University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, July 20, 1988
Campus/Area
3
City officials to visit France
Lawrence to pursue town of Chamalieres in quest of sister city
Mayor Bob Schumm and City Commissioner Sandy Praeger will present this plaque with the key to the city and a Lawrence map printed on brass to Claude Wolfe, the mayor of Chamalieres, France. The plaque was created by Lawrence artists Jim Connelly and Ron Hinton.
By Karen Boring
Kansan staff writer
Mayor Bob Schumm, City Commissioner Sandra Praeger and their spouses will fill their luggage with cloth Jayhawk lapel stickers, Independence Days T-shirts and half a dozen Kansas steaks before leaving Sunday for Camalières, France, to pursue Lawrence's first sister-city relationship.
Carol Shankel, chairman of the Sister Cities Advisory Board, told the Lawrence City Commission on June 28 that the city of Chamalieres had invited a delegation from Lawrence to come to France during the last week of July to discuss a sister-city relationship. The commission unanimously voted to send Schumm and Praeger. Praeger was mayor in 1986 when efforts to pursue a sister city for Lawrence began.
Chamaliieres, a city of about 25,000, adjoins the larger city of Clermont-Ferrand. The University of Kansas has had a student exchange program with the Universite de Clermont-Ferrand for 30 years, said George Woodyard, associate vice chancellor for interdisciplinary research at Valley back and forth between Lawrence and Clermont-Ferrand by academic organizers inspired the sister-city relationship between Lawrence and Chamalières.
The Sister Cities Advisory Board, appointed by the Lawrence City Commission in summer 1987 to explore potential sister cities, met Thursday with Schumm and Praeger to discuss the details of the trip to Chamaliieres.
"What I would like you to do is take lots of slides and show them at the library for the public," Shankel said.
Shankel is managing editor of publications at the Spencer Museum of Art.
The board is not sure whether the officials of Chamalieres are expecting to sign a formal agreement when the Lawrence delegation arrives, because any sister-city relationship that Chamalieres makes has to be approved by its other sister city, Gerstried, West Germany, and voted on by their 33-member city council, Woodward said.
to take on a trip so that the formal sign-
ing is next week in France if Ghalialera is ready.
Shankel and Praeger will draft an agreement
Praeger and Schumm commissioned local artists Jim Connelly and Ron Hinton to design a new key to the city that they could present to the mayor of Chamalières, Claude Wolfe.
Connelly and Hinton crafted a black plaque in a brass frame with an aerial photograph of Lawrence on bronze and a shiny silver silver key whose latch spells "Lawrence."
"What is so nice about this key," Praeger said, "is that it is a collaborative effort of two of our local artists. It shows we care about the arts here in Lawrence."
Woodyard took a tour of Chamaiieres in May when he went to France to work on the KU exposition.
While there, he gave souvenirs to the people of Chamalieres, including KU championship T-shirts, a "Kansas in Color" book of photographs, a Lawrence High School yearbook and lots of
Javhawk decals, pens and pencils.
"Sister-city relationships come in all stripes." Woodyard said. Chamalieries is active in its relationship to Geretriesd, West Germany, with sports teams and arts program exchanges.
"We could have ten sister cities if we could support that much action," Shankel said. "I'd like to see us get some really good projects away with Chamaliaries before we add any others."
The Sister Cities Advisory Board will meet at 7 p.m. on Aug. 15 at City Hall, Sixth and Massachusetts streets, to hear a report from Chalmers, Praeger and to see pictures of Chamaliers.
The board is open to other sister city possibilities.
"We have a commitment with the City Commission to work on a liaison with a Japanese
Shankel plans to make some contacts when she visits Japan in the fall.
Friends try to cope after boy's murder
By Paula Messbarger
Kansan staff writer
'They talked about Richard Settle-
myre in the nast tense.
"He was so gentle," said Donna Dicker, the first-grade teacher at Grant Elementary School, trying to hold back tears. "He loved these birds we had at school so much, but he was so concerned about why the mother bird never came back for her babies. He always asked me about why the mother would not come back."
About 30 students, parents and Grant staff members met in the library of the school, Route 3, last night and told their memories of a 9-year-old who would never start the third grade.
Settlemy's body was found Thursday, floating near the west bank of the Kansas River north of Burcham Park. The coroner's preliminary report said the boy died because major blood vessels in his throat had been severed. John William, 27, listed in court records as a transient, was charged with first-degree murder Friday.
"I remember Richard as a little towheaded kid with a mischievous smile," said Donna Swall, the school's social worker. "He could really test his teachers from time to time, but not too much, and oh, how he loved to fish."
Jane Drinnon, secretary at Grant, told about Richard's politeness in the school lunch room.
"No matter what was served for lunch, he would always thank Rosie Fowler, school cook) for what he had done," he said. "He was so appreciative."
While parents and teachers recounted memories of the boy, the children in the room remained silent. Jennifer Guy, who would have written this book with the member with Settlemyre, sat motionless as tears streamed from her eyes.
"My sister just cries for a little bit," said Jennifer's 12-year-old sister, Nikki. "She'll be OK after a little while."
Sail said to the meeting's purpose to learn to deal with the boy's death.
"We are here for grieving the loss of a friend and comforting each other regarding that loss and to decide what can do to remember him." she said.
After about an hour, one teacher suggested that the adults leave the room so that the children would feel more at ease to talk about how they were treated. The teacher said afterward that they were able to talk about their anger and fear.
According to official statements, Settlemire was last seen July 12 when he left to go fishing at the river. His mother, Sue Ann Settlemire, reported him missing to the Lawrence police Thursday.
