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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Kansar
Hot and sunny ... again
Thursday
August 28, 1997
Section:
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Sports today
The Kansas football team will kick off the season at 7 tonight against Alabama-Birmingham at Memorial Stadium.
SEE PAGE 1B
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Academy helps student soar
(USPS 650-640)
Student is taking advantage of gifts he has received
By Jennifer A. Yeoman Kansan staff writer
The first graduates of the African American Male Leadership Academy headed to college this fall. One graduate, Vincent Edwards, Wichita freshman, is attending the University of Kansas with 10 scholarships for academics and leadership in high school.
"I never really expected to get all of these scholarships," Edwards said. "I just felt like jumping up and down. It's that feeling you get when you're excited about doing something really well."
The academy, which is based at the University, is a program for male, African-American high school students who show academic and leadership potential. About 150 students in Wichita, Topeka, and Kansas City, Kan., completed the program this spring.
"The academy helps people to see something positive about the Black community," Edwards said. "They get a chance to hear about Blacks going to college and not just the usual bad press that people normally hear. And it creates role models for younger Black men to look up to."
The academy began in 1993 with a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Jacob Gordon, director of the KU Center for Multicultural Leadership, coordinated and developed the academy.
The program accepts gifted students or those who have the potential to succeed, Gordon said. The students must have a referral from school or community leaders.
Members of the academy meet on weekends to interact with leaders in the African-American community, participate in computer literacy training and study African and African-American cultures.
The volunteers, speakers and paid staff who run the programs encourage the students to attend college and become leaders and mentors in their communities.
Another program goal is to connect the students with internship and scholarship opportunities.
Edwards received approximately $5,500 in scholarships, ranging from a $1,000 University academic scholarship to a church scholarship of $50. He said he planned to major in journalism and study law.
"The academy was there to support me when I was applying for the scholarships." Edwards said. "It kept me positive and helped me to keep focused on school."
The program costs about $100,000 a year and is funded completely by the W.K Kellogg Foundation grant.
"We pay $25,000 a year to lock a man up," Gordon said. "But it only takes $6,000 to send him to school for a year. If we help him to get to college, it saves us money and sets him on a track that criminal rehabilitation just can't accomplish."
Of the 14,170,151 African-American males in the United States, Gordon said the legal system controlled 33 percent. By contrast, only 3 percent are in higher education.
"Black males are the only group whose life-expectancy rate has dropped since the last census report," Gordon said. "It is my job to help young men with potential."
"Census reports say women and people of colored descent will make up two-thirds of the work force in the year 2000. We need to prepare these people now for the work force," he said.
The program is only offered to young men.
"Females are better off," Gordon said. "They are better educated, they have a longer life expectancy, and they are less likely to spend time in jail. With limited resources you have to focus on the group that has the most problems."
Family members are bound to be pulled into the program when their brothers or children are involved. Gordon said.
"Helping these students involves their families," Gordon said. "You can't work with them in a vacuum."
Vincent Edwards, Wichita freshman, visits the Campusile, a campus landmark. Edwards was part of the first graduating class of the African American Male Leadership Academy. Photo by Pam Dishman/KANSAN
Unattained goals still linger on anniversary of King's speech
By Ryan Koerner
Kansan staff writer
Martin Luther King Jr. immortalized the dream of racial equality when he delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial 34 years ago today.
But the question remains: Has the dream been realized?
Some at the University of Kansas agree that while steps have been made to abolish racism, King's dream has not yet been accomplished.
"I think if he were alive today he would be doing what he was doing in the '60s," said Dick Kurtenbach, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union for Kansas and Western Missouri. "I don't think he would be at peace. He would recognize that there has been progress, but he would be out there as an activist."
Monica Hubbard, vice president of Black Student Union, said while most of the groups' activities commemorating King took place in January, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day is
observed, she thought people should remember the message of his speech.
"He had a dream that we could all live as one," said Hubbard, Colorado Springs, Colo., sophomore. "While we have a made a lot of progress, there's still a struggle for African Americans. I've been lucky and haven't experienced a problem, but I know there is somebody out there that has had a problem at work or in class just because they're African-American."
King: "Dream"
speech delivered
34 years ago
Sarah Kerbs, Salina sophomore, was confident that improvements had been made since King's speech, but that there were still problems.
"I think that publicly it looks like we have made progress because there is no legal segregation," Kerbs said. "But socially, I think most races still choose to function separately."
University ranks high in college guides
By Matthew Friedrichs
Evaluations based on academics, social
Three guides released last week - the "U.S. News and World Report 1988 Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges," the "Fiske Guide to Colleges 1998" and the "Princeton Review"- mention the university.
