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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
▼ EDITORIAL BOARD
PAGE 5A
Senate stance takes publishers to task
Student checkbooks are already taxed heavily by increasing tuition and energy costs, not to mention the need to pay rent and grocery bills. Rising textbook prices are the last thing KU students need, and Student Senate is going in the right direction by joining a national movement that is talking to publishers and other groups to keep those prices in check.
Textbook prices have increased at twice the rate of inflation for the past two decades and now account for more than a quarter of the total cost of tuition at public, four-year universities. Those costs are tied to several factors, including the bundling of other materials with textbooks and the frequent issuing of new editions, student senator Hannah Love said.
In a letter to the American Association of Publishers, Love cited a survey conducted by Student Public Interest Research Groups of professors at 12 universities in California and Oregon. Seventy-two percent of professors polled said that new editions of the five most commonly used textbooks were necessary half the time, if not less. Sixty-five percent of the faculty said they rarely or never used bundled materials.
To join with SPIRG's activities, Senate drafted a resolution to encourage professors to give preference to publishers that do not require bundling or frequent new editions. The bill also encourages
professors to submit book lists earlier so more used books can be found and it encourages the University to create more forums for students to find used textbooks.
The Senate's efforts to work with national advocacy groups in this matter are encouraging. Keeping the cost of education down for students is a priority and worthy of the Senate's attention.
Publishers have complained that the movement is too broad. In the Lawrence Journal-World, Bruce Hildebrand, a director with the American Association of Publishers, said bundling fills the role once held by universities when providing additional resources. He also asserted that a report from the Government Accountability Office on rising textbook costs was flawed and inaccurate.
Hildebrand's criticism is hollow, though. If schools require additional materials, publishers could always offer them as options with additional costs. Frequent reeditions are not only expensive but wasteful, preventing students from selling their textbooks back at the end of the semester.
While Senate cannot force change, its actions are definitely in the interest of students.
Ty Beaver for the editorial board
COMMENTARY
Preserve Lawrence's identity: shop local
Picture this: it's a chilly winter evening, and you're about to get very familiar with that intimidating anthropology textbook. In preparation for this endeavor, you decide you need a warm, caffeinated beverage to get you through the next couple of hours. You come to the corner of 7th and Massachusetts streets and make the crucial decision Starbucks or La Prima Tazza? You could pick the expensive coffee, stale atmosphere and uniformed employees at Starbucks, or you could choose the original, inexpensive, friendly barista with local art and funky music at La Prima Tazza. If you chose LPT, you've made the right choice: to go local.
Local businesses not only bring character to a town and help define it; they also provide jobs and support for the community. One of the definitive qualities of Lawrence
— and specifically downtown — is the abundance of unique, locally owned businesses operated by people just like you and me. Imagine Mass. Street without places like Henry's, Milton's, The Jazzhaus or La Parrilla. The flavor of the aforementioned businesses gives Lawrence a contagious excitement.
businesses provide 45 percent of the U.S. private payroll.Additionally,60 to 80 percent of new jobs in the last decade were provided by small businesses, according to the 2005 U.S. Bureau of Census.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, a small business is defined as an independent business with fewer than 500 employees. This same source states that there are an estimated 24.7 million local businesses in the United States, creating employment for roughly 47.7 million Americans. Small
Employees are also generally treated better. The U.S. Information Bureau's report states that most local businesses are owned by local proprietors, which allows for flexibility in both scheduling and pay.
Aside from providing jobs, local businesses are more apt to support their communities because they have a genuine interest in their well-being. According to the U.S. Information Bureau on Small Business and the Corporation's 2005 report, small businesses are successful because their owners know their customers personally. This not only allows for a more pleasant atmosphere, but also for better adaptation to changing economic conditions. If owners actually live among their customers, they can understand their demographics better.
It is clear that there are just as many economic reasons to support the 'little guy' as there are romantic. By choosing Yello Sub over subway, La Prima Tazza over Starbucks, Sylas and Maddy's over Coldstone, or Wheat State Pizza over Domino's, jobs are preserved and Lawrence remains the oasis that it is.
COMMENTARY
♦ Erica Prather is a Wichita junior in English.
Right to life is a civil right; compassion stops abortion
Growing up, our history books were filled with stories about how our nation and the world were forever changed when people stood up for what they believed to be right. Most of us probably never thought that we would ever have the chance to follow in the foot-steps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and the like.
This past Monday, however, I joined scores of KU students and hundreds of thousands of strangers for a chapter of the next great civil rights movement.
We made the 24-hour journey, from the St. Lawrence Campus Center to Washington, D.C., by bus, to lend a voice
ANDREW SOUKUP opinion@hansan.com
on the hill. But, however important the politics of the issue, they do not constitute the heart of the pro-life movement.
to the voiceless in the 33rd annual March for Life. The march served as a memorial to the 45 million innocents who were legally slaughtered in the 33 years since Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton.
The reality that our society must face is that this issue is indicative of our failure to show compassion for the people who find themselves in that situation. Heather Leger, Derby senior and cochairwoman of KU Students for Life, said we needed to emphasize the worth of the woman's life, and that abortion does nothing to further that end.
