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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Check out more Free-ior-All at kansan.com
OPINION
WWW.KANSAN.COM
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2006
▼ OUR OPINION
The Editorial Board has examined the three referendums that students will face during the Student Senate elections Tuesday and Wednesday. Below are our analyses and recommendations
PAGE 5A
Should the Student Actuvity Fee be increased by $20 to fund women's and non-revenue intercollegiate sports?
The Athletics Department is asking for a $20 increase — to $40 a semester — in funding for women's and non-revenue sports. The current fee of $20 hasn't been raised since 1996.
While this is the most expensive increase of fees on the ballot, it's one that you should vote for.
First of all it helps the University of Kansas achieve compliance with Title IX, a federal law that requires spending to be equal between men's and women's athletics.
Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director, said the athletics department wasn't in compliance with Title IX, but had been working to achieve compliance. The federal government could withhold funding from the University — money that goes to the University as a whole, not athletics — if it doesn't comply.
To achieve compliance, the Athletics Department has two options: Raise funds for women's sports or cut men's sports. Kansas has already lost men's tennis and swimming and we don't want to see another cut.
Second, the Athletics Department is providing more money for non-revenue sports. When this fee was added in 1996, it paid for 31 percent of the budget for these sports. Now, it only pays for 9 percent. This fee would help remove the burden from the department to pay for these sports and could increase donations to non-revenue sports by showing student support for them.
Finally, to get this money, the other place the department looks at increasing fees is the sports ticket combo price. Students pay $125 this year and will pay $150 next for tickets to basketball and football games. Kansas has the 10th-lowest prices for tickets in the Big 12. Putting the entire burden on students who buy these tickets to help pay for non-revenue sports isn't fair. The athletics department also has made a commitment not to raise those prices first.
But the alternative is either to lose sports, make ticket prices higher or risk losing federal money by not striving to stay complain with Title IX. Hey, we could always cut the men's basketball team.
The referendum isn't perfect in that it forces every student to help pay for the costs of a small group of students — the 500 or so student athletes in these sports.
The editorial board
▼ OUR OPINION
Should the Student Activity Fee portion of the Student Senate Rules and Regulations be amended as follows: "Sections 3 shall only be amended by a direct vote of the current student body as outlined in Article VIII of the Student Senate Rules and Regulations AND a change in fees such as Student Senate Activity to $10.00 (from $17.50), Student Health Fee: Operations to $60.00 (from $90.50), Student Recreation Fee: Recreational Services to $5.00 (from $7.50), Student Recreation Fee: Sports Clubs to $2.00 (from $2.50), Student Media Fee to $4.00 (from $3.00), Campus Safety Fee to $3.00 (from $2.00), Educational Opportunity Fee to $3.00 (from $6.00), Campus Environmental Approvement Fee to $0 (from $3.00), Legal Services to $7.00 (from $8.50)?
The $100 Fee Cut party asks you to get out and vote tomorrow and Wednesday during Student Senate elections. They don't want you to vote for them as candidates. They want you to vote in favor of a sweeping cut in fees that will put $46 per semester back in your pocket and deny the Student Senate — and, by extension, Watkins Health Center, student groups, campus recycling and the Student Recreation and fitness center — $2,162,000 in funding. Without this money, funding the affected program is simply not feasible.
While we applaud the coalition's reasoning behind promoting the referendum, we do not endorse this cut. We all want our student senators to be more responsible with the money that we entrust to them — and we do want more students to vote during the elections — but such a massive reduction in funds hurts students directly. Voting yes for this referendum is the equivalent of using an axe when a scalpel will suffice.
Cutting fees is a laudable goal, but the extent of this referendum's fee cut should give everyone pause. Serious consideration should be given to each and every fee before deciding whether it is an important addition to campus services. The referendum even cuts the Legal Services for Students fee by $1.50 — the exact amount of increase approved by students through referendum during last year's election. This referendum is a chaotic mismash of fee reductions and increases.
