Opinion
The University Daily Kansan
4A
Laura Roddy, Editor
Sarah Hale, Managing editor
Kristi Elliott, Managing editor
Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser
Shauntae Blue, Business manager Brad Bolyard, Retail sales manager Matt Fisher, Sales and marketing adviser Scott Valler, Technology coordinator
Wednesday, February 16, 2000
John Rocker SCORES A SPONESPERSON JOB FOR TIDY-WHITE BRAND SHEETS $ \textcircled{1} $
Seth Jones / KANSAN
Editorials
Kansan report card
PASS
Credit card regulations — Kansas Legislature considers proposal to prevent credit card companies from preying on college students. Bad news Students need the cards so that they have afford to buy things after paying tuition.
- Genetic discrimination order — President Clinton signs executive order banning the use of
genetic information in federal hiring or promotions. After all, he is from Arkansas.
Jaybowl spared — Tuition increases twice and student fees rise by $70. Thousands protest the removal of a couple of bowling lanes nobody ever used. At least they were successful.
KU Men's Basketball -- "Hawks turn things around and destroy the K-State kitters. Eric ChenWolff felt sorry for them and didn't score any points. Don't do that anymore, Eric."
FAIL
Board of Education — Fail-list favorite decides to hire a consultant to evaluate its brilliant evolution decision, then changes its mind. Just a reminder, the board's primary elections are Aug. 1, and the general election is Nov. 7. Please vote.
be called, naturists. The bill would end a very long, proud tradition of streaking at the University of Kansas.
Nudist camp proposal — Legislative committee hears bills to impose 25,200 fine on nudists or as they prefer to
Lawrence public schools need reform
As evidenced by the publication of recent test scores, Lawrence public schools are experiencing some scholastic woes.
In the state of Kansas, an average of 77 percent on standardized reading testing is the standard of excellence for elementary students, and 81 percent for secondary students.
It is time for Lawrence to re-evaluate its public education system in light of the poor test results. It must decide what it can do to help its children succeed academically.
Each Lawrence public school has failed to achieve the standard of excellence. The highest score among Lawrence elementary schools was Hillcrest's, with an average of 69.3 percent on standardized reading tests.
Recent test scores indicate that local education standards are not up to par
Among junior and senior high schools, West Junior High took the honors with 66.5 percent. In addition, all the schools failed to reach the standard of excellence on math and writing tests.
It appears that Lawrence is a local symptom of a national malady. Internationally, our students continue to slip further behind other nations. The bottom line is that our public education system is failing. It doesn't have to.
problem is a matter of pouring more money into the system. Others state that the current woes are the classic example of needing more teachers and smaller classrooms. This is the path taken by private and parochial schools, and their standardized test results are stellar, especially in Lawrence. Others ask if we demand enough from our students academically.
Some speculate that solving this
It is possible the problem is even more basic. Has the emphasis of our public education system strayed too far from the traditional three R's of reading, writing and arithmetic? Have we lost the balance between teaching socialization skills and academics? We need to remember that the focus of standardized testing and public education is academic excellence.
Kansan staff
Drew Ryun 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 . . . . . . . . . . . Associate features
T.J. Johnson . . . . . . . . . . Photo imaging
Christina Neff . . . . . . . . . . Photo
Jason Pearce . . . . . . . . Design, graphics
Clay McCuistion . . . . . . . . . Wirt
News editors
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 Schlitt . . . Zone
Thad Crane . . . Zone
Cecely Curran . . Zone
Christy Davies . . Zone
Broaden your mind: Today's quote
"We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction." — Bill Gates
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
All letters and guest columns should be e-mailed to opinion@kansan.com or submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stuaffer-Flint Holl. 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.
Guest columns: Should be double-spaced typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photo-taraped for the column to run.
If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924
Perspective
Football player's death reminds us what matters
Three scribbled pages into a column about the possible benefits of retiring the Jaybowl, I walked out of the kitchen of my scholarship hall and into the recreation room, where my roommate sat watching ESPN.
At six in the morning, he normal sleeping schedule while I was at the dawn of a messed-up one. I sat reading the pages, finally coming together from muddled notes into what I thought would be a well-organized, if unpopular, column.
At six in the morning, he was just starting a
After the string of commercials segued into Sportscenter, the announcers reminded me of Derrick Thomas' death, something I had learned of only a few hours before.
The Sportscenter report featured highlights of
Thomas' days as a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, stories of his community involvement and interviews with coaches and teammates. They spoke of his outstanding athletic ability, his giving heart and the sadness of his unexpected death. Even the statement issued by the commissioner, something that usually drips with sensitively phrased formality, sounded remarkably heartfelt.
Luke
Wetzel
columnist
poinion@kansas.co
The night before, Thomas had passed away in a Miami hospital. When I found out the news, I didn't know what to think.
I only knew this man from watching him play football and reading about him in the newspaper, but the only reason I wasn't getting completely emotional was I had been focusing on not letting the piano music in the background get to me.
Now, watching the stunned faces of those who had coached and played with him, my own lack of proper expression came back to me. I sat aside my notebook and stared at the screen, trying to figure out why this was affecting me so much.
I looked back at the column I had been working on for about the past hour, and I wasn't the least
bit interested in continuing it. Making a point and sounding informed and clever suddenly seemed rather trivial. At this point I realized my connection with these events.
During winter break, my grandmother had been hospitalized because of illness and heart complications. My parents, especially my mother, had spent many nights with her in the intensive care unit, either in her room or in the lobby. After coming home each time, my mom told me how much it made her put things in perspective.
