THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013
CAMPUS
PAGE 3
Student group instills culture
REID EGGLESTON
regglesston@kansan.com
ANDY LARKIN/KANSAN
Civil engineering doctoral student Huan Cheng, a Chinese native, loves to sing. In fact, she loves it so much, she has spent every Friday evening for the last year singing with the best friends she's made in her time at the University. And she's picked up her fair share of English along the way. For the University and for groups dedicated to the integration of international students like Cheng into the American cultural experience, she is a success story.
Students meet on and off campus to visit as a part of International Friends. The group aims to foster multicultural learning.
Cheng is part of the multicultural campus group International Friends, an English-learning co-op of international students reaching out for language lessons and the American students who answer this call. At the heart of International Friends is the conversation partners program, which pairs an international student with an American student for weekly one-hour language sessions to help improve non-native speakers' English conversation skills.
"These things sort of bleed into everything else," Andydshak said. "So we may teach them how to drive, one partner may take an international student shopping with them, and it becomes much more than just teaching someone how to speak."
Len Andyshak, International Friends' director, knows from experience how genuine and complex these relationships often become.
The one-on-one time experienced by 60 of KU's international students is a trademark of the program. It leads to the friendships between partners that International Friends prides itself on and that the University sees as an integral part of international student operations.
Andyshak began the program 18 years ago after returning from a trip to the Ukraine. He recalls having a great support network of Ukrainian university students who helped him understand the ins and outs of the culture during his extended stay. They provided him with language lessons, and even taught him to navigate smaller everyday situations such as paying his electric bill.
"It's really an extension of my memories of how vulnerable I felt when I first lived overseas," he said of KU's program.
"At a number of college campuses, the University has an adversarial relationship with its Christian groups, like we're trying to proselytize" Andyshak said. "And I think the reason we've been successful is because KU doesn't look at us in this way. They really welcome our help."
Similarly, Cheng thinks fondly on her experiences with students that have helped her overcome the shock of transplanting herself from China to Kansas.
"It's a really, really amazing group," she said. "My best friend now is my conversation partner that I had last year. They work to encourage you, and they're always doing things to get you involved, like relaxing on weekends or going to church."
It may sound unusual to bond with students by inviting them to church, but this religious aspect is part of what makes the International Friends program and its relationship with the University unique.
Due to the difficulty of gaining the University's trust, few off-campus groups stick around for long, which has caused problems as the international presence on campus has expanded. International Student Services operates a similar conversation-based program
And so, when it comes to student groups that want to help, they're not picky.
"It takes a while to build a relationship of trust between the University and community groups both ways," he said. "It's rare to have a group like International Friends around as a resource for 18 years because a number of them begin competing early on with the University."
Chuck Olcese, Director of International Student Services for the University, agrees that non-campus groups often have an agenda that clouds the goal of helping international students gain as much as they can from their experience at KU.
"We're looking for people who want to get involved, no matter the group or their affiliation." Olese said. "People who want to have cultural interaction."
one from Malaysia and my partner now is from China," she said. "I've gotten a much broader worldview. You really get to learn a lot about their culture. And it really opens the floor for asking about their culture and hearing about their experiences that you normally wouldn't ask."
called Global Partners,but because they oversee all of the international students that come to KU and are responsible for more than just helping international students integrate,their resources are stretched thin.
Fortunately, it's that yearning to meet students from different backgrounds that inspires American students like Bethany Hiskey, a junior from Lenexa, to become friends and conversation partners to KU's international students. Hiskey has done so three times over the past two years.
Hiskey and Olcese both encourage American students to get involved with their international counterparts — whether for the desire to gain unique cultural experiences or out of a genuine concern for fellow students.
"I've had a partner from Japan,
"It's not very often that you can have an experience that changes your life," Olcese said. "Many of the students who get involved this way will say 'It did change my life, and it opened me up to a whole new group of friends.'"
- Edited by Sylas May
KU hasn't crowned a Homecoming queen or king in 43 years. Instead, we announce the man and woman ExCEL Award winners at halftime of
the homecoming game.
POLICE REPORTS
Information based on the Douglas County Sheriff's Office booking recap.
- A 27-year-old woman was arrested Sunday on the 600 block of N. 2nd Street on suspicion of operating under the influence. A $500 bond was posted.
- A 20-year-old woman was arrested Sunday on the 3500 block of Cedarwood Avenue on suspicion of domestic battery. No bond was posted.
- A 21-year-old woman was arrested Sunday on the 600 block of W.25th Street on suspicion of domestic battery. No bond was posted.
- A 33-year-old man was arrested yesterday on the 200 block of Wagon Wheel Road on suspicion of domestic battery and criminal damage of property valued at less than $1,000. No bond was posted.
— Kaitlyn Klein
EDUCATION
Recycle this paper
Board of Regents submits proposal to restore funding
ASHLEIGH TIDWELL
afidwell@kansan.com
Meeting today's deadline by a wide margin, the Kansas Board of Regents submitted a proposal two weeks ago to Gov. Sam Brownback and the state Legislature requesting the restoration of about $30 million in higher education funding for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. But there's still a long way to go.
The proposal, which comes after this year's 1.5 percent budget reduction, is only in the beginning stages of the budget process and still has plenty of hurdles to clear before any changes can happen.
