UN I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y K A N S A N
Friday, October 14, 1994
3A
Ethnic culture affects Hispanics in different ways
By Nathan Olson
Kansan staff writer
Though Hispanic students
Though Hispanic students share a common ethnic background, their lives are very different. Some feel a strong pull toward their ethnic culture, while others feel more in touch with American culture. This year's Hispanic Heritage Month slogan is "Sharing our celebration, celebrating our diversity." In recognition of the month, which ends Saturday, what follows are four profiles of Hispanic students at KU.
LauraCea
Laura Cea was a six-year-old school girl in El Salvador the day a soldier came to her school's door. He was looking for someone. The teacher told the children to lie on the floor, in case the soldier started shooting.
Soon after, Cea's family moved to the United States to escape the war in El Salvador.
Cea, Kansas City, Mo., junior, said since moving to the United States, her life had been a mixture of American and Hispanic cultures.
"I think that hispanic is a part of me, but it isn't all of me," she said. "I
think I'm defined by a lot of things. Being Hispanic is one of them."
Two years ago, Cea went back to El Salvador. She said it was strange seeing relatives she hadn't seen in 15 years.
What was more strange, she said, was the mixed emotions going back stirred in her.
"On the one hand, it was sad to see all the destruction war had brought on El Salvador," she said. "But on the other hand, I could feel a spirit in the people as they were rebuilding their lives."
Family and culture are intertwined said Rey Lopez, Kansas City, Kan., freshman.
"There are about 10 people who live in my house," he said. "Eleven when I go home."
"There's always someone to talk to," he said.
Rey Lopez
Included in the 10 people are his grandmother, cousins and siblings. For Lopez, the large family is comfort-
The large family means that Lopez's Hispanic culture is retained. For Lopez, retaining the Hispanic culture comes largely in the form of speaking the lar
guage.
"It's important for me to speak Spanish because it gives me a sense of who I am," he said. "It helps me know where I'm coming from."
Lopez said he didn't feel the Hispanic and American cultures or values clashed. Instead, he takes from both.
But he said one potential problem was his occasional desire to move away from Kansas City.
"I know everyone in Kansas City," he said. "It would be nice to move away. But I don't know if i want to move away from my family."
Myra Fernandez
Myra Fernandez, Liberty, Mo., sophomore, didn't know she was Hispanic until she was eight years old.
"I was filling out one of those standardized tests, and they told me ) couldn't check the White box." she said.
The event typified Fernandez's upbringing. Her great grandparents lived in New Mexico before it was a part of the United States. Eventually, most of her relatives settled near Pueblo, Colo. But her parents, wanting what they thought would be a better life, moved away.
Fernandez has mixed feelings about that move.
Fernandez, who said she didn't speak Spanish, is doing little things to expose herself to Hispanic culture.
"I grew up in a white, middle-class neighborhood," she said. "I regret not having the exposure to the Hispanic culture. But I don't regret the standard of living there, and I don't think I would have had the opportunities I did if my parents didn't gotten out."
"I'm taking a Hispanic class," she said. "Also, I find myself listening to Hispanic music a lot these days."
For Miguel De Leon, culture is important, but family is more important.
The Topeka junior was born to a Mexican father and German-American mother. By the time he was six, he was fluent in Spanish.
Then his parents divorced. Eventually his mother remarried an American, and De Leon lost his Spanish.
"I don't know if other Hispanics would consider me Hispanic," he said. "I don't have the same ties that
many of them do.
Recently De Leon began learning Spanish again.
“When I think of myself, I think I'm half Hispanic and half German.”
Miguel De Leon
"Because I'm Hispanic, I thought I should relearn the language," he said.
The mixture of cultures he grew up with has resulted in little overt discrimination.
"I've never experienced prejudice to my face," he said.
De Leon said he didn't feel his upbringing was difficult.
"Personally, I feel I've gotten everything I wanted," he said. "Nothing's held me back. I may have had to work harder, but I've accomplished a lot.
"I've always assimilated into American culture. I don't have a strong culture."
More Hispanics enrolling in the Big Eight
By Nathan Olson
Kansan staff writer
At KU, Hispanic enrollment has increased 11.9 percent from 1991 to 1993, according to enrollment figures. Numbers from 1994 have not yet been released.
The steady increase in Hispanic enrollment at the University of Kansas and other Big Eight schools is not a fluke, administrators from the schools say.
There are many tangible reasons for the increase, said Dawn Kovats, associate director of admissions.
"A lot of credit can be given to activists in the Hispanic movement and to groups like HALO," she said, referring to the Hispanics American Leadership Organization.
