CAMPUS/AREA UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, October 12, 1993
3
Rally encourages coming out
Susan McSpadden / KANSAN
Andy Dunlap, Lawrence resident, left, and Scott Manning, Lawrence graduate student, listen to speakers during the National Coming Out Day rally in front of Wescoe Hall sponsored by Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay Services of Kansas. The theme of yesterday's rally was "Coming Out as a Straight Ally" and encouraged heterosexuals at KU to vocalize their support of gav, bisexual and lesbian rights.
Administrators vow to protect rights of gays
Hundreds of KU students and staff gathered in front of Wescoe Hall yesterday afternoon, participating in the "Come Out as a Straight Ally" rally.
By Shan Schwartz Kansan staff writer
The rally was organized by Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay Services of Kansas in celebration of National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11. The day encourages and celebrates people's awareness of their sexual orientation.
More than a dozen KU administrators spoke to the crowd with supportive and motivational comments. LesBliGayS OK estimated the crowd to be between 300 and 400.
Maurice Bryan, assistant executive vice chancellor and director of affirmative action, said KU was, and would continue to be, a leader in supporting gay and lesbian rights.
"The University of Kansas will not tolerate discrimination of members of the gay, lesbian and bisexual community," Bryan said. "The Office of Affirmative Action takes this issue very seriously."
Bryan recognized the fact that many governments and people throughout the country did not support gays and lesbians as KU did.
"Although the state and federal governments are behind on this civil rights issue, as is usually the case, the University is committed to see that gays and lesbians are treated fairly," Bryan said.
John Shoemaker, Student Senate president, said KU was blessed to have a tolerant attitude toward gays and lesbians.
"Things like this don't happen all over the country." Shoemaker said. "I'm from Birmingham, Ala., and the state of Alabama would never allow something like this on their college campuses."
ka minister Fred Phelps and 11 protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka showed up on the sidewalk across the street from Wescoe.
KU Police Maj. Ralph Oliver said there were a few heated conversations from passersby on the sidewalk, but the protesters did not interfere with the rally across the street.
Robert Shelton, University ambudsman and professor of reli
gious studies, spoke in reference to Phelbs and the protesters.
"It is very important to understand the people across the street do not represent the mainstream of religious communities." Shelton said.
Shelton said that religious communities were beginning to realize they could hold on to their traditional beliefs but still acknowledge and support saints, lesbians and bisexuals
Barbara Ballard, associate dean of
student life and director of the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center, promised the crowd she would do all she could on the state and local level in support of gay and lesbian rights.
"Please repeat after me," Ballard said. "I believe."
"And if Dr. Martin Luther King was here today, he'd say there was no place for any discrimination.
And the crowd repeated, "I believe."
"No one should be discriminated against," the crowd yelled.
"No one should be discriminated against," Ballard said.
"We shall overcome," Ballard cried.
And the crowd repeated.
"We shall overcome."
Kansan staff reporter Scott J. Anderson contributed information to this story.
KJHK show pits Phelps gay student
By Shan Schwartz Kansan staff writer
What was supposed to be a radio discussion on sexual orientation turned into a debate between the public and the Rev. Fred Phelps.
"Talk Radio with Russ Johnson," which aired at 4 p.m. yesterday on KJHK, featured Phelps, a Topeka minister, and Eric Moore, a member of Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay Services of Kansas.
The show originally was to focus on National Coming Out Day and the report of the KU Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which was released yesterday. Moore said.
Russ Johnson, the show's host,
said Phelps' arrival on campus yesterday
was newsworthy and prompted the change in the show.
Johnson said he would attempt to
schedule another show to feature
members of LesBiGavSOK.
Moore said the change in the show was a surprise to him and to Jennifer Papanek, co-director of LesBiGayS OK, who was also scheduled to appear on the show. Moore said they did not know Phelps would be there until Moore arrived at the studio 25 minutes before the show.
Papanek was then told she was not going to be on the show, Moore said.
Moore said he was not happy with the show.
"I went in there with the assurance there would be no personal attacks," Moore said. "But there were."
Most of the phone calls into the show were directed at Phelps, and most of the callers were critical of Phelps.
His methods of protest, particularly in front of churches and at funerals, were questioned by several callers.
