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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, October 11, 1995
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High-speed painter Denny Dent will perform on Friday in the Kansas University Ballroom.
Art attack to hit KU with creative musical force
By Sarah Wiese Kansan staff writer
Denny Dent will start with about $200 of latex paint and four 4 1/2-by-6-foot canvases.
Within about 70 minutes, Dent will complete four paintings and try to impart the importance of creativity to the audience.
Dent — a performance artist in the most literal sense — and his Two-Fisted Art Attack are coming to the University of Kansas on Friday.
Student Union Activities is co-sponsoring the performance, which is a part of this weekend's Homecoming festivals.
While sets of two or three songs play, Dent paints the musicians performing the songs. He calls it a passionate dance on canvas.
Rieley Scott, SUA's special events coordinator, said the development of Dent's paintings was intriguing to those unfamiliar with his work.
"They look really abstract to begin with, but the end result is amazing." Scott said. "They're always done in bright, vivid colors that reflect his feelings about the person he's painting."
Dent said that after 14 years, he hadn't tired of performing.
"When I hit that stage, something takes over, and it's really wonderful," Dent said. "During the performance, I'm abandoned to the music."
Dent said that he was driven to perform by a calling to inspire a "creative riot" in his audiences.
"When I realized that I had their attention, it gave me the opportunity to deliver a creative, inspirational message of hope and passion," Dent said. "I guess you could say I stir up people's hearts for a living."
Everyone is an artist in one sense or another, he said
"Art is not something bestowed on a select few," Dent said. "It has to do with the expression of your heart. And if you lose the passion of your heart, you'll lose the purpose of your soul."
Dent has been on talk shows such as Donahue and also has appeared at large-scale events such as Woodstock '94. At the 1993 presidential inauguration, Dent painted Bill Clinton playing his saxophone.
But even with his success in commercial venues, Dent still performs on college campuses. He said students were unjaded and optimistic, which made them more receptive to his act.
"They are young and should be encouraged to believe they can change the world one step at a time," Dent said. A video of Dent's performance is playing outside the SUA Box Office in the Kansas Union. As many as 10 people at a time can be seen watching the video.
"I think part of the intrigue is the music — the way he reacts to it — because it's quite a performance." Scott said.
Dent will perform at 8 p.m. Friday in the Kansas Union Ballroom. Tickets are $6 for KU students and $8 for the general public and can be purchased at the SUA Box Office.
Committee begins search for dean
The University's new dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is somewhere in academia. And a recently appointed committee is starting the search for him or her.
CLAS looking for minority applicants
By Novelda Sommers Kansan staff writer
A 15-member committee appointed by David Shulenburger, vice chancellor for
The committee, which is made up of faculty, staff, students and alumni, has met one time and elected Kim Wilcox, professor of speech, language and hearing., as chairman.
He said efforts would be made to recruit minorities by sending notices to colleges and universities that traditionally have African-American, HispanicAmerican, and Native American faculty.
academic affairs, will compile a list of candidates by early December.
Wilcox said advertisements were placed in the Chronicle of Higher Education and in The Oread, the KU faculty
"There is a shortage of minorities in higher education at all levels," Wilcox said. "The chancellor is serious about his commitment to diversity in higher education."
newsletter.
The college is the largest institutional unit at the University, with about 13,000 students, 2,400 full-time faculty and a budget of about $60 million. It is made up of more than 55 academic departments.
Requirements for the position include eligibility for faculty appointment in liberal arts and sciences as a full professor
with tenure, teaching experience, a doctorate and demonstrated scholarship.
"I think it's an important decision," said Christopher Reedy, Topeka senior and committee member. "Clearly, a strong dean is good for the college and sets the tone for all of the associate deans and chairs of the academic departments."
A permanent dean should be in place by July 1, 1906, the beginning of the fiscal year. Wilcox said.
Cheri Brown, Topeka graduate student, looks over some paperwork with Goodwin Garfield, director of field practicum. Brown is director of Gateway Recovery Center, Inc.
The position was vacated in July when James Musskens resigned to take a position with the Georgia Board of Regents as vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Carol Thobae / KANSAN
Student social worker starts support group
By Ryan Hayes-VIse Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
Last May, Cheri Brown, Topeka graduate student, received her bachelor's degree from the School of Social Welfare. If all goes well, she will complete her master's degree by next May.
The School of Social Welfare offers the one-year master's degree as an alternative to its regular two-year program, said Goodwin Garfield, director of practicum in social welfare.
In addition to juggling a 16-credit hour schedule and a six-credit hour internship, Brown has made time to found Gateway Recovery Center, Inc. The Center is located at the Lawrence Indian Arts Center, 1423 Haskell Ave.
