Campus/Area
University Daily Kansan / Thursday, March 31, 1988
3
KU to study racial issues Minority task force will meet on April 7
By Rebecca J. Cisek Kansan staff writer
The Minority Issues Task Force will review the actions that campus organizations are taking on minority issues, a University of Kansas administrator said yesterday.
The task force was originally proposed Feb. 17 by Chancellor Gene A. Budig in response to concerns of the university comms visit by the Kwu Klux Klan.
Judith Ramaley, executive vice chancellor and chairman of the task force, yesterday announced the creation of the 22-member force, which will meet for the first time April 7.
Ramaley said the task force would not do an in-depth study of minority concerns. Instead, it will act as an audit team to examine the effectiveness of the programs on campus.
A surprising number of groups on campus deal with minority concerns, Ramaley said. Among these are college students, student and governance groups.
"There is a lot of activity on campus," she said. "Part of our job is to figure out what it is."
Subcommittees within the task force will focus on at least four areas:
- Reviews of previous task forces and committees;
- Discussions with heads of departments and governance committees that deal with minority concerns;
- Discussions with student groups
that deal with minority concerns;
■ Examination of recruitment and retention of minority faculty and staff.
Jason Krakow, student body president, said the task force would provide the opportunity for discussion of minority issues.
Krakow said students could take classes on different cultures, but integration really didn't occur at KU.
Marshall Jackson, assistant direc-
tors of admissions wants the task
form to be completed.
"We need to create a better atmosphere for minority students on campus and for the minority community in general." he said.
Mohamed El Hodiri, professor of
W,
We need to create a better atmosphere for minority students on campus and for the minority community in general.'
- Marshall Jackson assistant director of admissions
economics and research associate in the Institute of Public Policy and Business Research, said he hoped KU would take a more positive attitude toward recruitment and retention of minority faculty and students.
"We should take an active rather than a protective approach," he said.
He said the policies of many universities focused on avoidance of breaking laws regarding minorities.
Members of the task force are:
Ramaley; EI Hodiri; Suzanne Collins, assistant to the dean of education;
Rosita Dorsey, director of minority affairs; Henry Gentry,
Kansas City, Mo., junior; David J. Gottlieb, professor of law; Edith Guffey, assistant to the director of student records; Charlotte Gunawardena, Sri Lanka, graduate student;
Carla Hanson, KU police officer;
Dewayne Hickman, Kansas City, Kan., senior; and N. Ray Hiner, professor of history and educational policy and administration.
Also, Hobart Jackson, professor of architecture and urban design; Marshall Jackson; Krakow; Sadye Logan, associate professor of social welfare; Mary Padilla, Overland Park senior; Clarence Rayton, equipment operator in facilities operations; Reggie Robinson, alumnus and lecturer in law; Elizabeth Schultz, Chancellors Club teaching professor of English; Robbie Jean Steward, assistant professor of counseling psychology; Norman R. Yetman, professor and chairman of American Studies; and Edward Zammaripa, associate director for administration in the Bureau of Child Research.
'Coke is it' for residents of Templin Hall
Craig Goscha, Sharon Springs sophomore, puts the finishing touches on a Coca-Cola painting.
Mick McVey wanted to paint a mural of Coke cans on the fourth floor of Templin Hall just for the fun of it, but the residence halls' interior designer was slow to catch the wave.
By Kim Lightle
Kansan staff writer
McVey, Overland Park sophmore, and several other floor members came up with the new design after they decided that the three-year-old brown and gold designs were more careful consideration of five designs, the residents unanimously decided Coke was it.
The project should be completed in about two weeks, said George Robinson, fourth floor resident assistant. McVey and about 15 other residents have spent their weekends and spare time working on the mural.
But they had no idea when they came up with their proposal that it would be received so unfavorably by Carol von Tersch, coordinator of planned hall improvements, who had to approve the change.
MeVey said von Tersch was concerned that people would write graffiti all over the new design.
Von Tersch also was concerned about the use of Coke's trademark and told McVey he needed to get back in line with the company before she would approve the plan.
After McVey wrote a letter to Coca-Cola and got approval for the designs, von Tersch still was reluctant to approve the design. She was worried that it might look like an endorsement, causing the University of Kansas legal problems.
Von Tersch said, "I really didn't feel the commercialism was appropriate. I still don't."
McVey then called Vickie Thomas, the University's general counsel, to get the University's approval for the design.
"She said that it was OK as long as KU doesn't promote it." he said.
But McVey had to go to the Association of University Residence Halls to get consent and finally to Ken Stoner, director of student housing, before he got the design approved.
"I was very upset at the attitude me, von Tersch had toward the design." McVey said. "She was doing her job, but she should have made her objections all at the same time. It would have saved me a lot of time."
Von Tersch said she had looked at the work the floor members had completed and thought they had made a good effort, although she didn't approve of the content.
Robinson said he was surprised that the idea didn't fizzle out after facing so much opposition. He credited McVey for getting the project approved.
"It was a pretty tedious process," he said. "I was surprised. He kept plugging away. Most residents would have given up."
MeVey said that although he didn't plan to live in Templin next year, he didn't want to give up on the design. He thought the new design would improve the hall's image.
Theater company to voice black actors' views
"When freshmen move into the hall, they kind of look around and say, 'Great, I get to live here for a year.'" he said.
Mcvey hopes freshmen who move onto the floor next year will see the Coke design and smile.
By Kevin Dilmore
Kansan staff writer
A black theater company may soon find a home on campus under the direction of a University of Kansas graduate student who runs a similar company in Kansas City, Kan.
Martin Chislom, Kansas City, Kan., graduate student, met with about 10 students last night in Murray to form a core group for the theater.
