CAMPUS / AREA
University Daily Kansan / Monday, April 20, 1992
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Jewish students observe Passover
By Shelly Solon
Kansan staff writer
Although many Jewish KU students went home this weekend to spend Passover with their families, some students participated in the beginning celebrations of the holiday with the Lawrence community.
Seder was celebrated Friday and Saturday nights and marked the beginning of Passover, which ends Friday.
About 100 people attended Seder, a commemoration of the ancient Jewish people's escape from slavery, Saturday night at the Lawrence Jewish Community Center, 917 Highland Drive.
Julie Steinberg, vice president of KU Hillel, said most people went home for at least some of the holiday because, like most Jewish holidays, Passover was family-oriented.
It's "formal but is done in a relaxed way," she said. "It's a joyous holiday."
She said the Haggadah, which is the telling of the Jewish people's exodus from slavery in Egypt, was combined with the Seder meal.
"As we go through, we dip parsley in salt water and eat and do other things along with the telling," said Steinberg, Arlington Heights, Ill., sophomore.
Erie Katzman, Lawrence sophomore, said he usually spent the second Seder at the community center with his family.
He sat with his parents, David and
Sharvn Katzman, at the head table.
David Katzman, KU professor of history, said Seder focused on more than just family.
"There is the theme of redemption," he said. "And it really talks about the formation of the identity of the Jewish people."
Each person has a glass of wine that is poured at certain times and drank at other times throughout the Seder. Maror, or bitter herbs, and matzo are eaten at specified times during the reading.
Sharyn Katzman, who was one of the leaders of the reading, explained the significance of some of the food on the Seder plate at each table.
"The greens or karps represent the spring holiday and renewal," she said. "The egg represents rebirth but also symbolizes the mouth of mourning of slavery, and the maror or bitter herbs represent that slavery and separation are bitter."
People also ceremonially wash their hands and sing and chant in English and in Hebrew.
Leni Salkind of Lawrence said Saturday's Seder might differ from how people celebrated Seder at their homes on Friday night.
She said that children always participated in Seder, but that they might be more active in the Seder at people's homes.
"There are different styles," she said. "At our Sater at home, the kids basically told the story and asked questions, and the adults would add to
Joe Jennings, Clayton, Mo., senior, sells tickets to drive-in movie-goers. About 50 cars drove into the parking lot Friday at Memorial Stadium for SUA's drive-in showing of "Raising Arizona" and "Wild at
Drive-in fun
Julie Denesha/KANSAN
Heart." The movies were shown on the screen that is used for the annual showing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
Concert to benefit Croatian schools
By Ranjit Arab
Kansan staff writer
Valerie Alexandra Valois performs Waldesrauchen by Franz Liszt before about 70 people at Swarthout Recital Hall.
Robert Andres returned to his native Croatia during winter break and was greeted by an air raid.
Andres saw firsthand the destruction caused by the civil war about Croatia's independence from Austria, which began in August.
Although a truce has been in effect for three months, many churches, homes and schools remain in ruins, he said.
To help restore the damaged music schools where he studied for 16 years, Andres, graduate teaching assistant in music and dance, coordinated a benefit concert yesterday at Swarthout Recital Hall in Murphy Hall.
The concert, featuring pianists, violinists and singers, was co-sponsored by the KU School of Fine Arts and the Lawrence Music Club.
Andres said it was too early to determine how much money was raised by the benefit concert because he still was receiving donations mailed by people unable to attend. However, he said he thought the concert would raise between $5,000 and $10,000.
All proceeds will be sent to the Fund for Help to the Damaged Music Schools of Croatia, Andres said.
Along with raising money for the damaged schools, the concert also was aimed at raising awareness of the destruction in Croatia, he said.
"I do not think most Americans are aware of the extent of damage,"
Andres said. "Certain areas, such as the media, are only interested when the victims are in the thousands."
He said he also planned to donate some of the proceeds from a piano concert next month in Tulsa. Okla.
Anyone interested in donating money for the schools can send it to Croatian Benefit, care of the Lawrence Music Club, 702 Louisiana St. , 66045.
Valerie Alexandra Valois, a pianist who performed at the benefit concert, said that she had been to Croatia before but that she had been warned against returning because of the fighting.
Linda McWhinney was one of about 70 people who attended the concert. She said she and her husband traveled from Kansas City, Mo., to see the concert.
She said that she attended the concert for the music but that she was glad to contribute to the benefit.
Susan Vukmonich-Hassele of Lawrence brought her Croatian father, who was visiting for Easter.
Vukmonich-Hasselle said the concert was both entertaining and timely.
"We enjoyed the concert," she said. "But we also certainly concerned with what is happening there."
SenEx recommends changes in policies
By Jenny Martin Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
The University Senate Executive Committee on Friday endorsed recommendations made by a KU professor and several governance committees.
SenEx considered the recommendations brought before it last week by Larry Sherr, chancellor's club teaching professor of business administration.
In a memo to SenEx last week, Sherr pointed out that the number of full-time faculty at the University was decreasing while the number of graduate teaching assistants continued to increase at the University.
He said the University needed to better scrutinize how it allocated its resources.
Among Sherr's recommendations that SenEx approved were:
that university governance, on an annual basis, request from the Office of Institutional Research and Planning a report about KU's allocation of resources for full-time faculty, unclassified professional staff and GTAs. The report would correlate the information with enrollment trends and monitor resource allocation.
that governance request an annual report giving statistics about who has taught freshman-sophomore classes during the past 10 years.
that next year's SenEx have the Academic Policies and Procedures Committee further study the possibility of a democratic background of first-time GTAs
SenEx also endorsed several of the recommendations made by the Academic Policies and Procedures Committee. The proposals included:
recommending that the state of Kansas establish a system of testing Kansas high school students in their junior year in order to provide prospective college students feedback about whether they are prepared for college work.
■ urging the establishment of a continuous add/drop enrollment period prior to the first day of class to avoid delays during the first week of classes.
recommending looking at the cost-benefit ratio of charging students by the credit hour, which would discourage students from enrolling in a large number of classes and then dropping them throughout the semester.
Six recommendations were endorsed that would promote the appreciation of other cultures and the variety of U.S. culture. The recommendations included urging students to take classes about other cultures and expanding study abroad programs.
It also was suggested that a multicultural center, which would promote interest in cultural diversity, be created when it became financially feasible.
SenEx studied and approved several recommendations by the Academic Computing and Computer Facilities Committee. The committee found that KU's academic computing budget from 1990 to 1991 improved slightly, from $116 to $118 for each student and faculty member.
However, it ranked very low in its computer resources budget in comparison to other research universities with similar student-faculty populations.