Columbia Chronicle (04/28/1997) Columbia College Chicago
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Columbia College Chicago Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago Columbia Chronicle College Publications 4-28-1997 Columbia Chronicle (04/28/1997) Columbia College Chicago Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.colum.edu/cadc_chronicle Part of the Journalism Studies Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Columbia College Chicago, "Columbia Chronicle (04/28/1997)" (April 28, 1997). Columbia Chronicle, College Publications, College Archives & Special Collections, Columbia College Chicago. http://digitalcommons.colum.edu/cadc_chronicle/381 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. It has been accepted for inclusion in Columbia Chronicle by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. o r C 0 L U M I) A RECEI'&DO L L E G E C 1i C A C 0 VOL. XXX, No. 23 APR 2 9 1997 April 28, 1997 ~~•=11=~•== ~1 Disabled Sfuaelft§ seek better services for a student volunteer to assist for the needs of disabled students. The student volunteer will receive a stipend of $50 at the end of the semester from the college. By Rui Kaneya For note-taking purposes, there is an Copy Editor advantage of having students as volunteers because, naturall y, they have a vested inter Bumping into barriers-literally and fig est in taking good notes in their class. For uratively-is a way of life for many blind cases where Columbia cannot get any vol students. But Buna Dahal, a 24-year-old stu unteer student, instructors are asked to write dent at Columbia, is doing the best she can a note for a student," said Janet Talbot, to bring down some of these obstacles. director of academic advising. In her classes, Dahal takes notes using But Talbot said that there is always a stu braille, a written means by which blind peo dent who is willing to help. "People at ple communicate. It is a system of tactile dot Columbia are very happy and willing to help patterns created by either a slate or stylus, out their fellow classmates," she said. tools used to punch out symbols on notepa "Every student who requested a note taker per. Each braille character, or "cell," is com has received notes. So it 's not a problem." posed of up to six dots in a unique arrange Providing readers for blind students is a ment, enabling blind and visually impaired little bi t more troublesome. Since the stu individuals to "read" by touching it. dents mostly need readers outside their "Blind people have to be able to take classes, blind students and volunteers have their own notes," Dahal said. "Having note to arrange the time to meet in their busy takers makes blind students very, very schedules. dependent." The system becomes very inconvenient There are many obstacles in college since readers may not be available when a attendance, however, that blind students student really needs them. cannot overcome by themselves. Some have Dahal said she could not work with any to rely on others to serve as "readers" for readers a few weeks ago because her readers their textbooks and tests, while others use had conflicting schedules. Photo by Jo Machado closed-circuit television sets that enlarge Some colleges and uni versities around Buna Dahal, a blind Columbia student, type. the country are installing new technologies belives, while the college can do more to help Dahal has to ask for assistance, especial to compensate for the scarcity of such disaled students, it is taking a positive steps. human assistance. Reading machines, spell ly for reading materials from textbooks, the blind and visually impaired students. When blackboard and researched information checkers and other computer-based systems are used to assist people whose disabilities it was first created in the mid-'70s, the price from the library. Using computers are also of the translator was $22,000 for the English cumbersome. Dahal said she can type fairly makes it difficult to read, write, organize information or otherwise communicate. version- now costing less than $500, well on the keyboard. But she has to ask according to the catalog. However, Columbia has yet to install somebody to read the monitor as she goes The software is used to transcribe text on along. supporting technologies that are specifically designed for blind students to use computers the computer into braille form. The special "Ri ght now I don' t have enough ized printer will print the transcribed braille resources," Dahal said. "I'm not able to without any assistance. "Right now, Columbia doesn't have com text so that any textbooks, tests and other function at the level that I want because I materials can be made available to blind