schol haller - University of Kansas

SCHOL 

HALLER 

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SCHOLARSHIP HALLS : : FALL 2011 

Have you seen Frosty? 

The Pearson snow globe 

has gone missing 

PAGE 4 

GP ready for a 

zombie apocalypse 

PAGE 7

Page 2 | Fall 2011 | Schol Haller 

A note from the editor 

By Lisa Curran 

ASHC Publications Chair 

Thanks for reading the �rst Schol 

Haller of the year! I’m really 

excited for this issue. 

As you may notice, the Schol Haller 

has a few new sections this year. �e 

�rst, located right below this article, is 

Crawford chatter, which features funny 

things students say in and around the 

scholarship halls. �is section is what 

you all make it. So send me your chatter 

by going to the Schol Haller section 

of the ASHC website and clicking 

Crawford chatter 

Oh the things heard around the schol halls 

“What do they speak in Italy? Italian? 

Is that a language?” 

What are YOU gonna be extinct 

about? 

We need a drunk guy to come crawl 

around in our bushes. 

I’ve done things in my car that just 

should not be done in a car. 

(studying ethics) Man, this class just 

asks too many hard questions. 

... and so I just felt obligated to make 

out with him. 

on “Submit an article.” Want to be 

anonymous? Not a problem. Just put 

“Crawford chatter” in spots reserved for 

the name and hall of the submitter. 

Additionally, Love in the schol 

halls (page 12) is replacing Dear Hott 

Henry and Juicy John. But don’t worry; 

the Schol Haller’s advice columnist 

will still answer all of your love-related 

questions. 

Also in this issue, you will notice a 

few Schol-Hall Olympics photos. Congratulations 

to Douthart and Pearson 

halls on winning the Olympics, and a 

big thank you to Heather Pierce, the 

SHD of Maggie and K.K., for contributing 

the photos. 

Have questions, comments or 

suggestions? Email me at ashcpublications@gmail.com. 

I’d love to hear from 

you. 

The All Scholarship 

Hall Council on 

@KUscholhalls 

and @kuashc 

In this issue 

A message from the president..... 3 

Rieger hall report........................ 3 

Pearson hall report...................... 4 

Margaret Amini hall report.......... 5 

Cleaning up the schol halls.......... 5 

Battenfeld hall report.................. 6 

Sellards hall report...................... 6 

Grace Pearson hall report............ 7 

Moving into the scholarship halls.. 7 

Douthart hall report.................... 8 

Krehbiel hall report..................... 9 

Stephenson hall report................ 9 

Miller hall report......................... 10 

Watkins hall report...................... 10 

Give back to your community...... 11 

Love in the schol halls.................. 12 

On the cover 

Katy Rothfelder, a freshman from Douthart, shows o� the trash she 

found on Alumni Place. About 60 students from the scholarship halls 

took di�erent routes walking down to Massachusetts Street, picking 

up litter alongside the sidewalk on the way. The groups reconvened 

at 3 Spoons, where they were given a discount on their frozen yogurt 

for their e�orts. The event was planned by R. J. Zeiler, the ASHC 

Environmental Chair, and Caleb Hall, the ASHC Community Service 

Chair, and their respective committees. 

This publication is brought to you by: 

The Schol Haller is produced by the 

publications chair of the All Scholarship 

Hall Council from the University 

of Kansas. It is a medium scholarship 

hall students may turn to for information 

about their community and use 

for distributing information.

A message from the president 

The scholarship halls should focus on equality, respect and higher education 

You may be asking yourself why 

I would choose to write about 

hazing in this edition of the Schol 

Haller. When Elizabeth Miller Watkins 

donated the lands and funds necessary 

to build Watkins Hall in 1926, she did 

so in order to create a community where 

women would have the opportunity for 

equality, respect and higher education. 

