Story by Sarah Wiese Illustration by Matt Hood
When the Feminist Collective Force was denied basic funding by Student Senate's finance committee on Oct. 4, it touched a nerve with many men and women in the Lawrence community.
Christy Morris, Lawrence resident and group member, said that about 10 people who knew she was involved in women's advocacy approached her during the weekend, out raged by the situation.
"I think people are sick of oppressed groups getting pressed down by people that are abusing their positions," Morris said.
It was the premise of the committee's argument—that the word feminist was too offensive to too many people—that turned the most heads, said Regan Cowan, Scottsdale, Ariz., sophomore and group member.
The group's definition of feminism is the belief that women and men are equal and should be treated equally.
Cowan said that the group, which formed last fall, never considered changing its name to get $307 in funding, as some committee members suggested. It would have been a sign of backing down, something this group isn't going to do.
"This goes so far beyond money," Cowan said. "If we don't fight for funding as an issue, we might as well not have the group."
The word feminist, though offensive to some committee members, was actually intended to be more
inclusive than groups with the word "women" in their names, said Amy Turnbull, Lawrence junior and group member.
"We chose to use the word feminist to encourage both women and men to participate," Turnbull said.
And participate they have. The group now consists of about 100 members, one fourth of which are men.
Stephanie Harsin, Topeka junior and group
member, said the finance committee's decision did have a positive effect because it brought attention to the issue.
"I think that the decision was a call to action for a lot of people," she said.
The Feminist Collective Force isn't the first women's advocacy group to face criticism, and it probably won't be the last, Harsin said.
The group's immediate predecessor was the Women's Student Union, which was created in April 1990, said Kristin Lange Clark, Lawrence resident and one of the union's founding members.
A similar argument faced the new group.
She said the union also had struggled with Senate funding. The finance committee once argued that the union was duplication of the services provided by the Commission on the Status of Women and other groups.
The union dissolved last spring. Harsin, a former union member, said its demise had more to do with leadership than interest.
"We simply weren't doing as good a job integrating new members," she said. "We were left not knowing what we needed to do or how to get it done."
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Harsin has since joined the Feminist Collective Force and said she thought the group could build on the union's successes and avoid its pitfalls.
...people are sick of oppressed groups getting pressed down...
Lange Clark said the union's downfall was a sign that
Christy Morris Feminist Collective Force
change in the women's advocacy movement was needed.
"There is sort of an ebb and flow, and I think it was time to be more radical again," Lange Clark said.
Turnbull said the group would work to draw attention women's issues such as child care, education, racism and violence which affect everyone.
Cowan said attracting a wide variety of people was important to the group's success.
"The Feminist Collective Force is all about diversity; it's all about different people working together toward a common goal." Cowan said.
Harsin said misconceptions about feminism were the biggest obstacles to real change in the area of women's issues.
"I think it's really important to remind ourselves that equality for men and women isn't such a radical idea," she said. "It's something everyone can support."
...
You kids with tattoos and mohawks to contain inspired, almost literary messages?
In the case of Rancid's "And Out Come the Wolves," the answer is yes. Hell yes.
Rancid: fresh as a daisy
Recently, I spoke with guitarist/vocalist Lars Frederiksen about the band's new record and about its popular U.S. tour.
It makes you feel a cramped neck from sleeping in the doorway, the deep bruises from the pit, the lingering sting from the bottle or the needle.
Q: The new tour just opened, and you're selling out places. What's been the overall reaction from audiences?
A: Oh man, it's been great. Except for last night in Seattle when this kid broke his leg in the pit. It was really kinda creepy. We had to stop playing so they could get him out. I'm not really sure that something like that has happened before. Aside from that, man, everything's really cool.
A: Yeah, it's planned because that's where we came from. Op Ivy was one of the greatest punk bands I ever saw, and for Tim and Brett, that music is still a part of them. I listen to ska and reggae almost exclusively anymore, so it's a part of me, too. Don't be surprised if someday Rancid comes out with a dub-reggae record. We play the music that comes to us naturally.
A: We were working in this studio, and when we took a break, I heard his voice over the radio on the hall speakers. It turns out he was doing a guest spot on the radio station in the same building. He was right upstairs! So Tim and I ran upstairs to meet him, and Tim gets the idea to have him do something for the record. "Junkie Man" was a song about us, and it had this rhythm break that we couldn't fill. We played it once, and he started scribbling a poem. It really only took 30 minutes. From that诗 we got the line "And Out Come the Wolves" for the album's title.
Q: The new record has more of the ska/punk sound of Tim (Armstrong) and Brett (Reed)'s old band Operation Ivy. Was that planned?
Q: One cut on the record, "Junkie Man," features heroin addict-poet Jim Carroll. How did that come about?
