4A
Thursday, December 8,1994
OPINION
UN I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y K A N S A N
VIEWPOINT
GOP should continue efforts to open party to minorities
The Republicans now hold the majority in both the House and Senate, and already they are offering proposals and attempting to build coalitions in both houses of Congress. In an attempt to widen their support base, efforts have been made to get the Black caucus more involved with Republican sponsored measures. Additionally, the traditionally hard line of the Republicans against homosexuality is being softened and may eventually be more inclusive of homosexuals. These overtures are positive moves for a party that has always suffered from lack of minority support.
The Republicans lack of support for civil rights measures in the '60s as well as their denial of homosexual rights throughout the '80s and '90s has crowded these sizable voting blocks out of the GOP.
The emergence of the radical religious right has threatened to push the party into an exclusionary elitism where only Godfearing white males are represented. While in the short term some members of this ultra-conservative faction have won victories, there is strong resistance within the Republican Party to having its name borrowed to further the agenda of the religious right.
REPUBLICAN PARTY Throw open the doors!
Republican Speaker of the House-elect Newt Gingrich has openly talked about the respect and support he has for his sister, who is a lesbian, and he seems more concerned and sympathetic than others within party to the plight of homosexuals in this society. He also has helped lead the efforts to be inclusive of the Black caucus in the party.
If Republicans hope to build on their political successes, started in the last election, then they must continue, and expand, their efforts to be more inclusive and work toward a more moderate platform that does not alienate a sizable portion of the American electorate.
MARK YONALLY FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD.
Retaining lesbian in Navy would prove policy works
Last week a U.S. Navy tribunal recommended that a lesbian Navy reservist be retained in accordance with the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military.
The reservist publicly admitted that she was a lesbian but defended herself by saying that the Navy could not prove that she engaged in homosexual acts or that her performance was diminished by her sexuality.
Now it is up to the secretary of the Navy to approve the recommendation.
He should uphold the panel's suggestion and prove that the safety catch in the policy, with which the reservist defended herself does work.
The panel's recommendation, and the fact that three
DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL Safety catch passing test
other self-proclaimed homosexuals have been retained in similar situations, proves the policy is effective. "Don't ask, don't tell" is an effective compromise between the liberal desire to allow all gays to enter military service and the conservative efforts to keep gays out.
The hearings that have ended in the retention of gay service members show that policy makers made conscious efforts to provide safety for those gays who are already serving the country and for those who will join the military. These decisions also show there is promise for a future policy revision that would lift the ban completely.
Normally this would be the time for me to write the traditional and much-hated "goodbye" column. But I say to hell with that.
College life is easy to kiss goodbye
DONELLA HEARNE FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD.
I'm not going to write any sappy
"boo hoo hoo, I'm leaving all of my
friends forever, wah wah," column.
Know why not?
Because I am nothing but happy to be leaving the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas.
I recently expressed this sentiment to a wise man by saying, "I can't wait to get the hell out of here."
He wisely and calmly told me that he knew the reason I have such an attitude.
"You're a big girl now, and it's time to move on."
EDITORIAL EDITOR
He's right. I have lived the college life for nine semesters. I have eaten nothing but Amigo's and food from vending machines. I have ruined my body with too little sleep, too little nutrition and too much drinking and
It's really not that I want to leave college. It's more that I have to leave for my physical and mental health.
smoking.
And to recuperate, I'm going to Ft. Lauderdale to lay on the beach and drink freshly-squeezed orange juice in January. So to all of you who will be so happy to come back to KU and all your friends in the icy cold of mid-January, HA!HA!
Of course, I also will be going to work at the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinet to earn a decent salary.
I guess those people who write sappy columns about how sad they are to leave "good ol' KU" have got to have serious fears about the real world. Or they've had a sad life in general. But maybe I just don't understand.
College was no picnic for me. I really didn't think it was all that much fun. I was waiting tables and writing about Student Senate meetings for the Kansas.
I tried dating around. I tried not dating. I tried having a long-term relationship with a guy, and then I got engaged to someone else.
