THURSDAY,MAY1,2003
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN =5A
Students share feelings, remember Holocaust victims
By Cal Creek
creek@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
All this week University of Kansas students, both Jewish and otherwise, have been able to express their sentiments and thoughts about the Holocaust.
"Education is the only way for people to learn about hatred," said Melanie Weiser, Dallas junior, and Holocaust Awareness Week chairwoman for KU Hillel.
Tuesday was national Holocaust Remembrance Day. Weiser
decided to make the entire week a tribute to the victims and survivors of the tragedy that claimed the lives of millions of Jews during World War II.
The events of the past week have included an open prayer time in Danforth Chapel Monday.
On Tuesday, students and Hiliel members read the names of Holocaust victims in front of the Kansas Union. The group read more than 100 pages of names from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Weiser said the readings held the most meaning for her of all the
week's events.
"I felt I could give a voice to those who were silenced," Weiser said.
Last night a panel of eight gathered to discuss stereotypes. The panel was called "What is a Jew?: Fighting Stereotypes."
The group discussed stereotypes prevalent in today's society, what perpetuates these stereotypes and when righteous pursuits become witch hunts.
Judy Hellman, special projects coordinator for the Jewish Community Relations/American Jewish Community in Overland Park participated in the discussion.
She said it was important for college students to take up the torch of awareness because they would be the last generation to hear the accounts of eye witnesses and survivors of the Holocaust.
"I think people need to think about how the governmental system can be used to commit genocide," Hellman said.
Tonight, students can view the Holocaust movie Life is Beautiful at the Hillel House, 940 Mississippi St.
Weiser said she had taken on these responsibilities because of experiences she had had while visiting Poland as a junior in high school.
While there, Weiser visited concentration camps and experienced severe anti-semitism when a group of Polish teens threw rocks and spit at her and her friends, yelling "Go home, you dirty Jews. We don't want you here."
These events made Weiser realize there was still hatred in the world. Weiser said she wanted to change the world by reminding it
Upcoming Events for Holocaust
Awareness Week
Today: Viewing of Life is
Beautiful at 7 tonight in the Hillel
House, 940 Mississippi St., with
discussion afterward
of the horrors and tragedies of the past.
"I still have the mentality that I can save the world," Weiser said.
Edited by Julie Jantzer
Art program helps juvenile offenders to stay out of trouble
Bv Amv Potter
Art programs might be the answer juvenile delinquency centers are looking for when dealing with behavior problems.
Mark Ezell, associate professor of social welfare, was able to research observations that suggest innovative art programs help juvenile offenders with selfesteem and staying out of trouble upon release.
In 1997 Ezell was asked to evaluate a program in Washington called "A Changed World." The program consists of artists who would come to the residency
and do a two-week workshops for a few hours each day.
"The artists became very close with these kids," Ezell said. "Where a lot of the magic occurred is in the adult-kid mentoring."
From his observation of the program Ezell found that compared to incident reports from previous months, there was a drastic decline in behavior problems for the students in the art class.
"It was a huge drop," Ezell said. "Their behavior just wasn't better while they were in the workshop with the artists. It was better all day long."
Ezell was also able to do follow-up observations on 25 kids who were released into the community after participating in the art program.
He found that two-thirds stayed out of trouble with the law while one-third got back into trouble. These numbers are an improvement from the national average in which two-thirds of juvenile offenders get back into trouble while one-third stay out of trouble.
Though Ezell is excited about this finding, he said one must be careful to not generalize the results because it was done with such a small sample of kids.
Michelle Levy, child welfare traineeship program coordinator,
co-authored the paper that would appear in the Journal of Correctional Education in September.
She wants to see art programs such as
the one in Washington in all juvenile delinquency centers.
Ezell
"We want to get the word out that it's working and it's making a difference." Levy said.
Gregg Nielson, education director and principal of Lawrence Gardner High School in the Topeka Juvenile Correction facility, has witnessed the
first-hand effects that occurred when his students took an art class. An art teacher on campus works with the students one hour each day.
"I do think there is therapy with art," Nielson said. "It does in my opinion have a very calming effect on the students."
He said walking into an art classroom in his school would be like walking into any other classroom in America.
"To tell you the truth, 12 to 14 men is quite a few more than we would normally put in other classes, but we do it because they like it. There's no real behavior problems," Nielson said.
