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KANSAN.COM/OPINION | MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017
PSA please do not feed bread to ducks 'bc it is bad for their health. now let's all feel guilty about all the times we have done this
goals.
What are the chances of me sleeping with a sitting president, because that's kind of
I live for the days that I get stuff for free on campus.
I do not like avocado
tbh i'm hoping yung Joe Biden runs in 2020
It's really funny if you're in high school or blasted.
For some reason, my friends always get me involved in their drama yet I have no relation to it whatsoever
the stress of finals week is already getting to me and it's still april
few things make me as happy as potato-based foods do.
HARRY STYLES HAS RELEASEA SOLO SONG. TODAY IS THE NEW START OF MY LIFE.
It's only 11 and I've already petted three dogs today, nothing can hurt me.
Millennial motto: Let's make an app.
The worst part of dartying is being dungover.
Ever gotten drunk and booked a flight to a foreign country? Because I have.
Followed DILFs of Disney on instagram
i'm starting on my week's homework on a sunday at 4:30 i must be sick or something this is unheard of.
My beer Olympics is 5 people playing beer pong with a 24 pack of bud while I do homework.
13 reasons why
f---- me up in ways I didn't think were ever possible.
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A student committee is leading the Redo Your U initiative. The initiative is asking for students to vote yes to renovations for the Memorial Student Union.
Munoz: Vote 'No' on the Union referendum
▶ VINCE MUNOZ
@vmunoz_1.8
n April 12 and 13, students will have the opportunity
to decide whether or not to raise student fees $50 per semester for the next 30 years to pay for a renovation to the Memorial Union.
As a member of the Kansan's editorial board, I co-authored an editorial calling for the Elections Commission to suspend the vote or nullify the results due to unfair and potentially illegal campaign activities. While I still stand by the aforementioned position, I also believe that students should oppose the fee increase for the good of the University.
There are three primary reasons students should oppose the fee increase on substantive grounds: the referendum is unfair to future Jayhawks, it puts the University at political risk in Topeka and the additional amenities are unnecessary.
First, the question itself is unfair to future students, regardless of the specific campaign tactics employed by the current groups. The fee increase does not go into effect until fall 2019 meaning that, most likely more than half of the electorate has the power to approve the fee without having to pay for it.
Our country was founded, in part, on the principle of no taxation without representation, and yet University officials are asking us to abandon that principle in deciding this question. It would be one thing
if only students who are likely to pay the fee could vote on the issue, but those who support the increase ensured that the votes would be stacked in their favor.
Secondly, the University's involvement in campaigning for the fee increase jeopardizes its ability to advocate against budget cuts in the future. The University is currently asking the state legislature to restore the $10.7 million cut since 2016, "so we can continue serving students and Kansans."
It is simultaneously asking the student body to voluntarily accept an unnecessary $50 fee increase.
How can University officials go before lawmakers begging for more money to avoid tuition increases then turn around and ask students to rubberstamp higher invoices on themselves? Any conservative in the Kansas Legislature could justifiably point to this blatant hypocrisy and vote to further cuts.
University officials should try to focus on how to make attendance more affordable while preserving academic opportunities rather than trying to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the Union.
Finally, where is the dire need to build "three times the amount of student lounge and study space currently available?" Anyone who walks into the Union as is can see that the current lounge space is rarely occupied, barring a special event hosted there.
While many, including myself, would concede that the proposed efficiency upgrades to more critical infrastructure, such as the, "mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems," could be worth funding, that is not the current focus of the fee increase. Rather, supporters boast of the new amenities like, "major retail space upgrades," and "an
entertainment venue and pub," as if the shiny new features can distract us for the downsides of the fee increase.
As with any proposal, the devil is in the details — and the details of this plan merit a "no" vote. Most of the voters will be unaffected by the fee increase. Moreover, the University's support comes at a precarious time in the Kansas Legislative session, where more budget cuts could be possible.
On top of all of that, while the critical infrastructure may need some upgrading, the additional features are unnecessary and fiscally irresponsible.
In light of all this, I urge the student body to vote "no" on the Union referendum.
Vince Munoz is a junior from Topeka studying political science and strategic communications.
ONWARD FROM
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history and are a poor way to spend student fees.
Introducing alcohol to campus would require convincing both the University administration and the Kansas legislature, given that there is currently a law that forbids it. We are extremely skeptical of the University's willingness to take on alcohol on campus considering the safety measures it would require.
In a recent Kansan article, Lisa Kring, director of Building Services at the Union, said the legislature has been historically conservative on the issue of allowing alcohol on campus. Right now, the University is grappling with the legislature to keep tuitions costs low. It will look imprudent and childish to request funding and
Aside from the practical problems with these platforms, we would like to pose two questions to the student body: What kind of lasting and meaningful impact is selling alcohol on campus going to have on students? And, how will a music festival help mend the deep social rifts that exist on our campus?
resources for a wet campus and a music festival when some of our students are leaving due to the lack of affordability.
These platforms are fun and they are sexy,but they absolutely do not belong in student government.
There are serious, extensive problems that exist on this campus. In the recent KU climate survey, 37 percent of people said they seriously considered leaving at some point, usually due to lack of support, lack of a sense of belonging and
diversity-related issues.
We believe the other coalitions have platforms that will be more beneficial to students than those of Onward.
For example, platforms such as KUnited's freshman senate internship program and common scholarship application, OneKU's Uber SafeRide initiative and sexual assault reporting app, or TrueKU's prioritizing of diversity and inclusion, would all be of tremendous benefit to the University.
The incoming Student Senate administration should not be focused on music festivals, but on giving students sustainable resources like the platforms above that allow them to stay on campus.
Student voters should also consider the type of campaign this coalition has run before deciding to vote for them:
Onward has led a campaign that continually lobs baseless, immature insults at the other coalitions.
This type of behavior, however minor it may seem, indicates that the coalition, Onward, lacks maturity, temperament and the ability to work with others.
One of the most important roles of the Student Senate is to formally represent the University on the Board of Regents and to the state government. With serious issues such as rising tuition and guns on campus being discussed in these bodies, it is imperative that the individuals representing us exhibit the highest form of professionalism.
We believe that Onward's behavior during this campaign indicates they would be unable to work peaceably with those who disagree with them, and
would cause unnecessary turmoil and embarrassment if elected.
It appears to us that the Onward coalition has had one goal from the start: to win no matter the cost. It has not been the goal of the coalition to help students, nor to make campus a better place, but to be the victor. And they have employed any means necessary — like promising a wet campus and a Coachella-like music festival — to achieve this.
The Kansan Editorial Board urges the student body not to validate the pandering immaturity of this coalition by electing them.
The Editorial Board consists of Lara Korte, Tucker Paine, Christian Hardy and Vince Munoz.
- Edited by Paola Alor
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
LETTER GUIDELINES: Send letters to editor@ kansan.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the email subject line.
Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, year, major and homeown. Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.
CONTACT US
Lara Korte
Editor-in-chief
lkorte@kansan.com
Tucker Paine Business Manager tpaine@kansan.com
THE KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Lara Korte, Christian Hardy, Tucker Paine and Vince Munoz.
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