THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2011
CAMPUS
PAGE 9A
Occupy KU members work to localize a national movement
BOBBY BURCH
bburch@kansan.com
Jordan Wade paces across the classroom, waiting for her students' response. Some fidget in their chairs; others stare at cell phones.
"When these movements happen, who is able to take on risk? Who is able to put their body in front of a police line and say, 'Yeah, sure, take me to jail.'" Wade asks. Silence ensues as her students avert their eyes.
Undaunted by the indifference, Wade, a graduate student from Charlotte, N.C., carries on with her lecture.
For the last two weeks, she's examined the Occupy movement with students in her Introduction to American Studies course. Wade helped organize a "teach-in" to discuss Occupy, which provides historical context, data on the financial crisis and demographics of demonstrators. Wade said at times the class' participation in the Occupy lectures is reflective of mainstream media's take on the movement.
BOBBY BURCH/KANSAN
"The initial student response went in two waves. The first line was, 'Well I don't watch a lot of news, so I don't really know,' Wade said. "The second line was, 'But it seems like it's a bunch of whiners and people complaining.' And generally that's what the media has been portraying in a lot of outlets, so that's the trickle-down effect."
Members of "Occupy KU" gather in a circle at the Kansas Union to discuss the group's grievances with the University. The group formed about one month ago and meets each Friday at 4 p.m. at the Kansas Union.
Despite her involvement with Occupy's cause, Wade insisted the teach-in is not a call to action but rather a contemporary paradigm for her course's study.
"Obviously we don't want to push any agenda with it," she said. "But to talk about it is the nature of the discipline."
Occupy's cause at the University.
Wade is keen to observe her class' reaction because she has a vested interest in understanding the movement as a participant in the student organization Occupy KU, which works to localize
OCCUPY KU
Nineteen University students sit cross-legged in a circle at the Kansas Union. It's an eclectic gathering of people: hand-knit hats, piercings, business casual clothing and dreadlocks.
Gus Bova, a freshman from Lawrence, delivers the rules of engagement.
“When proposal is made there are four basic hand signals you can react with,” Bova says. “Both hands up: approval. Hands straight out, horizontally from you, stand aside: Mostly people use this if it's their first meeting ever and they don't know if they want to be involved, but they're not blocking anything.”
Bova performs each gesture to help members of Occupy KU communicate their proposal decisions with the group non-verbally.
"Hands down is the interesting one, because it's no, but no in the sense that we need to discuss it more, clarify it more," he continues. The fourth hand sign is arms crossed over the chest, which means a member would disassociate from the group on moral grounds if the proposal is approved.
Members share smiles, laughs and ideas with one another at this Occupy KU general assembly.
Some in the circle voice their curiosity of the movement, others their frustrations.
BRIAN SULTANA Occupy KU member
"The only way this movement is getting information out there - legit information - is through social networking and Internet. The
mainstream media is refusing to cover this to any extent," said Michael Packard, a senior from Salina. "The message is highly marginalized because it conflicts with their corporate interests."
Occupy KU, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street group, began about a month ago, attracting University students concerned
with a variety of political and social issues. At each meeting, the group amends an expanding list of grievances and members discuss strategies to make changes at the University.
CURRENT ISSUES
Currently, Occupy KU is taking issue with rising tuition costs, Coca-Cola's contract on campus and Koch Industries' and Chevron's involvement at the University.
Brian Sultana, a senior from Manhattan, said he hopes the group can create a larger discussion of these grievances to get more students involved.
The group recently acquired
"At this point it is really in its infancy stages," Sultana said. "As it grows we want to keep talking with people, see what they want to do, what actions they want to take."
funding from Student Senate and plans to use the money to create awareness around campus. However, Occupy KU's methods to communicate its message take multiple forms.
To spread the word, members of Occupy KU created a Facebook group that's amassed 77 members. The group's Twitter account shares event and organizing information with 81 followers.
Occupy KU is also taking to the airwaves. After participating in Occupy KU, James Baker, a senior from Dallas, let members of the group spread the word on his 90.7 FM KJHK radio show. Baker
In addition to its online outlet, Occupy KU is planning to create a "Zine" to transmit its message in print. Bova said the Zine will feature the group's list of grievances, poetry, artwork and discuss myths about the Occupy movement.
said he has an open conversation with Occupy KU members on Tuesday at 11 a.m.
