Volume 125 Issue 60
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
kansan.com
CAMPUS
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
On Monday, Lawrence residents, University faculty and students took part in a candlelight vigil on Jayhawk Boulevard to honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. The event began with speakers in front of Strong Hall and ended in the Union with speakers, music and dinner.
University celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.
EMILY DONOVAN
edonovan@kansan.com
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, a message of equality and tolerance rang through Strong Hall and the Kansas Union yesterday to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The University's celebration of MLK stressed that his passionate message is more than a historical holiday, but is instead symbolic to today's beliefs towards civil rights.
Distinguished English Professor Maryemayne Graham opened the University's event by reading from the "Letter from Birmingham Jail."
"To live in a society that is relatively free of poverty, of social injustice, of racial discrimination, we've got a lot of work to do," Graham said. "We remember people who gave their lives to that kind of work."
Graham believes that Martin Luther King Jr. Day and similar events are about both looking at the past and using that history to gauge actions in the future. She hopes that honoring Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. will spark a discussion about what his beliefs symbolize in the 21st century.
In years past, the University hosted a large celebration that would fill the Lied Center. Fred Rodriguez, vice provost for diversity and equity, hoped that yesterday's celebration
"Are we the post-stay generation? Graham said. "Are we the post-feminist generation? Are we the post-you-name-it? Is all that over and done with? We can't just assume that everybody is on the same page."
would set a precedent for honoring those social issues.
After Graham's reading, organizers distributed candles, and the crowd walked to a reception and program at the Kansas Union. Rodriguez expects attendees to ask themselves who carries on as the advocate for equality of opportunity as the voice of King's message today.
"We want to start this tradition again on campus," Rodriguez said.
Blane Harding, director of multicultural affairs, who gave the keynote address, focused on the individual and what every person must do to live up to King's dream.
"Every single individual in society has to be aware of the responsibilities of moving us forward so that we are equal, so that we are a society devoid of racism or prejudice," Harding said. "We do that individually, we do that through relationships — we don't do that by enacting laws."
Harding believes King's message of tolerance and fighting oppression transcends race and applies to religion, gender, sexual orientation and all other forms of prejudice. Yesterday's program was intended to spark a discussion and encourage attendees to take personal responsibility to create a tolerant society.
"No one's going to make you go to an event in black history month, for example," Harding said. "But if you truly believe in the idea of equality, you need to expand that comfort zone so that you can meet folks that you generally would not meet."
Edited by Sarah McCabe
TECHNOLOGY
Charging stations keep students plugged in
HANNAH BARLING
hbarling@kansan.com
Phone dead? No problem.
"You don't leave your phone at home; everyone has a phone," Woodard said.
Charging stations were installed on the Lawrence and Edwards campus' during winter break. The installation was an initiative of Student Senate and KU Information Technology.
Rachel Brasher, a senior from Ozawiek, said she thinks the stations will be helpful for students.
The project was one of 12 different items on KUnited's platform this past year. Brandon Woodard, student body vice president, said that this project was made a priority because the idea came from the students.
Robbie Bondi, a sophomore from Leawood, said he won't need to use the charging stations because he charges his phone at night.
Index
CLASSIFIEDS 9
CROSSWORD 5
"I know I'm never respi-sible about charging my phone," Brasher said.
Once KU IT agreed to fund the
SUNFLOWER SHOWDOWN
SEE CHARGING PAGE 2
CRYPTOQUIPS 5
OPINION 4
No.3 Kansas vs.No.11 Kansas State 7 p.m.in Manhattan
BLAKE SCHUSTER
bschuster@kansan.com
The cloud of black and yellow lifted from Lawrence only to reveal gray skies. No enemy to fight, just angry mobs with nothing to torch.
So this is life in the Border Coul War.
And looking to the west, citizens of Manhattan have never attempted a sneak attack on Lawrence.
Maybe that would spice up the Kansas-Kansas State rivalry, but it might be a tad dramatic. Instead the University of Kansas is left with the Little Apple and a daunting task: Commit to a rivalry that has been one-sided since its inception.
Not that one institution has dominated the other, but one school only focused on its fellow in-state competitor while the other looked in the opposite direction for a challenge.
"Kansas has been Kansas State's rival since I've been in the league," Kansas baseball coach Ritch Price said. "Our rival has been Missouri. That's now being refocused."
Price echoes a rededication that has been the focus of Kansas' athletics department since Missouri's departure from the Big 12, and it's one that began at the top.
"It started with Sheahon Zenger," Price said of Kansas' Athletics Director. "He has made it clear to everyone who coaches, regardless of the sport, that he's going to start
For some Kansas programs, there won't be much of a transition.
"I never felt that way against K-State," Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self said of the Jayhawks' animosity for Missouri. "I think this will turn a little bit to become more heated as we move forward."
The women's volleyball teams at Kansas and K-State, for instance, boast many players within the state. That adds to a match that Jayhawks coach Ray Bechard said has always been important to the team.
Bechard said the familiarity of in-state players intensifies the drive to capture Kansas bragging rights.
But those other programs, the ones that recruit more out-of-state players, they'll be at the center of a rivalry that has become more important with the absence of Missouri.
Either way, there's a school 80 miles down the road that's beginning to receive a lot more attention from Kansas fans. And while it has been more cordial in the past, Wildcat fans have become a new target for a fan base without its natural rival.
Record: Kansas vs. Kansas State
When asked about this policy, Zenger said programs are evaluated on conference competition, not just defeating one school.
evaluating programs based on their success against Kansas State"
"You might have people that go to a contest not because of the game but because it's K-State," Kansas
SOURCE: KU Athletics
women's basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "Maybe they're not a particular fan of any given sport, but they're a fan of booing K-State."
Maybe, but maybe not. Zenger said the Missouri and K-State rivalries have different genes. Over time they have evolved in different ways.
Price will be combating that by coaching his players to bring the level of competitiveness the Jayhawks show against Missouri to all games against K-State. Price knows you can't replace Missouri, yet he
can change the way Jayhawk fans look at K-State.
It might take a while to get used to, but purple is the new black.
"When you've coached at KU, regardless of the sport, for 100 years the rivalry has been first and foremost about Missouri," Price said. "Now that they've left the Big 12 conference, I think you'll see the rivalry between KU and K-State intensify."
SPORTS 12
SUDOKU 5
Edited by Hayley Jozwiak
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2013 The University Daily Kansan
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