MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2004
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
3A
orted was 20.
inter of its and at 4 the mma- 864-
ported at een at in the
reported
once at
on the
for was
tuesday,
was
student
w KU
it's car
1800
detected the
vehicle
9/10/04
e theft
nesday,
reported
tinte pink
$1, 000
m. on
ele 1300
s the stu of Kansas. e student
ported a at 1:15 at 1113
an are 25
used at the buffer-Flint reference, KS
SSN 0746 the school fall break,
Lawrence, by mail are
11 are paid
Postmaster:
versity Daily
yhawk Blvd..
nega
erland
Event welcomes Greeks
Ashlee Green, Wichita junior, holds up a greek letter as she waits for her group to file into the Kansas Ballroom for the University's Greek Orientation. There were 29 groups consisting of students from different chapters. Organizers said it was a good way for new students to get involved and meet different people.
Courtnev Kuhlen/KANSAN
BY AUSTIN CASTER acaster@kansan.com KANSAN SPAF WRITE
Wearing T-shirts that read "No matter the letter, we're all Greek together," the PANhellenic and Interfraternity Council Executive Boards checked in between 500 and 600 new members for Greek Orientation on Saturday at the Kansas Union.
Kim said he did not have the same opportunity as a fee.
This year marks the second Greek Orientation at the University of Kansas. The new fraternity and sorority members learned about the four pillars or the Greek Community: leadership, friendship, scholarship and service, said Andy Kim, IFC vice president and Shawnee senior.
same opportunity as a freshman.
"I didn't really know what was going on," he said. "I just heard through word-of-mouth."
New members listened to guest speakers from the Freshman Sophomore Advising Center, the KU Writing Center and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. With St. Jude, IFC and Panhellenic organize "Up 'Til Dawn," a program that raises money for the hospital.
Laura Cripple, coordinator for fraternity and sorority life, said based on feedback she received, new members benefitted most from guest speaker Paul Vitalte.
"He got them really fired up
and ready to address their uncertainties," Cripple said. "They're ready to go out and be leaders not just in their chapters but throughout the KU community."
Vitale began by borrowing a pair of flip-flops and a headband from a fraternity member in the front row of the packed Kansas Ballroom. He said all members should be aware of their influences, whether in dress or in leadership.
He also said he wanted them all to become leaders throughout the University, not just the Greek community.
"You are the people who are about to make a tremendous difference on this campus," said Vitalte, author of Are You Puzzled by the Puzzle of Life and former president of his Sigma Tau Gamma chapter.
Cripple said the new members seemed guarded at first, but loosened up through team-building activities.She said the executive boards intentionally split up the groups so they would include members from different chapters.
"New members got an opportunity to get involved and meet new people in a non-alcoholic setting," Kim said.
Courtney Kuhlen/KANSAN
New members of KU's Greek Community watch a powerpoint presentation in the Kansas Ballroom. The presentation was part of Saturday's Greek Orientation which more than 500 people attended. This was the second year the orientation was held.
— Edited by Ryan Greene
Agriculture Department sued for discrimination
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WICHITA — Two black farmers are suing the Agriculture Department, claiming the agency has discriminated against them by failing to live up to a deal to give them access to federal loans and subsidies.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Vernon Parker was appointed by President Bush to straighten out the agency's civil rights office.
But James Myart Jr., the civil rights attorney behind the law-suits, calls Parker a "joke" among black farmers.
"Vernon Parker is the most powerful black man in the Bush Administration — that is because he has power of the pen and government's checkbook to resolve the problem." Myart said.
Parker said Secretary of State Colin Powell and several other blacks now in the Bush Administration are far more
powerful.
"I have family members who suffered discrimination. I suffered discrimination as a child. I have a very keep sense of fairness. One of the worst things we can do is find and create discrimination where there isn't because it creates an environment when there is true discrimination that people don't stand up and listen." Parker said.
Tom Burrell, president of the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association, said people who lost
land to the Confederacy during the Civil War persuaded Andrew Johnson to renge on the promise of 40 acres and a mule, and that legacy continues.
But the newly released 2002 Census of Agriculture shows growing diversity among the nation's 2.12 million farms.
The ranks of white farmers fell from 2.15 million in 1997 to 2.06 million in 2002. During the same time, the number of black farmers grew from 26,785 to 29,145.
A report released last month by the Environmental Working Group and the National Black Farmers found that thousands of black farmers have been denied payment under a settlement of bias complaints against the Agriculture Department.
Department. That settlement was one of the nation's largest civil rights cases, aimed at resolving a 1997 lawsuit by black farmers who claimed they were denied federal loans and subsidies because of their race.
Parks seeking additional revenue
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The department is counting on user fees to pay for its operations. But the state's lakes are seeing fewer visitors these days.
HUTCHINSON — This summer's cool weather couldn't have come at a worse time for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
"It has been slower this year," said Rick Martin, manager of Kanopolis State Park. "Everyone likes the cooler weather we have had, but when it comes to camping, skiing, boating, everyone likes hotter weather.
Officials are asking lawmakers for an additional $600,000 to keep the department from slipping into the red at the end of the year.
Three years ago, the department received $4.5 million from the state general fund and once could count on the state for all of its funding. Now, it receives $3 million from the general fund and receives only 12 percent of its total budget from the state.
"They've told us that in the next few years, we need to be prepared to be on our own," said Jerry Hover, director of state parks.
Former Gov. Mike Hayden in January convened a revenue task force to map the department's financial future.
The group last week presented some of their ideas, including a plan to add a $4.50 fee to motor vehicle registrations for parks operations and outdoor recreation grant programs.
Hover said he also plans to increase the price of in-season vehicle permits to parks by $5 — raising the cost to $50 — and adding $5 to the cost of reserving key campsites.