"Though the proposal has already been submitted, it could take all spring for a decision to be made," Richardson said.
First, the proposal must go to the governor for review and approval. If it is approved, the governor will include the proposal in his recommendations, which are then passed on to the state legislature for consideration. At this point, the Legislature can choose to apply the
changes to either the current academic year or the following academic year.
If the proposal gets through this process, it will be used to restore salary and wages, fund tiered technical education and pay for the new Health Education Building at the University of Kansas Medical Center, among other projects.
Breeze Richardson, associate director of communication and government relations for the Kansas Board of Regents, said that the Board has a responsibility to provide local colleges and universities with the necessary funding to operate and this proposal is their attempt to make sure schools are getting what they need.
"In the long run, the restoration of the budget would improve the Kansas economy by providing young adults with the opportunity to broaden their education," Richardson said.
to ensure that "60 percent of Kansas adults obtain a certificate, credential, associate's degree or bachelor's degree by 2020."
For the University, a restoration of these funds would be a great benefit to the Med Center.
According to a press release from the Board, the proposal was made with the Foresight 2020 plan in mind. The goal of Foresight 2020 is
Jack Martin, a University spokesman, said the Med Center took one of the largest overall cuts this year, and restoring those funds would help open up enrollment for their programs.
"This year they've had to lay off staff and reduce enrollment in their nursing program," Martin said. "If the funds are restored, we would be able to educate more nurses and doctors, which are in high demand in Kansas right now."
As part of the budget process, the Kansas Board of Regents will be touring each of the state's 32 institutions to assess each school's needs and the plans to improve the quality and efficiency of their programs. The Board's visit to the University is scheduled for Oct. 30.
Edited by Sylas May
APPLESEED FROM PAGE 1
too, but mostly [they see] how we can help our community be better represented and how we can help our community get what it really needs" she said.
Nicolette Edwards, a senior from Overland Park, has also begun volunteering for the organization by helping to bring in resources like funding. She was interested in the organization because the work they do is similar to her personal career goals.
Soon after Magnuson's appearance, she contacted him about volunteering with Kansas Appleseed. She is now researching and writing reviews the Deferred Action for Children Arrivals and The Dream Act and their impact in Kansas.
"I'm a Spanish and marketing major and what I want to do is help out at a nonprofit that helps Hispanics, so this is exactly what I want to do," she said. She added that her time at Kansas Appleseed will help her gain relevant experience to future potential employers when she graduates and looks for a job.
PAST SUCCESSES
"After receiving the scholarship I wanted to get involved and that's why I've been working with Gene," Scheve said. Gene Balloun, a creator of the scholarship program and board member for Kansas Appleseed, helped Scheve get a job at the law firm he works at after she graduate from college.
made an impact on Kansas.
Kansas Appleseed has a Kansas
Foster Children Adoption & Scholarship Program, which has given $500,000 in scholarships for foster youth. Anna Scheve, a recipient of one of the scholarships, said the scholarship helped her foster parents with some of their expenses and had a lasting impact.
While the organization is new and still growing, it has already made an impact on Kansas.
Jack Focht, the President of the Kansas Appleseed board, stated in an interview that the organization has also been successful in keeping in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, as well as trying to keep the Kansas Court system based on a merit-based system.
"I think one of the things we can offer to the KU community is a place where people who care about these issues and who have been wanting to get involved, can get involved and in a very coordinate way; were connected to a lot of resources across the state," Magnuson said.
LOOKING FORWARD As Magnuson looks to the future
of the organization, he hopes to continue Kansas Appleseed successes and to offer as many volunteer opportunities as possible.
He elaborated further saying, "If you're interested in advocacy sometimes it's harder to find a good connection where you're looking to put your academic training into practice and that's what Kansas Appleseed can offer to KU students."
if you want to volunteer if Kansas
Appleseed, contact Mr. Magnuson
at bmagnuson@kansasappleseed.
org or call the organization's
phone number at 785-864-9294.
Edited by Ashleigh Tidwell
JAYHAWKS AROUND THE WORLD HOMECOMING 2013
Wednesday, Oct. 2
Mural Contest
Lawrence for Literacy - Book Drive
Passport: Jayhaws Around Campus
Homecoming Food Fest featuring
Thursday, Oct. 3
Lawrence for Literacy - Book Drive
Passport: Jayhawks Around Campus
Homecoming Parade
Homecoming Pep Rally
Friday, Oct. 4
Pancakes ($5 per person)
Passport: Jayhawks Around Campus
Late Night in the Phog
Wescoe Beach
Alumni Center
KU Campus
Alumni Center
Jayhawk Jingles
Saturday, Oct. 5
Alumni Center
KU Campus
Massachusetts Street
8th and New Hampshire Street
Ex.C.E.L. Award Presentation
KU vs. Texas Tech football game
Ex.C.E.L. and Homecoming Awards
Alumni Center Parking Lot
KU Campus
Allen Fieldhouse
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
6-9 p.m.
9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
11 a.m.
hafftime presentation
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
6 p.m.
6:45 p.m.
9 a.m. - Noon
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Visit www.homecoming.ku.edu for schedule updates.