Tomorrow's weather
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Another beautiful day tomorrow, with warm temperatures and sunny skies.
Kansan
Monday
October 12, 1998
Section:
A
Vol. 109 • No. 35
Are you a victim of empty wall space?
Need some classy art to decorate your place? Go crazy at
Online today
http://www.artuframe.com
Sports today
The Jayhawks lost to the Baylor Bears Saturday. It was the fourth disappointing loss in Big 12 Conference play for the Kansas football team
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Dancing with tradition
J. R. Mendoza, Topeka sophomore, and Lesli May, Topeka freshman, entertain a crowd at the Kansas Union with colorful costumes and dancing. The students were a part of a demonstration of traditional Mexican dances Friday
that was sponsored by KU's Hispanic American Leadership Organization. The event was a part of Hispanic Heritage Month activities. Photo by Graham K. Johnson/KANSAN
(USPS 650-640)
Midterms bring seasonal stress
Exercise, sleep help students deal
By Carolyn Mollett
Midterm season is here.
Tonight, students in 33 sections of of Western Civilization I and II will take midterm examinations.
But unlike final exams, there are no regulations that govern midterms, said Richard Morrell, University registrar. This means nothing can prevent students from having all their exams on the same day or close together. Also, unlike finals, students still must continue to do daily homework while they study for exams.
Mary Ann Saul, clinical social worker for Counseling and Psychological Services, said students should try to plan ahead and organize their time so they could concentrate on one thing at a time. Maintaining a regular routine will also help students stay focused and reduce stress, Saul said.
Mali Thompson, Salina junior,
will begin studying early this week
for her two midterms, a week in
advance. Each midterm will be a
large percentage of the grade she
receives in the course.
Thompson said she would spend at least six hours studying for each exam and she would still have to finish her daily assignments.
Foy Keith, Lawrence sophomore,
won't be able to preserve his normal schedule. Keith had his first midterm exam of the semester last Wednesday. His last midterm is tomorrow and he had an exam on each day in between.
Saul said maintaining a healthy lifestyle would reduce stress. To stay healthy, students should exercise regularly and uphold normal eating and sleeping habits.
"Are midterms stressful?" Saul asked. "Yes, indeed. We see a reflection of that."
UNIVERSITY POLICY
If any examination conflicts with a student's obligation to other regularly scheduled classes, the student shall be accorded the opportunity to take the examination or test at a time NOT in conflict with other regularly scheduled University classes.
See page A4 of the Timetable for more information.
Tips for midterm relief
He said he would ideally study for five to six hours for each exam. But in practice, Keith said, he would probably spend a maximum of two to three hours studying for each.
The weekend would have given Keith a brief break from the exams,
but he said he wouldn't be able to study much because he had two jobs. Still, Keith wasn't overly concerned about the exams.
"If I don't do well, there'll be other times," he said.
Keith maintains his relaxed attitude because he does better when he worries less, he said. He listens to the radio or watches television to keep his mood light when he studies.
Minority enrollment up 12 percent
Increase attributed to student activity
Chancellor Robert Hemenway's goal of increasing diversity on the University of Kansas campus is starting to be realized as minority enrollment is up 12 percent since 1994.
By Steph Brewer
Kansan staff writer
This fall, 2,734 ethnic minorities are part of the University's 27,625 students. In 1994, there were 2,444 ethnic minorities out of 28,046 students.
At KU, ethnic minorities are students who identify themselves as African American, Hispanic, Asian or Native American. The figures do not necessarily reflect the total number of minorities because students are not required to report their ethnicity.
Robert Page, assistant director of admissions, said he attributed the increase to minority student involvement in recruitment efforts. He said that prospective students were more likely to choose the University if they had heard about the positive experiences of current students.
He also said that the multicultural recruitment plan and the Office of Admissions' collaboration with other departments were factors in the increase.
