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Friday, February 24, 1978
University Daily Kansan
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Comment
Unengaged editorial represent the opinion of the Kansas editorial staff. Stated columns represent the views of only the writers
The Kansas Senate, which last month wasted its time on a pro-Anita Bryant resolution, has done it again.
resolution, this means Now the upper chamber is contemplating the Panama Canal. Not that its foreign policy experts can have any real impact on whether the U.S. Senate approves the proposed treaties. But the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, on a 6-5 party-line vote, this week endorsed a resolution calling for U.S. Senate rejection of the pacts—unless certain strings are attached to them.
Those strings, specifically, are that Panama must guarantee protection of the canal and guarantee U.S. access to it. Maybe that's how a majority of Kanans feel about the issue. Maybe not. But that's not the point.
THE CRITICAL consideration in the
Senate committee's action, favored by all of its Republicans and none of its Democrats, is the role of the committee itself. Not even the stauchest supporters of states' rights can defend committee actions that focus on powers specifically given to the federal government by the U.S. Constitution.
Even though the panel's decision amounts to nothing, its debate on the treatments did inspire some interesting charges. Sen. John Crofton, R-Cedar Point, one of the resolutions sponsors, quoted articles implying that the treaties had been initiated by communists. "Somebody is bullying us," he crytotically observed.
The business of the Kansas Legislature is, properly, the welfare of Kansas. Surely that is more important than a frivolous debate on Panama.
Children deserve break
it's a shame the national pollsters don't consult children more often.
Child abuse reports constantly increase. Advocates of competency-based education say teachers are not fulfilling their responsibilities. Teachers blame parents. Parents blame teachers. Day-care centers are visited. Children deserve a break.
More than a week ago, the Gallup Poll released its findings from a survey of how 1,523 responses rated life in the United States.
The percentage of American adults highly satisfied with life in this country rose from 34 in January to 48 in November, the poll indicated.
THE FINDINGS caught on.
Observers ransacked their theories in the wake of New York Times associate editor Ton Wicker devoted a Sunday column to what he called "The狱剧 Boom."
The idol of Gatsby has not tarnished, even among the victims of the spoils system, Wicker intimated. Indeed, he might have added, satisfaction is America's biggest business.
"There was a time when we operated under the concept of rugged individualism that said families should be able to take care of their children," Geechia told The Washington Post. "A child day, care worker, said Monday. She was speaking to a meeting of the Kansas Task Force on Title 20, a group of day-care center workers and clients. Her pronouncement that attitudes toward the family are not so unpopular as it is pure observation.
But the satisfaction boom is having more effect on America's children.
NO ONE can deny
Herakleios' fragment that tells
plainly: the river we stepped
into is not the river in which we
stand. If times have not
changed drastically for upper
and middle classes, it is because the low-income group is a bellwhetter that tells the rest of us what is impending.
The satisfaction boom is alive and well. And apparently, so is the work ethic.
About 40 percent of the nation's working women are parents. A large proportion of them are single parents. The soaring U.S. divorce rate shows few signs of desirability. Skinny patterns are radically changed because of marital mobility.
A single woman with two children, one mentally retarded because of lead poisoning, told the task force meeting about spending $300 a month on medical care. She said her net income is $400 a month. Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services has reduced outlays for partial and complete subsidization of daycare for low-income groups' families. The department's month of day-care for a child is about $110 in Kansas.
Another woman, married and working, told much the same story. But before she was tearful, she felt tearful, confession, the fearful words, "we might never get ahead" "echoed through the Topeka
THE CUTBACKS in day-care funding jeopardize day-care systems throughout the state, long waiting lists for openings.
Some of those who traveled to Topeka to voice their feelings before several legislators said they had moved up to higher-paying jobs, a partial vindication of the American system. Whether one regards such social services as welfare
or as equity, the words of one woman go to the heart of what is at stake. The state's generosity in helping her keep her children in a day-care center" gave me a chance to develop myself and my children.
THE VICTORIAN era remains. But its death knell is sounding. Chronic emotional depression perpetuates poverty, a lack of social rural as well as in inner-city areas. Debunkers of that view need only witness the drug's impact on Valium among the middle and upper classes. A pharmacist will say that the drug is prescribed more often than any other drug to prevent or visit to the analyst's office.
