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NSAN
2008
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2008
WWW.KANSAN.COM
ORGANIZATION
VOLUME 120 ISSUE 19
New conservative group to focus on ideals instead of party affiliation
BY RYAN MCGEENEY
rmcgeeney@kansan.com
It's not the easiest gig at a university considered one of the most liberal in the Midwest. Still, last Thursday, members of Young Conservatives of KU stood a hundred yards east of Wescoe Beach, trying to interest passers-by in joining their ranks. Young men handed out American flag lapel ribbons and urged people to remember the
terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
Jack Hutsey, Wichita junior, officially founded the Young Conservatives of the University of Kansas on Sept. 4, a week before the group's first public outreach effort.
"Right now, the conservative voice is just a whisper on campus," Hutsey said. "We just want the liberals to know that we're going to raise our voice. They can have demonstrations and rallies, and so can
we, it'll take time, obviously, but we'll have small successes and just build on those."
Hutsey said the Young Conservatives differed from groups like the College Republicans because party affiliation mattered less than shared ideals.
"I think a lot of people feel intimidated by political parties," Hutsey said. "We're trying to reach out to everyone. There are sleeper cells of conservatives on campus. They're out there — you just don't know
where they are."
Jesse Vaughn, president of KU College Republicans, said he welcomed another conservative outlet at the University, even if it didn't necessarily share an allegiance with the Republican Party.
"It's not a bad thing for us," Vaughn said. "I don't think you have to choose between one group or the other. It's definitely a good thing."
Hutsey said that the charter of the
Young Conservatives at KU was based on the Young Conservatives of Texas, which has chapters at seven universities in Texas. Hutsey's "statement of principles" that were handed out Thursday is identical to that of the YCT and includes points common to many conservative declarations, including the importance of individual, economic and political freedoms, and the mainte-
SEE CONSERVATIVE ON PAGE 6A
CAMPUS
KU gets grant for chemical center
BY KEVIN HARDY editor@kansan.com
The University of Kansas received the largest federal research award ever awarded in Kansas, the Office of Research and Graduate Studies announced yesterday.
With the $20.2 million research award from the National Institutes of Health, the University will establish a Specialized Chemistry Center on West Campus. The center will be a part of the NIH Libraries Probe Production Centers Network, which seeks to find molecules that can help fight diseases and improve health.
The NIH uses its network of researchers to solve problems that can't be solved in just one lab, said Jeff Aubé, professor of medical chemistry and leader of the six-year research initiative.
The research findings may aid in discovering novel approaches to therapies and prevention, especially for rare or neglected diseases, said Elias Zerhouni, director of the NIH.
"What makes me excited about this is it puts KU right in the middle of some of the most forward-thinking, biomedical research in the country." Aubie said in a news release yesterday.
The University accompanies Vanderbilt University as the only institutions with a designated Specialized Chemistry Center.
Edited by Andy Greenhaw
SCIENCE
Robert Stutman, retired agent for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, listens to the argument delivered by Steve Hager, editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, about the legalization of marijuana. Nearth 450 people attended "Heads vs Fedex" on Monday night in the Karsracus Railway.
Research project maps Greenland helps scientists
A graduate research assistant at the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets worked on a flight map of Jakobshavn, Greenland. The map helped University of Kansas researchers understand the ice sheet in Greenland and its influence on sea levels.
MARIJUANA
Attempting to clear the air
Debate pits 'High Times editor-in-chief against retired DEA officer
BY JESSE TRIMBLE
jtrimble@kansan.com
You couldn't smell any marijuana in the crowd Monday night during the "Heads Versus Feds" SUA event, but there were plenty of tie-dyed, 1960s band shirts sprinkled through the crowd of 440 people.
FULL STORY PAGE 6A
Steve Hager, editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, and Robert Stutman, a retired special agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency of New York City, argued until they were both red in the face about the legalization of marijuana in front of an emotionally charged crowd, but they also inspired a few laughs.
Hager took to the stage first, and he listed five reasons why cannabis should be legalized:
- It is useful for medicinal purposes.
- Remit is good for the environment.
. Criminalizing marijuana has led to crowded prisons, with 900,000 people arrested for possession each year.
- Keeping marijuana on the black market provides dealers and criminals a cut of the $500 billion-a-year industry.
- It's part of his culture.
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
"That's most important to me," Hager, an Illinois native, said of his affinity for the counterculture of the 1960s. Hager said he first smoked marijuana at 15 and was one of the first in his high school to do so.
Many in the audience were amused when Hager said George Washington was a hemp farmer and that hemp was used for books, ink, lamps and ropes.
"The first American flag was made from hemp" Hager said.
"Don't fall for half-truths," Stutman said.
When Stutman took the microphone, he said that Hager, his friend of seven years, passed off his own beliefs of marijuana as facts.
Stutman fired back at Hager's hemp statements, saying he didn't think most Americans cared about the counterculture or about making hemp ropes.
Although Stutman disagreed with the recreational use of marijuana, he said Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, a substance found in cannabis, could be used for medicinal purposes.
After 25 years in the DEA, Stutman said he had arrested more than 15,000 people on drug charges.
Stutman said it should remain illegal because cannabis could lessen depth perception and impair a person's ability to think and reason logically.
Kelley Rushing, Lawrence junior, said both Stutman and Hager did a reasonable job of presenting both sides of the argument.
Stutman said only 16 million people in the United States were regular cannabis users.
"You know why?" Stutman asked,
"Because it's not legal."
"But I came because I believe in marijuana," Rushing said. "I know you shouldn't smoke and drive. And while Steve presented a logical and reasonable argument about a harmless drug, Bob made us think and sound like we are blind followers."
Kristen Lervik, Mulvane freshman said she did not smoke marijuana but was interested in the event because some of her friends did smoke.
"I don't look down on people that smoke," Lervik said. "I have never smoked and never will. It's a personal choice, and it's just how I am."
The event was open to a question-and answer session after points about the legalization debate were presented.
Many questions involved states' rights to legalize marijuana, the medicinal uses of
marijuana and why the government won't allow it to be used for both medicinal and recreational purposes.
"I smoke weed. I'll admit it," one student said as he stepped up to the microphone.
Another student asked if the DEA confiscated marijuana and then sold it back to the public — a question which incited laughter from Hager and Stutman.
"No, we burn it," Stutman said.
Although some assume Hager would spend most of April 20 stoned, Hager said he's usually debating.
"I think there's a meaningful significance to 4:20 though," Hager said. "It's the socially acceptable time to smoke."
"I wanted more prudent evidence from both; more concrete facts," Coquillette said.
Hager said marijuana was part of his religion, and people shouldn't fear cannabis users.
Will Coquillette, Lenexa senior, said both speakers appealed too much to the emotion of the audience.
Hager said out of 140 schools, Stutman has won over the crowd with his arguments only twice.
"We are good people," Hager said. "We've done good things for America, and we're as American as apple pie and baseball. So, please, can I get a little freedom of religion in America?"
index
Edited by Lauren Keith
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