TODAY'S WEATHER: Storms late and a high of 75. BASEBALL: Two Jayhawks return home to play Illinois-Chicago today.SEE PAGE 1B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
TALK TO US: Contact Leita Walker, Jay Krail or Kyle Ramsey at (785) 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
WWW.KANSAN.COM
TUESDAY APRIL30,2002
ISSUE 141 VOLUME 112
Speaker relates her experiences in Afghanistan
By Mike Gilligan Kansan staff writer
Convincing victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to go to Afghanistan was a challenge for Madea Benjamin.
Benjamin said she began calling victims in December to see if they would accompany her to Afghanistan to meet victims of the war on terrorism being waged there.
"Those were some of the hardest calls I've ever made," Benjamin said.
Benjamin is one of the founders of Global Exchange, an international human rights organization located in San Francisco.
She spoke to about 60 people at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union last night. The event was sponsored by the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice and the KU Greens.
Benjamin first went to Afghanistan with other members of the organization in November after the bombing began to learn about the condition of the refugees.
"I got a dreadful feeling on Oct. 7 when the U.S. started bombing that innocent people were being killed just like on Sept. 11." she said.
Benjamin said when she got back to the United States it was hard to get any media exposure to talk about the victims in Afghanistan.
She said her organization came up with the idea to bring victims of Sept. 11 to Afghanistan to meet victims of the war. She said the organization took four Sept. 11 victims over in March, where they saw first-hand the innocent victims of war.
"One girl's hand was blown off by a cluster bomb, and her brother's head was blown off." Benjamin said.
She said her organization started the Global Exchange Afghan Fund to help the people in need.
Benjamin said if the United States donated money to help the Afghan people, it would be helping itself as well.
"The Arab people would get a better image of us if we helped fix the problems of refugees that we created with our bombs," she said.
Tyler French, Overland Park senior, said the speech was important for people to hear.
"I think it's necessary for understanding the negative effects of the U.S.'s international policy," he said.
Contact Gilligan at mgilligan@kansan.com. This story was edited by Angela Cox and Anne Mergneier.
AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
Madea Benjamin is the founder of Glabal Exchange, an international human rights organization. She spoke last night at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union about human rights violations in Afghanistan caused by the U.S. war on terrorism.
Kristina Kuzmich, Overland Park senior, right, and Aundrea Boutrageur, Yoder senior, join 16 other women in front of Strong Hall. Yesterday's demonstration was part of a worldwide movement in which women wear black and stand in silent protest against violence, war and militarism.
AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
Adark demonstration
Women wear black to protest Israeli-Palestinian violence inform students about conflict
By Maggie Koerth Kansan staff writer
Eighteen women donning black mesh veils and black clothing stood in front of Strong Hall yesterday.
Many people who walked past wondered who they were and asked them what was going on. The women didn't mind; they were there to educate people.
The women were part of a peaceful demonstration against Israeli-Palestinian violence.
The protest, organized by Amnesty International and the KU Green Party, followed last week's protest of Israeli and Palestinian violence by the Muslim Student Association, KU Green Party and KU Environs.
Dalyn Cook, Colorado Springs, Colo., junior, said women wearing black to protest began in Israel in 1988, when a group of women opposed the occupation of Palestine. Since that time, she said the movement had spread worldwide.
"The fundamental tenet is non-violence," she said. "But the technique has been used for lots of issues. We had one against the war in Afghanistan last year."
KU's women in black protested the use of violence by both Israelis and Palestinians, but had
focused on Israeli state-sanctioned violence.
Israeli forces took over the West Bank city of Hebron early yesterday, killing nine Palestinians. This took place hours after Israel's Cabinet reluctantly agreed to a U.S. proposal to release Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from his month-long confinement.
Cook said the goal of the demonstration was to encourage people to become informed about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Because of U.S. policy, we are very much involved in what is going on over there," she said. "It is important that people learn more about the situation."
Other women from the group agreed
SEE WOMEN ON PAGE 3A
Haskell eliminates summer classes
By Leah Shaffer Kansan staff write
Because of a budget shortfall, Haskell Indian Nations University will not offer classes and housing this summer. This will leave some Haskell students scrambling to find a way to complete credit hours to graduate and still stay on budget.
"I only need two credits to get my liberal arts degree and now I can't do that now," said Hank Clifford. Haskell student.
Clifford said he would have to go home to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota because he couldn't afford to take
summer classes at the University of Kansas.
Raylene Hayes, registrar assistant at Haskell, said 384 students took summer classes last year. During this spring semester, 1,022 students were enrolled in classes at the university. Many of those students will want to take classes in other institutions in order to graduate on time. However, to take those classes, Haskell students will have to pay out of their own pockets.
Native American students at Haskell receive an essentially free education. The average student pays only $105 to cover books,
housing and activities.
Haskell student Terri Slinkey said she could not afford to go to the University of Kansas for the summer, and she thought most students at Haskell would just go home.
Marvin Buzzard, vice president of University Services at Haskell, said the Bureau of Indian Affairs did not increase Haskell's $9.5 million budget in order for them to keep summer classes going. Because of higher enrollment and increased administration costs, Haskell's budget covered only the two semesters, fall and spring. Buzzard said Haskell would save $400,000 with the summer classes shutdown. He
said students had complained about the situation, and he understood their disappointment.
"We recognize that not having summer classes affects students negatively. The issue for us is to find some way to balance our budget," he said.
Kip Collins, Haskell student, said he had planned to take summer classes, and he didn't want to go back to his reservation in Rosebud, South Dakota. Students faced fewer job and educational prospects in their home reservations, Kip said.
SEE HASKELL ON PAGE 5A
First Delta Force administration considers term a relative success
By Sarah Hill Kansan staff writer
One year after the first Delta Force administration took office, Justin Mills and Kyle Browning said that they have reached their goals.
Mills, Lansing graduate student in history and former student body president, and Browning, Overland Park senior in political science and history and former student body vice president, have had almost a week to reflect after their tenure as student leaders ended.
Mills said that Student Senate followed through with platform issues like better student seating in Allen Fieldhouse and support for the Graduate Teaching Assistants Coalition.
"We've accomplished some goals, and some are still in the process of getting done," Mills said. "While they are workable now, they are long term at the same time."
"We didn't shy away from any issue or concern because it wasn't under our jurisdiction," he said. "We worked on tuition, recycling, disaster relief and minority recruitment. It was a real diversity of issues."
Browning agreed and said that he was proud of Sepate's work.
Rumors began to fly at this time last year about Delta Force ruining Student Senate, Mills said, but he thought the coalition's ideals helped prepare them for the job.
"It was kind of like a new face," Mills said. "I think people expected more from
"We didn't shy away from any issue or concern because it wasn't under our jurisdiction."
Kyle Browning Former student body vice president
us, and I think we did a better job because of that."
Mills will attend the University of Kansas Medical Center this fall. He hopes to become a flight surgeon and then an astronaut.
SEE LEADERS ON PAGE 5A
CHRISTINA NEFF/KANSAN
Justin Mills, Lansing graduate student, and Kyle Browning, Overland Park senior, former student body president and vice president, stepped down from office last week. Mills said they achieved some goals but still have long-term ones still in the works.
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