The $100 Fee Cut coalition wants you to believe that you must vote for this referendum to reclaim personal choice about how student senate spends your money. What the candidates don't tell you is that the Board of Regents has the power of approval or denial of any fee increases or decreases. It is unlikely that the Regents will allow such a suicidal cut in University programs and services to pass, unaltered.
Furthermore, they have the opportunity to selectively allow fee cuts. This could easily translate into the Regents denying critical fee cuts — such as those to Watkins and the Student Recreation and Fitness Center — and approving cuts to programs that make our lives a little better, such as the Student Senate Activity fee, which funds student groups, or the Campus Environmental Improvement fee, which provides recycling across campus and employs 14 students. A vote for this referendum places the choice in front of the Board of Regents, not the students.
We urge you to vote "No" to the fee cut referendum and to hold your senators directly accountable and responsible for the funding decisions they make.
The editorial board
TALK TO US
Jonathan Kealing, editor
864-4854 or jkealing@kanaan.com
Joshua Bickel, managing editor
864-4854 or jbicke@kanaan.com
Nate Karlin, managing editor
864-4854 or rkarlin@kanaan.com
Jason Shad, opinion editor
864-4854 or ijahead@kanaan.com
Patrick Ross, associate opinion editor
884-4924 or pross@kansan.com
Sarah Connelly, sales manager
864-4462 or adsales@kansan.com
Arl Ben, business manager
864-4482 or adddirector@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager, news adviser
844-7667 or mituba@kanan.com
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser
864-7666 or jweaver@kansas.com
▼ OUR OPINION
Should the Student Activity Fee be increased by one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) per semester and by seventy-five cents ($.75) in the summer term to fund Multicultural Education Enhancement?
Probably the last thing you would like to read about right now is another proposed fee, but the Multicultural Affairs Committee has proposed one and it's actually a good idea. It's called the Multicultural Education Enhancement fee and cost $1.50 each fall and spring semester and $.75 during the summer. The money generated — estimated at $70,000 each year — would create a separate Senate account used for the explicit purpose of funding educational events as long as the event discusses sex, color, race, ethnicity, national origin or sexual orientation in an educational manner.
As it stands, a lot of multicultural groups are smaller in number simply because of demographics. These organizations consistently struggle with funding and have to fundraise constantly for their events. Most of their energy is focused on this, which takes away from the actual event. This fee would not wipe out their fundraising efforts, but it would at least reduce the burden so that groups can focus on publicity and coordination of the event. If they are already willing to expend this much energy putting on events now, just imagine what groups could do with more money.
The current set up for event funding says Senate can fund the first $1,000 of the event and then up to 50 percent of the rest of the expense. Should the multicultural fee pass, Senate could fund an additional 25 percent of the event cost.
People have expressed concern that the "Polish Juggling Group" or "German Beer Drinking Society" will form in response to this new reserve of money. This kind of concern is unjustified because the Senate still determines what events are funded and by how much. We should at least be able to trust the Senate to distinguish legitimate requests from others as they have always done. The only major change this fee could immediately enact is to inspire more groups to plan more events with a diverse message. And what's wrong with that? It is doing exactly what the fee increase aimed to do. It is promoting more cultural awareness. And that is why students should support this fee increase, if not for these groups, at least for themselves.
This is a small increase that can be used well. This initiative benefits campus in a much-needed manner: Increasing diversity. College is supposed to prepare us for the real world and our future careers. There is no doubt that later in life — if not now — we will encounter situations that demand a greater cultural awareness in order to succeed. Our University would be doing us a disservice if we were not exposed to different ways of thought and cultures. Unfortunately, diversity does not occur here as much as it does in most places throughout the United States, but
the important thing is that we are willing to work on this. We do have to take extra steps to ensure we are exposed to different points of view. This in turn allows everyone to be better citizens and stewards of our communities.
The editorial board
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.
To the man who makes my smoothie every Tuesday and Thursday. You're beautiful. I love you. Will you marry me?
Whoever knew that June Carter wrote "Ring of Fire" good for you, but no one really cared.
Wow, the VP candidate for Delta Force totally just said "Skate or Die." I hope this University doesn't get taken
protesting.
--be able to drive, period.
