KU Student Senate debate canceled after 'unsubstantiated rumor' / LJWorld.com

Archive for Monday, April 6, 2009

Organizers of Monday's Student Senate debate canceled the event because of an unsubstantiated threat of violence over the weekend.

By Andy Hyland

April 6, 2009, 2:23 p.m. Updated April 6, 2009, 4:18 p.m.

A debate among Kansas University student senate candidates scheduled for Monday afternoon was canceled.

Marlesa Roney, vice provost for the Office of Student Success, said that after the university heard an “unsubstantiated rumor” during the weekend, the university decided to place metal detectors at the debate for security reasons.

Roney declined to discuss the nature of the rumor, and said the sponsoring organization made the decision to cancel.

The University Daily Kansan was the debate’s sponsor.

In a story on the newspaper’s Web site, Kansan Editor Brenna Hawley said she went to the auditorium and saw the metal detectors being assembled and called the Office of Student Success.

“I was strongly urged to cancel the debate,” she said in the story. “I would have canceled the debate anyway after I saw the detectors.”

Discussion

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6 April 2009
at 2:37 p.m.

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Danimal (Anonymous) says…

Weird. On the bright side, this is probably the most press one of these debates has gotten in years.
6 April 2009
at 3:01 p.m.

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MandM (Anonymous) says…

A debate was canceled because of an unsubstantiated rumor? OK what was the debate about? What was the rumor?

Could this be any more vague?
6 April 2009
at 3:11 p.m.

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Danimal (Anonymous) says…

I don't think so, they should have just said “today something might have happened somewhere.”
6 April 2009
at 3:11 p.m.

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onceinawhile (Anonymous) says…

http://www.kansan.com/stories/2009/ap…
6 April 2009
at 3:13 p.m.

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srj (Anonymous) says…

Honestly, if you hear a “rumor” it should be safe. The bad stuff (like what happened in NY friday) usually happened with the warning.
6 April 2009
at 3:38 p.m.

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mapmaker (Anonymous) says…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCObUW…
6 April 2009
at 4:45 p.m.

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torcia (Anonymous) says…

Ocean-

The point is that some of us don't want to depend on Congress to protect us. If someone breaks into your home with bad intentions Nancy and Harry are not going to be there to protect you!

6 April 2009
at 4:47 p.m.

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torcia (Anonymous) says…

Ocean-

The point is some people don't want Congress to protect us from every potential risk in life. If someone breaks into your house with bad intentions Harry and Nancy are not going to be there to protect you!
6 April 2009
at 4:50 p.m.

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KLATTU (Anonymous) says…

anti-social
still pining over the last girl who dumped him
thinks the student government is evil
likes playing with guns

No, that doesn't raise any red flags….
6 April 2009
at 5:15 p.m.

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Danimal (Anonymous) says…

After watching the video I don't know if he was joking around or is actually deranged. As a former student senator at KU I can't help but agree with his observations about the kids in Student Senate. Maybe this was meant to be some kind of parody of an action movie trailer that was done in extremely poor taste and everyone freaked out because it's a seemingly disaffected Asian student with a gun? Is this really the world we live in? I guess the video was perceived as a threat. What a strange occurrence. I'm a little disappointed in LJ World for not actually going out and getting the story but relying on the people on the message boards to put it together for themselves.
6 April 2009
at 5:22 p.m.

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oneeye_wilbur (Anonymous) says…

ku students who come and go from eudora talked about how the students at KU want a concealed and carry provision, maybe that is it. boy that is not smart. can you imagine gun toting students on your campus, it's bad enough you get the drive by shootings at your bars.some bunch of whackos in Lawrence.
the most excitement we used to get was fights at the Gilded Cage
6 April 2009
at 5:27 p.m.

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oldvet (Anonymous) says…

Well, there couldn't have been a gun scare on the campus because everyone knows that the campus is a “no-guns-allowed” site and everyone will obey that law… at least, every law-abiding person will…
6 April 2009
at 6:20 p.m.

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beatrice (Anonymous) says…

Why do they say “unsubstantiated rumor”? That seems redundant. Once substantiated, it is just a fact. You'd think a vice provost would know that.

Who wants to debate me on this?
6 April 2009
at 7:05 p.m.

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lcjayhawk (Anonymous) says…

I agree with everything Danimal has said. What a lazy f*cking piece of reporting by the Journal-World. The article should have just read, “Go read the Kansan.”
6 April 2009
at 7:25 p.m.

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mom_of_three (Anonymous) says…

language, language, lcjayhawk….
dont think it was needed.
And I am glad the KU police are investigating. I haven;t seen the video, but it could be just a bad sense of humor. But better to be safe than sorry.

6 April 2009
at 7:29 p.m.

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mike_blur (Mike Blur) says…

beartrice, on the UDK website it cites an “unsubstantiated threat” which is decidedly different, I guess, when “interpreted” by the LJW.
6 April 2009
at 7:57 p.m.

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gl0ck0wn3r (Anonymous) says…

“ocean (Anonymous) says… enogh is enough should be the new debate theme about gun control.”

And there it finally is. I suspected that one would start hearing this nonsense during the “omfg American guns are killing Mexicans!!11” news orgy, but I suppose it will take a cycle of illegal gun users to convince the clueless that more gun laws will somehow stop people bent on murder.
6 April 2009
at 8 p.m.

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gl0ck0wn3r (Anonymous) says…

“oldvet (Anonymous) says… Well, there couldn't have been a gun scare on the campus because everyone knows that the campus is a “no-guns-allowed” site and everyone will obey that law… at least, every law-abiding person will…”

Exactly. Why did they stop the meeting or install metal detectors when the signs and laws are *clearly* effective according to some?
6 April 2009
at 8:09 p.m.

