thursday, april 1, 2004
news
the university daily kansar
3A
Smoking ban options considered
By Laura Pata
lpate@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
After meeting with a six-person task force for two hours yesterday, the city may be one step closer to extinguishing the fire on public smoking.
Since April 22 of last year, the task force, appointed by Mayor David Dunfield, has studied the health effects of second-hand smoke and the economic impact of issuing a ban in restaurants and bars.
The task force presented its findings to a full house at City Hall, suggesting that the city could enact a full or partial smoking ban in public places or maintain the status quo.
The options available for partial smoking bans are too numerous, and must be narrowed down, said Mike Rundle, vice mayor and city commissioner. The task force said partial smoking bans could limit smoking based on the ratio of liquor sales to food sales, the seating capacity of establishments or the time of day, among other options.
In November, Salina enacted a partial smoking ban. It bans smoking in restaurants between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m.
The task force has been compiling a specific list of ban options that it plans to give to city manager Mike Wildgen by the end of April. After reading the list, Wildgen will present the options in a city commission meeting. The mayor and four other commission members could then narrow down the options and propose an ordinance. As of now, the city has a broad overview of the options and issues related to second-hand smoke.
"There's a concern that we not just drop the ball after all this work." Rundle said.
Rundle said he was leaning toward a ban but was not looking forward to disagreements on the issue in the community.
"But it is a health risk and it would be irresponsible to ignore it," said Rundle on second-hand smoke.
Peach Madl, member of the smoking task force and owner of The Sandbar, 17 E. 8th St., is against a smoking ban. People have the freedom to choose between either non-smoking or smoking restaurants and bars, she said.
"I just think it's a personal freedom issue." Madl said. "It's just another threat to take another choice away."
Eighty-five restaurants are non-smoking and 95 are smoking. Eight coffee shops ban smoking, while five allow it. One bar, Bella Lounge, 925 Iowa St., bans smoking.
Until the end of April, the city will refrain from discussing smoking ban options, Wildgen said.
Yesterday's meeting was different from most study session meetings, said Chuck Magerl, task force member and owner of Free State Brewing Company, 636 Massachusetts St.
Most task force meetings are more of a discussion between the city and task force members, but task members held the floor for most of yesterday's meeting. Each individual presentation ranged in topics from health issues to economic issues and lasted around 10 to 15 minutes.
SMOKING VERSUS NON
■ Restaurants:
- 85 non-smoking
- 95 smoking
■ Coffee shops:
- 8 non-smoking
- 5 smoking
■ Bars:
- 1 non-smoking (Bella Lounge, 925 Iowa St.)
- 72 smoking (includes restaurant bars)
Source: Lawrence.com
Since 1984, more than 400 local governments have enacted smoke-free ordinances, ranging from clean indoor air, workplace and laws restricting smoking in restaurants and bars.
- Edited by Stephanie Lovett
Senate looks at study abroad scholarships
By Samia Khan
skhan@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Students may get an opportunity to vote on a student fee to fund study abroad scholarships in the upcoming campus elections, April 14-15.
A bill to send the fee to a campus vote passed unanimously in the finance committee and with a two-thirds majority in the university affairs committee last night. Student Body President Andy Knopp cast the deciding vote in the university affairs committee meeting. The bill will now go to full Senate for a vote next week.
The fee would be $4 per semester and $2 in the summer. All of the money collected by the stu
dent fee would be used for merit and need-based scholarships for studying abroad.
In the last academic year, only one in three scholarship applicants received money to study abroad. The majority of those applicants' awards totaled less than $300. The money for study abroad scholarships comes from KU funds and donors.
The fee would bring in more than $160,000. It would create
Ashlee Reid, vice chairwoman of the international affairs committee, said the current funding system fluctuated too much for students who needed money to plan to study abroad in advance. A consistent source of money would encourage more students to think about a study abroad trip, she said.
880 new award opportunities over a student's four-year college career and cover a larger portion of expenses than current awards.
Not all of the senators agree that student fees should be the way to fund study abroad scholarships.
Brian Thomas, University Affairs Committee member, said the fee was like a tax on students. Thomas said the fee should come out of tuition money instead of student fees.
"We're not here to be an open pocketbook," he said.
Thomas said that the fee would set a precedent by allowing any department on campus to ask for a handout instead of lobbying to take the money out of tuition.
Some senators opposed putting a fee on every student to pay for an opportunity that most students do not take. Jack Henry Rhoads, university affairs committee member, proposed an optional fee instead of a mandatory fee.
Kansas State University currently has a student fee for study abroad funds. Knopp said that the University was behind other schools in encouraging study abroad through student fees. He said that the fee would benefit the entire University by bringing in new cultural perspectives and boosting the reputation of the campus.
"We really get a bang for our buck with just a $4 fee," Knopp said.
Alternative Breaks provide needed help
By Marc Ingber
minger@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Last week, while students were heading to Mexico for spring break, Gaston Araoz was traveling north to speak Spanish.
For Alternative Spring Break, AraoZ, La Paz, Bolivia, junior, and four other students went to the Freedom House in Detroit. While there, he spoke with political refugees from Guatemala, Columbia and Nicaragua, as well as met other refugees from Uganda, Camaroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The refugees came to the United States to escape torture and persecution for their political and religious beliefs.
— Edited by Paul Kramer
Freedom House is a non-profit organization that offers political refugees food, clothing, shelter and social and legal services, as well as a supportive community.
"It's really sad," Araoz said. "Those people run away from torture and persecution and often have to leave their families behind."
After returning, Araoz said he felt lucky to be able to get a visa and a scholarship to study at the University of Kansas. He could relate to the people at the Freedom House because Bolivia had its share of political problems too, although not as severe, he said.
One of the refugees Araoz met had escaped three assassination attempts by people of the opposing political party.
Jonathan Power, Wichita senior and co-director of the Alternative Breaks program, said that many students got to see only the media's perspective of conflicts in other countries, but at Freedom House, students got to hear first-hand accounts.
Araoz said he could relate to the refugees because they had gone through a culture shock after arriving in the United States, much in the same way he did. He
"It's really sad. Those people run away from torture and persecution and often have to leave their families behind."
Gaston Araoz
La Paz, Bolivia, junior
became really close with them.
"In just one week I felt I had known them for years," Araoz said.
Alvar Ayala Mendoza, Torreon, Mexico, junior, who went on the trip with Araoz, said it was an advantage to be able to speak Spanish with the refugees because it made the experience a lot more personable.
Throughout the week, Araoz and his group interacted with the refugees by playing cards, bowling and playing soccer. He said soccer was a good way to bond because of its popularity around the world.
The group got to meet Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert Kennedy, who was there to give a presentation on her book Speak Truth to Power.
Araoz said he was honored that Kennedy, an avid human rights activist, singled out his Alternative Break group as a successful way to promote human rights.
"It looks like a small thing, but it was a big deal for us," he said.
This was the second year in a row Araoz participated in Alternative Spring Break. Last year he went to Orlando to work with kids from low-income families.
Although he planned to go somewhere new next spring, he said he was committed to going back to Freedom House in the summer.
—Edited by Collin LaJoie
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