Even though much has changed in our 

community since then, these ideals still 

hold true. Hazing is not simply a “Greek 

problem,” it is an issue with the entire 

campus community and reaches to the 

RIEGER 

By Dayona Nett 

President of ASHC 

By Kirsten Marples 

President of Rieger 

Greetings from Rieger! 

Classes are well underway 

and many events have been 

planned. �e women of Rieger have 

truly bonded these last couple of 

weeks, and this year is proving to be 

one for the record books. 

We have had our annual Flava 

Night, Traditions Night, and Dad’s 

Weekend. Flava Night is one of 

the �rst events we put on to get to 

scholarship halls. I am very thankful that 

the All Scholarship Hall Council had the 

opportunity to recognize National Hazing 

Prevention Week on Sept. 19-23 by participating 

in campus events and hosting a 

program for the community. 

I attended the Novak Institute for 

Hazing Prevention this summer and 

learned several 

surprising things. 

National studies 

indicate that more 

than half of students 

involved in student 

organizations and 

teams experience 

hazing, including 

members of athletic teams, those in Greek 

communities, club sports, performing arts 

and academic clubs. An even more alarming 

fact is that nationwide, many students 

who have experienced hazing did not 

consider themselves to have been hazed 

and 95 percent of college students who 

said they were hazed did not report it. 

“Hazing is not simply a ‘Greek 

problem,’ it is an issue with the 

entire campus community and 

reaches to the scholarship halls.” 

know one another. Riegerettes open 

up their doors and share a night of 

community bonding over delectable 

ice cream with di�erent toppings 

in each room. Traditions Night this 

year was Jeop- 

ardy themed. 

Included were 

details about 

Rieger’s history, 

KU trivia and 

an interesting 

fact about each 

woman of the 

hall. It was an exciting, entertaining 

way to get to know more about the 

place we all call home. 

We also just had our annual 

Dad’s Weekend. Rieger dads were 

invited to come spend the weekend 

with their daughters: playing 

games, having a barbeque, and at- 

Schol Haller | Fall 2011 | Page 3 

We don’t o�en talk about hazing in 

the scholarship halls but I quickly learned 

through my experience as ASHC President 

this year that the unhealthy behaviors 

that constitute hazing are present 

in some of our community’s traditions. 

I know this not only through my own 

personal experiences but from testimo- 

nies from other 

scholarship hall 

residents. Help me 

to prevent hazing in 

the scholarship hall 

community so that 

we can truly provide 

a safe and healthy 

environment for our 

residents that re�ects our community 

ideals of equality, respect and higher 

education. 

Start a new tradition. Stop Hazing. To 

learn more about hazing and how you can 

get involved with campus initiatives, visit 

www.preventhazing.ku.edu. 

�� 

tending the football game together. 

It is a great opportunity for us to 

show our dads around campus and 

get a little taste of home while the 

�rst round of exams is pushing 

our comfort 

“The women of Rieger have 

truly bonded these last couple of 

weeks, and this year is proving to 

be one for the record books.” 

levels. 

Our 

goals this 

year include 

increasing 

our number 

of community 

service 

hours and focusing on educational 

programming. Our executive board 

is working hard to make these 

things happen, and our new women 

are making us proud. If you’re in 

the neighborhood, stop by and say 

hi!


PEARSON 

�� 

By Jon Samp 

President of Pearson 

Walking through the hallowed 

halls of Pearson, 

I have noticed a certain 

silence that I have never heard here 

before. 

Yes, doors are still open and a 

mix of Taylor Swi� and Blink-182 

is still blaring from people’s 

rooms, but there is a fundamental 

sound that 

is missing. Almost 

like when the power 

goes out and the 

refrigerator ceases 

to make that 

comforting hum 

that becomes 

so internalized, 

you suddenly 

feel empty when 

it stops. 

�is all goes 

back to seven 

years ago when 

Pearson purchased a 

larger-than-life snow 

globe that has been 

running ever since. 

Frosty the Snowman 

has a place in many of 

our hearts, and over 

the years he has become 

a well-established 

member of our family. 

