Thursday, October 5, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 3
Edwards campus to offer another graduate program
Bv Matt Merkel-Hess
By Matt Merkel-Hess
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
A new master's program in International Studies will be available at the Edwards Campus in Overland Park for Kansas City-area professionals who want to improve their understanding of global issues.
The 37-credit hour thesis program will start this spring and is the 18th graduate program offered at the Edwards Campus.
Universities in large cities such as St. Louis, Denver and Chicago offer similar programs. Gerner said.
Deborah J. Gerner, international studies program director, said the new degree would be ideal for teachers, business professionals, military personnel, journalists and others who wanted to expand their understanding of the contemporary global arena.
"We felt the need to serve the Kansas City community on both sides of the border because there is no program anywhere near here," she said. "As Kansas City becomes increasingly interconnected with the rest of the world, people need to know about these things."
Gerner said the program would be flexible, allowing students to focus on regions, such as the Middle East, that are not covered by other KU area studies programs. Student in the program could also focus on a general area, such as countries in NAFTA or the Islamic world.
She said the program would start with two classes and was designed for people working full time.
Carl Strikwerda, an associate dean of liberal arts and professor of history, helped develop the program. This spring, he will teach a class for the program about globalization and history.
"We think it's a very exciting degree that's going to have a lot of appeal to the KC area," he said. "We're trying to build on KU's long-time strengths in the area studies program and use that expertise but also add on to it."
Both Strikwerda and Gerner thought most students in the program would have some previous experience living or working abroad and would want to add more depth to their understanding of global issues.
"What I think is really exciting is the people taking these courses will have real-world experience." Gerner said.
He estimated that about 15 students would be involved in the spring, and that the program would have the capacity for a larger future enrollment.
Bob Clark, vice chancellor of the Edwards Campus, said the program would serve businesses with employees working abroad in telecommunications, retail, engineering consulting and other services.
"It addresses the need to prepare our work force to be competitive in the growing global economy," Clark said.
— Edited by Clay McCuistion
Student runs gymnastics academy
By Loite Schultes
Kansan staff writer
Kelly Dirks likes the Olympics. Every four years, the games draw to a close, he sees enrollment at his gymnastics academy increases.
writer@kansan.com
By Bella Schones
writes@kernberg.com
Dirks is a Lawrence graduate student and co-owner of the Lawrence Gymnastics Academy, 4930 Legends Drive. Although the academy has been at its present location for less than a year, he has been teaching gymnastics since he was an undergraduate student in the 1990s.
He knows how to capitalize on the Olympics. A homemade Olympic torch was located near the front desk. Every week his younger students held it for a picture to take home and stick on their refrigerators.
It gets them excited about the Olympics and inspires them to stay in gymnastics, Dirksa said.
He is working toward a master's degree in sports science at the University of Kansas, and joined forces with David Sakumura six years ago to open their business in Lawrence.
The arrangement worked well, Dirkrs said. Sakumura had starting capital but no time to teach, while Dirkrs had extra time but few financial resources.
"The hardest was coming up with the finances to really set things up and get started." he said.
Bob Lockwood, facility director at Robinson Center, understands Dirks' struggle. He compared gymnastics to in-home dance schools.
"Gymnastics is not a basement activity," he said. "You need too much equipment."
For Dirks and Sakumura, getting started included not only the equipment, but also the construction of a $650.00 building.
Such expenses were covered by almost 500 students who attend the academy. Dirks said beginners paid $85 for eight one-hour lessons.
Michelle Sims, whose 9-year-old daughter Amanda has attended the academy for six years, said the sport could help young children build confidence.
Most people are just paying for socialization and the exposure that participating in gymnastics provides.
"It was really good for her when she was a young kid," Sims said, adding that she chose the academy because of its instructors and small class size. "She was very hesitant and scared to try new things, but once she started gymnastics she liked to do anything."
Late winter and early spring are peak profit periods, Dirks said, and carried the academy through low summer enrollment. Payroll is the academy's biggest expense, and the business usually breaks just above even.
But Dirks said the business still provided a good livelihood.
"I think it's becoming more common for people to make a living at it," he said. "In the past it's been more of a side job."
Kelly Dirks, Lawrence graduate student and co-owner of the Lawrence Gymnastics Academy, 4930 Legends Drive, watches Scott Bregman, 13, complete a maneuver on the rings. Dirks, who has been teaching gymnastics since the 1980s, used the Olympics to inspire his students. Photo by Carrie Julian/KANSAN
Half of his students are preschool age, and he tries to have only six students work with each teacher — many of whom are KU students who work part time. Most of his students are in gymnastics for recreational purposes.
Lori Tochtrop owns Dance City Performing Arts Academy, 711 W. 23rd St., and has two children enrolled at Dirks' academy. She said recreational gymnasts and dancers usually took lessons for two years before trying a new activity.
