10E
Wednesday, August 16, 1995
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Student volunteers prove critics wrong
By Joann Birk Special to the Kansan
KU Generation X'ers work,show concern
Society sometimes depicts the twenty-something generation as a lazy, whiny bunch, but many KU students are proving critics wrong by spending their cherished leisure time working for free.
These so-called Generation Xers are seeking out places to volunteer their time to animals, children and adults who need their help. And while the original motivation for volunteering varies from personal benefits to career advantages, most students simply want to make a difference in the community.
"I was frustrated by a lot of what was being overlooked by the local government," Tyra Kalman said. "I felt like I needed to actually get out there and make progress, rather than sitting on the sidelines and complaining."
Kalman, a St. Louis senior, volunteers for the advisory board of Women's Transitional Care Services in Lawrence. WTCS provides shelter for battered women in the community and attempts to increase community awareness
Kalman, despite her busy schedule of work and school, decided to commit her free time to WTCS because it was a hands-on way to make a difference.
about domestic violence.
I don't like it with violence against women, so I chose to become active and do something about it." Kalman said.
"I don't like the way society deals
Headquarters Inc.-Crisis Center, like WTCS, takes KU student volunteers. Molly Gratton, a Kansas City, Mo., graduate student, works at Headquarters answering calls on everything
"I hear people complaining about the time commitment. There is 120 hours of training for Headquarters," Gratton said. "But for the most part
one. The training is often intensive and the work can be emotionally taxing.
from depression to drug abuse. Gratton hopes to become a counselor but said that her volunteer work went beyond a career move.
"I felt like a lot of people have helped me out, and now it is my time to give back to other people," Gratton said.
But Gratton acknowledges that volunteering may not be for every
Molly Gratton Kansas City, Mo., graduate student
people get so much out of it that they continue."
So how does the college student who is not yet involved, find a way, to make a difference? Organizations around Lawrence are searching for help.
classified ads to notify students of training sessions
Headquarters and WTCS often advertise by flwers or
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Douglas County also seeks out KU students to be matched with children and to perform other advocate activities, such as grant research. Kathleen Zink, a case manager at Big Brothers/Big Sisters and a KU graduate, said that a majority of
their volunteers were KU students who had come to the organization to offer help.
"A lot of social welfare students come here because they need the volunteer hours, but they also enjoy the work," Zink said.
Rickl Dreyfus, St. Louis junior, is one of those social welfare students who started volunteering for class but continued for more personal reasons.
"I started volunteering at the Salvation Army because I had to," Dreyfus said. "But then I got to know the people and actually became concerned about their lives and their futures."
Dreyfus said that it took little more than a sign of appreciation to show her the merits of volunteering.
"I felt like the people at the Salvation Army were a little weary of my motives at first," she said. "But after I hung out with the regulars for awhile, they would come up to me and say, 'Hey, we're really glad you're here.'"
As WTCS volunteer, Kalman said,
"If you want progress and change in
our society, you can't wait around
for someone to do it for you."
It seems that in the end, KU students work for free for one basic reason.
KU poets find much-needed outlet in Kiosk
Magazine gives writers chance for publication
By Amanda Traxler Special to the Kansan
Some KU students can't put down their pens. Their imaginations won't allow them.
And these writers have the art and literature magazine, Kiosk, available to them as a creative outlet.
Kiosk, funded by Student Senate, benefits writers and readers who gaze at life through the eyes of literary expression.
The magazine is one of the vehicles novice writers can use when attempting to be published.
"Kiosk gives a chance to professionalize work. It gives confidence and gets the name out among the KU community," said Rhonna Williams, Kiosk's editor.
Such an outlet is rare but vital for
local artists, said David Day,
the assistant director of last year's *Kosos*.
“There’s not a consistent outlet for poetry,” Day said. “I think it’s really important that the students have a place to exhibit their talents.”
Beyond exhibition, the journal provides sharing.
"I think a lot of poets like sharing. They like hearing each other's work," said Chris Foster, Los Gatos, Calif., graduate student, who sometimes writes poetry. "When you see another's poetry, you get insights on how they view reality and their lives."
Not all writers enter the public forum. Foster is an example of one who doesn't.
He said he did not frequently show his poetry to others. For him, a poem lets out the emotions of a moment. It is a snapshot that allows him to relive those emotions when he later rereads his poem.
In this way, poetry promotes self-
awareness. All write s increase self-knowledge, whether they open their work to others or not.
Day, who has published a poem,
said that writing was almost selfish,
the way writers put themselves on
paper. The writing process looks inside the poet more than it looks for an outlet.
"The majority of the piece is an expression of the self. You get to know who you are." Day said.
Foster considers such self-knowledge as promoting responsible living.
"Knowing my emotions taps me into the motivations of my actions," he said. "I'm more true to myself in the outside world when I only act according to what feels right."
Foster fits the common image of a cavernous writer alone with his inkspilled thoughts.
"Usually I write while reflecting, which is private," he said.
Day also has written in solitude.
He said that he would listen to classical music so that he would not fall victim to his bane; air drumming with his pen to the percussion of Guided by Voices, a music group.
But for Williams, the Kiosk editor, poetic phrases can pop up anywhere.
"It's intimidating to sit in a room and think," Williams said. "I'll be stuck in a class and a line will come to me. Or I'll be eating and a great line will hit me.
"Some of my best poetry is written on napkins."
For non-poets, *Kiosk* offers insight into society's current trends.
"I think that poetry and the fine arts represent where we are as a civilization," Day said. "As much as technology advances with tools, the impact of expression is higher in terms of being civilized."
Kiosk receives guest poems in its box in the department of English, 3114 Wescoe Hall.
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