THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
N
news
Editor-in-chief
Katie Kutsko
NEWS MANAGEMENT
Managing editor - production Allison Kohn
PAGE 2A
managing editor - digital media Lauren Armendariz
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Associate production editor Madison Schultz
ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT
Advertising director Sean Powers
Associate digital media editor Will Webber
Sales manager Kolby Botts
News editor Emma LeGault
Digital media and sales manager Mollie Pointer
Associate news editor Duncan McHenry
NEWS SECTION EDITORS
Sports editor Blake Schuster
Associate sports editor Ben Felderstein
Entertainment editor Christine Stanwood
Special sections editor Dani Brady
Head copy chief Tara Bryant
Copy chifs
Casey Hutchins
Hayley Jowiak
Paige Lytie
Designers
Ali Self
Clayton Rohman
Hayden Parks
Photo editor
George Mullinix
Associate photo editor Michael Strickland
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2014
ADVISERS
Media director and content strategist Brett Akagi
Sales and marketing adviser Jon Schlitt
CONTACT US
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www.kansan.com
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Twitter: @KansanNews
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The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 50 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at the Kansan business office, 2051A Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnside Avenue, Lawrence, KS., 66045.
The University Daily Kansan (ISSN 0746-4967) is published daily during the school year except Friday, Saturday, Sunday, fall break, spring break and exams and weekly during the summer session excluding holidays. Annual subscriptions by mail are $250 plus tax. Send address changes to The University Daily Kansan, 2051A Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside
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FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Cloudy. 10 percent chance of snow.Wind SSE at 8 mph.
HI: 19
LO: 6
HI: 31
LO: 6
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Cloudy. Twenty percent chance of snow. Wind SW at 11 mph.
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Cloudy. Zero percent chance of snow. Wind NNW at 13 mph.
Es ist kalt.
Thursday, Feb.6
Calendar
What: Scholarships Info Session
When: 4 to 5 p.m.
Where: Nunemaker Center
About: Information about Rhodes,
Marshall, Mitchell, Churchill and
Gates-Cambridge scholarships.
What: Making the Delivery: An Evening with Shannon Brown
When: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Dole Institute of Politics
About: Shannon Brown is the senior vice president and Chief HR and Diversity Officer for FedEx Express. He will speak about his career and volunteer experiences.
Friday, Feb. 7
What: William Allen White Day When: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Where: Kansas Union About: Paul Steiger, the CEO president and founder of ProPublica will receive the William Allen White Foundation National Citation.
What: Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony Watch Party When: 6 to 10 p.m. Where: Kansas Union About: Door prizes, spirit wear competition, games and refreshments provided.
What: SUA Presents: The Wonderful Land of Oz When: 7 to 11 p.m. Where: Kansas Union About: Experience a walk down the yellow brick road as Dorothy and her famous friends come to life.Themed food, crafts and a screening of "The Wizard of Oz" for the bargain price of 75 cents for students and $3 for the general public.
Saturday, Feb. 8
Sunday, Feb. 9
What: Kansas Virtuosi Concert
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Swarthout Recital Hall,
Murphy Hall
About: School of Music faculty will
perform. Event is free to the public.
LGBTQ awareness to bring equality to KU
HAYLEY FRANCIS news@kansan.com
A Supreme Court ruling in Maine made waves for transgender students everywhere last week when it ruled public school officials violated the state's antidiscrimination law when they would not allow a teenager who identifies herself as transgender to use the girls' bathroom, according to the Washington Post.
The ruling marks the first time a state court declared denying a transgender student access to a restroom with which they identified with as unlawful.
Laverne Cox, transgender activist and actress who stars in the Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black," is also taking a stand with transgender awareness. She is traveling the U.S. to talk about her journey to womanhood, and will be visiting the University this evening at 7 p.m. at Murphy
Many schools across the country are developing policies of their own for transgender students, including the University of Kansas.
Hall.
Hall.
The Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender and
Queer (LGBTQ) Resource
Center and KU Queers and
Allies, both sponsors of the Laverne Cox event, are working to help the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (LGBTQQIA)
community at the University overcome the limited resources and acceptance challenges it currently faces on campus.
LGBTQ Resource Center coordinator Michael Detmer says the community prefers to be referred to as LGBTQQIA. He said some of its greatest challenges include residence hall housing assignments based on an individual's sex at birth, limited gender-neutral restrooms and no full-time staff members dedicated to LGBTQQIA issues. The center is working to get the University's administration to acknowledge, understand and take action to enhance resources.
gender expression and sexual orientation," Detmer said. "This gives us a foot to stand on when trying to implement the policies or procedures regarding these issues."
