University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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CLASSIC CONCENTRATIO BY JENNIFER HUGHES If there are things thatpeople are concerned about, I like to be the voice, Elizabeth Banks, associate professor of classics; director, Wilcox Classical Museum If there ' s an issue at the University, she knows about it. And if there ' s an underdog, she ' s on their side. Elizabeth Banks, associate professor of classics, said that she has always been a sup- porter of the underdog and she feels that the classics are in that position. I like to see what ' s going on in the univer- sity scene. If there are things that people are concerned about, I like to be the voice, Banks said. But the road that led Banks to the University was not the one she intended to take. When she entered college, Banks had origi- nally planned to teach high school Latin. However, she got her master ' s and started doing some archaeological work. Banks then applied for, and was awarded a Fullbright Scholarship. She spent three years in Greece at the School of American Classical Studies and received her doctorate in classics. Her research area was Aegian Prehistory, Neolithic, Early and Middle Age, Bronze Age Greece. One part of me certainly is a teacher and promoter of the ancient world, Banks said. One part of her was also a promoter of the University ' s classical collection. Banks was the director of the Wilcox Classical Museum. When she came to the University in 1966 to teach Latin, she found the collection in a leaky, tin shed at 15th and Iowa streets. It had been on display in old Fraser Hall. Then the collection had been scattered throughout classics class- rooms and offices before being relegated to the shed. Banks said that many of the plaster casts were damaged beyond repair and that the casts that were not ruined needed extensive work. The collection also had its share of problems finding a home. The University had promised that a space would be found for the collection. But they were slow in following through with that committment. It was an awful lot of work, with incredible obstacles, she said. In 1988, the Wilcox Classical Museum opened in Lippincott Hall. Banks said the completed project had been much more valuable as a teaching resource than I had anticipated. Anthony Corbeill, assistant professor of classics, agreed. It makes a huge difference to go up to thest , objects, he said. They come alive. You get | an idea of size and shape. Banks said, I think that is the most excitingly and rewarding thing that I have been involved I with. The museum has several full-size plaster casts as well as hundreds of Greek and Roman coins, artifacts and pottery pieces. A visit to tr museum can be found on the syllabus of more than one classics class. The museum was named for Alexander M. Wilcox, who was a classics professor and one of the original three faculty members at the University. Banks was also a member of the Special Task Force on Consensual Relations. All experiences with government are interesting, she said. You see sides of peoph that you didn ' t know were there. You see how difficult it is to buck the system. Two options were submitted by the task force for consideration to Council and Univer- sity Senate Executive Committee. One writter by Banks and the other by Robert Friauf, head of Council. But then a third option was written and submitted by T.P. Srinivasan, head of Sen Ex, and Friauf, that Banks said was inconsistent with the previous options. Banks wrote a letter Jan. 3 to the KU Judici Board, stating that she believed the newly adopted consensual relations policy was arrive at by irregular procedures. In my view, Banks said, there was an effort to manipulate the process to a given conclusion. You certainly find out who are the people you can rely on, she said. Banks continues teaching Latin 28 years later. She also teaches Greek and Roman Mythology: Honors, Roman Art and Culture, and Archaeological Discovery. She said, My plan is to teach until I ' m 70. hope to have the bulk of my research done by then, so the last few years I can travel. 20

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The newly renovated Kansas Union Photo by Richard Devincki Xioxw The Kansas Union grand opening included a cake big enough for all. Photo by Richard Devincki Union Renovation 19

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- . ' nut, i i alH ' th Banks in the ilcox Classical Museum loto by Stephen Pingry . Profile 21