14B SATURDAY, AUGUST 17. 1996
KU EDITION
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LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD
SUA has daunting task of planning KU events
RENEE KNOEBER/JOURNAL-WORLD PHOTO
- The Idea's the thing for students working in SUA.
Board members for Student Union Activities meet during the summer to plan the coming year's events.
BY JOHN WAKE
JOURNAL-WORLD WRITER
What started with a $200 budget in 1938 has become the biggest student activities organization at Kansas University.
"The hardest thing is trying to make
This year, with a budget of $97,000,
Student Union Activities, or SUA, continues to plan the best in concerts, lectures, films, travel and other activities for KU students.
"The hardest thing is trying to make sure that everything works out. I think the other hard part is figuring out what KU students want."
— SUA president Rieley Scott
sure that everything works out," said SUA president Rieley Scott. "I think the other hard part is figuring out what KU students want."
Scott began working for SUA as a freshman, serving on the Promotions Committee and the Live Music Committee.
Now,as a KU senior,she is working hard to bring the best events to KU for students.
"We started a survey for freshmen students coming in," Scott said. "We have two girls tallying the results, but we won't know what the results are until the end of the semester, because we want to do both orientation groups."
Scott said there are about 300 students who work in SUA.
Each coordinator of the eight committees of forums; fine arts; feature films; spectrum films; special events; live music; promotions; and recreation and travel are responsible for bringing ideas before all of the board members.
If the board members unanimously vote in favor of having the event, scheduling the proposed event begins.
Scott said there's no worse feeling when an event doesn't go over well and nothing better than when an event goes over big.
"Last year, my committee worked very hard to get Denny Dent to come," Scott said. "It was the best thing to see the audience members and my committee members give him a standing ovation. 1
To become a board member, Scott said "it's not a big process. There's a form to fill out and to be a coordinator, you have to interview before the old board."
picked the event and brought it to the board "
Students working with SUA receive an academic support scholarship that is used for tuition costs.
To continue receiving the scholarship and to stay on with SUA, students have to keep a minimum 2.3 grade point average.
Sometimes the exhibits are the hardest to please all students with.
Scott said one of the hardest tasks of being an SUA member is trying to find events and activities that will appeal to everyone on KU's diverse campus.
"We try to get exhibits that will appeal to everyone," Scott said. "We've had some controversial ones this past year. We had to look at the laws of Kansas to know what indecency and pornography is and we did get some flak over some exhibits."
Regardless of what exhibits, events or activities go over well with the campus, Scott said she hopes SUA can continue to provide
"We try to get exhibits that will appeal to everyone. We've had some controversial ones this past year. We had to look at the laws of Kansas to know what indecency and pornography is and we did get some flak over some exhibits."
— SUA president Rieley Scott
Adviser helping students develop their own talents
vide quality events this fall
"I don't feel it is a selfish organization at all, like some organizations on campus that work for their own good," Scott said.
- Student Union Activities
adviser Sue Morrell teaches students
leadership skills to last them a lifetime.
"I think everyone just finds their own niche to fit into and we try to be conscious of everybody's needs."
BY JOHN WAKE
JOURNAL-WORLD WRITER
Sue Morrell may keep a messy desk, but her work is focused on college students and not a computer screen.
For the past eight years, Morrell, 38, has been the Student Union Activities adviser for Kansas University.
"Oh, God. It's always a pit," said Morrell, leaning back in her chair. "I keep an untidy desk, because it's more important for me to be talking to a person than sitting here filing things away."
But Morrell doesn't see herself as an adviser, she sees herself as a teacher.
"I always wanted to be a teacher because I had a math teacher when I was growing up that I just really adored," Morrell said. "I'm kind of a teacher now. My students can go into any field and be successful from what they learn from SUA."
SUA officers say Morrell has become more than just an advisor or teacher — she's a friend.
SUA is an on-campus organization with a membership of 12 students. They are selected by a committee to bring the best variety of activities to KU.
dent of alumni relations. "We respect her so much that if we screw up, we can't face her."
"She gets involved. She doesn't just tell people what to do," said Holly Shehorn, SUA vice presi-
SUA is an organization with a $500,000 budget, all of which, Morrell said, is for the officer and committee members to spend.
"I teach them how to schedule events, deal with agents and how to work with a
Negotiating with the entertainment industry is all part of what students learn as an SUA member.
"I have a lot of students who work in the entertainment
"I have a lot of students who work in the entertainment industry, and they are alumni who have worked in SUA. What's nice about my job is that you see these students grow and become good leaders, and they go on to be successful in whatever they decide to do."
Sue Morrell, SUA adviser
"The students will call the agency and see if they are touring," she said. "If they are, we see if we can have them stop in Lawrence."
Under her advising, Morrell said students learn how to negotiate deals with artists directly or with their agents to bring them to KU.
budget," Morrell said. "Right now, we are negotiating Bill Mahr for homecoming weekend."
industry, and they are alumni who have worked in SUA." Morrell said. "What's nice about my job is that you see these students grow and become good leaders, and they go on to be successful in whatever they decide to do."
Morrell was awarded the 1991 Citation for Leaders and
The award is just one symbol of her desire to work with student and how KU students have appreciated working with her.
Achievement in Student Services Award, which she proudly displays on her office wall.
RICHARD GWIN/JOURNAL-WORLD PHOTO
Although Morrell said she has had more financially attractive offers for employment, no amount of money would keep
Sue Morrell, adviser for Kansas University's Student Union Activities, helps students learn how to negotiate deals with artists directly or with their agents to bring them to KU.
her from working with college students.
"I just feel like my life is more useful working with young people," Morrell said. "If that makes
the world a better place, then it has been worth it for me. Plus, I love what I do. I get to do something different every day. I don't have an average, typical day — ever."
The Journal-World Classified works 832-2222
Planners keep searching for KU parking solutions
Due to crowded parking lots and campus expansion, Campus Planning Coordinator Tom Waechter is focusing on a detailed review of transportation issues on campus. He said that dealing with parking and transportation is the most important part of the campus plan.
The biggest problem is the connection between West Campus and Main Campus. Waechter said that leaving West Campus to use the Main Campus is simple, but when people return, there is no place to park their cars. A shuttle or transit that runs five or six times an hour taking people between the two campuses would help to diminish this problem, Waechter said.
"Parking is an issue that just doesn't go away." Waechter said.
Other issues include overcrowded parking and transportation from parking lots to campus. Waecher said that in the next five to10 years campus planning will include assessing existing parking lots and examining options for higher density parking.
Waechter said that the main
focus is on intra-campus transportation, but the university is also willing to explore other possibilities such as working with the city and community based transportation.
Although the transportation dilemma is taking most of the planning energy, Waechter said they are considering redoing the campus landscape. An open space assessment was done and they should know more concerning the plans at a later date.
At this point, there are not concrete ideas.
"The challenge is to build models that are practical and viewed as viable." Waechter said.
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