THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2006
NEWS
3A
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
Hall residents pit pennies against nickels
BY MATT ELDER
Pennies will be the most valuable currency at Oliver Hall this week as residents begin a fundraiser to collect money for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
From the nine resident floors in Oliver, all 17 wings will be competing in a "penny war," said Jay Vaglio, Leawed sophomore and Oliver senior staff resident assistant. Collection buckets will sit at the front desk of Oliver until next Monday for each individual wing, where every penny collected will count as a point for that floor.
Proceeds raised by Oliver residents will be donated to Lawrence Memorial Hospital's "Stepping Out Against Breast Cancer" event on Oct. 28, which raised more than $53,000 last year. The donations will be used to provide mammograms to uninsured or under-insured women in the Lawrence community, according to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, 325 Maine St. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 40,000 will die.
Andy Schreiner, Topeka freshman and Oliver government president, said the organizers added a twist to create greater involvement with the fundraiser. Oliver residents will be allowed to put other coins and dollars
in other floors' buckets that will "sabotage" by counting negative in that floor's point total. A quarter would take away 25 points for example, and a dollar would take away 100.
"It provides a fun and competitive way for students to donate money and recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month," Schreiner said.
Jessica Ward, Perry, Ga., graduate student and Oliver assistant complex director, said that she was hoping flyers posted throughout the residence hall and word of mouth would create excitement in the building about the fundraiser. She said that the winning wing would receive a pizza party.
Vaglio said he was aware other student housing residence halls had done similar fundraisers in the past. He said that although the "penny war" is a game of sorts, it can make more money than he would have thought, and even small additions of spare change begin to add up.
"A lot of people would go to vending machines, and just give their leftover change," Vaglio said.
Kansan staff writer Matt Elder can be contacted at melder@ kansan.com.
- Edited by Kate Shipley
Teach For America recruits One of nation's top employers of college graduates to visit KU in search of students with diverse cultural backrounds
EDUCATION
From 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday, Linda Mendez is surrounded by a mountain of books, homework
BY COURTNEY HAGEN
assignments and tests.
The 2004 University of Kansas graduate from Bellevue, Neb., isn't buried by books or papers because she is studying to get her master's or a Ph.D. Instead she is
Plains region and a 2002 Kansas State University graduate, spends every other week at the University working to recruit new members to Teach For America.
"It is crucial that we do every-
"Teach For America's mission is that one day all children will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education."
LINDA MENDEZ
member of Teach For America
teaching English to a group of high school sophomores in Houston.
Mendez is one of 35 KU graduates who are a part of more than 4,000 members of Teach For America currently teaching in classrooms across the United States. And she is one of the thousands who are taking advantage of the 16-year-old program designed to improve the nation's public school systems by bringing recent college graduates to needy schools.
During the past 16 years, the program has grown into one of the nation's top employers of college graduates on many college campuses. As part of a five-year expansion program, many Teach For America recruiters are hitting campuses, such as the University of Kansas, with aggressive recruiting methods to entice new and diverse participants.
Casey Parks, Teach For America recruitment director for the Great
thing we can up front to ensure that the corps members we are placing in the classroom are right for the position and have what it takes to be successful," Parks said.
Recruiters
were on campus last week at the University to show a CNN documentary on Teach For America in hopes of recruiting soon-to-be KU graduates. Some members of Teach For America will be on campus again this week to meet with potential applicants. They have also taken to e-mailing many graduating seniors about the program and recruiting events.
With so many recruitment efforts at the University, the program is still selective, but not exclusive. The program utilizes a rigorous application process to pick the best recent college graduates. Mendez said that while 10 percent of the 2005 Yale graduating class applied for Teach For America, the program is open to anyone who has demonstrated leadership and perseverance during their undergraduate careers.
As part of the five-year expansion program, Teach For America is trying to recruit more participants
including more participants of color to diversify the program, in hopes of providing positive role models to young multicultural students.
"Teach For America's mission is that one day all children will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education," Mendez said. "As an organization, we believe that educational inequity is becoming a defining issue of our generation."
In order to entice recent college graduates to close the educational gap, Teach For America offers lucrative graduate educational and business partnerships. Universities such as Yale, Columbia, Brown and Harvard offer graduate program incentives to Teach For America alumni. The program also recently partnered with JP Morgan and Wachovia to help alumni enter into a career after teaching.
