coalition. Senate also passed a bill raising the University Daily Kansan's fee for the next three years.
Newly elected Student Body President Stephonn Alcorn, Student Body Vice President Gabby Naylor and elected senators took over the positions.
Three holdover Senators were elected from the current Senate body to continue serving as senators for the 2016-17 Senate session: Isaac Bahney, Adam Steinhilber and Sophia Templin.
Seven undergraduate students were elected
Khan, Murray and Oleniacz were also elected to serve as representatives on the Student Executive Committee.
to serve as representatives on University Senate for the 2016-17 academic year: Zoya Khan, Nobus Oghenekaro, Loic Njiakin, Victoria Snitsar, Jacob Murray, Dylan Jones and Tymon Wall. Danica Hoose and Brittney Oleniacz were elected as University Senate graduate representatives.
Alcorn and Naylor also presented members of their Executive Staff, all of whom the new Senate body approved unanimously.
Diversity and Inclusion Director:
Abdoulie Naji
Communications Director: Connor Birzer
Chief of Staff Danny Summers Policy and Development Director: Dalton Wiley
Internal Affairs Director: Milch
Government Relations Director:
Mady Womack
Treasurer: Allyssa Castilleja
Assistant Treasurer: Whit Collins
Reinia
Graduate Affairs Director: Amy Schumacher
Senate also passed a funding bill from the Student Executive Committee raising the University Daily Kansan's fee from $1 to $2.50 per student for the next school year. For the following two years, the Kansan will receive $2 per student of the student fee. Senators approved the bill by a vote of 42-2-4.
After Fiscal Year 2019, the Kansan will no longer request funding from Student Senate.
- Edited by Mad Schul
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