Wednesday, February 21. 1979
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Popular Soviet writer brings ballads to KU
"I pray that there be no partings, ruin, that there be no more anxiety."
This plea for peace is from the poetry of Bulat Okdzhada, a Soviet writer visiting the University of Kansas this week as the writer-in-residence in the Department of Slavic languages and literatures. He will be speaking to classes on campus and at the University Park, Park, this week as part of a Seminar on Contemporary Soviet Literature.
Okudzhava, 54, is often called "the Bob Dylan of Russia" because he sings his poetry and accompanies himself on the guitar.
"I think up music that seems appropriate to the words, but I don't actually understand it."
However, Okudzhak said this week in an interview, translated by Gerald Mikkelsen, associate professor of Slavic languages and he said that he did not consider himself a musician.
THE MOODS of nostalgia, love and sadness that his ballads often convey have brought him a large following among Soviet youth, despite past government restrictions on the publication and performance of his works.
Okudzava said that until five years ago, his poetry was known to the people only through mimeographed copies and cassette tapes of his performances.
He said that since then, his prose and poetical works and some songs have been published.
appeared to get the attention of the authorities." he said, smiling.
"In the last five years, other writers have
Mikkelson said Okudzhaya's improved relationship with Soviet authorities made it easier to arrange a visit to KU and to the University of Kansas, where he will be after leaving Kansas.
He said permission had to be granted from the Soviet Writers' Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before Oukdizha could leave the Soviet Union.
Bulat Okudzhava
"TEN OR 15 years ago, he was not allowed to accept invitations such as ours," Mikkelson said. "But I think the fact that he was allowed to come now means they know that their writers can be trusted to behave appropriately and that we will not do them any harm."
Staff Photo by CHRIS TODD
Okudhzava said his popularity among Soviet and European youth surprised him.
"When I began to feel, it seemed that I was expressing feelings of my own generation," he said. "But it turned out that young people became interested in my work in the past several years, even children a school age have begun to read my poetry."
Okudzhawu said the discontent with society that came across in his writings and made him a controversial Russian figure would be the same in any country.
`THAT'S WHAT art is all about,' he said. 'Creative people always have very thin skins and life is never perfect to them. We wear what we love because we vell more loudly than anyone else.
"Political ideas are always present in
literature and art because we live in a state, a political society. I do not like politics. I've never written with a political purpose in mind."
Okudhava said one of his novels, "Good Luck, Schoolboy," and much of his poetry dealt with his experience as a soldier when he was wounded in World War II.
said, "I had frat and crooked lee; I was a ridiculous looking Susan, no doubt but I 1 was."
"I WAS 17 when I went to the front," he
Mikkelsen said Okudzhava, who had written four novels, six books of verse, several plays and screenplays and recorded several albums of his ballads, had switched from writing poetry to writing historical novels in 1970.
KU students plan strategy for ASK's lobbying day
Staff Reporter
Bv CAROL BEIER
University of Kansas representatives of the Associated Students of Kansas planned strategy last night for their participation in mass lobby day on Feb. 27 in Topeka.
There will be about 20 KU students involved in the lobby day, along with representatives from each of the other member schools. This is the first time KU will attend. KU joined ASK, a student lobby organization, last fall.
Steve Young, KU member of the ASK Board of Directors, said last night that any student could attend and encouraged them to participate along to the meetings with state legislators.
"The secret to success is to get as many people as we possibly can," he said.
Students will spend an hour in the morning on the day of the mass lobby at a breakfast in the student union of Washburn University. They will then meet with interns and attend appointments arranged by Hannes Zacharias, executive director of ASK, and the ASK staff.
CHAIRSIA'S SAID last night that he would try to match each student with representatives and senators from his election district.
"Put your personal conviction into these bills. If you think you've been screwed around by a landlord, that's great material," he said.
Young also had a suggestion to dramatize the ASK position on minimum wage for students. ASK voted last fall to make minimum wage one of its five priority issues.
Young asked those at the meeting if they knew where he could find barrels for students to wear to the capitol to make their point.
HIS SUGGESTION prompted laughter from his audience. No one volunteered to wear the barrels.
Young said, however, that he might wear one himself.
Zacharias also briefed the students on the status of legislation supported by ASK and the implications of his findings.
"They (the state legislators) are probably not as smart as you in some respects," Zacharias said. "But they can squash you with them, with them. Do not treat them with kid clothes."
ASK's priority issues are reduction in the penalty for possessions of small amounts of marijuana, increases in the amount of state scholarship funds, minimum wage for student employees, improvements in the enact act and voter registration by mail.
Zacharias said voter registration by mail used a "dialmast death" last week before the election.
"Lobbying is frustrating—extremely frustrating. You rarely see the fruits of your labors. Try not to get as frustrated as I do," he said. "Your impact is very important."
City questions flouride use
Commissioners disagreed on the issue of fluoride in the Lawrence water supply at last night's city commission meeting, but took no action on the matter.
