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Opinion
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Friday, February 25, 2000
KUAC doesn't need student fee money
Athletics department should foot bill for non revenue sports
T the $20 per semester women's and non revenue sports fee that students pay to the University of Kansas
Athletic Corporation has come into question recently. The fee, which accounts for about 4 percent of KUAC income, appears to be expendible in the wake of the new tuition increase.
When the fee was implemented in 1979 the quality of women's and non-revenue sports was lacking. Because our men's basketball and football teams did not earn enough money to improve these programs, it was necessary for students to contribute on behalf of these sports.
Twenty-one years later, both the men's basketball and football teams have succeeded in generating a substantially larger amount of revenue. This increase in commercial success
means that it is time for KUAC to become self-sufficient.
Another reason to discontinue the fee is that KUAC has been reinvesting surplus revenues back into capital projects. Students should not pay a fee to a department that already has extra money.
The fee also should be terminated because students should not have to pay for University expenditures that are federally mandated. In Title IX, women's sports have the right to proper funding, yet students pay for equal treatment as though it is a privilege.
KUAC has proven itself capable of earning its own revenue. In light of the tuition increase, it is time that it covers its own expenses.
If the funding handed by students to KUAC was used in other University projects, the improvement possibilities would be substantial.
For example, if that $900,000 per year was spent on recreation improvements, the new recreation center could have several more basketball courts, a better weight room or possibly even a swimming pool, all of which would be available to all students. Or, that same $900,000 could finance several new KU on Wheels buses each year. The list of needed campus improvements is seemingly endless, and of all of the organizations on campus that need the money, KUAC is most capable of supporting itself. It's time it did.
Tara Alexander for the editorial board
They don't claim to be completely omniscient, and they won't purr at you seductively like platinum-blonde 900-number operators, but the staff of the KU Information Center ensures that information — both helpful and bizarre — is only a few digits away.
The Information Center, better known as
started as a rumor control in 1970, the same year the Kansas Union caught on fire and a computer lab exploded. Since then, the service has evolved to become an information service with a staff of 14 people.
Among the little-known services they offer are a list of tutors, babysitters and sabbatical sites, as well as crisis referral. KU Info is probably best known, however, for fielding a
Luke Wetzel columnist opinionkanan.com
variety of student questions. These questions range from people looking for movie times to students trying to find out where visiting basketball teams are staying. Another common question is simply, "Where are my socks?"
With the help of the KU Info staff members, I compiled a list of questions they recently were asked. Among the more interesting exchanges kept on file were:
Whether it is because of silliness and intoxication or just plain old intellectual curiosity, college students generally are an inquisitive bunch. Because most people can't contact God on short notice, KU Info serves as a good substitute for answers, preventing callers from spending too much time leafing through encyclopedias and barking at the moon.
Caller: I need to know where I can mail something.
KU Info: You might try the post office Caller: Oh thank you so much!
Caller: Can you spell "acrossed," as in "I went across a river"?
KU Info: That isn't a word.
Caller: Is it legal to have a tattoo of a Picasso painting, or is that copyright infringement?
KU Info: Yes, it is legal.
Caller: How many disembodied heads would it take to fill Allen Fieldhouse?
KU Info: 1,866,666 (actual calculated estimation)
Caller: My 3-year-old son has a problem with eating off the floor. Can you tell him not to do it anymore?
KU Info: (to boy) We don't eat off the floor.
Boy: OK
Caller: (whispered) Thanks!
Caller: Is there any way I can drop a class from last semester?
KU Info: Excuse me?
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Caller: I failed a class last semester and I wanted to know if I could drop it.
As you can tell from these questions, KU Info is a very unique service. And in an age in which almost every organization answers its phones with automated messages, it is refreshing to have our own University's information center operated by live, breathing humans.
Caller: I thought so.
Susan Elkins, KU Info coordinator, refers to the service as the "pulse of the University," something that doesn't exist in the same form at any other universities. Elkins encourages callers to keep trying if the lines are tied up, or to listen to the taped messages. The messages are changed twice a day and often have the information about times and events callers are looking for. Sometimes the staff even adds jokes at the end of the tapes.
Oh, and the answer to the questions about missing socks? There are actually two. "We tell them to look either under the bed or in the dryer," Elkins said. "And we're always right."
The University Daily Kansan
Wetzel is a Westwood freshman in English and journalism.
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Broaden your mind: Today's quote
"We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse." — Anne Swetchline
Picking a class gift is a tough job; students should share their ideas
There have been more than 130 graduating classes at the University of Kansas. Each has attempted to leave something behind to be remembered by and to improve the campus.
Some gifts seem everlasting, such as the bronze Jayhawk in front of Strong Hall, a gift of the Class of 1956; or that cool scale model of the University located in the Kansas Union, a gift from the Class of 1962. Others are very pragmatic, such as concrete dugouts and a scoreboard for the baseball team in 1960, or the service elevator in the Union in 1930. And unfortunately, there are some such as the TVs purchased for Watkins Memorial Health Center in 1969 and the hanging fireplace in the Burge Union given by the Class of 1979, that are gone forever.
