Student Senate works issues for this semester, next

Grades, dead week high on the list

Many issues are works in progress right now for the Senate

By Erin Sommer

Wednesday, December 5th, 2007

As University students prepare for finals, Student Senate is ready for midterms. Student Body President Hannah Love and Vice-president Ray Wittlinger won elections last spring as part of the United Students coalition and have worked this semester with a Delta Force majority in the Student Senate. Below is a summary of where Love and Wittlinger are on their platform issues, including academic policies, parking issues, campus safety, technology and a green campus, as well as other large tasks that Student Senate has dealt with thus far in under their administration.

DEADWEEK

In the spring, Love and Wittlinger said that they would work to implement a real “dead week,” during which professors would be prohibited from giving assignments or tests, into the University’s calendar. Love completed the research necessary for this issue and wrote a proposal several months ago, but said that she had not presented it because the calendar committee was currently deciding whether even having a single stop day is necessary. She said she will wait until the calendar committee, a group under University Governance, makes a decision about stop day before she would present legislation about dead week.

Barbara Phipps, associate professor in the School of Education and chair of the calendar committee, said that she had not been presented any information about implementing a dead week.

“A” GUARANTEE

Another academic issue under Love and Wittlinger’s platform is allowing an “A” guarantee for students who take classes pass/fail but earn an “A.”

Love said that she had not presented this legislation because University Governance did not pass legislation that would have changed the pass/fail system from making an “A” - “C” passing to an “A” - “D” passing.

She said that she would work on this more next semester.

CAMPUS SAFETY

Wittlinger said that he and Love worked to restructure the Campus Safety Advisory Board to allow for more people and more representation of female safety issues. This included adding representatives from the Emily Taylor Women’s Resource Center and Panhellenic, He said that he asked the board to consider putting more cameras and lighting on campus and said he and Love would meet with them either before the end of the semester or at the beginning of next semester.

Wittlinger said that if the board wasn’t in the process of putting more cameras and lights on campus during their meeting, he and Love would take the issue to full Senate next semester.

RECREATION CENTER PARKING

Love and Wittlinger promised to open parking spots at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center to students without yellow permits. This will be underway by the time KU students come back to school in January.

Donna Hultine, director of the Parking Department, said earlier this semester that Wittlinger had communicated several times with her and the Parking Commission, and the two would continue to oversee and deal with any problems once the parking permits are in place.

Hultine and Wittlinger are in the process of buying signs to put in the front of the Student Fitness and Recreation Center to establish the spaces.

TECHNOLOGY

Love said that if the administration was convinced more technology was necessary then it would be provided to students.

Love spoke at the Technology Convocation earlier this semester and said that she was questioned by several administrators whether technology is necessary to enhance education at the University. She said that in order to prove to educators that it was necessary, she would put together a poll asking students whether it’s something that they want.

She said that she would poll students next semester and deliver the results to administrators.

GREEN CAMPUS

Love and Wittlinger said that they would work to improve campus environmental issues including adding recycling bins in the Park and Ride lot. Both Love and Wittlinger said that they delegated this issue to the Campus Environmental Advisory Board and were unsure what the board is doing about the issue.

ZERO-TOLERANCE FILE SHARING

Although this issue is not one of Love and Wittlinger’s platforms, is it the Student Senate worked on it this semester. Any student file sharing on campus loses all internet privileges.

Executive Committee Chair Adam McGonigle wrote legislation that would have asked KU administration to re-evaluate the policy. McGonigle pulled the bill because Vice Provost of Student Success Marlesa Roney said she would work with the Student Senate to examine the policy.

On Oct. 24, the student rights committee presented similar legislation. After Love said she would veto the bill she created a task force to look at the issue.

Student Senate has also followed through on issues that started in previous administrations, including the unveiling of the new Multicultural Resource Center and doing publicity for the four-year tuition compact and the advising survey.

The Kansan has reported throughout the semester that more than a dozen senators have either been dismissed for lack of attendance or resigned from Senate. Wittlinger said that this was a trend in the senate every year.

“It would be irresponsible for anyone to say this is because of our leadership,” Wittlinger said.

Jack Connor, holdover senator, said that he would like to see more accountability within Senate and hopes for more communication.

Connor said that he thought Austin Kelly and Alex Porte, student body treasurer and assistant treasurer, respectively, are doing a good job of fiscal responsibility.

Love said that she planned to increase communication between Senate and students next semester.

Wittlinger said that Student Senate would continue to work on the platforms throughout next semester.

“A lot of them are bold and they’re challenging, but we’re putting in a lot of work,” Wittlinger said.

— Edited by Rachael Gray

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