Wednesday, February 3, 2010
You won’t see his name chalked anywhere on Wescoe Beach this spring, but Stephen Colbert is a contender for student body president.
Student senator Tom Cox has authored a bill to be debated this evening that would make “The Colbert Report” host “honorary student body present for life,” provided he came to campus to fulfill the role.
Associated Press
Stephen Colbert accepts the award for best comedy album at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010, in Los Angeles.
“This would be a great way to get the University of Kansas some positive mention, as well as getting — potentially — Stephen Colbert to come to the University,” Cox, a graduate senator from Shawnee, said.
Cox’s bill is the latest of several worldwide attempts to get Colbert’s attention. In 2007, the show featured the city of Oshawa, Ontario after Mayor John Gray lost a bet to Colbert. When Colbert’s preferred hockey team beat the Oshawa Generals, Gray, according to the terms of the bet, declared a city-wide Stephen Colbert Day. More recently, Colbert’s show sponsored the U.S. Speedskating team. The “Colbert Nation” logo will be featured on the team’s uniforms at the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Cox said he wrote the bill out of appreciation for Colbert’s work and to generate interest in Student Senate. He said a bill that could bring Colbert and his comedic brand of patriotism to campus would draw more attention than a bill on campaign accountability procedure.
Not everyone in Student Senate is laughing, though.
Eric Foss, a law senator from Overland Park, said he viewed Cox’s bill as merely entertainment that gives a disrespectful image of Student Senate.
“It makes Senate look like a joke, makes it look like we really don’t take our jobs seriously, which is the furthest thing from the truth,” he said.
In an effort to appeal to his opposition, Cox will re-write the bill as a resolution, which would still declare Colbert as president in name without actually legislating it into rulebooks.
“Senate’s about having fun, being about the students, and doing things for the students,” Cox said. “I’m just doing something a little more unorthodox that’s still for the students and benefits them.”
Mason Heilman, student body president and a senior from Lawrence, said the resolution was a good way for senators to step back from the seriousness of Student Senate and have some fun.
“I think sometimes people get too caught up in Student Senate,” he said. “As long as it’s not taking up too much time or distracting too much from our other work, I’m all for it.”
The full Senate will vote on the resolution at 6:30 p.m. in the Kansas Room of the Kansas Union.
— Edited by Katie Blankenau
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Comments
Forging Colbert rapport
Tom Cox victory chant:
6 More Years! 6 More Years! 6 More Years!
Forging Colbert rapport
Student Senate needs more Tom Coxes. And Stephen Colberts.
Forging Colbert rapport
What a pathetically stupid idea.
Forging Colbert rapport
moorejohn956-
GTFO.
thanks!
Forging Colbert rapport
Okay?
Forging Colbert rapport
The Student Senate is already a joke.
Forging Colbert rapport
You know, I once thought I could take student senate seriously. I was a student senator for two years and was involved with campaigning for 2 elections. Each time the coalition I ran with said they were going to get stuff done, then they lost and got nothing done. I could go on for hours about how I feel about Student Senate, but KUCHiefsFavreFan, you hit the nail on the head. Student Senate really is already a joke. It's so hilarious watching people get up and take themselves way too seriously about the smallest things you could imagine. Maybe I'm just too cynical and jaded, but having Mr. Colbert come in and be our president might just be what people need to pay attention to what's going on here, or atleast get him to come to KU and speak.
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