How does Delta Force's platform have anything to do with students? It all has to do with the war and debates and
Hey Free-for-All, I just read that post that you had about sorority girls driving, talking on cell phones. I personally think sorority girls should not
be able to drive, period.
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school year. It's called Day on the Hill. Thanks for giving us all the great info on that.
Why don't they just change the name of the baseball team to Team Price?
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again
Michael Phillips needs to leave the crappy University Daily Kansan, and return to Maize High School and start the Michael Phillips Show
You ever wonder if sometimes people leave their house, throwing on the most random piece of clothing they can find, and decide to come to class? I do. I do.
Hey, it's so obvious: Chuck Norris would make more asteroids when he jump kicks it. We need MacGyver to help us get rid of that asteroid.
school year. It's called Day on the Hill. Thanks for giving us all the great info on that.
school year. It's called Day on the Hill. Thanks for giving us all the great info on that.
Hey Jayplay, great job covering the biggest event of the
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Hey, I saw this kid walking around campus, got a red hat on. Such a pimp.
I think Schwarzenegger from Predator would beat Rambo up, but I also think Jean-Claude Van Damme from Bloodsport would kill both of them.
In response to Thursday's Free-for-All, "Who the hell is Ryne Price?" Try going to a baseball game sometime.
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Trucks that have stickers on the back window that say things like "Bad boy" and "Fear this" aren't cool.
I like the rain because it just means that I don't have to see "Ignite" and "Delta Force" written everywhere I
walk.
Hey Free-for-All, whatever happened to the Phi Kaps? Goodnight.
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EDITORIAL BOARD
Jonathan Kealing, Joachu Bickel, Nate Karlin,
Jason Shaad, Patrick Ross,Ty Beaver, John
Jordan, Malinda Maibaba
SUBMIT TO
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1435 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045
(785) 864-4810, opinion@kansan.com
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The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions.
For any questions, call Jason Shaad or Patrick Ross at 864-4810 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com.
SUBMISSIONS
COMMENTARY
Simple steps make noticeable differences
KELLY COCHRAN
opinion@kansan.com
The world is dying. We hear it every day, but it's easy to forget when we're landlocked in Kansas, nowhere near melting icecaps or deforestation. But environmentalism is just as important in Lawrence as it is in Antarctica or Brazil. Helping the environment doesn't take a large commitment like trading in your gas-guzzling car for a bright shiny hybrid. There are smaller things people can do to make a noticeable difference.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, an average American creates 4.4 pounds of trash a day, which adds up to 220 tons of trash annually. With those kind of numbers, it's clear that there's something to the grade school mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle. Campus is more accommodating to the environment and has more services than most people take advantage of. The Environmental Stewardship Program on campus not only provides bins throughout campus labeled for newspaper, plastic bottles and aluminum cans, they accommodate office clean-outs, as well as electronic recycling. The Department of Environment, Health, and Safety will also make sure you dispose of hazardous waste effectively and safely.
Helping the environment doesn't require you to become an ascetic or even to spend a lot of money. It's something worth doing and it only takes a little attention and some action. Even the smallest of changes can have a noticeable impact.
A second easy way to reduce waste is by replacing disposable products such as shopping bags and paper plates with reusable things. Take your own bag if you're going to the grocery or drug store, or a portable thermos if you're getting coffee. The community has noticed the difference this makes and coffee shops throughout Lawrence as well as campus' own eating facilities charge less for coffee if you bring your own thermos or mug. Just think, by simply buying a thermos you can reduce pollution, conserve landfill space and reduce consumption of natural resources.
And, lastly, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, there is a third classic way of cutting down energy consumption. Turn of the lights when you leave a room when they're unnecessary. If you want to take this a step further, you can replace the light bulbs in your house with a compact fluorescent bulb, which is a more energy-efficient bulb found in hardware and grocery stores. While this can cost more at the outset, these light bulbs use a quarter of the energy that a run-of-the-mill incandescent bulb does, and they last up to 10 times longer.
Cochran is a Mission sophomore in journalism.
General questions should be directed to the editor at editor @kansan.com
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