UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
平湖松
Monday, August 24, 1992
5B
Greek system unifies African Americans
By Richard Mancinelli Special to the Kansan
On Dec. 4, 1906, a time when few African Americans attended college, the first African-American greek letter organization, Alpha Phi Alpha, was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
Lack of housing doesn't hurt chapters' devotion to organization
By 1925, the University of Kansas had four greek letter organizations founded by and for African Ameri-
cans of them are still active on campus.
Four others have been formed at KU since 1925. Four of the eight total are fraternities. Kappa Alpha Psi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi and Phi Beta Sigma. The four sororites are Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho and Zeta Phi Beta.
The four oldest, Alpha Kappa Alpha,
Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta
and Kappa Alpha Psi, are one-letter chapters. When Greek organizations are started they are assigned chapter letters, beginning with alpha. Because there are 24 letters in the Greek alphabet, only the first 24 chapters have a single letter designation.
Norma Norman, a 1967 KU graduate. Black Student Union adviser and associate director of minority affairs, was introduced to African-American history month at KU. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first African-American sorority at KU.
"My sorority gave me support through the tension of the time," she said.
Marek Jacobs, recording secretary of Alpha Phi Alpha, joined his fraternity to feel the most unity, the most
"We have to remember the struggling of the past and not forget about the struggling of the present," he said. "I'm really looking forward to helping out the Black community."
brotherhood.
To help, African-American organizations try to jointly sponsor as many activities as possible.
None of the eight organizations at KU has a house. One reason for this is the low number of African-American students at KU — 644 were enrolled last year.
One result of not having a house is having to rent space to hold events.
Pearl Rovaris, 1986 KU graduate, Delta Sigma Theta member and admissions representative, said that it was difficult to sponsor stomp
downs or organized put-down shows in the Kansas Union.
The Frontier Room in the Burge Union can now be reserved for stomp shows, according to Organizations and Activities.
Not having a house can make it more difficult to monitor who comes to activities.
Marquel Jordan, treasurer of Alpha Phi Alpha, said, "People come up from the cities, knuckleheads; people come up just to start trouble."
Community service is a big concern of all the groups. Rovaris said her sorority's No.1 focus was the African-American community. African-American history, role-model skills and leadership all are important parts of the education she attributes to her
Along with the duties comes a lot of responsibility.
sorority
Jordan said, "We're looked to as authority figures. I get the notion that people look up to us because of our rich history. It's not that other organizations aren't doing their job; they're doing a hell of a job. Not only are we a fraternity, we're a mouthpiece for Black students."
Though the African-American greek organizations themselves may not be widely known, one misconception does exist about them, the practice of branding. Although it is practiced by some members of certain fraternities, it is unheard of in traditional Greek fraternities.
Rovaris said, "Branding saves it's an
organization for me; it's about me.
Jordan said, "Alpha Phi Alpha men
demand that I be an active member."
Though members of all the groups think that KU is becoming a more accepting place and that much progress has been made in civil rights, they agree that a definite need still exists for these fraternities and sororites.
These needs, according to Norman, are:
to recruit people who embody the organization's goals and objectives
to publicize constantly;
to raise the level of academic excellence;
to provide a linkage, a feeling of brotherhood or sisterhood.
Additional information can be obtained from Organizations and Activities in the Kansas Union, 864-4861.
Office helps foreign students
Services range from orientation and information on regulations to providing happy Thanksgiving
By Silvia Peralez
Special to the Kansan
More than 100 countries from Algeria to Zimbabwe are represented within the student population at the University of Kansas. Anticipating and providing for the needs of these 2,000 international students is the purpose of the Office of International Student Services.
Daphne Johnston, assistant director, said the office staff tried to provide a variety of services to help international students cope with problems they might encounter at KU.
During the first four days of each semester, the office offers an orientation program for new students. Last fall, 450 attended, and 300 attended in the spring.
The orientation consists of a series of meetings designed to inform new students about the campus, the community, the academic system and services on campus. Students also are told about the clubs and activities available.
"We want students to be aware of the range of things that they can get involved in," Johnston said.
"There is a lot of grapevine communication between the students that they tend to rely on that is not accurate," Johnston said.
Vicente Bortone, a graduate student from Venezuela, was unsure of the correct procedure for changing a visa and was assisted by the office.
and regulations that apply to them, specifically in the areas of work permits, immigration status and travel.
Many international students are concerned with the laws
"The university has the facilities here to welcome foreign students," Bortone said. "When I needed permission to work, they were able to help me. Without their help, I wouldn't have known how to change my visa."
In order to provide students with correct information, the office publishes a newsletter four times a year. It contains news about new developments in the school.
In addition to helping students adjust to academic life, the office sponsors special programs. Through the Lawrence Host Family Program, international students are matched with a local family, which gives them an opportunity to interact socially.
During the Thanksgiving holiday break, special trips are organized for the students to either Kansas City or Topeka. Students who have no place to stay are matched with a local family during this period.
Students who need further information on the programs or have questions can contact the Office of International Student Services, 2 Strong Hall at 864-3617. Office hours are from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m.
Income of wealthiest people remains the same as in 1991
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — They still have plenty of cash to burn, but the world's richest people are not getting any richer.
Fortune magazine, in its 1992 ranking of the world's billionaires, reported Wednesday that the average wealth of the supremely affluent held at $2.7 billion, the same as in 1991. Last year's average wealth was up $100 million from 1990.
While they are not clipping coupons, eating at home more often or trading in their Rolls-Royces for Hyundais, the world's wealthiest people are showing some moderation in this era of fiscal sobriety, according to Fortune.
"Money never goes out of style, but spending it sometimes does," the magazine said in its Sept. 7 issue. Many of the richest seem to be cooling it a bit and turning to other pursuits.
For example, the sultan of Brunei, a tiny Pacific island-nation sitting on a vast pool of petroleum, remained the richest person in the world for the sixth
consecutive year with a hoard worth $37 billion
Nonetheless, *Fortune* said, the Muslim monarch showed signs of restraint. Though he remains the single biggest customer of Rolls-Royce with 153 limos, he was trying to unload his swank Beverly Hills Hotel.
No. 2 on Fortune's list is the richest U.S. family, heirs of the Wal-Mart store chain's folksy founder, Sam Walton. Their combined worth was put at $24 billion.
But the magazine said Walton's descendants avoided flashy living just as he had, renting subcompact cars and staying at budget motels.
No. 3 is Taikichiro Mori of Japan, who made most of his $14 billion in real estate. Still, Mori, 88, lives modestly and goes to the office every day.
When inflation is taken into account, the richest rich actually lost money, just like many of the plebeians.
Still, *Fortune* said, it is useful to consider just how far $1 billion will go. Even if just deposited in a money-market account yielding 3.15 percent for a year, $1 billion would earn $85,479.45 every day, the magazine calculated.
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