Being caught up in a busy schedule of work, sleep and going out with friends, I listened to her but didn't know exactly what she meant. Until then I had relatively little experience with death, and because I hadn't yet been to see my grandmother at the hospital, I couldn't relate from firsthand experience.
On my way back up to college, I was able to visit my grandmother, who is now at home and in much better health. But even then, I don't think I really understood what my mother was talking about. Now, strangely enough, watching the television report was beginning to make me understand.
I think it might have been because of the sudden nature of Thomas' death. It was hard to believe that someone I had seen maul quarterbacks a few months ago was no longer living. The other thing that stuck out in my mind was how the report centered on Thomas' off-the-field accomplishments instead of his football career.
Chiefs coach Gunther Cunningham said he had never looked at Thomas just as a football player, emphasizing only Thomas' strengths as a person. I don't want to eulogize Thomas because I didn't know him personally, and I don't want to wring out a bunch of tired lessons about human mortality. I probably won't understand these issues until they hit closer to home, if I ever understand them at all. But Thomas' sudden death and the giving way he lived helped me better realize what my mother had learned during winter break — not to forget what's important in life.
Wetzel is a Westwood freshman in English and journalism.
"Bollocks," you say. "We've been trying, but to no avail."
Eric Rush and Brenda Chung guest columnists opionir@kaasan.com
So try something else. Students can get what they want, and they have in the past, but traditional student politics are not going to work. What has worked in the past is stu-
Civil disobedience isn't always such a bad option
The lack of consideration by the Legislature of student rights in this regard has been disconcerting, but not really surprising. As one astute Kansan columnist recently noted, we don't vote and we certainly don't contribute any money. Therefore, because traditional lobbying has failed, using student leadership for the common good is the only key to solving the quandary we are in.
and those at other Regents schools foot the bill. How dare they?
Furthermore, it's a presidential and statewide election year, and our budget has been cut by a sizable amount. Even worse, the Kansas Legislature has coordinated with the Board of Regents in demanding that the KU student body
club and organization that you are a part of. The culmination of these elections will be the Student Senate elections in April, in which you will see the putative cream of the leadership crop pull out all stops in trying to get KU students to vote for them. Or to vote at all.
D during the next couple of months, you will get to choose the leaders of every club and organization that you are a
We urge our leaders not to get caught up in the election and instead to start thinking about what they can actually do for the student body. In the interest of open dialogue, we've even started the process for them. This is a golden year for student leadership either to show its effectiveness, or conversely, its worthlessness. There are several important
issues to debate and work on.
dents working together in a little bit of good, old-fashioned, peaceful civil disobedience.
You don't believe us, do you? Here's an example: On the evening of Feb. 3, 1972, 75 women occupied the East Asian studies building to demand that the University of Kansas provide reasonable access to women's health care and child care, as well as institute a better system of Affirmative Action and add a women's studies department.
You know what happened? By the next morning, they had almost everything they had asked for. Many women's studies majors still are reaping the benefits of these women's accomplishments. They accomplished all of that here at the University in fewer than 24 hours.
Use your college experience for more than just getting a degree. There are so many resources and opportunities for people who want to get involved, lead and make this campus, city, state and world a better place. Go out and make a difference.
So, the point to take for you, the KU student, is that when your rights are being infringed upon and when the usual ways of doing things don't work, you have to change the rules. More bluntly stated, it doesn't really matter where you are from in Kansas: You need to be the biggest pain in your legislator's neck.
So, what can we do about it? Use the leadership options that the University offers to get to know other leaders from around campus and organize with them. Get to know administrators so that you are more effective as a leader. There are a whole series of leadership development conferences such as Stepping Stones, Leadershape, and Blueprints that will help you do exactly those things. In fact, Blueprints is this Saturday.
Rush is a Topake junior in biochemistry and genetics. Chung is a Hong Kong senior in business administration. They are the 2000 Ex.C.E.L. Award winners.
Feedback
Scientist supports neo-Darwinian theory
In his letter in the Feb. 14 Kansan, Matthew Hastings asserts that many biologists, biochemists and mathematicians see the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution as fatally flawed and includes me among its critics. His "proof" for my disbelief in evolution is a quotation taken from Michael Behe's anti-evolution book, Darwin's Black Box. Behe (and Hastings) quote me as saying that "there is little evidence for the neo-Darwinian view: Its theoretical foundations and the experimental evidence supporting it are weak."
Unfortunately, Mr. Hastings failed to check the original
paper published in 1982. Had he done so, he would have seen that Behe not only took the original quotation out of context, but actually changed it to make it seem as if I were a detractor of Darwinism. The "neo-Darwinian" view I was attacking was but one small part of evolutionary biology; the debate about whether adaptations are built from many small mutations or a few large ones. The neo-Darwinian view has traditionally been the former, while my co-author and I argued that the latter view had been unjustly ignored.
Far from casting doubt on the entire enterprise of Darwinism, we couched our debate firmly within modern evolutionary theory. We doubted the exis-
natural selection.
It has long been a tradition of creationists to misquote biologists in hopes of portraying the scientific community as riven with doubts about evolution. What else can they do, because every scrap of scientific evidence supports evolution and refutes creationism? Hastings' assertion that many scientists find the theory of evolution "flawed" and "completely unworkable" is simply wrong. By avoiding the scientific issues and relying instead on specious quotations, Mr. Hastings firmly places himself within the dysfunctional family of creationists.
Jerry Coyne
Professor of ecology and evolution