Aaron Harris

I would like a chance to say with my hands what my spoken words could not convey during full Senate. This was my first time giving a speech to Senate and I had not prepared, which I will strive to not have happen again.

This evening I gave a negative speech against the bill for Queers and Allies’ Pride Week. I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not opposed to Pride Week as an event. I respect the LGBT community and their right to practice free speech and educate the community of their cause and their lifestyle.

My speech, however, was in regard to funding for Vogue Evolution, an openly gay hip-hop dance crew. I believe that of the three honorariums that Q&A wants to make part of their Pride Week, that this group has the least to give KU as a whole. In my personal opinion, Vogue Evolution is being brought to KU mainly for their entertainment value. It was brought up that they are also advocates of HIV/AIDS awareness. The key word here is ALSO. Yes, they do advocate awareness on this issue, but that is not their MAIN purpose, it is but a side note. They are primarily an openly gay dance crew.

The honorarium for this group, which totals $7,500, is being paid through the funds allocated by Student Senate, the Multicultural Education Fund, and the Coca-Cola Foundation. The majority of the funding for this group, and the event as a whole, is coming from the two organizations that are funded through student fees. I believe it is a misuse of student funds due to the possibilities that are here on our own campus. The use of student dance crews, especially ones that are part of the LGBT community, would prove to be a better statement of KU’s diversity. The use of student groups might give those that are struggling to come out a creative outlet to express who they are. Also, it would send a statement to the community as a whole that KU not only supports its LGBT community, but also embraces the diversity and strives to foster it.

The use of funds that we are using to bring Vogue Evolution to KU could be used otherwise. Q&A, for example, could use these funds to put together seminars or workshops to educate members of the KU community who are ignorant of what it means to be part of LGBT community. I personally would attend such an event to further the lacking knowledge I have of this part of our university.

I support Pride Week and what it encourages. I plan on showing up for the speech of Gilbert Baker and learning more about the man that designed the rainbow flag, a symbol that has been used so much by the LGBT community. I, however, will not show up for Vogue Evolution. I do not support contributing so high of a price to a group that I believe does not bring something other than entertainment value to the KU community as a whole. I will stand up for what I believe is right and is in the best interest of my constituents and the money they contribute in student fees. I believe that you should stand up and speak out especially when your view may not be the popular one.

By Graduate Senator Robert Topinka

How We Betrayed the Legislative Process (and Let BSU Pay the Price)

We need rules and rule scholars at Student Senate. But we also need to remember that we are (hopefully) contributing to democracy. Sometimes our appeals to Student Senate’s seriousness sound like an effort to convince ourselves. But if we think we live in a democratic society (email me if you want to talk lies and conspiracy theories) then we should not need to justify operating as part of a democratic governing body. It’s sorta what America is supposed to do, right? We’re working the national machine. Good for us.

But neither should we ignore the sometimes nasty repercussions of that democratic process. When the Black Student Union showed up en masse to finance, they were stacking the meeting. But the thing is, that’s the whole idea. They were following the law of democracy that all of us have at one time or another invoked: majority rules. Otherwise, why add up the votes?

So maybe we don’t like it. Maybe they didn’t go through their Senate paces. Their actions were not technically against the rules, but it just doesn’t sit right with the way we think Senate should do things. Unfortunately, though, that’s what rules are. Technicalities. Stringently applied. If we don’t like a group’s actions but have set no rule against it, that’s our bad.

I suppose it’s not as simple was democratically hijacking the finance committee. There is the issue of the “exception,” which (eek) called up the specter of “special privileges.” Does BSU deserve its own rule about travel? Probably not. But was a bonanza of travel requests looming if we granted one? Not if we had passed Alex Earle’s amendment, which would have allowed the BSU to travel the one time and offered no further guarantees. Wouldn’t this have made more sense? The BSU came to the first session it could and asked for the money as soon as they could present a detailed description of the costs. They showed up in numbers (gasp!) to a democratic event and exercised their right to vote that they had earned by complying with Senate rules. Yet they won’t be attending the conference they’ve attended for 32 consecutive years because we didn’t like how we had written our own rules, and then we were possessed with the pressing need to close a loophole that Senate exploited a month earlier.

Within all of this mess, there is an understanding of and dedication to maintaining the rules of democracy. The rules order the machine. I know—they named the rules after me. But democracies are set up to serve the people. Let’s serve the people first and fix the rules later.

I would like to argue in favor of a bill seen in the
Multicultural committee meeting a week ago concerning the African Drums
Ensemble at KU club that performed at the Granada a few Saturdays ago. First of all the performance was spectacular and one that I have never heard before. I have heard African drums being played before but usually with other instruments. But this performance was very good and drew a large crowd outside of the Granada even though there was an event going on inside of the venue. Even when the event started some people still stayed outside to listen the music being created outside. There were about 50 or more people who stayed after the event inside had already begun. I think all the funds that they asked for should be allocated because I think this is a pivotal group on campus and in the
Lawrence community. This group takes normal University of Kansas students and raises their knowledge of African culture and traditions. There are many people on this campus and in the city of Lawrence who could benefit from this type of group because it raises their awareness and appreciation for a certain type of group and culture. This group gives people an opportunity to see first hand how African traditions can be passed down to people who have not been to Africa in their lives. I just like it because I like seeing things first hand instead of relying on what I see on television or by word of mouth.
They also learn how to drum very well, almost at a professional level. They also inform the crowd of what and why they are playing every time by giving a brief description of the piece and where it may have originated.
I think this group brings something different to the table and has many more benefits for its members and the community than negatives. They were basically asking for money to repair broken drum tops and tools to re-mount the heads of the drums. The money for the professional teacher is also relevant because he is the reason this group is so good and so successful. They could try to teach themselves from scratch but it wouldn’t be the same. They would just be learning from videos on you tube or what they think the music should sound like from interpretation, instead of a professional teaching them in a professional manner.

My name is Whitney Morgan and I am the Senator of the Black Student Union

Executive Staff Approved

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