stu puters that are adapted to me," Dahal said. don't have enough readers. So it is very hard dents in a form that they can understand. right now." "If they have one or two computers with Features, page 17 voice output, it would help me so much." In April 1995, Purdue University created Columbia provides readers, note takers a supporting facility to provide many such and other additional assistance if a student Duxbury Braille Translator is one of expresses a need. Typically, the college asks many software programs developed to help See Disabled, next page hild care Columbia alum turns growing issu at Coulmbia small part into big deal By April M. Knox Corre.rpondelll up with how· "Waldo" would be," By Erin Bonillo See Editorial, What was originally a small role in Staff Writer the up-coming movie "Hoodlum", star said Morrow. "I came up with the P~9 ing Lawrence Fishburne and Vanessa character right there in my agent's Campus mommies office." and daddies have ..___ ......_ ______. Williams, Columbia College radio/the ater alumni Kevin Donnell Morrow Morrow's persistence stems from been around since Columbia opened, but new statis vigorously developed his character and his own personal struggle to become tics show that the number of students with children eventually turned his two scene debut an actor along with some auditioning is up a significantly. Along with that increase comes into 12. advice from acclaimed actor Daniel new demands and concerns, the first being child Morrow plays the role of "Waldo," a Baldwin during a Columbia College event. (What event and when) care. quick tempered gangster who serves as "He told me to make "them" realize Columbia College has received criticism for not a security/body guard for Ellsworth providing on-campus child facilities as many other "Bumpy" Johnson, (Fishburne), and that I'm the man you want, that I am Chicago colleges do. For that growing number o along with a host of other henchmen, the best man for the job. He assured students juggling books and babies, campus-based they survive by playing the numbers me that I would get work with that type of attitude, and I applied it." child care could ~e their hectic lives a bit more game - illegal daily lotto. manageable. \ In addition to his invaluable experi The movie was filmed last summer Nate Wilkes is a full-time Columbia student and in Chicago's downtown area and South ence from the role itself, Morrow also the father of two toddlers. He knows firsthand the had the opportunity to work alongside Side, and is set in Harlem during the Photo courtesy April Knox 'ly stress involved in trying to play both roles 1920's and depicts the great depression Cicely Tyson, Vanessa Will iams, Loretta Devine, and lim Roth, among Actor Kevin Morrow (right), a simultaneously. and the rise of the historic Harlem " It's a constant struggle to work caregive others. Columbia graduate, seen with fellow Renaissance. actor Bill Dukes ("Predator''). options, while attending school. If my care provide "Hoodlum" director Bill Dukes, ("A On day's when Morrow was not backs out, I miss classes." said Wilkes. Rage in Harlem", "Sister Act II", "1ne expected to be on the set, he came any In between numerous auditions, Other parents resort to bringing the child or chit Cemetery Club"), acknowledged way, determined that his desire to study Morrow currently plays three different the art of acting will never end. to classes, if they are stuck without options. Morrow's suggestions on how to characters in " Fun in the Forest". a pro "Either they go with me or I risk failing. It's that sim expand his character's non-speaking "'These were people that I'd watched duction from the Ch1cago-based theater ple," stated an anonymous Columbia parent. role and opened a door of opportunity growing up," said Morrow. ··so, I asked company Chocolate Chip, housed 1n myself, why not watch and study them See Family, next page in which Morrow walked through. "By reading the script, I came li ve on the set?'" See Morrow, page 3 .. \ 2 NEWS A p _r i I · ~ ~ , ~ ~ 9 ~ · 7 1BE CHRONICLE Jot.mallsm Department Going to. college o-ver 623 S. Wabash Ave., Other colleges that are offering classes greatly underestimated the frequency' atKf, · Suite 802 By Dan Bischoff over the 'Net are Walden University and The variety of problems my students ahd I would Chicago, Illinois 60605 Correspondent University of Phoenix, but these schools offer encounter in completmg a document cycle. specific· degrees. Walden University is a · E-mail software is. much less powerful than • Imagine going through college without graduate school, with headquarters in Naples, editors, this led to work which was poorly News desk: ever leaving your house.