THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2008
NEWS
3A
senate notebook
Student Senate committees met last night in the Kansas Union. Legislation must pass two committees before full Senate votes on its implementation next Wednesday.
Fee voted on include transit and safety
The student rights committee voted to raise student fees by $8.20. The committee voted to raise the campus transportation fee $6.20, raise the SafeRide fee $1.50, and raise the campus
safety fee $.50.
The finance committee heard this legislation and also a SUA fee increase of $.50. It did not pass the campus safety fee raise.
The student rights committee voted to raise the campus safety fee by $.50 to fund a new Jaywalk program and self-defense program. They also removed a sunset on the fee, which means it won't have to be reapplied every year.
The finance committee approved removing the sunset but did not approve the increase. Both
the student rights committee and the finance committee approved legislation to send a fee raise for universal busing access to referendum. If this passes in full Senate, the student body will vote during Student Senate elections to approve a $20 fee raise that would abolish all bus passes and fees to ride the bus.
Presidential veto power called into question
The student rights committee created four pieces of legislation
last night. This week is the last time legislation can go through Senate this school year.
Tom Cox, holdover senator, created legislation to take away the student body president's power to veto legislation that requires two-thirds of Senate to pass. Only changes to Senate rules require this number of votes to pass.
Cox also created legislation to not allow gifts to senators from the Athletics Department. He said this would not apply to athletes or members of the band.He said
it would also not apply to events where the department invited all students.
Felix Zacharias, non-traditional senator, created legislation that would require chairpersons of committees that handle fees to be appointed at the last Senate meeting of the year. He said that he was chair of the student media fee board, and he felt like chairs needed more training from previous chairs. He said some information was lost during the summer when chairpersons were appointed later.
Emily Williams, Panhelenic senator and student rights committee secretary, created legislation to make agreements between Student Senate and other organizations binding by paper. She cited verbal agreements like the Athletics Department replacing parking spots after building the football facility.
Brenna Hawley
INTERNATIONAL
Brazilian scientists discover prehistoric crocodile skeleton
MICHAEL ASTOR ASSOCIATED PRESS
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil— Pointy-nosed crocodiles may have joined sharks as the dominant predators in the world's oceans some 62 million years ago, according to Brazilian scientists who on Wednesday unveiled one of the most complete skeletons found yet of the prehistoric animals.
Scientists called it a new species, "Guarinisuchus munzi," and said it sheds new light on the evolutionary history of modern crocodiles.
The fossil includes a skull, jaw bone and vertebrae, making it one of the most complete examples of marine corodylomorphs collected so far in South America, said Alexander Kellner of the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He and other scientists unveiled fossils and a model of the 10-foot-long crocodile at the museum.
"It's a very rare find and it gives rise to several new theories,"
said Kellner, who co-authored an article on the find that was published Tuesday in Proceedings of The Royal Society B, a London-based peer-reviewed journal.
Guarinisuchus appears to be closely related to marine crocodylomorphs found in Africa, which supports the hypothesis that the group originated in Africa and migrated to South America before spreading into the waters off the North American coast, Kellner said.
The find also suggests that marine crocodylomorphs replaced marine lizards during the early Paleocene era, about 65 million years ago — the same time marine lizards became extinct. They believe it's a new species based on anatomical differences in the skull that are unique to this creature.
Philip Currie, a paleontology professor at the University of Alberta, Canada who was not involved with the discovery, said it was an important find.
"There are a lot of unknowns with this group in terms of evolution. Clearly the discovery of a
specimen as nice as this one will help sort things out," Currie said in telephone interview.
The bones were found in the northeastern state of Pernambuco. Scientists named the species "Guarinisuchus" after the Tupi Indian word "Guarani," which means warrior and "munizi," in honor of Brazilian paleontologist Deraldo da Costa Barros Muniz, who has discovered many dinosaur fossils off Brazil's northeastern coast. Muni didn't participate in this find.
Scientists have discovered a wealth of crocodile ancestors around Brazil in recent years.
In January, they announced the discovery of an 80 million-year-old land-bound reptile described as a possible link between prehistoric and modern-day crocodiles.
Two years ago, paleontologists from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro announced the discovery of a 70-million-year-old crocodile fossil that they called Uberabasuchus Terrificus, or "Terrible Crocodile of Uberaba."
A fossil of a new prehistoric crocodile species "Guarinisuchus munizi" is seen during a press conference at National Museum of the Rio de Janeiro Federal University in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday. Brazilian scientists say they have found a new prehistoric crocodile species that inhabited the Earth's oceans some 62 million years ago. ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
Start and End at Macell's, 1031 New Hampshire.
One mile Walk and 5K Walk/Run.
Registration 7-8am. Stretch and run with Red Dog, at 7:50am. Walk steps off at 8am.
A full breakfast, sponsored by NetworQ, will be served for returning participants from 8:30-10am.
Registration is online at www.douglascountyaidsproject.org
Saturday, April 12th
Join ASEEC in welcoming the people and the culture of Latin America, there will be free food music dancing and a gale of speakers. Thursday, March 27, 8:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, west of Iowa on 31rd Street.
ASEEC: 4444
FACE THE PREJUDICE FACE THE FEAR!
Delta Delta Delta Kickball Tournament to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Saturday, March 29, 2008 @ 10:00 am Broken Arrow Park (29th and Louisiana) Teams of 6
WHO IS LATIN AMERICA?
"Kick For A Cure"
Delta Delta Delta Kickball Tournament
McGov McGov McGov McGov McGov McGov McGov McGov
McCollum Residence hall is putting on a Battle of the Bands
for more information contact philanthropy chair at kristam@ku.edu
Attention Local Bands!
Any Band can win the only rule is someone in the band must reside in Student Housing
Please bring all demos to McCollum front desk or contact us at bigmacbotb@yahoo.com or Casty@ku.edu Demos due by 3/13
Grand Prize $500!
McGovMcGovMcGovMcGovMcGov
KU NPHC and Eli Lilly Present:
Stomp the Hill Step Show
March 29th, 2008 at 7:00
Lied Centers
Tickets Available at Lied Center Box Office
JA Office Murphy Hall Box Office www.lied.ku.e
SUA Office Murphy Hall Box Office www.lied.ku.edu
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 & dance the night away
have fun & dance the night away.
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