KIRTLAND NIXES MEASURE

Student Senate president sophomore Mark Kirtland vetoed Wednesday a
resolution stating Senate's support for the repeal of laws prohibiting
applicants with prior drug convictions from receiving federal
financial aid.

In his letter negating the 11-8-1 approval of the resolution, Kirtland
alluded to Rousseau's Social Contract.

"As citizens of this great society, we have been afforded certain
rights and benefits, including federal funding for higher education,"
Kirtland wrote. "But with those rights and benefits come certain
responsibilities. Those responsibilities require adhering to federal
laws in order to create and continue a productive society."

Kirtland's veto blocks Senate from sending a copy of the resolution to
Missouri's representatives and senators in Washington.

"The action that is taken by this resolution is limited to a mailing
of the resolution to a few legislators who realize that it is easier
to ignore a Student Senate than to ignore other, more appropriate,
means of communication," he wrote.

The resolution, proposed by senator junior Josh Kappel, brought about
35 students to Tuesday's meeting, which was postponed Sunday because
the Student Union Building still was closed from Thanksgiving break.
Several in the gallery were members of the National Organization for
the Reform of Marijuana Laws chapter at Truman, which Kappel helped
form this semester.

At the start of the meeting, speaker senior Michael Pierson thanked
the organization for allowing Senate to meet in the SUB Alumni Room,
which originally had been reserved for NORML's weekly meeting.

Kappel said the resolution came about after a friend of his was caught
in possession of a drug at the CAKE concert in Pershing Arena on Oct.
28. He said if his friend is convicted of the charge, she would lose
her federal funding.

He said students should receive a second chance.

"I believe that everyone should go to college, regardless of the
mistakes that they've made," Kappel said. "They should be given the
chance to reform."

Kappel said provisions of the Higher adversely affect segments of the
student population.

According to the resolution, "This provision impacts only students of
low to moderate economic means, students who qualify for financial aid
receive that aid because tuition costs would otherwise prevent them
from attending college."

The resolution also states that the act impacts only students who have
sufficient GPAs to qualify for aid.

"What good does it do to take away a student's funding?" Kappel said.
"The Government Accountability Office has said that [the Higher
Education Act] does not deter drug use."

Financial aid Director Melinda Wood said she has witnessed only one
situation involving drug convictions while at Truman. Wood said the
student had been arrested but not convicted, thus allowing the student
to retain her financial aid.

Wood said she had not seen Kappel's resolution.

The Higher Education Act states anyone caught in possession of or
selling illegal drugs is ineligible for federal funding from one year
to an indefinite period. Students may regain eligibility upon the
successful completion of a rehabilitation program.

The gallery was asked to leave at the beginning of Tuesday's meeting
in order for Senate to conduct personnel business in closed session.
When Senate returned to open session 10 minutes later, Kappel moved
the resolution for consideration, alluding to the recent dismissal of
freshman Blake Harris.

"This resolution gives people the chance to reform and go on with
their lives," Kappel said.

Several senators expressed concern that advocating the easing of drug
laws would weaken Senate's lobbying power for increased higher
education funding.

"I see a problem with us telling lawmakers that we want more funding
and also asking them to do this too," senator freshman Chris Miller
said. "We should work to increase funding, which would affect far more
people."

Senior senator sophomore Brandon Large said Senate's job is to help
students.

"Education rehabilitates, and to take this money away doesn't help
students," Large said.

Students in the gallery also spoke on the issue, many of them in favor
of the resolution.

Several speeches turned into moral arguments, prompting Pierson to
advise participants continuously to speak only in reference to the
resolution.

Junior Chris Peterson spoke in favor of the resolution.

"We all acknowledge that college is not real life," Peterson said. "We
have a duty to question authority, and it's our chance to pursue
learning in all aspects of our lives."

Graduate student Brian Baker said he opposed the bill with great
disappointment.

"Sending a message with this tells people who are trapped and think
that the only way to get joy and amusement in life is from chemicals,"
Baker said.

Kappel said the large showing indicated the importance of the issue in
the student body.

"It shows that students want to take a political stand on an injustice
in the higher education system," Kappel said.

Kappel introduced the resolution at the Nov. 20 regular
meeting.

Opponents of the resolution, including senators senior Robert Kelchen
and freshman Sarah Schmidt, attempted to defeat the resolution.
Kelchen's motion to table the resolution indefinitely was rejected,
and Schmidt's motion to suspend the standing rules and bring the
resolution to a vote was withdrawn during roll call after a majority
of senators had voted no.

Academic affairs chairwoman sophomore Angela Crawford, who voted no on
the resolution, said senators were not voting in the interests of students.

"I firmly believe that in the case of this resolution, you would be
hard-pressed to find a majority of students who would support it,"
Crawford said. "It's not the culture of our campus."

Crawford said the resolution would send the wrong message to the
region, where meth lab busts are common.

"Truman State University sits in the middle of a region that is
currently in the middle of a huge drug war," Crawford said. "To be in
the middle of the region and pass this resolution makes us look
foolish in the eyes of lawmakers."

Crawford said lawmakers will take the resolution into account when
deciding Truman's funding levels.

"Lawmakers' impression of us is crucial, especially when we are coming
up on an issue as important as higher-education funding," Crawford
said. "We don't want to do anything that would soil their impressions
of us."

Kappel said he plans to appeal Kirtland's veto. For Senate to overturn
the veto, they will need two-thirds majority.

"He isn't looking out for the student interest, and he'd be quieting
the student voice," Kappel said.

Crawford said that if Kappel appeals, she will vote to sustain the
veto.

"Senators are forgetting that they are not voting their opinions, they
are voting the opinions of the students," Crawford said.