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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
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Kansan
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Thursday
September 17, 1998
Section:
A
Vol. 109 • No. 20
Sports today
http://www.kansan.com/services/oncampus
Terry Allen is awaiting a response from the Big 12 Conference about the officiating during last Saturday's Kansas 41-23 loss to Missouri.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
SEE PAGE 1B
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
(USPS 650-640)
Shelter from the storm
Lacy Haller (left),
Marysville freshman;
Heather Steen,
St. Louis freshman;
and Teresa Smith
(back), Rose Hill
freshman, crowd
under an umbrella
to cover them-
selves from the rain.
The shower came suddenly
yesterday but did not last for long.
Photo by Graham K.
Johnson/KANSAN
Local cable TV service to add Spanish channel this winter
By Mariana Paiva
Vancouver staff writer
Kansan staff writer
Sunflower Cablevision will add a Spanish-language channel when it upgrades its system in December.
This year, faculty and graduate teaching assistants in the department of Spanish and Portuguese have distributed fliers urging students interested in a Spanish channel to contact Sunflower Cablevision. 721 Wakarusa Drive, Suite C.
"We received a tremendous amount of response from the public," said Dan McGough, general manager of Sunflower Cablevision.
McGough said that the cable company was negotiating to select the best Spanish channel, and that the contract would be announced officially in about a month.
The fliers were circulated after a Sound Off piece in the Aug. 15 Lawrence Journal-World criticized Sunflower Cablevision's failure to add a Spanish-language network during recent channel additions. McGough responded that there was not enough demand for a Spanish channel.
McGougain since has said he had worked for the company only about a month when
he was interviewed and then was unfamiliar with Lawrence subscribers.
Starting in December, 4,000 subscribers will receive the Spanish channel each month, McGough said.
Several new channels will be added to the cable company's service in the technological upgrade, but the Spanish channel will be the only foreign-language channel added.
Antonio Simoes, associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese, said he would recommend the channel to his students.
"The Hispanic community here is small, but there is a need for it. The key word now is globalization. I always tell my students, 'Learning a language is relatively easy, but to understand the culture is a problem,'" he said. "Every year, I see people in the department talking and doing something to have a Spanish channel in Lawrence. I totally agree with them."
According to the 1990 Census, Lawrence has 1,191 Hispanic residents, including KU students, although the figure does not necessarily reflect Spanish speakers. The Office of International Student Services has 190 students registered from Latin America and Spain. Additionally, 2,214
students currently are enrolled in Spanish classes.
Mariana Hinojosa, Hutchinson junior and a first-generation Mexican-American, said that even students who spoke Spanish could enjoy a Spanish channel because it opened a door to another culture.
I miss watching the Spanish channel, I really do. When I go to Hutchinson, that is all I watch. I think that is great that soon I can watch it here," Hinojosa said. "It also keeps me well-informed about what is going on in Mexico and in Latin America."
Paola Belaire, graduate teaching assistant in Spanish, said teachers could record programs from the Spanish channel to use in their classes.
Todd Hernandez, graduate teaching assistant in Spanish, said that a Spanish channel would be a good opportunity for students to contextualized the Spanish they learned during class.
Senate challenges theaters
Kansan staff writer
Bv Seth Jones
A resolution to take on Hollywood Theaters for what Student Senate says are inflated prices passed unanimously through committee meetings last night.
The resolution, presented by Partha Mazumdar, graduate senator, asks Senate to encourage strongly that Hollywood Theaters either continue providing a discount theater or offer a 30 percent discount to all Lawrence students.
Hollywood Theaters decided not to renew its lease on Hillcrest 5 Theatres, 925 Iowa St. It expires Sept. 27, and if the theater closes, there will be no discount theater in Lawrence.
Amy Cummins, graduate senator,
spoke in favor of the bill.
John Day, pharmacy senator, said he was frustrated with the way Hollywood Theatres had treated KU students.
"KU students are an integral part of the community, and they need to speak out to businesses on behalf of their best interests," she said.
