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Editor’s Note: In anticipation of the Student Senate elections April 9 and 10, The University Daily Kansan is publishing stories about the three coalitions’ presidential and vice-presidential candidates. On Monday, March 24, The Kansan will publish stories about the presidential candidates: Austin Kelly, Connect, Adam McGonigle, United Students, and Adam Wood, Students of Liberty.

Michael Gillaspie

Michael Gillaspie doesn’t like country music. He doesn’t wear cowboy boots or a shiny belt buckle either. In most ways, Gillaspie doesn’t fit the physical stereotypes of a student from rural southwest Kansas. But the junior from Ashland, population: 927, said growing up in a small, close-knit community helped mold him into the person he is today.

“It was the sense of everybody wanting to help everybody else out,” Gillaspie said. “That kind of drew me to fulfill my real goal of wanting to make a difference.”

This spring, Gillaspie, a junior architecture major, is attempting to do that by running for vice president of Student Senate as part of the United Students coalition. And as a native of Ashland, Gillaspie is a rarity at the University.

He came from a high school graduating class of 25. If Gillaspie wanted luxuries such as fast-food or Wal-Mart, he had to travel to nearby Dodge City.

“Think of the movie ‘Pleasantville’,” Gillaspie said. “We had four cops, but I don’t think they ever did anything.

“All my friends cannot stand the big town and they think Lawrence is big,” Gillaspie said.

Gillaspie said his parents were adamant that he was cultured about other parts of the world, and not just southwest Kansas.

So despite the busier streets and the presence of fast-food chains, Gillaspie said he didn’t experience much culture shock when he moved to Lawrence.

But Gillaspie said he did have to figure out where he was going to live. He had been accepted into a scholarship hall and had a room waiting for him at McCollum.

Gillaspie’s older brother had been in a fraternity at the University, so Gillaspie said, “Why not check out what a fraternity would be like?”

After going through formal fraternity recruitment, Gillaspie joined Sigma Phi Epsilon.

“I’ve really enjoyed it ever since,” Gillaspie said. “There’s the Greek stereotype, of ‘Oh, that person’s greek.’ Well 17 percent of the University is greek.”

Gillaspie, an Eagle Scout, became involved with the Interfraternity Council, and served as its vice president for recruitment.

Gillaspie has also served as the kitchen manager at the Jubilee Café, an early-morning service that serves food to the homeless in Lawrence.

“It’s the people that you serve,” Gillaspie said. “The conversations that you have, actually being able to see a visible difference.”

United Students’ presidential nominee, and Gillaspie’s running mate, Adam McGonigle met Gillaspie last October.

“He has an uncanny ability to work with people,” McGonigle said. “He’s very personable.”

After working with IFC and serving the Jubilee Café, Gillaspie was appointed to serve as IFC’s senator for this semester.

“I’m still a new face to Senate,” Gillaspie said.

And after almost three years in Lawrence, Gillaspie said he loved the diversity of the town. He’s used to going to school alongside hordes of Johnson County natives and other KU students from the eastern side of the state. But Gillaspie’s small-town roots are still unique, he says.

“People from big high schools can be involved in one thing or the other, but if you’re in a smaller school, you can kind of pick up as many roles as you want to,” Gillaspie said. “The experience from that helped push me to make sure I have a say and have the voice to make a difference.”

Eric Hyde

Eric Hyde sipped on a glass of milk and leaned back from his chair at La Prima Tazza, a coffee shop on Massachusetts Street. Dressed in jeans and a light blue T-shirt, the Lawrence native tried to describe what it’s like to be in a coma for 17 days.

“It’s pretty indescribable,” Hyde said.

Hyde is running for vice president of Student Senate as part of the Students of Liberty coalition. His high school friend, Adam Wood, is running for president.

Most people, however, are usually more curious about the bicycle accident that almost killed him, Hyde said.

Hyde, eight years old at the time, was riding his bike to a friend’s house along 27th Street during rush hour. Hyde said he was attempting to cross the street and he looked to his left and saw a truck coming. He bolted out into the street to try to beat the truck.

“I didn’t even think to look the other way,” Hyde said.

Hyde was hit by a car and broke both collar bones, cracked a vertebrae in his neck and punctured a lung.

“When I woke up I didn’t know how to do anything except how to like think,” Hyde said.

Despite having to relearn how to do everything, Hyde said he didn’t fall behind in school.