MISSING: 

Recently, however, there has 

been turmoil whether to retire our 

hall mascot. He does put a smile 

on our face when we try to squeeze 

past the big 

guy every 

morning 

to get to 

the Lucky 

Charms, 

but on the other hand, he is 

patched with a combination of duct 

and scotch tape to keep his globe 

from de�ating. 

Posters have been going up 

around the hall stating “Don’t pull 

the plug” while others want Frosty 

to be retired to preserve his dignity. 

�e argument has morphed 

into one of 

the most se- 

“Who would do such a thing? And a rious debates 

I have ever 

better question, how could you?” 

seen in my 

years here in 

the scholarship halls. 

One day I returned from work 

a little bit chilly, and all I wanted 

was the warmth of a big in�atable 

snowman, when I came to �nd that 

he has vanished! 

No more sounds of his rumbling 

motor and the snow �akes 

in his globe bouncing o� his 

plastic world. Who would 

do such a thing? And a 

better question, how 

could you? 

It is unclear to 

me whether we 

will ever �nd our 

Frosty again, but 

let it be known 

that whoever 

you are that has 

stolen our friend, 

our brother: You 

can never steal the 

idea of Frosty. 

Frosty is not just 

a conglomeration of 

plastic, polyester, and 

bean-bag pellets sewed 

together into a happy 

snowman. He is a tradition 

of Pearson and 

his spirit will forever 

wander the halls of this 

building. 

Frosty the snowman snow globe 

Contact Pearson with information

MARGARET AMINI 

The women of Maggie have 

gotten the semester o� to a 

great start with our �rst intrahall 

event, planned by social chairs 

Jennifer Garren and Jessica Dailey. 

In early September, the women held 

their �rst old-school slumber party. 

�at night, the girls arrived in the 

common room with pajamas and 

stu�ed animals, ready to live it up in 

third-grader style. 

During the event, Maggieans 

enjoyed classic slumber party 

activities including eating popcorn, 

playing board games, dancing to ’90s 

pop music and nail-painting skills. 

As always, the room was �lled with 

laughter and hilarious stories as girls 

shared experiences from their �rst 

weeks back on campus. �e event 

also provided a great chance for new 

women to interact with the older 

residents and learn more about the 

remarkable mix of women that call 

Margaret Amini their home. 

By R.J. Zeiler 

ASHC Environmental Chair 

By Emily Schapker 

President of Margaret Amini 

Later in September, Maggie 

also held a program called the New 

Women Dinner �eater, in which 

they discussed the exciting experience 

of living with roommates. �e 

program is designed to teach new 

residents how to handle disagreements 

with roommates appropriately 

before situations get out of control. 

At Dinner �eater, the women 

enjoy tasty desserts while the 

president, proctor, and FBM act 

out comedic skits that represent 


�� 

As the ASHC Environmental Chair, 

it’s my responsibility to monitor the 

e�ect our scholarship hall community 

has on the natural environment. 

�ings like recycling initiatives, energy 

conservation e�orts, neighborhood clean- 

Photo courtesy of Heather Pierce 

Women of Margaret Amini huddle to work out a game plan for the water balloon toss during the 

Schol-Hall Olympics earlier this year. The hall placed second in the Olympics. 

ups, and even tree plantings originate from 

my desk. 

So far this year, our environmental 

committee has collaborated with the community 

service committee to organize a 

trash pickup event starting at the Chancellor’s 

Fountain and ending at 3 Spoons Frozen 

Yogurt on Massachusetts Street, a total 

of 1.2 miles. On Sept. 23, our group of 

residents cleaned up blocks of Louisiana, 

Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky and Vermont 

streets. �e event was a great success! 

Keep an eye out for future cleanups 

like this on campus and other environ- 

common roommate problems. �e 

girls then get to discuss how the 

situations could be handled better 

and why it is important to address 

the issues. �e night turned out to 

be a lot of fun and gave the new 

women a chance to learn from the 

experience of older residents. We 

look forward to hosting more fun 

events like this throughout the year, 

building the Maggie community and 

having a blast with the lovely ladies 

of Margaret Amini Hall. 

