Wednesday, February 10. 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Students staying in basement see college life in a new light
By Ezra Sykes
Kansan staff writer
It's 6:30 p.m., and Sergio Guerra is fixing dinner for his roommates.
The menu consists of breaded turkey, steamed broccoli, rice and a plate full of tomatoes and limes.
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Although the food preparation seems to be going well, Guerra has another task to consider: He also must cook up a topic of discussion for the required post-meal conversation.
"One concern that I had was that you had to be a Christian to live here," Sapienza said. "The ECM is really good about not forcing you into beliefs."
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Sapienza said she was a little apprehensive about the religious aspect of the program at first, but now she is comfortable with the living arrangements.
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Erica Swanholm, Stilwell junior, added, "The true spirit is the exploratory part."
But spiritual talks aren't the only source of e tion. Practical things are learned, too.
"I've learned to cook." Guerra, Mexico City sen. or,
said. "I used to only know how to cook quesadillas.
They taught me some tricks, and I've learned a little from them also."
The roommates have a rotating schedule of chores that includes washing dishes, taking out the garbage, recycling, cleaning the living room and washing the kitchen floor.
To reside in the basement, students must sign a housing contract with the Ecumenical Christian Ministries. Rent ranges from $223 to $266, depending on
Creationism vs. evolutionism, categorizing other people and pornography have been on the burner recently.
Although the basement is sponsored by a Christian organization, residents do not necessarily have to be Christian. Chenoa Simmons, a Wichita senior who has lived in the basement for more than a year and a half, said she thought the program was fairly progressive.
"I don't call myself a Christian," she said, sitting in the living room with the rest of her roommates. "It's more of a community coming together to intellectually discuss spiritual matters, whatever your path may be."
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Guerrera lives cooperatively with four others in the basement of the Ecumenical Christian Ministries building, 1204 Oread Ave., in a setting conducive to deep talks and group learning.
Although the living quarters are located beneath a place where church services and meetings take place every day, the roommates said the activities — which have ranged from lesbian weddings to Sunday Menonite church services — have never been too large of a distraction.
Every Monday night the group gathers at 7:15 p.m. to eat a meal together. The roommates take turns preparing the food and choosing a topic of discussion.
Reflecting on the basement lifestyle with her roommates, Jenny Pramuk, San Carlos, Calif., graduate student, was positive.
The guidelines also say that residents must have a weekly community meal, "which will include table worship and items of sharing, fellowship and house business ... for the purpose of group building, conflict resolution, spiritual formation and group interaction."
"We have discussions pretty much every night," Sanienza said.
Stephanie Sapienza, Stilwell senior, said living in the basement provided an excellent format for discussion among college students because often college classes were so large that meaningful debate was impossible.
Stephanie Sapienza, Stilwell senior; Chenoa Simmons, Wichita senior; Sergio Guera, Mexico City senior; Erica Swanholm, Stilwell junior; and Jenny Pramuk, San Carlos, Calif., graduate student; sit down at a house-cooked meal. The students live in a basement apartment in the Ecumenical Christian Ministries building on campus. Photo by Erin McElhinney/KANSAN
"This is one of the best things I've ever done," she said.
Tenants also are required to sign the Koinonia Covenant. Koinonia is simply the name given to the living community sponsored by the Ecumenical Christian Ministries.
whether residents want their own bathroom.
The covenant guidelines ask that members of the house spend about three hours a week volunteering for the ECM, have a phone line specifically for Koinonia and produce an evaluation of each academic year.
Her roommates nodded.
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