6A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAIRY GANSAN
MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2008
FINANCE
Spencer Museum receives $1.2 million grant
Shavmarie Genosky/KANSAN
Jordan Wurth, Wichita senior, studies a photograph on view in the 20/21 gallery of the Spencer Art Museum. Wurth needed to see the photograph in person at the museum for the final paper in his "History of Photography" class. The $1.2 million grant the University received will help with assignments like this one by expanding the use of Spencer's collections in teaching, research and learning.
BY JOE PREINER
jpreiner@kansan.com
The works in Spencer Museum of Art aren't just for looking at. They're also for learning.
Or at least that's the idea behind a grant totaling $1.2 million from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that will help expand the use of the museum's art for research and teaching.
Bill Woodard, director of communications for the museum, said the award was a major achievement for the University and the art museum. He said the award placed the University's museum in the company of institutions such as Yale University and Duke University as leaders of incorporating their art collections in teaching and research.
Sarah Crawford-Parker, associate director of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and art historian, said she used art to supplement her teaching often. She said being in the museum helped students understand the scale of individual works of art. The size of each work made a different impression on students,
Crawford-Parker said.
"Works of art were created to be interacted with in a meaningful way," Crawford-Parker said. "One of the benefits of using the Spencer Museum collection in teaching is that it encourages students of all majors to practice careful looking."
Crawford-Parker said the ability to engage in careful observation was essential to all aspects of people's lives.
Ariel Tazkargy, Wellington sophomore, enrolled in one of Crawford-Parker's courses last year. Tazkargy said the use of art in the class helped her understand some of the class's more complex issues. She said the class, which emphasized foreign cultures, used art to help bring the focus back to the people instead of the country itself.
"Art often represents a person's deep connection to the issues of the time," Tazkargy said. "Having the opportunity in class to view collections allowed me to place a physical object with our readings."
Tzarkay said the class discussions that stemmed from using art were
also better for the class as a whole. She said art often highlighted differing student opinions, which helped students engage in more meaningful discussion.
"I feel that art enriches the classroom experience," Tazkary said. "Everyone in the class benefits."
Crawford-Parker said she placed great value on students being able to experience works of art firsthand. She said it allowed students to get a different view of the issues the class addressed. Crawford-Parker said she had never had a student complain about spending time in the museum.
Woodard said during the last academic year, more than 30 departments on campus used the museum in their teaching and research.
SAFETY
Tazkargy said along with many other benefits of teaching using art, she found there was one aspect of the method she really noticed.
"If anything, it makes me pay attention more," Tazkargy said. "It's always helpful in engaging me."
Officials say stressed students should stay vigilant
Edited by Rachel Burchfield
BY JESSETRIMBLE jtrimble@kansan.com
Alex Kany walked out to her car at Meadowbrook Apartments to discover her $150 Global Positioning System had been stolen.
That's when Kany, Minnetonka,
Minn., junior, began to take safety
more seriously.
"I realized I could have parked in a better spot since I wasn't parked near any lights," she said.
After the incident, Kany said, she began to park her 1997 Nissan Ultima near street lights.
but three weeks after the first break-in she walked out to the parking lot and found her window smashed in.
"I definitely learned my lesson," she said. "I don't keep anything important in my car anymore worth stealing."
Kany hasn't been the only student affected by break-ins. But safety issues can extend beyond parking lot break-ins and into more serious territory, such as abduction or stalking.
safety can often be something students forget about, said Kathy Rose-Mockry, program director of the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center.
With the pressure of impending finals, students may feel overwhelmed this time of year, and
Rose-Mockry said students needed to be more aware of what was going on around them this time of year.
"Students think to themselves, 'Can I get my paper done in time,' or I've got to get all of this stuff prepared before finals hit," she said. "One of the things we're trying to do here is to provide information to students so they feel empowered."
According to the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center Website, 8 percent of women are stalked in their lifetime; and most victims are between 18 and 29 years old.
Rose-Mockyr said crimes committed were often crimes of opportunity, such as when a person is alone, looks distracted or vulnerable, or is easy to isolate.
"Students should be aware that there is safety in groups and in numbers," she said. "When you're going back and forth, either between classes or shopping, that's when you are the easiest to isolate and it makes you an easier target."
The Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center offers a variety of programs and services to students concerning their safety.
As part of these services, each semester the center offers three self-defense workshops, which are held at the Student Recreation Fitness Center or in one of the six residence halls. Rose-Mockry said one of the three workshops was coeducational.
The site also says that between 26.6 percent and 35.2 percent of female students and between 14.7 percent and 18.4 percent of male students have been stalked.
"I think it's very frightening when these things happen so close to home and they are within your sphere," Rose-Mockry said.
In June 2007, 18-year-old Kelsey Smith was abducted from a Target parking lot in Overland Park. Smith's body was found days later near Longview Lake in south Kansas City, Mo.
She said now was the time for students to examine their routines and find ways to increase their safety.
Rose Mockry said more students paid attention when tragedy struck close to home.
Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center:
785.864.4861
Capt. Schuyler Bailey of the KU Public Safety Office said the most common crime on campus was the theft of unattended property, such
"Students have to remember they need to be aware of their surroundings at all times." Bailey said. "While walking, studying or jogging, you must be alert to the people around you."
Bailey said that students shouldn't take shortcuts and that they needed to walk or shop with a friend and never leave packages in their cars in plain sight.
CAPS: Counseling and Psychological Services Watkins Health Center, 2nd Floor 785.864.2277
Crime rates go down during the holiday season because most students travel home, but students should still remember to lock their doors and windows whether they are on campus or not. Bailey said.
Student Involvement and Leadership Center 1301 Jayhawk Blvd, Rm 400
as iPods, calculators, textbooks or laptop computers.
Women's Transitional Care Services 785.843.3333
The Gadugi Safecenter
2518 Ridge Ct.
785.843.8985
Edited by Adam Mowder
— Jesse Trimble
Phone A Friend 785.865.2600
services to call
Crimestoppers 785.843.8477
Headquarters Counseling Center
211 E. 8th St. Ste C
785.841.2345