Gateway's mission is to help individuals with drug, alcohol or tobacco problems recover using a multi-cultural perspective.
Brown believes that not everyone can fit into the more familiar 12-step programs.
"Some students need something more," Brown said. "America is a melting pot, and each one of us has a unique family background."
Although Gateway is still relatively young, Brown has not wasted time activating the program. She has been granted a license from the state of Kansas to operate a drug and alcohol abuse service. Brown
she returned to find more drug abuse on campus than before.
"I was amazed at the number of students smoking," Brown said. "It was very obvious that stress was high."
has recruited others to help her and has filled out all the IRS forms necessary for a not-for-profit agency.
Brown said she was pushed to start the Gateway program because of substance abuse she saw on the KU campus. After leaving KU in 1985.
Brown worked as a corrections
officer and knows what drugs can do to people. Part of Gateway's name can be attributed to seeing prisoners locked behind gates.
Brown said she hoped the Gateway program could help people of all ages.
"There is no one quick fix for anyone," Brown said. "My underlying philosophy is that miracles happen every day. You never know when it happens, so don't give up."
Brown is starting another program geared toward college students through Gateway. "Soberhawks" is open to any KU or Haskell student. Soberhawks offers a way for students to get through the college experience without turning to drugs, alcohol or tobacco.
Using counseling, peer support and mentors, Soberhawks helps students of all backgrounds.
Soberhawks is registered with the Organizations & Activities Center and can be reached through the Lawrence Indian Center, 841-7202, or by calling Brown at 843-4283 until 8:00 p.m. Brown said she urged students to get involved.
"I would like to hear from the students," Brown said. "All students — from those who have gone through drugs, to those just getting started, to non-users. Everyone is welcome."
The Soberhawks meet from 12:30:1:30 every Thursday in the Governor's Room on the 4th floor of the Kansas Union.
Haskell implements higher admission standards
Special to the Kansan
By Brian H. Spurrier Special to the Kansan
This fall marks the first major change in admission requirements at Haskell Indian Nations University in 25 years.
Officials at Haskell expect a new minimum 2.0 grade point average for student admissions to ease overcrowding and upgrade academic standards.
The university will be the first in Lawrence to implement qualified admissions.
Since 1970, prospective Haskell students were required only to have a high school diploma or an acceptable test score on a GED to be admitted to the school, said Hannes Combest, education assistant to Haskell" President Bob Martin.
But times have changed, and so has Haskell.
"Last spring, we implemented new admission requirements so that students now have to have a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average and have taken the
ACT," Combest said. "We don't have a minimum ACT score, but they must have taken the ACT."
The ACT score is used as an aid for advisors in recoemning class schedules for students, said Esther Geary, dean of student services at Haskell.
"We don't use the ACT to keep a student out of school." Geary said.
Enrollment increases in recent years pushed Haskell officials to make the change, Combest said.
"We had a real problem two years ago with enrollments being so high that we didn't have room in the residence halls, and also it became apparent in our classrooms, where we were just so overcrowded that we were not able to handle the numbers," Combest said.
During that time, she said, enrollment climbed to near 1,000 students. Combest said Haskell's normal enrollment was near 800.
There are 810 students enrolled at Hockley this semester.
Combest was quick to emphasize that
relieving overcrowding wasn't the only good thing about the policy change.
Ed Pittman, Tulsa, Okla., freshman at Haskell, said the new requirements didn't interfere with his enrollment.
"I guess part of it was not to just decrease numbers, but it was also to get those students who are serious about their studies," Combest said.
"I think it's a good idea. It might keep out some of the ones who are only here to party," Pittman said. "Whether or not they're getting the good students is hard to say."
When Combest first came to Haskell eight years ago, the goal of the school was to help students finish a course of study and graduate, she said. Gradually, the focus shifted to the academic integrity of the school's standards, she said.
One goal of the new focus on standards was to push Haskell graduates toward furthering their education.
"We had a good base, but we really worked to strengthen those (standards), and now what we are looking at is, let's
encourage those students to complete
the bachelor's program. "Combat said,
Haskell officials think the new requirements will better prepare students to succeed at a four-year university where the enrollment policies can be strict and academic standards high.
"What we're looking at is encouraging them to continue their education, either through a professional school, whether it be journalism, law, medicine or graduate school," Combest said. "We've got several students who are in graduate programs up at KU. That to me is exciting."
Geary said that Haskell officials originally thought they might receive complaints from students about the stricter policy but that hadn't been the case. She attributes the lack of protest to a rise in the past five years of the number of incoming students with GPAs higher than 2.0.
"Even before we implemented the 2.0, we were receiving students with much higher GPAs," Geary said.
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