KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010 / NEWS
3A
PHILANTHROPY
Lawrence men don heels for a charity
Next semester, men from around Lawrence will kick off their loafers and trade them in for a pair of shiny red high heels for the "Walk A Mile in Her Shoes" event on May 6. Some University men are getting a head start.
The Willow Domestic Violence Center is selling calendars with photos of prominent Lawrence men wearing red high heels to promote the national event. The calendars cost $20,with all proceeds going to The Willow. Audra Fullerton, director of community engagement at The Willow, said the calendar provided an easy way for men in the community to get involved with the event and issue.
"This is a fun, goofy way to get their voices out," she said. "Now men can stand up and say, 'You know what, this isn't OK.'"
Kansas coach Bill Self, Danny Anderson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,
Shade Little, Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little's husband, Rick Ginsberg, dean of the school of education, and John Nalbandian professor of public administration, were among the University men involved with the calendar.
Sally Hare-Schriner, a member of The Willow's board, said The Willow was targeting students to participate in the "Walk A Mile in Her Shoes" event to further promote awareness of the issue.
"You have to wear someone else's shoes to understand the issue," she said.
Fullerton said students should become involved in the event because they were members of the community and many students have dealt with domestic violence.
"The world doesn't stop at the end of campus," she said.
Students can purchase a calendar at the Kansas Union Bookstore. Students can also sign up in March for the event.
Samantha Collins
From left to right: Shade Little, husband of Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little; Danny Anderson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Rick Ginserg, dean of the School of Education; and John Nalbandian, professor of public administration.
MUSIC (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
Lisa King, Ryan's mother, said music was always playing in the house, whether on a radio or CD player.
As a toddler, Lisa said her son would sing along with the radio in his car seat while she was driving.
One time in particular, she had to change the station when he started to belt out "Highway to Hell."
Even with his love of music, King held on to the desire to be an astronaut until high school when his bad eyesight and lack of intelligence, as he put it, steered him toward a career in music.
In high school, King stretched himself thin and even won an award for it. He received and inspired the "Renaissance Man" senior award for his participation in every Lawrence High musical performance and ensemble. King said his younger brother is working toward becoming the second King, and only other person, to win the award this year.
The constant singing and exposure to music in the King household may account for two children with music degrees and one with a music minor.
King entered the University with a desire to enter music education, but after taking voice lessons and at the recommendation of
his instructor, King auditioned for the voice performance degree. Following King's audition, he received a scholarship, and after falling in love with performance, King dropped music education.
The adrenaline and nerves that come with live performances help King maintain his passion.
"That's part of the fun, being a little bit freaked out the first time you go on, and I hope that I never get over that," King said. "If I get over that, I think it's probably time to stop, because why are you doing it at that point?"
For a couple of years, King was really "gung - ho about going and moving to New York, auditioning every where and really making it big."
married, but if you get married it makes it almost next to impossible to lead a career in performance because its kind of a rough lifestyle and it came down to do I want to be a performer or do I want to get married?" King said. "And she won."
Now King doesn't allow the two loves of his life to compete.
But then " laura
Gibson is a piano major and King said music is just one more thing the pair have in common.
The two perform together from time to time, like at the Composer's Guild, and King said a musician
"I would be miserable if I didn't have music in my life. So I refuse to give up on that."
"Not that I didn't want to get
happened." King and Laura Gibson began dating in high school, but after becoming engaged over the summer, King said he had an internal struggle with the decision to marry or pursue his dream of being a performer.
RYAN KING Lawrence senior
King is his own worst critic, but Gibson is the most accurate. She is not afraid to be honest with him, she knows what she is talking about and she is King's biggest fan.
Aside from a July 31, 2011
King said.
wedding, the future remains unknown for the couple.
In King's ideal world, he is a Grammy award winning opera singer with a huge house, a wife and one-and-a-half kids with not a care in the world.
"That would be cool, but realistically I don't know," King said.
King's mom said she is positive he will always have some connection with music.
But regardless of what reality will entail, it will most likely involve music.
Gibson's ideal world doesn't differ greatly from King's. She sees the pair living in California and while King basks in his fame, she charges $100 and hour for piano lessons with their border collie at her feet.
"I would be miserable if I didn't have music in my life," King said. "So I refuse to give up on that."
After teaching music and with the onset of a family, King's father retired from music education for more stability and pay. While the decision was the right one, he still sings all the time and King doesn't want to have to make that sacrifice.
"I hope that doesn't happen with me because I think that's one too many compromises." King
said. "I've already started making compromises because I'm not going to go into voice performance to get married."
King corrected himself and said it wasn't a compromise to get married — just a different path.