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Q: On Monday you'll play an all-ages show
Our music is about a community, and the songs belong as much to us as they do to the people that buy the albums. They're the ones that allow us to make records and to tour. Not everybody gets to do that, and that makes us lucky.
A: Yeah, for the most part. It's funny that sometimes people think you've sold out 'cause you move to traveling in a bus and bigger venues. Well, the fact is, we make less money in the big venues because of the overhead. That's what we do, though — play all-ages shows at places big enough for all the kids to see the show.
at an 800-plus seat venue. Is that the way
the whole tour is booked?
Rancid plays Monday night at Liberty Hall with the Lunachicks. Call the Liberty Hall box office for ticket information.
Punk fans also may want to check out the John Doe Thing tonight at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. Bandleader John Doe
fronted the '80s punk band X, and his new band will open for Juliana Hattfield. Call the Bottleneck for info.
Sweet Water
Superfriends
(East / West
America /
Atlantic). Sweet
Water is the most
Maybe it is because they do not have the noisy guitars or because their lyric melodies have more in common with Tripping Daisy than Alice in Chains. What will it take for them to get noticed? I don't know.
Luna Penthouse (Elektra). This album gets off to an inauspicious start with three songs that sound much the same. Then, just when you're ready to give up, it takes a turn for the better with "Double Feature," the kind of tune you'd expect to hear during the "retrospective/lost lover" scene in some teen-angst film.
Green Day Insomniac (Reprise/Warner Bros.).
A guest review of the new Green Day album from Rancid guitarist, knowledgeable nunk music fan
Then, just when I'm getting ready to praise the album, the bottom drops out. Tracks 7-9 are filler, and not even the rollingick final track "Freakin' and Peakin" can save it. Overall: 5
Next up is "23 minutes in Brussels," a seven-minute epic jam featuring a smoking guest-guitar lick from Tom Verlaine. "23 minutes in Brussels" and the song that follows, "Lost in Space," are two of the best slow-rocking jams I've heard in a long time.
What I do know is that Sweet Water makes some of the lightest, easy-to-like pop music around. Overall, out of 10:7
and F.O.B.J.
(friend of Billie
Joe), Lars Frederiksen:
"Well, naturally I ... love it! The chord progressions and the harmonies on that album pick up right where Dookie left off. It's as if they don't even have to go to go
"I don't do numbers, man. Just tell 'em to buy the record."
into the studio and write a bunch of great songs. The first single, Geek Stink Breath, is one of my very favorite songs right now. I just don't understand how people can flag them for doing what they do better than anybody, which is make great punk records." Overall?
'Nuff said. Go buy the record.
PAGE 8A
Nail said. Go buy the record.
Robert Mocczydlowy's e-mail address is:
rmozzudk@falcon.cc.ukans.edu
Nightlife Calendar
Tonight
*Juliana Hatfield, 10 p.m. at The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. Cost: $10.*
Wakarusa, 10 p.m. at Mulligan's, 1016 Massachusetts St.Cost: $3-4.
Jazz Jam Session with the Craig Akin Band, 10 p.m. at Full Moon Cafe, 803 Massachusetts St. Free.
Düke Róbillard, 10 p.m. at the Jazhuaus of Lawrence,
926 12 Massachusetts St. Cost: $6.
■ Semisonic, 10 p.m. at The Bottleneck. Cost: $4.
Beth Scaret, 6 p.m. at Full Moon Cafe. Free.
Indigo Jones, 10 p.m. at Mulligan's, Cost: $3-4.
Bath Scarlet, 6 a.m. for Big Life Cafe, Cost: $9-12.
Blue Museum, 10 p.m. at Full Moon Cafe. Free.
Robert Cray Band, 8 p.m. at Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St. Cost: $24.80.
Teddy Morgan and the Sevilles, 10 p.m. at The Jazzhaus.
Cost: $4.
Gwen Mars, 10 p.m. at The Bottleneck. Cost: $5.
Monday
Open Mike Night, 9 p.m. at The Bottleneck. Free.
Rancid, 8 p.m. at Liberty Hall. Cost: $10.
Tuesday
- Vic Chestnutt, 10 p.m. at The Bottleneck. Cost: $5.
- Dave Potts, 8 p.m. at Full Moon Cafe. Free.
Wednesday
Smog, 10 p.m. at the Bottleneck. Cost $3.
Jay Kau, 6 p.m. at Full Moon Cafe. Free
Greg Trooper, 10 p.m. at The Jazzhaus. Cost: $4.
Thursday
Dance hall Crashers, 10 p.m. at The Bottleneck, Cost:
$7.
KJHK Birthday Bash, 10 p.m. at Mulligan's, Cover charge
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