tuesday, October 7, 2003
the university daily kansar
news
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Student Senate debates non-senator involvement
By Paul Kramer
pkramer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Call it a difference in style, or a questioning of motives, but a student-involvement bills recently presented in Student Senate have some not seeing eye to eye.
The differing views are on two bills proposed in the last three Senate cycles focused on giving all students rights currently reserved for senators.
One of these bills attempted to
give any student speaking privileges in full Senate meetings. The other was designed to let all students write legislation that would appear before committees.
Both bills were brought forth by Delta Force coalition members. Each was also dismissed quickly by members of KUnited.
Kyle Johnson, student executive chair, said the bills shouldn't be taken at face value.
"Most senators realize these bills are a waste of time." Johnson
said, "They are just publicity stunts."
Johnson said the system of government that the University uses, a representative form similar to the federal government, guarded against uninformed participation
"This system is in place so informed reps can make decisions for students," Johnson said.
Scott McKenzie, CLAS Senator, wrote the bill that would have allowed non-senators to write legislation. The crucial differences between the University and other representative governments are that there are a lot less people and that the Senate's location on campus makes it easily accessible to students, McKenzie said.
Along with different views on University government's role, McKenzie and Johnson also see differing motivations behind the bills.
Johnson said the bills were designed to paint Delta Force as the only group working directly
for students.
for students. Johnson said there were better and more effective ways to get students involved than changing the form of government the Senate uses.
"Tell students what they can do," Johnson said. "Don't just try to stir up controversy."
McKenzie said the attention was only a by-product of lack of Senate initiative.
"If Senate was doing anything more than just funding bills then there might be more news,"
Although both sides continue to have differing philosophies, they both recognize what the other is doing.
"Scott McKenzie is a great Senator," Johnson said. "And he knows what he is doing."
McKenzie said that constructive debate among senators, even if it was against his legislation, made him feel like he was doing his job.
— Edited by Nikki Overfelt
Speakers present darker side of Columbus Day during teach-in
By Johanna M. M. Maske
jmaska@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Michelle Castor, Stanley senior and vice president of Latin American Solidarity, spoke during "Evils of Columbus" teach-in and Columbus Day at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. The event, held yesterday afternoon, featured speakers and discussion. Jared Soares/Kansan
Ask Dan Wildcat to take next Monday off and he might be insulted. Next Monday is Columbus Day, but he's not celebrating.
"If someone tells me that I should celebrate a day where nine-tenths of my ancestors died, I'll tell them,'I'm sorry, I'm not in the mood,"said Wildcat, a professor of American Indian Studies at Haskell Indian Nations University.
Wildeat was one of four speakers and more than 30 people who attended last night's "Evils of Columbus" teach-in at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. Latin American Solidarity, First Nations Student Association and the community organization Lawrence Anarchist Black Cross hosted the event.
The legacy of Columbus remains, said Ryan Redcorn, Lenexa senior and co-president of First Nations Student Association. And it's not just discovering America, he said.
"It's an idea of dehumanizing people," Redcorn said. "When conquistadors, whatever you want to call them — people on a ship, lost — came upon foreign people, they read a statement."
Columbus and fellow Spaniards told the Natives, in Latin and Spanish, that if they did not convert to Christianity, "we shall take you, your wives and your children and make slaves of them." Redcorn said.
They finished with "this is the glory of the Lord, praise God," Redcorn said.
"As far as how history is taught imagine if Hitler was explained like Columbus," Redcorn said. "To only see Hitler's legacies in our textbooks as a compact car and a freeway, we would be appalled."
Redcorn and Wildcat talked about the hidden history of Columbus. It is imperialism, genocide and holocaust that are the results of Columbus, they said.
"American history is part of a dysfunctional family. People want to keep it in the closet," Wildcat said.
A flier on each of the chairs bore the hidden history as told by www.transformcolumbusday.org.
"Before Columbus sailed the Atlantic, he was a slave trader for the Portuguese, transporting West-African people to Portugal to be sold as slaves," the filier read. "Under his administration as viceroy and governor of the Caribbean Islands, eight million people were killed."
"American history is part of a dysfunctional family. People want to keep in the closet."
Dan Wildcat professor of American Indian Studies, Haskell Indian Nations University
The information all the speakers used, Wildcat and Redcorn said, was largely based on the diaries of Columbus and Spanish government documents.
governed in the Columbus Day holiday began in Denver, said Chantel Guidry of the Lawrence Anarchist Black Cross. While she was in Denver, her interest in the fight grew.
She said Columbus Day was an endorsement of racism.
encumbered by the need to “i feel like white people have a lot of privilege,” Guidry said. “Certainly we as white people do benefit everyday of our lives from the oppression that started with Columbus. I feel like it's my responsibility to educate people — other white people, other oppressors — about why celebrating Columbus day is a slap in the face to every indigenous person.”
But the imperialism was somewhat inevitable, said Michelle Castor, Stanley senior and vice
president of Latin American Solidarity.
dairy.
"If he hadn't done it, someone else would have done it," Castor said. "It's kind of like an 'insert name here' thing."
That doesn't mean the country should endorse it, Castor said.
Much of the night was focused
on an oppressive history — a downer of sorts. But Wildcat wanted to make sure the message wasn't all negative.
"It's hogwash that we're all hard-wired for competition." Wildcat said. "There will be a better day where we can appreciate nature and people."
He said the oppression he saw in Columbus Day didn't consume his every thought.
"You can still take a walk in Lawrence and look at the light hitting the leaves and say, 'Thank you,'" Wildcat said.
- Edited by Andy Marso
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