Teach For America also offers more than $4,000 in educational funding awards for each year of service in the program. Yet beginning in 2007, the program has to reapply for a grant and may not be able to offer that amount or any amount as a future incentive.
Rewards for all the long days in the classroom or not, Mendez said that Teach For America remains to be one of the most valuable and challenging experiences she has had the opportunity to be a part of.
"Even when I'm frustrated and tired I realize that what I do everyday has an affect on my students," Mendez said. "I have been able to go to Quinceaneras with my students. I've taken them to movies. I've helped them finish reading
their first books ever. I meet with their parents regularly. I go to their dance recitals and football games. I have even been to a few baby showers in their honor. I do what I have to do for my students to succeed."
— Edited by Kristen Jarboe
Kansan staff writer Courtney Hagen can be contacted at chagen@ kansan.com.
campus recruitment
Teach For America member Linda Mendez will be on campus through Tuesday to speak with upcoming graduates about the program.
- Where: Kansas Union Hawk's Nest
What: Teach For America Informational tent
» When: Today and Tuesday
» Who: Mendez will meet with interested graduating seniors who received personal e-mails about her scheduled visit and all other interested undergraduate students
> For more information: www.
teachforamerica.org or to set up a personal appointment with Mendez e-mail Mitzi Keel,
Teach For America KU recruiter,
at mitzl.keel@teachforamerica.
org
» Deadlines for application:
Nov. 5, Jan. 7 and Feb. 18
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
YOUR AD HERE
Email chrisblackstone@ku.edu for more information.
Attention Student Groups:
KU Filmworks
If your student organization is register with the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, you may get FREE ADVERTISING here in the Kansan through Student Senate!
KU Filmworks promotes the production of student-
produced videos and film. Founded sometime in
the late nineties to a group of students who just
wanted to make a movie, KU Filmworks is an outlet
for the local student body to make the films that
they just can't make in their theory and production
classes.
We meet every Sunday at 8:00 PM
at Oldfather Studios
(9th and Avenon, just east of Iowa).
Movie nights are another element to our
meetings that encourage
mentorship to introduce films, new films, or
embarrassing ones to show or show off.
Where: Oldfather Studios
When: This Sunday at 6:00
Contact: movies@comerz@gmail.com
We hope to see you and everyone
ask the Sunday!
October 23,2006
The Center for Community Outreach Challenging. Educating. Empowering.
Students Tutoring for Literacy CCO
Interested in tutoring kids and adults? Volunteers are needed for Students Tutoring for Literacy Programs are available with groups or one-on-one throughout the Lawrence Community.
Students Tutoring for Literacy (STL) helps native and non-native English-speaking youth and adults obtain their GED, learn English as a second language, read their first book, or fill out a job application.
funded by:
SENATE
Email stl@ku.edu if you are interested
Dole Institute
PAID FOR BY KU
Student Advisory Board
The Money Lecture
Journalism and Politics
Political and the Media:
What We Do Right.
What We Could Do Better.
With Neal Shapiro, former president of NBC News Tomorrow, 7:30pm Dole Institute of Politics
Tonight at 6:30 Smith Hall Room 100
KU Anime Club
カンザス大学のアニメクラブ
What is JayWalk?
www.ku.equ/ ~kuanime
JAYWALK!
JayWalk is a service available to all students who want a JayWalk volunteer to WALK them to their residence hall or car, or to wait with them for the Night Campus Express Bus or SafeRide.
Where is JayWalk?
Have you ever felt unsafe walking alone at night on campus? Wish someone could walk with you? Jaywalk can help!
The JayWalk station and volunteers are located inside Anschutz Library.
When is the service available?
JayWalk runs Sunday through Thursday from 8pm to midnight.
Who walks with me?
One male and one female will escort you to a specific location.
WANT TO VOLUNTEER FOR JayWalk?
Call us at: 864-3222
JayWalk is giving away an IPOD Nanol Every time you use our service or volunteer with JayWalk, you get your narne in the drawing, which will be in December!
Volunteers are greatly needed and appreciated! While you are assisting KU students you can also study and do homework! Pick up forms in room 410 in the Kansas Union! If you have any questions regarding the service or about volunteering, please email Safetty@ku.edu
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