Friday, March 19, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Kathy Aaron, Lawrence resident, cheers after bowling a good score. Aaron is a member of Natural Ties, which met at the Jaybowl at the Kansas Union Wednesday evening. Photo by Rachel Marta Orr/KANSAN
Program focuses on building 'Natural Ties
By Ezra Sykes
esyke@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Amidst a flurry of strikes, spares and gutter balls a group of people came together Wednesday night at the Jaybowl, producing a whirlwind of high-fives and hugs.
And Barclay Richardson was having a good time.
"These are friendly people," he said, in between frames. "I like to be around these people."
Richardson, Lawrence resident, is a member of Natural Ties, a KU organization devoted to improving the life of those with developmental disabilities.
Once a week, students, or "reps," meet with their "ties," such as Richardson, to participate in recreational activities, which include bowling, playing pool, going out for dinner, seeing a movie or cutting a rug at the Cadillac Ranch, 2515 W. Sixth St.
Terah Isaacson, Salina freshman,
recalled her first meeting with Pat, her tie.
"At first, she was a little apprehensive of us, and we were a little apprehensive of her," Isaacson said, explaining how it took a little time for her and another rep to get to know Pat.
"Now she calls me 'shrimp.'" Isaacson said.
Most reps work in pairs and are members of groups such as fraternities, sororities or the KU Band.
There are about 120 members of Natural Ties - 27 of whom have developmental disabilities — here at the University of Kansas, where the program originated. The program has spread to 13 other campuses.
Cathy Skrtic, a tie, has been involved with the group for five years, but chose not to bowl. Skrtic said she would rather play pool or watch a basketball or baseball game.
Mary Henry, Fort Scott junior and director of public relations, became involved with the group after learning about it through her sorority.
"The first time it was a little awkward," she said. "It was an overwhelming experience to see 120 people who know each other having a blast."
But now Henry feels more at home, and it can be seen as she gives hugs and high-fives to a group of ties walking into the bowling alley.
"It's nice to be part of something that can make so many people happy," she said.
While dealing with those that have developmental disabilities, students must be prepared to handle tough situations.
Henry recounted the story of a student who became terrified when her tie had a seizure.
Although the experience was scary, the student has learned how to deal with her tie's health problems.
"It just becomes like second nature," Henry said.
Situations such as this can give students new perspectives about disabled people.
"You realize that this is something that this person must deal with every day of his life," Henry said. "If we get freaked out about the situation, it just makes them that much more uncomfortable."
Kelly Meerpohl, Holton sophomore, said that being a rep in Natural Ties had opened his eyes.
"I look at the handicapped differently now," he said. "I realize that they can do more than I ever thought they could."
For more information about Natural Ties, call the program's office at the Kansas Union at 864-4243.
-- Edited by Liz Wristen
Senate campaign to focus on student cost-fee reversal
Tuition issue to top YOU agenda
By Nadia Mustafa
nmusfafo@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
A tuition cap for KU students tops the list for the YOU coalition's issue agenda in the Student Senate campaign.
Korb Maxwell, YOU candidate for student body president and Student Legislative Awareness Board legislative director, said that if he was elected he would focus on reversing the cost-fee ratio associated with tuition and
The cost of tuition at the University of Kansas increased more than 400 percent during the last 15 years. Students pay for more than 40 percent of the University's operating costs, while the state contributes less than 60 percent.
fees.
In addition, tuition is increasing at a rate of more than double the increases in state funding.
Maxwell hoped to convince the state legislature to return a 25-75 cost-fee ratio, which would require students to pay 25 percent and state funding to finance 75 percent.
"It sounds a bit pie in the sky," Maxwell said. "It's definitely a tough fight, but every good cause is. As long as we get
The Board of Regents' tuition and budget development committee began work Wednesday on its recommendations for the University's operating budget for 2000-2001, including tuition and faculty salaries.
the state to pick up more of the investment in higher education, a tuition freeze is realistic."
Kevin Yoder, committee member, is not a member of YOU. But as student body president and SLAB chief lobbyist, he advocated a tuition freeze or an increase less than the rate of inflation for 2000-2001 at the Wednesday's committee's meeting.
Tuition will increase 2.3 percent for the next academic year, which is less than what
experts predict to be a three percent rate of inflation this year.
Yoder said that next year's increase was fair but that the state should increase funding by as much or more than what students pay.
