City Limits Sidebar:

Although the University will not have any official Columbus Day celebrations, there will be several events on campus marking the occasion. On October 9, the University Museum will host a conference entitled "Beyond 1492," which will cater to local high school students and focus on Columbus himself as well as the controversy surround him. According to Viviane Ephraimson-Abt, spokesperson for the museum, the conference will be taped and edited into a documentary to be shown on Channel 35, WYBE. Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Lambda Upsilon will co-sponsor a discussion entitled "Columbus: Hero or Villain?" on October 12 in High Rise South's rooftop lounge. Coming on the heels of Ridley Scott's new film 1492: Conquest of Paradise which stars Gerard Depardieu and opens October 9, the forum promises to examine Columbus and the way he is perceived by people today. "We want it to be an open discussion on some of the questions raised by Columbus' role as a historical icon," said College senior and Kappa Alpha Psi President Allison Rouse. Nick Constan, assistant to President Sheldon Hackney, said the controversy surrounding Columbus had nothing to do with the University's decision not to have an official celebration. "We do not celebrate religious or ethnic holidays," he said.