"I think it's become a monopoly in this town," he said. "This corporation is out just to make money, and they're
not even thinking about the students." Day said that he talked with Maria Abatjoglou, one of three senators who submitted the resolution, about continuing the fight against Hollywood Theaters if it did not respond to Senate's requests.
"We're not going to do any protests or sit-ins," Day said. "But we will get in contact with other cities with Hollywood theaters and talk to them to get other student senates to pass similar resolutions."
Cummins added that a boycott also may become necessary.
"We'll start with creating as much bad publicity as possible, and the last case scenario will be to boycott," she said.
In other action, the University Affairs Committee debated whether Senate should finance the KU American Civil Liberties Union.
Some members of the committee were opposed to financing the group because they claimed the group was partisan. The bill, which asked Senate for $307 for advertising, postage, copying and office supplies, was denied.
Deidre Backs, off-campus senator and University Affairs Committee member, said she thought those who voted against the resolution did so
"KU students are an integral part of the community, and they need to speak out to businesses on behalf of their best interests."
Amy Cummins graduate senator
because they did not support Delta Force, one of the coalitions that ran for Student Senate seats last spring.
"This got shot down because ACLU is involved with Delta Force," she said. "There is no sane reason not to support ACLU — there are just vindictive senators that don't like Delta Force."
Ton Moore. University Affairs Committee member, opposed the bill because it was for a partisan group.
"Funding this group would have been a very dangerous thing for Senate to do," he said.
Performance embraces diversity
For more information about last night's senate meeting.
See page 2A
Multicultural issues expressed by humor in 'Faces of America'
By Steph Brewer
Kansan staff writer
The "Faces of America" presented last night at the Lied Center, all had different accents, different ethnic backgrounds and different life experiences. But they were all American.
It was with this premise that actress Fran de Leon addressed the issue of multiculturalism in America through her portrayal of eight different characters. Nearly 500 people, mostly University of Kansas students and some high school students, attended the one-woman show which was written and directed by Colin Cox. The event, which was presented in association with the University of Kansas TRIO programs day of festivities, was free.
By changing clothing, background drapes and music, de Leon transformed herself from characters such as a Japanese/European Las Vegas girl to a Native American lawyer, to an Indian rape victim. All of her characters asserted the fact that underneath it all, they were American.
"We're not Generation X," de Leon said. "We're the spontaneous generation, we're chaotic, we're fuzzy logic. In fuzzy logic, there is no black and white."
Using true stories, de Leon shared peoples' experiences of mixed ethnic background in our country. The stories challenge how today's students are perceived as "Generation X."
The characters addressed the stereotypes that are placed on them, often in humorous ways. Playing the first character, de Leon told the story of a half Japanese, half European girl. To illustrate the stereotypes some Americans have of nonwhites, she related an anecdote of being approached in a restaurant and being asked, very slowly, where
she was from. When she said Las Vegas, she said the man asking looked disappointed.
Graduate student Steve Russos said the show was interesting and thought provoking.
"I like how she emphasized that we're all in this together," he said. "She seemed to tie a lot of strings together."
"I'm sorry, I wish I could be exotic for you, but I'm from Vegas," she said.
Irad Orduna, Pomono, Calif., sophomore, commented on de Leon's humorous approach.
"It's kind of a comedy so people could laugh about it and not get too uptight about the racial issues," he said.
Stephanie Victor, who was on the TRIO day planning committee, said that she thought the portrayals were accurate.
"I think a lot of people could identify one way or another with one of the characters," she said. "Each of the characters might embody a piece of us."
Balancing act
Ann-Marie Johnson, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., senior, attempts to walk a straight line wearing "fatal vision" goggles as health instructor Deb Howes watches. The goggles were used to demonstrate the vision of a person with a blood alcohol level of 0.08, the legal limit to drive. Yesterday's demonstration was part of the Watkins Health Fair. Photo by Jeff Severin/KANSAN. For more information, SEE PAGE 3A.