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6A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2008
ELECTION 2008
Dole Institute encourages student civic engagement
BY JESSE TRIMBLE
jtrimble@kansan.com
The Dole Institute of Politics proposed that students "Get Engaged" with politics
this semester. To encourage involvement, the Institute will show the final presidential debate tonight at 7:30, with a discussion to follow.
Civic Engagement Week, which spanned almost
events included debate watches, visits to campus by political candidates,
"On the Issues" discussions, jubilee Café breakfasts and study groups with Dole Fellows Joe Gaylord and
"It's just as important for students to know how to be polite and get along with people and agree to disagree. Students do make a difference."
BARBARA BALLARD Assistant director for outreach
three weeks, began on Sept. 26 with the first presidential debate and included more than 30 events and programs. The final event, a debate watch party called "The Final Debate: What Do the Undecides Think?" will take place today.
Ray Strother.
Barbara Ballard, assistant director for outreach at the Dole Institute, said the point of Civic Engagement Week was to get students involved at their schools and communities.
"After they graduate we want them to be involved in the communities in which they live," Ballard said.
Jill Nowak, McPheron freshman, Anna Frantz, Topeka junior, and Kelsey Hill, Hoxie sophomore, volunteer Tuesday morning at the Jubilee Cafe, located at First United Methodist Church. Jubilee Cafe provides breakfast to in-need members of the Lawrence community. The facility runs on donations, and the Dole Institute of Politics compensated the Cafe this month to help keep it open.
Clarissa Unger, Colby senior and Democratic delegate for Kansas, said she thought the presidential election helped bring attention to events the Dole Institute sponsored.
Scheduled civic engagement
Unger said y groups with Gaylord
Unger said Strother's focus had been on political communications and the different ways campaigns tried to get out their messages.
on running campaigns and how they work from the inside."
Several student organizations also teamed up with the Dole Institute during this presidential election year.
the study groo and Strother had seen sizeable increases in attendance from last year. Normally, she said, about 20 students attended, but this year 40 to 50 students did.
Michael Gray, Buhler junior and Student Legislative Awareness Board Legislative director, said the event "Rock the Vote" had been very successful during the past month. SLAB and Student Union Activities sponsored "Rock the Vote". Specifically, SLAB sponsored "On the issues" sessions for discussions about health care and energy sustainability.
"Gaylord's focus has been on the basics of campaigns," Unger said. "He's
"Hopefully with programs like we've had in civic engagement we will continue to inspire students."
MICHAEL GRAY SLAB legislative director
Gray said field practitioners and politicians who came to the Dole Institute discussed what might happen with health care and the environment once Sen. Barack Obama (D-ill.) or Sen. John McCain endorsed.
(R-Ariz.) becomes president
He also said he thought the abundance of student involvement was related to 2008 being an election year.
"It brings high interests to campus and hopefully with programs like we've had in civic engagement, we will continue to inspire students" Gray said.
Alex Rock, Lawrence senior and student advisory board coordinator for the Dole Institute, said although many students had registered to vote, many still needed to.
"There been great participation as far as registration goes — such
a good amount of people that it makes it exciting" Rock said.
Rock said a discussion would be held after the final presidential debate tonight.
"I think it's a good time to voice your own opinions," Rock said. He said the discussion might help clear doubts for undecided student voters.
Rock said that on Oct. 23 the student advisory board would play host to a segment on the Kansas City news radio station KMBZ-AM on channel 980.
Ballard said civic engagement
was not only about involvement, but was a way of life.
"It's just as important for students to know how to be polite and get along with people and agree to disagree," Ballard said, "Students do make a difference."
Gray said SLAB would continue its voter registration efforts in front of Wescoe Hall until the deadline on Oct. 20.
The SLAB table will be set up
Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
and Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ATHLETICS
- Edited by Mary Sorrick
Students ignore Mangino's request to stop vulgar chant
An offensive line showed up again for last Saturday's game against Colorado, but it wasn't the one on the field.
BY JOE PREINER
jpreiner@kansan.com
The chant, "Rip his fucking head off", continued.
Coach Mark Mangino's video
fell well caught on deaf ears before
last weekend's football victory. His message graced the Megavision video screen as he asked students and fans to come up with something more classy and unique. Despite the respect Mangino garners from the KU community for his success with the program, no one seemed to listen.
to hear the chant that had been receiving so much media attention. Thanks to an unresponsive majority of the student section, many families and children subjected their unknown ears to the profane kickoff line.
When the game began, more than 49,000 people were able
Matt Erickson, editor of The University Daily Kansan, attended the Kansas-Colorado game Saturday. Trying to gauge the
effect of Mangino's message, he said he listened for the chant. Although nearly as loud as before, Erickson said he thought fewer
people were engaging in the cheer, but the ones who were did so wholeheartedly.
Gabe Bloyer,
Wichita senior,
said the chant
and want classy fans."
Josh McCullough, O'Fallen, Mo. senior, has participated in the kickoff chant since his freshman year. He
Hear the chant and see student reactions at kansan.com/videos.
showed disrespect for more people than just fans.
said he refrained from joining in during last weekend's game.
"Not only are you going against the coaches now," Bloyer said. "But you're also going against the players who want to be a classy team
"I used to do it before this last game," McCullough said. "But I was sober
for this last one, too. I don't know if
that's a coincidence or not."
McCullough said he didn't think anything regarding the chant would change until students found an alternative kickoff tradition.
The Kansan continues to work on creating a game plan for replacing the chant. Though nothing significant has been proposed to this point, Erickson said meetings between student leaders and the University were tentatively planned for next week.
The football team travels to Norman, Okla., to play No. 4 Oklahoma this Saturday. Although the chant is not expected to cease overnight, Mangino, student leaders and the Athletics Department hope that it will change sooner rather than later.
— Edited by Andy Greenhaw
Final Debate Watoh
Join us for "The Final Debate: What do the Undecideds Think?" With professor Mary Banwart analyzing reactions of local undecideds
Wednesday, October 15, 7:30 p.m. | Dole Institute of Politics
Firefighters with hoses guarded houses as helicopters unleashed loads of water on hot spots of the 9,872-acre blaze charring slopes above the San Fernando Valley communities of Porter Ranch and Granada Hills.
NATIONAL
Wildfires sweep through California Flames threaten homes and businesses in northern L.A.
LOS ANGELES — Flames whirled dangerously close to homes Tuesday as gusty Santa Ana winds sent the biggest of southern California's wildfires flaring in hilly brushlands on Los Angeles' northern edge.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The fire is one of three major blazes that have burned more than 27 square miles of Southern California, destroyed dozens of
Despite the fire's activity, there were no reports of new structural losses in the Porter Ranch area. Nineteen buildings, including some homes, were destroyed there on Monday.
homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes this week. One man died in the flames, and a motorist was killed in a crash as a fire neared a freeway.
Ten miles away, there was major progress against Los Angeles' other big wildfire. The 4,800-acre Marek fire in the northeastern San Fernando Valley was 70 percent contained and some evacuees were allowed to go home.
But people who lived in an area where 38 mobile homes were
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa acknowledged the uncertainty facing residents of the fire areas.
destroyed were not permitted to return.
"Many still don't know when they are going to return home," he told a news conference. "Our hearts and prayers are out with all of them."
The Santa Anas usually sweep in between October and February as cold, dry air flows toward Southern California and squeezes through mountain passes and canyons. The extremely low humidity levels, which make vegetation easier to burn, and high winds speeds combine to whip fires into infernos.