"It gives them kind of an open forum to discuss actions, problems and the movement in general without a filter, rather than have them relegated to just sidewalk chalk," Baker said. "It's pretty open."
Current student body president Libby Johnson, a senior from Lawrence, said that she couldn't necessarily advocate for students to demonstrate as part of a political group. However, she said students' option to participate in an activist group like Occupy KU is valuable to free expression on campus.
"It's obvious that the state has cut funding continuously and that had a huge effect on all students," Johnson said. "I think that's something that students
should be concerned about, should be engaged in. I think one way to do that — one way to advocate — is by participating in groups like Occupy KU. However I think that there are other ways to do it as well."
Claire Kerwin, a senior from St. Louis and a member of Occupy KU, said that she's certain the group will continue after winter break. She added that once weather permits, she hopes the group can move its general assemblies outside for increased visibility.
"It will be really successful next year," Kerwin said. "I personally think that change has to happen on a local level."
Edited by Sarah McCabe
ACADEMICS
Student feedback important to professors
RACHEL SALYER
rsalyer@kansan.com
Like all University students this time of year, Brad Crenshaw is scrambling to get his schoolwork done before the semester ends, and as he awaits his grades for the semester, he is also busy grading his professors.
Professor evaluations are something all students are familiar with, but like many University students, Crenshaw has some questions about how seriously his opinion is taken.
"The surveys are important," Crenshaw said, "I think it one way
for us to grade our professors and be involved in our own learning."
The evaluations, known as the Curriculum & Instruction Survey, went unchanged for more than 20 years until 2008. The survey was changed by a task force created at the request of the Board of Regents.
The old system asked questions the task force believed the students were not equipped to answer, such as questions about curriculum requirements that students were not familiar with.
"They thought carefully in terms of the questions with the information that students would be able to provide us with," said Mary Lee
Hummert, vice provost for faculty and development.
Professors are evaluated every calendar year on their teaching, research and service, and while the evaluations are an important part of a professor's performance, it is not everything.
"We should be looking at syllabi, considering observations and other strategies that the faculty member may have been using to improve his or herself," Hummert said.
Hummert, also a professor of communication studies, finds students personal comments to be one of the most helpful parts of the evaluation.
"I think it's really important that
students take them seriously, and they take the opportunity to add comments," Hummert said. "Then the ratings are in context and people have a clear idea of why they received their score."
The previous survey explicitly asked for students to leave comments on their professors, and while each department asks for something slightly different in their surveys, the current model does not ask for comments as a part of the survey, but rather as an addition.
David Holmes, professor of psychology, believes the student evaluations make up a large portion of how the teaching portion of his performance is evaluated, and he
believes the University has done a great disservice to the professors and students by not asking for comments outright.
"The only feedback we have for teaching are the evaluations," Holmes said. "Criticisms and comments help me make sure I adjust for the next time around."
Small changes have been made to the surveys in previous years, but Crenshaw agrees that he could more accurately express his opinions if the survey questions built in a space to articulate the rating
"I want to leave comments at the end, but I never have time to," Crenshaw said. "Everyone else leaves as soon as they are finished,
and it makes me feel like I need to hurry up"
The vice provost's office for faculty development is exploring posting evaluations online, which may encourage more student comments.
Crenshaw agrees that posting online may allow for more student feedback, but also believes it will encourage less participation.
"I would post comments online," Crenshaw said, "But I think less students would participate because they will see it as an option."
The University of Kansas University Theatre presents
— Edited by Sarah McCabe
An original new musical by Nathan Tysen (book & lyrics) and Ryan McCall (music)
Directed by Alex Espy
A HOLIDAY TREAT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
224
7:30 p.m. December 2,3,10,2011
2:30 p.m. December 4 & 11,2011
William Inge Memorial Theatre, Murphy Hall
General admission tickets are an sale in the KU ticket offices: University Theatre, 869-382-982; Lied Center, 848-ARTS, and online at www.kutheatre.com. Tickets are $15 for the public, $19 for senior citizens and faculty and staff, and $10 for all students. All major credit cards are accepted. The University Theatre is partially sponsored by the KU Student Senate Activity Fee. The University Theatre's 2011-12 season is sponsored by the KU Credit Union.
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THEATRE
STUDENT
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KU CREDIT UNION