"KU is reasonable now, and we want to keep it that way," he said. "That's realistic because the Board has been very friendly to student concerns and supportive of wanting to keep tuition at a low rate."
Carol Richardson, co-director of the School of the Americas Watch, speaks at Ecumenical Christians Ministers building, 1204 Oread Ave. Richardson encouraged listeners to help close the School of Americans. Photo by Rana Cline/KANSAN
The committee will send its recommendations to the Regents in May. The Regents will vote on the tuition rate for 2000-2001 in June, which must be approved by the state legislature.
Group wants 'assassin' school closed
- Edited by Liz Wristen
By Dan Curry and Chris Hopkins
dcurry@kansan.com
chopkins@kansan.com
Kansan staff writers
A school that tutors assassins shouldn't be on U.S. soil.
But that's exactly what the School of the Americas is, said Carol Richardson, co-director of Schools of the Americas Watch, a group that advocates shutting down the school.
"The ultimate goal of the School of the Americas is to defend U.S. interests in Latin America," she said.
Richardson said that the officials at the School of the Americas claimed that its goal was to help spread democracy but said that it was used more often to put down rebellions.
Richardson spoke to about 30 people last night at a rice and beans dinner sponsored by Latin American Solidarity at the Ecumenical Christians Ministries building, 1204 Oread Ave.
The School of the Americas, founded in Panama in 1946, is a United States Army training facility located in Fort Benning, Georgia.
The school was moved to Fort Benning in 1984 under terms of the Panama Canal Treaties.
In 1996, the Department of Defense released seven training manuals used by the school to teach students torture and extortion.
"The techniques target those people that are trying to change things," Richardson said. This includes union organizers, those who favor with workers, or anyone else who chooses to side against the government, she said.
Richardson said that former graduates of the school had said that in Panama, military doctors from the United States had trained them in torture using kidnapped homeless people.
Nicholas Britto, public affairs officer at the School of Americas, said that the school did not train people to be assassins.
The School of the Americas was just like any other senior-level military school, with the exception that its classes were taught in Spanish, Britto said.
He said that people from the United States comprised half of the present class.
"Some people have committed crimes," Britto said, speaking about graduates from the school. "But you cannot say that everyone who went to school there is a military assassin."
According to the SOA Watch Web site those people who have committed crimes were Latin American dictators, including Manuel Noriega, Omar Torrijos and Guillermo Rodriguez.
Richardson said that UN inspections had discovered that more than half of the soldiers charged with human rights violations were trained
in the United States.
"Every time one of those reports comes out, the School of the Americas is there," she said.
The SOA Watch Web site also states that School of the Americas graduates were responsible for the death of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was associated with SOA Watch and other human rights violations.
"People, like us, who do this work daily risk their lives to do this work," she said.
In protest for the school, the SOA Watch has organized vigils in the past year at the front entrance of Fort Benning.
Megan Hope, LAS president, traveled with 14 other KU students to join the vigil last fall that took place at the Fort property line.
About 7,000 people attended the vigil, and 2,319 of them crossed the line in an act of civil disobedience protesting the continued operations of the school.
Hope joined nine other KU
students who crossed that line, ceremoniously bearing white wooden crosses with the names of people who had died in Latin America.
As soon as they trespassed into the base, military police confiscated the crosses and corralled the protesters into buses waiting to transport them to a city park, where they were left.
"Last year was the first year that there were no arrests," Hope said. "SOA Watch has to think about what our strategy is going to be now. In years past, we have relied on this act of civil disobedience. Now we don't have that option."
Hope said that she and other people planned on going to future vigils.
Richardson said that she hoped that 10,000 people would attend another vigil this November, with 5,000 crossing the line and 100 risking a jail sentence by crossing the line for their second time.
In the meantime, SOA Watch is working on getting a bill passed through Congress that would close the school. Richardson said that last year the vote on a similar bill was 201 for to 212 against.
Richardson said that the School of the Americas was a snapshot of a more widespread cooperation between the military and human rights violators and that closing the school would be an important first step.
Richardson closed her speech by encouraging students to keep working hard on the issue.
"Each one of us can do something," she said. "Each one of us has a voice. Keep on, keep on, because there is so much and so many who depend on our work."
More information about SOA Watch can be found at its Web site. http://www.soaw.org.
—Edited by Aerica Veazey
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