TODAY'S WEATHER: Cloudy and mild with a high of 62. SPORTS: The baseball team defeated Avila College yesterday
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
TALK TO US: Contact Leita Walker, Jay Krall or Kyle Ramsey at (785) 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
KANSAN
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
THURSDAY
MARCH 7, 2002
WWW.KANSAN.COM
ISSUE 108 VOLUME 112
Carnaval set for two-night party, dance at Granada
By Leah Shaffer Kansan staff writer
Last year's Brazilian Carnaval was so successful that members of the KU Brazilian Student Association decided it was time to turn this year's event into a two-night party.
More than 1,000 people attended last year's carnaval. For that reason, members decided to expand this year's event. Carnaval takes place tomorrow and Saturday night at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St.
Although Brazil's Carnaval has come and gone, members decided to celebrate Carnaval this week instead because of better weather conditions. The event gives KU students a taste of the wild celebration that rages on for an entire week in Brazil at the end of February.
"Basically, the whole country stops," said Carol Dias da Silva, Rio de Janeiro junior, and secretary for the KU Brazil-Portugal Organization.
Carnaval will feature two bands: Chicago Samba and Malaka. Chicago Samba will play tomorrow and Malaka will play Saturday.
Carnaval is part of a variety of events set up for Brazilian week. Yesterday night students participated in a samba dance workshop in preparation for Carnaval and on Tuesday night, more than 20 people participated in a Capoeira workshop. Capoeira is a dance and martial art that originated in Brazil and has spread in popularity throughout the United States. An Overland Park group, Grupo Axe Capoeira, facilitated the workshop.
Thais Brandao, Recife, Brazil, junior, said that the dance originated on slave plantations. Brandao said that the slave masters would repress any fighting so the slaves invented the fighting舞 to resolve differences.
"If you see it there is not much full contact, but you can still hurt people if you need to do that," she said.
Silva said although Carnavale would be the week's big event, students are also invited to attend Brazilian night at 6 p.m. tonight in the St. Lawrence Catholic center, 1651 Crescent Road. Silva said the event would expose students to non-partying aspects of Brazilian culture, such as the art, architecture and food like Brigadeiro, a chocolate sweet. Brazilian night is free to the public.
Tickets for Carnaval can be purchased at the SUA Box office. Tickets are $10 for one day or $18 for both.
ROCK CHALK REVUE
Contact Shaffer at shaffer@kansan.com.
This story was edited by Andy Gassaway.
AARON LERNER/KANSAN
Members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and Alpha Chi Omega sorority run through a final dress rehearsal for this year's Rock Chalk Revue. Members have been rehearsing since October for the show, which begins today.
Greeks set stage for Rock Chalk
By Caroline Boyer Kansan staff writer
Jayhawks dressed as bees, leprechauns, and inmates of a women's prison will be dancing, singing and performing across the stage of the Lied Center for the next three nights to raise money for charity.
The 53rd annual Rock Chalk Revue, whose theme is "Look Both Ways," will kick off with tonight's performance at 7 in the Lied Center. The performance run will continue through Saturday. Organizers are aiming to break 2001's record of $50,000 raised for the United Way.
Rock Chalk Revue is the single largest source of revenue for Douglas County United Way. Johanna Bryant, executive director for the county United Way, said the size of the college charity was unmatched across the country.
"I have never heard of any gifts from students even approaching that amount, so I think it's an exceptional donation even on a national scale," Bryant said.
Angela Agustin, who serves as executive director for the five-show revue, said she felt ready.
"I've been really calm and positive all week because the shows are of such high quality," Agustin, Wichita senior, said.
MIKE Rodriguez, assistant executive director for the revue, said he thought this year's revue would be the best yet because of the diversity in the shows and casts.
"This year, Rock Chalk has come full circle. It started out as an all-male production, and this year we have the first all-female production," Rodriguez, Chicago sophomore, said.
"Doin' Time," the all-female show, is the product of Kappa Kappa Gamma and Pi Beta Phi sororities. The plot involves a women's prison that gets a new inmate who claims she is innocent of her crime and tries to prove it to the other inmates.
"It's about the good girls and the bad girls in the
prison working together to help out this innocent girl," Pi Beta Phi director Kelsey Durr, Enid, Okla., junior, said.
The Revue comprises five shows, each 20 to 30 minutes long. Between the shows, five-minute cast movies are shown while set changes are made. In addition, there is a 20-minute intermission between the third and fourth shows. "Doin' Time" follows the intermission.
The first show of the evening will be "Hearts O' Gold," by Alpha Chi Omega sorority and Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Phi Kappa Psi director Chris Dakhil, a Wichita senior, said it was set in a lerechaun town at the end of a rainbow, and the leprechauns must go on a quest for their stolen gold.
Each show is written, directed and staged by two organizations. The Lied Center performances are the culmination of a six-month process in which the groups first compete to get into the revue, then prepare their shows for the audience. After submitting notebooks with scripts, costumes, music and set designs, and attending interviews with a panel of judges, these five shows were selected for the Revue in November.
