CAMPUS/AREA UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, November 2, 1995
3A
KU speaks exotic languages
Spanish and French aren't only classes offered to students
Latin isn't dead, and neither is ancient Greek.
By Novelda Sommers Kansan staff writer
Valk said Greek and Latin fulfill those requirements. There are 127 students in Greek and Latin classes this semester.
In fact, there are several languages students might not think of when choosing a foreign tongue to fulfill degree requirements in liberal arts, business, education and journalism.
Jean Valk, instructor in classics, teaches Latin and ancient Greek at the University.
"There are so many people around the world who study them, you can't really say that they are dead," she said.
Valk said ancient Greek and Latin, although no longer a part
of the modern language family, could be highways to the past. The poetry of Homer and ancient biblical texts were written in Greek.
Many times, people learn the language to read original versions ancient texts that form the roots of our culture.
"To get back to those roots and origins, how far back can you go? In western civilization, this is as far back as you can go," she said.
Greek and Latin also are the basis for modern romance languages. Although Greek can be difficult to learn because it uses extinct moods and verb forms, learning it also can make learning a modern romance language easier. Valk said.
Ryan Boyd, Lee's Summit, Mo., senior, said that he was taking a course in introductory Greek because he was interested in reading ancient Christian texts. Greek also will be useful if Boyd wants to learn other languages.
"Learning a language like
"It's not
anything like English. You just have to start from the beginning."
Kaltlin Sandhaus
Bow Mar, Colo., freshman
Greek will make it 100 times easier to learn a language like German or Spanish, "Boyd said.
But learning Greek and Latin probably would not help with Kiswahili, another of the University's lesser-known language courses. Twenty-three students are enrolled in Kiswahili this semester.
Kiswahili, or Swahili — "ki" means language — is spoken in about six Eastern and Central African countries. It is largely a
combination of the indigenous languages of coastal African nations.
"It's not anything like English," she said. "You just have to start from the beginning."
Kaitlin Sandhaus, Bow Mar, Colo., freshman, said she was taking the class because she wanted to study abroad in Tanzania, a Swahili-speaking country.
Peter Gitaul, instructor in Swahili, said the language was being used to unite Africa, where more than 1,000 languages are spoken.
He said Swahili was the most widely used language in Africa, and it was spreading.
However, the study of Swahili is not confined to anthropologists and travelers. In many African countries, it is the language of business.
"Africa is opening up for business and investment, and some people do not speak English," he said. "They only speak Swahili."
Cuts do not faze NPR president
"The students are meeting with someone who's been at the top. That adds reality to what we're teaching at the business school."
By Craig Lang
Kansan staff writer
Val Renault publications manager for the School of Business
While many people have been worried by the fact that public broadcasting may lose government funding, one man has kept a positive outlook.
He is Delano Lewis, KU graduate and president and chief executive officer of National Public Radio. Lewis will be sitting in on a KANU advisory board meeting and visiting with students Nov. 8 and 9 in the School of Business and the School of Journalism.
He also will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Kansas Union ballroom. His lecture, entitled "Public Broadcasting: A Mandate for Lifelong Learning in a Commercial World," is sponsored by the Western Civilization Program, KANU and the Charles Oswald Lecture Series in the School of Business.
Kathy Scott, director of communications at National Public
Radio, said Lewis probably will cover two topics in his speech: the future of public radio and how his education at KU has helped him in the business world.
Mary Margaret Simpson, assistant director of development at KANU, said that Lewis had been optimistic about the future of public radio, even though it was facing serious cuts in federal funding.
"He has been very positive," Simpson said. "He has had the attitude, 'This is going to happen, so here what we can do about it.'"
Scott said that Lewis has worked with members of Congress to set up a private corporation that will manage a trust fund for National Public Radio.
Scott said that the trust fund would generate enough money in interest to make up for the amount that would be lost because of federal funding cuts. This would allow the system to
be self-sufficient.
