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Page 23 text:
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b learned 3m life as the while away It was just another Monday morning for Mike Gekas, St.Charles, 111., senior. The alarm went off, he brushed his teeth and gulped down juice on his way out the door. But then, the regular morning routine began to differ from what other University of Kansas students experienced. He hopped on his red woman ' s bicycle (loaned to him by Danish Aunt Goule) with the handy basket strapped to the front to catch his train to Copenhagen on time. Mondays were actually one of the best days of the week. For Gekas, living and studying in Denmark gave him a reason to want to get out of bed. The first day of the week was set up for excur- sions to see Danish architecture, museums and landmarks. The whole program tried to get students out with Monday field trips and sketch classes on Wednesdays in the city, he said. I ' ve seen every major museum in Copenhagen and one of them I ' ve seen five times. Gekas chose the Scandanavian landscape because it was a region he didn ' t know much about and was pleased with the tight-knit culture of only five million people. There is no high crime except for theft. No guns or murder like I hear in the first five minutes of the Chicago news, said Gekas. Gekas opted to live with a Danish- and English-speaking family to further immerse himself in that culture, while having only a week-long crash course in the Danish language. At the end of the trip he was not fluent but said he could read signs and get the gist of what he needed to know. However, the more he learned about life from simply being in that environment, the less he wanted to go to class. I didn ' t work as hard as I usually do because in Kansas, there is no time limit to see things, he said. In Copenhagen, it ' s hard to stay in studio when I could go to Sweden for the weekend. If I had the chance to take a trip to Prague, I ' d go. I told myself that I was in Europe and that I should experience as much as I could. Gekas went to Sweden and the Czech Republic and also Russia, Estonia, Switzerland, France, Italy and Greece. Nick Probst, Des Moines, Iowa, senior in vocal performance, made a similar rounding of European countries in the summer. He attended a language institute in Eutin, Germany, after only four months of foreign language experience. Like Gekas, Probst asked to stay with a German family and was placed with a single, older woman who didn ' t speak English. He attended field trips to cultural events, museums and castles. He also researched the life and works of Beethoven and presented it in a five-minute speech in German. Most of Probst ' s learning took place outside of the classroom where he learned more than grammar. One of his favorite experiences was when he took a solo trip to Lindau, Germany. I went to the train station and started scanning the board to figure out where I wanted to go, he said. It was the most freeing feeling to not have any plans. I knew I ' d be alone and I ' d have to work harder. Both Gekas and Probst tried to break out of the American mindset and experience the world outside of U.S. borders. Once back on Kansas ground, they were already planning their next trips. I will always want to go abroad, Probst said. It ' s part of who I am. Mike Gekas, St. Charles, Vals, Switzerland. senior, T.J. Brennan, St. Louis senior, and Andy Wagner, Fruitland, Mo., senior, enjoyed the view of the Alps in Story by Andrea Darr Contributed photos
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Page 22 text:
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z I I I I I I KU students learned as much from life as they did in the classroom while away from Lawrence. Top: Nick Probst, Des Moines senior, spent the summer studying in Eutin, Germany. Traveling by train was the quickest and easiest way to get around Europe. Bottom: Probst posed by a piece of the Berlin Wall that had been covered with art. T I; DIB
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Page 24 text:
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free your mind Campus provided several outlets for a plethora of opinions. The University of Kansas ' campus was literally a forum for free speech. Students exercising their first amendment rights used the sidewalks to scrib- ble their thoughts on, or they called the University Daily Kansan ' s Free For All line. Free speech outlets were plentiful. Kansan editors decided to add Free For All to provide an anonymous forum for students to voice their opinions. Students called in and left a 20-second message on any subject, and selected comments were published on the Kansan ' s opinion page. Students welcomed the column, and it became one of the most-read features of the paper. Jacob Eubanks, Topeka sophomore, was one of many fans of the column. I enjoy reading it every day, he said. It ' s the only thing 1 read in the paper. It ' s really funny. One of Eubanks ' favorite quotes was: So many freshman girls, so little time. Chris Claus, Kansas City sophomore, said he thought the idea for the column was a gre at idea. It lets people get their opinions out, he said. Matt Leeper, Topeka sophomore, agreed with Claus. It ' s a great thing that students can voice their opinion, he said. It ' s OK for stu- dents to berate things. Isn ' t that what the first amendment freedom of speech is for? Chalk messages pervade campus as well. People use the sidewalks to announce campus and local events, promote Web sites or wish their friends a happy birthday. It made my friend ' s day when I wrote ' Happy Birthday ' at all the entrances of Stauffer-Flint, said Jana Caffrey, Liberty, Mo., senior. I could tell she was a little bit embarrassed, but I knew she was glad I did it. Students messages weren ' t always as accepted. On Oct. 10, Queers Allies mem- bers wrote messages about Coming Out Day in front of the Kansas Union. The next morning, Facilities Operations employees found some profane messages, such as It ' s a lot sweeter when both have a peter, and they erased them. Though free speech fueled controversy, KU students appreciated a campus envi- ronment that allowed them to voice their opinions. As Willie McDowell, Topeka freshman, put it, Mmm, free for all. Now that ' s a good idea! Story by Jodi Danziger Photos by Trent Guyer
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