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HermioneElliott (Anonymous) says…

Brenna Hawley said that she was strongly urged to cancel the debate, but she would have anyway when she saw the detectors going up. Why? Didn't they think they would be effective?
One of the comments on the Kansas was the Tutu Lee is just a quirky fun guy who likes guns. And that guy Virginia that shot up the campus was Korean. Lee is Chinese. Makes a world of difference.
Huh?
This is scary to me.
I saw the You Tube video. There were two men in it, Lee and an Middle Eastern man, didn't catch his name. Don't know if that means anything or not.
6 April 2009
at 8:33 p.m.

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Boston_Corbett (Anonymous) says…

lcjayhawk…your criticism is inappropriate.

When the police won't talk, newspapers are in a big crack. They don't report rumor, nor conjecture, without foundation, nor should they. Especially in the first writing of a story like this.

Since the police will refuse to provide information, the LJW will need to obtain statements from others who are directly involved, while not printing unsubstantiated rumor…. a continuing challenge for reporters and editors.

Newspapers can't be all things to all people. Reporting staffs have been reduced at many papers recently. It unfortunately occurred in Lawrence a year or so ago without any headlines. It just spreads fewer people out more thinly, and reportage becomes more shallow.

It will get worse. Be grateful you get any news. You have no “right” to it, and when the advertisers and subscribers disappear, you will left with the blogosphere. And that is about as reliable as getting your news from either Merrill or Setting the Record Straight.

RIP: Christian Science Monitor, Denver Post, Seattle Post-Intelligencer. And perhaps the San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times, etc etc. Note major reductions at the Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, and many other papers in the last two years.
6 April 2009
at 9:42 p.m.

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skinny (Anonymous) says…

You guys don't know the half off it. The LJWorld doesn't print anything related to the crimes around here. They are very slective in what they do print. One of the worst papers I have ever seen or read! Most of the time you have to read the Kasnas City Star or Topeka paper to find out what's going on in this town.

LJWorld will be going the way of the Rocky Mountian News,
6 April 2009
at 9:57 p.m.

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Pilgrim2 (Anonymous) says…

ocean (Anonymous) says…

enogh is enough should be the new debate theme about gun control.

How many more need to die before Congress acts to pass strong gun laws to protect you, your family and community?
*****************************************

Well, we know you don't give a damn about little details like this, but there's that pesky Second Amendment to the US Constitution to deal with (thank God!). The fact that it will prevent you from getting the kind of gun control legislation you want is why the founding fathers put it there in the first place.
6 April 2009
at 10:02 p.m.

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dielorelei (Anonymous) says…

seriously? you really found the video that threatening? it may be nice to have someone with a sense of humor on the senate for once. it would seem that most of you are racist cowards who see non-wasps with guns and freak out. get over it.

6 April 2009
at 10:42 p.m.

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penguin (Anonymous) says…

Resume Builders were funny…..Lord Wads and 12 Knights of the Crusade were funny….even Smile was pretty funny, but this stuff is just not in the same league. I seriously doubt he would do anything. However, if something did happen and no one stepped in I am guessing most of the people on this board would claim that they didnt do their job. Overall better safe than sorry. Also its the Kansan Student Senate debate. This event is only attended by coalition members/supporters. This is not a huge deal…I am sure that the 50 people who would show just had to find something more interesting to do.
6 April 2009
at 11:20 p.m.

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vertigo (Jesse Crittenden) says…

Mexico has some of the most strictest gun control laws in the world. They only have one gun shop in the whole nation and that sells strictly to law enforcement and their military forces.

How's the gun control laws working for them?
6 April 2009
at 11:37 p.m.

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bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…

March 30 was the day 28 years ago that Jim Brady and President Ron Reagan were shot.

uh, that's President Ronald Reagan to you bub. the greatest president in my lifetime.

so she saw the metal detectors and then decided to flip out. what did she think the me[n]tal detectors would do???

sundry silly people.

oh Pilgrim, to Ocean and his/her/its ilk remember the constitution is a “living document” and any time they wish they can dig up new rights in it, like they did in 1973.

and if they can dig 'em up, they can bury them too.
6 April 2009
at 11:42 p.m.

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vertigo (Jesse Crittenden) says…

Ocean-

Two of these recent shootings occurred in states that have some of the strictest gun laws in the country, California and New York. If the anti-gun argument is that more laws are the solution, then why didn’t the laws stop these two incidents from occurring?
6 April 2009
at 11:47 p.m.

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KUweatherman (Curtis Lange) says…

7.5 hours later and this (plus the other 7+ hr story) is still 'Breaking News'? Little over the top, no?
7 April 2009
at 12:40 a.m.

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mike_blur (Mike Blur) says…

bearded_groan, answer me this. If Reagan was such a great president, then why did he embrace and fund Saddam Hussein and the Afghan “freedom fighters” (now known as the Taliban) during their ascensions to power?

(Reagan sold WMD's to Saddam who turned around and used them on his own people, and then many years later Bush couldn't find them!)

Those are only two of hundreds of misdeeds committed by Reagan while in office. He might have been your cute, forgetful grandpa, but if you see past the actor's veneer, he was a hateful, spiteful scourge on society. I'm glad he's rotting in hell as I type this post.
7 April 2009
at 1:01 a.m.

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tutulee (Anonymous) says…

Hi. I was contacted by the LJWorld in concerns to this story but when I tried to call the reporter, he didn't pick up.

Oh, and if anybody on this board has any questions they would like answered, please let me know and I will do my best to entertain your curiousity. Let me know if you would like to have an honest and open discussion about your issues of concern. As you well know, I am also a member of this community and I value dialogue among neighbors. Thanks!

- Tutu Lee