CAMPUS/AREA UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, February 6, 1996
3A
Artist balances life
By Eric Weslander
Kansan Correspondent
Sara Brooks / KANSAN
The Japanese paper crane is a small part of Justin Baldwin's art display Ascending to Balance. The art is in the Kansas Union Gallery through Feb. 16.
Some artists find their inspiration in everyday life. Justin Badwin was inspired when he spoke to a Shinto priest in the mountains of Japan.
"He got on the subject of balance between the good and bad things in life," Baldwin said. "I remember hanging on to what he said because I knew it was important, but I didn't know why."
Baldwin, Olathe senior, applied the priest's lesson to his artwork. After seven months of preparation, an exhibition of his work, titled Ascending to Balance, opened last night in the Kansas Union Gallery.
The gallery contains things such as a gallows for two and a giant paper crane, which Baldwin said traditionally is folded to symbolize a wish, prayer or dream. An ancient Japanese form of music known as gagaku plays in the background.
"You can think of the exhibit as a large poem, with each part being like a different stanza," Baldwin said. "They all complement each other."
Everything in the exhibit, Baldwin said, was about balancing the positive and the negative.
"Our whole existence often comes down to not dealing with bad things," he said. "It's much more healthy to
acknowledge the bad and to learn from it."
Baldwin, whose mother is Japanese, went to Japan two years ago for his grandfather's funeral. In addition to meeting the priest who inspired his artwork, Baldin said that he was overcome by the beauty of the country.
"There is art in everything," he said. "I was just blown away."
Although the conversation with the Shinto priest made Baldwin think about the idea of balance, he said that it was not the only inspiration
behind the exhibit. He said that seeing a piece of trash on the ground could be as much of a source of inspiration as a conversation with a priest.
"When you create something, it comes from everything around you," he said. "I would be hesitant to say that it came from anything directly."
Steve Harman, Hull, England Junior, said that he was struck by the atmosphere of the exhibit.
"The whole thing works once you walk around and get an idea of what it wants to say," he said. "It made sense to me."
Formal request is filed for viewing evaluations
By Nicole Kennedy Kansan staff writer
Scott Sullivan, a student senator who last week sponsored a Senate resolution asking administrators to release instructor evaluations to students, is pushing administrators one step further.
As a personal initiative, separate from the Senate resolution, Sullivan, Leawood sophomore, filed a formal request under the Kansas Open Records Act yesterday demanding the right to inspect and copy the statistical data from instructor evaluations.
Sullivan filed his request with the chancellor's office, the general council's office and the Office of Academic Affairs. The University has three days to either deny him the information or compile it for him.
Sullivan said although he believed personnel records were exempt from release under the open records act, case precedent prevents public bodies from placing documents in a personnel record for the expressed purpose of keeping them confidential.
He cited a November 1900 court case in which the Denver Publishing Company brought action under the Colorado Open Records Act against the University of Colorado requesting the release of information contained in the University's personnel files.
Sullivan said the judge in the Colorado case ruled that placing information in personnel records specifically to keep it private was contrary to public policy.
Ted Frederickson, professor of journalism and a licensed attorney, said that since the instructor evaluations historically have been part of personnel files, Sullivan's claim that the University is purposely keeping them in those files to prevent disclosure may be invalid.
Frederickson said that the University may prevail legally in this battle, but as an instructor, he has no problem with his evaluations being released to the public.
"As a journalist I'm one of those who thinks we're better off knowing more about ourselves than knowing less," Frederickson said. "I think a lot of professors feel that way — that students have the right to see them."
At a Senate Executive Committee meeting last week, David Shulburger, vice chancellor for academic affairs, said that there would need to be a consensus on this issue within the University community before any action could be taken.
In response to Shulenburger's comment, Sullan said he accumulated about 400 student signatures on a petition asking the University to release the evaluations.
"We have reached a consensus, and we believe that the records should be opened," he said.
Exchange students find a new home on the range
Sullivan said he had received calls voicing support for his initiative from faculty members who had refused to identify themselves.
"There are faculty who support this out there, but a lot of them are afraid to sign their names to something." Sullivan said.
Shulenburger could not be reached for comment.
By Scott MacWilliams Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
Twenty-four Japanese students traveled across seven time zones and arrived in Kansas on Friday night, greeted by sub-zero temperatures.
"It is very cold where I am from, but this place is much colder," said Hiroki Aoki, a sophomore from Nagano, Japan, home of the 1998 Winter Olympics.
