UNIVERSITY THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWS OF UMKC Jan. 17, 2011 Vol. 78, Issue 17 Step show makes 8an impression 2 Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. speaks at UMKC 12 Track and Field team sets records Photo by Sarah Ashlock 2 NEWS Vol. 78, Issue 17 Henry Louis Gates, Jr. delivers Martin Luther King, Jr. keynote address Melissa Oribhabor Editor-in-Chief On Friday night, Gates spoke to a large showing roots and discover where he came from. at Swinney Recreation Center. “I needed to know where I am from,” Gates Contributions from He said his decision to study African-American said. Biography: Mark Linville News Editor genealogy was a result of an experience he had This study of genealogy has also led to a PBS with his father, after the death of his grandfather, documentary titled “African American Lives,” Henry Louis Gates When the news broke in July 2009 that Edward St. Lawrence Gates. which traces the ancestry of many prominent Nathan Zoschke Copy Editor/ “My dad turned to my brother and me and said African Americans, including Oprah, Chris Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was Asst. Production Manager arrested outside his home in Cambridge, Mass., he wanted to show us something,” Gates said. Tucker and Whoppi Goldberg. many were shocked. Gates recalled following his father and brother Gates showed a 10 minute clip of the upcoming The Cambridge police were called to upstairs to their grandfather’s bedroom. “African-American Lives 2.” Sept. 16, 1950 investigate a possible break-in when Gates was Gate’s father opened up a cabinet in the room Gates shared some surprising statistics with Gates is born in Keyser, W.Va. having difficulty opening his own front door after that contained bank ledgers Edward St. Lawrence the audience, stating the majority of African- Gates had collected in his time working as a Americans in the United States are of a small 1964 the lock had jammed. Gates receives a hairline hip fracture This incident sparked a nationwide debate janitor at First National Bank. percentage of European descent. Edward used these ledgers as scrapbooks of old The average ancestry of African-Americans is while playing touch football. The injury was about racial profiling, a problem many minorities misdiagnosed by a doctor, and Gates’ right in this country still face. photos and newspaper clippings. 77.6 percent African, 17.5 percent European and Gates father opened one in particular that 4.9 percent Native American/Eastern Asian. leg is more than two inches shorter than his Although President Obama publically left, forcing him to walk with a cane. criticized the Cambridge police for their contained a photo of the eldest traceable Gates Aside from speaking about family roots and actions, in one of the most unique attempts at family member, Jane Gates, a slave who was part genealogy, Gates also spoke about the value of 1973 reconciliation, Obama and Vice President Joe White. Affirmative Action and how it has benefited him Gates is one of 12 Yale students selected as Biden invited Gates and the arresting officer, Sgt. Jane Gates lived from 1819-1888. through his professional career. a Scholar of the House, a program that allows James Crowley, to the White House to have some In addition to the photo, the book contained an “I wouldn’t have gone to Yale [University] seniors to pursue an area of interest, such as beers and discuss what happened. obituary for Jane that referred her as “An estimable without Affirmative Action,” Gates said. “My writing a book or composing a symphony, This incident put Gates into the national Colored woman.” daddy, as I told you, was working class; he worked instead of taking classes. spotlight, but before this, Gates was already well- Gates’ father said, “I never want you to forget two jobs 37 years to put my brother and me Gates becomes the first African-American known in the world of academia as an expert in this lady; this is the oldest Gates that we can trace.” through college. We wouldn’t [have] had the class to receive an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation African-American genealogy, a documentary Learning about his ancestry really got Gates background to be admitted.” Fellowship to study at Cambridge. Gates later filmmaker, author and director of the W.E.B. Du thinking. According to Gates, he would have never had earns his M.A. and Ph.D. in English literature Bois Institute for African and African-American “I wanted to know what my relationship was to the opportunities to pursue his education and from Cambridge. Research. this woman,” Gates said. work in certain fields had Affirmative Action not “Since that day, July 4, 1960, [the day Edward given minorities a chance to have a successful 1991 Due to his extensive experience in African- Gates joins Harvard’s faculty, previously American studies, Gates was invited to UMKC St. Lawrence Gates passed away] I have been future. obsessed with my family tree,” Gates said. having taught at Drake, Cornell and Yale. as this year’s keynote speaker in honor of Martin [email protected] Gates serves as Chair of African and Luther King, Jr. Day. Gates began interviewing family members on [email protected] both his mother’s and father’s sides to find his African-American Studies at Harvard, a position he continued in through 2006. 