THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN OPINION WWW.KANSAN.COM PAGE 5A OUR OPINION TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006 Editorial Board endorses Ignite This year's Student Senate election offers two coalitions that vary markedly and one coalition that does not even want your vote. One coalition brings a platform of ideas we as students should care about. Another coalition brings a platform of initiatives from which we as students will take real, tangible benefits. The third coalition has just one initiative, and it looks much bigger and better on paper then it is in reality. - Delta Force and Ignite - and only one coalition has a platform that gives students tangible benefits - Ignite. And though neither coalition's candidates exuded enthusiasm in their interviews with the Kansan, a vote for Ignite is more likely to directly improve your quality of life at the University of Kansas. In reality, only two coalitions have viable campaigns Ignite's best initiative is its effort to expand campus wireless access to all classrooms and in all on-campus housing. Not only will this be beneficial, but it will also bring us up to the same standards as other universities. In order to attract the best and the brightest students, we must offer all of the technological capabilities our generation has come to expect. Wireless Internet access is on that list. Additionally, Ignite has a proposal to put more cash in your pockets — without drastically slashing student fees and services. Ignite has proposed to work with state legislators to exempt textbooks from state and local sales tax laws. If you spend $500 a semester on textbooks, making them tax exempt will save you almost $40. In eight semesters, you'll have saved nearly $320. That's much more than a bottle of beer. Comparing these two coalitions is a lot like comparing apples and oranges. They have wholly different priorities, which makes them hard to choose between. Ultimately, Delta Force brings laudable goals, but too many are unrealistic ideas that present little concrete benefit to students. When it comes right down to it, helping students is what this election should be about, and the coalition that brings the most benefits to students is the one that deserves your vote. In this election, that coalition is Ignite. Free All for Call 864-0500 Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded. The editorial board. David Hasselhoff brought down the Berlin Wall with his bare hands. - Hey, I just wanted to know if Susan Sarandon was Thelma or Louise in "Thelma & Louise" the movie. (Editor's note: She was Louise.) that? What's up with all those lame-asses in Lawrence not buying any girls drinks ever, at all? Nope, none of that love. What's up with You stood me up today Free-for-All. You stood me up hard core. I hate you. 图 No Free-for-All? What am I supposed to do? Read the paper To whoever TPed the G-Dub house, one word: Revenge. The top four reasons why you shouldn't have a car in Lawrence: Number one, the parking department. Number two, the potholes. Number three, well, the roundabout. Number four, just overall terrible drivers The editorial board has analyzed the platforms of both coalitions vying for office. Our analysis is in italics. - So what exactly does bad tuna smell like? Apparently Free-for-All didn't want to take part in Casual Friday, so they just didn't show. Dear pedestrians, there aren't any diagonal crosswalks. Don't be stupid. be rewards. The long and short: Coalition platforms Every time I see a local Lawrence commercial, it makes me so glad that I'm moving far, far, far away from here in two months. Use the Kiosk during foreplay. So we're waiting in line for our free dozen Krispy Kreme donuts while drinking our free Wendy's frosties, because the Royals just won the game. Hahaaha, vay! Domino's delivery man, I asked for two things of ranch dressing. If you're not good at delivering pizza, then what the hell are you good at? be rewards. More Affordable Textbooks Kansas City Royals destroy the White Sox. It needs to be in the newspaper other than I've given up on girls. That doesn't make me homosexual, but I'm not heterosexual, but definitely not bisexual, so does that make我 asexual? Hey, world champion White Sox, what happened? Finish your food, because there are starving sorority girls at KU. be rewards. Hi, I have a little bit of an issue. Our George Washington sign is missing from the top of our house, and if anyone knows where it is, please give it back. There will Ignite some art necessarily be safer either because buses would constantly need to cross them to pull over at bus stops. The stop-and-go traffic on Jayhawk Boulevard would limit the unimpeded travel that bike lanes are meant to provide. This idea is interesting, but not that realistic or beneficial. More Affordable textbooks Propose a university policy requiring professors to declare textbooks earlier to increase used book buyback and a university policy requiring professors to search for the lowest textbook prices and investigate bundled products that increase book prices - Lobby state government to make textbooks sales tax-free on a state level Tax-free textbooks could benefit all students. Without the seven-and-half cent sales tax, students could save about $40 on $500-worth of books. Getting the state government to create a duty-free book-sale system, however, would be a difficult and lengthy process. This is a good idea, but it hinges on uncertain government support. Easily Accessible Financial Aid - Implement software that allows students to input their student ID numbers and receive information about all financial aid that is available to them — including grants, scholarships, work study or any other available assets - Increase awareness of and expand current financial aid advising available to all students Information about most grants and work study opportunities is already available on students' financial aid summaries from the University. Most departments also send scholarship information to students or readily provide it to people who ask. The students most likely to earn scholarships already know where to look for them. With so many scholarship search engines already available, another way to locate scholarships may be unnecessary. Increased Advising Resources - Develop an interactive ARTS form that links the ARTS form, degree requirements, course descriptions and the online timetable - An extra advising desk and a more comprehensive, interactive ARTS form could help improve the University's four-year graduate rate. Then again, plenty of resources and advisors already exist for students who take the time to find them. Students who don't take such time probably wouldn't utilize the extra resources anyway. - Create a physical and online advising help desk to give students that extra hand in navigating their advising resources Bike Lanes on Jayhawk Boulevard - Designate bike lanes on Jayhawk Boulevard to make campus safer and more environmentally friendly - A bike lane on Jayhawk Boulevard would displace several faculty and handicap parking spaces as well as require parking department approval. The lanes wouldn't Academic Technology Borrowing Design, develop and implement an academic technology checkout center where students can check out laptops with needed software packages, digital cameras, video recorders or any other needed