Volume 124 Issue 22
kansan.com
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
ALTER EGO BORN
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Parody account pokes fun PAGE 3
UDK
Test changes modify study habits PAGE 3
PROVING INNOCENCE
Rick Kittle, the lead attorney with Project Innocence, lectures to a class. Law students apply what they have learned and investigate cases of inmates who may have been wrongly convicted.
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
RELIEVING GUILT
MARSHALL SCHMIDT
mschmidt@kansan.com
INNOCENCE PROJECT BY THE NUMBERS
Students in the University of Kansas School of Law assist wrongly convicted individuals through a unique program offered at the University. Established in 1965, the Paul E. Wilson Project for Innocence and Post Conviction Remedies allow law students to provide legal services for indigent inmates.
- There have been 273 post-conviction DNA exoneration in the United States.
- The first DNA exoneration took place in 1989. Exonerations have been won in 34 states; since 2000, there have been 206 exonerations.
- 17 of the 273 people exonerated through DNA served time on death row.
    - The average length of time served by exonerees: 13 years.
    - The total number of years served: 3,524.
- The average age of exonerees at the time of their wrongful convictions: 27.
SOURCE: INNOCENCEPROJECT.ORG
"Project Innocence helps people who have limited means to address their legal issues as a last resort," said Lisa Bolliger, a third year law student from Olathe, serves as the student director for the project.
direct appeals for cases that have resulted in nearly a dozen overturned cases. If the appeal process fails, inmates contact the project.
"After an appeal is denied, they write to us, and we evaluate whether there are errors of a constitutional magnitude to challenge the rulings," said Alice White, a faculty advisor for the project. "We get letters from all over the state, from state cases and the federal inmates in Leaven-
the evidence, witness accounts, legal issues, and DNA results that slant the case in the criminal's favor and warrant an appeal for the case.
Every year, the project selects 14 to 20 students, usually in their second year of studies, to work on the project for one year. Every week in class, students spend two hours learning about criminal law and an additional 10 hours investigating cases of inmates who might have been wrongfully convicted. They look at
"It's unique because you get to deal with real world experience with actual cases and trying to come up with a solution when there's not a clear answer," Bollliger said. "You have to look at the facts and apply the law rather than just learning it."
Students gain experience writing
worth."
Poor representation, false confessions, and wrongful eyewitness testimony are just a few of the reasons why a defendant might be wrongfully convicted. However, reexamining DNA evidence has proved to be successful in exonerating innocent inmates. According to the Project, there have been 273 post-conviction DNA exonerations in the US, and 17 of them served on death row. DNA has been used to exonerate inmates since 1989. The average exoneree spent 13 years behind bars, for a total of 3,524 wrongful years served, according to the Project.
Jenn McLaury, a third year law student from Leawood, said sloppiness in police work is one reason for some of the wrong convictions.
"The DNA technology just didn't exist for some of these cases," McLaury said.
SEE INNOCENCE | 3
POLITICS
Group works for free speech
Students call out speech restrictions they feel University employs unjustly
JACOB MCNIEL editor@kansan.com
the student voice since 1904
Young Americans for Liberty, a student organization, spoke out yesterday about restrictions on free speech at the University of Kansas. The group set up tables in front of Watson Library and had a 'Free Speech Wall' where students could write whatever they felt, without repercussion.
IULIANNA TIDWFEL/KANSAN
Young Americans for Liberty handed out Constitutional pamphlets on Tuesday in front of Watson Library. The group wants to emphasize the restrictions the University has placed on free speech.
Another restriction they hope to eliminate are the free speech zones on campus. For example, zoning restrictions on certain areas of campus.
bling and putting up flyers in the dorms," Tabitha Marcotte, a junior from Hays said. "I think that would be a huge step."
The group also passed out 250 Constitution pamphlets to passers by in an attempt to make students realize free speech restrictions on the Kansas campus.
"KU could take away the policies of restricting chalking, ta-
"We are trying to promote the activism and the education of individuals." Anthony Orwick, a freshman from Leawood said. "We want to change the ideas that the campus doesn't have."
He said that Kansas has no right to tell where a student can or cannot speak. They hoped that the Constitution pamphlets they
Young Americans for Liberty is working with its members to have more events in the upcoming months to raise awareness of free speech rights.