"Like my mom used to tell me when I went to the dentist, a little hurt now will prevent a lot of hurt later," Phelps said. "These people are going to hell, and it's my job to warn them."
Women's group fights to alter sexist attitudes
By Carlos Tejada Kansan staff writer
"I was thinking whether there's a specific time I didn't feel safe, but I guess it's all the time," said Davidow. Overland Park senior.
Allison Davidow is afraid to walk around campus alone — anytime.
Although women make up 51 percent of the student body, they do not always feel like equal partners, Davidow said. The Women's Student Union, which Davidow said she joined this year, tries to remedy that situation.
"Just because you aren't a minority doesn't mean you aren't treated like one," Davidow said.
Women's Student Union was formed in spring 1990 because of an incident involving a female pizza delivery driver at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, said Michaela Hayes, Dallas, Texas, senior and member of the group for four years.
The driver, an African-American woman, was harassed because of her gender and her race. She was thrown out of the house by a resident of the fraternity.
Hayes said the incident made KU women aware of the need for a group to look after
their interests.
"They felt there wasn't a really active women's group on campus," she said. "There was a meeting in the rotunda of Strong Hall, and the group got together."
Davidow said the Women's Student Union worked for a measure of security on campus. She said women on campus tended to feel unsafe, and a group such as the Women's Student Union was needed.
"It's coming together to a place where you feel safer, plus you get to do more pro-active work and have a voice." she said.
Hayes said having a unified voice was important to women on campus. She said the 50 women involved with the Women's Student Union were united in speaking out for abortion rights and against rape and domestic violence.
However, fear is not that large of a motivating factor, Hayes said.
Such unity is necessary because women are usually left out of the University system, Hayes said. Words such as "mankind," used by professors in classes, are a case in point.
"They're only talking to half the classroom," she said. "A lot of people take issue with that because they say 'man' includes women, but they're wrong."
One method of speaking out is the Whistleblowing, Hayes said. Members of the group gather either on campus or in downtown Lawrence and blow whistles every 15 seconds. She said the whistles symbolize the fact that a woman is beaten every 15 seconds according to the FBI.
Hayes said that although the technique was effective, some missed the point.
"People do take notice," she said. "Some people get annoyed, which is frustrating, but I don't know if they get it. Domestic violence is slightly more annoying."
Hayes said trying to make people understand what the group was trying to work for was difficult but possible.
"For me, the answer is to look for some kind of in-road, to relate it to something in their lives," she said.
State legislators investigate needs at Kansas universities
By David Stewart
By David Stewart
Kansan staff writer
Getting away from their Capitol committee rooms in Topeka, a bus load of state legislators saw first hand yesterday how they allocated their constituents' tax dollars on University buildings.
On the first day of a five-day trip around eastern Kansas, legislators visited new KU campus buildings, including the Ekdahl Dining Commons, the Lied Center and the Higuichi Biosciences Centers.
About 50 state senators, representatives and staff members toured campus yesterday, said Jon Josserand, University legislative liaison.
"It's providing them background when they do their appropriations during the legislature," Josserand said.
The legislators and staff represented four committees from the state government: Senate Ways and Means, House Appropriations, Joint Committee on State Buildings and Construction and Legislative Post Audit Committee, said Josserand.
Alternating every two years between eastern and western Kansas Board of Regents schools, state senators and representatives will tour about half of the state institutions in the Regents system this week. Josserson said.
Along with KU, the group will visit facilities at Emporia State University, Pittsburgh State Uni
841-4503
At the final campus stop at the Higuichi Biosciences Centers, Sen. Marge Petty, D-Topea, said the centers addressed the University's need to funnel their research toward commercially profitable areas.
"This is developing Kansas as a location for future research and economic development for the country," Petty said.
After visiting the Ekdahl Dining Commons, Sen. Banc Vcanrum, R-Roverland Park, said he thought the new cafeteria brought a needed improvement to student dining.
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"We're very fortunate to have the commitment from Lawrence residents and residents around Kansas to make the Lied Center possible," McKechnie said.
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One of the highlights of the tour was the visit to the recently opened Lied Center, said Rep. Ed McKechnie. D-Pittsburg.
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