Opinion
The University Daily Kansan
Laura Roddy, Editor Shaunte Blue, Business manager Sarah Hale, Managing editor Brad Bolyard, Retail sales manager Kristi Elliott, Managing editor Matt Fisher, Sales and marketing adviser Tom Eblen, General manager, news advisor Scott Vallor, Technology coordinator
Monday, April 24, 2000
Editorials
Records of sex offenders should be available to citizens on the Internet
On April 17, the Kansas Supreme Court heard arguments in a case about whether the state is going too far by making the records of sex offenders available on the Internet. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has been posting sex offenders' records on its Web site for the last three years.
According to the Kansas Offender Registration Act, sex offenders' records need to be open for public inspection in the sheriff's office. The law doesn't specify whether the information can be posted on the Web. However, it makes no sense to assert that information that already is open to the public should not be made more accessible through the Internet.
The purpose of making the information public is to let residents know if a neighbor has a sex-offense record. Sexual offenders, especially child molesters,
Public information is public whether at the sheriff's office or on a government Web site
have a high rate of recidivism, meaning a significant percentage of them repeat the offense after release from prison.
According to the United States Constitution, it is illegal to imprison people for crimes that they have not yet committed, even if there is an overwhelmingly high chance that they will commit the crime again. It is a fundamental right of sex offenders to live freely in society after they serve their sentences even if they are likely to commit a similar crime in the future.
At the same time, the general public has the right to some form of protection
against sexual offenses. That is why the records of sex offenders are available for inspection, and that is why it is important that people be aware of the dangers that their families potentially are facing.
but then families potentially are racing.
The only difference between making records available in a public office or on the Internet is that with the Internet, people have easier access. The main objective is to allow residents access to the information, therefore there is no reason why the information should be available in certain places and not others. Indeed, by making it available on the Web, the state ensures that more residents will have access to it, and more people will be protected.
It is hoped that when the court makes it decision this summer, it will vote in favor of citizens' rights to freely access important public information.
Cynthia Malakasis for the editorial board
Feedback Student leaders deserve real-world punishments
Kudos to Seth Hoffman for his April 12 column. I'm a 1999 KU advertising graduate. I'm working for an advertising agency in Orlando, Fla. Reading the *Kansan* is part of my floral routine when I get to work.
I was disturbed to read that the same election stuff that happens every other year is still going on. The University of Kansas is an institution that serves to further prepare students for the "real" world, which is why I agree wholeheartedly that these individuals should face much harsher penalties.
These kinds of "pranks" — as they are treated — go unpunished, it will only serve to show that you don't have to be responsible for your actions as long as you have money and can intimidate. This kind of corruption and dirty pool already exists in real world politics as is;
let's stop it from permeating this level too.
The scary thing is that these "pranksters" are the future of our political structure. Is it any wonder we have so many problems in our government? Anyway, I will conclude before I digress into a class-related tirade, and all of this is to say that I thought Hoffman's column was very good, and I hope that he will continue to be a thorn in the side of these individuals who keep getting elected.
Matt Dorsett 1999 KU graduate
Ethnicity not a valid factor in admission to University
Programs such as Affirmative Action do one thing — they look at a person without regard to his or her qualifications. Instead, they look at people based on their race, gender or some other physical characteristic. These are the actions we need to avoid to promote diversity. Diversity can't be forced onto a community; it must be welcomed.
Most people can agree that it is immoral to deny anybody admission to the University based on ethnicity. So what makes it right to accept people based solely on ethnicity?
In reference to the April 11 editorial, minority enrollment may be low at the University of Kansas, but Affirmative Action is no solution.
The Office of Admissions never should accept Affirmative Action or anything similar to it. Instead, it should say, "All are welcome to come here, as long as they qualify academically." Only then will all people begin to see that Lawrence and the University welcome diversity.
