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To see what K-State was like back in the day, check out the Edge on page 5 for a review of some of K-State’s early traditions.
state
thursday, february 25, 2010
www.kstatecollegian.com
Vol. 115 | No. 108
So Far, So Good
SGA
Unruh, Oliver team Brinton, McGuire wins primary election embrace diversity, win
Senate to advise funding decrease Danny Davis | Collegian
Tommy Theis | Collegian
Annie Oliver, senior in life sciences, and Daniel Unruh, senior in political science, stand in Tubby’s for their watch party. The two would eventually hear their names as winners of the primary election. Danny Davis | Collegian The Unruh/Oliver campaign for Student Body President and Vice-president was one of two campaigns that will advance to the general election after winning in the primary. At 5:30 p.m, the West room of Tubby’s Sports Bar was filled with roughly 50 people who showed up in support of the Danny Unruh and Annie Oliver campaign. All of the campaign members and many of the supporters donned official campaign shirts that read “Danny and Annie” across the front. The campaign rented the large room at Tubby’s to hold their election watch party. The polls for the primary election were set to close at 6 p.m. Senator Annie Bachman, campaign member, said the students she had spoken with on campus had been really receptive of the campaign’s platform. Jared Schnefke, senior in finance and accounting, was one of the people who showed up in support of Unruh and Oliver. “They have phenomenal experience in student government,” Schnefke said. “They
can take our student body in a tremendous direction.” Oliver, the current speaker pro temp, said the campaign experience has been great. The support from her family and friends has made the it easy and fun, she said. By 5:50 p.m., the place had filled to about 75 people and the main entrance was crowded with supporters. Senator Joe Norris, also a campaign member, was there as well. He said Unruh is a good friend of his and that the campaign has really good ideas for its platform. To help run the campaign, Unruh and Oliver recruited Senator Brandon Harder, senior in animal sciences and industry. He was also the campaign manager for the successful Dalton Henry and Wayne Stoskopf campaign last year. “If you look in the past, the [Henry / Stoskopf] campaign was successful because it was running on things they could actually accomplish,” Harder said. “We have a huge concern with tangible things. If you’re going to get students riled up about an issue, you have to be able to back it up.”
See WIN, Page 3
Tommy Theis | Collegian
Samuel Brinton, senior in mechanical engineering, and Molly McGuire, junior in political science and speech communications, held their watch party at the ECM building. They celebrate their victory in the primary. Austin Enns | Collegian Walking into the location of the Sam and Molly Campaign party, it was easy to discern why they were able to make it to the next stage of the elections. Despite only containing 25 people, the Ecumenical Campus Ministry (ECM) building had a very diverse campaign party. International, nontraditional and LGBTQI students were all represented. Samuel Brinton, senior in mechanical engineering with a nuclear option and vocal performance, and Molly McGuire, junior in political science and speech communications, said they chose the ministry building as the site of their campaign party as a way to reach out to all their constituents. “ECM is a very open place where everyone can feel welcome. Those who are not 21 and do not feel comfortable at a bar can feel comfortable,” said McGuire. She pointed out that some of the non-traditional students had brought their kids to the party, and if it had been held at a bar they would have been excluding that section of their base. When it was announced that the campaign had made the gen-
eral elections with 32.7% of the vote, the hall in which the party was located erupted in cheers. Almost immediately, Brinton and McGuire were ushered into another room to conduct a radio interview, and it seemed fitting since next week is when the real campaigning starts. Michael Champlin, junior in political science and campaign manager for Brinton and McGuire, is looking forward to the elections knowing that their campaign had the most votes. The favorite does not usually lose to the underdog. “It’s only been done twice in K-State History,” said Champlin. The Brinton-McGuire Campaign is hoping to stay the course with its message but at the same time mobilize the voters. Brinton said typically candidates for president have to double the number of votes cast for them in the primary if they want to win the general election. Optimism is tempered with caution; Brinton noted there was only a difference of 50 votes between them and their challenger. Thursday will be the test to determine whether or not the diversity of their base is strong enough to carry them to the presidential positions.
Shane-West campaign ends in disappointment Joe Sommers | Collegian As the sun began to set and election day came to a close, supporters of the Shane-West campaign gathered together at Porter’s Bar in Aggieville to show support for their candidates. Filling the long and narrow room with teal and neon green shirts, the candidates and their supporters waited optimistically for word of their victory. Vice Presidential nominee Brandon West, senior in education and speech, greeted his numerous supporters while waiting for the polls to close. Despite the uncertainty of the evening, West remained optimistic about the outcome. “We have worked too long and too hard to think otherwise,” West said. Those who attended did anything they could to show their support for the men they hoped to be the new heads of the stu-
Tommy Theis | Collegian
Doug Shane, junior in animal sciences and industry, and Brandon West, senior in education and speech, meet with Molly McGuire, junior in political science and speech communications, at the ECM building. dent government. Campaign manager Abigail Gloe even brought along a cowbell, which she explained as more than just random.
“Both Doug and Brandon are very active in the agriculture department,” she said. “So the bell goes along with that.” With their spirits and glasses
held high, the crowd patiently listened to the radio to hear the results of a campaign four months in the making. As the unwanted news of defeat rang out over the crowd, the silence was quickly broken up by the sounds of a lone cowbell. The mood of the room quickly turned from defeat to recognition of a hard fought campaign. Amid lighthearted requests for a recount, Doug Shane, junior in animal sciences and industry, thanked all those that had voted for and supported them throughout the campaign. Although disappointed, the candidates and their staff felt confident they had run a good campaign. “There is nothing we would have done differently,” Gloe said. While the prospects of higher office may have been lost, supports refused to let the loss spoil their evening.
The Student Senate will review a resolution that will be introduced at tonight’s senate meeting that concerns the spending of Student Centered Tuition Enhancement (SCTE) funding. According the resolution, $1 million are available for the fiscal year 2011. In the resolution, the SCTE Committee recognizes the current budget crisis and recommends the funding be reduced from its current level. In 2009, $1,056,000 was allocated for SCTE programs. This year, $961,797 is recommended by the committee for 2011. The funding supports programs that “enhance student experiences at K-State and seed money for the creation and implementation of new programs and initiatives,” according to the resolution. The largest expenditures on the list include the Educational Opportunity Fund, Diversity Programming, Global Education Initiative and KState Healthy Decisions. Student Senate meets at 7 p.m. in the Big 12 Room at the K-State Student Union.
Chili feed attendees find food, fellowship Tiffany Roney | Collegian More than 200 people laughed, mingled and chowed down on chili at the Annual Soup and Chili Supper, hosted by the First Methodist Men’s Group. While the leaders from the men’s group organized the event around fundraising efforts, other attendees came simply to fill their bellies and catch up with friends. Florence Sperman, senior administrative assistant for the chemical engineering department, said the food was fantastic. “We’re enjoying it immensely, and, after this long winter, it hit the spot,” Sperman said. “There’s a great turnout, and having it right before the ballgame was a master stroke.” While Sperman came with a group of close friends, Mark Queen, another attendee, said he came not only for the cheap food, but also for the opportunity to meet new people. “There’s a very honest, open dialogue to create fellowship among everybody that’s here, which is great because there’s a lot of people here that don’t know each other – this is open to the whole community,” Queen said. He motioned to a couple sitting across the table from him; the two are members of the Presbyterian Church. “I’d never met these people before tonight,” he said. “In fact, the thing I’ll remember most about this night is meeting these two.” The supper was held on Wednesday night in the fellowship hall of First Methodist Church at the corner of 6th street and Poyntz Ave.