UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, June 19, 1996
3A
ECM Basement becomes home sweet home
Six students share space, responsibilities as a community
By Emily Redmond Kansan staff writer
A group of five students calls the basement of a campus ministry building home sweet home.
Four women and one man live in the lower level of the Ecumenical Christian Ministries building, 1204 Oread Ave., in a community called "Koinonia."
Koinonia is a Greek word meaning fellowship.
"If the name of the community is not understood, there is no point," said Rev. Thad Holcombe, ECM director. "It means to empathize with others and to be in a community with others."
"Koinonia started so people could live in some sense of community, something that is difficult to experience in this culture," Holcombe said.
Established in 1964, Koinonia is located in an area that previously served as the pastor's living quarters.
Each semester, up to six people of different races, cultural and religious perspectives are chosen
to live in the community. Individuals hear about the community through word of mouth or advertisements in newspapers and must fill out a live-in application.
Members of the present community and two ECM board members, usually Holcombe and another student board member, review applications.
One of the most important qualities for an applicant is a willingness to respect other people and their ideas.
"It is so important that everyone is willing to respect others' beliefs because we are encouraged to openly explore them," said Heather LaBash, Oberlin senior.
"It doesn't always happen, but we are fortunate when it does," Holcombe said.
The biggest duty of the review board is to find students with diverse backgrounds.
This year people of different races, religions, majors and ages live together.
Six rooms are available in the living area. Every member of the community has a private room with a desk, a chest of drawers, a bed and a large closet. Two of the six rooms have adjoining bathrooms.
The bedrooms are down the hallway from a sitting area with three couches, a television and an upright piano.
room they get.
"In the past, people got their rooms through luck of the draw," said Ryan Boyd, Lee's Summit, Mo., senior. "This year we decided among ourselves."
Pam Dishman/KANSAN
Residents pay from $211 to $253 a month in rent depending on the
Yuchih Suh, Taiwan graduate student, washes dishes in the kitchen she shares with five people. Suh lives in the communal basement of Ecumenical Christian Ministries, where she has her own bedroom yet shares a common living space with her roommates.
Members are responsible for providing and cooking their own meals. But during the regular school year, Monday nights are reserved for covenant dinners. These dinners are prepared by a different person each week and consist of table worship, house business and an open forum. A house member is selected to guide each forum with predetermined questions.
The discussions focus on subjects that provide members with an opportunity to give their perspective on a topic. Respect at covenant meals is especially important.
"We talk about everything," LaBash said. "We need to respect other people's opinions because we are very open and liberal about many issues."
Attendance at Monday night dinners by all members of the community is mandatory. Group building, spiritual formation and conflict resolution are parts of living as a community. Moreover, all members must fulfill a requirement of an hour and a half of community service a week. Each individual is given an opportunity to work with Habitat for Humanity, the LINK kitchen, the Organization of Worship Services and other ECM-sponsored activities.
"It's just like living in a regular apartment," LaBash said. "There are no curfews, no resident assistants, no drugs allowed."
The biggest problem within the community is the phone situation. There is only one phone for the
five residents. But technology in the form of a digital answering machine saves everyone a lot of hassles.
"Sometimes the phone rings so much that we just let the machine pick it up. If the call is important,
the caller will leave a message," LaBash said.
"I lived on my own last year, and it was very lonely," LaBash said. "Here, people are really concerned about you. I know it sounds like the Brady Bunch, but it is so cool."
Rainfall causes buildings to shift
By Dave Breitenstein
Kansan staff writer
Gina Thornburt/KANSAN
This mudslide along Seventh and Florida Streets, caused by heavy rains, is causing concern for students who live near it.
As Lee Johnson enters his apartment, he shoves the door open. He looks out the window and sees an empty space where a hill once was — he knows his apartment could be the next thing to go.
A large mudslide on Seventh Street has caused concern for Johnson, Bartlesville, Okla., senior, and others who live in the area. The mud slide is less than 100 feet from Johnson's apartment on Seventh and Florida Streets. Heavy rain led to shifting buildings, which has Johnson worried about rain-related damages to his apartment.
"I haven't noticed anything drastic yet, but it has gotten worse," Johnson said.
The front door sticks sometimes, the shower door does not close properly and the closet door does not slide smoothly, he said. If the shifting gets worse, he may need to move into another apartment. Johnson said.
Other students have noticed slight changes in their apartments.
John Anders, Wichita junior, said he has had problems with his door not shutting completely.
His apartment at Ninth Street and Emery Road has shifted slightly, but he said there was little that could be done to stop minor movements from occurring.
"I'll watch the wall on Emery and
if it starts tilting again."
However, residents may have trouble getting out of a lease because they fear future shifting in their apartment.
Braxton Copley, staff attorney with Legal Services for Students, said tenants may find themselves in a legal battle with management if they try to get out of their lease.
still claim abandonment because he'd say that the defects in the house did not rise to such a level that it adversely affected your health," Cocley said.
"If there is substantial destruction of the property, such that it makes it uninhabitable, then the tenant has the right to get out."
"If you leave, the landlord can
Copley said tenants couldn't get out of their rental agreement just because they were worried the
building would become structurally unsafe. He suggested calling a building inspector to determine if conditions were dangerous.
However, according to the Kansas Residential and Landlord Tenant Act, a 14/30 notice states that if management breaches the contract, the tenant can move out in 30 days, unless the landlord corrects the problem within 14 days.
Rally welcomes Dole
Former senator's first campaign stop brings him to Kansas
By Chad Bettes
Kansan staff writer
OVERLAND PARK — About 1,000 people last Wednesday welcomed home former U.S. Senate majority leader Bob Dole at Black and Veatch Engineering's headquarters.
After 30 years in Congress, Dole retired to run for president.
Dole retired from his position of majority leader of the Senate after more than 30 years of service to run for president. He made Overland Park his first stop on the campaign trail.
Gov. Bill Graves introduced Dole to the crowd, which included his congressional replacement, Sheila Frahm and former U.S. Rep. Larry Winn, as well as state legislators and local elected officials.
In his speech, Dole thanked the people of Kansas for their support and outlined what he perceives to be the differences between himself and President Bill Clinton.
Dole said he would not allow U.S. troops to be led by United Nations' commanders. He also said he would sign bills to balance the budget and reforms welfare.
President Clinton has vetoed the Republicans' versions of these bills. "With his record, come Nov. 5, it's going to be Bill Clinton veted."
Dole said.
Dole accused President Clinton of being dishonest with Americans and of using Dole's ideas to sound conservative
"His promises destruct like the tapes on Miss i o n
Bob Dole
Impossible," he said. "It takes about five seconds for him to change his mind."
Dole also addressed issues such as lowering taxes, health care and appointing conservative judges.
Although the speech did not directly touch issues associated with younger voters, Johnson County Young Republican Chairwoman Mandy Santee said young adults could support Dole because he has had experience and could be trusted.
"This event was the perfect example of how young people can get involved in the political process," Santee said. "If you just put forth a little effort, you can have a real impact."
Dole did not directly mention his position on educational issues in his speech. State Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence, said she had been concerned with the stance of Washington on higher education, as many universities rely on some funding for the federal government.
"Regardless of who the president is, we need a strong concern for education," she said.