CAMPUS/AREA
University Daily Kansan/Monday, September 9.1991
3
Jewish students celebrate their New Year
By Rochelle Olson
Kansan staff writer
About 40 students gathered last night at the Hillel House, 940 Mississippi St., to eat dinner and celebrate Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.
COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA ROSH HASHAна, the Day of Judgment, began at sunset yesterday and will end at sunset tomorrow.
The holiday marks the beginning of a 10-day period of penitence and spiritual renewal that ends next week on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Jewish students who could not go home for Rosh Hashana were able to spend yesterday evening at the Hilliell House with friends observing holiday traditions.
Joe Bernstein. St. Louis sophomore, lives in the Hillel House and is observing the holiday away from his family for the first time.
Bernstein said his whole family usually got together for Rosh Hashana.
But the people he has met in the Hillel organization make it easier for him to be away from home during the holidays, he said.
"Hillel is kind of like a close-knit family," he said.
Students at the Hilell House last night ate the traditional hallah, a braided bread, and apple slices dipped in honey. They also ate matzo ballo (bread balls) filled with green beans, honey cakes and fruit cocktail.
The apples and honey signify sweetness for the new year. The oatmeal are circular to signify the life of the household.
Jenifer Marck, Elk Grove, III, sophomore,
said the apples in honey and the hallah were two
of her favorite things about Rosh Hashana.
She said that in her family they would say, "Bright and sunny, sweet as honey, may your new year be," as they ate the honey-dipped apple slices.
Sweetness is the theme for Rosh Hashana.
Lauren Bensman, Memphis, Tenn., junior,
bought candy for her roommates in observation
But Rosh Hashana is also a time when people look inward and reflect on the events of the past year. Bensman said.
"It is a new jump-off point where you can fix past mistakes and try to improve on things you didn't do well in the past year," Bensman said.
She said that people were supposed to clean the houses, she added the holiday to make everything new for the family.
Mark Addleman, Wichita junior and treasurer (or Hillet), said the focus of Rosh Hashana was to address the crisis.
During the 10 days of repentance before Yom
Kippur, people are opposed to ask forgiveness
and to punish them.
Jeff Kaitz, New Orleans freshman, said he tried to be more careful about his actions during the campaign.
Since he could not go home, he concentrated on other parts of the holiday, he said.
"I just remember the religious aspect and act
tribute to the coming of the new year," Katz said.
Many of the students do not attend class because they are observing the holiday.
Some of the students attended services together last night at the Lawrence Jewish Community Center, 917 Highland Drive, after the meal at the Hiliel House.
KJ students Sunday break hallah, bread symbolizing the cycle of life, during a Rosh Hashana celebration dinner at the Hillel House
Sharon Kendall (right), a Ponderosa Home resident, talks to Denise Selbee-Koch, Lawrence graduate student.
Residential homes provide care for mentally retarded
By Jennifer Bach Kansan staff writer
Community Living Opportunities, an Overland Park-based social services organization, has expanded to Lawrence and increased its involvement with KU students.
Since 1977, the organization and the KU department of human development and family life have worked together to help mentally retarded men and women live as independently and comfortably as possible.
James Sherman, professor of human development and president of the board of directors of the program, said the program had constructed seven new homes in Douglas County since January 1991.
The organization raised money for the houses through fund-raisers and so on.
Each of the homes, at various locations in the county, house eight-person apartments.
Sherman said the homes were an alternative for mentally retarded individuals whose families did not want them living in institutions.
"It's an overall sort of life-teaching
program," he said. "Everything we do is contented around teaching the clients."
He said more than 200 staff members worked with the men and women. The workers range from KU undergrad students to full-time staff members.
In each home, one staff member lives with the clients to help them lead more independent lives.
Sherman said the students helped the clients carry out day-to-day activities that they would not be able to participate without them. The students cooked out and going to the movies.
Mike Strose, executive director of Community Living Opportunities, has been involved with the organization since he was an Human Development and Family Life graduate student in 1979.
He said the number of students involved in the program had increased since then and that now 15 students were participating in the program.
"We try to encourage people who want to be full-time teachers," Strousse said. "We encourage students to apply who are in school so that the can gain
experience working with people. It gives them a chance to work with people who have a lot of great needs.
"It takes a great deal of energy and willingness to learn," he said. "It's been a tremendously positive experience for the clients to work with young people, and they prefer working with young people because of all their energy and patience."
Denise Selbee-Koch, Lawrence graduate student in social welfare, works at one of the organization's homes at 1253 E. 28th St. as a teaching counselor and case manager.
She said that participating in this program would be a great experience for all students, regardless of their major.
"I've developed some friendships here that I'll continue long after I leave. I feel like I've made an impact in these people's lives. It requires being both a teacher and a friend."
"It's really improving my teaching skills," she said. "They're a great group of people to know. Most people in society don't get to know retarded people or see them out and about like this.
Environmental conference provides students with new ideas
Members of the nation's largest student-led environmental group gather at K-State to learn new solutions to old problems
Kansan staffwriter
By Stephanie Patrick Kansan staff writer
Environmentalists from across the Midwest gathered at Kansas State University during the weekend for the second annual Student Environmental Action Coalition District Six Regional Conference.
The conference, sponsored by KU Environs and Southwind, a K-State environmental group, was a series of workshops for environmentalists.
Student Environmental Action Coalition is the largest student-led
environmental group in the country. It operates as a network for student environmental groups, said Paul Davidson, conference director.
About 200 people attended the two-day conference, which featured environmental experts from across the region. Three hundred to 500 people had been expected to attend.
He said organizers did not learn that they were to play host to the event until last June and that the conference staff was smaller than expected because of
Davidson blamed the low turnout on lack of preparation and bad timing.
"They already knew what they wanted to do. The conference helped them see how to get things done."
Paul Davidson, conference director the summer break.
Davidson said the organizers were not able to get information out to the public fast enough.
"Next year, we want to make sure everyone knows about it before they leave for semester break," Davidson said. "That way they can plan for $^{14}$
ahead of time."
Davidson said the coalition's national conference, scheduled for next month at the University of Colorado at Boulder, was also a factor.
Davidson said many people chose to go to the Colorado conference because speakers would be coming from all around the world.
Despite these problems, Davidson said he believed the conference was successful in providing inspiration and organizational ideas for student organizations.
"They already knew what they
wanted to do," he said. "The conference helped them see how to get things done."
Julie Hunley, Lawrence graduate student, said the conference provided her with an understanding of the extent of environmental problems.
She said she was particularly impressed with the commitment of the student environmentalists.
"I think what I was most impressed with was the diversity of people," Hunley said. "I guess one of my fears was that it would be just an excuse to socialize."
Patricia Marvin, Lawrence recycling coordinator, also was impressed with the students.
Marvin was one of the conference's speakers and said she was pleased that many of the students were already well-educated about the environment.
"They really stuck to business," Marvin said. "It was mainly students, and almost all took notes. They already had the first-level of knowledge. They wanted to know exactly what I was doing as recycling coordinator."
The School of Law and Business are pleased to present:
Professor Richard A. Epstein James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law University of Chicago In a public lecture entitled-
"Is The Market For Health Care Special"
September 10th,1991
6:00 p.m. Alderson Auditorium
Kansas Memorial Union
*Richard Epstein is the first of three eminent scholars to be brought to the University of Kansas this year under the auspices of the Koch Distinguished Professorship in Law and Economics. The Koch Professorship is made possible by a gift to the University from the Fred C. Koch Foundation of Wichita.