4A
Opinion
Tuesday, January 18, 2000
Clay McCuistion / KANSAN
Editorial
Welfare of Cuban boy depends on prompt return home to father
Amidst all of the protests and media coverage of the Elian Gonzalez case, it seems like the real issue has slipped through the cracks.
Putting aside propaganda and politics, Gonzalez is just a 6-year-old boy who lost his mother and is in a different country without his father.
The boy should be sent home to his father in Cuba.
Since his rescue in November, Gonzalez has become the poster child of strained relations between the United States and Cuba. The battle between his Florida relatives and his father in Cuba has grown more fierce with each day Gonzalez has been in the United States. At this point, it appears as though the debate between those who support and those who despise Cuban leader Fidel Castro has overtaken the simple question of the child's welfare.
If a child's parent dies, custody usually
The 6-year-old Gonzalez has become a poster child for U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relations
is handed to the other parent, barring any doubts about the parent's ability to raise the child. There should be no doubt in our minds that Gonzalez belongs with his father and grandparents in Cuba, rather than with his extended family members, some of whom he did not know before arriving in Florida.
Some would argue it is obvious that Gonzalez' mother wanted the boy to have political asylum in the United States, and therefore he should stay. However, now that she's not here, the child's fate should be left in the hands of the father.
If roles had been reversed, and Gonzalez' father had been the one to die
during the trip, the boy probably would immediately have been returned to his mother in Cuba because she would be considered a better guardian than extended family members. Why should the fact that it is his father fighting for custody make the situation any different?
There is no doubt that this case is complex. However, all of the twists and turns during the last month that have complicated the matter, such as whether the father should come to the United States to get his son and whether Gonzalez should testify before Congress, should not cloud the very simple question at hand.
Regardless of your views on Cuba, Castro, or the U.S. immigration policy, it should be obvious that any young child is better off with his loving parent at home instead of in a foreign land without his mother.
Kursten Phelps for the editorial board
How to submit letters and guest columns
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 submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer- Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to
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.
Column columns: Should be double-
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, email the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924.
Perspective
Read the Kansan; don't just wrap fish with it
W When I was a freshman. I couldn't get enough of the Kansan. I guess I still can't.
After a semester as a reader, I decided it was something I wanted to be a part of. I ended up working as a graphics artist mainly because a
friend from high school was the graphics editor. It turns out that I was truly terrible, but my experience hooked me on the newsroom and led to three more years of writing and editing.
Looking back, there's not a more ironic position for me than graphics artist because I'm generally considered the nemesis of the visual people on staff — often trying to squeeze in an extra inch or two of a story instead of making room for a graphic or photo.
Laura
Roddy
editor
editor@kansan.com
I have learned, though, to appreciate what the Kansan's visual staff members do. The process mystifies me, yet day after day they produce an aesthetically pleasing product.
You will notice that this semester's Kansan has a new look, Kristi Elliott, managing editor of art, decided to redesign the news and sports flags principally to save space. Shortening them frees up room for more news and art. Additionally, Kyle Ramsey, features designer, updated the flag for the hilltopics page, making it more modern and allowing for better translation to Kansan.com.
But the changes in the Kansan this semester don't just involve visual elements.
Above all, our goal is to see fewer and fewer papers left in campus newsstands at night. The Kansan is a collaborative product, and our news staff of more than 100 reporters, editors, photographers, designers and artists is working to make the paper more compelling, more informative and even more entertaining.
In December, the Kansan conducted a focus group to find out where students get their news
and what kind of news they want. Much of what we found out was what we already, unfortunately, had surmised.
Students lead busy lives. They often spend only 15 minutes a day reading the paper in between classes or even during class, to the chagrin of professors.
So, although they're picking up the Kansan, they aren't necessarily taking it home or reading it cover to cover. Students are looking at pictures and headlines and maybe reading a few lines of a story to determine if the news is of interest to them.
We plan to address those concerns and more, and we have a staff of 15 regular reporters to do it. Reporters track the decisions made by administrators, Student Senate, the City Commission and the State Legislature. But beyond that, Kansan reporters also will write about what students are doing on campus and off, which is just as important as what officials are saying.
The students who participated in the focus group also indicated the importance of making graphics readable. They said that they liked to see coverage of national and international issues and that they generally didn't read longer stories in their entirety.
The sports section is the place to go for your Kansas basketball coverage, as well as for news about other varsity sports, club teams and intramurals.
Take some time to check out Kansan.com.
Online editor Juan Heath will be coordinating more online extras, information you won't find in our printed version.
We also value reader feedback and want to hear from you about how we're doing. The opinion page is your forum, so use it. Opinion editors Seth Hoffman and Nadia Mustafa welcome viewpoints from all facets of our diverse University community. Send e-mail to opinion@kansan.com or bring letters to the newsroom at 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
Thank you for reading the Kansan. We look forward to the semester ahead.
Roddy is an Andover senior in journalism and Spanish.
Feedback
Concentrated intellect breeds new super race
I must say that I have been a little offended by all the articles attacking National Merit Scholars, being one myself, and especially the latest article on the front page of the Dec. 6 Kansan. I don't think at all that the system as it stands is all that unjust, especially when looking at the larger picture, because it is greatly beneficial to the University as a
whole. The whole point of allowing National Merit Scholars guaranteed entry into the scholarship halls, and I think Chancellor Hemeway will confirm this, is to assemble the best and brightest in one small area. Being in such close proximity to one another will increase the chances of breeding, thus ensuring a better stock for the next generation of KU students. The whole point of this is to create a race of super students, not to allow cheap living to financially needy students. I think that
this policy helps the University now, and ensures an even better future.
Jayson Crowther Wichita freshman
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