THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Tomorrow's weather
Kansan
Monday
November 1, 1999
Section:
A
Vol. 110 • No. 52
Mostly sunny.
Inside today
An EgyptAir plane with 214 people on board crashed at sea off the island of Nantucket early yesterday on a flight from New York to Egypt.
SEE PAGE 7A
Sports today
The Kansas football team played its closest game against Nebraska in six years, but it still couldn't hold off the Big Red in the final minutes.
SEE PAGE 1B
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Supreme Court Justice Thomas to visit campus
By Clay McCuistion
By Clay McCusition writer@kansan.com Kansas staff writer
University of Kansas law students will hobnob with a judge from the highest court in the land next semester.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas will visit the University's campus for two to three days in April. During his visit, he will visit classes in the law school, help judge a "moot trial" put on by students and perhaps drop by some undergraduate courses.
Stephen McAllister, associate dean of the law school, asked Thomas to visit the University. McAllister worked as a clerk for Thomas during the justice's first few months on the Supreme Court.
"He's a wonderful person, very engaging sense of humor, warm personality," McAllister said.
"The only real difference this time is that he's not going to give a speech," McAllister said. "He prefers being in the classes with the students, actually."
Thomas visited the University once before, in spring 1966, also at the urging of McCallier. He lectured at the Lied Center about the judges' roles in the legal system and toured law classes.
Thomas will be a judge of a "moot court" — so called because it's not real — where law students will argue cases before him. The justice also will interact with students in a variety of law and pre-law courses.
"It's something I'm not sure several of the other justices would do," McAllister said.
Burdett Loomis, interim director of the Dole Institute and political science professor, said it was valuable for students to meet a national figure such as Thomas.
"Somebody may see him
CLARENCE THOMAS
Born near Savannah, Ga., June 23, 1948
Graduated Yale Law School 1974
SUNDAY, 194. U.S.
Chairman U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity
Commission, 1982-1990
Nominated and confirmed as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1991
■ Judge on U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1990
and think of going to law school, you never know what hits," he said. "It's always interesting to talk to someone in person."
The exact dates of Thomas' visit aren't set yet, but McAllister said the justice was planning on April 10-12.
The law school will pay for Thomas' travel and lodging in Lawrence.
Thomas was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1991 by George Bush and is the second African American to serve on the court. At 51 years old, he's the youngest of the nine justices.
Thomas replaced Thurgood Marshall on the Supreme Court. Marshall was the first African American to serve on the court and was noted for his liberal politics.
Thomas approaches his job differently, said law professor Richard Levy.
Thomas generally has sided in court decisions with fellow conservative Antonin Scalia and occasionally with Chief Justice William Rehquist. After eight years in the court, his contribution to the group is still cloudy.
"He's usually regarded as falling into the more conservative wing of the court's justices," he said.
"That's still a pretty open ended question," Levy said.
— Edited by Bob Holler
Crossing the line between
By Amber Stuever
Couples attempting to find a gray area encounter racism from peers, family
eather Budig doesn't dare tell her parents about the Black men she's dated.
The white sophomore from a small Kansas town first went out with an African American in high school, inviting him to her house when her parents weren't home, asking him to page her, rather than call her at the house, and meeting him at places her parents and their friends never would go.
As Budig faced racist comments and jokes at home, she knew better than to tell her mother and father that their daughter was crossing the line that still separates Black from White.
"I knew how my parents felt, and I didn't want to deal with it," Budig said. "I didn't want to deal with the confrontation and anger."
Even in Lawrence. love is not colorblind.
Segregation that was supposed to have died in the 1960s is far from forgotten, interracial couples at the University of Kansas say. The new racism may come in the form of stares and condescending comments. Close family and friends may reject them.
Interracial couples are forced to face the fact that race does matter.
"They're going to get blind-sided like getting hit by a truck in the street," said Dennis Dailey, professor of social welfare and sex therapist, about interracial dating. "Although they may think color doesn't make any difference, everyone else does."
Although many cultures disapprove of interracial dating, society's disapproval of Black-White relationships is most intense, Dailey said. Every couple, despite race, religion or sexual preferences, will have difficulties. But those couples face a racism with deep roots in this country.
These relationships can and do survive, sai Dailey, who has counseled such couples in his sex therapy practice. But a couple entering into one will face stresses other couples wouldn't dream of.
