CAMPUS / AREA
Friday, November 8, 1991 / UniversityDailyKansan
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Impersonators focus of GLSOK meeting
'Drag queens' lip sync for members
By Rochelle Olson Kansan staff writer
Sasha Stephens, Kansas City, Mo., lip syncs "I Don't Want To Cry" by Mariah Carey at a GLSOK meeting.
The first time Teal Ashton appeared as a female impersonator was on daire.
"I always told everybody I would never do this." Achten said.
Henow is Miss Gav Toneka 1991
Ashton was one of three female impersonators who gave lip-sync performances last night at the Gay and Lesbian Services of Kansas meeting at the Pine Room in the Burge Union.
Bob Taylor, co-director of GLSOK, said the group invited the impersonators because it wanted to show a broad spectrum of the gay community.
"The primary goal of GLOSK is education," Taylor said. "No, not all gay men dress up women. Nonetheless, it's a valuable part of the community."
He said he would prefer to be called an illusionist.
Teal Ashton, who uses a stage name, said he liked the theatrical aspect of being an impersonator.
Stephens said he did not like the term "drag queen" because it had raunchy connotations.
Ashton said he had been performing as a female for three and a half years.
"I am an actor," he said.
That can be a problem when he is shopping for new women's clothes.
"I look like a boy when I'm not in drag," he said.
"I like the mystery of it all," he said.
"I enjoy going out to see who I can fool."
Sasha Stephens of Kansas City, Mo., said he had been in situations where men, thinking he was a woman, hit on him. "Sasha Stephens" also is a stage name.
"We're not trying to be women," he said.
"I look like a boy when I'm not in drag."
Sasha Stephens female impersonator
"I alway's ask them about the return policy," Stephens said. "I never try on the clothes in the store."
Melissa Leigh, who uses a stage name, said he could tell whether something would fit by looking at the item on the rack.
Leigh said he liked to soak in a bubble bath and look at the pictures of Donna Mills he had in his bathroom to prepare for performances.
Last night, he performed Tanya Tucker's "Down to My Last Broken Heart" beardless in a strapless, red cocktail dress.
Yesterday afternoon, he had a full beard. Leigh said.
But Jennifer Anslay, Lawrence senior, said she thought female impersonators reduced women to sexual objects.
He has been a female impersonator for 10 years and has supported himself for two years with the job, Leigh said.
Women are constantly told by society how they are supposed to look and act. she said.
"Until we recognize oppression in all its forms, it's not going to stop," Ansley said. "To say it is just entertainment a cop-out."
Money for snow removal not included in budget
Kansan staff writer
By Jennifer Bach
Facilities operations has a $2.1 million a year budget for all maintenance work but nothing specifically allocated for snow removal
Although KU expects to plow campus snow every year, facilities operations and parking never sets aside money for the task before the snow falls.
Last year the department spent $62,213 clearing snow from campus streets alone.
"We don't struggle for the money," said Bob Porter, associate director of facilities and operations. "If the money runs short, someone always seems to replenish the stack."
The amount of money and time the University spends on clearing the streets, sidewalks, parking lots and building entry ways varies each year depending on weather conditions.
KU police informs the department if there are any slick areas that need to be plowed or salted, Porter said.
However, spending a lot of money clearing snow means other maintenance repairs might have to wait, he said.
"We may not be painting windows and laying down carpet because we are outside pushing us up."
"But it' s part of our normal work. We deal with whatever happens and get it done." He said.
Porter said facilities and operations would only place the streets if there were three inches spaced apart.
If the snowfall is more than three inches, a Laurence snow plowing contractor is hired to help.
Phil Endacott, associate director of housekeeping facilities, said the housekeeping crew cleared the snow from building steps and sidewalks. Jayhawk Boulevard and between buildings.
He said housekeeping's goal was to brush off all the snow from the steps before putting down any awning.
