Highberger Schauner Bush
It's election time
Vote for your candidates today in the election for city commissioners. 3A
Chestnut Dever Maynard-Moody
TUESDAY,APRIL 3,2007
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOL.117 ISSUE 125
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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© 2007The University Daily Kansan
CITY COMMISSION
BY MATT ERICKSON
It prohibited indoor smoking in almost all public places in Lawrence. It's the reason that more than three unrelated people cannot live together in some areas of the city. During the next few years, it may give students easier ways to get to campus and may impose more regulations on landlords.
It is the city commission, and voters will choose its new lineup today. But history suggests that University students will do little about it.
Student voting rates have lagged behind the general Lawrence population in the last two city commission elections. In February's city
Grant Snider/KANSAN
commission primary, students voted in dismally low numbers.
Douglas County cannot measure precisely how many University students vote, but Keith Campbell, county deputy of elections, said the county's data about 18- to 24-yearold voters allowed for guesses about student voting.
The 10 Lawrence precincts that currently have the highest percentage of 18- to 24-year-old registered voters all had voting rates below the county average in the 2003 and 2005 commission elections. These precincts are all located near the University campus.
In Precinct 10, which includes the Daisy Hill residence halls, nearly 80 percent of registered voters
are 18- to 24-years old. Campbell said Precinct 10 regularly has the county's lowest voting rate in local elections.
The Preticinct 10 voting site closed early on the day of the February primary because only five of its nearly 2,000 registered voters showed up, Campbell said.
Katie Loyd, Lawrence junior, has made an effort to educate students about the city commission race in her role as Student Senate community affairs director. She prepared biographies of the candidates, which are available at studentsenate. ku edu.
She said students should vote to
SEE VOTING ON PAGE 4A
QUEERS AND ALLIES
Pecks on the beach
Lisa Linovac/KANSAN
University, City celebrate Pride Week
BY TYLER HARBERT
On any other day, couples making out on Wescoe Beach may have been advised to get a room.
Queers and Allies director Jonathan Pryor, Columbus, Kan., senior, and boyfriend and Queens & Allies events chair, David Ta. Wichita senior, participate in the kiss-in on Wescoe Beach yesterday morning during Lawrence Pride Week. "We decided to do it to bring visibility to the gay community and to show gay people exist and are on campus," Ta said.
But sloppy kisses and loving embraces Monday were part of Queers and Allies Kiss- In event, one of 10 events celebrating Lawrence Pride Week at the University.
Only two couples locked lip on and off, but Jonathan Pryor, Columbus, Kan., senior and director of Queers and Allies, said making out with his boyfriend David Ta, Wichita senior and Queens and Allies events chair, was a demonstration to promote visibility of the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community
"Even if it's just two couples, it's activism," Pryor said. "It's no different than straight people holding hands walking down the street."
Another couple, Bethanine White, Independence, Kan, senior and co-
"They asked us to," White said. "We don't have any problem with PDA, just not as a display."
social chair for Queers and Allies, and her girlfriend Ashley Shawgo, Overland Park senior, said they made out on Wescoe after they had planned not to.
Queers and Allies also distributed information to passers-by and sold T-shirts that read, "Gay? Fine by me," to raise money for the Donate Against Hate campaign. The
SEE PRIDE ON PAGE 4A
》 CANDIDATES TALK
Debate covers athletics issues
BY ASHLEE KIELER
Goalposts and paperless basketball tickets were topics of discussion at the Student Athlete Advisory Committee debate last night between Student Senate presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Candidates representing the Delta Force, United Students and Students' Rights coalitions participated in the question and answer session.
The debate, open only to student athletes, gave candidates the chance to address their platforms specifically to student athlete needs.
Chelsey Pryor, Washington Penn., senior and Student Athlete Advisory Committee senator, said the debate helped SAAC endorse the best presidential and vice presidential candidates. SAAC will announce its endorsement decision later in the week.
Caitlin Ballard, vicepresidential candidate for Students' Rights said implementing new traditions —such as postgame events after football games could deter students from tearing down the goalposts.
Student athletes addressed their concern for safety after football games when goalposts are torn down.
"The debate gave us a chance to get to know the candidates and address concerns." Pryor said.
"The debate was a way to get information out between the athletes and candidates."
decrease the risk of the poles being torn down.
HANNAH LOVE United Students candidate
Delta Force addressed its plat-
Hannah Love, presidential candidate for United Students, said that giving students something to look forward to after the game would
John Cross, presidential candidate for Delta Force said the tickets would be distributed like football tickets. A KUID would still be scanned at the game to
lessed its platform to bring back paper tickets for basketball games.
insure only students used the tickets.
"This way students could still have the ticket as a souvenir," Cross said.
Candidates used the debate to get input on these issues from student athletes. Love said in the past
Pryor said the debate made it possible to see which candidates were willing to work closely with the athletes.
a gap existed between student ath
letes and Student Senate.
"The debate was a way to get information out between the athletes and candidates," Love said.
X
Darrell Stuckey, Kansas City, Kan., sophomore and football player, said the debate was very productive.
"It was a much needed experience for student athletes." Stuckey said. "A lot of athletes haven't voted in the past because they didn't know anything about the candidates."
Kansan staff writer Ashlee Kieler can be contacted at akieler@kansan.com.
Edited by Stacey Couch
》 CONSTRUCTION
BY JOE HUNT
Roof repairs expected to finish before fall semester
Roof repairs at the University of Kansas that have been ongoing since the microburst March 12 of last year are expected to be completed by the end of summer.
So far repairs have been completed on about 20 campus buildings. Buildings that still need repairs include Spooner Hall, Dyche Hall, Bailey Hall, Haworth Hall, Summerfield Hall, Learned Hall, Allen Fieldhouse, Strong Hall and Stauffer-Flint Hall. The overall cost for roof repairs should total six million dollars.
Mark Reiske, associate director of Design and Construction Management, said repairing the roofs was a long process. First, contractors had to be hired to do the repairs. Then roofing tiles had to be ordered, some of which took six months to arrive. Further delays were caused because Spooner Hall, Bailey Hall and Dyche Hall are considered historical buildings and repairs to those had to be approved by the State Historical Society. The sheer number of buildings was another problem.
"Just doing one roof is probably a six to seven month process." Reiske said. "But instead of doing one we're doing a huge number of roofs."
To prevent water leakage, repair crews initially outfitted all damaged roofs with temporary roofs within two months of the microburst. Because the temporary roofs did not have excessive amounts of leaks, repair work on some buildings was delayed until after winter.
Gary Brown, a roofer for Facilities Operations, said that temporary roofs were like covers over the existing damaged roofs. When the permanent roofs are installed, the temporary and damaged roofs will have to be replaced.
"We're just buying time, trying to keep the roof dry." Brown said.
But buildings such as Strong Hall still suffer leaks.
Mark Lohmeyer is on staff at the budget office in Strong Hall and he has caught water in trash cans to avoid puddles on the floor. Luckily, there has been no significant damage to the office.
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