The four shows other than "Doin' Time" conform to the recent trend of fraternity-sorority pairs; however, the second show of the evening will bring another first. Pi Kappa Phi fraternity makes their first appearance in the revue with "The Two-Ply Alliance," partnering with Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. Pi Kappa Phi director Matthew Allen said it was about two groups of eighth-grade graduates competing to pull a prank on their old principal.
"They don't realize that they've planned to pull the same prank, but they work together and pull it off in the end." Allen, Leawood sophomore, said.
Cast members have attended mandatory rehearsals for one hour each weeknight and one-and-a-half hours each day on weekends since Jan.18.
SEE ROCK CHALK ON PAGE 3A
Home offers a place for activism, education
By Leah Shaffer
Kansan staff writer
"We decided to start the collective because we felt there wasn't a real community space for all the grassroots organizations to use," said Ayer, who helped form the group last October.
Lawrence activists have found a home for gathering and educating others in the community at the Mother Earth Collective.
Elizabeth Ayer, Lawrence resident and member of the collective, lives in the house, at 1305 Tennessee St., with four other members.
The Mother Earth Collective has 20 members and serves as a meeting space for groups such as the Anarchist Study Group, Kaw Valley Greens and Industrial Workers of the World. This month, the collective will also have workshops on book binding and setting up darkrooms, as well as women's health workshops on how to sew reusable menstrual pads and give self-cervical exams.
Alleicia Ruscin, Auburn, Ala., graduate student, said the collective was a crucial space for activists in Lawrence.
"I've lived in Lawrence for three years and I've been waiting
Ruscin said she appreciated the women's health workshop and she looked forward to finding out how to sew menstrual pads because she thought commercially made tampons and pads were bleached and had dioxin in them, which were harmful to one's health and the environment.
The collective also has a lending library full of books detailing the history of such things as feminism, environmentalism and sus-
for something like the collective to appear," she said.
SEE HOME ON PAGE 3A
AARON SHOWALTER/KANSAN
Elizabeth Ayer, Lawrence resident, discusses Daniel Guérin's writings at an anarchist study group.
Operator flexes crane's muscles in front of Union
By Adam Pracht
Kansan staff writer
David Knoll can measure the stress of his job by the size of the hole in his boot.
Knoll said the job stress could be draining.
He developed the coaster-sized hole by constantly checking and rechecking his grip on the brake pedal that keeps 10-ton loads suspended over the heads of his co-workers. One slip, and the results can be fatal.
Knoll operates the160-foot-tall crane towering above the construction on the west side of the Kansas Union.
"Basically every day I could kill somebody, so there's really no room for errors," he said. "When I first started running the crane, I'd go home and have nightmares about it."
John Kennedy, an iron worker on the site, said he was confident in Knoll and had trusted him with his life many times.
Knoll started working for McPherson Construction as a laborer and carpenter until 1983 when he began to work as a crane operator. McPherson Construction is doing the current renovations on the Kansas Union.
The renovations include construction of a new entrance on the west side, facing Spencer Art Museum, a new main staircase, a new walkway connecting the Union to the parking garage and expanded space for the Organizations and Leadership Center.
Knoll said he considered other careers such as a shop teacher or a farmer. But he chose crane operation because it paid well, offered a comfortable seat and provided internal heat in the winter months.
Getting his start in crane operation was as simple as asking his supervisor if he could try it.
"I told him I wanted to run a crane," Knoll said. "He threw me the keys, and I started."
Soon after, Knoll began to train after work with Kenny Hollington, a veteran crane operator who is now an inspector for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Knoll said Hollington showed him that the basics of crane operation were simple, but becoming an expert could take a lifetime.
Hank Morris, Knoll's supervisor on the current renovation project, said he appreciated Knoll's talent and experience. He said Knoll was careful, smooth and exact while operating the crane.
“Kenny was a sharp man, but he was a hell of a guy to follow.” Knoll said “I guarantee you, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing.”
Morris said Knoll's job was as important as the position of supervisor.
"Most of the time you're working blind, and if you don't trust the guy up there giving you the signals, that's where you're going to run into problems."
However, Knoll said construction work was a team effort, and his job was impossible without others to guide him when the load wasn't visible to him.
Contact Pracht at apracht@kansan.com This story was edited by Gillian Titus.
CHRISTINA NEFF/KANSAN
David Knoll operates a 160-foot-tall crane for McPherson Construction, the Topeka company that is doing the renovations on the Kansas Union. Knoll has been a crane operator for 19 years.
INSIDETODAY
WORLD NEWS ...7A
STATE NEWS ...5A
WEATHER ...10A
CROSSWORD ...10A
COMING IN TOMORROW'S KANSAN
PARTIES: READ ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING BIG 12 PARTIES.
SALES: HOW TO GET THE BEST OF NEW-TO-YOU THREADS.
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.
I
Y