KIRTLAND'S VETO REMAINS

A resolution to provide financial aid to drug offenders has fallen
short after its second effort in Student Senate.

Student Senate voted Sunday to uphold president sophomore Mark
Kirtland's veto of a resolution supporting the repeal of financial
aid restrictions for drug offenders.

By a 10-11-1 vote, senator junior Josh Kappel's appeal fell short of
the two-thirds majority needed to overturn Kirtland's veto of the
resolution calling on Congress to repeal provisions of the Higher
Education Act.

Kappel said he was unhappy with the result.

"I was disappointed that the Senate prematurely called the question
to a vote without listening to the students in the gallery," Kappel said.

About 35 students packed the SUB Conference Room, among them several
members from the National Organization for the Reformation of
Marijuana Laws and organizations that expressed opposition to the resolution.

At the start of the three-hour meeting, speaker senior Michael
Pierson advised the gallery and senators to stick to a proper level of decorum.

Kappel then moved to suspend the agenda, but Kirtland objected,
allowing Dean of Student Affairs Lou Ann Gilchrist to present. Before
Kappel made his appeal, Kirtland nominated sophomore Daniel
Poindexter to a voting senator position, resulting in a closed
session of three minutes. Poindexter voted against the appeal.

In his opening speech, Kappel refuted Kirtland's veto by attacking
each of his 11 points from the veto letter.

"It's true that only 1 percent of students are affected by this law,
but that's 175,000 students that could be here," Kappel said. "A lot
of people don't apply because of this law."

Kappel said the cost of overturning drug convictions and entering
rehabilitation programs, which would allow students with prior
convictions to regain financial aid, is prohibitive.

"The cost of outpatient treatment is $1,040," Kappel said. "If you
don't have money to go to school, how then can you afford this?"

In response to the appeal, Kirtland released a letter to the student
association explaining the rationale behind his veto and read it
aloud to the gallery.

Kirtland wrote that students who want to better themselves will take
the initiative.

"After you take this step towards improvement, the government will
further help you by providing funding to attend an institution of
higher education and further pull yourself to a better place in our
society regardless of your race, class or economic ability," he
wrote. "This is the system we have now, and it is, in my opinion, the
best way to truly eliminate the drug problem in America."

Organization representatives from Alpha Sigma Gamma, Beta Theta Pi
and Prism expressed their support for the veto.

Junior Greg Wisa, Prism social chairman, said his organization thinks
Senate has lost sight of the issue.

"There is a large problem with crystal meth in the gay community
across the nation," Wisa said. "People who have a drug problem should
seek help from a treatment program before seeking higher education."

Junior Grant Tower, parking appeals chairman, expressed the Betas'
support for the veto. Tower and Kirtland both are Betas.

"Mark Kirtland, with this veto, did what the student government
failed to do," Tower said. "Represent the student association, not
just the 30 people in the gallery. The majority of students support this veto."

Kirtland and Kappel both earned their positions with milestone
margins. In April, Kirtland won the presidency against junior David
Bonner by a 3-to-1 margin. In September, Kappel received the most
votes, with 351 out of 677 students voting for him. Former senator
sophomore Eric Wooten said Truman looks at a prospective student as a
whole and not just at one negative incident.

Wooten said the law punishes one mistake.

"If someone's in a rut, the government says, 'You're in the second
rate of society, you can't go to college, good luck with finding a
job, good luck with your life,'" Wooten said.

Wisa said students who receive federal money should follow the rules.

"What it comes down to is if you go to school, you have to follow the
rules, and no one should be exempt from those rules," Wisa said.

Two of the three senators absent from last week's meeting voted in
favor of the appeal, with senior Parviz Jabarov abstaining. The lone
abstaining senator from last week voted for the appeal while two
senators who supported the resolution voted to sustain the veto.
Members of the gallery snapped their fingers as each senator cast his
or her vote.

"I'm greatly offended that Mark Kirtland doesn't trust me and 10
other senators to go out and talk to students," said sophomore Mindy
Maness, external affairs chairwoman. "However, he went out and talked
to his constituents. I'm in favor of this veto and this resolution."

Kappel said he has not planned for next semester yet.

"I hope more open-minded people will run for Student Senate in the
next election," Kappel said.