6A
Wednesday, October 23,1996
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tricks and treats await science fiction fans online
By Bradley Brooks Kansan staff writer
Fans of freaky and frightening things will be uniting in a four-day online science fiction convention sponsored by the Sci-Fi Channel. The event will feature horror movies, chat rooms with celebrities, and other Halloween-related attractions.
This is the event's first year, and it will take place at the Sci-Fi channel's web site at http://www.scif.com/
Participants must register at the site for access to all areas of the convention. There is no charge.
Karen Reynolds, director of the Sci-Fi Channel, said that the online convention would provide as much information and entertainment as an actual convention.
"You are going to save airfare and the cost of a hotel room," Reynolds said. "This is the first virtual science fiction convention ever."
Some of the celebrities featured in the online chat rooms will be Henry Winkler, who played the Fonz on Happy Days; Roger Corman, director of several 1950s and '60s B horror flicks, and Stan Lee, the founder of Marvel Comics.
The convention, which will run
from Oct. 31
through Nov. 3,
will include five
pavilions that a
user can visit.
A theater pavilion will run some classic movies, such as Night of the Living Dead, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Gulliver's Travels, and Aeltia, Queen of Mars, nonstop.
Andy Rohrback/KANSAN
There will be a fan pavilion with virtual booths of information and a game pavilion. A gallery pavilion will include online and digital artists, and a market pavilion will allow a person to purchase books, music and videos.
Lisa Galeano, senior publicist for the Sci-Fi channel, said that the online convention would be a convenient way for fans of everything from *Lost in Space* to the latest *Star Trek* paraphernalia to meet.
"We are bringing all the events of a convention and adding the convenience of being online," Galeano said. "Our site is not just about our channel, but the science fiction genre as a whole."
Joshua Price, Stockton sophomore, said that he wasn't an avid science fiction fan but that he might see what the convention, especially the celebrity chat rooms, included.
"Who wouldn't be interested in talking to the Fonk?" Price said. "Of course I'll check that out. And the guy from Marvel Comics — that just goes without saying."
Price said that his interest in science fiction had grown with advances in technology.
"I never was interested in it, but
anymore, with the increase in special
effects, I enjoy it, Price said. "It
adds a little spice to life."
Nigerian student honored for strong civic involvement
by Nicholas C. Charalambous
Kansas staff writer
Promoting his country is top priority, he says
In early October, a hidden hand gave KU student Aminu Gusau a pat on the back.
The Nigerian Eagles Society Inc., a social service organization, sent Gusau on an all-expenses paid trip to New York to pick up an award for outstanding achievement as a civic leader.
But Gusan still is in the dark about how the society learned of his activities in promoting United States-Nigerian relations.
"I don't know who decided that I should receive an award," Gusau said. "It is still a complete mystery to me."
But his friends were not surprised about Gusau's achievement.
"He works really hard making people aware of what is going on in Nigeria and promoting the ideas of democracy," said Terri Jacobson, Lawrence resident who traveled with Gusau to New York.
At an April lecture by Sen. Nancy Kassebaum at the Lied Center, Gusau explained to 2,000 people that U.S.
sanctions against Nigeria had served their purpose. It was time to recognize that the country's economy had stabilized, that Nigeria's corruption had ended and that the military government had kept to its timetable for democratic elections in 1998, he said.
an American subsequently invited Kassebaum subsequently invited Gusau to the U.S. Senate foreign relations committee hearings on U.S. policy toward Nigeria. Gusau said he assisted the senator in phasing questions for the expert witnesses.
"Before the hearings, all doors for dialogue were closed," he said. "Now they're open."
Gusau said he was dedicated to educating people about Nigeria, which has the highest rates of literacy in Africa.
It was more important to him than his studies in political science and speech pathology and more important than his 70-hour-a-week job with Community Living Opportunities, a private nonprofit organization for adults with learning disabilities.
At every opportunity, Gusau wears traditional Nigerian dress and visits churches and elementary schools to talk about the country's culture and society. He also volunteers at International Student Services.
"He's a very pleasant person," said Daphne Johnston, associate director
"I know positive things are going on in my country,and I want to share that with others."
Aminu Gusau Nigerian student
of International Student Services. "He has a real sense of being helpful to other people and he has a lot of personal drive and energy. All of those characteristics have a lot to do with why he was successful."
But Gusan isn't the type to rest on his laurels. In June, he established the 15-member Americo-Nigerian Progressive Association to encourage mutual understanding between Nigerian students and Americans.
"I just feel that the media don't say anything about Africa unless there are diseases, war, famine," Gusau said. "I know positive things are going on in my country, and I want to share that with others."
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When: Thursday, October 24 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: English Room, 6th floor Kansas Union
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7:30 P.M. FRIDAY OCTOBER 25
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