4A the university daily kansan
opinion
wednesday, april 14, 2004
KUNITED
KUnited promises, delivers change
KUnited gets results. When we say we're going to do something, we intend to get it done. It sounds like a simple concept, but that is one thing that sets us apart in campus politics. And that, perhaps even more than our membership, our experience or our style, is why you should vote KUnited today and tomorrow.
COMMENTARY
In our two years on campus, KUinited has delivered on each of the promises that we've made to the student body. With this commitment to follow through, KUinited has brought new programs and policies to campus. This includes more student parking, the Jaywalk safe walk service, the Jayhawk Express free bus route and the online book exchange. Also included are the forthcoming online course evaluations and a new Multicultural Resource Center, which will open its doors in Fall 2006.
We don't just talk about the issues, we address them. We identify a concern and then we make feasible plans to correct it.
These are all initiatives and projects that current KUnited members have worked on. We're not merely taking credit for the successes of campus leaders from long ago, successes that no current senator had a part of. We're talking about the coalition as it stands today. With 25 returning senators this year, KUnited has already brought a lot of positive things to campus. If elected, we're going to build upon what we've already started.
For instance, students have seen dramatic increases in the cost of tuition during the last three years at the University. In-state seniors pay more than 50 percent more per credit hour than they did as freshmen. These unprecedented tuition increases are impacting every student on campus; however, instead of merely talking about the issue, KUnited has developed a plan of action.
Jeff Dunlap and Steve Munch
opinion@hansan.com
If KUnited is elected, we will work to institute a fixed tuition contract for every incoming class to ensure that the rate students pay as freshmen are what they will pay as seniors. It's a program that's been successful at schools such as Illinois and
Minnesota, and it makes sense for Kansas. By making this a part of University policy, we will increase accessibility to higher education, allowing families to plan ahead and ensuring that incoming students know they'll be able to afford degrees.
If elected, KUNited will also work to bring comprehensive wireless Internet to campus. This would allow you to surf the Web in class, on Wescoe Beach or even while camping in Allen Fieldhouse. Wireless access would benefit not only those students with laptop computers but everybody who has ever waited in line at a crowded computer lab. KUNited will ensure that the University stays current with technology, invests in the future and doesn't fall far behind peer institutions.
KUnited will also work to bring more campus parking and jobs to students. We'll work to provide better student representation in City Hall. We'll work to bring a recycling center to campus and cleaner fuel to the bus system.
We'll work like we have the last two years to ensure that a vote for KUnited is not a wasted one.
So this week, look for plans, not just ideas. Look for experience, leadership and results. Look for KUnited when you vote. Taking five minutes out of your day could directly impact the rest of your stay at the University.
Munch is a Bellvue, Neb., sophomore in history and sociology. He is the presidential candidate for KUnited. Dunlap is a Leavwood junior in political science. He is the vice-presidential candidate for KUnited.
CORRECTIONS
In the Election guide in yesterday's University Daily Kansan, there were a few errors. Jared Keller's picture ran with the name, Christina Stubbe. Also, voters will be able to vote for three non-traditional student senators, instead of two, because although a bill was passed in Student Senate, the election code has not been changed. The referendum items were incorrectly named by the Elections Commission. Originally Referendum A and B were on-line voting related. Now, they are combined as Referndum A. The other items will remain Referendum C and D. Referndum D will be a $1 per semester increase, not 50 cents.
Austin Gilmore for The University Daily Kansan
DELTA FORCE
Delta Force focuses statewide; issues important to students
COMMENTARY
Kevin McKenzie and Blake Swenson
opinion@hanan.com
Tiananmen Square. Civil Rights Movement. Anti-War Protests. What do all these have in common? All were student-led movements. College students have long been the lifeline of successful political action, but in the last 20 years, students have become increasingly less powerful.
A growing apathy has been directly responsible for a weakened student voice. This must stop, and there is no reason it cannot begin right here on this campus. It is time that students believe their voices matter. We can no longer sit idly and watch decisions get made without our input. The University of Kansas needs leaders who feel that your voice can make a difference.
This election is more important than what platforms each coalition is offering. It is about a complete shift in what Student Senate can be. If you are only looking for a glorified StuCo, then stick with the status quo. But if you want real leadership, a Student Senate that is not the lackey of the administration and a Student Senate that you are proud to call your own, the choice is clear: Delta Force.
A vote for Delta Force is a vote for meaningful change and a truly unified campus. We recognize that we are not the only ones with good ideas and are
committed to working with all student leaders, including KUnited. The era of excessive partisanship in Senate must come to an end.
This campus needs elected officials who work just as hard in office as they do during elections. The reason no one believes Student Senate does anything is because the only time students see the Senate is in March and April during elections. This needs to change.
We want to bring on-campus improvements that are relevant to all students. Fix on-line enrollment. Expand SafeRide. Improve University Career and Employment Services. Enact a Dead Week policy, which prevents instructors from having tests or papers due the week before finals.
Maintain the Off-Campus Living Resource Center.
Our work will not stop at the borders of campus. We will fight for students in City Hall, Topeka and Washington D.C. A Delta Force Student Senate will work with our elected city council to repair potholes, sidewalks and lighting around campus and institute curbside recycling. We will pressure the state to fund higher education by working with other Board of Regents schools. We will unite student leaders from across the country and have the University lead the charge for a greater student voice at a national level.
The power is in you. Your vote will make a difference. This election is where the apathy can stop. We will do whatever it takes to get you to the polls, even give you a piggyback ride — that is how much we want every student to vote. More voter turnout means a more meaningful Student Senate and therefore opportunity for real change.
Swenson is a Topeka senior in political science. He is the presidential candidate for Delta Force. McKenzie is a Salina sophomore in American studies and political science. He is the vice-presidential candidate for Delta Force.
Austin Gittmore for The University Daily Kansan
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For more comments, go to www.kansan.com
Delta Force's robot has more personality than Steve Munch.
To the guy walking around campus with the hot pink trucker hat: I like your hat.
Where's the Free For All? Where's the Free For All? Am I going blind?
The Delta Force machine just ate me.
Is it bad that I want to vote KUNited just because I am a Lord of the Rings fen?
Uh, why isn't it available?
Michelle Rombeck
editor
864-4854 or mburhenn@kansan.com
Andrew Vaupel managing editor 864-4854 or vaupel@kansan.com
Meghan Brune and Johanna M. Maska opinion editors 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Danielle Bose
business manager
864-4358 or adddirector@kansan.com
Stephanie Graham
retail sales manager
864-4368 or adaissan@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson
general manager and news adviser
864-7667 or mqlbison@kansan.com
Matt Fisher sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or mfisher@kanan.com
O
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