Opinion
The University Daily Kansan
Laura Roddy, Editor Shauntae Blue, Business manager Sarah Hale, Managing editor Brad Bolaryd, Retail sales manager Kristi Elliott, Management Matt Fisher, Sales a.marketing adviser Tom Eblen, General manager, news advisor Scott Valler, Technology coordinator
4A
Thursday, February 24, 2000
Seth Jones / KANSAN
Editorials
Students need loud, clear message about consequences of cheating
A crowded class sits quietly, each student bent over his or her paper in unbreakable concentration. The teacher paces patiently in front of the class, and the moment his back is turned, a student takes the opportunity to glance over another student's shoulder or pass answers under a desk.
This scene is all too familiar. Be it in high school or in the college classroom, the action taking place is considered cheating. At the university level, its consequences tend to vary.
Several universities in Kansas and across the nation have found ways to limit cheating in their classrooms. However, the University of Kansas seems to be a step behind. Other schools have used successful techniques such as skits and other programs to send out widespread
Academic misconduct policies' guidelines, enforcement vary among departments, professors
messages about dishonest behavior. The University relies on its professors to explain academic misconduct policies at the beginning of each semester. It's also up to professors to enforce the policies, resulting in varying punishments among courses, ranging from a failing grade to expulsion from the course or even from the University.
Certain schools already follow a code of honor resulting in fewer incidents of academic misconduct.
It is time for the University to follow the examples of some other universities. Instead of leaving the responsibility to professors, it needs to get the message across in an extensive and distinct way. There is a need for a clear-cut message that will reach all students and leave no room for confusion about what constitutes cheating and what doesn't. There also should be an explicit agenda for consequences when a student is caught.
Specific professional schools within the University have stricter codes of conduct, such as the School of Engineering. It follows a two-strikes-and-you're-out policy. Despite these efforts, the University does not keep a campuswide honor code of conduct.
The establishment of a specific code of honor would commit students to pursue honest actions during their academic careers and would paint a clear line to distinguish what is acceptable behavior at the University.
Tabatha Beerbower for the editorial board
Math courses need qualified leaders
Every semester, thousands of students take Math 002 and Math 101. Because a large staff is required to keep the courses running smoothly, often the classes are taught by undergraduates, some of whom clearly are unqualified for the job and others who don't get compensated adequately for their good work.
The math group leaders need to be chosen more selectively and paid higher salaries to keep both staff and students happy.
Many unqualified graduate students, as well as undergraduates, are hired to teach these classes. Also, nonmath majors are hired as group leaders. Some students perceive that the group leaders merely are there to earn
Some undergraduate teachers are incompetent,untrained; others are underpaid
money from a part-time job.
The group leaders are faced with the same workloads as graduate teaching assistants but are paid only six dollars per hour. Group leaders are required to make lesson plans, grade homework and tests and help students in the tutoring room.
ing experience before they are hired. Also, undergraduate students taking the same class load as their students do not have the time to offer a sufficient amount of help outside class. It also makes sense to hire group leaders who are math majors or who are interested in math-related fields. Having a teacher who is not even interested enough to major in the subject they are teaching is somewhat distracting to students.
There are a few common sense solutions for this discrepancy. Because it's difficult to learn from an immature, incompetent instructor, applicants need to be older and have some teach-
Students at the University of Kansas deserve the best qualified teaching staff in every subject. Group leaders also deserve the same benefits and pay as GTAs. This would provide more incentive to the staff to put more effort into their classes.
Kansan staff
Eric Borja for the editorial board
News editors
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
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T.J. Johnson ..Photo imaging
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Clay McCuistion ..Wire
Becky LaBranch . . .Special sections
Krista Lindemann . . .Campus
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Will Baxter . . .Online sales
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Advertising managers
Broaden your mind: Today's quote
"Drunkenness is nothing else but a voluntary madness."
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.
How to submit letters and guest columns
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taored for the column to run.
Seneca
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If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (apitan@kansan.com) or call 864-4924
Perspective
Dry campus drenched with ineffective policy
It's time for a pragmatic re-evaluation of the campus alcohol policy. Prohibition didn't work for the U.S. government, and it's not working at the University of Kansas.
The zero-tolerance policy has received enough press during recent years — most of it negative —
press down recently *—* that I don't need to recount to you, faithful Kansan reader, all its failures.
Although the University's dry campus may look good on paper (or in some newspapers), in practice it is unjust, unenforceable and counterproductive. Far worse than being unable to prevent alcohol-related problems, this policy seems to invite them.
Erin Goodison columnist opinionkanan.com
In reality, it's not a dry campus; it's a special permission campus. The University offers 100 percent tolerance to activities connected to fund-
Regardless of what motivated the policy, the consistent exceptions made for fund-raising activities and la-dee-da affairs set up alcohol privilege as a class issue in which the "haves" have wine and the "have-nots" just whine. It's the lords against the serfs, and the serfs want beer — beer having
activities connected to训
raising. Don't mistake my intentions: Fund-raising is essential to running a university, and serving only ginger ale at donor functions would seem socially naive and ridiculous. But if alcohol prohibition is retrogressive and ridiculous, why inflict it on students, faculty and staff?
The zero-tolerance policy probably is intended to discourage underage drinking, but it affects everyone on campus. Whether 21 or 71, if you live in a residence hall, you can't have beer in your fridge. Evidently, age doesn't determine privilege. Rather, booze flows where there's money. Alcohol is served at the Adams Alumni Center, in the luxury boxes at Memorial Stadium, at reception where donors are present, at the chancellor's mansion, etc. This tells me that responsible social drinking or drinking in moderation has the University's official blessing, but that the powers that be don't trust the majority of people on campus, especially students (of any age), to drink responsibly.
become something forbidden, glamorous and lordly.
