THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2011
PAGE 3
FROM LOANS ON PAGE 1
Federal Family Education loans into one payment could provide a.5 percent interest reduction on some loans.
Borrowers now must pay 15 percent of their discretionary income toward their student loans.
and the remaining balance after 25 years is forgiven. Last year, Congress passed a law that would reduce this amount to 10 percent in 2014 and forgive balances after 20 years.
Congress overrides the proposal with a two-thirds vote.
The only way to overturn the president's executive order to push the date up to 2012 is if
"I don't think anything Obama does is fantastic," Iler said. "I'm optimistic about his initiative."
— Edit ed by Ben Chipman
ENTERTAINMENT
Cult classic kicks off Halloween mischief
NICK SMITH/KANSAN
KELSEY CIPOLLA
kcipolla@kansan.com
Caleb Hall, a senior from Shawnee, appears on stage with other students in costumes before the annual screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Caleb won first place in the costume contest.
If a lascivious transvestite, his gold underwear-sporting creation, and an hour and a half of singing and dancing mixed with violence and sex makes you cringe. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is not the film for you. Or maybe, it is.
The film has gained a cult following and its showings, often at midnight and near Halloween, have evolved into interactive events with fans dressed up as Rocky Horror characters. Last night's showing by SUA was in similar fashion.
The film tells the story of a young couple that goes to a castle looking for help with a flat tire and find themselves in the company of a crazed band of people led by Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite scientist who has created a Frankenstein-like creature named Rocky Horror.
It was poorly received after its original release in 1975, but thrived years later when it developed a newfound following.
"It represents that phenomenon where initially nobody knew about it or cared," said John Tibbetts, an associate professor of film and media studies. "Its appeal to a group of younger viewers began to spread, and the word spread not through any design on the part of the publicist but through the people who were digging the film."
These film fans often throw props featured in the movie, such as rice, cards and toast, which SUA provided at the showing, as well as shout at the screen, dance and sing with the on-screen action.
The night included trivia, dance and costume contests. Caleb Hall, a senior from Shawnee, won first place wearing fishnet stockings, black briefs and leather. Hall said attending public screenings of the film is a cathartic release for him.
"You see this horrible movie and you just scream out all your existential angst at it," he said. Hall said he has seen the movie too many times to count, but other movie-goers were getting the full viewing experience for the first time. Nicole Wieghard, a senior from Dover, saw the film for the first time yesterday.
"This is my senior year and I've never really gone out for Halloween, so this was the perfect opportunity to do so," Wieghard said.
Wieghard planned on taking her cues from more experienced attendees.
For those who missed the debauchery, The Rocky Horror Picture Show will play at the Granada Sunday night at midnight.
— Edited by Lindsey Deiter
ROCKY HORROR PHOTO GALLERY
STEPPING INTO HISTORY
IAIN TRIMBLE/KANSAN
Orlando Begay and Adrian Primeaux, graduates from Haskell University, perform a traditional Native American dance for students at the Spencer Museum of Art. Begay and Primeaux travel all over Kansas performing their dance.
Events encourage awareness
JAIN TRIMBLE/KANSAN
University students watch scenes from the Twilight series that portray the unhealthy relationships romanticized by the films. The screenings were part of the campus wide Domestic Violence Awareness week.
SARA SNEATH
ssneath@kansan.com
Domestic Violence Awareness week has come to a close,but local activists are asking Kansas students to stay mindful of the cultural norms that could facilitate domestic violence.
Domestic violence awareness week began with the annual Jana Mackey Distinguished Lecture Series. This year's speaker was Tony Porter, an educator and activist who brings attention to the social norms of manhood and how those norms perpetuate violence against women.
At the end of his presentation Monday night, Porter asked men in the audience willing to change to take the stage. Men filled the Woodruff auditorium stage, overflowing into the aisles. At that moment, Porter turned to Meredith Pavic, president of Commission on the Status of Women, to provide the men with steps.
Pavicic, a senior from
Leawood, said men could make a difference by being aware of the language and behavior that fosters an unhealthy environment.
"Saying I just raped that video game is not OK." Pavicid said.
On Wednesday, Cassie Osei, a sophomore from Shawnee, held a lecture on domestic violence in indigenous cultures in America. Victims of domestic violence often do not have the resources available to gain justice for themselves and their perpetrators, and this is especially true for indigenous women who must also overcome barriers of jurisdiction and poverty, Osei said.
Osei said speaking about another culture's experience expands people's view of what feminism concerns itself with.
"Sexism doesn't live inside its own bubble," Osei said. "I as a black woman experience sexism differently than that of a white woman or an Asian woman."
JT Hammons, a senior from
Vale Falls, finished domestic violence awareness week off with a discussion on unhealthy relationships in popular culture. Hammons said Twilight is a perfect example of how we romantize unhealthy relationships.
"In the film, you constantly see justification for the abuse just like you would see in real life," Hammons said. "Edward, the vampire, uses rhetoric that is often used in domestic violence."
About 20 people were in attendance at last night's discussion. Sarah Kraus, a junior from Allen, Texas, said she had seen two of the movies before the discussion.
"Before attending this seminar, I never would have thought about the domestic violence present in Twilight," Kraus said. "It just goes to show how we willingly accept these unhealthy trends in our popular culture."
Edited by Jason Bennett
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