THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013
CAMPUS
PAGE 3A
Volunteers gain experience through program
YU KYUNG LEE
ylee@kansan.com
Shelving creepy baby dolls and wiping down tables may not be what students envision as the typical "honors experience."
But for sophomore Sophia Mazzetti from Kansas City, Kan., that was exactly what she found herself doing with her honors seminar. They were volunteering for the Rose Brooks Center, a domestic violence shelter in Kansas City, Mo., through the Alternative Breaks weekend program.
It's part of the University's Honors Program requirement. All first-year honors students have to complete a couple of hours of volunteering during their first semester, either
individually or with their seminar group.
"The idea is that freshmen don't necessarily know about the Alternative Breaks or any other volunteer activities around campus or Lawrence," said Anne Dotter, associate director of curricular, co-curricular and engaged learning in the Honors Program. "We want to introduce them to these opportunities."
in Lawrence, three of her students applied to go on a winter Alternative Break.
The seminar volunteering experiences are set up by the student seminar assistants. Senior honors seminar assistant Alyssa Ong, from Malaysia, takes the opportunity to introduce her first-year students to fun and new experiences. After she took her students to the Festival of Cultures, which celebrates diversity
"It shows that they are really interested," Ong said. "They are open to new experiences and they are really going for it."
It also helps the Honors Program make the campus a bit smaller and friendlier.
"When you have this small 12-person class and you go to volunteer with them, you come back knowing them a lot better," Ong said. "You bond and you will end up with friends who will support you regardless of your journey at KU."
During the hour-long drive to and from volunteering and the time spent at the shelter, Mazzetti found
out more about her classmates than she had in the past seven weeks in class.
"As we were washing the tables, we really got to chat about what majors we were, because we didn't even know that sort of information about each other and why we were interested in what we were interested in." Mazzetti said.
us and helping us step in the right direction"
Ultimately, the goal of the program is to make volunteering a habit for honors students.
While most students in the Honors Program have previous volunteer experiences, they need a reminder to start getting involved again on campus.
"If the trip wasn't planned, I don't think many of us would have gone on a lot of these volunteer experiences," said freshman honors student Nguyen, from Overland Park. "They are good at preparing
After a volunteer service with her honors seminar, Nguyen took the initiative to find other volunteer opportunities, such as the Center for Community Outreach.
"We want our students to be leaders in the community, so we do want a majority of them to take the initiative to volunteer," Dotter said. "What we are doing is starting to define our honors students as future active leaders, good citizens."
- Edited by Hannah Barling
Departmental changes offer hybrid classes, extra track
CAMPUS
TIM DODDERIDGE
tdodderidge@kansan.com
The Humanities and Western Civilization department has created hybrid classes and updated classes' curricula to keep the department relevant under the KU Core.
Last week, the department won the Christopher H. Haufler KU Innovation Award for its work in adapting the curriculum.
"We were thrilled to learn that our efforts of the past several years were being so recognized," said Sandra Zimdars-Swartz, professor and director of Humanities and Western Civilization.
The award, which recognizes creative approaches to the new University-wide Core curriculum, comes with $5,000 to be used to enhance Core offerings.
The new curriculum aims to meet specific goals and learning outcomes under those goals.
"The idea is that by fulfilling a series of courses, we're fulfilling a series of goals," said Ann Cudd, vice
provost and dean for Undergraduate Studies.
One of the biggest updates to the curriculum is to allow for the Western Civilization sequence to be taken earlier. Prior to the Core, some students didn't take Western Civilization until their senior year.
"Our redesigned sequence is freshman-friendly and open to incoming students." Cudd said.
The program also added an extra track to the Humanities major. Now, in addition to World Literature and Civilizations In a Global Context, students can take the Peace and Conflict Studies route. Also, new introductory courses Introduction to Humanities and Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies were added, with some current classes being redesigned to emphasize the Core's learning outcomes.
"They've adapted some great classes to the Core learning outcomes so they can continue to teach these really interesting, intellectual courses and allow students to fulfill the KU Core through them," Cudd said.
The changes to Humanities and Western Civilization under the KU Core curriculum have also stressed the importance of the subjects being taught as well. According to Zimdars-Swartz, Humanities and Western Civilization classes provide foundation for various careers, from retail to education to medicine.
"We recognize that to function in an increasingly complex world, students need to be able to move comfortably among disciplines and their distinct approaches to the variety of human experiences and human conditions," she said.
Dustin Wolfe, junior from Sealy, Texas, also recognizes the importance of the program and its value to students.
"Western Civilization is important because it teaches you how you think," he said. "Without any of the authors and thinkers you learn about, you aren't able to understand that."
STATE
- Edited by Jessica Mitchell
ASSOCIATED PRESS
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, right, and House GOP leaders participate in a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 26.
Jenkins takes heat in shutdown negotiations
TOPEKA — Democrats and liberal activists in Kansas are criticizing Republican Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins over the federal government's partial shutdown.
But Jenkins and other members of the state's all-GOP congressional delegation said Wednesday they're looking for President Barack Obama and fellow Democrats to negotiate on budget issues.
They also said they won't support increasing the federal debt ceiling
without reductions in federal spending.
Two dozen activists rallied outside Jenkins' office in Topeka, demanding she work for a House vote on budget and debt ceiling legislation without conditions. Jenkins represents the 2nd District of eastern Kansas but is a member of the House GOP leadership team. She said she's working to resolve financial issues in Washington. The Kansas delegation has voted for multiple measures to fund individual programs.
Associated Press
POLICE REPORTS
Information based on the Douglas County Sheriff's Office booking recap.
- A 24-year-old man was arrested yesterday on the 1600 block of 6th Street on suspicion of operating while under the influence. A $500 bond was posted.
- A 28-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday on the 4600 block of 6th Street on suspicion of driving with a suspended, revoked, or canceled license and no insurance. A $200 bond was paid.
- A 29-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on the 2400 block of Ousdahl Road on suspicion of driving while under the influence, possession of an open container, obstructing the legal process, and fleeing or attempting to elude. No bond was posted.
- An 18-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on the 1500 block of Willow Cove on suspicion of domestic battery and criminal damage to property. No bond was posted.
— Katie McBride
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