Thursday, March 11, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section C · Page 3
Multicultural panel yields increased sensitivity in skits
By Karen Lucas Special to the Kansan
To head off script problems that could antagonize campus groups, the Rock Chalk Revue advisory board created a multicultural sensitivity panel.
The new panel was created as a result of student protests against a Rock Chalk Revue skit last spring called "Don't Drink the Water." The skit portrayed indigenous people in a manner that offended members of some organizations.
Members of First Nations' Student Association, which was then named Native American Student Association, objected to the skit which was presented by Alpha Delta Pi and Lambda Chi Alpha. Students from the Black Student Union and Haskell Indian Nations University supported the association during the protests.
Raven Heavy Runner, president of the association, said that the skit had made light of his people's spirituality.
"It definitely did not represent who we are as a native people," he said.
But Cate Pugh, director of "Don't Drink the Water," said this spring that her group had not had malicious intent.
Last year's situation might not have developed had there been a panel, Heavy Runner said.
Pugh agreed.
"I think it would have helped last year to have had a panel as a safety valve," she said.
The panel met twice during the fall semester to review the shows and offer advice.
Panel members were Ann Eversole, adviser to the revue and associate dean of students; Danny Kaiser, director of organizations and leadership; Barbara Ballard, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs; Charla Jenkins, director of public relations for University Theatre and the department of music and dance; Tamara Lewis, assistant director of the office of minority affairs and the multicultural resource center, and Robert Page, coordinator of multicultural recruitment.
Julie Hanson, executive producer for the revue, said that Eversole, Ballard and Gloria Flores, associate director of the office of minority affairs and program director for the Multicultural Resource Center, had recommended individuals for the panel.
SENSITIVITY PANEL MEMBERS
"We wanted people who were sensitive to the various issues, but also who worked with undergraduates," Eversole said.
Ann Eversole, adviser to the revue and associate dean of students
Danny Kaiser, director of organizations and leadership
Barbara Ballard, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs
Charla Jenkins, director of public relations for University Theatre, and the department of music and dance
Tamara Lewis, assistant director of the office of minority affairs and the Multicultural Resource Center
Robert Page, coordinator of multi-cultural recruitment.
The role of the panel was not to censor but to make recommendations, Kaiser said.
Jenkins said panel members were looking for ideas, dialogue or anything else that might make somebody feel uncomfortable.
She also said the panel had found a number of minor instances in which the potential for possibly objectionable material existed.
Yet none of the scripts presented major problems, Kaiser said.
"I don't recall finding anything having the potential to raise anxieties like the show in question did last year," he said.
Hanson said the groups were receptive to the panel's recommendations.
"They wanted to make sure nothing controversial was going to happen this year," she said.
Chace Ramey, director of "Clouded Judgment," said his group made a name change because of a panel recommendation.
They changed the name for a group of female characters from "Foster's Fairies" to "Foster's Trio."
He said that people might have found the term "fairies" offensive.
Ramey also said that he did not think his group's creativity had been stifled.
Chris Jones, director for "The Captain Was Here," said that he thought it would have been better if the panel could have worked directly with the groups.
"Ideas could have been discussed rather than been written down and told to us by a third party," he said.
Hanson said the panel was definitely a positive addition to the revue.
"Its suggestions were helpful," she said. "I would recommend that next year's advisory board utilize the panel again."
Edited by Duane Wagler
Meg Hartman, Wichita senior, dances with Kathy Aaron, Lawrence resident and a volunteer with the Natural Ties program. Natural Ties is a service organization which plans social activities with people who are mentally handicapped in order to promote community inclusion. Photo by Jeff Severin/KANSAN
Community service at heart of variety show
Fewer non-greeks involved this year some students disagree with process
By Nathan Willis
Special to the Kansan
It may not have the glitz and glamour of the on-stage productions, but community service still is at the core of the Rock Chalk Revue.
Although the community service arm of the revue works in greater anonymity than the show's actors and actresses, the service work is massive, said Lindsay Merrill, co-community service coordinator for the revue.
Merrill said that 28 groups turned in a total of 33,812 community service hours last year. She said she expected the 30 groups this year to accumulate 5,000 to 6,000 more hours than last year.
"We'll definitely turn in more hours this year," Merrill said. "In particular, we've had an unbelievable turnout this year on food and clothing drives. It only takes saying 'Hey, we need some clothes,' and by the end of the next week, you're getting cars full of clothes."
Service activities vary greatly and involve more than 100 charitable organizations in the Lawrence area, Merrill said.
