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KANSAN.COM/NEWS | MONDAY, JAN. 16,2017
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Campus groups hope to encourage activism through MLK Day events
Courtney Bierman/KANSAN In this January 2016 file photo, students and community members, including Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little, gather in front of Strong Hall for a candlelight vigil march to the Student Union as part of the Office of Multicultural Affairs' week-long acknowledgment of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
CHANDLER BOESE
@Chandler_Boese
For some students, Monday's observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day means one thing: no school. But activists on campus hope events celebrating the civil rights leader will allow the University community to continue his legacy.
The big event of the week will be a candlelight vigil and panel at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. With this event, said Nate Thomas, vice provost for diversity and equity, the University is trying to remember King, as well as apply his work to today's issues of diversity and equity.
Thomas said he thinks the event, and what it represents, is closely linked with the mission of his office and what they're trying to do on campus. Thinking about King's work is not all that different from confronting today's social justice problems.
"I think it's just a constant awareness when you think about cultural competency,when you think about valuing others,when you think about how we think about social justice, privilege, equity, injustice,"
he said. "We always want to be at the center of thinking about people."
The vigil will begin at the rotunda in front of Strong Hall with a performance by Genuine Imitation, a University a cappella group. From there, participants will walk to the Kansas Union, where a panel will discuss ways that people today — especially students —
can continue King's legacy.
"A new generation is coming along that we want to be more inclusive," Thomas said. "We want them to be thinking about social justice issues, which this millennial generation is doing. I think the future's looking good from that standpoint, so I think it's a slow step to progress in how we are trying to live
out Martin Luther King's dream."
The panel will be facilitated by Student Senate Director for Diversity and Inclusion Abdoulie Njai, who said he hopes those who attend are inspired to do some of their own activism.
"A big thing with the panel is just trying to look back at Martin Luther King's legacy and what he
was able to accomplish, then kind of connect that to the current climate we have now and speak about how we've come far, but still have a lot more work to do," he said.
Njai said there are many connections between what King did in his life and the issues that social justice advocates are dealing with today. Many of his questions are geared toward making those connections for the audience members, a move that he hopes will inspire participants to continue their own activism.
"I think it will definitely give people the opportunity to come together, get in a deep dialogue and also think about things," he said.
But the remembrance of King doesn't end there. The Office of Diversity and Equity is sponsoring several other events throughout the next week.
"The key piece is that MLK Day is a day on and not a day off, it's all about serving others," he said. "That was part of King's dream, that we think about [equity], so everybody has the opportunity at success."
For a full list of the week's events, check out Kansan. com or visit diversity. ku.edu/MLK-events
Student Senate looks ahead to spring semester
▶ ELLE CLOUSE
@elle_clouse
As a new semester begins, Stephonn Alcorn, student body president, and Gabby Naylor, student body vice president, gave a look at future Student Senate happenings.
Near the end of the fall semester, Senate was placed under review by University Senate, per the request of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion report. Alcorn said it came as a surprise, but that Senate is looking forward to working with the group.
a lot of people back, but I think we were already doing a lot of that same work," Alcorn said.
"That kind of had a sense of a shock factor, it took
lic colleges and universities are going to be at the Capitol," Richardson said.
One of the first major events of the semester for Alcorn will be Higher Education Day, which will be hosted at the Capitol in Topeka. Breeze Richardson, director of communications for the Kansas Board of Regents, said that this year will be different than in the past because it'll be a day focusing on more than just a few select schools.
Alcorn, who serves on the Student Advisory Committee for the Regents, said that the committee will be using its voices to encourage more stable funding.
"This is the first year where the system as a whole is having a unified Higher Education Day at the Kansas Statehouse, all 32 pub-
"We will definitely be advocating for stable higher education funding. I think if you look at the numbers, higher education has been cut continuously over the past five years," Alcorn said.
As for the rest of the upcoming spring semester, Alcorn and Naylor intend on focusing on a variety of topics, including diversity and outreach to multicultural groups. Also, toward the end of the semester, sexual assault will be a key focus of Senate.
Baxter Schanze/KANSAN Student Body President Stephonn Alcorn addresses a full Student Senate on Nov. 16.
"We'll be working a lot with sexual assault with SAPEC's sexual assault
awareness month in April," Naylor said. "That'll be kind of one of the last things we do before we turn over to the new incoming executive staff."
CHANCELLOR FROM PAGE 2
versity and encourages students and faculty to recommend candidates.
"I can't think of any category ... that we could eliminate and feel that we had solid representation from all of the communities we serve," Dillon said. "Anyone that gets suggested to us will certainly be considered."
The committee wants to be as connected to the University as possible. A public forum was held Jan. 10, where administrators, faculty members and students were asked to address the qualities and values they wanted in the candidates, and what issues were important to tackle in the future. Attendants spoke about topics including diversity, Title IX, funding for research and disabilities.
Dillon said there will be two more forums in the next two weeks. One will be held with student leaders and the other will be an open forum, similar in style to the first event, that anyone can go to.
Once the committee starts to review candidates, members won't be able to speak publicly, but Dillon said they will keep the University informed on their progress.
Dillon hopes in the next few weeks the committee can decide which characteristics and qualifications are the most valuable in a candidate. Afterward, they can start reviewing applicants.
One qualification brought up during the forum was experience in higher education. This is something committee member Joseph Harrington, a University English professor and current University Senate president, also thinks would be valuable in a potential chancellor.
"It's very important that they have a background in post-secondary education," Harrington said. "Also being a senior leader at a university ... but also some experience of teaching."
Harrington said he will be looking for someone who is committed to public education, diversity and cooperation with student governance. He also said he will be looking for someone with a strong, transparent management style.
On the topic of higher-education experience, Dillon said the majority of the candidates will probably have experience in higher education, but it
These topics will be discussed by the committee in the next few weeks as they develop a job description for the position. This may take some time because
the committee is relatively large, and may take a while to reach a consensus.
Then, they will start reviewing a pool of applicants, both those suggested by the University community and those provided by R. William Funk & Associates, the head-hunting firm as-
would not be surprising if a few non-traditional candidates show strong leadership capabilities.
sisting with the search. This step will be followed by candidate interviews.