Cleaning up the schol halls 

mental events planned in the scholarship 

hall community. 

In the meantime, though, I’ll leave 

you with a friendly reminder to always 

shut out your lights and electronics when 

you’re not using them, make an e�ort to 

conserve your water, and recycle everything 

you can. We’re working closely with 

the KU Center for Sustainability to make 

the entire KU campus a more environmentally-friendly 

place, and it’s the individual 

contributions by each and every scholarship 

hall resident that can help us to make 

a huge impact.


BATTENFELD 

SELLARDS 

�� 

By Joel Haug 

President of Battenfeld 

It is hard to believe that 

we are already well into 

the fall semester here at 

Battenfeld Scholarship Hall, 

but at the same time, there 

has been so much going 

on around campus and the 

hall that it makes sense that 

time seems to be going by so 

quickly. It is always amazing 

for me to see how fast the 

old and the new members 

of our community come 

together with each new year 

to form a truly home-like 

atmosphere. 

Sharing meals together, 

playing games together 

throughout the hall, throwing 

the disc or football on 

the front lawn, participating 

in intramural sports on 

campus, or simply leaving 

our doors open to encour- 

By Charlotte Davis 

President of Sellards 

Intelligence agents have recently 

made signi�cant headway 

regarding the Hot Water Crisis 

at Sellards Scholarship Hall. Interviews 

with wary residents, have been 

largely inconclusive, but valuable 

new intel has surfaced. Following is a 

journal entry from one such survivor. 

age community building 

are all common events that 

make Battenfeld a great 

place to experience college. 

We were pleased to be 

among the top three �nishers 

in the annual Schol-Hall 

Olympics at the beginning 

of the semester in what 

turned out to be a competitive 

and close contest all the 

way through the week until 

the �nal tug-of-war event. 

We are looking forward to 

participating in other interhall 

activities throughout 

the semester and, in particular, 

our very own Casino 

Night. 

�is Battenfeld event is 

perhaps the oldest scholarship 

hall social event and 

promises to be a fun night 

of dancing, playing casino 

games and hanging out. Although 

it feels as though the 

year has just begun, I know 

that my last year here at Battenfeld 

will be over all too 

soon, and I look forward 

to seeing what the coming 

months have in store for 

our hall! 

DAY 1 

Went to take a shower. Waited 

for water to warm up, nothing 

happened. Similar reports from my 

fellows. I fear for the future. 

DAY 4 

Haven’t showered since the 

Incident. �en went to brush my 

teeth this morning and found the 

water was scalding. Cannot taste 

anything, but will shower immediately. 

�ere is an air of celebration 

about the hall. 

DAY 5 

�e hot water is gone again. Our 

basement is �ooded as well. �ey 

tell me we are waiting for a new part 


Sam Voelker, a sophomore from Battenfeld, reaches to catch a water 

balloon during the Schol-Hall Olympics earlier this year. 

�� 

for our water heater. May take eight 

weeks. We are resorting to shaving 

with water from our co�ee pots. 

DAY 6 

�e hot water was back for an 

hour. Roommates and I missed it. 

Fate is toying with us, and winter is 

closing in. Growing desperate. 

DAY 8 

�e hot water has been back for 

more than 24 hours. Basement is all 

dried out. Roommates are carefully 

optimistic, but I remain cautious. 

One day my children will know I 

survived the Hot Water Crisis of ’11. 

If indeed it is over.

GRACE PEARSON 

By Andy Connolly 

President of Grace Pearson 

If there is one thing that I’m most 

proud of for being Grace Pearson’s 

Scholarship Hall president, 

is the crucial fact that we’re ready to 

take on the Zombie Apocalypse. 