"They got care and love I couldn't give them because I was working "the mother said.
ine satisfaction cultists appear to have a dubious element in the denizens of compassion. Children are heirs to both estates.
wince the need for day-care has grown, the number of children in Kansas has grown 40 times since 1972, according to the director of the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Services.
THE SPIOLS system recently has become conspicuous. The dismissal of an effective U.S. attorney in Philadelphia has led to accolades for the merit leaders. They are empty words.
Nowhere is the devastation of the spoils system more complex and harder to understand. Education is under fire from all quarters. Day-care centers are overloaded while parents are over-subscribed. mothers are over-subscribed.
Psychic damage to children is real. Americans can no longer walk away from the funeral of the nuclear family in pursuit of their dreams, neglecting their children out of frustration along the way.
The decision whether to move the "Uncle Jimmy Green" statue from its present site in front of old Green Hall on Jayhawk Boulevard to new Green Hall on 15th Street now rests on the hands of the State Preservation office Joseph Snell.
Old site best for Uncle Jimmy
In compliance with the Kansas 1977 Historic Preservation Act, Senate Bill No. 130, the university sent to the University has sent a letter to Snell informing him of its intent to move the statue. Snell has 30 days in which to respond to the university's motion to plan the statue.
The Historic Preservation Act prohibits "any project which will encourage upon, damage or destroy any historic national register of historic places . . . until the state historic preservation officer has been given notice and an opportunity to investigate and upon the proposed project."
OLD GREEN Hall, built in 1905, was listed on the national register of historic places in the United States. In listing clearly indicates that the statue, designed by Daniel Chester French, was an integral factor in the acceptance of the statue onto the historical register.
We, as a committee of students and faculty opposed to the statue's relocation, urge other concerned persons to join in an effort to propose move. His address is: Kansas State Historical Society, 10th and Jackson streets, Topeka, Kan. 66005. A copy of the letter should also be sent to Chancellor Archie B. Dykes.
- Historical. It is a matter of record that the sculptor, Daniel Chester French, selected the museum with the aid of Architect Henry Bacon. Consider the correspondence between French and English historians EH Hitchcock and records of the project in University Archives, Spencer Research Library and the archives of the sculptor at Chesterwood, now under theorship of the National Trust.
- People wishing to express concern might wish to consider the following reasons for keeping the statue where it is.
- AESTHETIC. French
carefully planned the scale and material of this particular work to be seen specifically in front of classical old Green Hall and in the context of the pedestrian-oriented park-like space of the top of the hill. The statue and its setting point toward a composition representative of a very specific historical era. The relocation of the statue to a more open, vehicular-oriented site, away from the traditional campus center and in front of a vastly larger building of hardwood floors would violate the very specific aesthetic principles that guided French in his design.
The statue is on axis with the main entrance and is framed by the porthole forming a classical courthouse composition—one of the few such compositions in our region.
The space around the base of the statue and between the steps of the building constitutes a gateway where students sit and mill around, symbolically at the feet of "Uncle Jimmy Green"—contributing to the collegial ambiance of Jayhawk
THE CHANGING natural light illuminates the figures, infusing them with life. Companion magazine, February 1977, which indicates French's concern for proper lighting, as well as scale, and the letter by Besinger in the Dec. 12, 1977.
**TRAIDITION.** Since 1924 the statue has been associated with old Green Hall. The area near the statue is close to the place. Moving the state from its present location would destroy a powerful symbol of the continuity of life at KU for present students and teachers.
- ECONOMIC. Maintaining the statue in its present location costs very little. The money required to move it would be much less than acquiring additional statuary for the campus. Surely the University community would be interested in providing the additional funds for a new statue for the new School of Law
- CONSERVATIONAL. So little of the existing environment is preserved from one generation to the next. One of the distinguishing marks of the great campuses of the world, like Oxford and Cambridge, is that one consistently finds places that are just as useful now as they were ago. Moving the statute would break up and destroy one of KU's best 'places' forever.