"Thankfully, our university non-discrimination policy includes gender identity,
This includes implementing more single-use, genderneutral restrooms on campus to alleviate the potential distress and harm gendered
"I think it's important to be educated on all types of people"
GRACE LONG VP, KU Queers and Allies
Education and awareness of the LGBTQIA community are the keys to overcoming these problems, Detmer said.
"Education leads to awareness, and then insight and perspective, which leads to empowerment, and then action, which leads to justice," he said.
restrooms can cause LGBTQQIA students. The organizations are also striving to obtain a physical space dedicated to the LGBTQQIA community and issues — "A place for students of all genders and sexualities to come learn, relax, talk and explore the ins and outs of gender and sexual diversity and how it impacts every person, regardless of straight, gay, asexual,
intersexual, transgender, etc.," Detmer said.
"I think it's important to be educated on all types of people, so that you can be the most understanding individual possible," Long said. "You aren't going to be able to go through life without knowing, working with or maybe even living with a queer person."
Grace Long, KU Queers and Allies vice president, agrees.
The organizations help promote LGBTQQIA awareness through several programs and events. Teaching Safe Zone is an intensive training program where KU staff, students and GTAs can discuss LGBTQQIA terminology and language and learn how to be good allies and resources for the community. Monthly events and programs also educate
the public. "Gaypril" is a month long celebration in April consisting of trainings, discussions and social events supporting LGBTQQIA issues. Transgender discussions and events on campus also help to work on trans education during Transgender Awareness Month in November.
Long, who identifies as gender queer, said that while the LGBTQQIA community at large has made enormous progress in gaining acceptance and equality in the past few years, people still face daily challenges.
"Being LGBT affects many aspects of our lives that many people take for granted." Long said. "I think we also struggle with accepting ourselves and who we are. A lot of us seek approval from the outside world and when that outside world isn't always the most embracing, some of us take that grief upon ourselves. We are working every day to show that even though we are different, we are still people like everyone else."
Edited by Tara Bryant
CAMPUS
Greek diversity improves with Latino frat
ASHLEY BOOKER JOANNA CAMPOS news@kanan.san
When searching for a fraternity to call home, Devante Green didn't need to search further than the successful men of this nation like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or Thurgood Marshall
— both of which were prominent men of Alpha.
"As a young black man at a predominantly white university I identified more with a historically black Greek letter organization," said Devante Green, a junior from Lawrence and president of Alpha Phi Alpha Upsilon Chapter.
Now young Latino men will have the same opportunity Green has had. The University is making changes by expanding its racial diversity on campus by bringing in Phi Iota Alpha, the oldest Latino fraternity in existence.
The mission of Phi Iota Alpha is to accept different cultures and lives, and stress the importance of academics and building a second family to serve as a support system.
Hugo Macias, a graduate assistant from Garland, Texas, and director of expansion for Phi Iota Alpha, is excited to be help bring the fraternity to campus. It's the perfect time for Phi Iota Alpha to be a part of greek life, Macias said.
Phi Iota Alpha plans to positively impact the University by emphasizing minority involvement on campus and reminding students of their backgrounds. In doing this there will be no recruitment process, rather the fraternity will focus on building friendships.
KU needs Latino awareness, different points of view for Latino men, and anybody who wants to dig roots and learn," Macias said.
According to the SILC, 17 percent of the undergraduate population at the University belongs to a sorority or fraternity within one of four Greek councils: Interfraternity Council (IFC), Panhellenic Association (PHA), Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) or National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC).
Rueben Perez, director of the SILC, said despite strict non-discrimination policies, both IFC and PHA chapters have mostly Caucasian members, and the MGC and NPHC chapters have mostly Hispanic or black members. Although Perez has seen people of color join chapters within IFC or PHA and Caucasians join chapters in the MGC and NPHC.
"I would certainly welcome
KU needs Latino awareness, different points of view for Latino men, and anybody who wants to dig roots and learn."
HUGO MACIAS
Phi loa Alpha
expansion director
Students like Michelle Marron would agree because she believes there is major room for ra-
seeing all four councils have even larger representation in terms of racial diversity," Perez said.
cial integration within the greek community.
"One of the advantages of greek life is that you are creating a lasting bond with other men and women, no matter where they come from," said Marron, a junior from Kansas City Kan., and vice-president of Sigma Iota Alpha. "However, are you really stepping out of what you know when you stay in a certain racial group?"
Edited by Paige Lytle
"It distracts us from even larger issues, like the distinct racial divide in Greek life. I don't think the problem is in the divide so much as the lack of ever coming together." Green said.
The United States has been called a melting pot full of different cultures and racial groups that exist separately but also as one. Multicultural chapters in MGC or historically black chapters in NPHC exist separately while also being a part of the whole of KU Greek life.
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