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THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 2016 | VOLUME 130 ISSUE 11
Arts & Culture >> Kansan.com Post Malone played a short set at the Granada on Monday
Christian Hardy/KANSAN
Sanders talks campaign reform and higher education
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at a rally at the Kansas City Convention Center on Feb. 24, 2016
▶ SAMANTHA SEXTON
@Sambiscuit
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders discussed
Sanders discussed public education and campaign reform to a crowd of 7,500 at his Kansas City Mo. campaign rally on Wednesday.
Sanders spoke at the Kansas City Convention Center. Attendants began lining up roughly four hours before the doors opened. Sanders spoke around 1:30 p.m.
The speech lasted about 45 minutes and centered on the key points of his campaign, including Wall Street
corruption,paid maternity leave and universal health care. Sanders also answered questions about how he would enact his ideas.
"Real change takes place from the bottom on up," Sanders said.
Sanders also emphasized the need to make higher education more accessible to everyone.
"The fact of the matter is that having a college education today is the same as having a high school diploma was about 50 years ago," Sanders said. "In order to ensure that we have the highest educated work force once again, we need to make college education
more accessible."
Sanders made a point to try to explain his plan, which has come under fire from Republicans and fellow Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
"I will make college education free by imposing a tax on Wall Street speculations," Sanders said. "My opponents say that I think too big and that my ideas will never work, to which I respond that less than one hundred years ago, women didn't have the right to vote in this country."
Sanders explained that the women's suffrage movement, the emancipation of slaves and other social
Supporters from all ages were excited to hear from the senator. Some supporters won't be old enough to vote at this election.
movements were also considered "too big" but were "a change that needed to be made and was made."
"I just wanted to hear Bernie Sanders speak," Maddie Vandyne, a 16-year-old student from Liberty High School, said. "He really gets it and even though I'm not old enough to vote, I feel like he really understands what America wants and what it really needs right now."
Sanders' supporters stood out in the 32 degree
cold and blistering winds, keeping each other in high spirits by chanting, "Feel the Bern."
One couple, Chuck and Tina Trible, said they decided to spend their wedding anniversary today at Sanders' rally.
"Today is our 37th wedding anniversary," Tina said. "My husband has just retired from his job that he's had for 37 years, we have a pension, we were able to go to college when it was relatively affordable and we woke up this morning and we said, 'We want these kids to have what we have,' so we said that we were going to Bernie."
Tribble, on the verge of tears when talking about her wish for future generations, said it was Sanders' passion that moved her and made her believe in his cause.
"Bernie gets it," Tribble said when comparing him and Hillary Clinton. "He knows that there are children starving, he knows that there are brilliant kids who can't afford to go to college, he knows that there are people out here struggling, and he knows that there is a problem when it comes to our police forces brutalizing citizens and he
SEE BERNIE PAGE 2
Nov.23
Smokowski allegedly "slams" the door in Trinity Carpenter's face
Nov.30
School of Social Welfare Town Hall Forum on Race, Respect and Responsibility was "not conducive to needs of students of color" and was not-action oriented
Dec. 9
An altercation between Caleb Stephens and Paul Smokowski is filmed
Said video is allegedly sent to faculty in the school
Lara Korte/KANSAN
Dec. 11
Dec. 16
TAPPE ROPPER/KANSAN Members of the Social Welfare Student Activist Committee meet to discuss their plans moving forward after calling for the school of Social Welfare Dean Paul Smolowski.
Meeting between faculty and students is interrupted by the dean, consequently moved off-campus
Social Welfare dean and student activists disagree on timeline of events
Student Activist Committee and the dean of social welfare do not agree on the events that prompted the committee to call for the dean's resignation.
LARA KORTE
@lora Korte
@Lara_Korte
Students in the School of Social Welfare called for the resignation of Dean Paul Smokowski Monday, Feb. 22 following what Social Welfare Student Activist Committee members called several months of inaction and lack of accountability regarding issues of
Following the call for his resignation on Monday, Smokowski released a statement saying he had heard the students' "concerns and the depth of their feelings" and wants to continue to work on making the school a place where students receive the "best possible educational experience."
race, inclusion and equity.
"The School has taken significant steps in working on issues related to equity and inclusion, including creating the Toni Johnson Office of Race
and Social Justice, examining our curriculum, and designing further action steps," Smokowski said in the statement. "However, I recognize that there are still challenges and work ahead that we need to address."
Although Smokowski said he is personally committed to these issues, members of the Social Welfare Student Activist Committee said they dis-
SEE SOCIAL WELFARE
PAGE 2
Full Senate votes against fee review bill
Members of Student Senate voted Wednesday night to send a bill allocating student fees for the 2016-17 Fiscal Year back to the Finance Committee for further review.
"In Student Senate, one of our most important responsibilities is maintaining the student fees and making sure that they are allocated properly," he said after the meeting. "This year we had an opportunity to lower them with $29.50 being sunsetted. I strongly believe that we need to be good stewards of that money."
A $4.50 reduction in the Student Senate Activity Fee and a $28 reduction to the Student Recreation Fee resulted in the potential decrease of student fees.
The bill, which required a two-thirds majority vote was voted down by a vote of 8-41-3.
Student Body Vice President Zach George gave a negative speech on the proposed fee allocations, which would have increased student fees $0.60, from $455.50 to $456.10.
▶ CONNER MITCHELL
@connormichellO
Specifically, George said he wanted the fee to be returned to the original recommendation, which would have lowered student fees instead of raising them. Finance Committee members approved two amendments to the original fee review last week: a $0.30 increase to Student Support Services, and a $1.00 increase to the University Daily Kansan Fee.
"I think it is telling about the Student Senate that most people that I've talked to have been very supportive of all of the fees that we have talked about," he said. Finance Committee chair Tyler Childress said the process for Finance Committee members would be structured largely the same way with which they approved the bill last week.
"It will be like we did last week, where I'll just go to the floor and say," Student Senate brought up these issues they have with it and they want you to look at this," he said. "It's free-range basically."
Harrison Baker, a Junior/Senior College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Senator, was in favor of passing the proposed fee allocation.
"If students knew that we could have reduced the amount we make them pay each semester, and we just ignored the opportunity to lower fees, I think people wouldn't be happy with us," George said.
- Edited by Brendan Dzwierzynski