University Daily Kansan / Thursday, February 21, 1991
9
Forum promotes discussion among races
Personal and educational changes needed for improvement, some say
Yusef Harris speaks at the the Black Men of Today forum.
By Lara Gold Kansan staff writer
Opening the lines of communication between African-American and white students was the goal of a forum sponsored last night by Black Men of Today, Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association.
"You can't make laws for everyone like each other. But everyone should respect each other, and they learn this through communication and education," Cory Anderson, executive board member of Black Men of Today, told about @ students in Kansas Room in the Kansas Union.
Anderson said KU's educational
system must be restructured to incorporate the importance of African-Americans into history.
"Everyone has been denied knowing the history of Black people," he said.
He said individual attitudes needed to be changed to combat racism at an institutional level.
Casey Trauer, Dodge City sophomore, said she was concerned that African-Americans and whites could be together to find an end to racism.
"I is there any way that Blacks and whites could work together to make a change?" he said.
Tonya Sanchez, Brooklyn. N.Y.
junior, said, "Until you change individual attitudes, you can't make a collective change."
Tim Conroy, St. Louis senior, disagreed.
"Trying to change individual attitudes is not working." he said
Sanchez said the power structure in the United States needed to be reorganized so everyone had the same opportunities.
John Van Nordon, Leo莎omphore, said a decision made earlier in the semester by Black Men of Today not to go to war if the draft was implemented had caused more racial tensions on campus.
However, Anderson explained that the organization's stance represented the 35 people who attended the Black Men of Today meeting when
the decision was made and that it did not represent all African-Americans:
"Just because you disagree doesn't have to set you at odds," he said.
Darren Fulcher, executive board member of Black Men of Today, agreed.
"One issue cannot make you any more racist," he said. "You are racist, or you are not. People on this island can have a difference of opinion."
At the end of the forum, Anderson, said that he was pleased with the discussion that took place but that his satisfaction was bittersweet.
"I invariably, the people who came were already open-minded and wanted to talk," he said. "With a phone, you, yokkao miss the people who really need it."
Black Men of Today packs agenda with cultural debate
Special to the Kansan
KU professor wins award for research
However, the group's members said they did not want the month singled out as the only time they were active in cultural affairs.
"I think society makes it sound like it is good to be Black for just one month, executive board member," executive said "That's not how we operate."
The group commemorates the death of 1960s African-American nationalist Malcolm X today and, along with Black Panhellenic Council, sponsored a forum on racism yesterday.
Executive board member Cory Anderson said the group had treated February like any other month, filling in for teachers to educate the campus community.
Robert Hanikz, professor of pharmacy and medicinal chemistry, has been awarded the Sato Memorial Award for his contributions to the study of biomedicine.
Because February is African-American History Month, members of Black Men of Today made sure that they celebrated the occasion.
"We also try to do educational
work with our students, year with
speakers and discussions."
Once a year, a U.S. scientist receives the award, which is given by the Japanese Pharmaceutical Society and the National Institute of Health.
Anderson said communication had been the key to improving relations within the student body since last year.
said. "We just don't wait until Februar- ary to be active."
"Hopelessly, we've opened the issue up for discussion and given it a chance to realize its potential."
In March 1990, a KU student struck and uttered a racial slur to a pizza delivery woman who was also a KU student. according to police reports.
"We wanted to bring the issue of racism to the forefront of people's minds because that's where it should be," he said. "We answered questions and got comments and feeded about what people see, hear and feel."
The incident caused tension between students and the administration.
tests. Since then, Anderson said, communication has eased the ten- test.
By Benjamin W. Allen Kansan staff writer
A student unity dinner is scheduled for Saturday. Black Men of Today sponsored a dinner for the Greek community in November that received positive reviews, Anderson said.
"To have others respect others' opinions is all you can ask for."
"What we've tried to do is get people to talk about things," Anderson said. "One thing is to make people feel comfortable asking questions and discussing things they normally wouldn't discuss.
Lewis said he would like to see more mandatory freshman-level courses dealing with minority history, such as Western Civilization and racism and cultural diversity classes.
"Our primary reason for existence is to facilitate unity among Black students, and in doing so we'll have a positive effect on the entire campus environment," Anderson said. "That will make it possible for more Black male and female students to come here.
By drawing attention to cultural issues, Anderson said he hoped to bring more African-American students to KU.
The award will be presented to Hanzlik on March 27 in Tokvo.
Leo and Gretchen Beller, Ottawa residents, do the two-step at a dance sponsored by the "Ours Dance Club" at the Lawrence Senior Center, 745 Vermont St. The club, a charity organization, has sponsored dances every Wednesday and Sunday for the past eight years. The Bellers, who met at an earlier dance, have been married for two months.
Two-steppin' away
Lester Mitscher, chairperson of pharmacy and medicinal chemistry, said the award was a prestigious one.
"Professor Hanzlik is very distinguished in the area of drug metabolism and enzyme inhibitors," he said.
One area Hazkilik studies is how the body metabolizes foreign chemicals, such as drugs and pesticides, an area of research called xenobiotics.
Hanzik helped help the International Society of Xenobiotics 10 years ago because of his interest in the preservation of foreign chemicals in the body.
Mitscher said Hanzilk had been at the University of Kansas for the past 16 years and had spent most of his career at the University.
“It's a matter of some pride that the University has him,” Mitscher said.
Hanzlik received the award because of an accumulation of outstanding publications that have had a big impact on the medicinal chemistry, Mitscher said.
Gary Grunewald, professor of pharmacy and medicinal chemistry, said Hanzlik received the award for the quality of his research.
"His research is nationally recognized." Grunewald said.
Mitscher said that only two other KU professors, Takeru Higuchi and Ronald Borchardt, had ever won the award.
Patriotism and other wartime topics make up forum's focus
Bv Jonathan Plummer
Kansan staff writer
Students discussed separating patriotism from reactionism, as well as other topics, in a forum last night about the potential effects of the Persian Gulf War.
about 25 people gathered in the main lobby at Joseph R. Pearson Hall for a discussion led by Barbaria Schroeder, a historian of life. The forum was part of the
residence halls' month-long Cultural Connections program
Ballard said patriotism was a difficult concept to define
"There is a thin line," she said. "Does patriotism mean hostility, or does it mean respect for other people and upholding our ideas?
"I don't think patriotism is an excuse for aggression. I think to defend yourself is OK, but initiating conflict in the name of patriotism, I
don't think that's right.'
Mike Metz, Lincoln, Kan, senior, said it was important to separate emotion and reason when considering patriotism.
"Patriotism can be emotional," he said. "It's important to see if there is enough reason to hold up that emotion."
Ballard said people needed to distinguish between those the nation was at war with and those who may
disagree with the war.
"Because they look like people from an Arab country, or are not saying the same things you are saying, people can start to make people very uncomfortable," she said.
meeting will be Feb. 26.
Ballard said she helped organize a task force to keep track of support groups related to the war and to help those who were concerned. The task force's first
A mob mentality can sweep people up in hatred before they know what they are directing the hate against, Ballard said.
"You can begin to feel, 'If my country is at war, then I am at war.' What we have to say is, 'How do I feel about it?'
"I see signs that say, you know,
"Kill Saddam," "she said." And when
you see people talking about killing
someone you know they are angry,
and yet they might not read any
thing that might not even know
where Kuwait is.
After the meeting, Syed Iqbal, Pakistan junior, agreed that people might be reacting to the war without having all the facts.
"They need more exposure," he said. "We need more people. People keep arguing over opinions without having all the facts."
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