WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2002
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3A
Chancellor applaudsgreeks
By Todd Rapp
trapp@kansan.com
Kansan stuff writer
Chancellor Robert Hemenway praised the fraternity and sorority community for just that — community.
Hemenway was a guest at the Interfraternity Council meeting last night at Phi Kappa Psi, 1602 W. 15th Street. He spoke to about 35 IFC members about the budget cuts, the tuition increase and his goal for the University of Kansas to be in the top 25 public universities by 2010. Hemenway
recognized fraternity and sorority chapters for setting the standard of a grade point average above 2.5. He attributed the higher standards to the smaller communities within the fraternity and sorority system.
"This is invaluable to education; people cannot learn in isolation." Hemenway said. "When you don't get your grades up, you are letting down the members of your house."
Hemenway said even if students graduated in 2004, their degrees would increase in value if KU became a top 25 school.
Andy Knopp, interfraternity council president, said having Hemenway as a guest speaker was a great step in challenging IFC to find ways to help the University as a whole.
"We have to play a role; we're glad to play that role to help the University achieve the overall goal," Knopp, Manhattan junior, said. "A strong Greek community at this University provides the emphasis to get out and study, to be the best chapter. That kind of competition motivates people."
— Edited by Amanda Sears
New debaters rebuild squad
By Nathan Dayani
ndayani@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas debate team is starting from scratch this year.
Sixteen students new to collegiate debate will compete for the KU debate team,which starts the season without any returning members.
KU debate coach Scott Harris looked to the new squad to continue a 34-year long tradition of qualifying teams to the prestigious National Debate Tournament.
"We have some streaks on the line this year with our young debaters," Harris said.
Although the team lacked the senior leadership that has often characterized previous squads, Harris said he was optimistic about its talent level.
"We're in a bit of a rebuilding
mode," he said. "But we have the best recruiting class I've had in five years."
Matt Gerber, Tulsa, Okla., graduate student and one of four assistant coaches, said the young squad would have the opportunity to debate against some of the country's best competition at upcoming tournaments.
"We don't believe in putting our freshmen in the JV division," he said. "We like to throw them to the wolves right off the bat."
Prairie Village freshman debater Scott Stinson said he should benefit from debating experienced teams.
"It'll certainly be a challenge, but it's one of the best learning experiences a person can have," he said.
Harris said the squad would attend several tournaments between now and Thanksgiving, including Wake Forest and the University of Kentucky, which
Harris described as two of the most prestigious college tournaments. Three teams will debate this weekend at the University of Northern Iowa.
This year's college debate topic focuses on four international treaties, including the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the Kyoto Protocol.
Gerber said the predictability of the topic should help the squad because it could research deeply into the key themes of the topic rather than superficially prepare for a wide range of arguments.
Harris said debate over the future of Iraq was emerging as a key issue.
Harris said many teams negating the resolution argued that unilateral treaty ratification could hurt U.S. efforts in building a coalition against Iraq.
Edited by Andrew Vaupel and Sarah Hill
Asian cafe brings flavor
Courtney Kuhlen/Kansan
By Louise Stauffer
stauffer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer.
Baoquan Tjhai, co-owner of Pochi Tea Station, works before the store's opening. Pochi Tea Station, 125 East 10th Street, opens today and will serve bubble tea in addition to a lunch menu.
It's sweet, milky and has black tapioca pearls at the bottom of the cup.
Called bubble tea, it's also known as milk tea, boba, pearl tea and zhen zhu nai cha. It can be found at The Pochi Tea Station, 125 E. 10th Street, which opened today as the newest member of the franchise family in Lawrence.
Pochi Tea Station opened in Seattle in 2000, followed by a Columbus, Ohio location. Lawrence is the third location in the country.
the country. Baoquan Tjhai said he and his sister. Erlinda Tjhai, decided to open the cafe about a year ago to tap into the budding trend.
Erlinda said bubble tea was popular in Asia and on the east and west coasts of the United States. She said the Midwest was a new market for the beverage, but she thought the business would succeed.
"There's quite an Asian community in Lawrence who like it, and non-Asians like it too," she said. "Lawrence is very open to new ideas."
"I hope everybody will come, not just the Asian community," she said. "We bring Asian flavor, but we're not trying to be exclusive."
Although bubble tea was popular with the Asian culture, Erlinda said she did not want Pochi Tea Station to become known as a strictly Asian hangout.
The tea is made with lactosefree milk and prepared with a choice of flavorings, such as mango or sour plum from Taiwan.
Fresh fruit and ice are added, and there is a choice of boba beads, coconut jelly or pudding. Hot drinks and fruit juice are also available. Snacks such as crepes, French fries, chicken wings, homemade noodles and toast are also offered. Indonesian lunch dishes such as nasi uduk, coconut rice with chicken, will also be served.
The owners want the Pochi Tea Station to be upbeat, fashionable and cozy. Erlinda said the company gave her minimal advice on the decor—just that it needed to be clean and trendy. She decided to play popular Asian music and MTV to energize the atmosphere. The walls are a bright apple-green, and
board games like Scrabble will be available to encourage patrons to linger.
As of now, the Pochi Tea Station is a family business, but will hire more employees later. Erlinda, who graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in architectural engineering, is an employee at Black-Veatch engineering company in Overland Park. She said she plans on working at the cafe nights and weekends.
Brian Richling, Topeka senior, said he had never heard of bubble tea before but would try it at least once. He said the fact that everything on the menu was less than $5 was helpful.
"We're trying to keep the prices down because we're brand-new and want people to come," Erlinda said.
Edited by Nicole Roché