The University Daily Kansan
Monday, April 9, 2001
Section A · Page 6
Coalitions face smear campaigns during final days
By Brooke Hesler
writer @kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
The VOICE coalition was the target of negative chalking on the stairs behind Wescoe Hall last week.
The chalking read, "Vultures Over Important College Elections," "Vote: Omega Iota Chpsilon," "Victims of Interesting Childhood Experiences" and "Vexatious Organization Idealizing Crooked Establishments."
Hunter Harris,VOICE vice-presidential candidate wouldn't go so far as to say Delta Force was to blame. However, he said he.
However, he said he thought whoever chalked the messages could have a vested interest in the elections.
Kyle Browning, Delta Force vice presidential candidate, said he checked with all candidates in his coalition and was positive that none of them
ALLEGED VIOLATIONS
- Delta Force filed a campaign violation againstVOICE, alleging that the coalition put up campaign signs at Mastercraft Apartments before getting permission from the management.
VOICE filed a campaign violation against Delta Force for leaving tables in the Kansas Union unattended and leaving campaign materials unattended in Templin Hall.
"We are going to chalk, but it's going to all be pro-Delta Force, not anti-VOICE." he said.
were to blame. Browning said negative chalking angered him, too.
Jessica Bankston,VOICE presidential candidate,said she didn't think voters would give the messages any weight.
"I don't think anybody takes that stuff seriously," she said. "Obviously, whoever wrote that doesn't know most of our candidates."
Bankston said VOICE wouldn't file a campaign violation against Delta Force unless new information surfaced.
"I can't even begin to guess who would do that," she said.
"I don't think they're going to come forward, though."
Dustin Johnson, elections commissioner, said he would look into the matter regardless of whether a campaign violation was filed.
Also last week, Delta Force filed a campaign violation against VOICE, alleging that the coalition didn't get permission before signs were put up at Mastercraft Apartments. Johnson could not comment extensively because the investigation was still underway, but he said the elections commission had received conflicting information from the two coalitions.
Justin Mills, Delta Force presidential candidate, said the matter started when a Delta Force candidate spotted the yard sign at her apartment. Mills said she called the management, and they said VOICE did not have permission to put the sign up.
Mills said he had received a call from Harris the next day. He said Harris told him the owners were family friends and that was how he got permission to put the sign up.
Harris said he personally called and received permission from the owners.
"Since I'm from Lawrence, I have relationships with people in the town," he said. "I'm sure if Delta Force had called earlier, the owners would have let them put up signs, too." — Edited by Jay Pilgren
The University Daily Kansan conducted background checks on all Student Senate candidates. It is Kansan policy to conduct background checks on candidates' criminal histories every year at the Douglas County District and Lawrence Municipal courts.
Douglas County District Court. The following information came from the Lawrence Municipal Court.
Traffic citations and civil suits are not listed. No information was found at the
Kansan checks candidates' criminal records
Katharine S. Porter was issued a citation for minor in possession of alcohol and an unlawful use of license March 1, 2000. She was issued a citation for disturbing the peace Oct. 17, 1999. Porter
Branden A. Bell was issued a urination or defecation in public citation Sept. 3, 1999. Bell is running for CLAS senator with VOICE.
is running for School of Social Welfare with the VOICE coalition.
Megan R. Knop was issued a minor in possession of alcohol citation and an unlawful use of license citation April 29.
2000. Knop is running for Nunemaker senator with VOICE.
Dallas L. Rakesstraw was issued a minor in possession of alcohol citation and an unlawful use of license citation March 2, 2000. Rakesstraw is running for Nunemaker senator with VOICE.
—Lauren Brandenburg and Amanda Beglin
Many background records fair game for public
By Amanda Bealin
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Members of Student Senate and the University Daily Kansan may fear impending background checks, but so should others in the KU community.
The Kansan ran the results of background checks on Student Senate candidates today. And the spotlight may turn on the Kansan, as a campus group known as Truth in Reporting, led by J.D. Jenkins, outgoing Liberal Arts and Sciences senator, plans to initiate its own background checks on Kansan staff members.
But with a few dollars and some investigative know-how, curiosity about anyone's wrongdoing can be satisfied.
Ron Pei, Wilmette, Ill., sophomore, tried to see what he could find out about himself when he was at the courthouse two weeks ago.
"I saw the computer and thought I'd better make sure nothing was on there about me," Pei said. "I've never even had a speeding ticket, and nothing showed up. I looked up my brother and a couple of my roommates, but all I found was my brother's two speeding tickets."
"I think a background check is way too nosy, but I'm OK with the computers," Pei said. "I mean, I probably wouldn't find anything absolutely terrible about anyone I know, but it's strange that you can tr."