A national science researcher from Delaware asked the commissioners to remove fluoride from the Lawrence water supply because he said it could cause cancer.
Ji Yiamouyiannis, science director of the National Health Federation, told the commissioners that a Pennsylvania judge had ordered the use of fluoride stopped in a Pittsburgh suburb after hearing scientific testimony.
Yiamoujiannis said the judge's decision was based on expert testimony."
Commissioner Jack Rowe agreed with Yimoyamnis, who has co-authored a book on Chinese-American history.
"I think they're absolutely right," said Lois, who is laboratory director for the KU chemistry lab.
"I think they ought to take the stuff out," he said.
He said that the disadvantages of fluoride outweighed the advantages and that if the safety of fluoride were questionable, it should not be put into the water.
Commissioner Marrie Argersinger said symptoms of fluoride toxicity such as nausea "are the things we suffer from all the time.
"How can you say it causes cancer when
experts don't know what cause"
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The commissioners considered having a city referendum in the April election if there were enough time to complete the necessary steps to put the question on the ballot.
However, they delayed further consideration of the issue until next week.
In other business, the commissioners voted to send to the planning commission an amendment that would change the zoning rules for a new city. Under city zoning regulations, houses
cannot be built on land designated a flood plain.
The ordinance under consideration requires that all land annexed by the city, including land in flood plots, be converted to a low-density residential zoning.
However, commissioner Barkley Clark said land in a county floodplain or land that would be in a flood plan under city guidelines has been designated rather than RSI-2 zoning, when it is unapproved.
Developers of a proposed shopping mall south of Lawrence have requested that the city annex 60 acres, part of which is in the county flood plain.
The commission also adopted a resolution to support a state Senate bill that would make an abandoned railroad right of way between Lawrence and Tongatapu a public logging and recycling. The path would be the pilot project for a statewide project.
Solbach's map rejected
By GENE LINN Staff Renorter
TOPEKA-A Kansas House committee, after a battle over Douglas County apportionment, yesterday tentatively approved a redistricting plan that was criticized by all three state representatives from Doulas County.
The plan was approved by the Apportionment Committee 8-7 as an amendment to the statewide reapportionment plan.
However, Solbach had his plan served
Douglas County better than Frey's.
Poll results
The original Douglas County portion of the state proposal had been drawn up by State Rep. John Solbach, D-Lawrence, who shp from other representatives in the county.
Both Solbach's redistricting plan and the approved plan presented by State Rep. Robert Frey, R-Liberal, would potentially give the county an additional state representative, making a total of four districts in Douglas County.
"County residents make up the bulk of the population in all four districts in our original plan, but with Frey's proposal, we could make a better impact lived in Johnson County," he said.
STATE REP John Vogel, R-Lawrence,
which covers which covers
downtown Douglas County
"Whoever runs in that new district is going to have to do a lot of campaigning,"
"I'm disappointed," State Rep. Mike Glover, D-Lawrence, said. "Soblabd has good job drawing up the map, but he had to go to the master of the House to try to get it accepted."
Glover said that Frey, who was the House Mayor Leader, was acting on legislation that would require the governor to
LADY IS A Republican from Overland Park, which is Johnson County.
By sharing a district evenly with Douglas County, he said, Johnson County could control that district in the future if its growth rate were high enough.
Vogel agreed that Johnson County state representatives probably were trying to prevent the governor from approving the bill.
However, Frey said the plan be presented contained districts that were more compact. Compactness, or having straight boundaries, is one of the criteria that must be followed in reapportionment to meet Kansas Sanneure Court guidelines.
FREY'S PROPOSAL is subject to
commitment at future committee hearings.
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Sobach said he probably would try to replace Frey's proposal with his own, but said Johnson County might have the advantage because he was eventually decided on the House floor.
The University of Kansas and SUA present Ethiopian film director Haile Gerima
Thursday, Feb. 22
930 - 1050 am.
Screening of a clip
from Bush Mama
discussion session
- 3 Old Green Hall Free
300 - 500 pm
Black Faculty and Staff Council
forum on South Africa
- Jayhawk Room, Kansas Union. Free
7.30 pm.
Screening of Harvest 3OOO Years
discussion with Gerima
- Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas
Union $1.00
Friday, Feb.23
9:30 am. University Community Service Center - Twente-A. Free
8:00 pm.
Screening of Bush Mama
discussion with Gerima
- Forum Room, Kansas Union
$1.00
We've extended the deadline for applications for 1979-1980 officer and board member positions to allow you extra days to apply. The new deadlines are 5:00 pm Thursday, February 22 for officer positions and 5:00 pm Friday, February 23 for board member positions. So take advantage of the extension and sign up now for any of the following positions:
It's your last chance!
President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer
films Fine Arts FORUMS Free University
indoor recreation outdoor recreation
For more information contact the SUA office located on the main floor of the Kansas Union.
SPECIAL EVENTS TRAVEL
864-3477
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