The numbers from the academy showed that less than 10 percent of students stayed in gymnastics long enough to reach competitive levels, and that sports such as soccer hurt enrollment.
"It's a sport that has very delayed gratification." Dirks said. "There's a lot of pressure — and exposure in the media — to do team sports."
Still, when high school coaches fill out rosters, former gymnasts often make the starting lineup, he said. Gymnastics is one of the only sports to simultaneously improve flexibility, balance, agility and strength, he said.
Dirks has plans to improve his clients' fitness in other areas, as well. He would like to build an outdoor pool to give swimming lessons during the summer. Putting a rock-climbing wall in the gym is another possibility, and Dirks said a "gym mobile" — a bus stripped of seats and equipped with gymnastics equipment would start visiting day cares in October.
The work of running a gymnastic academy can be challenging, he said.
but usually it pays off.
"Along with that there's a lot of gratification that comes when you do see a kid succeed," he said.
Edited by Amy Randolph
Minorities discuss problems faced on campus
Group talks about stress caused by being different
By Jennifer Valadez
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Gwendolyn Swoope, education specialist at the University of Kansas Medical Center, said that ethnic physical appearances caused most of the stress that minorities experienced, especially when they felt they could not connect with anyone else.
Stresses caused by being a minority student were discussed yesterday at the second session of the Multicultural Resource Center's Brown Bag Discussion Series.
"The only way to overcome that is by demonstrating that you are a capable person," she said. "They're ways of connecting. Students belong because they feel accepted."
Derya Suzen, counseling and psychological services program assistant, led the five-person discussion. She said the minority students' stress could be emotional, physical or mental.
"You can get a very serious illness," she said. "You need to listen to your body and its needs."
Suzen said that such physical problems occurred most often in the African-American and Hispanic-American cultures. She said that African Americans often experienced hypertension and Hispanic Americans could endure heart conditions. Physical reactions to stress can occur across all ethnicities, however.
Suzen also discussed the possible isolation or loneliness that minorities might experience on campus.
"Just not being a majority and being seen as different has kind of hindered relationships because I'm not part of the major." she said.
Sarah Zaragoza. Leawood sophomore, said she had felt detached as part of the small Hispanic-American population at the University. Hispanic American students are 2.3 percent of the KU student body.
The next Brown Bag Discussion, titled "Welcome to my world: A view of working, living and communicating in the world of the Deaf" will be Monday, Oct. 18 from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the Multicultural Resource Center classroom.
Exercise, meditation, reading,
going away on vacation and leav-
ing work at home were discussed
as ways to relieve some of students'
daily stresses.
- Edited by Clay McCusition
Derya Suzen, University of North Dakota graduate psychology student and KU CAPS intern, leads a brown bag meeting focusing on campus minority issues. Suzen, who specializes in psychological counseling for minorities, moderated a small group discussion of students and faculty yesterday. Participants talked about specific problems minority students face. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
Local honor society named best chapter in Midwest,world
Bv Jason Elliott
Special to the Kansan
The Phi Beta Delta honor society for international students at the University of Kansas was named best overall chapter in 2000 out of the 120 chapters in the world.
The society was also named the best chapter in the Midwestern region for 1998 and 2000.
To become a member, undergraduate applicants must be a junior and have a 3.25 grade point average. Graduate applicants must have a 3.5 GPA.
"Part of the reason we received the award is for our year after year of high quality work," said Anne Merydith-Wolf, vice-president of the Midwest region and project coordinator for international programs at the University. "We have a fairly large chapter and we do a good job of honoring our members."
Jongdeock Lim, a graduate student from South Korea, received a $500 scholarship and a trip to Kansas City for the national conference.
Lim said the award was a big honor that recognized his services and what he has given to his field.
The University's Alpha Pi chapter of Phi Beta Delta was established in 1992. It has more than 125 members, and the national society has more than 10,500 members.
"It is an honorary society that deals with international activities that bring together students and faculty from both international and local organizations," said Anita Herzfeld, president of Phi Beta Delta.
Edited by Kathryn Moore
SPRING 2001 ENROLLMENT:
PAYMENT OF PREVIOUSLY BILLED CHARGES,
TUITION, HOUSING, ETC., FOR FALL 2000 MUST
HAVE ARRIVED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE BY OCTOBER 2, 2000. STUDENT ACCOUNTS UNPAID AFTER THIS DATE WILL RESULT IN A BRS HOLD ON THE ACCOUNT. THE BRS
HOLD WILL NOT PERMIT STUDENTS TO ENROLL FOR SPRING 2001. THE HOLDS OFFICE AT STRONG HALL IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE,
MAKE ALL PAYMENTS AT THE GENERAL
ACCOUNTING OFFICE CARRUTH-O'LEARY.
CONTACT THE GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE AT 864-3522 FOR QUESTIONS REGARDING YOUR ACCOUNT STATUS.