THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2008
NEWS
》 STUDENT SENATE
3A
Humorous write-ins fill ballots
BY BRENNA HAWLEY bhawley@kansan.com
Celebrities, fictional characters, student athletes and a select group of KU students came together at an unusual spot last week — the Student Senate election ballot.
Rohit Venkatasubban, Wichita junior and elections commissioner, said that write-in spots on a ballot served the purpose of giving students a voice if they didn't like the registered coalitions and candidates. He said write-in candidates still have to be registered two days before elections in order to get a seat, and those votes can influence how many votes another candidate gets.
Venkatasubban said he thought many people filled in write-in spots just for fun.
"An empty box that allows you to type whatever you want in it on a ballot is pretty tempting," Venkatasubban said.
Some people who got written in were already running for Senate. Venkatasubban said if they were written in the category they were already running for, then the votes got counted in their overall number.
Mario Chalmers received the most write-in votes with 107. Forty-two of those were for president, which gave him one percent of that vote. Students wrote him in for more than half of the categories of Senate seats.
Mario Chalmers
Some students whose names were written in weren't running for Senate and didn't know that people were writing them in.
Mario Chalmer was a write-in candidate for more than half of the categories senators. Here are how many votes he got for each position.
42 votes: President
40 votes: Freshman/
Sophomore CLAS
10 votes: Off-Campus
4 votes: Residential
3 votes: Junior/
Senior CLAS
2 votes: Engineering,
Graduate, and
Journalism
1 vote: Education, and
Non-Traditional
Total votes: 107
Jarred Harrington, Bonner Springs freshman, received 27 votes, the next highest number to Chalmers. He said he didn't tell anyone to vote for him, but guessed his fraternity brothers in Phi Gamma Delta were writing his name into the ballots.
"I was going to this year, but I didn't have time" he said.
Harrington plans to run for Senate next year.
Celebrities and fictional characters appeared on the ballots many times. One voter wrote in all five members of pop band N*SYNC and even knew that band member Lance
Chalmers was not a write-in candidate in these categories: Architecture, Business Fine Arts, Law, Pharmacy and Social Welfare
Celebrities, cartoon characters, movie characters and the current and former U.S. presidents all made it on Student Senate ballots. Here are some of the highlights:
notable names
Batman
Baby Jay
David Bowie
President George W. Bush
Captain America
President Grover Cleveland
Bob Dole
Stewie Griffin
President Abraham Lincoln
Malcolm X
McLovin
N*SYNC
Ronald McDonald
Chuck Norris
Harry Potter
SpongeBob SquarePants
Taco Bell dog
Tom Cruise
Tupac
Bass' first name was really James. Celebrities like Tom Cruise, David Bowie and Tupac vied for Senate seats. Students wrote in political figures like President George W. Bush, former grover Cleveland and Abraham Lincoln, Reverend Al Sharpton, former Senator Bob Dole and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Students also wrote in fictional characters such as Batman, Captain America, Stewie Griffin, Harry Potter, SpongeBob SquarePants, Mickey Mouse and McLovin.
Prominent athletes at the University were written in many different categories. One student wrote in Mario Chalmers for president and Chuck Norris for vice president. Brandon Rush, Sasha Kaun, Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins, Conner Teahan and former basketball player Julian Wright all made appearances from the basketball team. A student wrote in basketball coach Bill Self for freshman/sophomore CLAS senator.
Students nominated football players Todd Reesing and Aqib Talib for Senate.
Other voters showed their displeasure with Senate with write-in spots criticizing the organization. Some comments included, "I wish one of these parties had platforms that mattered," "disband Senate" and "someone not affiliated with the Greek system."
Nate Girard, Topeka junior, ran for an education seat with the coalition Students of Liberty. He said he told many people to vote for him, and four wrote him in for junior/ senior CLAS senator. Girard didn't win this year but planned on running next year.
"I think a bunch of people don't care or realize that their vote for Senate could create a more positive thing for the University," Girard said.
Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird
AWARENESS
BY MARY SORRICK
msorrick@kansan.com
Groups offer free HIV tests on campus
Free HIV tests for students mark the beginning of a studentled effort to raise HIV/AIDS awareness this week.
15 Seconds, a student group that promotes HIV/AIDS education, brings free testing to campus in association with the Douglas County AIDS Project and Student Health Services. Testing begins today on Wescoe Beach.
Jamie Bergman, Seneca senior and 15 Seconds president, said the rate of HIV infection among college students was a larger problem than many realized.
DCAP and Student Health Services will conduct the HIV testing using OraSure, a non-invasive test that detects HIV antibodies by swabbing the inside of a person's mouth.
"A lot of people just are not really educated on the issue," Bergman said. "There's a real lack of communication between people, and I don't think students know how important it is to actually get tested."
