UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, October 18, 1994
5A
Bill would bring back lobbying
Students could earmark funds for voice in legislature
By James Evans Kansan staff writer
Organized student lobbying at the Statehouse in Topeka died last fall, but the student body president wants to resurrect it.
Sherman Reeves, student body president, presented a bill Wednesday to the Student Senate finance committee to finance the Student Legislative Awareness Board.
The bill, which passed through the committee and will be voted on by the full Senate tomorrow, would help pay for two coordinators and supplies to start the revitalization of lobbying efforts, Reeves said.
Former student lobbying efforts in Topeka, which were under the direction of the Associated Students of Kansas organization, were killed in 1993 by a ruling from Bob Stephan,
Stephan ruled in December 1993 that student lobbying could not be paid for with money from student activity funds. In 1993, ASK was budgeted to receive $87,349 of student activity funds for lobbying.
attorney general.
Reeves said that because of the ruling, he would ask that each student be given the option of contributing $2 to support the lobbying efforts. Under Reeves' plan, each student interested in contributing will mark a checkoff box on their option cards at fee payment. The plan would go into effect in the fall of 1995.
Mary Horsch, public information officer for the attorney general, said the new system would not violate Stephan's ruling.
"As long as the students know what the money is being used for, it is OK," she said.
Reeves said he estimated that the group would receive around $10,000 a year. He arrived at this figure by examining the amount of money other organizations, such as freshman board of class officers, received
when students were given the option of contributing to them.
The lobbying group would be responsible for on and off-campus efforts to inform Kansas politicians about the importance of financing education and programs at the University of Kansas, Reeves said.
"Legislators will forget about a bill they don't see a student in the State-house to remind them about it," Reeves said.
Reeves said the student lobbying presence was missed last spring in Topeka. He said the Partnership for Excellence, a bill which would have raised KU faculty salaries to the level of peer institutions, might have passed if there were student lobbyists to speak to legislators.
The board would also take over the on-campus political awareness efforts of the Student Political Awareness Task Force, which will be absolved on Nov. 8, Reeves said. The task force has been doing an on-campus voter registration drive and organizing political debates between Kansas political candidates.
Tonight!
THE EVOLUTION CONSPIRACY
Evolution is not a "scientific" theory: it is a man-made philosophy that is contrary to true science. Tonight, a scientist using elementary, easy-to-understand principles of science will demonstrate the corrupt teachings of evolutionists.
"We fancy ourselves as the only true students of life's history, yet to preserve our favored account of evolution by natural selection we view our data as so bad that we never see the very process we profess to study" Stephen Jay Gould, Professor of Paleontology, Harvard University
"Scientists who go about teaching that evolution is a fact of life are great conmen, and the story they are telling may be the greatest hoax ever. In explaining evolution, we do not have one tota of fact" Dr. T.N. Takmisian, Atomic Energy Commission
After hearing this information you may want a tuition refund.
What are they up to?
SCIENCE vs. DARWIN:
In nearly 100 previous public debates with scientists from the Creation Science Associations around the country, evolutionists have lost...every time!
Tonight 7:00 PM Kansas Union Big 8 Room (No tuition)
KCBT Studers Ministries
"Touring the NATURAL HGHways" Alcohol Awareness Week October 17-22
SPECIAL EVENTS:
Tue., Oct. 18 Info Tables, Kansas Union,
10 am-2 pm.
TKE/GAMMA Mocktail, 6:30 pm.
AURH presents NABs Around
the World, Hashinger, 8 pm.
Wed., Oct. 19 SUA, Watkins Health Center,
PARTY, & GAMMA present
speaker Mike Buckingham on
"Impaired Driving," Kansas
Union, Kansas Room, 7:30 pm.
Thu., Oct. 20 GAMMA/TKE Trike Race,
5:30 pm.
Sat., Oct 22 PARTY presents the "Grim
Reaper" at the football game.
AAW sponsor: Association of University Residence Stale,
PARTY, Center for Sexual Health Education, GAMMA, Student
Housing, KU Police Dept., Winston Department of Health
Education. For more info: 864-927-4000.
Into the Streets Kick Off featuring
The Fins The Bubble Boys
Easy Reader
TUESOCTOBER 1S • 9:30 at the RIVER VALLEY MUSIC CAFE 1601 W.23rd St.
TONIGHT!
$2 cover
18 and over
sponsored by
Student Political Awareness Task Force and the League of Women Voters present:
The Kansas Gubernatorial and 3rd STUDENT
District Congressional Candidates SENATE
for live forums at the Kansas Union.