Monday
November 25, 2002
Vol.113.Issue No.66
Today's weather 34° Tonight:20'
Tell us your news Call Jay Krall, Brooke Hesler or Kyle Ramsey at 864-4810
KANSAN Men's basketball team honored with ring presentation p. 6B
Anton Bubnovskiy/Kansan
These are statues of rain gods from the Tesque Tribe, which were located in the Southwest. The one on the left is a contemporary piece.The other two are from the turn of the 20th century.
Among the artifacts Anthropology museum prepares to end public exhibits, programs
By Justin Henning jhenning@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Jeannette Blackmar hustles past the crowded shelves of boxed artifacts to her office in Spooner Hall. She needs her white gloves before she
can handle any of the artifacts. The pieces are so old that even the oil from her hands could damage them.
She picks one up and shows it off.
"This one
This piece,
which sits at
about eight inches,
is from the Morley
Collection.
Chewing
tobacco, it comes
from a pre-Columbian
society that valued
the plant.
is my favorite," said Blackmar, an associate curator for the museum, holding up a statue of a man sitting and chewing tobacco. The tobacco is a rounded lump in his cheek. "Museums often display the extraordinary. What makes this one neat is its depiction of an ordinary event."
The piece is one of several from the donated Morley Collection. The figure held a great deal of importance in pre-Columbian societies because tobacco was important in day-to-day life as well as in rituals.
Blackmar places it back in the cabinet, shuts the metal door and locks it.
Once the Day of the Dead exhibit ends Dec. 9, the University of Kansas Museum of Anthropology in Spooner Hall will conclude its exhibitions indefinitely; and artifacts like Blackmar's favorite statue will not be on display. The museum is a victim of budget cuts. Museum faculty members are worried about the
"Museums often display the extraordinary. What makes this one neat is its depiction of an ordinary event."
Jeannette Blackmar Associate curator for the museum, on the tobacco chewing figure pictured to the left
signal the closing will send to the University and the community. Less than 6 percent of all American universities have anthropology museums, which Blackmar thinks serve an important role in society.
"In this day and age where intolerance continues, I think there's a value in appreciating that human beings are amazingly adaptive and creative in survival," Blackmar said.
An internal review of all research institutions at KU placed the museum of anthropology in last place in terms of its ability to keep itself financially afloat, said Jim Roberts, associate vice provost and research vice president for the Kansas University Center for
see MUSEUM on page 6A
Students discuss observe Kwanzaa
By George Schulz
Kansan staff writer
gschulz@ansai.com
Every year during the holiday season. residents of Cornelius Minor's Atlanta neighborhood would gather to celebrate Kwanzaa. One of the neighborhood families would open their home to the rest of the community for food and festivities related to the holiday rooted in African culture.
"It was great to see people who were willing to open their homes to you," Minor said.
Lindsev Gold/Kansan
But when Minor, a graduate student, moved to Lawrence, he missed the holiday he had come to cherish. So Minor and others decided to organize a Kwanzaa celebration in Lawrence.
"It's a chance to see something familiar," Minor said. "I'm pretty busy with school and everything, but it was something I wanted to do."
A group of about 15 people joined Minor last Friday evening at Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread, for a ceremony and food as part of Kwanzaa. Participants discussed what Kwanzaa meant to them and how the holiday was a part of a larger movement to improve the lives of African Americans.
Kwanzaa is an opportunity to relearn principles we stand upon and reaffirm
Tyi-Sanna Jones, Pittsburgh graduate student, said Kwanzaa was not so much religiously based as it was a chance for people to gather together and appreciate one another.
Cornelius Minor, Atlanta graduate student, lights candles representing the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Minor organized the Lawrence Kwanzaa celebration, which took place Friday night at Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Dread.
our roots and to keep them in our hearts and minds," she said.
Developed by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966 from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1 with each day focused on Nguzo Saba, or the seven principles. The term describing the seven principles was derived from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza," which means "first fruits" - a term related to harvest festivals celebrated in some African cultures.
The seven principles include unity, self-determination, collective work and
SEE KWANZAA ON PAGE 5A
Different reasons to become a vegan
By Lindsay Hanson
lhanson@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Vegans say they perform better in bed than those who eat meat and dairy products.
"Basically, your arteries don't get clogged up." Julia Franklin, Topeka junior and two-year vegan, said with a chuckle. "Think of all the little blood vessels."
For many vegans, such as Franklin and her sister, Emily, Topeka senior, veganism is more than a commitment to a diet. The Franklin sisters said they converted to veganism to boycott animal cruelty. They watch for labels notorious
for animal testing.
"It's a lifestyle in which, for me, youtry to reduce the suffering." Julia Franklin said.
Veganism is abstaining from anything that exploits animals. In addition to avoiding meats and dairy products, Julia Franklin said she had to watch for household shampoos, lotions and carpet cleaners she couldn't identify as cruelty-free products, which are often labeled.
But the transition to strict veganism after dabbling in vegetarian practices for about a month wasn't as hard as Julia Franklin had imagined, she said. She
SEE VEGAN ON PAGE 5A
Jared Soares/Kansan
Past presidents become today's leaders
Kevin Yoder, 26, is a state representative for the 20th district of Kansas, which includes Overland Park and Leawood. Yoder was elected to his first term in office on Nov. 5. He graduated from the University of Kansas in 1999 and finished law school at the University in 2002.
By Caleb Nothwehr
cnothwehr@kansan.com
Kansan staffwriter
When Kevin Yoder came to the University of Kansas as a freshman, he had no intentions of becoming student body president or later a legislator in the Kansas House of Representatives.
But, Yoder, who was elected to represent Kansas's 20th district on Nov. 5, is one of many former KU student body presidents who went on to pursue careers in leadership positions. Yoder said the position helped prepare him for a career in leadership.
"When I came to KU, I was just trying to figure out what I'd be when I grew up," Yoder said.
As student body president from 1998-1999, Yoder, 26, said he had to manage a
multi-million dollar budget and represent students' opinions to campus and state officials.
"Those experiences were the best training I ever received to be a leader," he said.
"You would think that college campaigns would be more juvenile, but the same games are played in races for the state legislature," he said.
The campaigning to become student body president also provided Yoder with valuable lessons, including how to deal with personal attacks.
Yoder said he had between 400 and 500 yard signs stolen throughout the course of his campaign for state representative. He said the Delta Force coalition he was running against in 1998 provided similar challenges.
David Adkins, KU student body president from 1981-1982, is in his first term
"Being student body president is something people can connect with," Adkins said. "There's a Jayhawk factor in Johnson County politics."
Adkins said he used his term as student body president as a helpful campaign point to relate to voters in his constituency.
as a Kansas senator from the 7th District, which covers much of Johnson County. Adkins said his term as student body president helped prepare him for public service on a statewide level. Candidates face voter apathy in both cases.
Ambler said Yoder's work toward creating a new recreation center on the KU
David Ambler, former vice chancellor for student affairs, worked with KU student body presidents for 25 years and said the position lent itself to leadership careers.
campus was a good example of how a student body president can produce real results.
"Unlike high school, the ability to impact the course of the institution is more real at a university," he said.
Ambler cited other KU student body presidents who have gone on to notable careers, including David Dillon, student body president during the 1972-1973 school year, who became chief operating officer of Kroger Co.; Kyle Craig, student body president during the 1967-1968 school year, who created Einstein Bros. Bagels; and Petra Tasheff, president during the 1976-1977 school year, who became consul for Citicorp in New York City.
Edited by Christina Neff and Amanda Sears
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