G R A D UAT I O N G U I D E 2 017 SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2017 | VOLUME 133 ISSUE 30
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
Gray-Little reflects on her 8 years as chancellor EMILY WELLBORN @EmWellborn
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graceful leader, a selfless mentor and a beautiful singer — these were all descriptions of Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little during her time at the University. The chancellor will be leaving on July 1 after eight years. “I think that ideally that you would want someone who would be ready to say they were going to be here another five to seven years and so this is kind of a natural ending to a lot of things that we’re doing,” Gray-Little said. She said some of the things that she is the most proud of in her time at the University were revising the undergraduate curriculum, completing the Far Above endowment campaign in August and initiating many of the campus' construction projects. Gray-Little said she is also proud of the rise in students enrolled at the University in the last five years, but her favorite part about being the chancellor has been sharing others’
Andrea Ringgenberg/KANSAN Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little speaks to the Student Senate regarding the recent presidential election, campus construction, diversity and concealed weapons on campus during a meeting in December.
accomplishments, like the alumnus who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, the student who was named a Rhodes scholar or graduates at commencement. “It’s a good time and everybody’s on a high note, but it’s also a sign that we’re doing well,” Gray-Little said.
While these things have been important to her time at the University, Gray-Little also had to make some tough decisions. One of these was the decision to veto the Multicultural Student Government fee bill last year. “The reason it was difficult is that I ended up
vetoing the proposal, but I endorsed the concerns that the students who brought it forth had, so how to express for the concerns raised, but say, ‘No, this is not the right mechanism to do it,’ that was a difficult thing,” Gray-Little said. “Coming to the decision that the vetoing of it was the right thing to
do, that wasn’t difficult, but living with having to do that was difficult.” Mary Burg, executive assistant to the chancellor, said decisions like these are indicative of Gray-Little’s leadership style. “She is very decisive, but not always immediately,” Burg said. “She will delib-
erate on things, truly think about them, talk with people involved and then make a decision. I’ve never had to question whether she will make a decision.” Burg said that decisiveness is not always a given characteristic of a chancellor’s leadership style. “Sometimes it’s easier to be passive about a decision, let it make itself or let no decision be the decision,” Burg said. “That has not been the case under her leadership.” Tim Caboni, the vice chancellor for public affairs who has worked with Gray-Little for over six years, was also impressed with Gray-Little’s grace under pressure. Caboni said her ability to use her core values made her a unique mentor. “The chancellor is generous, kind and graceful, and the thing that I’ve admired most as I’ve watched her lead the University is her unwavering core values,” Caboni said. “She makes decisions based upon what SEE CHANCELLLOR PAGE 3
Renovations exceed $100 million NOLAN BREY @NolanBrey
Andrew Rosenthal/KANSAN Members of the multicultural student government meet on April 27 in the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Now funded, Multicultural Student Government plans for the future DARBY VANHOUTAN @darbyvanhoutan
After a tumultuous two years, a student government designed specifically to represent and support multicultural and marginalized students now has a funded, but unsure future. Multicultural Student Government (MSG) President Trinity Carpenter, a senior, is both confident and weary to leave this future after a year-long battle for recognition and funding. Funding for MSG was first proposed by Carpenter in March 2016. This $2 fee request was ultimately vetoed by Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little in May 2016 but brought back up this March. Ultimately, MSG was given a $1 fee and written into Student Senate Rules and Regulations. “You invest so much in
something that, as you move on, you want someone else to take ownership and make it theirs,” Carpenter said. “But always remember what brought us together in the first place and what we want to accomplish.” The successes for MSG this year didn’t come without a fight, as senior Christian Roberson, MSG secretary, noted. Originally, the group requested the same $2 fee as the year prior, a request that seemed to be moving forward until then-Student Body President Stephonn Alcorn asked for its failure. “To the naysayers, keep talking because we have in the past and still now are going to prove you wrong,” Roberson said. “Just because we’re marginalized identities doesn’t mean that we’re stupid, that we’re not smart enough to do this.” This growing group orig-
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inally began in a living room in January 2016, according to Carpenter. It has since grown into a fully functioning student group that, along with attempting to be the voice of multicultural students on campus, provides funding to multicultural groups such as Hispanic American Leadership Organization, Black Student Union and others. This, Carpenter said, will be a lot easier to do with the budget Student Senate, pending the chancellor’s approval, is providing through fees. “I already see interest growing,” Carpenter said. “It’s exciting, and I don’t know if it’s because of the funding but a lot of multicultural groups are taking us a lot more seriously.” The growing interest, both Roberson and Carpenter said, will be one of the most SEE MSG PAGE 2
The University plans to spend $50 million to renovate Memorial Stadium and $62.5 million to renovate multiple student housing locations over the course of the next six years, according to the Board of Regents’ list of capital improvement projects for fiscal year 2018. Oliver Hall will undergo a $23.8 million renovation, beginning in 2020 and Corbin Hall will undergo a $14.5 million renovation this year, according to the capital improvement projects report. The capital improvement projects report also showed other housing projects, such as a $10.2 million renovation of Jayhawker Tower B in 2019 and a $10.1 million renovation of Jayhawker Tower C in 2020. Diana Robertson, the University’s director of Student Housing, said the first of these housing projects will be the $1.8 million renovation of the Grace Pearson Scholarship Hall, which will begin later this month. Battenfeld Scholarship Hall will undergo a $2.2 million renovation next summer and will be the last of the eight oldest scholarship halls to receive a renovation, Robertson said. According to Robertson, the housing renovations will focus on updating mechani-
KANSAN.COM GALLERY Check out the gallery from the baseball game against Missouri State at kansan. com.
Miranda Anaya/KANSAN In the coming years, the University plans to make many renovations, including Memorial Stadium, Kansas Union and campus housing.
cal, plumbing and electrical infrastructure as well as cosmetic improvements. “It’s really about getting that infrastructure replaced so that the buildings can continue to house students for years to come,” Robertson said. “With the renovations, what happens is we get probably a good 40 years of life breathed back into those buildings.” The housing renovations will be paid for with housing funds, which come from the rates that are paid by students who reside in the halls. The cost of housing is determined by the operating costs and the debt load of a building, Robertson said. “Each building stands on its own,” Robertson said. “If you’re living in Corbin right now, you’re not helping to pay for GSP that was renovated. It’s separated from that.” In addition to housing projects, a $50 million
renovation of the nearly 100-year-old Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 2023, according to the capital improvement projects report. The report also said the project will be paid for with private gifts. Jim Marchiony, the associate director of public affairs for KU Athletics, said the improvements are necessary for Memorial Stadium’s functions. The renovation will be a considerable overhaul with improvements to seating and concourses. According to the capital improvement projects report, “the proposed project will consist of an east side expansion including additional seating, dining and fan amenities and renovation of the existing concourse level to provide upgraded concession and restroom facilities.” Marchiony said the imSEE RENOVATIONS PAGE 2
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