"They'll be taunted, teased; their garages might be firebombed; a cross may be burned in their front lawn; their children may be teased and threatened; they may live in a neighborhood where only one neighbor will speak to them." Dailey说. "What I've described are real lives."
University of Kansas students and faculty have
See EVEN on page 6A
The Merc defends its changes
Some say the cooperative isn't being loyal to its base
By Nathan Willis
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
But recent changes at the Merc, as the natural foods cooperative is known, have made her wonder whether the Merc is being loyal to her and the rest of its customer base. It has added an ATM and more brand-name products.
As it celebrated its 25th anniversary in October, Green said she wondered if its recent push to move more into the mainstream food market was a sign that it had forgotten the principles on which it was founded.
Kori Green, Great Bend senior, has been a loyal shopper at the Community Mercantile Co-op, 901 Mississippi St., since her arrival at the University of Kansas in 1998.
"To a certain degree, you have to remain loyal to your roots," Green said. "And I don't think they're doing that."
But Nancy O'Connor, nutrition educator and marketing director for the Merc, maintained that the Merc had not changed its mission
"The basic principles behind its inception are as strong as ever," she said. "That includes a commitment to the community and commitment to education."
Rather, she said, it was responding to a market that is increasingly competitive and increasingly dominated by corporations.
"A lot has changed in the last 10 to 15 years," she said. "It used to be that we were the only kids on the block. But now there's been the growth of corporate natural food stores and the entry of grocery stores into the market. We have to become a little more business savvy."
Since then, the Merc has doubled sales, which includes drawing a larger number of KU students, and anticipates revenues of $4 million this year, she said. But that's not enough, O'Connor said, because the Merc still faces a heavy debt left from when it moved into its present location in 1983. O'Connor said that she did not know how large the debt was but that further growth would be necessary to ensure the Merc's financial stability.
The Merc barely survived a fight with Wild Oats Market — a national chain — a few years ago, O'Connor said. Wild Oats eventually closed shop — not before the Merc had to lay off some employees and cut the salaries of the rest.
"We learned an awful lot," O'Connor said. "We can't be complacent."
"As far as I can tell, the main focus is still on wholesome food," said Jonathan Thompson, a Lawrence resident who has shipped there nearly every day for six years. "In but to order to survive financially, they have to be flexible. And they have been."
One customer said he recognized that.
— Edited by Mike Loader
Junior Kyleen Hamill and senior Drew Burst talk to Ada Garrett, Lawrence resident, at Eiffel Presswood's new habitat for humanity house. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
Greeks attend dedication for home built in 2 weeks
Bv Lori O'Toole
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
About 80 people crowded into a small church yesterday afternoon for Lawrence Habitat for Humanity's dedication ceremony for Eftie Presswood, the woman who purchased the House That Greeks Built.
"It's a great mixture of joy, pride and satisfaction to be at this point," said Sarah Heimovics, Fairway senior, who created the plan for the project.
They sang songs, prayed and listened to Presswood thank
No room was left in the 14 pews at Calvary Church of God in Christ, 646 Alabama St. Many people, including several fraternity and sorority members who helped build the home, stood in the back.
those who had helped build her new home, which she will move into in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family.
Since construction on the blitz build began on Oct. 15, members of the 36 sorority and fraternity chapters have worked 2,200 hours.
Several greek members spoke during the ceremony. Goddzer thanked the Presswoods and Habitat for
"It was incredible how it went up so fast," said Katie Hlibok, Tulsa senior, who helped build the house and attended yesterday's ceremony. "It's really exciting."
Meg Godderz, graduate assistant for Greek programs, said only the finishing touches, such as doorknobs and light fixtures, still needed to be completed. She said everything should be done by Wednesday.
Humanity for allowing the students to help.
The members gave David Baldwin, project director, a check good for dinner and a movie for two nights to share with his wife. Jill. They also gave 7-year-old Kiera Presswood a set of hooks to hang on her new bedroom wall, and 15-year-old Jennifer Presswood a KU basketball.
Habitat for Humanity rewarded students and community members who worked 40 hours or more on the house with awards.
Helimovics said she had fun watching the greek community work on the project and getting to know the Presswoods.
"It makes it a lot more real for everybody," she said. "It's been wonderful."
*
—Edited by Katrina Hull