Since our freshmen year, we 

have been trained to know how to 

respond intelligently to a zombie 

outbreak. �rough rigorous studying 

and daily practice, we �ne tune our 

skills in all walks of life, from handto-hand 

combat, to handling melee 

weapons, to rationing our food. 

We also watch, discuss and debate 

over certain famous documentaries 

about zombie outbreaks such as 

“Dawn of the Dead,” “Day of the 

Dead,” “Return of the Living Dead,” 

“Shaun of the Dead” and, of course, 

“Zombieland” (RIP Bill Murray). 

We are trained to work together as a 

team and not panic when the going 

gets tough and the zombies start 

breaking through our barrier. 

GP itself is one of the best halls 

built to stand up against the army of 

the dead. Its exterior is solidly built 

with most of the ground-level windows 

have wells right below them 

to prevent easy break-ins. �e roof 

of GP is a great spot as well. Serving 

both as a prime location for sniping 

zombies and for collecting rain in 

buckets, the roo�op serves as the 

best defensive and o�ensive place in 

the hall. 

�e only problem with our 

zombie survival plan is the lack of 

food. �ough our food pantry is big, 

the men of GP are hungry beings 

that need nourishment to keep the 

�ght on. At best, we may be able to 

survive one and a half 

weeks. 

A�er 

we eat 

the large 

can of 

grape jelly 

that’s been 

sitting on 

our shelf 

for the past two years, 

we’ll probably go down in 

an epic, �ght-to-the-last-man battle 

with the always-hungry zombies. As 

president of the hall, I would �nd it 


Ready for the zombie apocalypse 

I 

was nervous, I admit. When I �rst entered 

the hall, I met a man who loved wearing 

an archeologist’s hat … and he is majoring 

in geology. All of the old men I met were 

unique and quirky, and yet within just one 

day I already felt like GP was a home away 

from home. Coming to college, I was worried 

about conforming and having to blend 

in, but at this schol hall there is none of that 

stu�. I don’t have to drink everyday so people 

will hang out with me: �ey like me for who 

I am. Every man at GP adds to the diverse 

stew. Also, it helps that a fourth of us rock an 

accent. 

�ere is nowhere I would rather 

stay. �e schol hall community is a 

diverse group and includes people 

from every way of life, making 

it easy to �nd a new group of 

friends. From serenading the girls 

with, “Why do you build me up” 

to playing a fruitless game of 

basketball, there is so 

much to do, and so 

much fun to be had. I 

suppose that the only 

thing to worry about is a 

zombie apocalypse. 

a great honor to �ght with my men 

until my very last breath. 

But as I am writing this, the 

zombocalypse has yet to arrive. 

While we wait and continue to 

prepare ourselves for the day the 

dead will walk the earth, we invite 

you to our Cereal Night, which is 

every �ursday at midnight. �ere 

we serve home-baked donuts, apple 

fritters, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, 

cookies and other tasty breakfast 

food. We, the men of Grace Pearson, 

would thoroughly enjoy your company 

and presence 

and hope to see 

you there. 

Remember: 

always double 

tap. 

�� 

By a new man from GP


By Kristen Meier 

President of Douthart 

Greetings from Douthart! 

We are getting back 

into the swing of things 

and everyone at Douthart is �nding 

their stride. We started o� the year 

strong with a lot of hall bonding 

through the Schol-Hall Olympics, 

but it hasn’t stopped there. Whether 

it’s volunteering for Jubilee Café, 

buying cupcakes to bene�t the 

Lawrence Hunger Project (delicious 

and philanthropic 

— double 

yum!), or 

just hanging 

out watching 

movies, the life of a Douthartian 

is never a lonely one. If that wasn’t 

enough, last weekend the Douthart 

dames made the trek to the Adams 

Challenge Course where they participated 

in a number of crazy teambuilding 

activities that included 

whales, giant webs, trust falls, and 

even green chickens. But remember, 

what happens in the forest stays in 

the forest. �ere’s plenty more to 

look forward to whether it be Floor 

Parties, Sun- 

�re Cermanic 

trips, or 

Romp in the 

Hay, just to 

name a few, 

but there’s always room for more, 

so come on down and join us at the 

corner of 14th and Louisiana streets 

— we’re a friendly crew, we promise 

you! 

