FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2003
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN - 3A
Climbing a tall, tall tree
Jegen McDermott/Kansan
T. J. Reyes, landscape technician with Facilities Operations, trims branches from a tree south of the Multicultural Resource Center yesterday. The dead branches must be removed in order to keep the trees healthy. Some of the trees are too tall to reach from the ground, so landscape technicians must climb the trees to trim them.
Losses won't affect scholarships
By Nikki Overfelt
novfertlove@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The Kansas University Endowment Association assets have dipped below $1 billion for the first time since 1999.
The loss should not affect student scholarships that the association provides, said John Scarffe, director of communications for the association. The amount the
Endowment Association gave in scholarships increased 7 percent during the last fiscal year, which ended in June, and so far this year is increasing again, he said.
The KU First campaign will not be affected, Scarffe said. The goal is to reach $500 million by 2004. So far the campaign, which will benefit all aspects of the University not paid for by the state, has collected $358 million.
The poor economic climate is
to blame for the loss, Scarffe said.
"We believe that in the good times we're going to outperform the institutions that do otherwise and that ultimately will make up for what happens during the bad times," he said.
The endowment portfolio dropped 12 percent from $831.8 million to $732.2 million in the 2002 fiscal year, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers.
The endowment's total assets dropped 7 percent from $1.09 billion to $1.02 billion.
The Endowment Association doesn't plan on changing anything because of the drop, Scarffe said.
- Edited by Michelle Burhenn
"Our philosophy is to ride out the bad times," he said. "We are hoping that things will hit a plateau here and then, after a while, start going back up."
Asian Americans to celebrate new year
By Eddie Yang
eyang@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The Chinese New Year will be celebrated tomorrow in many regions of the world, but don't tell that to Father Joseph Dang.
"I like to call it the Lunar New Year," said Dang of the Catholic Apostolic Church International at Ecumenical Christian Ministries. "Chinese New Year labels the holiday as Chinese. The Koreans celebrate the same year."
Regardless of the name, the months that are based on the lunar calendar begin on the darkest day, the new moon. Tomorrow, the year 4701 begins.
"The New Year is the most celebrated holiday for many Asian groups," Dang said.
The celebration is based on the legend of Buddha, who asked all the animals to meet him on the Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. Buddha said people born in an animal's year would
Dang said the animal for this year was the goat.
have some of its personality.
Serena San, Taiwan sophomore, said she planned to celebrate with her friends.
"I'm going to invite some friends over for dinner and have a hot pot dinner." San said.
San said the holiday was important to her because it was a tradition.
Several campus organizations, including the Multicultural Resource Center, Southeast
Asian Alliance and the Taiwanese Students Association, are preparing to celebrate the New Year. A free, public event will take place from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. tonight at Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave. The celebration will include food, prizes and games.
"Asian New Year is the highlight holiday," Dang said. "It is a day to get together and just have fun."
University pulls plug on MCAT class after low enrollment
By Nikki Overfelt
noverfelt@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
- Edited by Michelle Burhenn
The class, which would have
University of Kansas students preparing to take the Medical College Admission Test in April or August have one less preparatory class option this year.
The MCAT review course offered by the University of Kansas Continuing Education was canceled this semester because of low enrollment, said Heather Hoy, program manager.
been entering its third year, needed between 35 and 40 students to continue. Enrollment in the class had been declining since the first year.
University faculty members facilitated the course for students. The faculty members were led by Dean Stetler, associate professor of molecular biosciences, who said he was unsure of why student interest decreased in the course. Stetler said they started offering the class because of student requests.
He said students wanted the professors at the University to offer a class that would be less expensive than the other courses that are offered.
From the University, 146 students took the MCAT last April and 149 took it in August, said John Lockwood from the MCAT program in Washington, D.C.
About three-fourths of students preparing for the MCAT take a review class, said Paul Crosby, pre-med adviser.
Stephanie Smith, Overland Park senior, took the MCAT in
April. Smith chose Mary Dunkin's Best MedPrep MCAT Preparation Course instead of the University's class.
Dunkin's class is not sponsored by the University but is taught by KU Medical Center students who have taken the class.
Once she knew that Dunkin was selective according to grade point average, Smith said she knew it would be a quality class and that she learned by studying the test.
Overall, the class helped Smith
build endurance and keep the pace needed to finish the eighth hour test. The class also helped her improve 10 points from her diagnostic test, which was given at the beginning of the class, to the actual MCAT.
Melanie Curtis, Pratt senior, chose another MCAT preparatory class. She just began a class through The Princeton Review on Monday to prepare for the MCAT on April 26.
"It's good to do something," she said. "It can't hurt you. It just depends on your learning style."
Even though it's a big commitment for this semester, Curtis said it would be worth it in the end.
"It's my future and this is something I will doing the rest of my life," she said. "It's not bad in the whole spectrum of things."
Besides Dunkin's class and The Princeton Review, students also have the option to take an MCAT preparation class through Kaplan Test Prep, 1000 Massachusetts St.
Edited by Christy Dendurent
AUDITIONS!
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Sunday, February 9
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Registration: 9 - 1
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Tuesday, February 4
CMSU
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Registration: 3 - 5
AUDITION LOCATIONS
LINCOLN, NE
Wednesday, February 5
University of Nebraska
NE Union – Ballroom
Registration: 3 – 5
LAWRENCE,KS
Monday, February 10
Kansas University
Kansas Union - KS Room
Registration: 3-5
For more info, contact
WOF Live Entertainment
at: 816-303-5015
liveevent@worldoffun.com
worldoffun.com
Lights. Camera. Action.
do you have an idea for a movie? Create a 3-10 minute iMovie and you could win money.
SUA, Apple and FilmWorks are proud to announce the KU iMovie Film Festival.
SUA, Apple and
announce the KU iM
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Third Place = $50.
Come to the awards ceremony on March 5th and you could win an iPod.
Significant Dates
Fri-Jan, 31, and Mon-
Feb, 3 - 2:00-4:00 PM Free
iMovie Workshop at JRP
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Feb. 21. 4:00 PM deadline for submitting an iMovie at the SUA Box Office, Level 4, Kansas Union.
March 5- 8:00 iMovie Film Festival Awards Ceremony in Woodruff Auditorium.
For more information go to the SUA
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