Gibson said she was selfishly happy with his decision but doesn't want him to give up on music.
"Music is very personal, especially for him," Gibson said.
For King, a day without music is not a good day. He knows there are a lot of people who aren't fortunate to do what they love and King strives to avoid becoming that kind of person.
But who knows? The way he feels changes every week, he said.
"I hope I'm not put in a position to have to abandon music because then what have I been doing for the past four years?" King said. "I would be really disappointed in myself if I gave up on and I can't imagine a scenario in which I would decide that I don't want to do it anymore because it is more important to me than that."
- Edited by David Cawthon
While the future lurks around every corner, King's opted to just keep singing until they are forced to run into one another.
ODD NEWS
Golden Christmas for Salvation Army
Check out the video slideshow at kansan.com/videos
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Salvation Army red kettles are coming up golden in Indiana.
The charity says anonymous donors have left gold coins in kettles in Mishawaka and Kokomo.
The South Bend Tribune reports that someone dropped a 1-ounce U.S. gold coin worth $1,400 in a kettle outside a Sam's Club in Mishawaka.The coin was wrapped in a $100 bill and a small note thinking the organization for "doing God's work."
Anatomy lesson gets too personal
KENNESAW, Ga.  — Students in a Kennesaw State University business class got an anatomy lesson
Campus police say a parttime instructor took his clothes off while teaching a class at the suburban Atlanta college late last month. Police arrested 57-year-old Raymond Devaughn Taylor of Kennesaw on Monday and charged him with public indecence after a student reported what happened to university officials.
Associated Press
CAMPUS
University hopes to broaden student life through diversity
BY STEPHEN GRAY sgray@kansan.com
Some may think that diversity is simply a human resources issue or that it's a word that designates specific measures and quotas throughout society. In a way that's true. More than anything, though, it's a state of mind.
In order to maintain its commitment to this mentality on campus, the University of Kansas has implemented a new statement on diversity and inclusion for the community to follow.
Fred Rodriguez, interim associate vice provost for diversity and equity, said that he decided to push for an official statement when he realized that a guideline like this was something that the University could use.
"The statement represents the value and the importance of a diverse and inclusive campus community." Rodriguez said. "Too often we assume this is just understood but with a formal statement — this reflects and states unequivocally our commitment."
The statement's formation began early last summer when Rodriguez formed a small group of faculty, staff and administration members to discuss ideas. Using similar statements from other universities as models, the group then formulated a draft to send to administrators. After some minor changes in wording the statement was approved earlier this semester by faculty and student governance
organizations.
"When programs and departments throughout the University are setting goals for their own organizations, they'll know diversity and inclusion should be a part of their work," Smith said. "That
Michael Wade Smith, student body president, said although it's not directly attached to measures of diversity and inclusion, the statement is important because it serves as a basis of commitment to those principles.
language becomes a part of our university"
To build on the new statement, the Office of Diversity
"The opportunity to discuss ideas, perspectives and experiences different from one's own challenges that individual and promotes their growth and knowledge," she said.
In addition to the completion of the new statement on diversity and inclusion, the office also announced last month that a Spring Symposium on the Scholarship of Diversity has been set for March 14 to 15, 2011, on the Lawrence campus. Details haven't been fully
"People who think alike make the same mistakes."
MARY ELLEN KONDRAT Dean of the School of Social Welfare
and Equity has established a work group to assess the current diversity policies at the University and to identify areas for either enhancement or initiation. From this framework, a Diversity Advisory Council will then be established over the next two years.
Karen Hester, director of diversity and inclusion for the School of Law and a member of the work group, said the statement sends a clear message that diversity and inclusion are priorities at the University. She also stressed diversity's importance to achieving a thriving and engaging learning community at the university.
determined yet, but the office plans to host two prominent national leaders who will present lectures.
Mary Ellen Kondrat, dean of the School of Social Welfare
and a member of the planning committee for the event, said the Symposium will exemplify the aim of the statement and promote diversity's role in the university community. For her, it's essential to encourage various perspectives and a diversity of thought on campus.
"People who think alike make the same mistakes." Kondrat said. "We need the best minds from the most diverse perspectives if we're going to solve some of the complex problems of society."
- Edited by Leslie Kinsman
KU STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
As a premier international research university, the University of Kansas is committed to an open, diverse and inclusive learning and working environment that nurtures the growth and development of all. KU holds steadfast in the belief that an array of values, interests, experiences, and intellectual and cultural viewpoints enrich learning and our workplace. The promotion of and support for a diverse and inclusive community of mutual respect require the engagement of the entire university.
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