THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
O T K C BA THE
The University Daily Kansan
’90s
ON
CTI E S L A I SPEC
vol. 135 // iss. 10 Mon., Sept. 21, 2017
Distance makes the city grow stronger Thanks to cultural exchange programs and former President Eisenhower, Lawrence contines to cultivate lasting relationships with students from cities previously at odds with the U.S.
KATIE BERNARD @KatieJ_Bernard Cities where past University students and Lawrence residents once lost their lives in war have since become family — all thanks to a plan started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and continued through a city organization. The Lawrence Sister Cities Advisory Board has served the city by maintaining relationships with three sister cities: Eutin, Germany; Hiratsuka, Japan; Iniades, Greece. The board receives support and backing from the city, but all board members are volunteers. The city’s oldest relationships are with Eutin and Hiratsuka, cities in two countries that are former adversaries of the United States. “It has a great deal of value in a world where all you hear about are the wars” said Bill Keel, member of Friends of Eutin. “Some of the people who started the program lived through the second world war on both sides and know what a difference a friendship and understanding can make in those kinds of relationships.” Each sister city relationship formed initially through study abroad relationships with the University, and each program grew out of long-standing study abroad programs in smaller cities around the world. What started as study abroad programs then branched into high school exchange programs as well
Illustration by Roxy Townsend as cultural exchange programs between the countries. The program with Eutin started 27 years ago when the city decided to pursue a sister city relationship. The KU Germanic Languages program had developed a study abroad program in Eutin, making it a natural choice for the first sister city. Carol Shenkel, a Lawrence resident who at the time traveled to Japan often for work, reached out to Hiratsuka because of the relationship already existent between Kanagawa University, in the area, and the University. Just seven years ago, Iniades, Greece reached out to Lawrence because the University’s theatre department hosts a study abroad program in the area every couple of summers.
Since becoming sister cities, both Eutin and Hiratsuka have developed high school exchange programs with the city. Roughly 12 students from Lawrence go to Hiratsuka and roughly 12 go to Eutin. Students from those countries then come to Kansas. All students stay with host families and are shown around the cities and surrounding areas during the time they are here. Keel said those exchange programs are incredibly impactful for students.
“Once you live in a foreign country, you’re changed forever,” he said. Shenkel was heavily involved in the creation of the relationship between Lawrence and Hiratsuka. She said that the exchange program with Hiratsuka has helped students to appreciate other cultures for both their similarities and differences. “Kids get to understand how a different culture works and that it’s okay to be different,” Shenkel said. Bob Schumm, chair of
the advisory board, said that their goal is to provide connections between citizens of Lawrence and the sister cities. They do this through the exchange programs, by helping Lawrence citizens contact individuals in sister cities who hold similar interests and helping individuals from the sister cities come to Lawrence for internships and professional experiences “We can open the doors for you to find your counterpart [in another country] and exchange your inter-
“Some of the people who started the program lived through the second world war on both sides and know what a difference a friendship and understanding can make in those kinds of relationships.” Bill Keel member of Friends of Eutin
ests,” Schumm said. Those connections, Schumm said, have grown into friendships and bonds that have lasted years. Lawrence has been visited by firefighters, health workers and government officials from the sister cities. There have even been four weddings between Lawrence and sister-city residents. Through these relationships, the Sister Cities Advisory Board is still chasing Eisenhower’s original dream of promoting peace in the world through individual relationships. “As you get to know people in another culture in another country,” Keel said. “It’s unlikely that you’re going to support violence against that country or those individuals.”
— Edited by Danya Issawi
New gender-inclusive restrooms available in Watson EMILY BECKMAN @emilybeckman7 Two new restrooms have recently been added to the growing list of gender-inclusive restrooms available on campus. The new single-user, gender-inclusive restrooms, which are labeled as “privacy rooms,” can be found on the third floor of Watson Library. “They are the bathrooms that are in your home: one person at a time and not identified by gender,” Dean of Libraries Kevin Smith said. According to the Student Involvement and Leadership Center (SILC) website, there are more than 25 single-user, gender-inclusive restrooms available on campus. This means that the restrooms are not designated for use by people of a specific gender. Instead, they are available to people of all gender identities. While Watson has had gender-inclusive restrooms
Watson Library now includes gender-inclusive restrooms located on the main floor. since Sept. 2016, their location has changed over time. Watson first identified two existing restrooms on the fifth floor as gen-
der-neutral, but it was later discovered that, since they had done this, the restrooms were not in compliance with the Kansas
plumbing code, Smith said. “We had a conversation with the administration about that, and they agreed that this was important,
Willa Knight/KANSAN
and that we needed to find a way to continue to provide gender neutral facilities and also comply with code,” Smith said. “So
constructing two private restrooms and then also adding ADA accessible stalls on the fourth and fifth floor was the solution we came up with.” Construction on the new, single-user privacy restrooms started in the spring of 2017. While in construction, other restrooms were identified as gender-inclusive, Smith said. The new restrooms, Smith said, will provide more privacy for anyone who wants it. “We are always trying to make the library facilities as welcoming and usable as possible,” he said. “I think these restrooms provide privacy for people who don’t identify in the normal gender binary system. But they also provide privacy for lots of other people who just want more privacy.” In addition, there are changing tables in the new privacy restrooms, making SEE BATHROOMS • PAGE 2