University Daily Kansan / Thursday, April 23, 1992
CAMPUS / AREA
3.
Multicultural center will open next fall
By Jay Williams
Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas will have a multicultural student center in Fall 1993.
David Ambler, vice chancellor for student affairs, made that announcement last night at Student Senate's final meeting of the year.
Ambler said the mission of the center was intentionally left vague so it could be considered fully by a committee yet to be formed.
der what programs should be included and help me see what the center will need.
"We want to let the committee pon-
Ambler said the center would be located in the 1400 block of Louisiana Street. The university building at that location currently houses offices for graduate teaching assistants.
Ambler said he did not anticipate the need for any major remodeling of the center. KU will finance one half-time employee and provide $10,000 to start programs for the center, with Senate expected to match the $10,000 figure.
Ambler said care must be taken to
prevent the center from becoming a place that segregated different groups from one another or one that served only one culture.
"It must be a place we can learn from each other." he said
Sherwoid Thompson, director of the office of minority affairs, said the announcement caught him and others off guard.
"We thought we would have to go through a long haul process of site committees and other things," he said. "Luckily, we don't have to do anything about that."
Thompson said the committee had a
issue task. The office of minority
affairs handled it.
"Our job is to make it happen," he said.
Senate members lauded the administration's response.
Former student body president Alan Lowden said he was astonished by the speed with which the administration moved.
James Baucom, former off-campus senator, said he was shocked with the comments.
He said that he hoped the center
could move to a more central location on campus at a later time but that with good promotion, the selected site could work.
Ambler said the University responded to a resolution passed by Senate in November. The resolution charged administrators to form a committee to check the feasibility of a center.
Last night's meeting was the first for the recently elected senators.
Brad Garlinghouse, student body president, made his presidential appointments for next year.
Kristin Lange, former student body vice president, was approved as head of the Student Senate Executive Committee on a tie-breaking vote from vice president Lance Wright.
The vote was the only appointment Senate contested.
Susanne Steel, liberal arts and sciences senator, said she wanted more information on the other two candidates who applied for the position, Jason McIntosh and Kurt Broeckelmann.
"It was a tough call." she said
From 'Nam to Baghdad it's Arnett CNN reporter to speak at 8 p.m. in field house
By Jay Williams
Kansan staff writer
A detour on the way to Europe helped bring journalist Peter Arnett the recognition he enjoys today.
The New Zealand-born journalist said that he
Peter Arnett
had stopped on in Southeast Asia in the late 1950s before heading to London to start his journalistic career.
instead of continuing his travels, Arnett began working for The Associated Press in Bangkok, Thailand, and eventually began covering a local military insurgency that evolved into the Vietnam War. He stayed in Vietnam for more than a decade, earning a Pulitzer Prize in 1966.
"I was just a kid," he said. "There was no great reason to move on."
Arnett said he had remained in Vietnam as a specialist in covering the war was important.
The Cable News Network correspondent will speak at 8tonight in Allen Field House as part of the KU Student Lecture Series. His topic will be "The Public's Right to Know." A reception featuring Arnett in the Frontier Room at the Burge Union will follow the speech.
He said the recognition from that period of 30 years of work pleased him.
Arnett became a household name in the U.S. during the Persian Gulf War, when he reported events from a Baghdad hotel when the attack began.
"Now I go anywhere in the world, and people shake my hand and say thank you," he said.
During the war, Arnett was criticized by Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyoming, and others for being too kind toward the Iraqi government. Arnett said he did not let the criticism bother him.
"If he could prove it, then it would be a problem." he said. "The important thing is, don't give him the answer."
Kurt Broeckelmann, head of the Student Senate Lecture Board, said the Arnett speech was the first installment of what should be a continuing series. He said the idea was loosely based on lecture programs at other schools, such as the Alf London series at Kansas State University.
Student Senate contributed $23,000 to help bring Arnnett to the University. Student Union Activities donated $2,000.
Broekelman said the goal for this year was to get alumni support to create a permanent fund for financing the series with help from alumni donations.
Chad Holland. Wvandotte junior (white shirt). clasps hands with Nina Bav. St. Louis. Mo..junior (left of Holland), as they participate in the "Hands Across Campus" rally.
Bridging diversity
KU joins hands to fight campus racism
Kansan staff writer
By Shelly Solon
To promote cultural diversity and to take a stand against racism, about 250 students joined hands yesterday for KU's first year participating in Hands Across Campus.
At noon, the KU students joined hands and made a circle in front of Wescoth Hall. As the clock struck 12 p.m., 35 other college campuses were supposed to do the same.
People choose their friends by what they are, not by what type of person they are. That's
wrong."
The event was sponsored by the Public Relations Student Society of America.
Hands Across Campus began in 1990 with the PRSSA chapter at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. The event is a spin-off of the Hands Across America campaign that in 1986 joined thousands of Americans across the country.
Caron Banwart, Omaha, Neb., junior, and a member of KU's PSRAA, said the group received information about the event a month ago and decided to get
Jaquita Jackson
involved.
Jaquita Jackson member of the McCollum Hall Black Caucus
campus:
Barbara Ballard, acting dean of student
research, before the event.
"Next year, we will definitely do this again," she said. "We want to get more funding and take time to have a more organized event."
PRSRA gave out 100 free T-shirts after the event.
KLZR broadcasted the event live from campus.
To change the climate on campus.
everyone has to participate," she said. "If we care about each other and get things done, it will not be accident."
Ballard encouraged students to help make other students feel they belonged at KU.
Kristy Abel, member of Panhellenic Association, said it was important for the greek system to become more diverse.
"What we're aiming for is to be more culturally accepting and diverse," she said.
"We wanted to get involved to support and promote that."
Jaquita Jackson, member of the McCollum Hall Black Caucus, said people needed to change the way they judge others.
"There's so many different people here, but when I got here, I noticed that everyone joined cliques," she said. "People choose their friends by what they are, not by what type of person they are. That's wrong."
Chris Livingston, Santa Paul, Calif., freshman, said the event was important because the minimal acceptance of cultural diversity at KU.
"The administration puts forth the idea that there's a bunch of diversity and there's really not," he said. "And the diversity that does exist students ignore."
The KU chapter of PRSSA sponsored the event with Kansas and Burge Union Bookstores, KLZR, Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, the Panhellenic Association and Screen-It Graphics.
M E M B E R S