4A
Opinion
Friday, April 14, 2000
Slap on wrist won't do trick for paper thieves
Student leaders should be prosecuted for stealing Kansans
Student senators like Woodring, Thompson and Gaston seem to enjoy pretending that they are in the real political world. They often claim to model their actions in Senate after real legislative bodies. Making Senate as verisimilar to real government is the best way for students to learn to be real public servants later in life. After all, many of the students who are active in Senate at the University of Kansas will go on to provide leadership for the State of Kansas.
But if individuals don't agree with what the newspapers say in the real world, they can't just steal the papers or otherwise prevent people from reading them — at least not without being punished. In the real world, we are outraged by such behavior by our elected leaders. And we ensure that something is done about it.
And we are outraged by this theft as well, because crime is as dangerous to the well-being of the University as it to any "real world" institution. It would be unfair to make the excuse for these four people that theirs was a childish prank and that we shouldn't be too tough on them because it's just college, which is supposed to be a learning experience. By this point in life, the learning experience should be concentrated more toward the finer points of public behavior. Students should come to college already prepared not to commit felonies.
Despite the apparent legal issues, the fact that four people took property that did not belong to them and the fact that student leaders were involved in this crime, there still is a more pressing concern. The reason why KU students are so turned off to campus politics is this kind of rampant misbehavior by coalitions. Given the probability that many student senators like
Gaston,
Thompson
and Woodring
later will be state leaders it won't be surprising to see political apathy grow to bleaker levels in the future.
any rules that oppose them, our disenfranchisement with Senate will swell and spill into our adult lives. How are we going to be less cynical about the real government when the student government practices unfettered political sabotage?
A slap on the wrist would not be enough, and just paying for the papers that were stolen would be even less than a slap. This would be like presenting criminals with a bill, which would suggest that anyone who disagreed with the Kansan could steal the paper from the student body, if they could pay the bill.
If we don't do anything about this situation, the problems will get worse. If student senators can continue to veritably spit in the face of
Aside from the fact that the offenders should not be allowed to serve in Senate — in any capacity, elected or appointed — they also should be prosecuted for their crime. The only way to deter student senators from treating the University like their own personal playpen is give the rules and laws a little bite. In an effort to make Senate seem as realistic as possible, it would benefit the student body to see real criminals prosecuted in real court.
Perspective
Lifestyle in Morocco mixes the spices of several cultures
Brett Watson for the editorial board
Morocco is only 14 miles across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain, but it is worlds apart in the minds of Europeans.
For a class on Islamic Spain, I recently spent a weekend in Mar-
compare Moroccan and Spanish culture and to peer into the past to see a reflection of the life during the 800-year rule of Spain by Arabs in the Middle Ages.
Marrakesh is a swirl of life near the snow-capped Atlas Mountains. Streets are crowded with people on foot, mopeds, cars, horse-drawn carts and tourist buses. Smells continually challenge tourists — the acrid burn of
Matt
Merkel-Hess
columnist
poinition@kansan.com
the acrid burn of exhaust, excrement from
the animals, spices and the tempting smells of North African food such as couscous, cucumber and tomato salad and roasted lamb.
Deals abound in the bazaars, but only if you are willing to bargain. Communication also is not a problem
almost all Moroccans are bilingual in Arabic and French, and many vendors know English, Spanish, German and Italian and will happily bargain away in whichever language you want to use.
The excitement in town centers on the Plaza Djemäa el Fna, or Assembly of the Dead, where people once were executed and their remains displayed. About 5 p.m., the plaza comes alive with snake charmers, story tellers, food vendors, henna artists and street performers. Smoke billows
from the food vendors, adding a magical haze to the brightly lighted stands. The specialty of the plaza is a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice for 25 cents, made from tart Moroccan oranges. Some of this is touristy
— snake charmers, for example — but most of it is a crazy circus that happens everyday.
The similarities to Spanish cities such as Seville, Cordoba and Granada are evident in Marrakech. Twisting streets riddle the old part of town, towers next to the mosques are almost the same as towers such as the Girralda in Seville. It's not just coincidence.
From the year 711 until 1492, some form of Muslim rulers possessed territory in
Spain. At times, these rulers controlled lands in North Africa or were controlled by North African rulers. Cultures, languages and ideas surged back and forth across the Strait of Gibraltar, a mix that made Spain the cultural capital of the Middle Ages.
Archaeological remains such as the Giralda aren't the only remnants of Arabic culture in Spain. Besides common ancestors through intermarriage, Arabs also brought the horse, citrus fruit, coffee, the guitar, sugar cane, adobe and numerous other things that influenced Spanish culture and developments in the Americas.
One of the most evident places to look for Arabic influence is Castilian Spanish, which has more than 4,000 words taken almost directly from
Arabic. Many of these have made it into English. Almost any word starting with "al," the Arabic definite article "the," is a tip-off, such as algebra, alkaline and alcohol. With other Arabisms it is easy to see the translation from Spanish to English, such as zero (zero), azúcar (sugar), talco (talcum powder), limón (lime) and on and on.