Eventually the serfs — read students — find ways to obtain alcoholic beverages. Sometimes they consume them on campus. Because of the zero-tolerance policy, students who manage that do so at a very high risk. This level of risk fosters an atmosphere of rebellion and secrecy and often contributes to a lack of self control. Anyone willing to risk breaking dry campus regulations probably is using the drink-enough-to-make-it-worthwhile logic (kg stands, anyone?) Responsible drinking is not necessarily expected or encouraged in this environment.
Role models are an integral part of learning to drink responsibly; they set standards of acceptable behavior and provide stability. Students drinking in secret seem to model their behavior more on one another than on any type of role models. For example the guy in your biology class who can drink a whole case of Busch Light isn't an ideal role model.
If prohibition taught us anything, it's that people will find a way to drink if they want to. Enforcement is perhaps the most problematic aspect of the alcohol policy. With whom does the responsibility for enforcing the policy reside? The KU Public Safety Office and resident assistants have specific instructions and procedures for doing their jobs, but what about other KU employees?
The article about the Rock Chalk Scholars banquet was an embarrassment. Sure, it illuminated some of the inconsistencies of the zero-tolerance policy, but one of the students interviewed seemed to think that it was the responsibility of every KU employee in attendance to stop him from drinking. Not only was that student demanding the Big Brother treatment from the administration, he also was finding fault with hard-working faculty, and staff who didn't wish to be responsible for his individual choices.
That student in no way helped reform the alcohol policy with his statements, but it seems that because the policy treats all students like children, it has the tendency to reinscribe the childish behaviors it attempts, but is unable, to prevent.
Goodison is a Mound City senior in art history.
20-somethings' politics step toward democracy
The military took power in Brazil in 1964 and dominated the country until the late 1980s, when the people started to protest. Brazil didn't have
My father always told me that I should be involved in politics. According to him, the price of not getting involved was to accept other people's ideas without expressing your own. He knew what he was talking about because he lived through the entire dictatorship that Brazil endured.
direct presidential elections for 29 years.
That changed because of the people's demands for democracy. They organized for a cause and started a movement called "Diretas Já." This movement demanded direct elections for many years before the 1989 election and ultimately was responsible for it.
My country is now democratic, and I know how important democracy and freedom are. Democracy is key to our lives in every
Cássio
Furtado
columnist
opriório@kansan.com
sense we can think of. The problem is that we only realize how important it is when we don't have it anymore — when it's gone. My father taught me that lesson.
That's why I think the Feb. 18 elections in Iran will change many people's lives as the Brazilian movement changed mine when it demanded direct presidential elections.
The Islamic revolution changed the country in 1978. Iran now is considered a theocracy, which literally means "the rule of God." The Iranian highest authority is the Ayatollah, who leads the armed forces, the judiciary and the state-run radio and television. Since the revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini, Iranians broke diplomatic relations with the United States and underwent several internal changes. The clergymen interfere everyday in people's lives — when to go to school, listen to the radio or watch television.
The people remained quiet for a long time. Not
anmore. They are using the ballot to protest. In 1997 the Iranian people elected President Mohammad Khatami, who is considered to be a reformist. He gained people's confidence for his efforts to expand individual freedoms and to free the press. He wants to reduce clergymen's interference in people's lives. In other words, he wants a civilian government.
Iranian citizens liked Khatami's projects, and last week's election results show that they clearly are supporting political reform. The reformists gained about 70 percent of the incoming Majlis, the Iranian parliament. People are giving their president the opportunity to work with a parliament that will support his plans. That shows their support and their will to change. Previously, moderates dominated the Majlis, which imposed major barriers to the president's plans of generating change in Iranian society.
However, the most important aspect of this election is that the ones who are giving the green light for reform are the 20-somethings — people just like you and me. The Iranian example shows us that we also can change our lives. You can change your society as iranians changed theirs. You just need to participate in the process. This applies to the Student Senate elections in April, your local election and the coming presidential election.
Demand your rights as Iranians demanded a better society for themselves. The fact that the United States has a better standard of living than Iran absolutely doesn't mean that this American society can't get better and that it doesn't need any changes. We have freedom of the press and should use it to protect other important rights. Demand better education, health, Social Security and so on. Register to vote in all the elections you can, inform yourself about the candidates' backgrounds, and if you don't find anyone who can do what you think should be done — run yourself.
As the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., once said,
"Power is not deliberately given by the oppressor.
It should be demanded by the oppressed."
Furtado is a Pelotas, Brazil, junior in journalism and political science.
Feedback
Science backs Darwin
In response to Matthew Hastings' letter in the Feb. 14 Kansan: Professor Matthew Buechner is, of course, correct. Not only biologists, but all educated scientists, are 100 percent behind evolution. Hastings doesn't misquote; he misunderstands me.
Darwin's argument that all life on Earth shares common ancestry, that more organisms are born (or hatched, budded or otherwise produced) that can ever survive, that variation (much heritable) occurs spontaneously in all natural populations, that heritable variation is directed by natural selection and thus populations have evolved through time (for at least 600 million years) is supported by all the evidence of thousands of observers and investigators worldwide.
Molecular biology, paleontology, organic geochemistry, other studies of the fossil record and entire fields of science verify Darwinian evolution in all of their details. Hastings is "obviously not well read" himself. He maligns us
by quoting out of context.
by quoting out or context. Primarily he confuses neo-Darwinism (a peculiar modern explanation of the evolutionary process) with Darwinism (nothing in science, in fact, to paraphrase geneticist T. Dobzhansky, makes sense except in the light of evolution).
Buechner is correct whereas Hastings' statement is fatally flawed.
Lynn Margulis
Lynn Margulis distinguished professor of geosciences University of Massachusetts-Amherst
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