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
(USPS 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 1989, 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 sav that with an expanded role, the OMA could serv
students better.
"The problem with the office currently is that there with problems they're having on ca that office has no power to change policies," We said. "They can just make suggestions. We're, that the office needs more respect on campur power."
Tim Dawson, chairperson of Student Senate affairs committee and the co-author of the Sension, 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 student life, then to the vice chancellor for students, then to the finance department, before people at the ten even hear about them."
David Ambler, vice chancellor for student af the office was moved to student affairs because determined that the office's main function wa with students.
Before 1987, OMA worked within the chancellor and the director reported straight to the chanc office was moved into the student affairs division stands now.
Moving the office to student affairs would all contact with students and with other offices it work with, such as admissions and financial aid.
Ambler said that because of KU's budget const did not think the University would be able to cree
"The University is carefully studying the recourse 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 the trative level," he said. "It would help to coordin and assess the needs of minority students in all ar
Administrators point to the planned multicultur as an example of KU's commitment to minority And minority enrollment has risen each of the la ye
But a planning committee has yet to be formed center, and the original opening date of Fall 1983 pushed back a year. And despite the enrollment in 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 Ur structure," Braithwaite said. "We need someone campus with enough power to keep people as what's going on, and what needs to go on."
See related story, Page 12.
Cashing in on books
After a semestre
reading and ho
work problems,
dents can ave
their late-night sti-
ng pain by cashin
the textbooks.
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Students live unhealth
A recent study shows that most health habit in freshmen worsened after a year in coll
Vancouver Dickinson College
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Movie Previews·Winona Ryder Sinks Her Fangs into Dracula·Demi Moore Sans Body Paint·Video Releases
By SALLY POUNCY Daily Cougar, U. of Houston
Eddie Murphv hopes The Distinguished Gentleman will keep him smiling all the way to the bank.
Hollywood finally is releasing the good movies that were "not quite ready" 'til now." Yeah right. We all know the only reason the studios are getting these heavy-hitting films out is to squeeze them in under the Oscar deadline. Too bad they all won't meet Academies standards.
Here is a peek at what Hollywood thinks will amuse the mall brats this holiday season.
The Distinguished Gentleman (Hollywood Pictures)
Eddie Murphy guarantees a laugh attack for audiences, returning to his con man character, Thomas Jefferson Johnson runs the gamut on accents and stereotypes, as he works the ultimate scam. But Johnson doesn't have to worry about getting caught because he's at the one place in the United States where taking money from innocent people is legal — Congress. Murphy's straight man is Grant Shaud, better known as Miles from *Murphy Brown*. Shaud has been typecast blatantly; he is the know-it-all neurotic who gets verbally abused by Murphy (Murdie, not Brown).
Scent of a Woman (Universal Pictures)
A young guy learns how to experience the most out of life from an older guy during a weekend junit in New York City. There'll be tons of that male bonding stuff, tons of sympathy for the characters, and if you make the young guy look good, you'll get tons of sales from the women. The old man is Al Pacino; the younger guy is Chris O'Donnell. It is supposed to be a drama, so somebody is going to die, or seriously injure or have to choose between two equally depressing options.
Trespass (Universal Pictures)
Ice-T, Paxion, William Sadler and Ice Cube star in this flick about two firemen who get into trouble while looking for stolen goods in an abandoned building. After they find more than just the goods, they end up on the wrong side of the local bad guys.
This movie was called *Looters* and was supposed to come out sometime last summer. Wonder why it didn't? It seems Universal thought the release might bring trouble and
violence. So the studio will open it two days before Christmas. No, there won't be any problems with that. December is the last month of the year and supposedly has fewer violent crimes. Let's hope things are a lot better than the tumultuous opening of *New Jack City*.
Forever Young (Warner Bros.)