- PROPRIETARY. The statue belongs to the University, not to the School of Law. The money to cast and place it was acquired through the Million Dollar Drive that also supports a section of the Kansas Stadium and Memorial Stadium.
- ECOLOGICAL. Depriving one portion of the campus to beautyparty another, selfishly by Gryphon in Dec. 12, 1977, Kansan.
- PROCEDURAL. The decision to relocate the stake was made without regard for the views or opinions of the rest of the University community—the faculty, staff and alumni.
- ENVIRONMENTAL.
Bronze is subject to deterioration from sulphur dioxide in urban environments. The statue in its present location on a roadside in central London is free from stagnant air and excessive automobile exhausts, shows no deterioration. The proposed location is restrictive to air movement—hence, static conditions are preferred; large parking lots—hence, greater quantities of automobile ex-
naust. These may prove hazardous to the bronze.
The dean of the School of Law has argued that, as a result of the move, the statue would look better, be more visible and help alumni relate to the new building by having a bit of the original design. Choser analysis reveals that these assumptions are ill founded.
the statue would not look better. In view of the fact that the sculptor conducted extensive siting and lighting techniques to present location and position, any move would violate the artist's intent. In addition, however, the proposed move would result in actually taking a natural light on the statue by day. The statue now faces the southeast; at the proposed site it would northeast. The proposed artificial lighting from the at night would shade the figures to appear grotesque.
THE STATUE would not be more visible. It may very well be visible in its proposed location, but it cannot be seen. The undeniable fact is that in its present location, it is extremely visible as well as intimately seen and constitutes an important pathfinding tool. It also a jas k boulevard for pedestrians—as well as motorists.
It would not help alumni
reute to the new building. As noted in our reasons for keeping the statue where it is, the alumni will want to see them. We have standard classes, as well as the place where they might have. Explaining to visitors the relocation of the statue and where it used to stand would be interesting, and somewhat embarrassing.
The need to carry over a bit of the old to the new is a good point, but there are other and more difficult problems such as through interior furnishings. Breaking up an important part of the existing campus does not seem to be an easy task to achieve this admirable goal.
Editor's note: The preceding was submitted by Curtis Besinger, professor of architecture; Stephen Grabow, bachelor of science; Leslie Griffin, assistant instructor and graduate student in art history; William Hennessey, curator of Western art, Spencer Art Museum; Robert Gould of political science and Slavic and Sovet literature; Ruth McNair, emerita professor of biology; David Parris, Manhattan junior; and Arthur C. Townsend, former director of Musical Arts University and director-designate of historical preservation. Denver
Culture study hard on eastern Kansans
PHILLIPS, AFTER all, hails from Illinois. He even did his geography dissertation, about the cultural differences, in here on old Snob Hill.
Paul Phillips, associate professor of geography at Fort Hays State University, is juggling dynamite. Phillips, who is responsible for a study of cultural differences between eastern and western regions, said he would be careful when he explains that study.
Phillips' thesis could be improved. Any study that lumps KU and K-State in the
Few Kansans will dispute the fact that there are east-west differences. But who's really to say which half of the state has more culture? Phillips' study, which must come as a surprise to Johnson County, sides with western Kansas.
Pat Allen
Editorial writer
In his dissertation, Phillips said church membership was higher in western Kansas and western Kansans subscribe to more magazines than the easterners and are more likely to do the fact that westerners obviously were more isolated than easterners.
same culture has got to have something wrong with it.
Phillips didn't go as far as to say that westerners are more religious or even that they read those magazines to which they had no interest. Their dissertation could have portrayed
eastern Kansans in a more positive way.
Instead of announcing what they don't do, whimily he say what they did? do
EASILY could have written his research questionnaires so the scoring could have given the east, to which he owes at least some allegiance, an ad- valence study which half of the state collected more tickets for jaewalking last year?
How about a question on how much time Kansen's支辆 in vehicles that are not (and maybe 'not' ought to be capitalized) pick-up trucks? Maybe a steward could score positively if the respondents were unable to answer.
People on the East Coast, if they ever found out about it, probably would think that this entire discussion was . . . well.
not even academic. To them east is east and west is Ohio. But it does matter to Kansans.
