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Volume 128 Issue 55
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Kansan.com | The student voice since 1904
Students lead peaceful march after Ferguson events
University student Chelsea Whiteside, center, and graduate student Jameelah Jones, right, march in the front of the Kansas Blackout protest group.
KELSIE JENNINGS
@kelcjen
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
On a cold Monday night, students calmly and quietly marched across the University campus in remembrance of Michael Brown, the 18-year-old black man who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., this August. Marchers gathered at the Kansas Union and walked across campus to the Burge Union, where the march ended with an open discussion between members of the Black Student Union and other march participants.
Students were asked to wear white, but many students were bundled up in coats and hats as due to the chilly weather. The group was quiet as they moved across the dark campus, quietly talking amongst themselves. Some students walked with their hands raised and others carried a sign reading "Hands up, don't shoot" in reference to Michael Brown before he was shot and killed.
The march marked the first day of events that will take place on campus the rest of the week, known on social media as #KansasBlackOut week.
Caleb Bobo, president and founder of the student group, KU Black Men's Union, said that the events planned for this week were inspired by a group of black students who were upset with the negative response that came from some
University students and they wanted to show support for Brown's family since they aren't able to be in Ferguson. He said that the Black Student Union came up with the idea for the march. Bobo said this week is not just for the University, but that Kansas State, Emporia State, Wichita State and Washburn are having their own campus events.
"This was more than just a black community event, and I think that it went really, really well." Bobo said after the march and discussion at the Burge Union.
Bobo, a resident of St. Louis, said it's been hard to watch the area he grew up in get a bad reputation because of the rioting on the news.
"St. Louis is a great place to raise a family, but there are problems," Bobo said. "I wish that people would take into account the problems instead of judging the city."
Bobo estimated that there were about 50 to 75 students who participated in the march across campus. He had instructed participants before the march that it was meant to be peaceful and respectful and for marchers to stay on the sidewalk and keep their voices low. He wanted to make sure that the group followed University policy and didn't want to disrupt other students on campus.
A few students who marched said they were not really
shocked when they heard the verdict on Monday, Nov. 24, that Darren Wilson, the officer who had shot Brown, did not face charges for Brown's death.
march to honor Brown and his family.
Prechus Gillom, a freshman from Kansas City, Kan., said she was in a dining hall on campus when she heard the verdict on TV. She said she wasn't shocked by the grand jury's decision because of how the Trayvon Martin case ended, and thought there was a possibility that this case would be decided similarly. She was excited to participate in the
"I was actually excited that us as a community at KU wanted to do something in honor of Mike Brown without it being a negative connotation behind it like the people of Ferguson," Gillom said. "It was a nice, peaceful walk in honor of him and something respectful to his family that they wanted all along."
Another student, Tyler Allen from Denver, Colo., was pleased with the student participation and spoke of the
diversity of the marchers.
"It's not just black people fighting for black justice. It's people with hearts, it's people who understand equality, people who want to live in a better society who go out and do these things," she said. "If it were to be a white, young man that was done wrong, I would go out and march too because there has to be some type of equality and some type of justice in order for us to function as a society."
Adam Khalil, a senior from Kansas City, Kan., knows a
lot of people who live out in Ferguson and said his friends don't agree with how some rioters are responding to the verdict. Khalil said he likes to think long about things before forming an opinion, but he said he lost a little hope after he heard the verdict.
"Some things are just not going to go our way," Khalil said. "But I hope that, at least for this campus, that we can come together."
Edited by Miranda Davis
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/KANSAN
Annette Bloch, president of R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, talks about her potential donation toward the University of Kansas Medical Hospital.
KU Medical Center receives $10M donation, if able to match
ADAM JAMIESON
@senorjamieson
Annette Bloch, Kansas City philanthropist, has donated $10 million to build an extension to the University of Kansas Hospital in the form of a Challenge Match. This means that the Medical Center will receive this donation, but only if they can raise an equal amount themselves.
A statement on the University of Kansas Medical Center's website says the proposed extension to the hospital in Kansas City will be called the Cambridge North Tower. It will have 92 beds and will be the home of the neurology, neuroscience, surgical oncology and ear, nose
Bloch has a personal connection with victims of illness, especially cancer. She is the widow of Richard A. Bloch, founder of H&R Block. According to the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation website, Richard Bloch was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1978 and was told he only had three months to live. He battled through it and lived long enough to be diagnosed with colon cancer in the 1980s. He made a full recovery both times, according to the website.
and throat departments. It is estimated to cost $279 million altogether.
Annette Bloch has a long history of philanthropy with the KU Medical Center. The
In a video release accompanying the donation, Bloch said, "There's a wonderful feeling of power when you're able to give, and to give something that you know will help so many people and save lives, and in your lifetime if you can even save one life it's a wonderful thing to be able to do."
University of Kansas Hospital website recognizes a $20 million donation that she made in 2008, as well as ongoing support of the Richard and Annette Bloch Heart Rhythm Center.
However, the medical center is not expecting to raise all the money through such substantial donations.
"There's a lot of people who
don't have $10 million to give away," said Jill Chadwick, director of the KU Medical News Network. "If they understood that if they just give $5 or $10 that's really how we're going to get this thing built. (Monday) is for cyber shopping, but Tuesday is for giving. It's called Giving Tuesday."
According to a release from Dan Margolies of the Heartland Health Monitor, the University of Kansas Hospital has been able to raise $34 million overall toward the Cambridge North Tower and $1.37 million toward the challenge match so far.
- Edited by Lyndsey Havens
City of Lawrence funds $10M for Rock Chalk Park
ALLISON KITE
@Allie Kite
The Lawrence City Commission is in the process of shelling out $10 million to help pay for infrastructure at Rock Chalk Park, but Athletics is in charge of the $40 million lease for the sporting facilities.
The Lawrence City Commission has paid all but $1 million of the $10 million it will take to fund the infrastructure, which includes roads, parking, sewer pipes, water, storm drainage, running trails and tennis courts at Rock Chalk Park. The process is almost complete, but about $1 million worth of work remains undone according to David Corliss, city manager of Lawrence. The city issued debt to pay for the work and will use sales tax dollars appropriated for parks and rec to pay it off.
The City Commission also paid $10 million for the construction of the recreational center at Rock-Chalk Park, which is free to Lawrence and Douglas County residents, including students. Corliss said the city thought the partnership would be beneficial to both the city and the University.
"It was a unique opportunity to partner with the University of Kansas," Corliss said. "KU is obviously an important part of the community, an important part of our community identity. It's our largest employer."
"The reason we did it is because we needed facilities for those sports," Marchiony said. "We were using sub-par facilities for those women's sports for many years, and we needed to correct that. This was a way to do that."
Marchiony said the partnership would benefit both the city and the University because it would create a new facility for sports that don't generate considerable revenue.
He added that the new facility would attract bigger events that would bring in revenue. He said whereas a normal softball game would only bring in revenue from the opposing team's arrival in town, a tournament would bring in significantly more.
The University will host an NCAA track regional tournament at Rock Chalk Park May 26-28.
The softball, soccer and track structure is currently owned by Bliss Sports, a local sporting company, but at the end of the $40 million lease, KU Athletics will become the new owner. Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director for Public Affairs, said the lease situation was the most financially sensible for the University. Funding for the lease will come from the Athletics general budget, which includes revenue from the Williams Education Fund.
Edited by Rob Pyatt
CLASSIFIEDS 9 CRYPTOQUIPS 6 SPORTS 10
CROSSWORD 6 OPINION 4 SUDOKU 6
All contents; unless stated otherwise, © 2014 The University Daily Kansan
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