“But remember, what happens in the 

forest stays in the forest.” 

DOUTHART �� 


Shelby Ferguson, a sophomore from Watkins, drives past Sarah Parrish, a sophomore from Douthart, during the women’s three-on-three basketball tournament for the Schol- 

Hall Olympics earlier this year. Douthart won the women’s division of the Olympics, while Pearson took �rst in the men’s division.

KREHBIEL 

STEPHENSON Krehbiel 

Forming a brotherhood 

By Ali Zaidi 

President of Krehbiel 

is newman city. Seriously, 

by my last count, Krehbiel 

is currently harboring 


�� 

By Patrick Grant 

President of Stephenson 

Things in Stephenson are going 

great this year. We have a great 

group of guys who are getting 

26 new men. While this does create 

a certain level of controlled chaos 

as far as the shi�s are concerned, I’d 

rather dwell on the rare opportunity 

it presents instead. 

Just think about it. �at is 26 

slightly discom�ted men searching 

for friendship, wisdom, and brotherhood 

(OK, most of them are probably 

searching for somebody to play 

Call of Duty with, but I digress). At 

Krehbiel, the goal for the old men is 

to acclimate and Krehbielize the new 

men as thoroughly and quickly as 

involved in everything from community 

service to intramurals. It was 

an awesome sight to see when for the 

�rst time since I had lived in Stephenson 

there was a uni�ed e�ort to compete 

in the Schol Hall Olympics. We 

had our �rst couple of movie nights 

which were successful and I would 

encourage people to continue attending. 

Here at Stephenson are door is 

always open and people are always 

around hanging out. Feel free to stop 

by, we relish the opportunity to meet 

people from the other halls. 

possible. 

We are learning about each 

other, and during this process, the 

foundations of a rock solid brotherhood 

are being formed. Needless 

to say, it is an exciting time to be a 

Krehbiel man — new man and old 

man alike. 

In other news, our cappuccino 

machine has been modi�ed to produce 

piping hot, delicious mashed 

potatoes … on tap. Come try some. 

Seriously. Do it. 

See your 

�� 

Send photos to 

ashcpublications@gmail.com. 

Chow down 


Scholarship hall students race to �nish their 

plate �rst at the watermelon eating contest 

during the Schol-Hall Olympics earlier this 

year. Douthart took �rst overall in the women’s 

division, while Pearson took �rst overall in the 

men’s division.


MILLER 

WATKINS 

�� 

By Melanie Remp 

President of Miller 

Hello from Miller! I don’t 

know if it’s just me, but the 

�rst month of school sure 

went fast. Although Miller hasn’t 

had any events this semester, our 

With 24 new women, none 

of the returning residents 

knew quite what to expect 

regarding the hall’s atmosphere this 

year. I’m pleased to say that our new 

women have amazed us all with their 

enthusiasm and energy, which has 

made the beginning of the year a blast. 

A�er all of the excitement died 

down from Hawk Week, the excite- 

fabulous women have been keeping 

busy and social during this �rst 

month. We started o� our year by 

welcoming 19 amazing new women 

on move in day and personally 

I couldn’t be happier with how 

awesome they are! 

Almost every Tuesday we celebrate 

our love for Sylas and Maddy’s 

with whoever wants to go by walking 

down to Massachusetts Street and 

enjoying two-for Tuesdays. We also 

recently had a group go around and 

serenade the guys’ halls. It was fun 

for all, but I think the guys enjoyed it 

mainly because we had candy! Other 

happenings around Miller include 

ment in Watkins was just beginning. 

We kicked o� the year with a candlelighting. 

Congratulations to Kate Nusz, 

who will be getting married in the 

summer of 2012! 