"It's a few years down the road," Scott said. "But at least there's a legislative proposal before Congress."
Scott also said Lewis probably will talk to students about the education he received at KU and how he made it in the business world. The guidance of his professors and his leadership experience as president of Alpha Phi Alpha helped him become a leader in the business world, Scott said.
Val Renault, publications manager for the School of Business, said students will benefit from listening to Lewis speak because it will help them realize that an education at KU really does pay off.
"The students are meeting with someone who's been to the top," Renault said. "That adds reality to what we're teaching at the business school."
Matt Flickner / KANSAN
Rainy-day reflection
Bhannon Stoll, Meade junior, is reflected in a puddle in front of Malot Hall.Today's forecast calls for another rainy day.
History ties KU greeks together Finance committee beats the clock
By Phillip Brownlee Kansan staff writer
To outsiders, the KU fraternity and sorority system can seem as if it is all Greek — just keeping the names straight can be a chore.
But the greek system, especially at the University of Kansas, has a long tradition that its members are proud of.
"It's a very interesting history," said Emily Unruh, Hutchinson senior and Pi Beta Phi president.
Greek-letter fraternities began in the United States in 1776. That year, five students at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., founded Phi Beta Kappa to discuss issues of the times, including the newly proclaimed Declaration of Independence.
Fraternities and sororites first appeared at KU in 1873, when both Beta Theta Pi fraternity and Pi Beta Phi sororite were established. Before 1900, seven more KU fraternities and sororites were founded.
The first Black fraternity was established in the United States in 1906. Within the next dozen years, the University had two chapters: Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, 1915, and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, 1917.
"Black greek-letter societies were developed to provide services," said Mary Myers, assistant director of the Organizations and Activities Center and Black Pan-Hellenic Council adviser. "In those days, they needed to develop a close network in order to survive in college."
The names of fraternities and sororites usually are composed of two or three of the 24 Greek letters, such as Delta Chi, Chi Omega and Alpha Epsilon Pi. Their traditional use stems from early academic language requirements.
Today, the University has 27 fraternities, 18 sororites and approximately 4,100 members, making it one of the largest Greek systems in the country. KU also has 25 professional fraternities, almost 40 honorary fraternities and eight service and recognition fraternities.
Haile Sims, Black PanHellenic Council president, said he enjoyed the history of the greek system.
"I definitely feel a part of a rich heritage," he said.
By Sarah Wlese
Kansan staff writer
One hour — that was all the time it took the finance committee to pass four bills last night.
There were no speeches against any of the bills.
There was not a single dissenting vote.
This was atypical for the committee, which usually has meetings that last for more than 2 1/2 hours.
Some members were surprised by the meeting's brevity. Travis Reems, Prairie Village freshman, said that he arrived an hour after the meeting started, fully expecting that an hour or so of debate would remain. But the meeting already was over.
Ward Cook, Mission Hills sophomore and committee member, said
the bills made the difference.
"All the bills were pretty selfexplanatory and non-controversial." he said.
Cook said he thought certain things always drew the committee's scrutiny, such as asking for financing that exceeded the guidelines, relying on Student Senate alone for funding or failing to explain the group's purpose or mission.
Of the three finance bills the committee passed, KU Outback and the Peer Mentoring Program asked for less than the maximum amount recommended by finance guidelines. And although the KU Cultural India Club asked for more than the maximum amount recommended, it was paying for two-thirds of the event through other sources.
Some committee members said the meeting was short because the balances of Senate's unallocated accounts were given before the meeting.
Of the $86,770 in Senate's unallocated accounts at the beginning of the year. $74,253 remained.
Andy Obermueller, Liberal sophomore and committee member, said the report might have eased the minds of those who were fiscally conservative.
"I think some members were adding up the hundreds and thousands of dollars in their heads and thought we were spending too much," he said.
The fact that Senate had not one, but two unallocated accounts wasn't common knowledge to every committee member, Obermueler said.