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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015
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It was nine years ago tomorrow that a microburst hit campus and damaged many buildings. About 100 trees were lost, but it barely made a dent in the 29,525 total on campus.
REVUE FROM PAGE 1
how we want to be portrayed in the media, or here on campus as students at KU as we're trying to obviously better our lives and get an education," she said.
Chavez said she and other HALO members reached out to the executive team Monday night and received a response very similar to the public apology.
"I'm not sure we would have ever gotten an apology if we wouldn't have reached out," she said.
The statement from the Rock Chalk Revue executive team said it had "expressed concerns with the show's directors" before the dress rehearsal and the first live show on March 5. It also said the team had "encouraged the character to quit using a thick accent," and that he did make those changes prior to the second and third shows.
In an email interview with the Kansan, the executive team elaborated.
"The directors decided to lessen the accent the character [used] in hopes of lessening the potential to offend someone, but ultimately, the poncho was still incorporated, which is what might have offended a large group of people," the group wrote. "In hindsight, we should have completely
changed this character, but we failed to take that action."
In order to prevent repeat occurrences in the future, the executives said they believe having open conversations with HALO and the Multicultural Greek Council will help them "come to a solution together." They also plan for sensitivity training with the directors of the shows each year.
Chavez said HALO expects the executives to attend an open meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow in the classroom of the Sabatini Multicultural Resource Center. She said the public is invited to join the discussion.
The Rock Chalk Revue executive team members are: Cameron Smith, executive producer; Haley Lynn and Paul McArdle, executive directors; Sarah Vanlandingham, sales manager; and Justin Ruffalo, business manager.
JAZMINE POLK/KANSAN
One of the directors from Pi Kappa Phi, Patrick Baki, and the fraternity's president, Tyler Vannavong, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Jordan McEntee, president of Delta Delta Delta, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Student Senate's Director of Diversity and Inclusion Jameelah Jones works in her office. Jones sat down with the Kansan to discuss her role with Student Senate, and she reached out to minority students who felt invisible or excluded on campus.
Edited by Victoria Kirk
JONES FROM PAGE 1
you ask any student why they stay at any University, it's not because of classes, it's "I can't leave my roommate" or "I'm in such-and-such club or Panhellenic." It's the community. I think the greatest thing the University can do is to focus on fostering a community for everyone.
KANSAN: Is there something that you can do in your position to help with minority retention?
For example, there are so few African American students here. That community might not come naturally because on such a large campus I may not interact with you as often as I should. Just numbers-wise, I'm less likely to run into someone who looks like me. I think the University can work to establish connections between underrepresented groups so that they feel they belong and have a home here. They want to go home because they don't feel at home here.
KANSAN: Do a lot of minority students and groups come to you with their issues?
JONES: My position can help by fostering collaborative efforts between student groups. If you have the Black Student Union and the Hispanic American Leadership Organization that have the same issues on campus, but they need a community to bounce ideas off each other and connect with each other on professional and personal levels, that's something that I can create with my job. What they don't know is they are both coming to me with the same things, and I can put them in contact with someone who may be able to identify with them. That is something that I can do to help foster that community between minority students.
JONES: Oh yeah. My office is like a revolving door and I like it that way because I was worried about how the reception of the position would be. But it's been so welcoming in that students have come to me so often
with all of these concerns. So I'm able to really find out what the needs are because students are so open and willing to talk about the struggles that they face and that's a real brave thing to do when you think about it. So my office stays full.
KANSAN: After students come to you with concerns, what is your job to do with that information?
JONES: My first job is to write it down. Students need to see that you are going to do more than just listen, even though listening is very valuable and powerful and there needs to be a space for that. But I also keep a running list of concerns and overlapping student concerns so that I can then take those concerns to administration and say that this is not just one student with this issue and this is not just one group that feels alienated. My job is to be able to take that information and find concrete solutions for it, in addition to making students feel like my office is a safe space for them to speak about it.
KANSAN: Last semester during the blackout week protests and open forum, a lot of minority students were tweeting their concerns at the University using the hashtag #RockChalk-InvisibleHawk. What would you tell a minority student who feels invisible at KU and want to transfer?
JONES: I would tell them that we need them. Period. It's unfair of me to ask you to stay in a space that you don't feel is addressing your needs and makes you feel invisible, but I'm asking you to not give up on the University. Because there are people here whose mission it is to make sure that you don't feel that way. My office hours are here but I have people hours because I am a real person, so if I need to come to that student I am more than happy to do that. And if I have to walk you to whatever office is necessary to assist you then I'll do that. Hold me to that.
Edited by Vicky Diaz Camacho
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