In early September, we had the annual 

New Women Dinner and Tribute 

Night to teach the new women more 

about our Alumnae group, Kitchen 

8, and our founder, Elizabeth Miller 

Watkins. In addition to our usual 

special guests “Lizzie” and “Jabez,” we 

were also thrilled to have Chancellor 

Bernadette Gray-Little and Rep. TerriLois 

Gregory join us this year. 

�e highlight of the evening was 

being presented an o�cial certi�cate of 

recognition from the Kansas House of 

Representatives in honor of Elizabeth 

Miller Watkins for creating the �rst 

scholarship hall. It was a great way to 

close the year of her 150 th birthday. 

some game nights, movie nights at 

Stephenson and of course Lupi Day 

at Pearson and Cereal Night at GP 

on �ursdays. Also at Miller we’re 

celebrating our 75th year (I know, 

we’re old) and we couldn’t be more 

thankful to Elizabeth Miller Watkins 

for the gi� of Miller, the wonderful 

alumni we have, and all the current 

women we have that make Miller the 

great place that it is. 

Keep your eye out for our 

Murder Mystery Dinner in the fall 

and other smaller events we’ll have 

throughout the year. I hope everyone 

is having a great semester! Rock 

Chalk and Miller love! 

Honoring Lizzie’s 150th birthday 

By Lisa Curran 

ASHC Publications Chair 

Watkins women stop for a hall photo after Traditions Night during Hawk Week. 

In other news, we are pleased 

to have our new SHD Travis Bowles 

with us this year. If you see him, make 

sure and ask him about his out�t for 

Rieger’s ’80s dance. Sophomores Hadley 

Sis and Meghan Paulson picked it 

out. It was quite the get-up. 

It is almost time for our �rst 

community dinner of the year. Our 

food board manager, senior Emily Sis, 

always does a great job picking out the 

menu. �is year, she has organized 

a Kitchen Olympics for each of the 

seven kitchens to compete in. Our �rst 

Olympic game is Cupcake Wars! And 

if you have ever seen our women bake, 

well, it’s going to be an intense (and 

tasty!) competition. 

We are also beginning to plan 

our annual Heaven and Hell party for 

Halloween. I hope you all will be able 

to join us! 

LISA CURRAN/ SCHOL HALLER

Give back to your community 

By Caleb Hall 

ASHC Community Service Chair 

By this time in the semester your 

respective hall’s Community Service 

Chair has promoted some volunteer 

opportunities, and I can tell that several 

halls are already eager to be crowned the 

Community Service Hall of the Year. 

Unfortunately, if the past years patterns 

hold, those who have performed 

community service so far will continue 

to do so while those who haven’t yet will 

probably not by the end of the semester or 

even the school year. I hope this article can 

break some of those tendencies. 

First we must ask why we should do 

community service. Scholarship hall residents 

like ourselves have obviously worked 

hard, possibly volunteering in high school, 

or we wouldn’t be here. So we deserve take 

a little break right? Wrong. 

�e Lawrence homeless shelter is 

currently full, Douglas County’s natural 

wonders like the Kaw River Valley and 

Wakarusa Wetlands are littered with the 

results of last weekend’s excursions, there 

is a growing need to help local schools as 

they are instituting gardening initiatives, 

and many children are searching for a role 

model through organizations like the Boys 

and Girls Club and the Big Brothers/ Big 

Sisters program. �ere are many more local 

needs. 

Meanwhile, a �rst- or second-year 

scholarship hall resident need not necessarily 

leave campus at all as food, room 

and companionship are all provided in this 

community. We are extremely privileged 

in this regard, and therefore there is an 

ethical imperative to provide community 

service. 

�ere may be times in your life when 

you may need to rely on the kindness of 

others, or even realize the real worth of 

food and water as you worry about how to 

get it. I certainly hope I am wrong in that 

regard and that none of you have to face 

hardship like that. But the chance is still 

there and just like you would want help, so 

too should you help others now while you 

are in a position to do so. 