Kansan staff
Scott Boyd Lee's Summit, Mo.. senior
Scott Boyd
Seth Hoffman . . . . . . . . . . Editorial
Nadia Mustafa . . . . . . . . . Editorial
Melody Ard . . . . . . . . . . News/Special sections
Chris Fickett . . . . . . . . . News
Julie Wood . . . . . . . . . News
Juan H. Heath . . . . . . Online
Mike Miller . . . . . . . . Sports
Matt James . . . . . . . . Associate sports
Katie Hollar . . . . . . Campus
Nathan Willis . . . . . . Campus
Heather Woodward . . Features
Chris Borniger . . . . . . Jayplay
T.J. Johnson . . . Photo imaging
Christina Neff . . . . Photo
Jason Pearce . . . Design, graphics
Clay McCuistion . . . Wire
Advertising managers
Becky LaBranch ...Special sections
Krista Lindemann ...Campus
Ryan Riggin ...Regional
Jason Hannah ...National
Will Baxter ...Online sales
Patrick Rupe ...Online creative
Seth Schwimmer ...Marketing
Jenny Weaver ...Creative layout
Matt Thomas ..Assistant creative
Kenna Crone ..Assistant creative
Trent Guyer ..Classifieds
Jon Schitt ..Zone
Thad Crane ..Zone
Cecily Curran ..Zone
Christy Davies ..Zone
News editors
**Letters:** Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions
**Guest columns:** Should be double-spaced type with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photocaptured for the column to run.
How to submit letters and guest columns
All letters and guest columns should be e-mailed to opiniter@kansason.com or submitted to the Kanson newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kanson reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Nadia Mustafa or Seth Hoffman at 864-4924.
If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (caionian@kansan.com) or call 864-4924
Perspective
It was the best of elections; it was the worst of elections. There were five — yes, five — student body presidential and vice presidential tickets, each with a coalition of qualified Student Senate candidates emerging from every nook and cranny. It seemed
We will be watching fearless leader-elect
as if anything could happen; anyone could win
I have been around long enough to know that this year was special — Senate elections actually seemed interesting.
Sigh. I'm disappointed that nothing changed. I'm a long time Delta Force supporter. Every year, Delta Force puts forth two great candidates for student body president and vice president, candidates who are committed to making positive changes
Erin Goodison columnist opinionkanan.com
on campus. And every year, they lose.
In contrast, there always is the wrong way to go about things, which seems like a surefire way to get elected. Forgive my cynicism, but it seems like every year the winning coalition — which we've established is never Delta Force — is cited with several violations and pays a bunch of fines and goes happily on its way. This year is no exception. In fact, the only thing that makes this year exceptional is that two United Students candidates and two supporters confessed to committing a felony. Elections violations are one thing, but we're talking about a
on campus. And every year, they lose.
Still, Delta Force sticks around, winning lots of seats in Senate and accomplishing most of what it promised during the campaign season. Fall break, though claimed by United Students, actually was won by the hard work of Delta Force members, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Better bus service and the pending online-enrollment system are other projects begun and largely carried out by Delta Force senators. In all its years of existence, Delta Force never has been cited with a major elections violation. So thank you, Delta Force candidates, members and senators — past and present — for making positive changes on campus and doing it the right way.
felony: The theft of 9,000 copies of the Kansan is a serious offense.
Information about the crime was available before the election, and still United Students won the most Senate seats, and Ben Walker and Marlon Marshall were elected student body president and vice president.
Neither Walker nor Marshall was personally responsible for the theft of the papers, but they are being held responsible by the elections commission for payment of the fines levied against United Students in connection with the said felony. The fines total $1,250.
If this doesn't seem fair to you, you are not alone. Ben Walker agrees with you 100 percent. In an article in Thursday's *Kansan*, he was quoted as saying, "You can't make Marlon and myself responsible for the actions of four people."
However, the Elections Commission can and was completely justified in doing so.
When Walker formed United Students, on some level he made himself responsible for every candidate running on that ticket. When he put himself forth as a candidate for student body president, of some level he offered to make himself responsible for more than 20,000 KU students. He ultimately is responsible for the allocation of our student fees and many of the services students receive on campus. He is to be our primary student representative to the politicians and money men in Topeka. If Walker is willing to assume so much responsibility for the well being of KU students, he certainly should be able to manage the members of his own coalition.
