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KANSAN.COM
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Newly-elected freshman senator Ashlev Dunn listens to a speaker at Student Senate.
COURTNEY VARNEY/KANSAN
Freshman class elects five student senators
ALANA FLINN
@alana_flinn
After two days of voting, the unofficial freshman elections results are in.
The elected senators are: Seth Eaton of Overland Park with 135 votes; Ashley Dunn of Lawrence with 117 votes; Nobus Oghenekaro of Warri, Nigeria with 130 votes; Thomas Green of Shawnee with 133 votes; and John Foster of Mission Hills with 109 votes.
After running on three initiatives, including improving Information Technology for students by combining BlackBoard, Enroll and Pay and the KU Portal, Foster said he was ready to get involved with Senate right away.
Eaton, Green and Dunn will represent freshmen in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Oghenekaro and Foster will represent freshmen in the School of Engineering.
"I felt really excited when they announced my name," Foster said. "Now that I'm in office, I want to get the feel for the Senate and see how it works, and then represent all of the freshmen and also get through all of the initiatives I ran on."
"It was super nerve-racking with 40 plus people running, but really fulfilling," Dunn said. "First, I want to learn the ropes, make connections and network before I take any course of action."
Dunn said she's looking forward to learning the ins and outs of Senate.
For Oghenekaro, figuring out what issues matter to students is key before he moves further with planning initiatives.
"Right now I'm asking people what issues they want addressed," Oghenekaro said in an interview on Friday. "So far, I've heard parking and more access for undergraduate research. I want to go up to anybody and ask them what issues they see and want fixed"
Eaton said he plans to focus on freshmen outreach instead of general initiatives and issues.
"I want to vocalize the freshmen's voice more," Eaton said in an interview on Friday.
As for Green, working on issues at the state level is his priority.
"I like defending students rights and I feel like public school kids, especially in Kansas, are getting stepped on, and I think they need more power," Green said in an interview on Friday.
In last year's freshman elections, only four candidates ran. The current Senate staff members ran on an initiative of increasing freshman outreach.
Communications Director Isaac Bahney spearheaded the work on the initiative by increasing Senate's social media use at freshman orientation, making himself accessible to all freshmen with questions and adding the elections applications online for easy access.
Student Body President Jessie Pringle said the large turnout of candidates pointed to the success of this year's freshman elections.
"It shows two things: That Isaac did a really great job with freshman elections and this freshman class is really going to make a difference on campus," Pringle said. "They've already taken the initiative to run, and I'm so excited to see the next generation of student senators."
The five freshmen will begin their senatorial roles tonight at the first full Senate meeting of the year.
The official elections results will be available by the end of the week.
Edited by Abby Stuke
What KU Endowment does and how it works
CASSIDY RITTER @CassidyRitter
KU Endowment, established in 1891, is a nonprofit organization providing financial support to KU though donations. Endowment is "America's oldest foundation for a public university," according to its website.
How much money does KU Endowment
bring in each year? KU Endowment's 2014 annual report states $253.2 million was raised through "private giving." This money came from "current gifts and pledges, deferred gift commitments and realized bequests and life income gifts," according to the 2014 annual report, meaning the $253.2 million includes cash donations pledges donors commit to pay in the future.
How does KU Endowment receive this money?
KU Endowment receives two types of gifts: expendable gifts and endowed gifts. Expendable gifts can be spent now. Endowed gifts are "made to
be invested and provided for KU in perpetuity," said Rosita Elizalde-McCoy, senior vice president for communications and marketing.
"Then the donor is telling us, 'you cannot spend the totality of this gift. You cannot spend the principle. You have to spend a portion from this every year.'" Elizalde-McCoy said.
The amount donated to KU Endowment each year is not going to coincide with what's given to KU because many of the gifts donated are endowed gifts, said Paul Borchardt, tax and compliance reporting officer for KU Endowment. Elizalde-McCoy said the funds establish a pool of money to be used over time.
Where does money raised by KU Endowment go?
Of that $253.2 million, KU received about 4.9 percent or $124.1 million. With the $124.1 million received by KU, $30.8 million is provided for student support, $32.6 million for faculty support, $43.1 million for program and educational support, $17.6 million for facilities support, including construction, equipment and supplies, furnishings. Each year, about 6,500 scholarships are given to students — for example John Castellaw, — a junior from Wichita, according to the 2014 annual report.
Before receiving the Christina M. Hixson Opportunity Award and scholarship, Castellaw said he wasn't sure he could afford college. Castellaw, a first generation student, is one of many who received a scholarship through Endowment.
"If it wasn't for the scholarship, I wouldn't be able to afford college," he said. "The Hixson scholarship provided a huge support system."
Where else does the money go?
The money given to KU last year also helped fund Capitol Federal Hall, DeBruce Center, McCarthy Hall, renovations of the Spencer Museum of Art and the Swarthow Recital Hall, the Forum Building for the Architecture School and a new Earth, Energy and Environment Center.
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