A common response to this stance 

is that there are already outreach and 

philanthropy programs that help those 

people. Our help is either inconsequential 

to solving social problems in comparison 

or just not needed. 

To that reasoning I ask, “Where did 

those service organizations come from?” 

�ey came about because of hardworking, 

dedicated individuals wanting to help. 

�ere is no economic drive for 

community service 

organizations; there 

is a humanitarian 

wish for them to exist 

because they are some 

of the only means of 

change. Relying solely 

on capitalistic or free 

market mechanisms will always leave some 

groups impoverished or disenfranchised, 

but community service acts as a balance to 

feed the hungry, teach the uneducated, and 

�x other market failures. 

I want to express again that by being 

scholarship hall residents you are already 

proven men and women of character with 

strong work ethics, and I don’t want to 

disregard or demean that in any way. 

Many students have astounding time 


LISA CURRAN/SCHOL HALLER 

Emily Ferbezar, a sophmore from Douthart, picks up trash during a community service and environmental event on 

Sept. 23. A group of about 60 gathered to clean up litter on the walk down to 3 Spoons to get frozen yogurt. 

“Whatever you decide to do, 

just remember the reasons 

why we should all give back.” 

commitments that prevent them from 

giving back to the community regularly, 

which is understandable. What I am saying 

is that you do not forget the importance of 

community service and perform it while 

you can to provide the greatest happiness 

for those in need. 

So wake up early that one day of the 

week to serve breakfast for the homeless, 

work at the conveniently located Campus 

Garden to feed the hungry, spend some 

time at an animal shelter bonding with 

mistreated animals, clean up the local 

parks, or �nd some 

other way to serve the 

community that interests 

and drives you. 

I highly recommend 

the alternative 

break programs which 

will take you to various 

places around the country, teaching 

about socio-economic problems you may 

not have contact with otherwise. �ough 

the alternative breaks may not count for 

hours in the scholarship halls’ competition, 

it can still be a life altering experience. 

Whatever you decide to do, just 

remember the reasons why we should all 

give back.

LOVE 

“A friend of mine in my 

scholarship hall has been 

crushing on a girl in a 

neighboring hall. I’ve tried 

several times to get her to 

notice him, but nothing has 

worked. My good intentions 

appear to have many holes 

in them. What can I do to 

help my friend?” 

WE WANT 

TO HEAR 

FROM YOU! 

Submit love questions, 

Crawford chatter and 

articles to the Schol Haller 

on the ASHC website. 

http://groups.ku.edu/~ashc 

�� 

It can be very challenging and stressful 

to hook someone up with one of 

our friends. Sometimes we do not 

quite know where the boundaries are 

or how to best help out, and our intentions 

can sometimes actually hurt the 

chances for this relationship to blossom 

and grow. One of the best strategies I 

can advise for you is the “wingman” 

model. 

First, your friend should realize 

that he needs to seize the reins and 

take the lead on attracting this girl. His 

best weapon is to be the one actively 

engaging her and being assertive and 

con�dent without being arrogant. 

During your own interactions with 

this girl, be sure to play up some of his 

�� 

Be a good wingman 

positive attributes, without sounding 

like you are trying to sell a piece of 

meat. When you happen to be around 

when your friend and his crush are 

together, learn to read the terrain and 

determine when you need to enter the 

conversation and keep it going or when 

to stay quiet and let things happen. 

Along those same lines, make sure 

you are not trying to be overly ambitious. 

Well thought out plans to make 

someone “look good” can sometimes 

back�re horrendously. Women can be 

really good at spotting “wingmen.” You 

need to make sure that the spotlight is 

on him, and keep his con�dence high. 

Best of luck to you and your 

friend. 

The Schol Haller’s relationship advice columnist is not a professional. 

Stretching it out 


Men from K.K. Amini stretch out before competing in tug-of-war during the Schol-Hall Olympics earlier this year.

schol haller - University of Kansas

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