technologies. An academic technology checkout center would give students the freedom to work on projects without having to remain in the library. As long as the program is sufficiently monitored — unlike some past initiatives, such as the Y.E.L.L.O.W. bike program — this center has the potential to provide students with more convenient access to a variety of technical resources. Redevelopment of the Student Orgs Web Site ● Create a more visible link for current and prospective students to find student organizations in which they are interested - Create a resources Web site and online registration tool for organizations This initiative is practical and useful. Student senators could easily create a new resource Web site without having to wait for outside approval, like with several other initiatives. Online registration could also increase the number of students who benefit from Senate funding and resources. Weekend Circulating SafeBus - Create a SafeBus program that will circulate a consistent route to popular evening venues and living areas on weekend nights - Like bike lanes on Jayhawk Boulevard, this idea is interesting, but probably not realistic. One bus wouldn't accommodate very many students. People who couldn't catch the bus during peak demand times would be unlikely to wait around for an entire circuit. Furthermore, Senate just approved increased funding for SafeRide, which should improve the system already in place. If a weekend bus program is going to work, it needs to involve enough buses to give students quick and reliable transportation. A single SafeBus wouldn't do this. - Extend wireless to all campus classrooms Expanding the Wireless Campus - Initiate wireless in on-campus housing Extending wireless Internet into on-campus housing should help attract more students to the University. Delta Force Make KU a leading University in Sustainability ▼ Create a Center for Sustainability $ \blacktriangleright $ Instituting environmentally friendly initiative, such as the gray water system The Sustainability Task Force, formed by the Provost in 2004, recently published their report on recommendations for campus that included plans for a Center for Sustainability. Therefore, whether Delta Force wins or not, this initiative will continue forth. On the other hand, the grey water policy, which deals with recycling storm water and using this for landscape watering on campus, will take a lot more coordination and planning. The required logistical overhaul to implement the grey water system would cost $500,000. If this change comes to fruition the University would save an estimated $100,000 each year afterwards. It's a good idea but will take a lot of effort. Create an objective noise ordinance Lobby the commission for a more objective city ordinance Challenge the nuisance house ordinance that allows for the utilities to be shut off for those found in violation Currently students living off campus can be punished for anything considered "excessive, unreasonable or unusually loud noise." Delta Force would like to more narrowly define acceptable decibel levels, designated quiet hours and other realistic regulations. This is the most realistic and feasible platform by means of lobbying the city commission. Reform Sexual Assault Policy Clarify current rules regarding specific consequences for certain types of sexual assault so that each case is treated justly and the safety of all attending the University is ensured This platform superficially addresses a non-issue with little regard for the University's discretion in these matters. Even how Delta Force presents this topic - as if it were a rampant problem here that has left many victims further traumatized - serves to promote excessive fear and concern. Yes, sexual harassment and sexual assault are serious issues that need to be dealt with in a serious and forthright manner but the University does not have an extensive history of not living up to this standard. Furthermore, anytime the ability the decide punishment is limited, the legitimacy of the process is detracted. Institute Electronic Privacy Establishing a definite policy of how Web sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, can be used in regards to student discipline and University employment. We appreciate Delta Force's desire for the University to be accountable for the unethical practice of punishing students based on what they post online. Nonetheless, students are ultimately the ones to make the decision on what kind of information they present about themselves in the public forum of the Internet. This initiative seems to blow this problem out of proportion but has a noble intent. Create Student Friendly Libraries Increase amount of quiet study areas ▼ Create rest and relaxation rooms where students can sleep Increasing the amount of study areas is fine but creating sleeping rooms is less practical and not well planned. Delta Force does not know where these rooms would be. Then there also is the concern of the safety of the rooms. Their solution was to have students show student ids to enter. This is cumbersome and does not guard against theft or prevent students from partaking in activities other than sleeping. Increase Student Created Media and Publications Want more student-created media projects including zines, film and music ▼ More opportunities and resources to get academic works published This is a good idea to promote greater student expression. Right now a group must be established for about one and a half semesters before they would receive funding. In addition, the student media board does not allow for a publication to be mainly Webbased, which is the direction publications publication are going. In short, student media regulations does need overhauling. Divest from Sudan Work to see that KU takes an active stance against genocide and withdraws all investments from companies that do business with the Sudanese government The term "high-falutin' rhetoric" comes to mind when discussing this issue. What companies would be included and how do we define what business deals with Sudan? What would the University do when the conflict is over? How does this affect students directly? This issue is an excellent social issue but not appropriate for a platform issue. Support GTAs during contract negotiations Supporting the abolishment of the ten semester limit for GTAs $ \nabla $ Help them lobby for better healthcare plans This is a good platform that reaches out to graduate students, a demographic often neglected. They have long pioneered for these TALK TO US Jonathan Kealing, editor 884-4584 or jkealing@kanasan.com Joshua Bickel, managing editor 884-4584 or jackie@kanasan.com Nate Karlin, managing editor 884-4584 or nkarlin@kanasan.com Jason Shaud, opinion editor 884-4624 or jeadau@kanasan.com Patrick Ross, associate opinion editor 864-4924 or pros@kansan.com Ari Ben, business manager 864-4462 or adddirector@kansan.com Sarah Connelly, sales manager 864-4462 or adsales@kansan.com Malcolum gibson, general manager, news adviser 864-7867 or mgbiont at kansan.com GUEST COLUMN GUIDELINES **Maximum Length:** 500 word limit **Include:** Author's name; class, home- town (student); position (faculty member, staff); phone number (will not be published) **Also:** The Kanan will not print guest columns that attack a reporter or an another columnist. 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