Section A·Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, October 3, 1997
Spring break to relieve others
Volunteers to use vacation to help
By Gwen Olson golson@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
While many students leave Lawrence for the beach or the ski slopes during spring break, volunteers from the University of Kansas will be heading to inner cities for community service.
Alternative Spring Break is a program of the Center for Community Outreach. The program allows students to travel to a city to resolve problems while working side-by-side with the people in the community.
Alternative Spring Break needs volunteers and site coordinators for each city. Jamie Najim, Wichita senior and codirector for the center, said site coordinators will be responsible for maintaining contact with people in their city.
Najim said that the program could be a life-changing experience.
Applications for site coordinators are due Monday in the center's office, room 400 in the Kansas Union. Applications for volunteers are due Nov. 3.
"Anybody can go off for spring break and have a great time, but this is one of the only opportunities people may have to do something like this," Najim said, who traveled to Philadelphia with the program last year. "It really changes your life and your perspective about people's situations and why their lives are the way they are."
Volunteers can choose from Cleveland; El Paso, Texas; Detroit; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; New York and Kirtland, Ohio.
Najim said the program had 75 volunteers at nine sites last year. This year there are seven sites and she expects 55 to 60 volunteers. Najim said having a higher concentration of volunteers in fewer sites would better assist the communities.
Alternative Spring Break
Each site is focused on a certain problem in the community and students work to help the residents.
Alternative Spring Break application deadlines:
Site coordinator applications are due Monday.
Volunteer applications are due Nov. 3.
For more information or to pick up an application, contact the Center for Community Outreach at 864-4073.
Chris Hess, Wichita sophomore and co-coordinator for the group, said he worked in Cleveland last year.
"The site I worked at focused on hunger and homelessness," Hess said. "We worked in a kitchen and ate side-by-side with the homeless. I also worked in an AIDS shelter and with kids from the community."
Hess said that students who volunteered for the program also had to enroll in Special Projects in the Community, a Human Development and Family Life course that meets once a week to prepare volunteers for their work.
He said site coordinators and students who have completed Alternative Spring Break can take the class for one or two credits. First-time volunteers cannot receive credit for the class.
Jeff LaCroix, Olathe junior and co-coordinator for the program, said Alternative Spring Break is a good opportunity for volunteers.
"It's a great way to immerse yourself in another culture," he said. "You're immersing yourself in a culture that you may never have a chance to see again."
Families converge to check on students
Come on, it's just for the weekend
By Corrie Moore
cmore@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Lawrence will be flooded this weekend as parents and families of KU students stream into town for Parents Dav and Family Weekend.
The Office of New Student Orientation has planned several events to keep students and their families occupied for the weekend. Parents Day has been a tradition at the university since 1952.
Mary Ryan, director of New Student Orientation and chairwoman of Parents Day/Family Weekend, said the weekend was an opportunity for parents to see what their child's new life at college was about.
Ryan said that even though most of the activities were geared toward new students, all students will be welcome.
The events kickoff at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. Students can pick up a free packet of information about the weekend at an informational table on the fourth floor of the Kansas Union.
"You are not required to check in, but we encourage it," said Lisa Pinamonti, graduate assistant for New Student Orientation.
Big Jay will be on hand from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. to pose for free pictures with families at the information table.
A faculty panel of professors from different departments will give a 30-minute presentation to students and their parents at 9:30 a.m. at Alderson Auditorium. Bill Carswell, associate director of English, who will be on the faculty panel for the second consecutive year, said the panel helped answer parent's questions about the University.
Sixteen University departments will hold open houses beginning at 9:30 a.m.
"I think sending your kid to college is like sending them into the unknown," he said.
Also at 9:30 a.m., Kathryn Tuttle will talk with students in Aledson Auditorium about the new Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center, which opened this fall and will be in open full-time in the summer.
Weekend Events
Betty Alderson, Lawrence resident and 1946 KU graduate, will give a historical walking tour of the KU campus at 10 a.m. The tour
8:30- 11:30 a.m. - Check-in at information table, Kansas
8:45- 10:45 a.m. - Free pictures with Big Jay, Kansas Union
BIG JEWY RANKS ONLINE
9-2:30 a.m. - Faculty panel
Tomorrow's Parents Day and Family Weekend Events:
9:30- 11:30 a.m. - Departmental open houses
10 a.m.- Historical walking tour with Betty Alderson
9:30 - 10 a.m. - Freshman Sophomore
Ardising Center presentation
1 p.m. - KU football game against Okla-
homa, Memorial Stadium
6:30 p.m. - "The English Patient."
Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union
8 p.m.- "The Mandrake," Inge Theater, Murrah Hall
8 p.m. - Comedian Carrot Top, Lied Center
9:30 p.m. - "The Enlish Patient"
begins at the Union and ends at Lindlev Hall.
The morning activities end about 11:30 a.m. to give students and their families a chance to eat before the 1 p.m. kickoff at the football game.
Students have several evening options.
University Theater is putting on a farce, a physical comedy that includes pie throwing and performers running into walls. The curtain rises on "The Dandrakra," a 16th-century play by Machiavelli, at 8 p.m. at Inge Theater in Murphy Hall. John Gronbeck-Tedesco, director of the production, said the play had historical interest and local humor.
Gronbeck-Tedesch said that some of the language was vulgar and suggested that only adults attend. Students might want to find alternative entertainment for younger siblings.
Student Union Activities is sponsoring the comedian Carrot Top at 8 p.m. at the Lied Center. Carrot Top, who has appeared on a variety of television shows and is touring college campuses across the nation, will entertain the audience with a trunk full of zany inventions.
Also, students can take their parents to Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union for "The English Patient." The movie is showing at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets cost $2.50.
Local businesses prepare for graduation-like rush on hotels, restaurants, shops
By Ann Premer
opremer@konsar
Kansas staff writer
Students aren't the only ones anticipating their parent's arrival. Lawrence businesses are also anxiously awaiting a busy weekend in Lawrence that ranks among Christmas and graduation.
While Christmas and other home sporting events boost business for merchants, graduation and Parents Weekend are the only weekends that stir up the tremendous economic activity in hotels, restaurants and businesses.
This weekend, every hotel room in Lawrence is booked. Hotel employees said they are recommending that people try Topeka and Kansas City for lodging.
"I'm just wishing people good luck because I don't know of anyone in town who has room," said Melissa Sauer, Comfort Inn employee.
Many Lawrence hotels have been booked since this summer and some even since February.
"We've been booked on and off since July," said Julie Nelson. Holiday Inn Holdome employee.
Ellie Hajek, Sioux Falls, S.D., freshman, said her parents made reservations for this weekend when they made reservations for freshmen orientation earlier this summer.
"I'm excited for my family to come. We'll go shopping and out to dinner." Hajek said. "Basically everything I can't afford, we'll do while they are here."
After hurdling the hotel problem, parents and students will then have to fight the shopping and dinner crowd.
Chad Wilkerson, manager of Jayhawk Spirit, 935 Massachusetts St., said parents and students had been coming in since Tuesday and employees had been restocking the shelves every night.
"It's like another graduation," Wilkerson said. "It brings in the parents and they are going to spend money on their kids, that's a definite. Our sales go up tremendously."
Restaurant employees recommended that people make reservations to lessen their wait.
Steve Myers, Dallas senior and Old Chicago employee said employees made sure the food was prepped and ready to go before the crowd arrived.
Dina Cacara, Tellers employee, said, "We are expecting a big crowd this weekend. If they call in before they come, their name can be put on the waiting list."
Infusion of parents could muddle game day
mcorcoran@kansan.com
mcorcoran@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Mary Corcoran
This weekend as many as 60,000 parents could invade the University of Kansas campus.
If even a quarter of that amount shows up, security and parking on campus could become a problem.
The University parking department said that parking would be a problem on campus, especially during the football game tomorrow afternoon.
"It will be different than, say, Band
Weekend because all the band kids came in buses," said Donna Hultine, assistant director of the parking department. "I'd encourage parents to park in residence hall parking lots or in the lot next to Robinson."
The parking department does not ticket cars parked in residence hall lots between 5 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Monday, Hultine said. Also, the athletic department offers a shuttle bus from the parking lot next to Robinson to Memorial Stadium. The shuttle costs $2 per person round trip.
Hultine said she recommended
"In order to ensure a space, people should come early."
Donna Hultine
assistant director, parking department
that families get to the game at least an hour early.
"The toll parking for the games usually sells out," she said. "In order to ensure a space, people
should come early."
KU police said they would not be treating Parents' Weekend much differently than they would treat an average football weekend.
"We'll have our officers at their average to pregame, game and post-game assignments," said Burdell Welsh. KU police officer.
The only additional responsibilities the police department will take on this weekend is escorting honored University guests to the stadium after their before-game activities, Welsh said.
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