The Center for Disease Control estimates that at the end of 2003, about one-fourth of people in the United States living with HIV/AIDS were unaware of their HIV infection. The CDC also estimates a 42 percent increase from 2000 to 2004 of people ages 13-24 in the U.S.living with AIDS.
Students must fill out a short demographic questionnaire before the test, but Elena Ivanov, executive director of DCAP, said any information gathered would be confidential.
HIV testing locations
Ken Sarber, health educator at the Wellness Resource Center, said Student Health Services would also supply a "health hut" on Monday and Wednesday for increased privacy.
At each hut, there will be information about HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, including a
April 14
Wescoe Beach, 10 a.m. to
2 p.m.
April 15
Kansas Union 4th Floor
Lobby, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
April 16 Wescoe Beach, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
demonstration of the proper way to put on a condom.
Bergman said condoms had up to a 15 percent failure rate because people didn't put them on correctly. That failure rate is most common in college-aged students, she said.
The link between unprotected sex and HIV infection has been illustrated by the CDC, which reports high-risk heterosexual activity as the leading cause of HIV infections among women and the second leading cause among men. Male-to-male sexual contact is the primary cause of infection among men.
Sarber said the risk of infection meant sexually active students should get tested every six months.
national stats
-The presence of a sexually transmitted disease greatly increases the likelihood of a person acquiring or transmitting HIV
-13 percent of people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 2004 were 13-24
-67 percent of men diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 2005 were infected by male-to-male sexual contact
-80 percent of women diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 2005 were infected by high-risk heterosexual contact
Source: The Center for Disease Control
Appointments are not necessary for on-campus testing this week, and Ivanov said students would receive results in two weeks.
At that time, Bergman said DCAP would return to campus to give results and provide counseling if necessary.
Edited by Katherine Loeck
funded by:
SENATE
JINGLES
April 14, 2008
create community, many voices
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
Who: Alpha Gamma Delta
What: Alpha Gam Slam (volleyball tournament)
When: April 19th 12-4pm
Why: To raise money for the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation which helps fund Juvenille Diabetes Research
Where: Robinson gymnasium (1301 Sunnyside)
Cost: $5 per person with a minimum of six on a team.
Prizes: Yes
Questions? Let me (Rachael Fallin) know:
roo2006@ku.edu or (913) 244-4560
Get Caught Reading!!! It Pays to be Informed
Get Caught Reading a newspaper April 14th-18th and you will be entered into a drawing for a $200 Best Buy Gift card. Thanks! - The Collegiate Readership Program
EVENT: "RAGS TO RICHES" CHARITY BALL
DATE: Saturday, April 19 TIME: 7pm-9:45pm LOCATION: Gridiron Room at the Burge Union HOSTED BY: National Society of Collegiate Scholars & KU Honor Society
PURPOSE: Fundraiser event for the Lawrence Humane Society. All you have to bring are a donation of old towels & rags! Monetary donations are accepted. INFO: This event is open to ANYONE! NSCS members bring your friends! This is for a good cause. Music, food & swing dance lessons will be provided. It will give students a chance to go to a formal event dress up have fun
formal event, dress up. & dance the night away.
Be A Part of Center for Community Outreach!
CCO is seeking motivated, service-orientated people for the following paid positions: Co-Director • Communications Director • Financial Director Technology Director
27 Volunteer Coordinating Positions are also open for our 14 volunteer programs. Applications are available at www.ku.edu/-cco or outside 405 Kansas Union Co-director Applications are due April 7th (Recommendations due April 11) All other applications due April 21st
BOCO THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS BOARD OF CLASS OFFICERS
GRADUATING CLASS OF 2009-YOUR SENIOR DUES HELP TO PAY FOR THE SENIOR CLASS GIFT, SENIOR MOTTO, AND SENIOR BANNER, SO MAKE SURE TO CHECK THESE DUES OFF UNDER OPTIONAL CAMPUS FEES.
My Big Fat Greek Dinner
Sunday April 20th 5-7pm @ Abe & Jakes 5$ for all you can eat buffet Proceeds donated to Habitat for Humanity
ATTENTION STUDENTS!!! DON'T FORGET TO PAY YOUR CLASS DUES DURING ENROLLMENT.
CLASS DUES CAN BE FOUND UNDER THE LIST OF OPTIONAL CAMPUS FEES. THESE CLASS DUES HELP TO FUND THE BOARD OF CLASS OFFICERS, WHICH DISTRIBUTES THE H.O.P.E., C.L.A.S.S., AND CAMPANILE AWARDS AT KU AND HELPS TO FINANCE MAJOR CAMPUS EVENTS.
Sigma Phi Epsilon Softball Tournament
April 19th and 20th. All proceeds will be donated to the Ali Kemp Educational Foundation $100 per team/15 people max
Please contact Fran Scheuerman at 913.940.4236 or scheuerm@ku.edu