COLLEGIAN k a n s a s
S t a t E
THURSDAy, DECEMBER 3, 2009
Vol. 115 | No. 69
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Go to kstatecollegian.com to read online exclusives about SGA and the final event of this semester’s McCain Performance Series.
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Sharing their voices
Six students to present ideas to change K-State By Sarah Rajewski Kansas State Collegian
For Phil Anderson democracy in action is a “contact sport,” not just something citizens observe. Anderson, instructor in communication studies theater and dance who has taught at K-State for 30 years, has been assigning persuasive speeches concerning campus issues ever since he came to Manhattan. Today, from 2 to 3 p.m. in Forum Hall of the K-State Student Union, six students nominated from their Public Speaking 2 classes are scheduled to deliver their speeches on community issues. “I’m trying to teach that our world is in a constant state of flux, and we can always make it better,” Anderson said. “But in order to make it better, the individual has to take the initiative to push that sort of change.” This semester for the first time Anderson has combined the speeches to include students from both his classes and Travis Smith’s, instructor in communication studies, theatre and dance. With topics ranging from oncampus lactation rooms for women and the use of military police in Aggieville, the six student-speakers are Sam Dodge, junior in finance; Adam Durar, senior in management; Brett Hunter, junior in construction science and management; Brock Ingmire, sophomore in communication studies; Adrian Stryker, senior in accounting and finance; and Grace Tucker, senior in agribusiness and animal sciences and industry. The reason for the combination, Anderson said, is so Smith can continue the speech presentation next year when Anderson retires. Smith was in Anderson’s class himself about 10 years ago and gave a campus issue speech about North Manhattan Avenue being unsafe at the time. The purpose behind the speeches is not only to give students experience speaking in front of an audience, but to encourage them to take their issues to the Student Governing Association.
See SPEECH, Page 3
K-State welcomes progressive sorority to greek community By Daniel Stewart Kansas State Collegian
K-State is now the first university in the nation to have both a progressive sorority and fraternity on campus. Gamma Rho Lambda, a progressive sorority, was chartered at K-State just before Thanksgiving with eight founding members. Chelsey Fritch, the sorority’s president and a senior in pre-law, got the idea to colonize Gamma Rho Lambda at K-State her sophomore year. Fritch recognized a need for change at K-State and soon took on the challenge to start something new. “The gay-straight alliance was depleting at a very rapid pace and there wasn’t really a structure to have a continuance of that,” Fritch said. Her journey began in 2006 when she began petitioning for the paperwork to Gamma Rho Lambda’s national organization to bring the sorority to K-State. In 2008, Fritch wanted a
Portraits by Matt Binter
Top left: Brock Ingmire, “Many KSU Financial Decisions Promote Image but Ignore Student Needs” Top right: Brett Hunter, “Energy Efficiency: Add Green to Purple” Middle left: Grace Tucker, “We Need a Porch Light Campaign: Turn On Your Porch Light for a Safer Manhattan” Middle right: Adam Durar, “21st Century Ed? Powerpointless Lectures” Bottom left: Sam Dodge, “Add Military Police to Aggieville During Weekends” Bottom right: Adrian Stryker, “Lactation Rooms Should be a Campus Necessity”
Gamma Rho Lambda chapter to become a part of the Panhellenic Council, the council that oversees all KState sorority activities. After filling out that paperwork, Gamma Rho Lambda was voted in on a bylaw. Under stipulations of this bylaw, the new sorority would be held to the standards of any other sorority at K-State in addition to following their own personal standards. After Fritch and others visited all of the Greek houses, both sororities and fraternities, petitioning for support, they were voted in unanimously to the Greek community last fall. K-State is the fourth university to charter a Gamma Rho Lambda chapter. Originally founded in 2003 at Arizona State University, the sorority was established as a social support system for lesbian, bisexual, transgender and alternative lifestyle-friendly female students, but strives to be
See GREEK, Page 7
Mass transit possibilities heard Wednesday By Danny Davis Kansas State Collegian
Last night, Manhattan area residents were able to attend a forum to learn about a pending mass transit plan for the city. TransSystems and HDR Inc., an engineering consulting firm, the companies that have partnered with the city of Manhattan, held the forum. The goal was to help the public learn and ask questions about the mass transit plan for Manhattan. “The plan is really an update to the existing transit plan that was made in 2001,” said Karen Davis, director of community development. In 2001, the city partnered with the transit companies that researched the feasibility of a public transportation system. However, the population of the city failed to reach 50,000, the number needed to earn federal funding for transportation. Ted Rieck, senior transit planner for HDR, presented the case for a transit system in Manhattan. He identified four groups that a transit system would benefit most: people without vehicles, senior citizens, people with disabilities and students. Surveys were conducted in 2001 when the city was planning on creating a transit system. “The responses that we got were that 64 percent of people were likely
Danny Davis | collegian
Ted Rieck, senior transit planner for HDR, presents at last night’s forum. At the meeting, Rieck discussed the need for a mass transit system in Manhattan. A transit system was last researched in 2001. to use it,” Rieck said. “That’s a good indication of the general public.” However, since there was a lack of funding the plan was put aside. For a transit system, Manhattan has to reach the required 50,000 population mark to secure funding. The next census results will come in 2010.
Because of this, the city is preparing a transit plan for when the funding becomes available. Rieck said there is a growing interest in a transit system and that the community had changed since 2001.
See TRANSIT, Page 7