Opinion
4A
The University Daily Kansan
Laura Roddy, Editor
Sarah Hale, Managing editor
Kristi Ellott, Managing editor
Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser
Shauntea Blue, Business manager
Brad Bolyard, Retail sales manager
Matt Fisher, Sales and marketing adviser
Scott Valler, Technology coordinator
Monday, February 28, 2000
Editorials
Access to KU academic databases inconvenient for students, faculty
One of the most prevalent activities for members of academic communities is research. However, students and faculty at the University of Kansas don't always get the chance to do the research they need because they're not always able to access the academic databases offered by the KU libraries.
Even though the online catalog is accessible from any location in the world via the World Wide Web, to get access to most of the databases such as Lexis/Nexis, a KU dial-in account is necessary.
KU libraries should devise a way for KU students and faculty to have access to all the academic databases, even if they don't have a KU dial-in account.
Most students and faculty do not reside on campus. Off campus, most people
KU dial-in account shouldn't be necessary to use resources from off-campus location
ases are only accessible through KU dial-in accounts is because the KU libraries buy them from private companies, said Julia Rholes, assistant dean for information services in the libraries. The contracts with the vendors strictly limit the use of those databases to the KU academic community.
have Internet access, but not everyone has a KU dial-in account. The work that students and faculty are required to do cannot always be completed within the hours they are on campus. Some people study or work on projects overnight when the libraries and computer centers are closed. Others just feel more relaxed or more focused working in their own environments. Some may even work on projects or assignments that need research while they are out of town.
However, there are ways KU students and faculty could log in. For example, they could use a password or something that would indicate KU student or faculty status. Such a system should be established.
Students and faculty don't leave their duties and responsibilities on campus when they go home. Therefore, they should be able to access the academic resources necessary for their work at any place or time.
Cynthia Malakasis for the editorial board
Maximum-hour policy limits students
Tough classes and tests are not the only obstacles to the illustrious goal of graduation; complicated degree requirements can cause headaches as well. Understanding the complex regulations about the maximum number of hours students can take within their majors can be a prodigious task without the aid of a graduation counselor.
One troubling aspect of graduation requirements, especially for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is that if students take more than 40 hours of credit within their majors, the extra hours do not count toward the 124 total hours required for graduation.
For example, if a student pursues a bachelor of arts in a college department and took 40 credit hours within his or her major, plus all of the other general education requirements, he or she would need 16 additional hours to graduate.
Taking extra hours in majors should be allowed without adding new requirements
dents complete all their general education and major requirements and simply need more hours, they should be allowed to take whatever they please. If someone wants to use those extra hours to dabble in outside fields, that's great, but it shouldn't be mandated.
It seems silly that the college would not count 16 more major hours toward graduation. We understand the theory that college wants students to receive a solid, broad-based liberal arts education, but isn't that the purpose those pesky general education requirements serve? If stu
Realistically, students will be more motivated and dedicated in classes they want to take or find useful. Forcing them to seek out classes they really don't want to take or punishing them for taking extra classes within their fields is silly and makes graduating far more complicated than it should be. Demanding a well-rounded education is a worthy goal, but the existing general-education requirements are sufficient to achieve that.
Kansan staff
Kursten Phelps for the editorial board
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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Association features
T.J. Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo imaging
Christina Neff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo
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Clay McCuistion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wire
News editors
Becky LaBranch . . . Special sections
Krista Lindemann . . . Campus
Ryan Riggin . . . Regional
Jason Hannah . . National
Will Baxter . . . Online sales
Patrick Rupe . . . Online creative
Seth Swimmier . . . Marketing
Jenny Weaver . . . Creative layout
Matt Thomas . . Assistant creative
Kenna Crone . . Assistant creative
Trent Guyer . . Classfields
Jon Schitt . . . Zone
Thad Crane . . . Zone
Cecelly Curran . . Zone
Christy Davies . . Zone
Advertising managers
Broaden your mind: Today's quote
"To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things
every day." — Tao Ching
How to submit letters and guest columns
every day." — Tao Te Ching
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 typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photo-trapped for the column to run.
All letters and guest columns should be e-mailed to opinion@kansan.com or submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan 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 (capion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924
Route to class riddled with misunderstandings
"Do you have a dime?" the male student asked me as I passed him on Wescoe Beach.
Perspective
"No, I'm sorry. I don't have any change," I replied, matter-of-factly. I jingled my empty jacket pockets for emphasis.
The young man looked at me, startled.
"I'm not a bum," he said defensively. "All I wanted was the time."
"Oh, sorry," I said, embarrassed. "I thought you wanted a dime.
I glanced at my wristwatch, informed him of the hour and minute and continued on my way to class. I was surprised about how we had misunderstood each other in a matter of seconds.
I thought he wanted a coin. He was under the impression
Lori
O'Toole
columnist
opinionokansan.com
that I thought he was a beegar. How quickly perceptions can get tumbled up!
The error in communication was mostly my fault; I had been hurrying to class without paying attention to my environment. I was not listening carefully enough to differentiate between "time" and "dime."
But short conversations like this — when one or both people are not paying attention — occur frequently. I've overheard them on campus, and I've been a part of them myself. They usually take place when people pass each other in a rush.
One of the most common deals with questions that serve as greetings — inquiries including "How are you?" and "What's up?" that don't really demand an answer. They've almost become colloquialisms that just mean "HI."
Should people actually answer these questions? Would a nod or smile in return suffice? I usually just give a simple reply. However, this could present a problem. Sometimes the person responding to the question says something without listening to the question:
"How are you?"
"Not much, thanks."
Other times the interrogator doesn't listen for a reply and often passes by before the other person has a chance to respond. Or the questioner listens to the answer, but doesn't actually hear it:
How are you:
"Dusty sunny."