IT DOES matter that some western counties have 87 to 100 percent church membership. But maybe the easterners gave up institutionalized religion for
Regardless of what is said about the Study, Phillips already has done his work and expects to get his students to do it. He thinks the cultural split will become even more pronounced in years to come, as the state becomes more populated.
If Phillips is right, who knows? This could be the start of something big. Maybe Margaret Mead will bring her crew to Kansas
City hall's cost may be greater than its advantages
Those who try to fight city hall in Lawrence have never been daunted by the fact that the city doesn't have one. In fact, the city's present mayor, Mr. Walker, National Bank building probably are the most money-saving ones the city could get.
The city will take bids on the demolition of the old Bowersock Mills' buildings in March or fall, depending on the middle of summer for construction of the building. City dwellers then will know how much the project will cost. And they know how is it will be paid for.
The savings may be lost, though, when Lawrence builds its first city hall. The first strike at the citizens' pocketbooks may come with construction of the building.
Federal revenue sharing funds will continue to come to aowers in the state and fund that city commissioners expected to pay for the city hall project when it closes last October at $2.5 million
LATELY THE estimates have been going up. As the city becomes more definite about what it wants, and as the architects draw up more refined, detailed plans, the bottom-line
City commissioners have expressed concern about the amount and have hoped that final estimates were given. Last week Mayor Marine Arngersinger and Commissioner Barkley Clark both said they could not afford to pay more than $3 million.
amount has grown. It is now pushing the $3-million mark, and there are more than three new jobs for construction will be taken.
Clark said, "I think we're right at the limit now."
AND AFTER 1981, Lawrence might be on its own, depending on whether the revenue sharing agreement exists. Congress. If it is not, the city
They are over the limit now, if they still hope to fund the project from revenue sharing. The cost has gone beyond the revenue sharing funds and funded revenue sharing. Estimates from city officials put the difference as high as $500,000.
must make up the cost difference from its own funds. Employers often cause visions of cutbacks in the building project, dipping into other city revenue and then paying taxpayers; an increase in the tax burden.
"I don't think the commission will approve a tax levy," Commissioner Ed Carter said Tuesday. "We'll get the money from somewhere, or we'll call the building back to where we
Commissioners are quick to
Commissioner Jack Rose, on the other hand, does not think a cost problem can be solved by deleting features from the project or cutting down the building's dimensions.
The most important
assure anyone who asks that a levy increase will not be necessary.
can build it, or we'll cut it altogether and forget it."
M
From such sources, Rose thinks, the city can find the Hotel where to stay. But that upkeep on the new building, once built, will be substantially less than the rent paid on offices in the bank.
ROSE IS confident the city can get the money it needs without raising taxes. If the city does not get the money from the federal government, he said, it can use money earmarked for outdoor recreation to help pay for the planned parkas in scrapping the lot, said the lot could be equipped with meters to pay its own way.
The project is more than just construction of a city hall. The project will help beauty the city by removing a number of buildings. The bids for the demolition, moreover, will be let sooner.
question is how to build a city hall that is adequate to the job," he said. "If we run into financial difficulties and they mean we can't build the building right, we shouldn't build it."
On that point he is in disagreement with Carter, who said, "Building a city hall is not an economic move. The cheapest place in the city we can be is where we are right."
than those for the building. That makes it even more important that the city know where the money is coming from.
That is a great deal of uncertainty for city commissioners who will have to commit themselves soon to selling bonds for the project's funding.
THE ISSUE here is uncertainty. No one is sure whether Congress will continue revenue sharing. No one is sure what method Lawrence will use to finance the city hall project if it is dismantled. No one is sure to what extent the project will follow the original plan or how much it will finally cost.
Might they not want to look at their wallets and say, "That's where our local government left behind us." And Lawrence residents should care carefully at the plan and the methods by which it will be implemented. A good grief切除 always feels good—until the bill for it comes due.
No one is really sure why Lawrence should build its first municipally owned city hall at all.
Carter, who said it was not an economical move, said. "It's the ability we want—to own a city hall. It's also a matter of how much can look into your say. There’s our local government.'"
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Published at the University of Kansas daily August 10, 2016.
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