SPORTS: The Kansas women's basketball team defeats Southwest Missouri State 65-51, Page 9.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOL.102.NO.75
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1992
(UPS 650-640)
NEWS: 864-4810
Plans draw new attention to minorities
By Mark Martin
Kansan staff writer
A recent proposal by the African American Student Concerns Task Force and a resolution passed by Student Senate three weeks ago have rekindled debate concerning the creation of an administrative position responsible for cultural affairs.
Administrators say they are looking into the recommendations, but many minority students at the University of Kansas wonder whether their concerns are really ever heard.
"It seems like nothing will be done with this until students make some noise about it," said Peter Braithwaite, off-campus student senator and member of the African American Student Concerns Task Force.
Braithwaite pointed out that in 1980, a task force recommended that the University create a new position to oversee minority affairs on campus.
That position was never created.
Braithwaite co-wrote the Senate resolution this year, which demanded that the Office of Minority Affairs, which operates within the division of student affairs, be moved up to operate within the executive vice chancellor's office. The resolution also calls for elevating the OMA director to assistant or associate vice chancellor status.
Some think raising OMA's status would allow it to be more effective. Hispanic students have complained that the OMA has been insensitive to their needs and lacks Hispanic resources such as magazines and journals. Most say that with an expanded role, the OMA can serve minority students better.
"The problem with the office currently is that students come there with problems they're having on campus, and that office has no power to change policies," Brait said. "They can just make suggestions. We're just that the office needs more respect on campus and power."
Tim Dawson, chairperson of Student Senate's ma-
m affairs committee and the co-author of the Senate
republic, said that the OMA was lost in the shuffle beca-
office was too low in KU's organizational structure.
"Right now they have to go through too many changething any done," he said. "They have to go to the student life, then to the vice chancellor for student life. They can talk to the chair of the department, if before people at the top even hear about them."
Before 1987, OMA worked within the chancellor's and the director reported straight to the chancellor office was moved into the student affairs division, w stands now.
David Ambler, vice chancellor for student affair the office was moved to student affairs because s determined that the office's main function was t with students.
Moving the office to student affairs would allow contact with students and with other offices it no longer requires.
Ambler said that because of KU's budget constrain did not think the University would be able to create plexus.
"The University is carefully studying the recen force report," he said. "One of their recommendation to create a University-wide council that could over the programs that deal with minority needs."
Sherwood Thompson, director of minority affairs that as KU became more multicultural, would wield the power to shape campus life.
"With more and more minority students coming to may be necessary to have a representative at the adrative level," he said. "It would help to coordinate and assess the needs of minority students in all area
Administrators point to the planned multicultural as an example of KU's commitment to minority a And minority enrollment has risen each of the last years.
But a planning committee has yet to be formed fcier, and the original opening date of Fall 1993 has pushed back a year. And despite the enrollment incrme more than 90 percent of the student body is white
"Right now, it seems like minority and cultural affair treated as a program at KU, instead of within University. Braithwaite said. "We need someone on campus who is willing to create people awaits what's going on, and what needs to go on."
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Knight-Ridder Tribune
A member of the U.S. armed forces takes cover after an early morning beach landing near the main airport in Mogadishu, Somalia.
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