TODAY'S WEATHER: Warm with late storms ad a high of 84. SPORTS: Gooden to announce his decision on Friday.
KANSAN
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
TALK TO US: Contact Leita Walker, Jay Krall or Kyle Ramsey at (785) 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
WWW.KANSAN.COM
TUESDAY APRIL 16,2002
ISSUE 131 VOLUME 112
Student group kicks off week to promote black love
By Summer Lewis Kansan staff writer
The Black Student Union will promote and celebrate love with events this week.
The annual Black Love week began last night with a potluck dinner and will continue through Sunday evening.
Mark Dupree, Kansas City, Kan., sophomore and president of the Black Student Union, said that the group sponsored the events each year to show that different people could get together and have fun.
"There are events for friends and for couples," Dupree said. "We want people to come and have a time to show love for one another. The week is all about showing the love for what people do for each other."
"Love doesn't end," Dupree said. "It is a continuous thing among races and cultures, which is why the week's events are open to everyone. Love needs to spread, so we're hoping that this week shows that."
Shanika McPhaull, Omaha, Neb. senior, said Black Love week had taken place the last three years.
He said that the group wanted to celebrate every variety of love.
"Any student is welcome to come, but it is geared toward black students," McPhaul said. "The week was designed to embrace black students mentally, physically, academically and spiritually."
She said the events would be both fun and informative.
Events include:
"It is meant to be an empowerment week for black students," McPhaull said. "It will be full of different kinds of information for students."
EVENT INCLUDE:
* Tonight: "Are You Still Undecided?" A speaker from Career and Employment Services will talk about finding a major and career planning at 7 p.m. at the Sunflower Room in the Burge Union.
Wednesday: A student panel will discuss tips on skin, hair and health care and beauty secrets at 7 p.m. at the Pioneer Room in the Burge Union.
Thursday: A games-and-movie night will be held at 7 p.m. in the Multicultural Resource Center.
Friday: A kick ball game will be at an undecided location.
Saturday: A Black Love Week party will be held from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Frontier Room in the Burge Union.
Sunday: The annual Award Banquet for the Black Student Union will be held at 5 p.m. at the Kansas Room in the Kansas Union.
Contact Lewis at slewis@kansan.com.
This story was edited by Joanna Miller.
Students to voice tuition concerns in rally
By Rachel Keesee
Kansan staff reporter
Student Senate has slated Thursday as the day for University of Kansas students to speak out about tuition.
Senate members want KU students to join them and students from other Regents schools at the Board of Regents meeting at 11 a.m. in the Signature Building, 10th and Jackson streets, in Topeka.
"We want to show that students aren't apathetic about higher education in Kansas," said Justin Mills, student body president. "Any time you bring a group of students, you make an impressive point."
The number of students participating
is unclear, said Kyle Browning, student body vice president, although the majority will be KU students.
"This is a higher education issue, not just a KU issue," Browning said. "Education is the key to our country and our state. It's important for students to show their commitment to higher education."
Two buses,paid for by student fees and money from the Coca-Cola sponsorship,will leave from the Kansas Union at 10 a.m. and two more will leave at 11 a.m.
People should arrive 10 minutes before the buses depart, Browning said.
Senate will provide some resources for the rally, but students should make lunch plans separately.
"We'll have signs and there are restaurants near the Capitol," he said. "If people want to bring more signs and some food, that's certainly encouraged."
Atnoon, students will walk to the State Capitol Building to lobby on the steps.
Although the Legislature is not in session, Browning said students' presence would symbolically pressure legislators to adequately fund state universities.
Mills said the Regents would be invited to join the lobbying.
invited to join the organization. "They say they're on the same side as students in keeping state funding, so hopefully they'll keep their promise and join us in fighting for that." Mille said
One bus will leave Topeka at 1 p.m. and the others will leave at 2 p.m.
Browning said students would have time to go to the University Council meeting at 3:30 p.m. at 108 Blake Hall, where the proposal from the ad hoc committee on University funding will be discussed.
be discussed. "I hope a lot of faculty and students will participate," Browning said.
When the 2002 Legislature adjourned its 90-day regular session Friday, it was decided that state spending on schools would remain at current levels, despite a House bill making cuts in social services and other areas of government.
KU Environs protest financial-services giant
Contact Keeesee at rkeesee@kansan.com. This story was edited by Andy Gassaway.
By Melissa Shuman Kansan staff writer
KU Environs wants students to cut up their Citibank credit cards to save the rainforests.
The Rainforest Action Network and KU Environs object to Citigroup's financing of environmentally harmful projects and wants students to stop using Citigroup services to keep that money from being used for environmental destruction.
They inflated a 35-foot balloon of the planet earth with the sign that said "For Sale by Citi" yesterday and handed out brochures outlining their protest against Citigroup, the multinational financial-services giant.
The balloon had to be taken down after 20 minutes because of high winds, but the organizers continued handing out information and answering students' questions.
Anna Wagner, Topeka senior and KU Environors co-coordinator, was strapped to a harness to help hold up the balloon as it was being inflated. She pointed out the link between students and ecosystems on the other side of the world.
"Even though the rainforests are thousands of miles away, it affects us through global warming, and it hurts us as global citizens," Wagner said. "We're doing our part in Kansas to make sure these projects are stopped."
RAN and KU Environ claim some of Citigroup's revenues came at a moral and ecological cost. They point to Citi-
group's Salomon Smith Barney subsidiary acting as salesman for approximately $300 million of bonds for the Chinese government to build the Three Gorges Dam. The dam, the world's largest, will displace 1.2 million people from their homes when its reservoir fills.