Pei said he had never considered paying to run a background check on someone, but the free public computer terminals were too much to resist.
Incident reports about the previous day's campus crimes are public record and can be found in a plastic bin near the entrance of the KU Public Safety Office, 302 Carruth-O'Leary Hall. Only the front page of the report is public record. That page includes the incident's location, date and time, as well as the name, address, phone number and employer of the first victim.
But what's available one day won't be there the next day, said Liz Phillips, assistant director of the public safety office.
"Arrest reports won't sit there beyond 24 hours," Phillips said. "It's a law that in the state of Kansas, people have an arraignment within 24 hours of their arrest. So the police records are then judicial records."
But students can request a conviction record — which lists crimes for which a person has been convicted — at the front desk of the public safety office.
The clerk's desk at the Lawrence Police Department, 111 E. 11th St., maintains a clipboard of the front pages of incident reports from the previous day, said Sgt. Mike Pattrick. Additional pages, which may include information about other victims and a police officer's narration of the incident, can be obtained for a $5 fee. No information about suspects is made public, Pattrick said.
"Lengthy reports cost 25 cents per page beyond a certain amount of pages."
Patrick said. "But most accident reports are usually about three pages, so the $5 covers it."
Five dollars also would cover expenses for many records in the district court clerk's office, just a short indoor walk downstairs from the police department. A public computer terminal is located next to the office door for people who want to people search electronically, said Debbie White records clerk.
But many records aren't public information. Adoption records, personal information about public employees, some criminal investigation records, search warrants, expunged criminal records, many juvenile records and all grand jury proceedings are sealed from the public eye.
"Our files go back to about July 1992," White said. "It won't tell you anyone's date of birth or social security number, but you can find just about anything."
Senate ensures first election announcement in Union is last
— Edited by Courtney Craigmile
By Brooke Hesler
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The first year that Student Senate election results will be announced in the Kansas Union likely will be the last because of a bill passed by Student Senate last week.
The bill stated that announcements of the winners would be made on KJHK 90.7 FM and that the elections commission could not impose a location for announcements unless it was agreed upon by all participants. The bill will take effect next year.
Dustin Johnson, elections commissioner,
said he didn't agree with the bill.
location of its choosing in future years.
"It's good and well if these candidates don't want to come," he said. "Have your fun, but to me it crosses the line when you deny others that opportunity."
Johnson said he hadn't received any negative feedback from candidates regarding the Union festivities. He said he could understand why they wouldn't be coming, but he thought it was unfair that the commission couldn't announce winners at a
Presidential and vice-presidential candidates from Delta Force and the VOICE coalition have decided to attend their own election parties instead.
Jessica Lucas, who is running with the VOICE coalition for a liberal arts and sciences seat, voted for the bill. She is also a current Nunemaker senator, representing freshman and sophomores. She said she thought the tradition of announcing results over KJHK should be kept.
"Announcing the result is great, but it's unrealistic to use it to hope." she said.
Robin Anderson, who is running for a Nunemaker seat with Delta Force, said she thought the elections commission should be able to announce results at its own party.
"I think it would take some of the spirit away if they just heard the results over the radio," Anderson said.
The announcement will be made about 10 p.m. Thursday at the English Room in the Union.
— Edited by Jason McKee and Mike Dalgety
Candidates hope to jumpstart minority recruitment efforts
Continued from page 1A
which some people view as reverse-discrimination.
But the problem doesn't reside in just one demographic, he said. Minority students, who "tend to congregate together," also need to be educated about the importance of diversity.
"I don't want my little brother to come to KU and feel isolated," Mills said.
Though both coalitions lack specifics on their goals for recruitment and retention, Mills said he would work to establish more four-year scholarships for minority freshman and he would push for the Office of Admissions to hire more than one minority recruiter.
"They can only do so much with the resources they have." Mills said.
While Mills said Claudia Mercado, the University's sole minority recruiter, was doing an excellent job, she is also a graduate student, and he
would like to have a full-time recruiter.
"Admissions is a lot of times on the defensive rather than the offensive." Mills said. "We want to work with them, not against them."
Bankston said her coalition's focus would be to facilitate the establishment of the commission on the status of minorities because it would be a permanent evaluation group.
She would also use Senate's resources to aid the Office of Admissions with diversity programs.
The key, she said, would be to watch out for over-programming. While some programs have proven popular; like the Office of Multicultural Affairs' HAWK Link, some smaller initiatives don't generate much response.
Bankston said it was important to research each program and determine if it effectively reached a large enough audience.
- Edited by Melinda Weaver
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