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MONDAY, DEC. 5, 2016 | VOLUME 132 ISSUE 31
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
Campus pays respect to Nick Herren with vigil
► HAILY DIXON
@_hailey_dixon
Nicholas "Nick" Herren will be remembered for his beaming crooked
DAY IN THE LIFE
"He was really great," Prins said, "Words can only say so much about the character of Nick."
Prins said Herren adored those around him
kansan.com
ERIC WELCH
Visiting assistant professor Eric Welch spends his summers digging in Israel.
B11
Visiting professor guides students on archeological excavations in Israel
By Samantha Sexton
@Sambiscuit
Contributed Photo
Visiting assistant professor Eric Welch never thought that asking for a library card would end up sending him halfway around the world to archeological digs in Israel.
"I wanted to come home during my last year at Penn State," Welch said. "I sent an email to K-State and an email to KU about my situation and [asked] for library access so I could do my research and finish up my dissertation. K-State never answered the email."
After asking for library access in 2014, Welch was approached by John Younger, director of Jewish Studies at
the University. Excited to have an archeologist at arm's length, Younger asked Welch if he would be interested in teaching the archeology of Israel.
Originally from Manhattan, Welch said he developed a strong sense of wonder for the people who occupied the land before he did. Fascinated by the thought that he could pick up an arrowhead in his backyard and cement the idea that the lives and cultures of the indigenous peoples before him were real, Welch said he knew he wanted to study the people instead of the "stories and fairy tales."
"Part of it was the idea that the stories were actually real," Welch said. "I grew up in church with all the Bible stories
and background, and it blew my mind that I could find artifacts that showed there were actual people there."
The summer after his first year of his master's program, Welch said he was so enthralled by the idea of discovering 3,000-year-old pottery that he and his then-finance packed up and took a trip to Israel just to volunteer with a dig. That was almost 11 years ago, and Welch says he's taken only one summer off from digging — for the birth of his daughter.
"I guess that was worth it," Welch said with a grin.
After a decade of studying ancient Israel, all Welch wants to do now, he said, is share the experience with others.
"This summer will be our fourth year with the Office of Study Abroad taking KU students to Jerusalem," Welch said. "And the students do everything: It's not like we're going to push you out of the way if you discover something."
gain hands-on experience with real results and what Welch describes as "invaluable experience."
Students from every major each year are taken to Israel where they help excavate and document artifacts with other student from around the world. The "teaching digs" allow students to
Diona Southcott, a senior from Watertown, NY, studying anthropology, said the trip was one of the highlights of her time at the University, and it wouldn't have been the same without Welch.
"I came here specifically for archeology, and when I told my friends that, a couple of them told me about this really cool archeologist," Southcott said. "I sat in on a couple of his classes, and after that I was hooked."
Southcott said Welch was able to get her scholarships that covered almost the entirety of her trip to Israel and that the experience was exactly
This summer will be our fourth year with the Office of Study Abroad taking KU students to Jerusalem."
what she needed moving forward after graduation.
-Eric Welch
"Witnessing the clash of cultures, meeting all the different types of people and archeologists and just being there was very exciting," Southcoff said. "Eric's enthusiasm and encouragement has been helpful as well, and I wouldn't feel so optimistic about my future if it weren't for him basically telling me to shoot for the stars."
Welch said any student is welcome to join him over the summer and that if he could get just one student "crazy enough" to go with him, "it would be worth it."
Edited by Cody Schmitz
ommentation from this year's DEI report, which suggested "that the University place the Student Senate under immediate review and restructure the organization of student governance at KU."
According to the proposal, the committee shall "consider, draft, and/or propose amendments to the relevant governance documents." Essentially, this means that the members will
The rationale for the new ad hoc committee, according to the proposal, was that while a Multicultural Student Government could benefit students, leaders should take a look at how the Student Senate system functions as a whole.
the same number currently held by Student Senate. The proposal was tabled.
One of the biggest issues that was empha-
ery spring.
Pam Fine, a Faculty Senate representative and journalism professor, said looking into another election method could benefit minority students.
"The implication of the diversity committee's report is that the coalition system is discriminatory," she said. "It is incumbent upon us to say 'OK, let's have someone go deep in on it and see what
College of Liberal Arts and Science senator. "Most important of these is that I worry about how it is going to affect the autonomy of our governance structure ... It will say to Student Senate that 'We are going to violate your autonomy and tell you what you have to do with your rules,' and I think that is totally unacceptable."
SEE SENATE PAGE 2
night and decided to look up the 2002 tuition cost, and compared it to this year," he said "I saw how large of an increase there was. I was pretty upset, so I started talking about it with people."
According to a University press release from 2002, the cost of in-state tuition per semester was $1,741.75, while out-of-state was $5,343.25. Current-
ner, we're nongting for lower tuitions prices at all of these schools, not just KU."
Co-founder Lev Comolli, a Lawrence native, approached the University's Amnesty International chapter at the beginning of this semester to pitch KUART.
SEE KUART PAGE2
INDEX
NEWS...2
OPINION...4
ARTS & CULTURE...9
SPORTS...12
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