Hyde met Wood when both were students at Lawrence High School.

“A lot of people have a defining moment in their lives,” Wood said of Hyde’s accident. “That was definitely his.”

A life-long resident of Lawrence, Hyde graduated from Lawrence High School in 2004.

Hyde said had the option to take an Individual Education Plan when he entered college so he could receive extra help, but he refused.

“Everyone needs help,” Hyde said, as he took another sip of milk. “I thought I could do it on my own.”

Hyde is a sophomore based on hours.

“I don’t take that many classes,” Hyde said. “I do other stuff.”

Hyde plays bass in the band Ample Branches – he describes its music as psychedelic folk rock - and makes documentary films.

“He’s somewhat of a ‘Renaissance man.’ He does a little bit of everything,” Wood said

Hyde’s last film documented the aftermath of the Greensburg tornado disaster.

“It’s kind of like film activism,” Hyde said. “I’ve always had political idealism growing in my mind since I was a little kid.”

Hyde said his bid for Senate vice president originated in the fall when Hyde and Wood created the group, Students for Liberty, to educate students about presidential candidates.

Wood said the group was about education and to advocate for certain issues.

And as Hyde sees it, the Senate has problems.

“Basically, it’s like the same people are running Student Senate, year after year after year,” Hyde said.

Hyde has experience in the political realm because he has been working as a legislative intern in Topeka for Jerry Henry (D), a state representative from Atchison County. Even though Hyde has never been a member of the Senate, he said he didn’t think that would be problem.

“I just said, ‘Why not run? It’s open. I’m from Lawrence, I go to this University. It’d be challenging,’” Hyde said. “Student Senate doesn’t do anything that I wouldn’t be able to learn.”

Jason Oruch

A cell phone rang on the fourth floor of the Kansas Union and T-Pain lyrics played through the earpiece.

“Sorry,” Jason Oruch said, as he pulled the phone out of his pocket.

Oruch’s phone rings a lot these days. The junior from Plano, Texas is running for vice president of Student Senate as part of the Connect coalition alongside presidential candidate Austin Kelly.

For Kelly, his first impression of Oruch came in a one-on-one meeting in the fall.

“He was excited.”

It’s a general excitement that Kelly says manifests itself in two University staples: student government and KU basketball.

First: KU Basketball.

See the shirtless group of guys in the front row when Kansas played Kansas State on March 1? Oruch was one of them. He said his camping group was camping group No. 1.

Thus, they went shirtless and painted their bodies blue.

“I was the ‘J’,” Oruch said.

There’s T-Pain again. “I’ma buy u a drank, oh-oh-oh.”

“Sorry,” Oruch said, answering the phone. “Trying to coordinate people.”

With a green hat resting crookedly on the top of his head and sporting his usual scruffy beard, Oruch tried to explain his motivation for running for Senate.

“I wasn’t in Senate my freshman year, and I know what it feels like to have no idea what’s going on at this University,” Oruch said.

After growing up in Plano, Texas, Oruch visited the University his senior year of high school. He said he fell in love with the place. Oruch lived in Naismith Hall his freshman year and joined a fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi.

“Joining AEPi is the best decision I ever made. Being a part of the Greek community is very important to me,” Oruch said.

Oruch, an American Studies major, served as the NPHC Liaison for the Interfraternity Council in Spring 2006, serving as an intermediary between the two organizations.

“We organized the only ever IFC step-team that actually competed in the NPHC step show,” Oruch said.

Oruch is also a member of KU Hillel, a student group that supports Jewish campus life.

But after three semesters of being an outsider, Oruch said he became more interested in Student Senate.

He campaigned as a member of United Students last spring and won a seat as an off-campus senator, representing off-campus students.

“Jason really wants to get input from students,” Kelly said. “He’s very committed to doing that.”

Oruch said he and Kelly had been busy contacting leaders of the more than 500 KU student organizations.

“Every student group can get 200 dollars of general funding through Student Senate,” Oruch said. “And most student groups don’t even know that. They have absolutely no idea that Senate can help them.”

T-Pain’s familiar voice returns as Oruch’s phone goes off again.

Oruch, however, said his campaign schedule has kept him from doing any T-Pain-esque things this semester. He said he’s been using the weekends to catch up on sleep. Campaigning, he said, can be tiring.

“I want to bring Student Senate back to the students,” Oruch said.

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