University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

Page 24 text:

CEL EHTHANNI lT,S AMAZING I-Iow IT,S IMPROVED, BUT IT I-IAsN,T REALLY CHANGED. IT LOOKS AND FEELS VERY MUCH LIKE WI-IAT WE DID BACK IN THE ,7OS AND ,8Os. ff .IDI-IN CAMPBELL O8 - O9 l .IAYI-IAWKER lot can change in 60 years. More than 250 students in fraternities and sororities celebrated the 60th anniversary of the revue in March. f'Everybody just uses their strengths and collabo- rates to put ideas together, so it's a group thingf, said Allison Owens, Leawood senior and a director ofthe 'fDiamond in the Rough 'l skit. For Owens, the 60th anniversary marks decades of family involvement in the show. Both of her grand- mothers and one of her grandfathers were in some of the first revues. Her mom and dad met when they were directors for past REVUE EBRATED VERSARY shows, and several ofher aunts, uncles and cousins were also involved with the show. 'They still talk about their shows and their skit ideas,', Owens, a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority, said. ult's dehnitely brought up around the dinner table. The revue,s theme was In the Nick of Timef' in honor of the 60th anniversary. Five groups of partnered fraternities and sororities participated, the skits were all written, directed and performed by students. Like Owens, executive producer Kevin Campbell, Leawood senior, continued a family tradition with Rock Chalk Revue. Campbell's dad, john, was the executive producer nearly 30 years ago. Kevin's older brother, Scott, was in the revue when he attended the University, and his younger brother, Mark, is on the advisory board for this yearis production. All have been members of the Sigma Chi fraternity. When john was executive producer, the revue was in I-Ioch Auditoria and live performances occurred between acts, rather than the videos that are used today. It's amazing how it,s improved, but it hasnit really changedf, john said. It looks and feels very much like what we did back in the ,70s and '80s and I think that's what's so great about it. 9

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PRCTESTI NG TAX O8 - O9 l JAYHAWKER CHANGE ea parties aren't just for little girls. Americans around the nation voiced their anger about tax increases at area tea parties, named for the famous Boston uprising that led to the revolution, held the night of April 15 - Tax Day. University students William Stewart-Starks, Lawrence senior, and Michael Shoykhet, Olathe junior, attended a party at johnson County Commu- nity College to join in the tax day protest. f'Tax increases are unfair and we need to do something about it, Shoykhet said. While the only tax law that has been passed under the Obama administra- tion was a 55116 billion tax cut for the working class, legislation that would raise taxes is currently working its way through Congress. But the nuts and bolts of the increase wasnit what drew Stewart- Starks tothe protests. He said he Wanted to support opening a dialogue about the issues that affect students when they don't even know it. I don't believe people understand where their money is going from income taxes, Stewart-Starks said. Michael Lynch, assistant professor of political science, said it was important for students to be able to track where the Hnances of the country come from and go to. The recent passage of the stimulus bill was President Obama's attempt to jump-start the economy and to help working Americans get out of debt. Some of the proposed increases include a heavier tax on energy producers, cigarettes, and individuals making more than S100,000 of taxable income per year. Protestors had concerns that the government was putting future generations into debt to pay for current problems. Congressman Todd Tiahrt of Kansas' fourth district spoke at thejCCC tea party and said that the tax system needed to be reformed, not increased. We need to rebuild our country from the ground up, not from the government down, Tiahrt said. One ofthe groups sponsoring many of the demon- strations was Americans for Prosperity, a Washington, D.C., based group that supports cutting taxes and limiting government involvement in Americans' lives. According to the group's Web site, the purpose is to advocate public policies that promote entrepreneurship. Derrick Sontag, state director of the Kansas chapter of Americans for Prosperity, said the goal of the tea parties was to get American citizens involved and aware of where their tax dollars were going, especially with the recent passing of the stimulus package. You cannot spend your way into prosperity, Son- tag said.