See MINORITY on page 2A
Enrollment by demographic at Regents schools
Source: individual school reports
Columbus Day creates waves of controversy
Lawrence public schools not teaching Italian explorer as America's discoverer
By Julie M. Sachs
Kansan staff writer
Some University of Kansas students remember being told as children that Christopher Columbus was the man who discovered America on Oct. 12,1492. Times are charging
Columbus is no longer acknowledged as the man who discovered America, said Ruthi Rapp, social studies coordinator for the Lawrence Public School District.
Today, Christopher Columbus Day is met with controversy.
Some textbooks now say Columbus did not discover the country, but he brought diseases that eventually killed the indigenous peoples of America.
Rapp said Columbus Day no longer exists on her Lawrence Public Schools' calendar.
Instead, the day is now noted on Rapp's calendar and around the world as Discoverers' Day.
"We want to be careful with the young ones not to misrepresent the truth," Rapp said. "Textbooks don't present it that way; teachers don't present it."
One teacher at Prairie Park Elementary School, 2711 Kensington Road, does mention Columbus in her class.
Stephanie Strange, second grade teacher at Prairie Park, said that she still discussed some aspects of Columbus' voyages.
"We discuss the three boats, we discuss the controversy, but we don't discuss America," Strange said.
Strange said she didn't teach that Columbus was the discoverer of America.
"You just want to make sure that you present all the facts. I let them draw their own conclusions. You don't want to put it in their mind one way or another," Strange said.
some KU students were not aware of the changes being made in the school system, but said they agreed with the new way of educating — or not educating — children about Columbus.
Andrew Nelson, Naperville, Ill., sophomore, said that when he was young he had been taught
COLUMBUS DAY IN AMERICA
Oct. 12, 1866 - The Italian population of New York organized the first celebration of the discovery of America.
1792 - A ceremony organized by the Society of St. Tammany, or Colombian Order, took place in New York honoring Columbus and the 300th anniversary of the landing
Oct, 12, 1869 - When Italians in San Francisco celebrated the discovery of America they called it C-Day.
1892 - President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed the 400th anniversary of the event.
1905 - Colorado became the first state to observe a C-Day.
1920 - Since then the day has been celebrated annually.
1971 - President Richard Nixon declared Columbus Day a federal public holiday to be celebrated on the second Monday in October.
Source: www.usembassyajarta.org
1937 - President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed that every Oct. 12 would be C-Day.
that Columbus had discovered America.
He said that he believed children deserved to be told about the controversy regarding Columbus Day but that Columbus deserved to be mentioned.
Columbus Day has been a federal public holiday since 1971.
It was first officially celebrated in 1792 by the Society of St. Tammany, or Colombian Order, in New York City to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Columbus' landing.
Today, Columbus Day is predominately an American tradition, said Stephen Kellogg, instructor of French and Italian at the University.
Kellog said Italy, Columbus' native country, did not pay attention to the holiday.
Rally celebrates cultural diversity
The First Nations' Student Association and the Multicultural Student Coalition will conduct a rally today from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in front of Wescow Hall to promote awareness of the diversity of communities on campus.
The rally will feature speakers from the First Nations, African-American, Asian-American and Latino communities.
Sona Gitarza Liu, president of the Multicultural Student Coalition and Lawrence Junior, said that the event was not a protest of Columbus Day.
Instead, she said, it was intended to make students aware of a different viewpoint than the Euro-centric view of Columbus Day.
The holiday, celebrated nationally today, traditionally honors Columbus' discovery of America.
"It is important for people to realize that Columbus Day is not something celebrated by colonized people of the Americas. We look at this day as the Indigenous People's Day, a day of survival," said Raven Heavy Runner, president of the First Nations" Student Association and Browning, Mont., senior.
Liu said that Columbus Day was an opportunity to celebrate cultural diversity.
4
"Although we cannot change the past events, we can educate people about what historical events mean to different cultures," she said.
Dan Curry
More information For additional Columbus Day coverage, see tomorrow's Kansan.
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