Today, Arab influence still is being felt in Spain and the European Union. Many Moroccan are looking to the short boat ride north to Spain to find economic freedom. An exploding population, which grew from 11 million in 1960 to an estimated 31 million in 1999, combined with 30 percent unemployment and high rates of illiteracy and poverty, make the European Union tempting for Moroccans.
In an effort to combat illegal immigrants, the European Union stopped taxing agricultural imports from Morocco, hoping to boost one of the only products besides phosphate the country can export. The Moroccan king also is moving to privatize some of his Moroccan monopolies, such as the airline Royal Air Marac and the 37 hotels he owns, to install some competition in the country and distribute wealth more evenly. With 5 percent of the population holding most of the wealth, it will be a hard road, but steps slowly are being taken in the right direction.
Someday, the short trip across the Strait of Gibraltar may unify, rather than divide, Spain and Morocco.
Merkel-Hess is an Iowa City, Iowa, junior in journalism and environmental studies. He is studying in Madrid, Spain, this semester.
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Lobbying efforts needed more on Hill, not Topeka
I know that Student Senate elections have ended, and I am honestly relieved. Now I can comment on a hot issue that has been in the Senate spotlight.
Rupai Limaye columnist opinion@karsan.com
I don't want to incorporate my coalition endorsements, so I have chosen not to comment on their positions.
Working as an intern at the state capitol this semester, I have received a good taste of the goings-on in the Topeka and the legislative process
On any given day at the capitol, 500 people from across Kansas scurry around, wearing little green badges to signify that they are registered lobbyists.
There is quite a hubbub about the role of lobbying that some Student Senate members should have.
Before I became an intern, I was wary about student senators spending so much time in
Topeka, supposedly lobbying for the University of Kansas. Last semester was my second at the University, and I was disenchanted to see how much time was spent lobbying. I transferred from a Big 10 university where student government was more concerned with bringing it back to the students.
I don't believe student lobbying is negative — I think it has a vital role in the legislative process. But the amount of time spent lobbying isn't worth the end results. There is a fine line between making legislators aware of students and simply wasting time in Topeka.
Lobbyists are there for one distinct reason — to provide information about com
mittee or floor issues to the legislators. Legislators don't have the time to research all the issues, so lobbyists are plugged in the process for research purposes.
I don't understand how people foolishly believe that students have such a voice. Why would a legislator listen to a part-time student lobbyist instead of a professional who spends his or her life doing it? It seems to be pretty ludicrous to assume that the legislators would listen to students more than any lobbyist.
It's a stretch to claim that Student Senate's lobbying yielded a close vote on a budget increase from the Board of Regents. The budget is overspend this session, and legislators couldn't give the Regents universities more money.
Instead of spending all of their time in Topeka, student senators should lobby more here on Mount Oread. Allowing students to play a more active role in different University processes would better serve the campus community. General apathy from students, which is clear by low voter turnout, indicates that students can't relate.
I know that the new Student Senate members just have been elected, and I hope that they realize how much time they might waste in Topeka. How can students encourage the Legislature to give us more money when we can't even get the University to give Student Senate money? It doesn't make sense, and it is simply a way that certain student senators can have access to certain legislators.
Stop fooling students and lobby on campus instead. Who knows, student senators may be pleasantly surprised by more support from the student body.
Limaye is an Olathe junior in political science and advertising.
Feedback
Pride Week this week
This is Queers & Allies Pride Week. It serves a number of functions: Educating the public about facets of queer life, opening a dialogue and creating a time and space for the queer community to gather and celebrate.
We live in a society that continuously enforces ideas of wrongness and shame to anyone who isn't heterosexual or comfortable playing the part. A sense of pride is not only important, but the ability to gather and proclaim it is a hard-earned right the queer community has fought for.
In past years, the title of this week was changed to Pride Week to represent a shift in the climate of the KU community. While education and awareness has always been a goal of Q&A, we felt we had raised awareness to the level that we could enjoy this week as a community, and not just as a different type of teaching tool.
My invitation is for all of the participating KU campus, queer or straight, to question the reasons one can't violate gender norms or why state law makes sex illegal between two people who love each another. Take the chance this week to educate yourself about queer culture.
Matthew Skinta
Director, KU Queers & Allies
Andover junior
When it comes to something as innate as sexual orientation or gender identity, one cannot "agree" or "disagree." Like the adage "We're here; we're queer; get used to it," we are a permanent part of the landscape. This week is about how one reacts to this role of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons in society.
In the April 10 Kansan, my
quote, "Whether or not you agree
with us ..." was placed out of
context.
Pun inappropriate
The article was not the problem, but the headline, "Lawrence visitor, victim in 'touchy' situation," was completely out of line. To attach a goofy pun to an article about a man who was sexually assaulted is to make light of the violation, and is absolutely reprehensible. How many editors let the headline slin by?
The Kansan has repeatedly evinced insensitivity toward victims of sexual assault, but the brief in the April 7 Kansan was outrageous.
The Kansan should more thoroughly consider the consequence of things they write. Making light of sexual assault not only insults specific victims, it perpetuates society's implicit acceptance of sexual violence.
Jennifer Curry
Lenexa senior