The group provided energy that helped in recruiting. Kovats said.
"I also think students' positive experiences help," she said.
"Basically, LULAC tries to convince students to come to college, and I try to convince them to come to KU." Kovats said.
A December orientation session sponsored by LULAC and KU lets high school students get some feel for KU. In addition to talking to academic representatives, a group of KU students conduct a student panel. The daylong session usually attracts 40 to 50 Hispanic students mainly from the Kansas City area. Kovats said.
"The younger students really like the openness of the student panel." she said.
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
Other schools also are taking steps to increase Hispanic enrollment. The University of Colorado has seen its Hispanic enrollment jump 9.3 percent from 1991 to 1994. Frank Blair, assistant director of admissions at CU, said that the university's increased Hispanic enrollment was due, in part, to the relationship between the university and the Denver and Boulder communities.
"We've made a conscious effort to implement programs within our community," he said.
One program Blair cited was the Denver Public Schools Partnership Program. The program pairs a trained professional from the Office of Admissions with a CU student. The mentors talk to students in public high schools in Denver once a week, eventually helping those students make the adjustment from high school to college. Blair said the program was used to recruit all students, but minorities were specifically targeted.
Blair said that the university also had become more sophisticated in identifying minority students.
"We do a search on minority students who take the preliminary SAT," he said. "This provides us with a good base of prospects."
The personal, one-on-one approach works well, Blair said.
"In a program we established two years ago, we go into high latitude populations and bring
students to the university," he said.
At the University of Nebraska, Hispanic enrollment has increased 36.5 percent from 1991 to 1994. Robert Hicks, assistant director of admissions for minority affairs at the university, said that scholarship opportunities and increased awareness of minorities were the main reasons.
"I think we have gotten a more insightful administration in the past few years," Hicks said.
Hicks said NU was taking steps similar to CU in terms of interfacing with Hispanic communities.
"We've tried to establish ties with community organizations and leaders," he said.
Sandra Olivas, president of KU's Hispanic American Leadership Organization, said that the increased number of Hispanic students was a result of more Hispanics in the United States and more Hispanics getting into college.
"A lot of Hispanics come here because of word of mouth," she said.
Olivas is personally involved in getting Hispanic students into college. She tutors high school students in Kansas City through El Centro, a non-profit organization that serves Hispanic families.
Olivas said one way Hispanic enrollment further could be increased was for prospective students to see Hispanics in leadership roles.
Kovats said that the increased Hispanic enrollment would only grow.
"It's a self-fulfilling prophecy," she said. "The more Hispanic students there are, the more prospective students see, and then the more they want to come here."
Police auction offers bargains
By Manny Lopez
Kansan staff writer
Lawrence police are cleaning out their storage rooms this weekend.
Everything from car stereos and clothing to an Elvis videocassette tape will go on the auction block Saturday and Sunday when the Lawrence police sell 84 pieces of found property and 442 pieces of collected evidence.
"There is some good stuff for sale," said Sgt. Rick Nickell of the Lawrence police.
The first of the weekend's auctions will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday at the old city garage, Fifth and Mississippi streets. People who are interested in bidding for merchandise can go to the garage at 9 a.m. to view the property.
Also available at Saturday's auction will be unclaimed property such as calculators, computers, printers, 68 bicycles, a keg tap and a 1982 Kawasaki motorcycle.
At 1 p.m. Sunday, the police evidence auction will take place on the east side of the Law Enforcement Center, 111 New Hammism St.
The auctions take place about once every six months, said Ray Hummert, Lawrence city clerk.
People who plan on attending either auction will need to have checks pre-approved by on-site cashiers, and they will receive bidding numbers. The auctions will take place rain or shine. Depending on the number of people and
Red-light special
The Lawrence police department is sponsoring two auctions this weekend.
- The property auction will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday at the old city garage, Fifth and Mississippi streets.
- The evidence auction will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday on the east side of the Law Enforcement Center, 111 New Hampshire St.
Source: Staff research
KANSAN
speed of bidding, the auctions should last about two or three hours, Hummert said.
People who are interested in bidding can view the property at noon. Compact discs, baseball cards, a burlap blanket, a diamond wedding ring and electronic equipment will be some of the things available.
All evidence that is being auctioned has been held at least six months, police said. Just like the found property, police said they tried to return evidence to its original owner.
Although some of the merchandise is in good condition, Hummert said some of the best designs would go to people who were good at fixing things.
Nickell said no cars or weapons would be sold at either auction. Money that is generated from the auctions will be put into the city general fund.
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