THE UNIVERSITY D KANSAN
VOL.101.NO.28
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 2,1991
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Fulcher issue sparks look at KU's past
Kansan staff writer
By Rochelle Olson Kansan staff writer
Reggie Robinson has a unique perspective on recent issues involving student body president Darren Fulcher.
Robinson, associate professor of law, was elected KU student body vice president in 1978. He attended law school at the University of Kansas and joined the faculty in 1988. He also is African-American.
Nothing was made of his race when he was elected student body vice president, he said. The campaign platform oriented and not particularly politicized
"Our concept was" Give students tangible things for their student activity<sup>[1]</sup>
But he said that he thought recent events also could have happened in
Fulcher was charged with battering
his ex-girlfriend, a KU student, during a domestic dispute in February, according to Lawrence police and courtreports.
The incident has sparked heated debate in the Student Senate and ignited rallies and protests by several groups on campus.
Minority students at KU are more politically active today than they were in the past.
"There was not the level of student activism that there is now," he said.
Robinson served on the Human Relations Committee before he was elected body vice president. He said that although racial tensions would dominate the campus, events would focus and use focus attention on problems.
He remembers hearing a complaint from an African-American woman who thought she had no chance of joining a sorority because of her race.
informal comments people heard during the rush process." Robinson said.
*Her perceptions were validated by
He said committee members spoke to fraternity and sorority representatives to sensitize them and inform them that they would not exclude people on the basis of race.
But to understand how KU has changed, one must look at minority students' backgrounds, he said.
Robinson said that he was comfortable at KU because he had been an Army brat who had attended integrated schools.
However, students who are minorities and come from neighborhoods that are not predominantly white have a different experience when they arrive on campus, he said.
Robinson said he did not think conditions for those students had changed significantly.
David Amber, vice chancellor for student affairs, said the changes that had occurred were subtle.
"I believe we are making progress," he said. "The manner in which a lot of students have responded to the last incident gives me some hope that people are examining their own prejuvenile and working on eliminating them."
Ambler arrived at KU in the summer of 1977.
"I think that in the mid '70s when Reggieg was vice president, we had kind of slipped back into a mood of complacency." Ambria said.
He said that the late '70s were a period of calm after the monumental civil-rights changes of the '60s and the storm of protests in the early '70s.
But he said that if a similar incident such as the one involving Fulcher had occurred in 1978, it could have sparked protests.
Ambler said he thought that students had acted in mature, sophisticated ways in dealing with the Fulcher issue and had not used race and gender
to attack each other.
"I am not sure we would have been that sophisticated then," he said.
Sam Adams, associate professor of Sam Adams, has been at KU since 1971.
He said that it would be appropriate to think about how the University had changed since 1970 when the Black Student Union threw $8,000 worth of *University Daily Kansans* in Potter Lake.
Recently a group of predominantly African-American students dumped about 1,000 Kansasans in the newsroom
He said that when the students came to the newsroom, it meant they were comfortable that they could communicate with the Kansan.
The difference in styles signifies a difference in thought, Agdas said.
Adams said that in 1978, nothing was made of Robinson being elected student body vice president.
"The office is no big deal," Adams said. "Blacks are not unaccustomed to
being named vice of things."
But Adams said he was surprised when Darren Fulcher was elected student body president last spring.
He said recent issues surrounding Fulcher could have happened in 1978 if the individuals involved were similar. Values in 1991 are close to what they were then.
Change comes slowly, he said.
"The negative fallout won't be overcome soon," Adams said. "It's so easy to build the negatives and so hard to develop the positives."
Alan Lichter, associate professor of English who has been at the University for 20 years, said the campus still wasacrist.
SenEx proposes multipurpose hall be made in Hoch
"Blacks are still separated from the rest of the campus," he said.
But enough changes have occurred in terms of attitude and awareness to make an African-American presidency possible, he said.
By Alexander Bloemhof Kansan staff writer
The University Senate Executive Committee yesterday recommended that a large multipurpose auditorium be built with plans for rebuilding Hoch Auditorium.
SenEx passed the recommendation as a resolution, which will be sent to the Hoch Auditorium Renovation Committee.
The resolution was submitted by Greg Hughes, vice chairperson and student representative to SenEx.
Hughes said the purpose of the resolution was to put on the record that faculty and students supported a multi-purpose auditorium.
"Years from now, when the construction work on Hoch starts, the students who supported this will be gone," Hughes said. "This way, students will feel that students and faculty support their multipurpose auditorium at the time."
According to the resolution, the auditorium should provide space for 2,000 people for concerts, lectures, performances, and programs such RockChalk Revue.
Alexis Dillard, Wichita senior and vice president for administrative affairs for Student Union Activities, students on the renovation committee.
He said he had asked Hughes to submit the resolution because he thought that student needs were not adequately addressed in the committee's plan.