1997 TIME lists Gates as one of the “25 most influential Americans.” 2006 Gates writes and produces “African- American Lives,” the first documentary to use genealogy and genetic science to trace African-American history. 2009 Gates is arrested on charges of disorderly conduct outside his home in Cambridge, Mass. after a dispute with a police officer. President Obama accused the police of acting ‘stupidly,’ but later apologized. Photos by Mark Linville Left: Gates spoke at Swinney Recreation Center on Friday, Jan. 14 Today Above: The Martin Luther King, Jr. event at Swinney Recreation Center was well- Gates serves as director of the W.E.B. attended Du Bois Institute for African and African- Right: Gates signed copies of his books at Swinney Recreation Center American Studies at Harvard. Gates has authored myriad books and papers. Sources: www.fas.harvard.edu U.S. News and World Report [email protected] Jan. 17, 2011 NEWS 3 As snow falls on UMKC, problems accumulate Teresa Sheffield Staff Writer there high winds? We take all those things into make sure everything’s running consideration, whether it’s at four in the morning smoothly. The UMKC campus was buried under seven inches “They’re the ones cleaning Almost every student enjoys a snow day. or later. These [forecasts] help us determine of snow on Jan. 10 Photo by Mark Linville However, a lot goes into the decision to cancel what’s going to happen in the morning with a the streets, police and the food class, and it does have some far-reaching effects. cancellation or in the afternoon with an early service,” Simmons said. “They “We’re dealing with weather patterns,” said dismissal or a cancellation of evening classes.” get paid overtime, because the Interim Vice Chancellor of Administrative The cancellation of classes has several campus is closed and they have Services Robert Simmons. “There are a lot of consequences. to stay as situational-critical em- variables that factor in in making the decision that One of the most important is making up the ployees. UMKC cancels school we try to take into consideration.” classes that were missed. differently than others because The final decision to cancel class lies with “After cancelling classes, it basically becomes of the commuter population.” Chancellor Leo Morton, but Simmons said there the task for the faculty member to decide how “It varies a lot, and we do have are three main criteria he looks at before making a they’re going to adjust their curriculum for that 1,500 students who live on cam- recommendation to the chancellor. missed day,” Simmons said. “We don’t make up pus, so we have a pretty good One of the main factors is the condition of the days like people would have been used to in high residence population,” Simmons sidewalks, parking and streets surrounding the school, higher education doesn’t really work that said. “But because we do have campus. way. Not everyone may be affected; some classes more students who drive in from “We evaluate the conditions, and then in terms may not even be affected at all. It goes back to each other areas, we cancel more than, of that it’s been snowing overnight, we work and every faculty member. How are they going say, MU or KU, [which] have a very early to get them to safe conditions when to adjust their syllabus? There’s an effect on the higher percentage of students The rooftop terrace of the Student Union covered students arrive or staff arrive for work and classes,” students, because there may be exams that they who live on campus or near it. We cancel in snow Simmons said. may need to reschedule.” about the same or less than Metropolitan Photo courtesy Andre Paredes The administration also examines the If the campus closes in the middle of the day, Community College or Johnson County conditions of the city as a whole. Because UMKC university policy says faculty and staff must still be Community College where everyone’s a everyone happy with it. There will be a large is a commuter campus, highway and street paid for that day, which has a financial impact on commuter student there, so [we cancel] less than number of people who say we should have closed conditions around Kansas City also factor in.