CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, September 16, 1993
3
Festival splashed with color, music
[ ]
Mexican independence celebrated by gathering
By Carlos Tejada
Kansan staff writer
Whatever the attraction, all the colors were bright.
Whether it was the dresses of the Mexican dancers or the stage lights showcasing the live band, last night's celebration of Mexican independence in the Ballroom at the Kansas Union was filled with greens, reds and blues.
"All the Latin countries have something to offer," said Octavio Hinojosa, president of the Hispanic American Leadership Organization, addressing about 60 people. "All the colors we see, and all the colors out there, are the colors of the Hispanic people."
Hinolosa said the event, called "El Grito de Dolores," or "the cry to Dolores," celebrated the equivalent of the Fourth of July for Mexico and Central America. One hundred eighty-three years ago yesterday, a Catholic priest named Miguel Hidalgo de Costilla rang the church bell in the small town of Dolores to summon the townspeople. Once there, Hinolosa said, Hidalgo called for Mexican independence from Spain.
Mexico finally won its independence with the Treaty of Cordoba in 1821, Hinojosa said. During the war, Hidalgo was captured by the Spanish and beheaded.
Hinojosa said the event was the official beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, which ends Oct. 15.
Melissa Lacey / KANSAN
The event emphasized the culture of Mexico, Hinojosa said.
"The green symbolizes the land, and white the religion, because Mexico was Catholic then, and red became the blood of the fight for independence," Hinojosa said.
The Mexican flag picturing an eagle biting a serpent above a red, white and green background was hung above the stage.
Calendar
Activities next week
for Hispanic Heritage Month:
He also said the serpent eating the eagle
- Flamenco performance by Zambra Gitana.
Noon, Sept. 20, Kansas Union. Gitana will play traditional Spanish music.
Stacey Alvarez twirls her skirt to the music of a Mexican folk song during the "El Grito de Dolores" celebration of Mexico's Independence Day.
**Lecture. An Overview of the Religion of Mezo-America. 7 p.m., Sept. 21, Walnut Room in the Kansas Union. John Hoopes, professor of anthropology, presents an overview of the American Indian religion.**
Lecture: Early History of Hispanics in Kansas. 2:30-4:30 p.m., Sept. 22, Pine Room in the Kansas Union. Eva Perlera, director of Kansas Advisory Commission for Hispanic Affairs, will retrace the Coronado expedition in Kansas.
Latin Music Explosion. 9-midnight, Sept
24, McCollum Hall. The dance will feature
Latin American music.
KAN8AN
Source: HALO
symbolized the founding of Tenochitlan, the capital city of the Aztec empire. A prophecy of the Aztec Indians said that they would find their city on the spot where an eagle was eating a serpent. They found such a spot and founded their city where Mexico City is today.
The music and dancing were also from Mexico. The event began with the dancing of El Grupo Atotonilco, a Mexican folk-dancing company from Kansas City, Mo. Its dances included traditional dances from different regions throughout Mexico.
The women wore brightly-colored dresses and tapped their shoes on the wooden floor of the ballroom. The men wore straw hats and occasionally banged
machetes together to the beat of the music.
Maria Chauard, director of the company, said the dancers' ages ranged from 4 to 25. She said the company served an important function for Mexican culture.
"We need to have our kids know where their roots are, that they're both American and Mexican-American," Chauard said. "That's what makes the world great, the diversity of culture."
El Grupo Tempestad, a Mexican folk band from Kansas City, Kan., supplied
the music for the dance at the end of El Grito.
Carlos Loparena, Mexico City, Mexico, senior, said he had found the event by mistake. He was attending another function with his girlfriend when he heard the music. He said El Grito had been a special day for him and his family when he was a child.
"It was always very important, because the next day we didn't have school," Loparena said. "It was something very important in my life."
CAMPUS BRIEFS
District Attorney wants gun control legislation for kids
Douglas County District Attorney Jerry Wells announced yesterday that he had asked Rep. Sandy Praeger, R-Lawrence, to support stiffer gun control legislation.
Wells said he asked Praeger to introduce in the 1994 legislative session a bill that would make it unlawful for persons under 18 to possess weapons unless they are under direct adult supervision.
"We have seen almost an epidemic of juveniles committing crimes with weapons," Wells said. "Enough is enough."
Juveniles caught with weapons would be dealt with under the juvenile code, he said. The weapons also would be confiscated.
Anyone storing a weapon accessible to juveniles would have to keep the weapon locked, Wells said, or that person would be charged with a misdemeanor crime.
The state ordinance would be based on similar ordinances already enforced in Wichita and Denver, Wells said.