"Great! See ya around!"
it's all about miscommunication — of course my friend didn't mean to blow me by asking how my day was going and then leaving me alone on the sidewalk. Situations like these go back to the basic rules of effective speaking, such as eye contact.
Great see ya about it.
When I've been in these situations, I usually just laugh and forget about it, realizing that the other person really just meant to say hello. But other times, I feel cheated. If someone really wanted to know how I was, why didn't they actually take a few seconds to listen to the wonderful or horrible things happening to me?
I try to remember this, along with the fact that conversations aren't meant to occur while people pass others for a brief moment. That's why I try not to let the words "How are you?" slip from my mouth as I see a familiar face during one of many daily taunts from point A to point B.
I also try to say "Hello!" — not "How are you?" — when a simple salutation is what I'm looking for.
When I'm rushing to class, oblivious to the world around me, sometimes I stop to talk to someone who asks me a question. When needed, I ask people to repeat themselves so I understand exactly what they are saying.
so if you see me on campus and need to know what time it is, please ask. I promise to listen to your question — and I won't think you're a bum.
O'Toale is a Wichita junior in journalism and English.
Tampon use more risky than companies tell you
Women today are spending more than $2 billion per year on disposable pads and tampons, while information regarding their safety, production and necessity is being overlooked, ignored and
Would you buy a car that hadn't gone through safety tests? What about eat at a restaurant that didn't have health codes? Then women, why are you using 4 to 5 tampons per day, five days per month, for a future of 38 menstruating years (I'd call that repeated contact), without knowing if that product is safe?
The issue of whether tampons and pads contain dioxin — a chemical that has been linked to cancer and other health problems — is the latest hot topic that activists are trying to fight and corporations are trying to defend. Dioxin would especially be dangerous if present in tampons because the vaginal lining is much
platantly lied about. Of course, when you're talking about a $2 billion, companies are going to put in a little effort to keep those dollars rolling in.
Breeze
Luetke-
Stahiman
columnist
opinion@kansan.com
more absorbent than skin and because women wear tarmons for hours at a time.
Nice try, but saying that you have to spray chemicals all over the cotton during production and then have to bleach that cotton to get rid of the chemicals isn't good enough reasoning for me. U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, (D.N.Y.) wasn't satisfied either. In 1996 and 1997, she even introduced a Women's Health and Dioxin. Act in Congress, which would require assessment of the risks involved in using tampons.
The corporations say they've changed their ways. You can find explanations online from Tampax, Kotex and Playtex regarding this issue. Tampax says flat out that its tampons don't contain dioxin. It also says that bleaching "has to happen to eliminate impurities and make the fibers more absorbent, which of course is good for the environment because a more effective product would mean fewer needed, and less waste."
What does the Food and Drug Administration have to say about all this? A recent FDA report
Every year women in the United States purchase more than 12 billion pads and 7 billion disposable tampons. Their production is leading to deforestation and pesticide use, and the packaging from these products ends up in landfills and waterways. On top of all that, there might be a serious health risk. The commercial products aren't more convenient or better just because the big companies advertise. So go the safest route, and save your health, your conscience, the environment and your money — better safer than sick.
On top of the dioxin debate, there are other issues: The environmental impacts of the additional garbage (applicators washing up on beaches), the money spent ($2 billion!) and the behavior of the corporations manufacturing these products (such as Procter & Gamble, which produces Tampax tampons and is known as an animal tester).
the conclusion: There are alternatives. Better, safer products are now on the market and many women use them. Here in Lawrence there are options available at The Community Mercantile, 901 Mississippi. An all-cotton, non-chlorine bleached, no additives tampon by Natracare is available for $4.29 (20 regular size). Or there is a 100 percent organically-grown cotton tampon by Organic Essentials available for $7.39 (20 regular size). The Merc also has all-cotton natural pads and liners.
The coolest alternatives, however, are the products made by Keepers! Inc. — GladRags, which are quality, long-lasting, reusable, washable cotton pads, priced at 3 for $22.50; and The Keeper, which is a reusable soft gum rubber device that collects, rather than absorbs, and is said to last for 10 years. It costs $27.99, and you only need one.
states: "Some elemental chlorine-free bleaching processes can theoretically generate dioxins at extremely low levels, and dioxins are occasionally detected in trace amounts in mill effluents and pulp. In practice, however, this method is considered to be dioxin free."
Doesn't sound like a guarantee to me. Especially when the risk I would be taking trying to discover who is right isn't worth my health and isn't necessary.
Luetke-Stahlman is an Olathe junior in economics and American studies.
Feedback
Math group leaders do care, work hard
A Feb. 24 editorial stated that math group leaders are "immature and incompetent." This is not true and is rather offensive. The group leaders approach their classes with the utmost desire to help facilitate student learning. Many often spend hours designing fun and interactive lesson plans that help students grasp major concepts. They take great pride in their classes' performances and make honest efforts to offer sufficient help outside of class. For
Math 101 and 002, the tutoring room is open for 64 hours per week. This is far more than in any other class.
Do you propose we have professors teach Math 101 and 002 courses? If this were a possible solution, professors would teach Math 101 courses that consisted of about 200 students. This would create a difficult environment for learning math. Students would not be able to have the personal attention that they need. The Editorial Board mentioned that students do not receive "sufficient amounts of help outside of class" as it is. Do you expect that having professors teach courses actually will increase this opportunity?
The Kansas Algebra Program is a wonderful program that allows students the ability to learn math in an environment that is relatively small and more personal. It would be wonderful if a professor could teach every class, but that simply cannot happen. So why not have dedicated, personable undergraduate who have a genuine concern for their students and a desire to see their students succeed teach classes?
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Matt Wachel
St. Louis senior