TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19,2002
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3A
Alternative Breaks to go abroad
By Katie Nelson
knelson@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Alternative Breaks is heading south of the border.
For the first time, KU's Alternative Breaks program is sending a group of volunteers outside the United States and into Mexico.
Jason Elliott/Kansan
Seven students will volunteer in Mexico's southern-most state, Chiapas. Beginning in June the group will work at a 20-acre organic ranch southeast of San Cristobal de Las Casas. The ranch is a part of a world-wide network of organic farms that are working to protect the environment and create sustainable agriculture.
Alternative Breaks has been consistently growing over the past few years, adding more volunteer sites each year to the already existing winter, spring and weekend break programs. A summer trip abroad was the next logical step in expanding KU's Break's program, said Jessie Mester, a Topeka senior who is serving as a director of Alternative Breaks this year.
"Going during the summer is going to allow more time to actually do service," Mester said.
Ara Johannes and Willow Robin, summer break coordinators, selected Rancho Chichihuistan because of its focus on organic farming.
"We're looking for someone that's really into service work," said Johannes, a Bombay, India, junior. "It's going to be hard, really hard work, where you will be working every single muscle in your body. They have to be willing to rough it for two weeks. If you are looking for a happy vacation, this is probably not for you."
In addition to tough work, it won't be easy traveling either, admits Robin, a St. Louis senior.
10 get there, the group will fly into either Mexico City or Cancun. From there, the group will take a 16-hour bus ride to Chiapas's capital, Tuxtla, and a two-hour ride to San Cristobal.
The group will be in Chiapas at the tail end of its rain season. The ranch has coffee plants, avocado and apple trees. Potatoes, beans, corn, peas, carrots and other vegetables are also grown there.
The volunteers will work about six hours a day at the ranch with members of the local indigenous population.
Applications for the trip, along with a $50 deposit, are due by 5 p.m. Nov. 26 in the Alternative Breaks office at room 428 in the Kansas Union.
"Expanding the diversity of the service opportunities that we can provide people is really important to us." Mester said. "Going abroad is a really neat avenue we have always wanted to take, and hopefully those that go will bring their experiences back to the KU community and take it on with them through life."
-Edited by Jessica Hood
Engineering grant to create new labs
By Justin Henning
jhenning@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
A $1.6 million grant the School of Engineering received from the SBC Foundation, the philanthropic arm of SBC Communications Inc., will go toward scholarships, recruitment and new teaching laboratories.
The recruiter will focus on recruiting minority students straight out of high school.The engineering school has 160
Forrest E. Hoglund, chair of KU First, announced the grant Nov. 7. To meet the first objective, $600,000 will be allocated as scholarship money for minorities and women and to pay for a fulltime recruitment position. The remaining $1 million of the grant will be used to create three new teaching labs for the telecommunications, information security and Internet programs in the department of electrical engineering and computer science.
"We've had a longstanding relationship with SBC to match the University's needs with the needs of the foundation and they agreed," said John Scarfe, director of communications for the Kansas University Endowment Association.
minority students enrolled.
"It would be great to double that number," said Florence Boldridge, director of diversity for the school.
The three labs that will be created with the other part of the grant are now in two buildings. A telecommunications lab is in Learned Hall, 15th Street and Naismith Drive, and the Internet and information security labs are in Snow Hall. The new labs will combine them in the new wing of Learned Hall, which is still under construction.
"This comes at a very integral time since the building is under construction," said Jill Hummels, director of public relations for the school. "This will ensure that the equipment will be state-of-the-art, which is essential to giving the best education we can provide."
The labs are scheduled to open at the beginning of the Fall 2003 fall.
"This grant is directly connected to what SBC likes to fund throughout the country," Scarfe said. "They are programs that increase access to technology training, especially for underserved populations, and this matches up with the goals of the University to diversity as well."
Students brainstorm to improve residence hall life
-Edited by Katie Teske
By Matt Stumpff
mstumpff@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Sixteen students went to Iowa for inspiration on how to improve residence hall life.
the opportunity to reflect on and improve life in the halls.
The annual conference for the Midwest Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this weekend, offered student representatives
"This is something that we're really proud of," said Aramis Watson, president of the Association of University Residence Halls. The residence hall association took the maximum number of students and paid the way for all 16 to attend.
Members of the residence hall association, hall government leaders and resident assistants view the conference as an indispensable
tool to facilitate ideas and give inspiration, Watson, Wichita junior, said. KU students have attended the events since 1960, and KU has hosted four times.
The weekend offered students a chance to become re-energized about improving residence hall life, said Kandace Creel, national communications coordinator for the Association of University Residence Halls.
"The theme of the conference
was building a better future," said Creel, Albuquerque, N.M., junior. "I think the delegates who went to the conference are well on their way to doing that."
Tami Alloway, vice president of administration for the residence hall association, helped present a program on recognition in residence halls. Other schools recognized the KU program as the eighth best of about 75.
Alloway said she was surprised
at how well received the presentation was.
"We had planned it like last weekend and presented it for the first time Thursday night," the Manhattan sophomore said.
Alloway said he heard many good ideas from other schools, including one inspired by The Learning Channel's Trading Spaces. She said some students in those schools would get $75 to swap rooms for a day and redeco-
rate with the help of a student designer.
The students learned about teamwork as a result of preparing presentations, a banner and a display for the conference.
"I learned so much about leadership and high management," Alloway said. "It teaches you how to get everyone involved because you can't do everything yourself."
-Edited by Jessica Hood
The University of Kansas - The University Theatre Presents GEORGE BERNARD SHAW'S
You Never Can Tell
***
A VICTORIAN DENTIST FALLS FOR A "MODERN" WOMAN AND THE RESULT IS MOST FUL "FILLING!"
DIRECTED BY JOHN STANIUNAS
SCENIC DESIGN BY DELBERT UNRUH
COSTUME & LIGHTING DESIGN BY BRIAN CLINNIN
NOVEMBER 22-23 & DECEMBER 5-7,2002 - 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24,2002 - 2:30 p.m.
THE UNIVERSITY
TREATHE
RESERVED SEAT TICKETS ARE ON SALE THROUGH THE KU TICKET OFFICES:
UNIVERSITY THEATRE, 864.3982, LIRD CENTER, 864.ARTS;
SUA OFFICE, 864.7439, & ONLINE AT WWW.KUTHEATRE.COM
PUBLIC: $14 & $12, ALL STUDENTS: $10, SENIOR CITIZENS: $13 & $11
You Naveen Gan Teste is an associate professor in the 2008 Rowney Center American College Theatre Theater Festival XXXX. The University Theatre is partially funded by the KU Student Achievement Active Prizes.
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Breaking into the Federal Government (workforce)
Tips on securing federal government jobs and internships.
The federal government is the second largest employer in Kansas City.
Tuesday, November 19th Room 330 Strong 4:00-5:30
Attending:
Department of Commerce
Office of Personnel Management
Social Security Administration
LAST TOUCHDOWN TUESDAY
10%OFF
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Every Tuesday the KU Bookstore offers a discount based on the amount of touchdowns the KU Football team scores over the weekend (5% off for every touchdown with a 10% minimum/30% maximum discount). GO KUI "includes KU Merchandise, supplies and general books. Does not include sale/clearance items or electronics
KANSAS UNION - BURGE UNION
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