Ultimately, of course, it is impossible entirely to control the actions of others, but if your greatest supporters turn out to be felons, it should send a message to the student body to keep a close eye on your actions. As students with a vested interest in the way that Senate spends our money, we should keep a much closer eye on Walker than he was keeping on his running mates. They did, after all, steal 9,000 copies of the Kansan to keep students from reading negative press about Ben Walker, our fearless leader.
Goodison is a Mound City senior in art history.
University's image is not one of students being first
I realize that K-State is an agriculture school, and I've been told that the University "doesn't need to advertise." While both may be true, I would like to commend the University for taking the initiative to invest
The "image survey" I recently filled out reminded me of something I noticed when I last drove through Western Kansas — there is more advertising for Kansas State and Fort Hays State universities along I-70 than for the University of Kansas. Why?
However, many people don't realize that the University is working to become more student-friendly (hence the survey) and may conclude that other schools such as K-State have surpassed the University as the flagship institution of higher learning in Kansas. Why?
in a little self-assessment — something of utmost importance if the University will become a "great university."
Dave
Raddatz
guest columnist
opinion at kansan.com
It isn't necessarily about academics — K-State makes a highly visible effort to advertise and sell itself, and therefore emphasize to the public the fact that it genuinely cares about its students. To compare, I would argue the University "recruits" more than "advertises." But it does not stop there.
Think about how impersonal enrollment, academic advising and add/drop are. I feel extremely fortunate that I have not encountered the plethora of difficulties with advising and enrollment my friends have — especially because I'm biannually passed through advising like a head of cattle by my department, where I don't remember seeing the same adviser more than once.
Putting 18,000 undergraduates through any process will be chaotic because some will have absolutely no idea what they're doing. Learning the enrollment system is a lesson in the under-appreciated art of preparation, which will prevent most problems. (Trust me, I've worked in the Enrollment Center.)
Online enrollment is great, but what will become of advising? Why not issue dean's stamps to professors in the schools that require them? I've heard stories of engineering students who needed to make several trips between Strong and Learned halls for reasons ranging from being incorrectly
.
It sounds OK, but I'm not enthused about matriculating into a system in which a student theoretically can get his college education paid for by having one successful day taking the PSAT. Unfortunately, that's how it is. Such objectivity and standardization are commonplace and central to mass education.
I especially disapprove of the overuse of graduate teaching assistants. According to U.S. News and World Report statistics I found online, GTAs instruct 22 percent of our classes. At many schools, it's considerably less, and some schools — including K-State — don't have them at all. While having GTAs may help, it's a double-edged sword: It allows the University to control expenses but hurts the overall quality of undergraduate education.
Another recurring topic of interest is the recruitment of National Merit Scholars. The reality in this issue is sad but true — the number of National Merit Scholars a university enrolls affects its reputation, period. Hence, the University increases scholarship offers to these students to remain competitive with other schools, in hopes that getting the best students also will attract the upper-tier students.
As far as dispelling the notion of snobbery at the University, I don't see the perception of snobbery changing much as long as roughly 25 percent of the student body comes from out of state and a large contingency of students come from Johnson County.
Anyway, with this survey, it's encouraging to see that the administration wants to improve the University, and I applaud the localized focus. The erection of Budig Hall, the establishment of the Freshman Sophomore Advising Center and the renovations to the football, basketball and baseball stadiums are steps in the right direction. There are several problems to address, but the University will not become a "great university" until it puts its students first — and also succeeds in legitimately promoting that image to the public.
advised to being wrongly accused of forging an adviser's signature. For many engineering students, it's a cold day in hell when they see Strong or Wesco halls — let alone go inside. So why make it any more of a hassle than it should be? Eliminating the middleman would save time.
Raddatz is a Holdrege, Neb., senior in sport science.
Broaden your mind: Today's quote
"I've developed a new philosophy ... I only dread one day at a time."
— Charlie Brown