Tuesday inside
Fire in the hall
A small kitchen fire caused the evacuation of Watkins Scholarship Hall yesterday morning. The fire started when an oven coil burst into flames. PAGE 2A
Begging for Moore
Efforts to bring outspoken liberal author and filmmaker Michael Moore to Lawrence for Into the Streets Weekcontinue.
Moore
Weekcontinue. PAGE 3A
Helping 'Hawks
Kansas quarterback Bill Whittemore helps the offense and pushes the
football team into national recognition PAGE 12A
One less tough decision
A priority seating plan should accommodate fans who want to see both Late Night and the volleyball game. PAGE 12A
Icing the competition
The KU club hockey team is officially back with
a coach and a membership in a collegiate hockey league. PAGE12A
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Talk to us
Vol.114 Issue No.39
Tell us your news. Contact Michelle Burhenn, Lindsay "Hanson or Leah Shaffer at 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
index
Briefs 2A
Opinion 4A
Sports 12A
Sports briefs 6A
Horoscopes 10A
Comic 10A
KANSAN
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
The Student Newspaper of the University of Kansas
Forum debates racial issues
By Johanna M. Maska and Joe Hartigan
jmaska@kansan.com and
jhartigan@kansan.com
Kansas staff writers
It was a half hour after the event ended, but Bobby Birhiray and Matt Pirotte, two of the attendees, were still in debate mode.
Kara Hansen/Kansan
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Black Student Union held a roundtable discussion regarding recent editorials written by Pirotte and Arrah Nielsen in The University Daily Kansan about affirmative action. Pirotte, Joplin, Mo., senior, and Nielsen, Andover student, attended the panel to discuss their editorials.
panel to discuss their comments.
Pirate wrote in defense of Rush Limbaugh's recent criticism of an African-American football player, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. Limbaugh said that McNabb's popularity was because of the media's interest in race. Nielsen wrote that affirmative action in collegiate situations gave preference to less-qualified students.
apply to every situation. Birhiray said he thought Pirotte wasn't aware of all inequalities, citing standardized tests as one such invisible white privilege. He said that because white males wrote standardized tests that they did well on those tests.
The issue at hand — why race matters — was one that drew a variety of opinions, and Pirotte and Birhiray weren't the only ones to stay after. Pirotte said he thought affirmative action should not
tests.
Mark Dupree, Kansas City, Kan., senior and Big 12 Black Student Union president, organized the event. He said he was aware that the campus needed discussions to raise racial issues because everyone had prejudices and preconceived notions.
Mark Dupree, Kansas City, Kan., senior; Brian Pearson, Wichita junior; Matthew Pirotte, Joplin, Mo., senior; Arrah Nielsen, Andover senior; Robert Page, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs; and Tony Daniels, associate director of the office, discussed recent editors in The University Daily Kansan that dealt with affirmative action and media favoritism. Representatives from the NAACP and the Black Student Union expressed their feelings on the subject with Kansan columnists Nielsen and Pirotte.
The event was designed by the NAACP and the Black Student Union to raise racial awareness in face-to-face discussions.
cussions. Because the Black Student Union has been concerned with Kansan coverage and editorialists, Dupree invited editorial staff as well as C.J. Jackson, a campus editor for the Kansan. Jackson said the the editorial board was separate from the news side of the paper.
Tony Daniels, associate director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, was impressed by students' willingness to speak openly at the event.
speak openly about "Cultural perspective and lenses came into play but the intellectual discourse was most important." Daniels said.
most important
The NAACP will hold a larger event
next semester, Dupree said, and he wants other organizations to get involved as well.
tive action.
other organization. The overarching goal was achieved, said Robert Page, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. He said some people thought race didn't matter anymore and used that as a reason to end affirmative action.
"Today we proved that race does matter, that we still see color and people will judge us by our color of our skin and not by the content or merit of who we are," Page said.
Edited by Ehren K. Medit
Yiannis Zachariou, graduate teaching assistant, taught his calculus class outside last week and used the wall of Wescoe Hall as a chalkboard. Zachariou has been teaching at the University of Kansas for five years.
Calculus teacher's methods earn praise from students
By Guillaume Doane correspondent@kansan.com Special to the Kansan
Jenny Graber said she never liked math. In fact, she said she despised it until this semester, when she started taking Yiannis Zachariou's calculus class.
of the teacher. Graber, a Denver sophomore, said she attributes her new interest in math to Zachariou's unique teaching methods. On sunny days, he teaches his classes outside using a wall behind Wescoe Hall as a chalk board.
ing Yannis Elcatek "Last year I went through three teachers before I found one that worked for me." Graber said, "This year, Yiannis is the best teacher I've had so far at Kansas. Fifty percent of math success is because of the teacher."
