Monday, March 3, 2008
A new Student Senate coalition started last week with the main goal of addressing financial issues at the University of Kansas. Students of Liberty came from a split in the Ron Paul Meet-up group, while the other part of the group went to campaigning for local candidates.
Adam Wood, Lawrence junior and Students of Liberty presidential candidate, said he wanted to campaign to get involved in local politics.
Although he has never been a student senator at the University, Wood was convinced his inexperience would not be a roadblock.
Adam Wood, president of a new Student Senate coalition called Students for Liberty. It's by the people who campaigned for Ron Paul from KU.
“If you work at it, you can figure it out,” Wood said.
Wood said he had a problem with the way people in the country spent their money and did not conserve it, and said Student Senate was also affected by that problem.
Student Senate has about an $18 million budget, a lot of which comes from the fees students pay each semester. Wood said he would like to overhaul the campus required fees and cut back as much as possible.
“I don’t go to the Student Recreation Fitness Center, so I don’t want to pay for it,” Wood said.
Wood said he thought Senate would operate better with less money because they would be forced to be efficient with their funds and he would act as a watchdog for overspending.
Eric Hyde, Lawrence sophomore and vice-presidential candidate, said he and Wood had been thinking about starting a coalition since last fall.
He said Senate has increased its budget every year, but when Hyde went to Senate with a bill to fund a Greensburg relief project, he was denied funds.
Hyde said he also thought the greeks had been in power for too long and they always had the money to back up their campaigns.
“We want to show them we can get things done with less money,” Hyde said.
Colin Barnes, Overland Park sophomore, will design the coalition’s Web site and run for a regular Senate seat. He said he had an extensive background in economics, so he would look closely at Senate’s and the University’s budgets. He said he wanted to increase transparency in both budgets so students could see where their money was going.
Barnes said the problem with the current coalitions was that they didn’t start with a platform so they had no real reason to be together as a group with common ideas.
“There is too much of the same people getting into the same positions in Senate,” Barnes said.
Wood said the group, which had about 10 students, didn’t have the money to make T-shirts or buttons like the other coalitions did, and said it might hurt his chances. He said they would set a table in front of Wescoe Hall and promote their group and also put up flyers around campus. Barnes said the Web site would not be up for about another week.
— Edited by Daniel Reyes
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Comments
New coalition looks to reduce campus fees
I agree with Colin that Senate needs more transparency. That's the reasoning behind the WiKUpedia Project that ConnectKU is sponsoring. All of the campus fees are listed here: http://connectku.com/wiki/index.php/Required_campus_fees
Each fee has its own article and discussion page where anyone can register and add thoughts on that fee.
We welcome the members of Students of Liberty to give us their input on which student fees they think Senate should cut.
New coalition looks to reduce campus fees
We haven't had a Greek Student Body President in as long as I have been at KU. I guess I can't trace it back any further than Hannah Love this year, and Jason Boots the year before - but I'm not sure that's right.
Also, I don't think either candidate for SBP this year are Greek....
Nonetheless, it should be an interesting debate - and I'm sure Adam Wood will have something to add.
New coalition looks to reduce campus fees
It's sad that Adam does not take up the opportunity to use the amazing facility that we have in the Rec center. Although I do not use a lot of the services that I pay for (Buses, Legal Services for Students, etc...) I feel that they are programs that are vital for not only the success of students on campus, but also the success of the University.
In regards to transparency, Adam, along with any other student on campus is more than welcome to come into the Student Senate office and take a look at the budget breakdowns of each fee that they pay.
Lastly, the bill that Eric requested funding for was for an event in which not all of the profits would have gone to the Greensburg fund. Rather it would have gone to the filmmaker and then once he covered the expenses of the film, would he then give money to the fund.
New coalition looks to reduce campus fees
Some of us are genuinely uninterested in using the Rec. While I go a few times a year, I don't think it's fair to force people to pay out of their pocket for it if they're genuinely uninterested. If instead you could pay a semester or yearly fee to use the Rec, and alternatively pay for each individual use if you so choose, that would be a more fair way of getting the same funding.
I definitely did not support Ron Paul in this primary season, but I could get on board this.
New coalition looks to reduce campus fees
If the fees for services such as the Rec Center became optional, there is no way that these entities could operate on their own. Those candidates who aspire to be the next leaders of Senate should start doing their research on student fees, and see what would happen to these services if fees were cut.
New coalition looks to reduce campus fees
I fully back the Students of Liberty. Nice job, guys. I too have always felt a bit annoyed at the amount of money students are forced to spend for different facilities and operations on campus that aren't even used personally. I haven't gone to the rec in about six months and haven't used a bus since a year and a half ago. Cut the spending!
How do I join this coalition?
New coalition looks to reduce campus fees
"Those candidates who aspire to be the next leaders of Senate should start doing their research on student fees, and see what would happen to these services if fees were cut." Perhaps these facilities would cease to exist. So what? I came to KU for an education, not for Disney World. If the Rec closed, I wouldn't care one bit.
New coalition looks to reduce campus fees
I think if you were to take an in-depth look at most of the student fees, you would find that they are used "efficiently" and in ways that provide a substantial benefit to a large portion of the student body.
The fees that are truly outrageous, no one has the balls to go up against. You're paying nearly $100 a year to fund the Athletics Dept's Title IX compliance and build a luxury storage room for the rowing team. I sure would like to have heated wood floors and a $2000 cappuccino machine in my locker room, but I can't parade out the basketball team and hoodwink the student body into paying for it.
And why do we really need new, half-million dollar buses? KU on Wheels has used ancient buses forever, and they served the purpose well (except for when they couldn't make it up Daisy Hill without letting some people off halfway).
New coalition looks to reduce campus fees
Anyone interested in getting involved with this coalition, check us out at facebook: Students of Liberty and feel free to contact any of our members
New coalition looks to reduce campus fees
I think if people looked at the student fees and had the slightest bit of an imagination, they would see several ways to better attain the funding for these things that we apparently must have on campus. The thing is that if something doesn't get the funding that it requires in the past, the conventional wisdom is to raise the fees for students, most of which may not use these services. We are KU students to learn and everything else is simply extra. Many students with financial burden will appreciate the ideas of the Students of Liberty because we want to make academics the top priority again. There was just an oped piece on the further funding of our athletics department by doubling the student fee. Why are we passing on the tab to the student body if many of whom may not have the extra cash on hand to attend these sporting events? This is one of many issues we promise to bring to the table but we will also talk about solutions for those who feel these appropriations are necessary.
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