Citigroup is the world's largest financial-services company. It does business with more than 250 of the Fortune 500 companies. It offers credit cards through a variety of Citi names. Its subsidiaries include Citibank, a retail and corporate bank; Travelers, a life insurer; Salomon Smith Barney, an investment bank and brokerage firm; and Citifinancial, a mortgage lender. Citifinancial is the only subsidiary with a Lawrence office. KU Environs will continue the protest at the Citifinancial branch at Sixth and Florida streets today at noon.
Wagner said Citigroup should take more responsibility for its lending actions.
"As a leader in the industry, they need to be more socially responsible and environmentally conscious in their financial lending practices," Wagner said.
Scott McKenzie, Salina junior, was helping set up the information table for KU Environs. He reminded students that Citigroup is a major player in the credit card industry.
"A lot of people have Citibank credit cards and don't realize how bad a corporate citizen this company is." McKenzie said.
A Citigroup representative could not be reached to comment.
Rob Fish is a grassroots organizer for the Rainforest Action Network that travels with the balloon to raise activism. He outlined why he believed Citigroup deserved this criticism.
"Citibank is the single most destructive bank on the planet. They're No. 1 at all the wrong things: No. 1 funder of fossil fuel industry, mining and logging industries, and No. 1 holder of Third World debt," he said.
AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
Fish has accompanied the balloon to 20 schools so far. He said many students didn't realize their credit card companies were a part of a larger corporation that gave funds to projects around the world. Fish said projects such as the Camisae gas pipeline in Peru, on which Citigroup acted as an adviser, threatened the bird and plant species only found in the Amazon Rainforest.
Rob Fish of Rainforest Action Network ties down a support line for a giant inflated globe on the Watson Library lawn. Representatives from the environmental group were on campus yesterday to promote awareness of Citibank's support of environmentally harmful industries.
Action College students need to understand it is their money that is being used to fund these projects. They can get
Ilyse Hogue is in charge of the Citigroup campaign for the Rainforest Action Network.
involved and help to stop funding these projects," Hogue said.
The Rainforest Action Network wants Citigroup to adopt policies that prohibit funds to projects hurt the environment. One large European bank, ABN/AMRO,
promised not to fund projects that clear or degrade old-growth forests.
Contact Shuman at
mshuman@kansan.com. This story was edited by Anne Mergenmeier.
AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
Christian groups spread faith message with 'Lee'
Emporia sophomore Lee Bickerstaff is the figurehead of a campaign to promote discussion of Christian beliefs. The T-shirts are meant to encourage people to ask questions about Christianity.
By Maggie Koerth
Kansan staff writer
"Our focus is to give people an atmosphere in which they can talk about Jesus," Lee Bickerstaff said. "What everyone is agreeing to is my statement of faith."
Members of several Christian student groups said they hoped those questions would be enough to capture students' interest and make them question their religious beliefs.
rengious benefits.
The groups have spread their "I Agree with Lee" message on campus via T-shirts, sidewalks and flyers.
Who is Lee, and why should I agree with him?
Bickerstaff, Emporia sophomore, said Sonia Bellesine, Anthony junior, came up with the idea.
Bellesine presented the idea to several campus groups including Campus Crusade for Christ, the Navigators, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and ICTHUS.
With Lee" had been conducted at other colleges. At every school, a student was chosen to be the figurehead of the campaign.
"We were thinking about students we knew who led powerful lives and were inspirational to us, and Lee was on top of the list. We prayed about it and chose him," she said.
After he was chosen, Bickerstaff, a member of Campus Crusade for Christ, wrote a statement of faith that outlined the basic tenants of Christianity.
Eventually, those groups formed a planning committee that chose which student would represent the program.
Bickerstaff said he wasn't nervous about being the mouthpiece for a religious movement.
"I know many non-Christians may get the impression that I am setting myself up on a pedestal, but the campaign is not about me," he said. "I am totally able to dispel that issue when it comes up because this is so much bigger than me."
Students can go to the campaign Web site, www.agreeku.org, to read Lee's statement of faith, take a poll and post to a open message board.
An open forum panel discussion has been planned for 4 p.m. tomorrow at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union. Other activities during the week have been planned.
Bickerstaff said about 300 students would be wearing "I Agree With Lee" T-shirts on campus this week.
"People can go up and ask them questions about God and Christianity," he said.
INSIDETODAY
Bickerstaff said any student could buy
Sir of Bickerstaff, Lawrence freshman, said he got involved in the campaign because he wanted to tell people about his beliefs. He said a couple of people had asked him questions about his T-shirt yesterday, but they expressed little interest in Bickerstaff's statement of faith. But he said the campaign was a good idea.
"People will be asking questions. That's the first step," Chang said.
a T-shirt for $5 from any of the participating campus Christian groups. The groups ask that students sign Bickerstaff's statement of faith before purchasing a T-shirt
"If even one person comes to Christ because of this campaign, then it will have been a success," Bickerstaff agreed.
Contact Koerth at mkoirth@kansan.com. This story was edited by Sarah Smarsh and Joanna Miller.
COMING IN TOMORROW'S KANSAN
NATION NEWS ... 5A
WORLD NEWS ... 6A
HOROSCOPES ... 7A
WEATHER ... 8A
HIGH FASHION: Kate Spade, a former KU student, has just come out with a new perfume.
ENVIRONMENT: Am explanation of why trash was recently discovered at a local water supply.
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 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
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