Nov. 20, 2002 | KU Radio News Line

Audio



News release: KU to take part in worldwide event to raise awareness of land mine removal


Contact: Frank Barthell, University Relations, (785) 864-8869.

Radio News Line text:
KU to take part in worldwide event to help raise funds for land mine awareness

ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, YOU'RE INVITED TO JOIN SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY, HIS WIFE, HEATHER MILLS MCCARTNEY, AND OTHER CELEBRITIES AND DIGNITARIES AROUND THE WORLD FOR A DINNER THAT ALSO SUPPORTS A GOOD CAUSE.

MILLS MCCARTNEY IS THE HONORARY CHAIRPERSON FOR THE SECOND ANNUAL "NIGHT OF A THOUSAND DINNERS," A GLOBAL EVENT WHERE WORLD LEADERS, CELEBRITIES AND CARING CITIZENS COME TOGETHER TO DINE AND RAISE AWARENESS AND RESOURCES FOR THE INTERNATIONAL LAND MINE CRISIS.

THE OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS IS PARTNERING WITH PEOPLE TO PEOPLE INTERNATIONAL, BASED IN KANSAS CITY, THE U-S STATE DEPARTMENT, THE CANADIAN LAND MINE FOUNDATION AND ROTARY INTERNATIONAL, AMONG OTHERS, FOR THE "NIGHT OF A THOUSAND DINNERS."

DIANA CARLIN IS DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AND OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS. HER OFFICE IS ENCOURAGING INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITY AND CAMPUS GROUPS TO HOST THEIR OWN DINNER PARTIES.
CARLIN: "If people want to host a dinner in their own home and invite their friends, they just go to the Web site W-W-W, 1-thousand, which is the number, dinners-dot-com. And they can get an entire kit that tells them how to do it. It even has recipes. It is very simple; you just register online." (15 sec.)

THOSE INTERESTED IN HOSTING A DINNER CAN ALSO CALL 877-543-6463.

THE OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS IS HOSTING AN EVENT AT A LAWRENCE NIGHT SPOT, ABE AND JAKE'S LANDING. THE EVENING WILL FEATURE APPETIZERS AND LIVE MUSIC FROM A LOCAL BAND. CARLIN SAYS THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS HER OFFICE IS SPONSORING THE EVENT.

CARLIN: "We have students who come from countries that are affected by land mines. We as an office of international programs should be doing some things to educate about important international issues. And I think it's just a good way for us to bring our international and domestic students together and the university and the community together for a joint cause." (20 sec.)

SUGGESTED MINIMUM DONATIONS OF 15-DOLLARS FOR INDIVIDUALS AND 25-DOLLARS FOR TWO WILL BE TAKEN AT THE DOOR. RESERVATIONS CAN BE MADE BY CONTACTING INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS AT OIP@KU.EDU OR CALLING 785-864-6161.

MARY EISENHOWER IS C-E-O OF PEOPLE TO PEOPLE INTERNATIONAL, ONE OF THE SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS, AND SHE IS THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF FORMER PRESIDENT DWIGHT EISENHOWER.
EISENHOWER: "I don't think terribly many Americans are as aware as they should be. The bottom line on land mines is they don't blow buildings up, they aren't necessarily designed to kill, they're designed to maim and that happens to innocent people. So it's really kind of an indirect terrorist attack." (18 sec.)

PRESIDENT EISENHOWER FOUNDED PEOPLE TO PEOPLE INTERNATIONAL IN 1956 TO ENHANCE INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING AND FRIENDSHIP BY A DIRECT EXCHANGE OF IDEAS AND EXPERIENCES AMONG PEOPLES OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND DIVERSE CULTURES.

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AND INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS IS ALSO SPONSORING A PUBLIC LECTURE HIGHLIGHTING K-U'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO GLOBAL RESEARCH ON LAND MINE DETECTION. IT TAKES PLACE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, FROM 12:30 P-M TO 2 P-M IN ALDERSON AUDITORIUM IN THE KANSAS UNION.
CARLIN: "We have two researchers, Jerry Dobson, who's in one of our research units, and Jim Stiles, who's in electrical engineering and computer science, who are working on remote sensing projects to try to figure out a way to detect the land mines so that fewer people are at risk in the removal process." (17 sec.)

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