Many classes have donated less tangible items, such as the endowment for the HOPE Award in 1959 or the CLASS Award in 1987.
Our ideas thus far, for your perusal:
This year the Senior Class Advisory Board, of which I'm a member (don't ask me how), is responsible for the class gift. The board is working to come up with the perfect gift for the Class of 2000. It's a bigger job than I thought it would be. We've got lots of ideas, but there are some tough acts to follow, and also some that don't bear repeating. For that reason, we want to proceed prudently.
A stained glass mosaic to be mounted on or in the sidewalk along Javhawk Boulevard.
A fountain to be placed either on the Kansas Union Plaza or in the Malott Garden area.
Some sort of decoration or improvement to spruce up Wescoe Hall.
The demolition of Wescoe Hall
bus stop, a gift of the Class of 1950, needs work. A renovated booth could provide better bulletin board space, and with remodeling, could keep students waiting for the bus out of the rain. Now, because the shelter faces away from the street, that's not possible.
The renovation of the Bus Stop and Information Booth across from Bailey Hall. It could be turned into either a functional bullet tin board, bus stop or both.
Seth Hoffman opinion editor opinion@kasan.com
Like the bus stop renovation, any fountain projects might be prohibitively expensive. A stained-glass Jayhawk would look great, but might be easily
The demonio The renovation
Each suggestion has its strengths and weaknesses. The
damaged. Demolishing Wescoe would leave lots of lovely people without offices.
As we discussed the possibilities, we decided that whatever we come up with, we couldn't pretend to know what was best for the campus without asking people what they thought. We're asking for your help. If you like one of the ideas we've come up with, let me know. If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear that too.
But before you get too crazy, I'll offer the following list of ideas that probably won't work:
A Class of 2000 water slide down the hill. (Wouldn't that be great, though?)
NCAA championship trophy.
(We'll have to earn it.)
Thanks for your help.
A long-term contract with a cola consoligenate. (Too late!)
A KU version of Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?
A campus visit by Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, The Rock, Brittine Spears, Dudley Moore, Richard Prvor or Gene Wilder.
Seriously though, we need your input. Not just from those of you who are graduating, but also from those of you who some day will, have already or may never, graduate. It's a big responsibility and we don't want to screw it up.
Hoffman is a Lenexa senior in journalism.
Allow me to remind her what that fundamental concept is: Cash is always better than any other alternatives. Benefits are designed to give employees a false sense of being rewarded more so that they will stay with the company. And most benefit packages require employees to stay with the company for a certain amount of time — a modern term called "Golden Handcuff" in the corporate world. If you leave the company before that period, the face value of the benefit is zero! That means you're less likely to accept new job offers.
I was surprised to read Tisha McCoy's advice for job search in her Feb. 23 column. Her comment alienated one of the most fundamental concepts in economics. Maybe her instructors did a poor job when teaching her economics, maybe she had forgotten what she had learned from those classes.
Feedback Employment benefits only false sense of security
In today's business world, changing jobs occurs more frequently than ever. You should look for things that you can bring with you when you leave for a new job, not things that tie you down to the same old job. Most of the points mentioned by Ms. McCoy are outdated "wisdom" from our parents' generation. My advice for job search is that you should look for incentives that are based on performance. Stock options are becoming the trend for attracting good workers. Compare incentives from different offer and then choose the one that gives you the most flexibility and growth potential.
Leo Chan instructor of economics
University animal research doesn't protect all animals
The Kansan avoided discussing several key issues in the Feb. 21 article on animal research at the University of Kansas. Nancy Schwarting of the KU Animal Care Unit claimed that the animals were "well-cared for and protected by governmental regulations."
However, the Kansan neglected to point out that the Animal Welfare Act, to which Schwarting was referring, does not regulate the treatment of mice, rats or birds which make up 90 percent of the research animals at the University. Moreover, the act does not prevent any
In fact, a 1990 Food and Drug Administration General Accounting Office report noted that more than half of all prescription drugs approved by the FDA between 1976 and 1985 caused side effects in humans serious enough to be withdrawn from the market. None of these harmful effects had been revealed from the animal tests the drugs had undergone.
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experimental procedure regardless of how painful it may be. All animal research causes animals unwarranted pain and can potentially harm humans.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine asserts that "alternatives to animal research provide more precise, cost-effective, and humane answers to human health questions and educational needs." Alternatives to animal research include epidemiologic studies, clinical research, in vitro research and computer modeling.
See www.pcrm.org for more information. It is time we recognize animals as co-inhabitants of the planet rather than as things here for human use.
Laura D. Ford Watertown, S.D., senior
How to submit letters and guest columns
**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 photographed 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 Seith Hoffman at 864-4924. If you have general questions or email a page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924.
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