4A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
FRIDAY. MAY 5, 2006
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STATE
First measles case of year hits Kansas
BY JOHN HANNA
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOPEKA — With Kansas already seeing an unusual outbreak of mumps, health officials confirmed the state's first cases of measles in more than five years.
The Department of Health and Environment announced Thursday that its lab had identified three measles cases in Harvey County, all in people under 21. County officials said they didn't know whether the three cases were related.
Charlie Nolberghall/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A nurse holds a vial of the measles-
nums-rubella vaccine. More of the
vaccine needs to be made now that
cases of the disease have resurfaced.
The last confirmed measles cases were in 2000, when two people had the disease. Children are supposed to get two doses of the MMR vaccine, against mumps, measles and rubella, one before they are 18 months old and a second before they enter school.
"It's very possible that we will see more cases because this is a contagious illness," said KDHE spokeswoman Sharon Watson. "Measles is much easier to transmit than mumps."
Watson said the department is still investigating whether the latest measles victims had received both MMR vaccines. As with the mumps outbreak, it's possible the measles victims were properly vaccinated.
"There is a small percentage of people who get vaccinated who do not respond to the vaccine," Watson said. "No vaccine is 100 percent effective."
As of Thursday, the state had 434 reported or probable mumps cases in 43 counties.
Typically, Kansas sees only a few mumps cases each year; there were none in 2005. The outbreak has been widespread in the Midwest, with Iowa reporting almost 1,500 cases this year as of Monday.
Institute
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One reason Kansas was chosen as a site was that China was the third-largest importer of Kansas products. Cohen said the Institute could provide relevant information on trade and economics for Kansans who wish to do business there.
The Confucius Institute will also support language teachers and provide standardized language testing for people. Tsutsui said the standardized Chinese language test helped employers judge an applicant's skills better.
The University was asked to be the site of the Institute when Chancellor Robert Hemenway went to Beijing on a courtesy
call to the ministry of education. Tsutsui said he thought Hemenway did an outstanding job of selling the University to the Chinese ministry after the initial offer.
Tsutsui is a Japanese expert, but was chosen as director because of his work on outreach. He said he has been working with Kindergarten through 12th-grade schools throughout the state, trying to establish more Asian-language programs. Right now, several Confucius Institutes exist in Europe, Africa and East Asia, but the Chinese government intends to have 100 sites when all is said and done. Forty of them will be in the United States.
Daldorph
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— Edited by Jodi Ann Holopirek
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"All right class, let's begin," he says calmly, as he adjusts his thin-framed glasses. Daldorph's subtle English accent closes the room, even more apparent when he utters the words "heart" or "car." As he speaks, the inmates are listening intently to everything he mentions.
The 17 inmates are sitting in a circle, dressed in their oversized, baggy jumpsuits. Orange, blue, white, the colors represent the security pods where each of the inmates dwell — inmate workers, minimum and medium.
Yellow and white identification bracelets dangle loosely from their wrists. The inmates defy all stereotypes within the prison system, with representatives from all ages and races. In his class, the inmates are not bound or restrained and allowed to move around in the room.
Daldorph recognizes the importance of the poetry class for his jailed students. "For many of the students, their incarceration is a time when they have to slow down and think about their lives. Jail time does give them the opportunity for this," Daldorph says. "Artistic expression, whether in writing, painting, song, or any other way, is often a vital way for them to come to terms with their lives, and to give a voice to their experience."
Daldorph says he got "hooked" after he substituted for the previous teacher a few times and began teaching full-time at the jail in 2001. For students, the creative writing class is a welcome distraction from their cramped jail cells and legal troubles.
Brian, an inmate in his early 20s who is serving time for robbery, says that the class is something to look forward to and that it removes the stresses and worries of doing time.
"All we have is time in here," Brian says, "time to think about getting out. And when we have this class, you stop thinking about it, at least for a little while."
The writing forum has a few parameters: No excessive use of profanities, and limited references to drugs, alcohol and violence. Those limits are tested but most students recognize when they are pushing the envelope.
Michael Caron, programs director at the Douglas County Jail, says that the poetry class is very popular with inmates because Daldorph never lectures, or corrects. Rather, he places the students at his level and never puts himself above them.
"Brian conveys a real passion for what he is doing. Everyone knows that he is here because poetry matters," Caron says.
The class begins with students reading poems that they wrote from the last week for 20 minutes.
"The wealth of exceptional poetry and prose keeps accumulating. He calls himself a facilitator, but at the bottom he is a wonderful teacher."
The second segment of the class consists of the students writing for about 15 minutes. Daldorph scribbles a number of topics on the blackboard for the inmates to use as fuel for their writing engines, but students are not required to use the subject matter. Today, random words such as "Cadillac," "amputate," "elephant" and "window" are on the blackboard.
Class in a jail
Johnny Cash's "I don't know where I'm bound" plays quietly in the room, as students calmly compose new poems. Students spend the third and final segment of the class reading more of their poetry.
