thursday, april 22, 2004
news
the university daily kansan
3A
Ballet offers 'eclectic mix'
Abhv Tillery/Kansan
By Dave Nobles
dnobles@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The University Dance Company will be spinning and leaping its way into a unique performance tonight at the Lied Center.
tough at the side. The concert is comprised of several individual performances and will feature the work of many choreographers.
William Whitener, artistic director of the Kansas City Ballet, will be guest choreographing a performance called Beat.
performers Becca Ramspott, Atlanta graduate student and public information officer for the School of Fine Arts, said Whitener's choreography would add a degree of elegance to the performance.
gance to the performance. along with the other acts, would bring a great deal of diversity to the event. Rampott said.
"The main thing with this concert is that it's exploring a lot of different cultures through the expressive movement of dance." Ramspott said. "It also gives students and the KU community a chance to take a break during a busy part of the year."
Another one of the choreographers is Patrick Suzeau, associate professor of dance at the University.
Suzeau co-choreographed Hombre Errante, which is performed a capella and set to Native American poetry from Peru.
American poet.
"The music is beautiful, the dancers are gorgeous," Suzeau said. "I just hope they like it."
Ellie Goudie-Averill (above) and Kathleen O'Connor, Topeka seniors, practiced last night in the Lied Center for Hombre Errante (Wandering Man). The performance is one of five by the University Dance Company showing tonight and tomorrow night in the Lied Center.
Suzeaul said that the company had been practicing the concert since the beginning of the semester.
since the beginning of our school.
Rachel Moses, Great Bend senior, is performing in three of the acts: My Aime Countrie, Happenstance and Beat.
Moses said the performances would appeal to a wide cross-section of the Lawrence community because of their diversity.
because it's an eclectic mix," Moses said. "I think that audiences will be pleased. I'm beyond excited."
Edited by Guillaume Doane
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Tickets for the University Dance Company's spring concert are on sale at the Lied Center, Murphy Hall and the SUA box office.
Cost: $5 for students and senior citizens, $7 for general admission.
Dates: Tonight and tomorrow, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Lied Center
Source: School of Fine Arts press release
KU officials reject idea to move up class times
By Steve Vockrodt svockrodt@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
While Duke University recently announced that it would start classes up to 45 minutes later than usual, University of Kansas officials said students should not hold their breath. The University could not adopt the plan even if it wanted to.
"There's not enough classroom space," said Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett, senior vice provost. "If we didn't start at 7:30 and end at 5:20, we wouldn't be able to maintain smaller class sizes. It's not even feasible."
It's not necessary McCluskey-Fawcett also said she doubted whether it would help students that much.
"I'd like to see data that says it helps performance," McCluskey-Fawcett said. "They're staying up late, but there's a way around that, and that's to go to bed earlier."
Since Duke's announcement, several news stories have indicated that the university delayed its start times to provide extra sleep for students. Duke officials say this is not the case.
"We changed the start date
from 8 to 8:30 or 8:45, depending if it is a 50-minute of 75-minute class, for one reason only: We found we could manage to do so, and we thought that it would help students just a teeny bit since more of them will be taking early classes than ever before," said Judith Ruderman, vice provost at Duke.
Duke. Duke implemented the plan after it was found that classes between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. were too crowded and more early classes were needed.
The plan's intention was partly to encourage students to enroll in classes earlier than 10 a.m.
Duke issued a press release that said the media confused a recent plan to start an individual wellness plan for first-year students with the recent announcement that classes would start later.
Both plans are unrelated, but were picked up at the same time.
Carole Guillaume, staff physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said the extra time could help certain students who don't get enough sleep.
get enough help.
"Would students benefit from an extra half-hour of sleep? The
answer is yes if they aren't getting enough sleep," Guillaume said.
She said college students typically need eight hours of sleep.
cally need eight Brad Carter, lecturer in Humanities and Western civilization, said he would not respect any initiative to start classes later.
"I consider it slightly patronizing to think students are unable or unwilling to learn at an unreasonable hour," Carter said, adding that student-athletes are often able to attend weight room and practice sessions at earlier times.
Carter explained that he implements a strict attendance policy, and therefore never has trouble getting his students to arrive to his 8 a.m. classes.
"I would be willing to teach a 7 o'clock class," Carter said. "6:30 would seem a bit early."
would seem Guillaume said the approach for the University should be focusing more on students getting sleep, instead of later start times.
"If KU would emphasize the importance of sleep, it would be beneficial for everyone," Guillaume said.
- Edited by Guillaume Doane
CAMPUS
Author,political artist shows artwork at Union
An author and political artist who has made the cover of The New Yorker and The Village Voice will present his artwork at the Kansas Room in the Kansas Union at 7 tonight. Eric Drooker, an award-winning artist, will display his art while singing and playing the harmonica.
land junior and co-president of University of Kansas Environs.
playing the middle ground "It's the middle ground between lecture and entertainment," said Joe Morgan, Good
Matt Rodriguez
Environs raised more than $2,500 to pay for booking Drooker. The Association of University Residence Halls, the Environmental Studies Program, Student Senate and Coca-Cola all contributed money toward the event.
Art critic, Lawrence native to visit Spencer
Roberta Smith, an art critic for The New York Times, is scheduled to present a lecture to students at the Spencer Museum of Art at 5:30 today.
The free lecture is titled Content Is a Glimpse: The Battle Over Meaning From De Koonig to Now.
Smith is originally from Lawrence, and presented a lecture at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo., last Sunday about museums, art and visual thought.
For more information about the lecture, call the Spencer Museum of Art at 864-0142.
Dave Nobles