THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2008
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008
NEWS
3A
POLITICS
Pizza and politics attracts students with new approach
BY JESSE TRIMBLE
jtrimble@kansan.com
Pizza and Politics hopes to add some spice this semester, not to the pizzas, but to the politics.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
Although Pizza and Politics will have several political speakers this semester. Tom Cox, Shawnee graduate student and Pizza and Politics coordinator, said the group was also trying to include a variety of speakers on different topics.
Ray Strother and Joe Gaylord,political consultants,will speak today at Pizza and Politics.
"What we want to do most is make the issues and topics discussed relevant to students." Cox said.
Pizza and Politics is sponsored by the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics and occurs at least five times during a semester. Students can eat free pizza and have the opportunity to talk with political officials.
The first Pizza and Politics,
which is open to all students, will be from noon to 1:30 this afternoon at the Adams Alumni Center in the Bruckmiller room.
This semester, the group will also branch out to different schools at the University. For example, Cox said Wednesday's Pizza and Politics at Green Hall was exclusively for law students.
"We have a lot of diverse people talking about a lot of different topics," Cox said. "It's not just everyday politics; it's everyday things."
Cox said that a sports-themed Pizza and Politics and an exclusive School of Journalism event would also be held this semester.
"We want to make sure all of the topics focus on something that is relevant to our age and present things we can walk away with and benefit from in politics," Cox said.
Today's Pizza and Politics will
be a question-and-answer style discussion and will feature speakers Joe Gaylord and Ray Strother, both of whom are political consultants.
Strother has worked with numerous political icons, including Al Gore, Cox said.
Amanda Applegate, Wichita senior and a member of the Dole Institute's Student Advisory Board, said when it came to scheduling speakers for Pizza and Politics, the
group tried to keep it very balanced.
"We want to bring in someone from both sides of the issues to keep it bipartisan." Applegate said.
Gaylord is a Republican, while Strother is a Democrat.
Allan Cigler, professor of political science, spoke at a Pizza and Politics last year and said it was a good program for students who were interested in politics.
"I think anything that engages students in contemporary political events and topics is a good thing." Cigler said. "The pizza probably doesn't hurt either."
When Cigler spoke to the group, he said the discussion focused on the Obama phenomenon. Cigler said the audience had differing opinions of Obama and his stances on controversial topics.
Cox said Gaylord and Strother
would discuss the current presidential campaigns, but the students mainly dictated the direction of the conversation.
"That's the great thing about Pizza and Politics," Cox said. "We always have certain speakers and topics, but the students are really the ones who decide what will be discussed."
Cox said that when faced with the challenge of diversifying Pizza and Politics this year, he wanted to have everyone from pollsters to elected officials come in and speak to students.
"Let's face it, none of us have ever been a candidate," Cox said. "So, its great to hear from people who can speak on issues going on within our country that we are facing outside the elections."
NATION
Hurricane Ike forces residents to leave, could raise gas prices
Edited by Jennifer Torline
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — The frail and elderly were put aboard buses Wednesday and authorities warned 1 million others to flee inland as Hurricane Ike steamed toward a swath of the Texas coast that includes the nation's largest concentration of refineries and chemical plants.
The strengthening storm was expected to blow ashore early Saturday somewhere between Corpus Christi and Houston, with some forecasts saying it could become a fearsome Category 4, with winds of at least 131 mph.
Such a storm could cause a storm surge of 18 feet in Matagorda Bay and four to eight feet in Galveston Bay, emergency officials warned. The surge in Galveston Bay could push floodwaters into Houston, damaging areas that include the nation's biggest refinery and NASAs Johnson Space Center.
Four counties south and east of Houston announced mandatory and voluntary evacuations,depending on the area, and authorities
began moving weak and chronically ill patients by bus to San Antonio, about 190 miles from Houston. A mandatory evacuation was also ordered for the west end of Galveston Island.
Johnny Greer, a 54-year-old retired plant operator at Dow Chemical Corp., boarded up his house a mile from the Gulf of Mexico in Brazoria County and planned to hit the road.
"Gas and stuff is high. But you can't look at all that," he said. "I think my life is more valuable than high gas prices."
About 1 million people live in the coastal counties between Corpus Christi and Galveston. An additional 4 million live in the Houston area, to the north.
Texas is home to 26 refineries that account for one-fourth of U.S. refining capacity, and most are clustered along the Gulf Coast in such places as Houston, Port Arthur and Corpus Christi. Exxon Mobil Corp's plant in Baytown, outside Houston, is the nation's largest refinery. Dow Chemical
has a huge operation just north of Cornus Christi.
Refineries are built to withstand high winds, but flooding can disrupt operations and power outages can shut down equipment for days or weeks. An extended shutdown could lead to higher gasoline prices.
At 5 p.m. EDT, Ike was a Category 2 storm with winds near 100 mph. It was about 720 miles east of Brownsville, Texas, and was moving northwest at 8 mph, after ravaging homes in Cuba and killing at least 80 people in the Caribbean.
No matter where Ike hits, its effects are likely to be felt for hundreds of miles, said Mark Sloan, emergency management coordinator for Harris County, which includes Houston.
"It's a very large storm," Sloan said. "The bands will be over 200 miles out from the center of storm, so we have to be aware of its size as it grows over the next 24 to 48 hours and what impacts it will have on Friday, Saturday and Sunday."
Mandatory evacuations have forced residents in the Houston area to pack up and leave as Hurricane like approaches. Oil companies fear that the hurricane might damage oil refineries in the Gulf Coast, which could cause prices to rise.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS September 11,2008
Kappa Kookout
Friday, September 12
4:30-6:30 p.m.
Kappa Kappa Gamma Lawn
Benefitting Takayasu's Arteritis Research
Featuring: Bill's Burgers, Buffalo Wild Wings, Lone Steer BBQ, and more!
Live Music from Russian Discussion & The Meridian
KU American Business Women's Association Meeting
Tuesday, September 16 @ 7-8 p.m.
Courtside Room (Burge Union)
Dress business casual
Speaker: C.H. Robinson
Topic: Resumes & Interviews
Come hear what an employer recruiting at KU looks for in a candidate's resume and learn some helpful tips!
New members, all years in school,
all majors welcome!
Replacement Senator Seats Available!!!!
Available constituencies-
Fine Arts (1)
Junior/Senior College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (1)
Non-Traditional (2)
Graduate (7)
Off Campus (1)
Social Welfare (2)
Applications DUE 5pm on Tuesday, September 16th.
Complete an application and get a petition with 50 signatures from the constituency you wish to represent. All can be picked up and turned into 410 Kansas Union, or you can get a copy online at http://studentsenate.ku.edu. Interviews with the Replacement Committee (made up of current Senators) will occur between September 17th and 26th. Spots will be announced shortly after and confirmed in full Senate on October 1st.