"Those rights are guaranteed to you by the First Amendment no matter what you say," Orwick said.
passed out would bring students to that realization.
CAMPUS
Apogee receives mixed reviews
ADAM STRUNK
astrunk@kansan.com
The University's switch to a private Internet service provider will likely mean slower Internet for students living in residential housing, unless they are willing to shell out some extra cash.
This semester the University contracted Apogee, the country's largest ResNet Internet service provider, to oversee Internet access in the residence halls. Apogee replaces the inhouse KU IT ResNet. Ann Ermey, KU IT's program director of service management and delivery, said that the University switched to Apogee to provide students with better service and more options
"Our previous service had a device charge. The service was on one tier," Ermey said. "What you paid for was what you got. It wasn't fair and equitable."
Unlike KU IT ResNet, Apogee allows users the option of a landline phone, as well as free Internet for an additional device such as an iPad or Xbox 360. The plan also sells Internet speeds in tiers, which ensures users always receive the amount of bandwidth that they purchased, but nothing more.
However, some complain that the cheapest plan is far slower than last semester's Internet service.
The cheapest plan, which advertises a download speed of 1 megabit per second (Mbps), costs $98 per semester, the same as the KU IT Resnet plan did.
Andrew Petracca, who lives across campus in Battenfield Scholarship Hall,
"I figured if it was the same price as last year it would be the same speed but it's definitely not," said Kim Davidson, a senior from Austin, Tex., living in Jayhawker Towers.
Apply for Alternative Winter Breaks forms are due Friday!
SEE APOGEE 13
COMPARING OTHER UNIVERSITY INTERNET OPTIONS
KSU RESNET
The University's internet options differ from other area universities. Both Kansas State University and the University of Missouri provide in-house Internet service to those living in residence halls.
Download speed: 3-4 Mbps
Cost: KSU IT Employees said that the costs were bundled in with the overall residential housing cost and they did not have individual numbers for what KSU ResNet cost students.
MU RESNET
Don't forget
MU RESNET Download speed: 5 Mbps Cost: $13.75 per semester per device hooked up to the Internet. Information compiled courtesy of the KSU and MU IT departments.
KU'S NEW PLANS
Apogee plan 1
Price: $98
Download Speed: 1 Mbps
Downloads a 1 gigabyte file in:
2 hours
Allowed number of additional
devices: 1
Apogee plan 2
Price: $138
Download speed: 10 Mbps
Downloads a 1 gigabyte file in
13 minutes
Allowed number of additional
devices: 2
Apogee plan 3
Price: $158
Download Speed: 15 Mbps
Downloads a 1 gigabyte file in:
9 minutes
Allowed number of additional
devices: 3
Previous KU IT Resnet plan
Previous RK II Reset plan
Price: $98
Download Speed: Varied due to
location and time of day
Allowed number of additional
devices: 0
SOURCES: KSU IT, MU IT,
APOGEE
RACHEL SAYLER editor@kansan.com
Signatures collected to help end hazing
CAMPUS
Students' signatures represented their pledge to stop hazing on Wescoe Beach as part of National Hazing Prevention Week. Students signed the hazing wall as their pledge to start a new tradition to end hazing. Prevention week is sponsored by StopHazing.org and is planned at the beginning of the year when students start joining clubs. It prompts students to think about what is and isn't acceptable behavior. Assistant Vice Provost Jane Tuttle said the problem stretches nationwide.
CLASSIFIEDS 7A CRYPTOQUIIPS 4A SPORTS 8A
CROSSWORD 4A OPINION 5A SUDOKU 4A
"I don't think KU's problem is
Students who signed the wall said they agreed that hazing was a
Students who signed he wa said they agreed that hazing was a problem.
any worse than any other college institution with student organizations," said Tuttle. "It is a national problem and the research shows that over 50 percent of students who join organizations have experienced hazing."
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
"I think obviously there's traditions to be a part of something, but hazing's different," said jackson Lonaa a senior from St. Louis.
Students can continue to sign pledges Wednesday and there will be various hazing events on campus through Friday.
Edited by Stefanie Penn
Today's weather
Forecasts done by University students. For a more detailed forecast, see page 2A.
Hi: 72
LO: 45
What nice fall weather!
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