Most of the fraternities and sororities competing in the community service competition are in the paired division, Merrill said. But a few of the Greek groups compete in the non-paired division along with non-greek organizations.
ber of members of the group. So the organizers come out with the number of hours worked per group member.
Organizations totaling 13 or more hours per person earn gold medals. Silver awards go to groups who accumulate 11 to 12 hours per person, and bronze awards to groups accumulating 9 to 10 hours per person.
The groups earn awards by division, Merrill said. Hours are totaled for each group and divided by the num-
Last year, about one-third of the groups received a gold award, about one-third a silver and the remainder ended up with a silver medal or without a medal, Merrill. She said most groups did receive medals.
In addition, awards for "most charitable organization" and "runner-up" are given in each division.
Not everyone agrees with the emphasis on awards, Julia Glimme, Douthart Scholarship Hall community service chair, said that emphasizing the awards created an atmosphere where community service was secondary.
She said that, while Douthart had won runner-up in the non-paired division last year and had won the division the year before, those who viewed the awards as nice recognition for service the hall would have volunteered anyway. But, she said, not all organizations were performing service for service's sake.
"Many people aren't doing this out of their own free will, but to get a prize in the end," Gilmore said.
"Competition for awards is an aspect that in my opinion is null, because the service still gets done, even if they're doing it for the wrong reasons," Wilson said.
Maggie Wilson, community service coordinator for the revue, said that Glmore's point was moot because in the end, the service was still being
done, regardless of the reasons.
Merrill said individual hours were compiled by each organization's community service coordinator and turned in weekly to Wilson and herself.
Some individuals and organizations have exaggerated their hours in the past, Merrill said. But she didn't think it had not been a problem this year.
She said groups and individuals had to fill out forms accounting for their time. Contact numbers must be listed on the forms so hours can be checked by the revue staff.
"We know this is a problem, but there's only so much you can do." Merrill said. "We usually check on one of their sheets each time they turn them in. There is a punishment if we find that you've lied."
That punishment consists of a loss of hours in the competition starting with a subtraction of 50 hours and increasing for each infraction.
The community service aspect of Rock Chalk Revue traditionally has been an area on non-greek involvement, but Merrill said the number of non-greek organizations had dwindled to two this year: Douthart and Watkins scholarship halls.
Gilmore said that Douthart, though still a participant, reflected the waning interest by non-greeks organizations. She said that while the hall was still as interested as ever in community service, the revue was less of a draw than before.
"Our hall hasn't been really motivated this year." Gilmore said. "There is definitely a perception that Rock Chalk is all Greek. While it would be nice if there was no resentment between Greeks and other organizations, there is."
She said she thought one reason for the resentment was that many events that counted for hours were philanthropy events that not all students could equally afford. She cited the example of a karaoke night at Beachers Sports Bar, 804 24th St., last semester.
"There was a karaoke night where people received community service hours for going to a bar and goofing off." Gilmore said.
Wilson said that while community service organizations in the area needed volunteers in many cases, they also need money. Philanthropy events were a way of giving charitable organizations the money they needed, she said.
She also said the United Way, which received the funds generated by the karaoke night, had been very appreciative of the event.
Regardless of any problems or controversies, the community service aspect of the revue still fulfilled its charitable duties, Wilson said.
Todd Huppe, Kappa Sigma Rock Chalk Revue director, said that the service was beneficial to those involved.
"I think that for our guys, working with Head Start was really memorable," Hupe said. "They liked the physical aspects of working on a playground to build equipment. It got them thinking about being a kid again."
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PANHELLENIC ASSOCIATION
WOULD LIKE TO
THANK ALL PARTICIPANTS, ON
HARD WORK ON
THEIR
AND OFF THE STAGE, FOR
ROCK CHALK REVUE
DOUGLAS COUNTY UNITED WAY
AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO
St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center
1631 Crescent Road
Lawrence, Kansas 66044
843-0357
Mass Schedule Daily Mass: 4:30 p.m. Saturday: 4:45 p.m. Sunday: 9,11 a.m.,3,10 p.m. Reconciliation: 4 p.m.Saturdays (or by appointment)
To The Men of Phi Delta Theta:
Thanks for all of your hard work and dedication. We wish you the best of luck this week!
Love,
The Women of Tri Delt
Thanks for all of the memories!
Clouded Judgement was our show this year. You worked really hard and we hold you dear. Singing and dancing in the Soul Shack From the beginning we were on the right track Judge Foster, the Samba, and Da Doo We've had a blast and we hope you have too!
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Thanks for the Memories!
To the Men of Delta Chi:
Love, The women of Delta Gamma