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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9,2008
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 120 ISSUE 76
ADMINISTRATION
Chancellor has no 'huge disappointments or regrets'
Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN
Ryan McGeoney/KANSAS Chancellor Robert Hemenway announces he will step down from his position on June 30 at a press conference in Strong Hall on Monday morning. Hemenway, the University's 16th chancellor, has held the position since 1995. Hemenway said he wanted to dedicate more time to writing and teaching.
BY B.J. RAINS AND
HALEY JONES
rains@kansan.com and
hjones@kansan.com
Chancellor Robert Hemenway spent part of Monday morning talking about what he had accomplished during his 14-year tenure as chancellor. Fittingly, he was interrupted by the sound of the steam whistle.
"For those of you who aren't familiar."
Hemenway said, "that's the whistle."
Hemenway brought the whistle back earlier this semester after receiving complaints from students and alumni. The whistle hadn't been on since the beginning of the semester in an attempt to cut costs.
Hemenway, who has been the chancellor at the University since 1995, will step down on June 30, said he would take time off to write a book on intercollegiate athletics and American values. He will return to teach American literature courses in fall 2010. Hemenway has taught an undergraduate American literature course each year since becoming chancellor.
"I'm not leaving this office with huge regrets or disappointments," Hemenway said. "I've had a heck of a good time being chancellor, and we've done some fantastic things."
The demanding schedule of a university's chancellor finally caught up with Hemenway. After taking a year off to write a book, he will focus on teaching full-time.
"It really is a 24/7 job," Hemenway said. "And I just came to the conclusion that it was time for me to step away from that kind of a job and do what I can to prepare the way for the next chancellor."
Adam McGionigle, Wichita junior and student body president, said Hemenway's resignation and state-wide budget cuts would bring the University and Student Senate into a time of transition. He said he was excited to see Hemenway explore his opportunities.
"Chancellor Hemenway is a visionary man who has been a champion for students," McGonigle said. "He will be missed on this campus and by this student body."
SEE HEMENWAY ON PAGE 4A
CRIME
Assault suspect may be involved in other cases
BY RYAN MCGEENEY rmcgeeney@kansan.com
The Lawrence Police Department reported on Monday that the unknown assailant in a Dec. 1 sexual assault of a 19-year-old Lawrence woman may also be a suspect in four other sexual assault cases.
The Dec. 1 incident occurred in a southwest Lawrence apartment near 27th Street and Wakarusa Drive. More than a dozen police officers combed the area in search of physical evidence the following day, looking for clues that may aide in the suspect's arrest.
The other four cases span a four-year period, beginning July 14, 2004, when a suspect sexually assaulted a female in the southwest area of Lawrence. On Dec. 29, 2004, two females were sexually assaulted in their northwest Lawrence residence by an unknown male. On June 13, 2006, a female was sexually assaulted by an unknown male in her central Lawrence residence, and last March 22, a fifth female was sexually assaulted in southwest Lawrence by an unknown male.
Police have compiled a general suspect description from all five cases. The suspect is a white male between 25 and 40 years old, ranging in height from 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall, with a slim build.
Police said the suspect had been armed with a weapon in each attack, but authorities have not described the weapon.
Major Chris Keary with the KU Public Safety Office said that all citizens were advised to make a habit of locking the doors to their homes and cars and to always be aware of their surroundings.
The Lawrence Police Department is urging anyone with information that may aid in this investigation to call the Lawrence Police Investigations Division at 830-7430 or the Douglas County Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at 843-TIPS.
Edited by Jennifer Torline
ARTS
Performance art show ends today
Today is the last day of Fluid Art 2008, a performance art exhibit in the Art and Design building gallery. Fluid Art 2008 features videos of performance art by students. The gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today.
SPEAKING OUT
FULL STORY PAGE 2A
Ryan McGeeney/KANSA Crystal Hong, Rose Hill senior, and her partner, Jocelyn Bencken, were married in Florida in March over Spring Break. Crystal came out as a lesbian to her mother during her senior year of high school but has not yet come out to her father. While some lesbian and gay students finally feel free to come out to their parents once in college, others hesitate for fear of rejection or loss of financial support, or both.
Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN
Striving for parental acceptance
BY SACHIKO MIYAKAWA
smiyakawa@kansan.com
Sara Thompson was alone in her Lawrence apartment, clutching the phone to her ear with a trembling hand. She was about to reveal her most personal secret to her parents, but she was afraid to tell them face-to-face that she is a lesbian.
It had been a year and half since Thompson acknowledged to herself her sexual orientation. While she can't remember the words she blurted out to her mother and father, she can't forget the awkward silence at the other end of the line.
Finally, her mother spoke, asking her it was just a phase.
She then outlined the explanation she had carefully rehearsed.
When she was finished, her mother said, "We're not happy. We don't want you to be a gay, but you're our daughter, and we still love you."
Thompson is among gay and lesbian KU students who decide to come out in college, yet struggle to reveal their sexuality to their own parents. For some such as Thompson, coming out to families meant being rejected by parents. Ashlynn Horras outed herself by hugging and holding a girl's hand in public. Crystal Hong hasn't yet come out to her conservative father, even though she got married in an unofficial ceremony. Julian Rivera unwillingly came out of the closet in his parents' kitchen thanks to an essay his sister accidentally left there for her mother to find.
Although at that moment, Thompson felt relieved at their reaction, in reality it made her parents so unhappy that they severed their relationship and ended their financial and emotional support in a phone call the next day.
Many gay and lesbian children don't reveal their sexuality to anyone, including parents, until they reach college age because of the discrimination they face from peers in middle and high schools. According to the National School Climate Survey, conducted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network in 2007, nine out of 10 gay teenagers experienced verbal harassment and almost half of them were
Many of them come out in college where they experience support from a gay community and little discrimination from fellow KU students. However, when they decide to come out to families, they can expect a variety of reactions from parents — religious objections that being gay is sinful, beliefs that their homosexuality is a medical or psychological condition that can be cured, disappointment that their child has chosen a path that doesn't lead to a traditional family and grandchildren, or concerns that their child will be discriminated against because of his or
physically harassed in their schools.
SEE SPEAKING OUT ON PAGE 3A
index
Classifieds ... 4B
Crossword ... 5B
Horoscopes ... 5B
Opinion. ... 5A
Sports. ... 1B
Sudoku. ... 5B
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2008 The University Daily Kansan
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SIMPSON BEGINS PRISON SENTENCE
O. J. Simpson was convicted on 12 charges, including armed robbery and kidnapping. COURTS | 2A
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