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
(USPS 650-640)
ADVERTISING: 864-4358
WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 9,1992
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 could serve
students better.
"The problem with the office currently is the come there with problems they're having on it that office has no power to change policies," I said. "They can just make suggestions. We're, that the office needs more respect on campus power."
Tim Dawson, chairperson of Student Senate affairs committee and the co-author of the Sentinel, said that the OMA was lost in the shuffle b office was too low in KU's organizational struct
"Right now they have to go through too many cget anything done," he said. "They have to go to tstudent life, then to the vice chancellor for studenthen the executive vice chancellor. Things
Before 1987, OMA worked within the chancellor and the director reported straight to the chancell office was moved into the student affairs division stands now.
David Ambler, vice chancellor for student at the office was moved to student affairs because determined that the office's main function wa with students.
Moving the office to student affairs would all contact with students and with other offices it
Ambler said that because of KU's budget const did not think the University would be able to creat position in the administration.
"The University is carefully studying the recruit force report," he said. "One of their recommendation to create a University-wide council that could or the programs that deal with minority needs."
Sherwood Thompson, director of minority aff that as KU became more multicultural, more wo to be done to coordinate minority affairs.
"With more and more minority students coming may be necessary to have a representative at theitative level," he said. "It would help to coordinate and assess the needs of minority students in all ar
Administrators point to the planned multiculture as an example of KU's commitment to minority And minority enrollment has risen each of the la years.
But a planning committee has yet to be former center, and the original opening date of Fall 1993 I pushed back a year. And despite the enrollment immen-
trated more than 90 percent of the student body is white.
"Right now, it seems like minority and cultural af-treated as a program at KU, instead of within Un structure." Braithwaite said. "We need someone who's going to work with people who are people what's going on, and what needs to go off."
See related story, Page 12.
Cashing in on books
After a semester reading and ho work problems, dents can ave pain in their textbooks in pain by cashin their textbooks.
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Students live unhealth
A recent study shows that most health habit incoming freshmen worsened after a year in colls
See related story, Page 14.
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