OTING STARTS TODAY Look inside for profiles of this year's Student Senate candidates and see The Kansan's choices for the top spots. 4A,11A Student Rights 2007 UNITED STUDENTS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2007
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VOL. 117 ISSUE 131
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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>> STUDENT SENATE
Delta Force files complaint
BY ASHLEE KIELER
Politics don't just get dirty in national and city elections; it happens on university campuses as well.
An elections code violation complaint filed against United Students for defamation will be heard on Monday.
the complaint, filed by Jack Connor, Overland Park junior and member of Delta Force, claimed that United Students defamed John Cross, Kansas City, Mo., junior and Delta Force presidential candidate, by providing false information to
The election commission code in question defines defamation as false and defamatory words communicated with the specific intent to injure a third person, actually resulting in the harm to the reputation of the person defamed.
student groups and organizations while campaigning.
Witty said the commission would make a decision Monday on the case.
Connor said that he attended three student organization meetings where United Students coalition members stated that Hannah Love.
Committee. The members also said that Cross had authored one bill.
discuss the issue. The commission postponed the hearing until Monday to allow for more time to investigate the allegations.
Cayla Witty, Wake field senior and elections commissioner, said Love and Wittlinger wrote and passed 18 bills combined. She said Cross had authored and passed four bills.
The information also appeared on the United Students' Web site.
Dodge City junior and presidential nominee for United Students, and running mate Ray Wittlinger, Olathe junior, had authored and passed a combined 29 bills while in the Student Senate Executive
An elections code violation complaint filed against United Students for defamation will be heard next Monday.
"If they are found to be com-
The elections commission hearing board met Tuesday night to
POETRY SLAM
Students recite original material
Michiko Takei/KANSAN Shawn Bowers, Overland Parkjunior, reads his original poetry at a Poetry Slam held by Student Union Activities Tuesday evening at the Hawk's Nest in the Kansas Union. Bowers won first prize out of five contestants.
Student Union Activities offers spotlight for personal prose
BY BETHANY BUNCH
Five KU students read their poetry to a small crowd and for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Massachusetts Street on Tuesday night at the Hawk's Nest in the Kansas Union. Although the theme of the night was publicized to be love, poets exhausted a range of topics, which included
ninja school.
Shawn Bowers, Overland Park junior, read two lengthy poems with great expression and with a sense of comfort and ease. One poem was entitled "Secret Ninja School."
Bowers read "Secret Ninja School" before moving onto his second poem, "I Hate You Ronald McDonald." His fictional ninja poem was about an ad he saw in a
newspaper for a ninja school. Once enrolling, he found he was being tricked into learning subjects like English and science because the teachers were ninjas. The Ronald McDonald poem was about a crazed McDonald's customer set out to kill Ronald McDonald because he was a "scary clown."
"I like the sound of my own voice," Bowers said. "I talk to myself a lot and eventually it makes it on the page."
It wasn't Bowers' first time read his poetry at an open forum.
The audience cast ballots of their top three choices. Bowers came out on top.
"This is just a good forum to try out new material," flowers said.
SEE POETRY ON PAGE 9A
》 STUDENT SENATE
Top campaign issues face critics
Delta Force, Students' Rights and United Students will vie for top spots in the Student Senate elections, but how realistic are their campaign goals?
BY ASHLEE KIELER
Each coalition created platforms that it thinks can change the University of Kansas.The presidential and vice presidential nominees were asked to present what they felt was their most important platform issue.
Delta Force focused its platforms on safety. The most important platform issue involves the expansion of the Blue Light System on campus.
"We will expand the Blue Light system to several off-campus locations including the neighborhoods between Ninth and 13th Street and Iowa and Massachusetts," said John Cross, Kansas City, Mo., junior and presidential candidate.
BLUE LIGHTS
Cross cited Lawrence police statistics as having 15 rapes and sexual assaults, 359 combined assaults, 18 robberies, three kidnappings, and one murder in these neighborhoods during 2006.
Cross said the platform was realistic because the money used for the Blue Light System was allocated from Senate.
"It is our responsibility to improve student life at KU, and
now one of the greatest detriments to student life is crime." Cross said.
TEXTBOOK RENTAL
The creation of a textbook rental program is Students' Rights goal when reaching office.
"Students' Rights most important platform affects all students at the University;" said Johnathan Wilson, Paola sophomore and presidential candidate.
Their plan, modeled after Northwest Missouri State University's rental program, allows students to pay a flat fee each semester for their books. The textbooks are returned to the University at the end of each semester.
Tim Norris, KU Memorial Union bookstore director, said the idea of a textbook rental program would be interesting to investigate. He said a lot of issues would need to be discussed, like start-up costs and academic freedom issues for teachers.
"It would obviously work better in lower-level courses, but higher-Level courses, the teachers like to specify the books used." Norris said.
SEEPLATFORMS ON PAGE 9A
Wilson said the benefits of the program were endless - most importantly, bringing money back to students.
STUDENT SENATE
Student fees play crucial role on ballot
BY ASHLEE KIELER
Student Senate elections begin today and students have the opportunity to voice their opinions on fees.
A second referendum creates a $2 homecoming fee to sponsor new events during Homecoming Week.
Three referendums would appear on the ballot. Two referendums ask for student support for SafeBus and homecoming. The other referendum asks for the reallocation of fees to support a renewable energy and sustainability fund.
This semester Senate increased student fees $54.75 per semester, which included the costs of purchasing newer buses after a University-wide election failed. The Safebus referendum and the homecoming referendum ask students to support an additional $6 in fees, totaling an increase of $60.75.
One referendum on the ballot asks for a $4 increase to the SafeRide fee to support a SafeBus program. SafeBus would provided bus routes to and from downtown Lawrence during weekend evenings.
Cox said that if the referendum passed, the next step was to put the bus contracts out for bid to find a service provider.
"SafeBus will make the ability to go out and get home easier for students," said Tom Cox, Shawnee junior and the bills author.
The Lawrence Bus Company determined the bus routes for the program. Buses would travel on Kentucky and Tennessee streets, by Campus Court at Naismith, 1301 W. 24th St.; Meadowbrook, 2601 Dover Square; Daisy Hill; GSP-Corbin Hall; and many sororities and fraternities. The buses would also loop around Massachusetts Street.
"We could see this implemented by the fall semester," Cox said.
The final referendum does not increase student fees, rather it gives students the opportunity to decide what their fees go to.
"Homecoming is a week to promote school spirit," said Rachel Barnes, Hutchinson junior and sponsorship chair for the homecoming committee. "It's not just about the football game."
Barnes couldn't specify what new events would be created, but she said some money would go to sponsor "Stuff the Bus," a food drive event.
"Adding more events gives us the chance to get more students involved." Barnes said.
The referendum asks students if they think the University should make efforts to ensure that it be reliant on renewable energy for 20 percent of its power supply by the year 2020.
The referendum also asks students to support the reallocation of $1.50 from student fees to create a renewable energy and sustainability fund. The fund would make it possible to meet the 20 percent goal.
"This isn't only the opportunity to distancing the University from fossil fuels but also to secure the next generations energy resources," said Studio Red Corn, Shawnee junior and First Nations Student Association senator.
Each referendum appears on the ballot beginning today. Voting can be done online or at polling booths at Wescoe Beach and Mrs. Es. Online voting starts today at 6 a.m. and goes to 10 p.m., and continues Thursday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Voting at the polling sites run from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Kansan staff writer Ashlee Kieler can be contacted at akieler@kansan.com.
— Edited by Katie Sullivan