UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Friday, April 25, 1997 3A Unity required to be a force Senators say working together is necessary for effectiveness By Dave Morantz Kansan staff writer But to accomplish the many goals Sullivan and the Unite coalition promised earlier this month in their election campaign, they will have to bring together a diverse group of senators and mend divisions among those senators resulting from this year's brutal campaign. As student body president Scott Sullivan and his newly appointed executive staff began to move into their offices in the Kansas Union yesterday, they brought with them hope for Student Senate's success next year. "It seems like the types of people on the coalition are so totally opposite that you might see a polarization between the two groups," he said. The Unite coalition claimed 39 seats in the election. Delta Force won 22 seats. Independent senator John Colbert won an engineering seat. ! Colbert said the coalitions produced two very different groups of senators. Sullivan said that divisions among senators were common shortly after elections. After senators became acquainted with one another, the divisions usually faded away. He said he expected that coalition membership and identity would disappear after the first couple of meetings in the fall. "Once you start to get to know the people you're working with, if you still don't agree, you'll at least appreciate their viewpoint," Sullivan said. "I'd be happy to have a dedicated group of senators, even if they disagree." Scott Merchant, business senator from the Unite coalition, also said the coalition lines eventually would fade. If they don't, he said, it would be difficult for Senate to function effectively during the next year. Sullivan said his top priority for next year would be forcing the University to release faculty evaluations. "To get anything accomplished, it has to be bipartisan," he said. "The sooner we get past it, the better we are." He said Senate also would work to implement a coordinated bus system with the city of Lawrence, instating an ethical choice policy allowing students who morally object to class assignments to not be punished for their objections and reaching out to the campus and community. Rachel Schwartz, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences senator from Delta Force, agreed with Sullivan that divisions in Senate would soon dissolve. But, she said, senators from the Delta Force coalition brought needed diversity to an otherwise homogeneous body. President-elect position created at last University Council meeting By Stephanie McDuff Kansan staff writer In yesterday's final meeting of this year's University Council, the group voted to create a new president-elect position. The University Council elected Mohamed El-Hodiri, associate director for the Institute for Public Policy and Business Research, to be its first president-elect. The president-elect will be an apprentice to the University Council president next year. Then the president-elect will assume the presidency the following year. Before Godiri's nomination, two other council members had been nominated for the position; however, both withdrew from the running. "I would have rather not served, but given that people were hesitant, I thought I'd do it," said Hodiri. Hodri said that although he had not expected the position, he did have an agenda for the following years. A part of that agenda, he said, was for the governance bodies to help co-manage decisions for the University. "Faculty and students have a definite role in decision-making in any university, and I mean to take that seriously," Hotifi said. "It's much easier to discuss frankly and openly with an actual voice rather than vering," he said. Another University Council first also occurred at yesterday's meeting, in which the current council president, Larry Draper, professor of microbiology, was re-elected. It was the first time anyone at the meeting could remember a back-toback re-election of a council president, Provost David Shulenburger said. Draper said he should have declined but believed it was important to establish consistency, especially with the new president-elect position. important that governance has continuity." "I'm so committed to the idea of continuity," Draper said. "I think it's very Earlier in the meeting, the council voted to approve the recommendation to create a new president-elect position for the council so there would always be a president in training, which would ease transitions between office terms. Elections for next year's SenEx committee also were held. Draper and Hodiri were elected to SenEx. Other faculty and staff members selected were Lois Greene, associate professor of design; Mary Hawkins, librarian; Ed Meyen, professor of special education; and Lynn Nelson, professor of history. Until yesterday's meeting, the council president served a one-year term ending in May, which gave the new president little time to train. Dave Stras, Wichita graduate student, was elected vice president of University Council. Stras will serve his second year on University Council as its vice president. EVERYTHING BUT ICE BEDS • DESKS CHEST OF DRAWERS BOOK CASES LAYAWAY FOR SUMMER unclaimed freight & damaged merchandise 936 Mass. VollcanoPA13 4:00, 7:00, 9:30 Mia's Navy PA13 4:10, 7:10, 9:30 AnaondaPA13 4:10, 7:30, 9:50 Volcano PA13 5:00, 7:45, 10:00 Liar, LiarPA13 4:20, 7:20, 9:40 Dewitt's OwnPA13 4:20, 7:20, 9:40 $35 50 Adult Before Heating * Boiling 0:00 P M * Impaired Steam COME WITNESS THE EVENT OF THE CENTURY... AS YOU SEE A HUGE SCREEN INCREDIBLY FLOAT BEFORE YOUR EYES... FLORTING FLICKS '97 AT DUSK FRIDAY APRIL 25 POTTERS LAGOON (POTTER'S LAKE) STUDENT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SENATE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON THE ABYSS STUDENT UNION ACTIVITIES SUA UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS BRING YOUR BLANKETS AND FOR MORE INFO CALL 864-SHOW