THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Schlitterbahn also constructed a reservation system for those who wish to take the plunge on Verruckt.
Upon arriving at the park, riders can make a reservation for an hour-long slot to ride down the slide. If a reservation isn't available, guests can stand in a walk-in line until a spot opens up.
Schlitterbahn is open daily until Aug. 17 and for two weekends following that before closing for the season on Sept. 1. Single day admission to the park is $36.99.
Edited by Emma LeGault
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University hosts leadership institute
Qandeel Fatima, a senior and business administration major, is one of only a handful of girls who are receiving a University education in her home of Taxila, Pakistan, a place where social equality is not a priority.
Because of the guidance she's received and empowerment she's felt from participating in a University-partnered program, she said she'll be able to strengthen her leadership qualities and make a difference by teaching others in her community.
For four weeks, about 20 women from seven countries—Pakistan, India, Morocco, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Zambia and the United States—will live on the University's campus and partake in a program conducted by the Kansas Women's Leadership Institute (KWLI).
"Pakistan, as a country, is not focused on women's rights yet. Women don't have equal social rights as men have," Fatima said. "It's a responsibility as a part of a community I represent."
The program, which is funded through a grant provided by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as well as a fund established by the College of Liberal Arts and Science through KU Endowment, is being hosted by the University's Department of Communication Studies for the fifth straight year.
Creating a platform for interaction between women, exposure to other cultures, an enrichment of confidence and sense of purpose are some
of the program's focal points. At the end of the program, the women will present a project proposal outlining how they plan to improve their own communities.
"Our institute is focused on women's leadership, women's empowerment and sharing the fact that there is a lot of commonality between our countries and a lot of these issues we're grappling with together," Mary Banwart, associate professor in communication studies and academic director for KWLI, said.
Through academic and professional mentors, the women will get the opportunity to attend a variety of classes as well as participate in several cultural exchanges, such as spending an evening making art journals with some of the women and children at the Willow Domestic Violence Center and hosting a karaoke night.
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This is the first year that the program has allowed and accepted applications from Kansas students.
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"We have always sought to include opportunities for interaction with Kansan students throughout the duration of the institute," Abbie Hodgson, a core faculty member for KWLI, said. "We think it's really important as a cultural exchange that the international women meet American students, and it's equally as phenomenal for American students to meet these amazing, young women."
Brittany Bange, a senior from Colby attending Fort Hays State University, said the avenues the program is able to open up in terms of giving back was an enticing aspect and a majority of the reason why she applied.
"I have a huge passion for helping people and giving back to society," Bange said. "I saw this as a perfect opportunity to continue to do that, but on a bigger level. It's an incredible opportunity to learn, to grow and to be inspired."
Namra Nasir, a senior from Lahore, Pakistan, attending the Institute of Social and Cultural Studies at the University of the Punjab, said being able to take the tools she learns within the program will only help to better serve her and her community in the
future.
"There are very few women who get to go out of their country to find a solution for their country," Nasir said. "It's a chance to get support from professional, skilled people from different countries who have gotten together to share ideas, perspectives and give better solutions as opposed to being within the same society and asking the same people."
Banwart said seeing the interaction between the American women and international women and how they were able to find commonalities and points of intersection among themselves was an important part of the program's process and helped to bring about vital change.
"They are seeing themselves in a new light,seeing new possibilities for themselves and new ways of making a difference,"Banwart said.
Participants said they have already uncovered self-confidence that they didn't even know existed.
When Bange began the program, she said she was confident that she knew herself inside and out, but quickly found out that the deeper she dug, the more she understood.
"You have to understand your vulnerability, triggers, strengths, and truly spend time analyzing yourself," Bange said. "That is why we are able to grow so much each day."
Nasir said recognition and self-evolution were also things she's come to notice about herself over the course of the program.
"Every day I feel something changing in me," Nasir said. "Every day I feel a little better than the day before. I know all of my flaws. I know everything that is wrong with me. What I never realized was how it could be a barrier in my progress, especially mental progress. Here I realize that."
The open-forum teaching style, which encourages discussion, interaction and feedback has left an impression on many of the women.
"Here everyone is made to believe they are equal," Arpita Mitra, a senior from New Delhi, India, said. "The interactions and conversations that take place are qualitatively rich. They
are not driven by an authority. Everyone gets to contribute and everyone is made to feel there is no right and wrong, but that there are perspectives that need to be appreciated."
The women have roughly three weeks left to take in all what the program, the University and Lawrence have to offer.
Nasir said when she first heard the word "Jayhawks," she had no idea what it meant, represented or why people got so excited when someone said it.
Shortly after her arrival on campus, she and her fellow program participants were officially deemed Jayhawks after visiting the Union and receiving University ID cards. Now, she gets it.
"When I came here I felt like everyone felt so proud to be a Jayhawk. And now we have IDs saying we're Jayhawks, so we're equally proud of being Jayhawks, too."
Edited by Emma LeGault
@UNIVERSITYDAILYKANSAN
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