The students are part of the Kanagawa Exchange Program and are spending a month at the University of Kansas studying English by reading, writing and speaking in an American society.
Some already have seen a few sights in Lawrence.
Schmidt said Kano also was impressed with how big the Kansas Union and Wal-Mart were.
"We went to McDonald's for lunch Saturday, and then ordered from Pizza Shuttle that night," said Amy Schmidt, Whitehouse Station, N.J., freshman and roommate of Kaori Kano in Ellsworth Hall.
In their first class on Monday morning, the students already were working on their English.
"They want to speak English right away," Toshio Matsuoka, Kanagawa University professor of business administration, said.
Matsuoka is traveling with the group and has been to Lawrence with previous exchange students.
Each student also will spend one weekend with a family in Lawrence, attend a KU men's basketball game after learning the Rock Chalk chant from cheerleaders and make a number of side trips around Lawrence.
"They'll take part in classroom exchanges in Japanese language classes at KU," said Liz Byleen, director of the Kanagawa Exchange Program. "They will also go to Pinckney School and visit a second-grade class on Valentine's Day."
Byleen said the students also will visit the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Cowtown in Wichita, the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Mo. and Haskell Indian Nations University.
This is the sixth year that Japanese students have come to Lawrence for the one-month stay, and some have met with Lawrence residents who have visited Hiratsuka, Lawrence's sister city in Japan.
However, KU students wanting to improve their Japanese might have a little trouble getting these students to speak their native tongue.
"it's hard to get them to speak Japanese to you," Carl Masters, Lincoln, Neb., junior, said. "They only want to speak English to Americans, so they can improve their English as quickly as possible."
Luby Montano-Laurel / KANSAN
Mary Head, Applied English Center instructor, teaches English to Japanese students from Kanagawa University. The students began their one-month English classes this week.
Hope is a necessary ingredient in the recipe to reach goals
Psychology professor's new book details plans
By Heather Kirkwood
Kansan staff writer
Dwight Lay, Hoyt sophomore, knows he wants to pay off his car, get an internship and do well in his classes, and he has a plan to reach these goals. But not everyone is as fortunate as Lay.
To some students, deciding on a major, motivating themselves to study harder or planning for graduation are daunting tasks.
It is not a lack of self-esteem or optimism that keeps these students down, but rather a lack of hope $j$ said Charles Snyder, professor of psychology at the University of Kansas and author of The
Psychology of Hope.
People who are hopeful set reasonable goals, have the motivation to pursue them and the ability to develop successful strategies. Snyder said.
To become more hopeful, Snyder offers several suggestions.
Begin by setting specific short-term and long-term goals that are not either out of reach or certain to be achieved.
Do not be afraid to change goals if they seem unattainable, he said. Next develop strategies to reach them by talking to people who have been in similar positions and who have achieved similar goals. If existing strategies are not working, look closer at them.
"Hopeful people are not interested in a sure thing because it is not very challenging," Snyder said. "But they are not interested in something that is impossible."
"Look for something that is new and not characteristic of something you would do," shyder said.
He also said people should not be afraid to step away from a goal temporarily.
"Sometimes if you just wait a while, solutions will come to you." Snider said.
Snyder also suggests several ways to stay motivated once you have devised a plan. Eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep will make staying motivated easier. Breaking goals into small steps also can help students stay motivated and not feel overwhelmed.
"I get really overwhelmed and don't do anything," Ferris said. "But then when I take some time and start working, it makes me feel better."
This strategy worked well for Lisa Ferris, Lincoln, Neb., graduate student.
"I'd never write a book if I knew cumu-
latively how much work it would be, Snyder said. "Instead, I do little baby steps and write a few pages a day."
Expecting road blocks also can make reaching goals easier. When something gets in the way, think back to how you handled an obstacle in the past, Snyder said.
Another way students can stay motivated is to laugh at themselves.
"It can be very freeing and increase your sense of mental energy," Snyder said.
Finally, Snyder said high-hope people enjoyed the path to reaching goals as much as obtaining the goal itself.
"American society is very product-oriented," Snyder said. "But high-hope people like the trip of moving toward their goals. It seems to be a source of energy and willpower for them."
A checklist for setting goals
Set a goal because it is your goal, not your parents' friends' or spouse's goal.
Be conscious of the decisions you are making about your goals.
Make goals for all areas of your life, not just school.
Prioritize your goals.
Structure your life so that you are not bothered by things that will keep you from reaching your goal.
- Set goals that demand more from you than repeating past performance.
Adapted from The Psychology of Hope by Charles Snyder.