THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2009
NEWS
3A
SENATE (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
upkeep of the Kansas Memorial Union and the $10 fee that allows the University to offer free legal advice for students.
Student Senate assesses the campus fees every year. Representatives from the various fee organizations present proposals to the campus fee review committee, which then submits recommendations to the senate finance committee. Once passed in the finance committee, the proposal goes to the full Senate for a vote. Then it's signed by the student body president, then the chancellor and finally approved by the Kansas Board of Regents.
This process is a lot different from many other universities, which leave the majority of campus fee decisions to the administration, said Devon Cantwell. Student Senate executive secretary.
"While $423.35 seems like a lot to be paying, I would rather have students making these decisions
HOW MUCH REVENUE DO THESE FEES GENERATE?
Campus Transportation Fee
$65.90 per student
$3,109,684 generated
Student Recreation and Fitness Center Fee
Student Recreation and Fitness Center Fee
$75.70 per student
$3,430,529 generated
*This total does not include the Sports Club Fee
Student Union Activities Fee
$5 per student
$259,933 generated
as opposed to administration," Cantwell, Topeka sophomore, said.
The campus fee review committee has already started working on next year's fee analysis.
Alex Porte, chair of the committee, said it was his goal to keep the campus fees from increasing, as was required of the Senate last year
Porte, Great Falls, Va., senior, said he hoped to have the finance committee vote on the recommendations by mid-March.
"A zero-percent increase is the most financially responsible model to work from," he said.
When considering fee cuts,
Cantwell said, the Senate looks
"At the end of the day, we don't want to send people home with a pink slip," he said.
first to protect jobs.
To prevent a campus fee increase, as demanded by the Board of Regents last year, Senate lowered nine campus fees. The campus safety fee, previously $1, was cut altogether. The fee paid for the blue emergency phones and the Jay Walk program on campus. The cuts allowed Senate to increase five fees to pay for necessary expenditures.
One fee that's been on the chopping block for several semesters is the $40 women's and non-revenue sport fee.
Student Senate discussed lowering the fee in the past, but then Chancellor Robert Hemenway indicated he would veto any change if it landed on his desk. Thus, the fee remained the same.
Cantwell said Senate hasn't heard anything from Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little about
whether she would veto a reduction in the fee. She said the potential for a veto would probably depend on the size and justifications for the cut.
A cut to the fee for the next year has been discussed in the review committee, along with other fees, but nothing will be final until next semester.
In the meantime, Klecan has a $9,000 tuition bill for next semester. He said he would like the opportunity to choose which campus fees he pays, rather than paying for things he doesn't use.
Students can voice their opinions by becoming voting members of the senate finance committee. Attending the first meeting or two consecutive meetings later in the semester earn a student voting rights in the committee.
The finance committee meets every other Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Kansas Union.
- Edited by Alicia Banister
NATIONAL Attorney General visits courtroom for 9/11 trial
NEW YORK — Attorney General Eric Holder made an unannounced visit to a Manhattan courthouse Wednesday to inspect security for the pending trial of the professed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Holder inspected the federal jail and nearby courthouse where Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others are due to stand trial on charges they plotted the September 2001 attacks.
The five suspects have been held for years at the military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Holder announced last month they would be tried as civilians, blocks from the World Trade Center site.
A trial date has not yet been set.
REVIEW (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
Associated Press
2. Investigation not a surprise to many Jayhawks Tuesday, Nov. 17 7,944 page views
Following an impromptu team meeting and a private discussion between Lew Perkins and Mark Mangino, KU Athletics announced Nov. 17 that it had begun an internal investigation regarding alleged abuses by coach Mark Mangino.
"it's been a long time that that stuff has been happening and it had to surface," Fields was quoted as saying in the story. "Of all the talent that KU has there, it had to be some other reason that KU isn't
On the day of the announcement, former players spoke out to voice personal experiences with Mangino. Marcus Herford, a former receiver for Mangino, and Dexton Fields, who played for the Jayhawks from 2004 until 2008, both commented on the verbal abuse they and their teammates received while playing under Mangino.
producing out on the field. It's been long overdue."
The Jayhawks went on to end the season with a seven-game losing streak and Mangino's resignation. Now a search for a new coach is underway. Athletics officials have so far released no information regarding the results of the investigation.
3. Students, teams react to fights
Thursday, Sept. 24
7,679 page views
Students, athletes and community members spent the 24 hours following the on-campus brawl of Sept. 23 questioning the cause of the violent outbreaks between members of the programs.
Rex Porter, owner and barber at
Students and community members voiced concerns about potential punishments for the students involved, how the incidents would affect recruitment, and who or what the fights were about.
Rex's Stadium Barber Shop, 1033 Massachusetts St., speaks with students, community members and KU administration on a regular basis in his shop. He said although the incidents received a high level of attention at the time, the football team's losing streak and the investigation of coach Mangino had taken the focus elsewhere.
"We lost 7 games after that episode and never heard anything else about it," Porter said "There's been too many other things to worry about this season."
No further incidents have been reported since Sept. 23 and KU Athletics has kept any punishment of the players private.
4. Nearly 1,000 attend Jason Wren's funeral Monday, March 16 6,024 page views
The death of Jason Wren, a 19-year-old Denver freshman, rocked the KU community in March 2009.
Wren was found dead at Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 1301 West Campus Rd., the afternoon of March 8. A later report showed Wren had more than four times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood at the time of his death.
Almost 1,000 people gathered to mourn the death at his Denver funeral March 16.
George Ressler, St. Louis senior and president of the KU Lacrosse Club, knew Wren as both a teammate and a friend. He said the tragedy had changed the team's attitude toward recreation and instilled a new sense of purpose in the organization. But he said the effect of Wren's death had spread further than those who personally knew him.
Wren's death ignited a
"I think it was a rude awakening of the lifestyles that organizations promote for students to take part in," Resler said. "It brought to attention to things that every student knows but doesn't want to address. Losing Jason just pushed everything over the edge."
movement for increased alcohol awareness on the KU campus. In May, the University made changes to its alcohol policies, including notifying parents when underage students are caught using drugs or violating alcohol policies in residence halls.
5. Kansas might lose its prom date
Wednesday, April 22
3,903 page views
Shockwaves rippled through Jayhawk Nation when freshman phenom Xavier Henry and his brother C.J. announced they would be visiting the University of Kentucky in late April.
The announcement was the latest in a series of closely observed decisions by Xavier Henry.
The brothers had committed to play at the University of Memphis until their head coach, John Calipari, resigned to become the head coach for the University of Kentucky, allowing Xavier
and C.J. to cancel their commitment. Jayhawk fans were certain the brothers, whose parents both played basketball at the University would be coming to play for Kansas. But on April 20, the brothers announced they would be visiting the University of Kentucky.
Brent Blazek, Lenexa senior, remembers following the news of the Henry's recruitment. He said it was one of the most exciting recruitment battles he could remember.
"This was a huge deal because of the caliber player that Xavier is," Blazek said. "I think we would still be ranked first without him, but he definitely helps in our run for the National Championship."
Fortunately for Jayhawk fans, the Henry brothers committed to Kansas the following day and never actually visited Kentucky. Xavier was the Jayhawks' leading scorer for the first seven games of the season, averaging nearly 17 points per game.
Edited by Sarah Kelly
Dear Seniors, The Kansan Addies will miss you!