THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Forgot about Grad Finale?
Seniors can still buy graduation accessories from local merchants. GRADUATION 6
Wasted romance
Bars might just be the worst places for date pick-ups. JAYPLAY | INSIDE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Juggling clubs and time
VOLUME 121 ISSUE 101
Valerie Skuba!/KANSAN
Lee Dixon, a senior from Overland Park and president of the juggling club, practices his jugging abilities in front of Stauffer-Flint Wednesday afternoon. Dixon said he used juggling to avoid homework. "This is a little more interesting than studying Latin," Dixon said.
STUDENT SENATE
Vote turns down elections code bill
BY ANNIE VANGSNES
anniev@kansan.com
The elections commission's proposed changes were similar to a bill introduced last semester by Student Senate Executive Chairman Alex Earles and the executive staff.
A bill to change the Student Senate elections code didn't pass Wednesday after a heated debate.
Cox said he didn't think anything suspicious was going on because any senator could have submitted comments and suggestions to improve the code to the election commission, including the members of the executive staff.
"Some people felt disenfranchised that it was them trying to shove their agenda since it failed through senate," Cox said, referring to members of the executive staff.
Tom Cox, chairman of the student rights committee, said some senators thought the new bill was too similar to the previously failed bill, which sparked Wednesday night's debate.
Ross Ringer, a sophomore senator from Prairie Village, said he introduced a resolution last semester and in January recommending that the commission adopt the changes.
It was ambiguous whether Senate or the election commission had the final say over the code. Some senators argued that the election commission had the authority to alter the code, while others argued that the code falls under Senate rules and regulations and must be passed by the Senate.
Cox said the elections code fell under rules and regulations and that changes must be approved by the Senate. Though he said senators couldn't decide who had the final say, the Senate decided to vote and look critically at the issue later.
Ringer said the proposed changes, including the addition of a point system for election offences, were to make sure that in future years the Senate had rules with appropriate language to hold coalitions accountable. He said last year's elections may have pointed out some of the flaws in the elections code.
Courtney Brax, chairwoman of the elections commission, said no action had been taken yet.
"I believe that the next step would be to evaluate the rules and figure out where to go from here," Brax said.
Edited by Michael Holtz
PROPOSED POINT SYSTEM FOR ELECTIONS
Offenses that are often accidentally committed or not committed with malicious intent and has nominal effect on the election
Minor Offense (.5-1 point)
Examples:
Filing coalitions or candidates incorrectly
- Minor campaign material offenses (handbilling, posters, etc.)
Serious Offense (2-4 points)
Offenses that are committed intentionally
candidate or coalition
Significant Offense (1-3 points) Offenses that could be committed with or without malicious intent, but have an undeniable effect on the election
Examples:
Examples:
Libelous or slanderous
statements against anoth candidate or coalition
Repeated pattern of lesser offenses
Failure to comply with the elections commission rulings, including paying fines
- Not following polling regulations; poll locations, hours of operation, procedures, etc.
- Violating campaign expense limits and reporting
Encouraging an individual to commit an offense under the elections code
Egregious Offense (4-5 points)
Offenses committed with intent to disrupt the democratic process and involve egregious malfeasance
Examples:
- Attempts to influence the outcome by means of harassment, intimidation, bribery or fraud
Candidates campaigning to voters while at the poll
GLOBAL AWARENESS PROGRAM
New housing option for students promotes international awareness
BY KIRSTEN KWON kkwon@kansan.com
The Global Awareness Program, which recognizes international experience, will now accept a new living situation as a means toward earning certification.
The Global House, a new housing option on the sixth floor of McCollum Hall, will open in the fall. In the past, GAP certification was limited to three options at the University, but with the addition of the new housing program, students have a fourth way of earning the GAP certificate.
Lauren Patti, a senior from Roeland Park, said she enjoyed the international experience more than the certification process itself.
Students receive the GAP certificate by earning points through completing two of three components. The components include studying abroad, completing two semesters of foreign language or three courses with an international focus and participating in co-curricular activities.
"It's to build you personally, not solely to put on a resume," Patti said.
Program coordinator, said it hasn't been decided whether to include the Global House as a separate component or incorporate it into one of the three existing components.
Jenna Hunter, Global Awareness
The Global House will be home to students interested in international affairs, and the residence hall will host cultural events and promote discussions.
"It would be a valuable experience," Hunter said. "It would be a significant amount of points for GAP."
Diana Robertson, director of the Department of Student Housing,
said she hoped to bring together students who share similar interests. Living in the Global House could be beneficial to students of all academic focuses, she said. Students of any major can apply for residency, and living in the house comes at no increased cost.
"I can't think of any type of field that someone would be going into where they're just not touched by the global sense of it all," Robertson said.
Patti also said she thought participating in international activities, such as living in the Global House, could help students in the
future.
"It's a good way to guide studies, especially those with an international focus," she said. "It gives you perspective and makes you valuable in the job market."
About 200 colleges in the U.S. offer more than 600 living-learning residential programs.
The Department of Student Success discontinued its Thematic Learning Communities on July 1 because of budget cuts. The program housed together students with similar majors. Some of the learning communities, including art and engineering, remain open
The Global House will differ slightly from these living-learning communities in that students from different majors are encouraged to apply.
Robertson said the administration wanted to provide a place to celebrate cultures and plan for the future.
with specific department funding.
index
"I think there's a commitment institutionally to the global world that we're apart of," she said, "This is helping students prepare to function in a global society."
Edited by Michael Holtz
Classifieds...3B Opinion...5A
Crossword...4A Sports...1B
Horoscopes...4A Sudoku...4A
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2010 The University Daily Kansan
Pay is on the way for some Reservists
After a long wait, the Army says 6,800 reservists will now receive checks for working in Iraq during their off time. NATIONAL | 3A
TODAY
43 29 Mostly cloudy
FRIDAY
3524
Snow showers
SATURDAY
3524
Partly cloudy
4