"If the snowfall is heavier than we expected, we may even have custodians outside sweeping." he
said.
Endacott said there was not enough equipment to clear snow as well as it should be cleared.
"We never have enough to keep up with all the snow," he said. "We just hope for a break and we will be safe."
Don Kearns, director of the parking department, said the department worked from the top of the hill to the bottom when clearing the parking lots.
The department does not clear the campus parking lots unless there is at least two and a half inches of snow, he said.
"We hope that people have tires good enough to get around in that much snow," Kearsan said.
Grad assistant seeks financing for publication on gay issues
By Rochelle Olson Kansan staff writer
When the current part-time graduate assistant for gay and lesbian concerns was working in Los Angeles, he helped establish a program for teen age prostitutes.
David Barney, the part-time graduate assistant for gay and lesbian concerns, said he now hoped that he could win a prize to bring a new publication to the University of Kansas.
"We submitted a grant application to the U. D. Department of Education to establish a student publication for gay, lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual students to write about gay-related topics." Barney said.
the grant Barney wants to win is for $200,000. The publication that the grant would finance would be disbanded at the end of spring and fall semesters.
Barnley said the publication would print poetry and other literature written by students about their experiences and their feelings.
He said there were a lot of possibilities.
"We are open to the idea of creative expression," Barney said. "I'm hoping the Department of Education will see the scholastic benefit."
Notification will be made in January about whether KU will be a finalist for the award.
Barney replaced Tom Emerson who left the position in September.
"I'd like to see a substantial amount of curriculum enhancement," Barney said.
Barney said he did not see a need for new courses. But he said he wanted to ensure that professors had the opportunity to share their wisdom and lesbian issues in their courses.
Barney has been at KU for twoyears and is working on his doctorate in social work. He earned a master's from San Diego State University in 1985.
He spent six years working in the justice systems in California and New Mexico as a uvenile advocate.
Barney said that he hoped his grant-writing skills would help program development for the gay, lesbian and bisexual community at KU.
Rob Taylor, co-director of Gay and Lesbian Services of Kansas, was on the committee that selected Barney for the position.
Taylor said that Barney had unique talents, especially grant writing.
"He seems like a bright, articulate man," Taylor said.
He said that Barney also had a lot of experience working with minority
American Indian women to speak as part of heritage month
By Rochelle Olson
Kansan staff writer
The Native American Student Association
scheduled the meeting during
Native American Heritage Month. KK
Cavely Smith, president of the association, said he hoped people would gain understanding and respect for American Indian culture this month.
The speakers will talk about aspects of their struggles as American Indian women in mainstream society.
"She has a lot of really good insight on where she stands as an American Indian woman, she's a natural."
Joy Harjo, professor of English at the University of New Mexico, will speak at 2:30 p.m. today at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union.
Luci Tapahonso, assistant professor of English, said Harjo was very well known and respected.
"These women are very respected and honored." Smith said.
Henrietta M., a professor at the University of Montana, will speak at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union about the importance of Native American
Harry will speak today about the process of writing and will answer students' questions, Tapansono said.
She said the focus of the month would be to educate students on campus about issues involving American Indians.
Barbara Cameron, co-founder of the Gay
American Indian Association, will speak at 7
n. Nov. 25 at Alderson.
Smith said he heard Cameron speak at a festival in San Francisco.
People left their booths and got out of the food lines to listen to her. he said.
She drew many people because of her dynamic speaking ability, Smith said.
He said activities were planned to incorporate many different tribes and raise awareness about the diversity of American Indian cultures.
A Haskell Indian Junior College group,
Apache Spirit Dancers, will perform a sacred dance at 12.30 p.m. Monday at the Kansas Union Ballroom.
Smith said the dancers represented the connection between the spirit and real worlds.
"When spirit dancers dance for you, it's sort of an honor," he said.
The dancers usually live in the mountains and bring the blessing from the heavens down to the rest of the tribe. Smith said.