thursday, april 8, 2004
news
the university daily kansan
3A
Senate passes legislation on study abroad
By Andy Marso
amarso@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
The Student Executive Committee upheld Student Body President Andy Knopp's vote in committees and Student Senate passed the bill he voted on last night.
The bill, which Knopp cowrote, would add a $4-per-semester student fee for study abroad scholarships. The bill now becomes a student referendum in next week's Senate elections. It must pass by a two-thirds vote.
The bill passed committees last week after Knopp cast the deciding vote in the university affairs committee.
Jack Henry-Rhoads, university affairs committee member, made an appeal to the StudEx Committee contesting Knopp's right to vote. Senate rules and regulations state that the president is a non-voting member of all five standing committees, including university affairs. The last two presidents, Jonathan Ng and Justin Mills, both said they never voted in committees during their terms.
But the StudEx Committee upheld Knopp's vote, citing a separate Senate rule that states that all students may join a committee and vote after they have attended one meeting.
The committee voted 6 to 2 to deny Henry-Rhoads' appeal. The bill then went before full Senate for debate.
When Knopp introduced the bill, Scott McKenzie, CLAS senator, tried to ask about his vote in university affairs. Josh Kaplan, business senator and university affairs chairman, declared that the question was out of order because the StudEx Committee had already decided the appeal.
But Knopp answered it anyway.
"If anyone has a problem with the student body president voting in the committee he's been in for four years we can write legislation to address that, but I would hope it wouldn't affect study abroad," Knopp said.
After that, Catherine Bell, student body vice president, said that questions about Knopp's vote would not be allowed.
The bill faced questions from senators about how many students would actually benefit from the scholarships,how much the scholarships would be and if the $4 shouldn't have been proposed as an optional fee instead.
"This is asking a lot from students, and it's not going to give back that much," Jayme Aschemeyer, off-campus senator, said.
Other senators spoke in favor of the bill, saying that enhancing
study abroad would provide more opportunities for global experiences and increase the value of a University degree by setting the University of Kansas apart from other schools.
Jeff Morrow, graduate senator, said that even though he probably wouldn't study abroad, the increase in the value of his degree would be well worth the $4-persemester investment.
After about two hours, the senators voted to end the debate with seven speeches still on the floor. The bill then passed by the required two-thirds majority.
Other Senate news:
Senate passed a bill to allow student organizations to request Senate funds for conference registration fees.
Senate passed a resolution urging the federal government to repeal parts of the USA PATRIOT Act that affect University policies.
Senate passed a resolution urging the University to reconsider the ban of radio station 96.5 The Buzz at the Student Fitness Recreation Center.
Senate allocated $759 to the American Institute of Graphic Arts to bring illustrator John Sprengelmeyer to Lawrence as a guest speaker. Sprengelmeyer, cocreator of the Captain Ribman comic strip, will speak from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 26th at the Meat Market, 811 New Hampshire St.
Senate passed a bill to allocate $500 to buy plaques and certificates to be awarded to 10 outstanding student organizations each year.
Senate allocated $431 in general funding to the KU Slip 'N Slide Club and the International Interior Design Association.
EVERY WEEK THE KANSAN
PROFILES ONE STUDENT SENATORS
—Edited by Kevin Flaherty
Name: Kyle Johnson
Year: Senior
Hometown:
Wichita
Position:
Engineering
Senator
Years in
Senate: 4
Senate
accomplishment he's proud of:
More parking for engineering students.
Goal: Get a snack cart in Learned Hall by the beginning of next semester.
Where he would be on
Where he would be on
Wednesday nights if he wasn't
at Senate meetings: He's not
sure because he's never known
Wednesday nights without
Senate. He suspects he'd
probably be studying or
sleeping.
Agencies, University try to stop students from illegal music downloads
By Anna Clovis
aclovis@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Downloading music and movies for free might seem like a good idea, but officials at the University of Kansas think otherwise.
THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OFFLINE
As part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, when agencies such as the Recording Industry Association of America contact the University with copyright violations, action has to be taken.
If a person is accused of violating a copyright, the University will follow this process:
First offense: The person is emailed and asked to erase the deleted files. He or she must successfully complete the quiz on the KU DMCA Web site,
"The epidemic of illegal file sharing dramatically impacts both of our respective communities," said Cary Sherman, president of the RIAA and co-chairman of the joint committee. "We are in this boat together, and that's why collaborative solutions are the best approach."
www.dmca.ku.edu.
■ Second offense: The person must meet with Jenny Mehmedovic, coordinator for Information Technology policy and planning, and a representative from the dean of students office.
■ Third offense: Internet privileges are terminated.
The RIAA created a committee in the fall of 2002 to act as a bridge between the recording industry and universities. The Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities provide resources to school administrators through educational programs, technology solutions and collaboration for legislative initiatives.
Source: www.dmca.ku.edu
While the committee helps discover what can be done to combat illegal downloading, it doesn't mandate what universities should do about it. In the end, it's up to the individual universities to find policies that work for them.
At the University, Jenny
Mehmedovic, coordinator for Information Technology policy and planning, said the University's policy is to not proactively monitor for copyright violations, but when contacted by outside organizations such as the RIAA with suspected IP addresses, they would investigate.
"They send us the IP address, then we internally research to find out who it is," Mehmedovic said. "We do not share the name unless there is a subpoena or search warrant."
On March 18, the Provost's
office sent e-mails to all faculty, staff and students notifyting them of DMCA and the University's process of dealing with violations.
After the University identifies the user, the person is contacted by e-mail, Mehmedovic said. The e-mail asks for the downloaded files to be erased and for the accused person to take an online quiz.
The quiz asks questions about the uses of the campus network. According to the Web site, if the person does not complete the quiz or delete the files, the network connection will be temporarily disconnected until he or she complies.
If a student, faculty or staff member is reported a second time, the person must meet with Mehmedovic and a representative from the dean of students office.
Mehmedovic said between five and 50 cases were reported to her office each week. Most reported cases occur in the residence halls, she said.
A third offense, which Mehmedovic said had not happened yet, results in being permanently kicked off the network.
The goal of the process is to educate students, Mehmedovic said. She said after students completed the quiz and deleted the files, the incident would be closed.
John Wilson knows what it's like to be caught with downloaded files. The Lawton, Okla., sophomore was reported to the University for downloading music and movies on his computer in K.K. Amini Scholarship Hall.
The reports caught Wilson by surprise because he was turned in for files he downloaded during his freshman year. He said the record companies conducted its searches by looking for material they deemed as popular, such as Meet the Parents, a movie he was turned in for
downloading.
Wilson has been reported twice and said he no longer illegally downloads music or movies not only because of penalties he might suffer, but what his roommates might have to deal with.
"In K.K. Amiini there is only one Internet jack, so if I got kicked off, it would get shut off for everyone," Wilson said. "My options were to stop downloading or move out."
The University does not control access to file sharing Web sites and software. Mehmedovic said peer-to-peer file sharing software could be used for legitimate reasons in academic settings.
The University isn't alone in encouraging copyright education. According to the RIAA's Web site, the association "prefers to educate all citizens so they know what is legal and illegal."
-Edited by Nikki Nugent
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