District Attorney Jim Flory said a search party of about 40 officers from several law enforcement agencies found the boy at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Flory said members of Settlemyre's family gave police William's name, and police found him Friday morning in north Lawrence near the intersection where he met whether there was any relationship between the family and William.
William was arraigned July 15, and Douglas County District Court Judge Jeane Shepperd said because it was a "particularly vicious crime," the bond would be set at $1 million. The judge appointed to represent William. A preliminary hearing set for July 18 was continued until Aug. 3.
While the investigation proceeds, those who knew Richard Settlemyre must continue dealing with what has happened. Gary Haworth, principal of Grant, said the meeting last night was the first step and later on the school may plan other activities to deal with the death.
Headquarters Inc. always open to help in personal crises
By Carla Krause
Kansan staff writer
The doors of Headquarters Inc., the crisis-counseling center in downtown Lawrence, opened 18 and a half years ago, and since then, they've never closed.
Mike Harnish, administrative assistant at Headquarters, said that because the center was open 24 hours when it has been open since December 1969.
"As far as I know, we're the oldest continually operating phone and walk-in counseling center in the country." Harnish said.
Headquarters is a general crisis center that provides help for people wanting a referral or counseling for problems ranging from loneliness and depression to suicide attempts.
Sue Schellie/KANSAN
The center, at 1419 Massachusetts SK., was originally a drug crisis center, providing counseling and information about illegal drugs.
Harnish said only about 5 percent of the center's contacts were drug-related, and the staff was trying to erase the drug-counseling image.
"Old images and stereotypes die hard," Harnish said. "When people hear Headquarters, they automatically think, 'Oh, that drug place.'"
Harnish said the first thing the staff was trained to do when a person in immediate danger called, such as a suicide caller, was to determine how dangerous the situation was.
Gay, a member of the Headquarters Inc. staff, listens to a caller. Headquarters Inc., 1419 Massachusetts St., has been open 24 hours a day since December 1969 for walk-in and phone counseling.
The staff member may then take steps to ensure the person's safety by calling the police, the hospital or another crisis agency.
When a battered woman calls the center, a staff member will make sure she is out of immediate danger and then may advise her to come to the center. There she will meet a staff member from the Women's Transitional Care Service, the battered women's shelter at an undisclosed location in Lawrence. The location is kept secret to ensure the women's safety. If that staff member thinks the situation is appropriate, the two women will leave for the shelter together.
Although all staff members are trained to deal with such situations, the staff encourages callers to talk to an agency dealing with the caller's specific problem.
Harnish, 38, has worked at the center for nine years, and until two years ago, also was working at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in Lawrence. He said he began working at Headquarters when he learned two of his hometown friends had committed suicide.
"I had toyed with the idea of working there for a long time," Harnish said. "I guess their deaths shook me off my ambivalence."
Harnish said between 50 and 60 staff members, mostly students, donated their time to the center, and that their backgrounds were as diverse as their reasons for working there.
"Understandably, there are students in psychology, social work and counseling who work here because they need the experience." Harnish said. "Some people have had a lot of tough life experiences and have weathered a lot of storms. At critical times in their lives they may have had someone there to help them, and now they want to do the same for someone else. Others just want to feel like they're being helpful."
Ethan Smith, Lawrence city treasurer from 1965 to 1987 and administrative aide in the city personnel office, has been working at Headquarters for six years. He said he became interested in the program after attending an informational meeting.
"I think you really have to be the kind of person who really likes working with people to work there, and the people there are that type." Smith said.
Harnish said anonymity, strict confidentiality and unlimited counseling time were three of the most important qualities of the center.
"We let people using our services "we when to hang up," he said. "XaXe"
Harnish said the longest call lasted 10 hours.
"After you get a call like that," Harnish said, "you really feel like you have to call Headquarters yourself and just unload on someone else."
Harnish said the number of contacts the center made had increased drastically the past three years, from about 700 a month in 1985 to more than 1,000 each month this year. The number of crashes also has risen since it opened, from 33 a month to 63 each month since January.
Student Senate helps finance the center because a large number of KU students live there.
Harnish attributed this to the growing number of homeless families and to increased awareness about the center.
He said the center received about two-thirds of its funding from the United Way and about $14,400 from the University of Kansas Student Senate. The 1988 budget was between $50,000 and $55,000, which provides salaries for the director, assistant director and administrative assistant, as well as paying for advertising, rent, utilities and supplies.
Before working at the center, each staff member is screened and required to go through 80 to 90 hours
Director Marcia Epstein said the training involved observing how other people handle crisis situations, practicing skills such as listening through role-playing, hearing presentations from different agencies in town and becoming familiar with the center's resources.
Staff members immediately address the practical as well as the emotional needs of crashes by providing employment and lodging information
During the sessions, the staff members practice and demonstrate two of the most important counseling skills required to work at the center: being non-judgmental and being a good listener.
Harnish said about one-fourth of the clients walk in, including crashes, who have no place to stay in their homes. The group short-term emergency lodging.
"We deal with every issue you can imagine ... drug use, sexuality of all kinds, and religion," Harnish said. "Part of the purpose of role playing is to get people to get in touch with how they feel about certain issues. We expect that you have your own opinions on every issue, but you need to be able to give people the information they want."
Harnish said 10 to 15 volunteers are in each training session, which are held in January, June and September.
Harnish said a closeness formed among the volunteers during training sessions when people opened up and talked about their own problems.
"Of course, we have some disagreements and personality conflicts," Harnish said. "But overall there is a close, airy atmosphere."
of training over a six- to eight-week period.
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