Kansan staff writer
If high school seniors believe their college guides, they'll need to put more effort into partying than studying at the University of Kansas.
"U.S. News and World Report" ranks the University's academics 116th among national universities, and the "Fiske Guide" gives the University four out of five stars for academics, social, and quality of life. In contrast, the "Princeton Review" ranks the University as the eighth best party school in the nation.
In the "Fiske Guide," only the University of Colorado, with five stars in both the social and quality of life categories, scores
higher.
"How important are the rankings?" asked Chancellor Robert Hemenway. "They are an indicator of quality, but they also are erratic, dependent upon what institutions themselves submit, and very much a function of how each magazine weights the information received."
The Office of Institutional Research and Planning handles statistical requests, like the information requested by "U.S. News and World Report," said Tom Hutton, director of university relations.
The University joins Baylor, Colorado and the University of Texas at Austin as best buys of 1988 within the Big 12 Conference, as selected by the "Fiske Guide."
Anecdotal data and surveys, like the information used by the "Fiske Guide," are handled through University Relations, Hutton said. Each year the University receives more than 100 requests from college guides for information on everything from graduation rates to social atmosphere.
Big 12 rankings
The recently released "Princeton Review" list relied on unscientific surveys done in February of 1995, said
Some guides are more reliable than others.
"U.S. News and World Report" ranks the Big 12 among public and private national universities (listed in alphabetical order, not by ranking):
Texas A&M University - College Station
Second Tier National Universities (51-1 116)
Royal University
lowa State University
Third Tier National Universities (117-174)
Kansas State University
University of Kansas
University of Colorado - Boulder
University of Missouri - Columbia
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
University of Texas - Austin
Oklahoma State University University of Oklahoma
Fourth Tier National Universities (175-228)
Texas Tech University
Kathryn Clark, University Relations coordinator.
Regardless of the source, guides are read by high school juniors and seniors trying to determine which college to attend.
Among public universities:
Texas A&M ranked 19th out of 25
University of Colorado ranked 22nd out of 25
Counselors at Millard High School in Omaha, Neb., have copies of different college rankings, said Gary Neuhaus, head of the counseling department.
Source: U.S. News and World Report, Sept. 1, 1997
They also maintain a web page with links to colleges and lists like the "U.S.
"It's one of a number of ways of getting information about colleges," he said. KU administrators agree.
"All in all, the rankings are useful, but one should never pick a university on the basis of the ratings," Hemenway said. "The best way is to visit the university and determine if it seems a good fit for you."
News and World Report" rankings.
Neuhaus, however, does not believe students should stop at the lists.
Elite now have personal parking on top of the Hill
Blue parking permits reserved for administrators; cost $300
And they don't come cheap.
By Tim Harrington Kansan staff writer
Hemenway, Provost David Shulenburger, the three vice chancellors, the two assistant provosts, the two associate provosts, all 15 deans and all University department directors have the option to reserve new personal parking spaces. All of the reserved spaces are located in blue-permit lots next to Strong Hall.
By decision of Chancellor Robert Hemenway, prime blue-permit parking spaces are being put on reserve for the university of Kansas' elite.
The permits cost $300, and even Hemenway, Shulenburger and six other top members of the KU administration, who already had their own reserved spots, had to pay for the new spaces.
"I can tell you that the Chancellor purchased his with a personal check," said Roger Oroke, director of facilities management.
To maximize efficiency of the spaces, each space holder provides the name of a back-up parker who may use the spot when the regular space-holder is out gone.
Oroke said about 22 people had requested the reserved spaces so far. Other administrators who had the option to buy a space did not respond or declined.
Jeannette Johnson, assistant director to the provost, is not eligible for a space, but said they were a good
idea.
But James Parks, Overland Park junior, said administrators should
"I've been to meetings where we've been made to wait because some high-ranking University official was coming from some other meeting and had to circle the parking lot for a half-hour," Johnson said.
drive around campus,
"We can never find a place
and are late for class all the
time," Parks said. "It would
be nice if everyone could get
a reserved spot. It seems
unfair."
Where does the money go?
The University's contract with Coca-Cola brings $1.2 million to KU each year. That money is earmarked for a variety of programs. A breakdown of the planned destinations:
Andrew Rohrback / KANSAN
Correction
A page one story yesterday in the "University Daily Kansan" stated that rural Lawrence resident Ian Michael Hall was arraigned in Douglas County Court on one count of rape for allegedly raping a KU student in McCollum Hall. Due to an error, the name of the man arraigned was incorrect. His real name is Ian Michael Stine. The "Kansan" regrets the error.