"It came to my attention that a lot of black students haven't had the opportunity to be in a production," he said.
Chislam said he was organizing the group to submit production ideas to the department of theatre and media to effect the group to be active by talk
Chislim said the voicing of black actors' views should not interfere with theater department productions.
"I don't want to make a situation where we are carrying signs, throwing bricks through windows or sitting in streets during another performance," Chislam said. "The way to bring change in the department is to organize ourselves, get together
some plays and poetry, and present it ourselves."
Sharon Hamlet, Guyana graduate student, said the group would give more to black student actors than just production experience.
"One of the things we can do as a group is keep in mind the difficulty in getting jobs," she said. "But we must be sure to draw a line between problems in a career and the other baggage an actor carries.
"This is not an 'us against them' situation, but we would like to hear from the students about any play choices or any complaints against
the department or whatever.'
Chislom said he hoped a local black theater group would give more training to actors than he had experienced.
“Sometimes a person would walk in a room and someone would say ‘Hmm, he’s a tall guy. He'd make a good father.’ And that was the extent of their training,” he said. “Any warm body was handed a script.”
Another meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. April 13 in 235 Murphy.
Foreign visitors to join KU department for two-week course on the Constitution
By Brenda Finnell
Kansan staff writer
From elementary school through college, the U.S. Constitution plays a part in a U.S. education. Students learn about the document's origin and its meaning in history and contemporary society.
Fourteen visitors from 14 countries will experience a short course on the Constitution when they visit the University of Kansas April 10-16.
An American Studies seminar on "American Studies and Contemporary Applications of the United States Constitution" will allow the visitors to examine U.S. culture and listen to lectures about the Constitution.
The visitors all are involved in the teaching of social sciences in their countries, whether they are instructors or administrators. They are from Australia, Brazil, West Germany, Finland, Hong Kong, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, Panama, the Philippines, South Africa, Sweden, Urugay and Venezuela.
The visit is sponsored by the United States Information Agency. Two USIA escort officers also will attend the seminars, said Forrest Berghorn, chairman of American Studies and the seminar's coordinator.
"Through this, we've gained a reputation in Washington at the USIA as being a strong resource in American studies." Berghorn said.
By visiting the United States, the educators can see the setting in which constitutional issues are applied, he said.
The seminar will feature speeches by faculty members from KU and Haskell Indian Junior College. Speech topics include the Civil Rights movement, gender roles in U.S. society and politics and television. The speakers will discuss the Constitution's application to those areas.
Loomis, who will speak about the U.S. Congress during the seminar, said some aspects of U.S. government mystified people outside the country.
Burdett Loomis, chairman of political science, said the seminar would be helpful for both the 14 visitors and for KU.
"When Reagan goes to Europe and says he will push a missile treaty, but that the Senate has to approve it, many people can't believe the Senate can have that much power," he said.
Students get college preview
By Katbleen Eaddis
Kansan staff writer
About 65 Kansas City area high school students got a realistic look yesterday at what to expect in college.
A pre-college program, sponsored by KU's Minority Affairs Outreach Program in Kansas City, Kan., took place yesterday in Battenford Auditorium at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Rosita Dorsey, director of minority affairs, said the program was conducted once a year to encourage the students to continue their education in college and to help them prepare to more successful when they got there.
The Minority Affairs Outreach Program provides information about educational opportunities to Wyandotte County high school students by working directly with students, counselors, teachers and parents.
consultant, and officials from the University of Kansas, Kansas State University and Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kan., made presentations to the group.
Boyd, whose radio shows, "Concerning Learning" and "The Generation Rap," are broadcast on KPRS on Saturday mornings, said he promoted success for students through positive self-image.
He warned of the dangers of life on the street today, compared with the 1950s when he was growing up in Chicago. The group laughed frequently as Boyd caricatured street talk and street characters.
Mark Carter, a junior at Schlagle High School in Kansas City, Kan., said he enjoyed Boyd's talk because it made him think not only about his actions but about how he appeared to others.
Upward Bound works with disa-
vaged high school students from
Houston.
ence were involved in either KU's Upward Bound program or Inroads, a private career development program in Kansas City, Mo., that recruits talented minority students for careers in business and industry.
Hakim Salahu-Din, assistant director of admissions at K-State, told the students to use available resources and to get involved in student organizations, not only for support, but to gain experience in leadership.
most students attending the confer-
"Get into those things that will help you grow and develop," he said.
including five from KU, related their own experiences as freshmen.
Denise Sturd, Hartford junior, encouraged the students to join student organizations.
"The more you do, the more resources you can draw on, and those resources are the most valuable thing you can have in college."
ROCK CHALK REVUE 1989
Applications available for the following positions:
Director
Assistant Director
Business Manager
I. B.A. Coordinator
Promotions Coordinator
DUE MONDAY, APRIL 4th at 5:00 p.m. in 105 BURGE UNION
Executive Producer
FOOLS ON THE HILL FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 1988
Rex Boyd, the comic/juggler will be performing in front of the Kansas Union from 12 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
- Beth Scalet, a local guitarist, will be performing on level three of the Kansas Union from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
WATCH FOR MORE DETAILS IN TOMORROW'S KANSAN.
MICROTECH Introducing The most powerful Supercharged 12MHz XT
15MW
Solar
West Side
Technology
- Fully IBM® PC/XT Compatible Both
software and hardware
* 12MHz and 4.77MHz
Clock Speed
- faster than any other XT
- 256 K expandable to 640 K
- Dual Floppy Drive
- Monographics adapt.
- Monograp...
- Amber or Green
Monitor
$71900
- One year warranty
- Easy to Upgrade to an AT286
Follow the price and service leader...
Follow the price and service leader... MICROTECH Computers 2329M Iowa 841-9513