I spent entire nights at the laundromat catching up on six weeks of laundry and four weeks of Western Civilization reading. I crammed for tests at Perkins. I drank whole pots of coffee and stayed awake for three days straight.
I took penicillin and Minithins at the same time. I sat in the lobby of Watkins for a total of 139 hours and 13 minutes. I begged my professors for mercy.
And the next.
And then it all repeated itself the next semester.
But this semester I realized it wasn't going to get any better. I was never going to have that carefree, party college life that is every high school student's dream.
Then I knew I was ready. It's time to go.
I hope my next life is a little easier and a little more prosperous.
My life as a poor, tired, lonely college student is done.
By the way, I'm really going to miss this place.
Yeah, right. I hope not.
MYTHS OF THE
HOLIDAY SEASON:
HOOD uDK 1994
COOPERATION IN THE NEW CONGRESS
Matt Hood / KANSAN
Finals should fit into one week, to save hassles and Christmas
Donella Heame is a Wichita senior in new paper Journalism.
OK, so finals are just around the corner, and I have a complaint. I am not complaining about, see, gee, how I should have attended more classes or that, wow, I still have a lot of material to cover. No, I am not complaining about those things, at least not yet. What I am complaining about, along with everyone else who has a 10:30 MWF, 1:00 TR, 1:30 TR, 3:30 TR, 4:00 TR, or 4:30 TR class, is that on Monday, Dec. 19, I , along with all the other aforementioned unfortunates, will be taking a final exam. While many of you will be leaving lovely Lawrence on Friday, Thursday, or even Wednesday (which is when I would have had the pleasure of departing if not for the unlucky choice of a 10:30 MWF class), I have to endure until Monday.
What I don't understand is who considered this a good idea? Surely the cons of having finals on Monday outweigh the pros. After all, students aren't the only ones who have to remain in Lawrence until Monday. You need TAs and professors to administer exams and grade them before grade sheets are due, and anyone giving an exam on Monday is sure to be pressed for time. And with finals lasting until Monday, the Office of the University Registrar is forced to work extra hard during the holiday season. Also, anyone living in the dorms and having a 3:00-6:00 final on Monday evening only has three hours to gather everything and leave because most dorms close at 9:00 p.m. Generally, everyone gets hit by the cons. Pretty inconvenient, eh? And as for the pros? Hmmm, well, if you want to hit the bars you have an extra weekend.
KATHY KIPP
After studying the exam schedule
for this semester, I think it is possible, as well as feasible, for all exams to be given in one week without the sacrifice of Stop Day. You might encounter overlapping exams, but it really shouldn't be all that bad if professors are willing to give make-up exams instead of extending finals week (see that, you call it finals WEEK, not finals week and a day). Professors can then have the entire weekend to grade. This leaves them, as well as the registrar, more free time around the holidays. And any self-respecting college student is not going to argue with the shortened schedule because they are self-respecting college students.
So here I am, all that said and I still have to be here on Monday. Kinda makes the University look like Mr. Grinch, eh? This could all change if they would consider creating a true finals week. If I can do it, so can they. So hop to it KU, anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
Kathy Kipp is a Woodridge, Ill., sophomore in English.
Library policies ensure fairness
I am responding to Michael Houston's column in the Nov. 22 Kansan entitled "Inane library policy, workers thwart search for magazines."
I want to assure Mr. Houston and all other libraries that library lending policies are not developed to deny use, but rather to allow equitable sharing among all members of KU's community.
In this case, there are two issues: Policy allows for the issuance of a replacement ID card, for $1, when the original is reported lost or stolen. This involves rendering the original ID number invalid for library use.
No "temporary borrower's card" can be issued if we are to avoid one person's having multiple IDs in use, greatly increasing the risk, especially to the person, that one card will stray and be used by someone else, leaving the person to foot the bill for any misuse of an ID.
The second point made by Mr. Houston lamented his inability to borrow some periodicals for photocopying without his ID.
A few small segments of the library's collections are so heavily in demand, especially class reserve items and some current periodical issues, that positive identification of the user is required prior to use. This policy exists to ensure that these items are in identifiable hands and will be returned to meet requests from ensuing users.