Zachariou, a Nicosia, Cyprus native, says he concentrates on student and teacher interaction as well as telling jokes to teach his classes.
"Writing on the wall relieves monotony," Zachariou, a graduate teaching assistant in calculus, said. "It creates a better atmosphere and I see more interest out of my students."
jokes to teach his audience "People misunderstand that math professors have no sense of humor." Zachariou said. "Telling jokes and sto-
attendance is higher.
Zachariou moved to Lawrence in 1995, seeking a bachelor's degree in mathematics. After getting his undergraduate degree, he began to work on a master's degree. This year, he teaches two calculus classes while he finishes a dissertation on applications of math and biology.
ries relieves the tension and in result attendance is higher."
Jeff Mazzapica also is a GTA in calculus. He said Zachariuchi's teaching techniques helped students get involved.
Students in Zachariou's class also enjoy the change of pace. Josh Miller said Zachariou's methods created a new environment for learning.
hques help us learn "Having classes outside allows Yiannis to teach group work better," Mazzapica said. "Math can easily be made boring. You can make it better."
"Being outside makes math more interesting," the Emporia sophomore said. "I haven't missed a class yet."
said. I haven’t encountered Zachariou also tries to make an individual effort his students, said Mazen Iskandrani, an Amman, Jordan, junior, enrolled in Zachariou’s class. Though he found the class challenging, Iskandrani said Zachariou’s efforts helped him enjoy the class.
"When Yiannis gives tests back, he talks individually to each student."
Iskandrani said. "Students are able to have a connection with the teacher."
Estela Gavosto, associate chairwoman and director of the undergraduate program of the math department, said the department strives to make student accommodation its main priority. Gavosto said despite the lack of resources, the department does its best to keep each class enrolled with no more than 30 students to ensure the development of student and teacher relationships.
Zachariou said smaller classes made it easier to get to know students. Larger classes in the department make harder for the teacher to accommodate students, he said.
Gavosto said she encouraged Zachariou's ambition to get students involved and help them break through the confusion barrier of mathematics.
dents, he said. "For lower division classes, we try to relate to students." Gavosto said. "The language of mathematics is difficult to understand."
sion barrier of mathematics "Yiannis is very approachable and he has a great sense of humor," Gavosto said. "You can't learn mathematics without student and teacher interaction."
Edited by Joey Berlin
Sunday alcohol sales add revenue
By Amanda Kim Stairrett
astairrett@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
owners are pleased," Danny Perezsaid. "It is what I expected — and I had high expectations."
expectations.
Perez is the owner of Danny's Retail Liquors, 1910 Haskell Ave. He said liquor stores should be held to the same standard as other businesses.
In its 149 years, the city of Lawrence has had three weeks of Sunday liquor sales. After the long wait, liquor store owners are pleased with the results.
"Even though we sell liquor, we are a retail business," Perez said. "I can't make money if the door is locked."
Tom Dangermond is the owner of Dangermond Retail Liquor, 923 N. 2nd St. He said that Sunday sales had turned out how he expected. In late September, he estimated that Saturday and Monday sales would drop. Though profits are not staggering, Sunday sales made enough to pay for an employee to work on that day, Dangermond said.
Dangermond said. "But I'm not going to be retiring anytime soon," he said.
Perez has seen a drop in Saturday sales as well. He said the first Sunday was slow but each week was better than the last.
lust.
"The great thing about it is," Perez said. "If one night is slow you can make up for it on Sunday."
up for it on Sunday.
Steven Berger owns The Wine Cellar,
2100 W. 25th St. Before Sunday liquor sales were enacted. Berger said he was worried that sales figures on Saturday and Monday would decrease. Now he said that although it was too early to tell how much The Wine Cellar would benefit, he was very happy with Sunday business. Berger said it was going much better than he expected.
ter than he recalled. Last fall, Wyandotte County and Edwardsville decided to sell liquor on Sunday, Carla Stovall, attorney general at the time, sued to block Sunday liquor sales. The towns had a right to ignore the ban according to a judge's ruling in March. Governor Kathleen Sebelius endorsed Sunday liquor sales in September. A legislative committee then voted to sponsor a bill maintaining the ordinances passed by Kansas cities and counties. The bill will go before the state legislature when it goes back into session in January.
So far, eight Kansas towns have drafted ordinances to allow the Sunday sale of alcohol. Mission, Basehor and Hays have all rejected Sunday sales.
N
— Edited by Shane Mettlen
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