Nielson said education com
ponents like art, home economics or woodworking classes were key to the rehabilitation of kids in juvenile detention centers.
"I don't think you can get into the mentality to throw away the key and be done with it," Nielson said. "They come out more hardened, angry and hostile if you do that."
Ezell and Levy said they wanted others to take their results and go further with the study.
"One of the things we're curious about was it something about the art itself or more about the relationship between the kids and the artists? , " Levy said. "That's something we hope to look at."
Edited by Brandon Gay
STATE
Hutchinson plans vote on smoking ordinance
HUTCHINSON—This southcentral Kansas city has become the latest community in the state to take a look at snuffing out smoking in restaurants.
The Hutchinson City Council
Tuesday's vote directed the city staff to have the smoking ban ordinance ready by next May, so citizens would have plenty of
voted Tuesday to put the issue before city voters, but not for more than a year. The advisory referendum would be held on Aug. 3,2004.
advance notice on where and how the ban would work.
The council intends to abide by the results of the advisory referendum.
Elsewhere in the state, Salina's ban on smoking in restaurants went into effect in January. The ordinance prohibits smoking in
restaurants between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m., but some restaurants are banning it altogether.
The Hutchinson council decided to put the issue before
Kansas' eight prisons went tobacco-free March 17. The ban applies to the prisons' staff and visitors as well as inmates.
voters after receiving competing petitions. One said the decision on smoking should be made by the restaurant owner or management, not the city council. That petition had 847 signatures, compared to 437 the Reno County Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition's pro-smoking ban.
Vice Mayor Brad Dillon and Councilman Mark Smith agreed it was preferable that city staff drafted a restaurant smoking ordinance, rather than watch a citizens' group craft an ordinance and successfully petition for a special election.
The Associated Press
No matter how far you fly, you'll find Jayhawks everywhere! Congratulations Class of 2003!
Our graduation gift to you...a free Alumni Association membership!
You'll receive a six-month complimentary membership in the Kansas Alumni Association from June to November 2003, which includes:
- E-mail forwarding. Go to our Web site for all the details. Your @ku.edu address can become @kualumni.org address, messages will be forwarded to any e mail address you specify.
e-mail address you specify.
* Three issues of Kappa Alumni magazine. Stay up to date with what's happening on campus and what your classmates are doing.
- Three issues of Kansas Alumni magazine. Stay up to date with what's happening on campus and what your classmates are doing.
* Introductions to alumni chapter events, professional society events with your school, and access to chapters across the country and worldwide.
- Invitations to alumni chapter events, professional society events with your home, and access to the Colorado calendar. Our 2004 calendar with wonderful campus scenes will keep Mount Oread as close as your home or office wall.
- Guide to Jayhawk Basketball. Our hoops guide will ensure you'll never miss a KU game, watch party, or place to hang out with other Jayhawks whenever you are!
Crimson and Blue send-off parties for Class of 2003
Grad Grill
Wednesday, May 7, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Adams Alumni Center
Join us for your first official alumni event at the Adams Alumni Center sponsored by the Student Alumni Association. Don't miss out on all the great door prizes, free food and drinks. (Catered by the Hereford House. Vegetarian option available.) This is your chance to pick up lots of information about alumni activities and services. The Athletics Department and many other campus offices will be on hand to share information about their
services to you...a proud KU graduate! Get a free KU gift when you complete an application for the INTRUST Jayhawk bankcard. Please RSVP to saa@ku.edu by May 2.
Kansas Alumni Association
800-584-2957
www.kualumni.org
Commencement Lunch
Sunday, May 18, 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
The Outlook, Chancellor's Residence
Graduates and their guests can celebrate before their big walk down the Hill at the Chancellor's residence. Chancellor Robert and Leah Hemenway will provide free box lunches for all graduates and their guests. The Kansas Alumni Association will welcome you into alumni status and the Senior Class officers will announce the class gift and banner. Pick up your requested tickets at the Alumni Association's headquarters on the third floor of the Adams Alumni Center between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., weekdays, May 1-15.A reservation card is in your Commencement packet; go to the Registrar's office if you did not receive this mailing.
Questions? Call your Alumni Association at 864-4760, e-mail kualumni@kualumni.org or go to www.kualumni.org for a Countdown to Commencement Guide.
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