"The proposal by the committee is polarized between academic and professional needs are only a minimal part of the proposal. It certainly not a priority."
The committee, which was formed in 1987, is outlining how a rebuilt Hoch should be used and roughly allocating
The plan will be submitted by the chancellor to the Board of Regents. The Regents approve the plan, it will go to the Kansas Legislature.
The plan provides for one 1,000-seat lecture hall and two 500-seat lecture halls.
Dillard said that because the building had burned, there was more flexibility for changes.
space for those uses
The resolution recommendation Hoch Auditorium contain, as one of its functional requirements, a 2,000-seat multipurpose auditorium that can be divided into a 1,000-seat lecture hall and two 500-seat lecture halls.
Dillard said that the resolution, unlike the plan, would provide space for both academic use and large campus events.
Until Hoch is rebuilt, there will be no satisfying alternatives. Sixty-five percent of last year's events at Hoch required an auditorium that seated a large enough number of the available rooms are large enough to accommodate such events, he said.
"Right now, the campus is definitely going to be limited and is going to be in the forseeable future." Dillard said
He said that the Kansas Union Ballroom was the largest room for regular use by SU A and that it could accommodate only about 800 people.
Even the Lied Center, scheduled to be finished in 1993, will not provide a solution because it will be a performing arts center. Dillard said.
"You could do anything at Hoch, from Rock Chalk to simple lectures," Dillard said. "At the Lied Center, the concert series will have priority."
Even if the 2,000-seat auditorium would be built, there would be significantly fewer seats than in the old Hoche that had 3,059 seats available, he said.
Soviets to take nuclear weapons off alert status
MOSCOW — The Soviet Union will remove its strategic nuclear weapons from alert status and may make unilateral cuts in short-range weapon similar U.S. plans. Resident Mikhail Gorbunov.
The Associated Press
President Bush 's announcement of unilateral cuts offered a "historic chance for a new breakthrough in
Mikhail Gorbachev
representative said yesterday
nuclear disarmament," Andree Grachev, Gorbachev's representa tive said.
Graceche the Soviet Union has decided to begin removing from alert status the intercontinental ballistic missiles covered by a Soviet-U.S. treaty signed in July during a summit meeting in
He said Gorbachev had instructed government officials to clarify certain points of the U.S. proposals and set up a special group to maintain contact with the U.S. government.
Bush announced Friday night that the U.S. would eliminate all its ground-launched, short-range nuclear weapons; withdraw all tactical nuclear arms from U.S. ships; take strategic bombers off alert; and cancel the development of the mobile MX missile.
When a reply is formulated, he said, "We hope this answer will be a specific one that will be comparable to the initiatives put forward by the United States, and we would like to hope that it would contain a number of corresponding initiatives and proposals."
Moscow
Gorbachev, so far, has not given any specific answers to Bush's sweeping suggestions, and Gracheva said he was aware that the international community was waiting for a Soviet response.
Fresh fillet
After a day of patience, good weather and good bait, Rich Muller, Fairway senior, and Daren Carney, Stilwell senior, filet the five $ 2^{1/2} $ pound fish that they caught at a farm pond near Eudora. The two architecture students and a third friend spent yesterday afternoon fishing to relieve stress after a few days of project deadlines and tests.
KU club gives Dr. Seuss a warm farewell
Students remember his literary talents
By Stephanie Patrick
Kansan staff write
Dr. Seuss, who prescribed large doses of rhymes to teach children to love reading, was remembered yes, here, some of the grown children he inspired.
Members of the KU Dr. Seuss Club conducted a memorial service at the Malott Room in the Kansas Union to honor the author best known for the books "Cat in the Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham."
The author, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, died Sept. 24 at the age of 87.
Holly Eastman, Topeka junior, reads from Dr. Seuss' first book at a memorial service held in his honor.
About 25 people listened as members read four books, including "The Lorax." The story was Dr. Seuss' poem about a girl named Billyin. In the club and Bullyn, Mo., senior.
"We felt the club should do something in his memory, because he inspired our club through his literature and ideals." he said.
Members of the club had corresponded with Dr. Seuss for a year.
The club has a letter from Dr. Seuss that endorses the club. It is framed and brought to all club meetings.
Hesse said Dr. Seuss believed in teaching children to read by making
For audience member Stacy Dunkin, Tulsa, Okla., sophomore, the reading brought back memories.
"It was a chance to escape a little and get back to when you were a child."
Dunkin said
Dunkin also sign the note that will
address to Dr. Gaethes, Dr. Seuss
"I enjoyed her husband's work quite a bit," Dunkin said. "I thought I'd let her know it."
After reading three books. club
Robynn Evert, Lenexa sophomore,
said the group reading was the best
part.
members asked the audience to join them in reading Dr. Seuss' last book, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"
"I'm very glad I came." she said. "It
was very touching."
In the book Dr. Seuss wrote, "So ... Be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Modecla All Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So ... get on your way!"