Mel Gibson puts his hot bod on ice in this lost love movie. Gibson plays a 1939 daredevil test pilot who is in love, but his lady is plowed down by a car and ends up in a coma before he can mumble the magic words, "Will you marry me?" Gibson's character can't stand the thought of living without her so he asks George Wendt (Norm from *Cheers*) to freeze him for a year. Fifty years later some kids thaw out the well-preserved Gibson, bringing him into the modern world. The kid who opens the freezer just happens to be the son of the nurse who cares for Gibson's living lost love. What a stroke of luck. Somehow the Feds get involved, and there are some clam scenees. Shocking for a Gibson film, huh? This should be a tolerable movie, if you're into kissing, hugging and Mel Gibson's bare chest.
Hoffa (Twentleth Century Fox)
c films
Jack Nicholson stars as Jimmy Hofla in a manny Danny DeVito film about the powerful Teamsmasters boss who probably ended up as fill dirt under Gianni Sausi. The Joker and the Penguin队up to chronicle the life of the top trucking dog from his inception or box until his mysterious demise. DeVito carries two umbrellas in this film, one as director, the other as actor. DeVito plays the guy who looks at the Feds and says, "You want me to give up Hofta?" Yeah, like the director of this sure-to-make lots of movies on him is going to give it up.
Leap of Faith (Paramount Pictures)
Here is a story about a touring revivalist ministry that performs miracle-miracles and takes donations. Sound familiar? Can you say PTL2, not this is a noturn of Jim and Tammy from the runny mascara days; this is a flick with Steve Martin behind the pinstrip – right! the wrongs of life. Kansas may be the downfall of Rev. Marin's ministries, though. The town has chosen to victimize is practically dead. (It's probably the trailer home vs. tornado thing.) Kansas might be OK for Dorothy, but Steve is gonna have trouble there.
on the set
The Robert Downey Jr. audiences knew from Less Than Zero and Chances Are is history.
Downey hasn't retired, it just been waddling around like a duck on the set of the film Chaplin, a picture where he portrays the great silent comic. And the transition from teen brat to serious actor hasn't been an easy one.
"I feel like the first 10 years all led up to me having just enough experience to be able to take it on and try to make it work," says the 27-year-old actor. Making it work sapped his energy and required all his creative and artistic efforts.
"Just even the body language, it's not American. It's about a British person. It's real different," he says.
Downey says his talent came a long way to do the part.
"[There were] so [many] technical improvements to be made on Robert Downey Jr. so that he could be Charlie Chapin and it's kind of like new and improved Robert just so he could bill the bill," he says.
And after portraying one of those great artists, he says his acting never will be the same.
video calendar
A brief look at December releases
"I'll never beray a list of those great ideas, he says his acting never will be the same. "I can't ever really do another film without preparing for it in the fashion that I prepared for Charlie, which was doing a bit of preparation that I was free to enjoy when I was doing it opposed to going in and winging it." By Greg Srisvasadi, *Daily Bruin*, U of California, Los Angeles
Patriots Game, Paramount, 11/24; Midnight Clear, Columbia, 12/2; Lethal Weapon 3, Warner, 12/2; Beautiful Dreamers, Hammel, 12/2; Fire Within, New York Video, 12/2; Universal Soldier, Live, 12/9; Housesitter, MCA, 12/9; Until They Sail, MGM, 12/9; Operation Crossbow, MGM, 12/9; Adventures in Spying, Columbia, 12/16; Class Act, Warmer, 12/16; Poison肝, Columbia, 12/16; Prelude to a Kiss, Fox, 12/16; Helmaster, A.I.P. Home Video, 12/16; Boomerang, Paramount, 12/20; Hassel & Gretel, Paramount, 12/22; Big Girls Don't Cry, Columbia, 12/23; Buffy the Vampire Sage, Fox, 12/23; Sex Crimes, Atlas, 12/31; Talons of the Eagle, MCA, 12/23; On a Limb, MCA, 12/23; Oh What a Night, Columbia, 12/30; Death Dreams, Columbia, 12/30
"I wasn't out to make any kind of particular feminist statement; it was just how I felt as a woman."
—Demi Moore on her exposure in Vanity Fail
U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE MAGAZINE DECEMBER 1992