Regents to discuss Tonkovich
The Board of Regents will discuss whether it will hear a reinstatement appeal from Emil Tonkovich, former KU professor of law, today during an executive session in Topeka.
The Regents received a request from Tonkovich to hear his appeal after he was dismissed from the University in July, said Judith Siminoe, associate general counsel to the Regents.
"The Regents will discuss whether they should allow the appeal and will decide if this appeal will be heard." Siminoe said.
A University committee agreed with Chancellor Gene Budig's decision to dismiss Tonkovich after Tonkovich was accused of sexual harassment. Tonkovich was dismissed after the committee decided he had violated professional ethics and committed moral turpitude.
"I feel I have excellent grounds for appeal," Tonkovich said. "I was treated fundamentally unfair, and the evidence does not support the committee's finding."
Compiled from Kansan staff reports
ON CAMPUS
Holy Eucharist, sponsored by Canterbury House, will be at noon today in Danforth Chapel.
A Volunteer Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today in front of Staufer-Flint Hall. For more information, call Shanda Vangas or Julie Harris at 864-3710.
The University Council will meet at 3:30 p.m. today at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union. The open meeting will focus on the consensual relationships policy.
dent Union office at 864-7337.
KUN O.W. will meet at 5:30 p.m. today at the International Room in the Kansas Union. For more information, contact the Women's Stu-
The Undergraduate Anthropology Club will have an informal discussion and slide show at 5 p.m. today in 633 Fraser Hall. For more information, call Destiny Crider at 832-1469.
KU Champions Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. today at Parlors A, B and C in the Kansas Union. For more information, contact Erik Lindsley at 841-4585.
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship will meet at 7 tonight at the International Room in the Kansas Union. For more information, call David Zimmerman at 864-7117.
University Chess Society will meet from 7 to 11 tonight at the Hawk's Nest in the Kansas Union. For more information, call Nathan at 842-0049.
LesBIGaysOK will meet at 7:30 tonight at the Frontier Room in the Burge Union. For more information, call Scott Manning at 841-8887.
Jayhawk Campus Fellowship will meet at 8 tonight at the Pioneer Room in the Burge Union. For more
information, call John Dale at 864 1115.
KU Libertarians will meet at 8 tonight at the Regionalist Room in the Kansas Union. For more information, call Allen Tiffany at 842-2411.
Amnesty International will hold a letter writing session at 8:30 tonight at the Glass Onion, 624 W. 12th.
Ithus Christian Outreach will meet at 8:30 tonight at the Big Eight Room in the Kansas Union. For more information, call Mark Winton at 843-2260 or Noel Storey at 749-5848.
KU Fencing Club will meet from 8:30 to 10:30 tonight in 130 Robinson Center. For more information, call Jen Snyder at 841-6445.
Bicycle patrol upgrades equipment
By Scott J. Anderson Kansan staff writer
The KU police bicycle patrol hit the streets this week on new bicycles.
The two new Bridgestone MB-4s were purchased Thursday through a sealed bid from Rick's Bike Shop, 916 Massachusetts St. The old Trek 930s, purchased two years ago from Sunflower, 804 Massachusetts St., were traded in for the new ones.
Sgt. Mark Witt, who coordinates the bicycle patrol, said the primary difference between the two models was upgraded bike equipment, such as the gears. He said comfort and quality also were considered.
"If the bike doesn't fit, you lose a lot of energy as you ride," Witt said. "And if you don't have the quality they just
don't last as long."
He said also that the cost of maintaining the old bikes would have been comparable to buying the new ones, and that he thought bikes would continue to be replaced every two years.
Officer Mike Hough, who has been with the bicycle patrol since it began, said his new bike was an improvement over the old one.
"The last two were both the same size, but this time they ordered different sizes," Hough said. "I love the new one. It's a lot more comfortable to ride."
Officer James Muhholland said the new bikes were more enjoyable.
"The new bikes are a lot lighter and a much better ride," he said. "But then we put a lot of rough miles on the old ones."
Hough put 5,604 miles on his old bicycle, according to police logs and Mulholland put 2,431 miles on the other bike. Witt said Hough logged more mileage because he had ridden four months longer than Mulholland.
Witt said that the most important advantage of a bike patrol was personal contact with students and greater mobility than a foot patrol.
"People are much more willing to talk to someone on a bike than someone in a patrol car," Witt said.
Witt said the bicycle patrol's importance had grown as more students rode bikes on campus.
"Bicycles now are just like cars were in the early 1900s," Witt said. "They're not so much toys anymore but a true means of transportation."
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