Students share their poems with each other. A handful of them dominate the class by sharing four or five poems at a time. Others share only one poem and the circle quietly moves along. After the class has finished reading, students offer reflections on the class session.
James, the slightly overweight elder statesman of the class in his mid-50s, is eager to talk. Gesturing with two forearms covered with numerous tattoos, he says, "The public is not aware that many of us are going to be their neighbors. How we come out of a place like this could be for better or for worse. This program lets you write and reflect on yourself and hopefully you will not repeat those same mistakes."
James says the program helps students realize their mistakes and lets them vent rather than dwell on their current situation.
The class ends and students return to their security pods and confinement. They will have time to collect their thoughts and expressions for next Thursday's class.
Daldorph says he understands how unique the class is and he marvels at the work of some of the students. He's taught in different countries with different types of students, but he says teaching at the jail is "the real prize of my collection."
"I love the raw energy of the class and the dedication of some of the students," he says. "The class can be used as a positive in their lives that often knows little but negativity."
Marathons, soccer and books
Daldorph grew up in Yorkshire, England, where his dad was a road engineer and his
Marathons, soccer and books
mother a housewife. He was the youngest of three siblings and the teaching bug infected his two older sisters as well. Christine and Helen both teach middle school in England.
Daldorph says some of his fondest memories are going to work with his dad, hanging out at the beach on holidays and playing soccer.
As a youngster, Daldorph loved to swim, and the "breathtaking" views of the sea near his home have always fascinated him.
Growing up as an avid Manchester United soccer fan, Daldorph would often make the one-hour trip to London to see his favorite team. He grew up playing soccer, day and night.
Soccer still plays an integral part in his life. His youngest daughter, Lucy, plays soccer at Central Junior High in Lawrence. Daldorph also plays. But for "a complete break from academia," he loves to go running. The average four- or five-mile run down the street from his house is usually enough to keep Daldorph content. But every now and then he will go an extra mile or 26. He has competed in the Boston Marathon three times.
"It's great because most people will never play in the Super Bowl or a big sporting event," he says. "I ran in one of the best races in the world with some of the best runners in the world."
Daldorph attended college in England, but ended up teaching in the United States. He says he loves the energy of American culture.
He once contemplated careers in law and journalism, but poetry and teaching became his calling.
Daldorph has written three books of poems, "The Holocaust and Hiroshima Poems," "Outcasts" and his latest offering, "Senegal Blues," in 2003. He loves writing books, but at times, he craves a quicker response for his work. It might take two or three years to get a response from a book project.
"With journalism or performing a concert, you get that immediate impact," he says. "I wish writing a book could have that instant reaction."
His poetry has transported Daldorph throughout the world, including pit stops in Japan, Africa and much of Europe. Byron Caminero-Santangelo, director of English graduate studies, who traveled with Daldorp to Zambia, called Daldorph an amazing teacher, father and friend.
"He is a dedicated and imaginative teacher, who is committed to his poetry," Santangelo says. "He can push students to do their best work."
Daldorph is driven by his passion for poetry and the power of the spoken word — its ability to
convey emotional, funny or sad messages through a simple line of writing.
Lauren Grieb, Lenena junior and student in his Poetry Writing I class, calls Daldorph the most thoughtful professor she had ever encountered.
"His passion is unmatched by any teacher I have ever had. I've never seen someone work so hard to bring out the potential in students," she says. "He goes above and beyond for his students."
Daldorph's favorite part of teaching is when he has a student who isn't quite sure what they are doing in the class. The student sits through class after class with looks of disinterest and apathy. Then, similar to the old cartoon, the light switch goes on.
"Suddenly about halfway during the course, he starts figuring it out and poetry becomes interesting to him." Daldorph says. "He starts writing poems from the heart and can do some really remarkable work."
Back at home
After a long day of being a teacher and volunteer, Daldorph enters the third phase of his life. He returns home to be with the two most important people in his life, his daughters Brenna and Lucy. Both of them share their father's passion for reading, writing, poetry and soccer.
Brenna and Lucy also share their father's love for England, and the family looks forward to making the trip across the pond twice a year. Daldorph's eyes glow and he exudes a subdued excitement when he talks about England, almost as if he recognizes it as his secret James Bond double-agent life.
"I feel like I have two countries. I miss England, but my family and I visit twice a year," he says. "It's important because we have family members and friends out there and I want my daughters to know England." But he also calls the United States his home.
At his Lawrence home, Daldorph lays his backpack on the floor, flops onto his couch and unwinds from the day by listening to music from Bob Dylan and Ray LaMontagne. Another day in the books, literally and figuratively, Daldorph is already preparing another lesson plan for his students at the jail. He realizes the benefits of the class, but also knows the class cannot solve all of the inmates' problems.
"The same faces show up in my class again and again. I think that the writing class and other learning opportunities at the jail show the inmates' better ways," Daldorph says. "But they have to choose to make use of them."
Roommates stuck to the couch?
Kansan Classifieds
· Find them a job. · Find new roommates. · Sell the couch.
Edited by John Jordan