The library must sometimes assume the role of referee or umpire. We have been tempted, on occasion, to issue striped shirts and whistles to desk staff (most of whom are students) to help make it clearer to all comers that our job really is to mediate.
Occasionally we must make a call that upsets some players. We do so only to avoid having to explain to the next "player" who asks for "the ball" that it just got away from us.
Kent E. Miller
Watson Access Services
Editors
KANSAN STAFF
Assistant to the editor ... Robbie Johnson
News ... Sara Bennett
Campus ... Mark Martin
Editorial ... Donella Hoeme
Sports ... Brian James
Photo ... Mellissa Lacey, Daron Bennett
Features ... Carl
Planning ... Susan White
Design .. Noah Musser
Wire .. Ashley Schultz
Freelance .. Jamie Munn
Associate Editors
Jay Koester ... Colleen Ryckert
Associate campus...Denise Neil
Associate editorial...Matt Gowen
Associate sports...Gerry Fey
Copy Chief
Teresa Veazey...
Reporters
Sara Bennett Dave Johnson
Amy Patton
Dave Campbell    Micael Laaker
        Krista McCollon
Copy Editors
Casey Barnes ... Jenni Carlson
Jamie Evans ... Chesley Dohl
Kent Hohfeld ... Matt Irwin
Manny Lopez ... Colleen McCain
Ashley Miller ... Shannon Newton
Nate Olson ... Carlos Tejada
- David Wilson
Deedra Allison ...Katherine Barber
Tracil Carl ...Jenni Derryberry
Amy Hunerberg ...Jarrett Lane
Dan Lara ...Angelina Lopez
Lucia Marinacolo ..Denis Nell
Carolyn Moeller ..Heather Moore
Kris Nelson ..Joe O'Brien
David Stuber ..Trevor Wood
Photographers
Yumi Chilkamori ... Sean Crosier
Richard Devinkl ... Megan Dougherty
Paul Kotz ... Julanne Peter
Jay Thornton ... Brian Vandervlist
Valerie Crow
Photo Technicians
Brigg Bloomquast  Mindy Blum Justin Froelone Martin Ropp
Retail Account Executives
Campus manager ...Mark Mastro
Regional manager ...Laura Guth
National manager ...Mark Mastro
Co-op manager ...Emily Gibson
Special sections manager ...Jen Perrier
Production managers ...Regan Overy, Holly Boren
Marketing manager ...Alan Stigle
Creative manager ...Dan Gler
Classified manager ..Heather Niehaus
Retail assistant manager ..J.J. Cook
Classified assistant ..Erin Wiggs
Heather Barnes ...Mickey Burch
Dana Calderone ...Kelly Connealy
Matt Dorsett ...Carrie Gabbard
Kelly Gregory ...Meredith Henning
Kim Hyman ...Julle Kilnock
Lissa Kulaeth ...Beth Pols
Dan Reed ...Derin Reld
Tracy Riff ...Matt Shaw
Stephanie Utley
Business Staff
Regional Account Executive
Account Assistants
Chris Branaman...Dean Hovind
Shad Huncker...Aaron Kirby
...Chad Girard
Campus Account Executives
Cady Bush ... Rachel Cahill
Bruce Davenport ... Laura Frost
Michelle Melnick ... Krista Nye
Klm Tidwell ... Rob Schumann
Nancy Euston ...Peter Hoffman
Anne Loeper ...Hillary Salstrom
...Sarena Wallack
Editor CATHERINE POTHAMING Managing editor TUM EBLEN General manager, news adviser GATHEINE ELLWORTH Technology coordinator JEN CARR Business manager CAMERON DEATH Retail sales manager JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser PAT BOYLE Business coordinator WILLIAM THOMAS Production
Creative Staff
David Turner ...Kathy Driscoll
Jason Eberly ...Angela Exley
Brad Felinkberg ...Lisa Flahar
Chris Gannett ...Kara Meysenborg
Nicole Morgan ...Brain Platt
Megan Thome ...Daniel Thompson
...Krista Warner