The march is a predominantly political affair (hence being held in the capital), and its intended audience is the politicians and court justices
"This march affirms to women that their lives, from conception, have a measurable worth and dignity that cannot
be denied by anyone," she said.
Abortion will never end, regardless of its legality, until those facing that decision know that there are people who care about and love them. If they do not find the compassion they need to face their struggles, we have effectively sentenced a child to death through our negligence.
Hopefully, the march will do more than change the hearts of politicians. It is my hope and the hope of all 300-some-thousand at the march that it will work to change the hearts of mothers and fathers of unborn children.
Soukup is a Lakin junior in linguistics.
Bush should listen to American people
COMMENTARY
Stem cell research has been a widely debated issue during the last few years. According to sciencecoalition.org a stem cell is "a 'generic' cell that can make exact copies of itself indefinitely. It is a precursor cell that has the ability to make specialized cells for various tissues in the body (such as heart muscle, brain tissue and liver tissue)." These cells can be used to replace others that are not functioning properly, curing or reducing the effects of ailments such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, heart disease, cancer and many others. Stem cells come from many different places such as embryos, umbilical cords and the placenta.
As a Type I diabetic, I have a different perspective than most on stem cell research. What may seem like a distant problem to be solved by politicians in Washington is an urgent, daily battle for those of us living with diseases that could be cured
LIZ STUEWE
opinion@kansan.com
by stem cell research. People approve or disapprove of the practice based on personal beliefs, and any time a debate centers on ethics and religion, arguments become contentious.
We may never agree on this or any other issue. The goal here is to find a balance, a compromise that is in the best interest of the citizens of this country. Because of its influence and financial power, the United States government is in a unique position to help the scientific community make great advances in the field of stem cell research. Is our government using this authority to
Our current presidential administration has said that it supported stem cell research as long as the cells used in experiments were not embryonic. In 2001, President Bush made comments from his Crawford ranch where he recognized that removing federal money from embryonic studies greatly reduced the healing potential of stem cells. Bush said in a radio address that "most scientists, at least today, believed that research on embryonic stem cells offered the most promise because these cells had the potential to develop in all of the tissues in the body".
the best of its ability? It is time to re-evaluate the federal restrictions on stem cell research.
Bush said in the address that his rejection of embryonic research was based on his personal belief about when life began. He has the right to hold and express this belief, but why should American policy be based on his beliefs?
Recently, Fred Steeper, a long-time Republican pollster, conducted a survey of 800 registered Kansas voters about their feelings on stem cell research. According to his analysis of the survey,"substantial majorities of Kansas's voters approve of both types of embryonic stem cell research." The report also stated that "the voters' support of embryonic stem cell research exists both before and after they hear major arguments made by opponents and supporters."
Kansas is only one state, but the survey results indicate that informed Americans support embryonic stem cell research. It is time that our government reflected those values by increasing funding to stem cell research programs.
- Stuewe is a Lawrence sophomore in political science and American studies.
Free All for Call 864-0500
Free for all callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansas editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
Hey Mitchell, I was at the symposium.
Hello, our freezer has boots.
G. R. Ford does not care about black people.
Hey, did you see the picture of George W. Bush accepting the K-State jersey and wearing his purple tie? Uh, need I say more?
I'm sick of these lame Chuck Norris jokes now.
I'm sorry to hear that Justin O'Neal's mother will no longer be reading the UDK.
Well I'm glad to see that Christian Moody brought the basketball team's GPA up. Good job Moody, good job.
+
To the guy calling to congratulate the Denver Broncos: You're an idiot. They were a failure. Everybody in Kansas City knew it, but the rest of the nation didn't. Ask any Chiefs fan. Broncos don't have what it
done the ultimate diss: He kicked me off as his facebook friend. I am no longer your facebook friend, Ben, and it hurts! It hurts more than I ever thought it could hurt!
takes, buddy.
So I owe my douchebag ex-roommate 400 bucks and I'm not answering his calls and not picking up when he calls, and to show me how pissed off he is, he's gone and
By "You suck" I was talking about the font for Free-For-All. Change it back.
(Editor's note: it's the same font it has always been.)
You suck.
Even I don't had seen Brokeback Mountain, he would have been attacked by 100 reporters saying "How could you ever sit down to one movie when there's a war going on?
Hello Free-For-All, please change your font back to what it was because it's really hard to read. Thanks. Bye.
All I have to say is George Bush doesn't care about Jayhawks.
This is my first chance to do this, so I'm going to congratulate the football team for everything this season. Thanks a lot guys. Can't wait
until next year.
Here's a message for all you right-to-lifes out there: Don't like abortion? Don't have one.
Micah Downs is leaving the University of Kansas because of personal reasons. Yeah, personal reasons like the fact that our coach is playing walkons instead of McDonald's All Americans. Bill Self is
Five KU basketball players have transferred since Bill Self has been here. I think it's time for Bill Self to transfer.
(Editor's note: There have actually been six transfers since Self came to KU.)
Does anybody know what happens if you're going to listen to your iPod and you put the earbud labeled R in your left year? I really want to try it, but I'm afraid of the results.
Jonathan Kealing, editor
864-4854 or jkealing@kansan.com
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