Opinion
Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Ann Premer, Editor
Gerry Doyle, Managing editor
Angie Kuhn, Managing editor
Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser
Jamie Holman, Business manager
Sara Cropper, Retail sales manager
Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser
Justin Knupp, Technology coordinator
Friday, April 16, 1999
The Chicago Tribune
Editorial
Desmond Tutu's speech warrants attention of University populace
When a Nobel Peace Prize winner speaks, students should listen. Sunday, Archbishop Desmond Tutu will speak at Allen Fieldhouse, and every seat should be occupied.
Tutu was the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner for his contribution to racial justice in South Africa. However, he has not won only a Nobel Prize but also the Order for Meritorious Service Award presented by President Nelson Mandela, the Archbishop of Canterbury's Award for outstanding service to the Anglican Communion, the Prix d'Athene (Onassis Foundation), the Family of Man Gold Medal Award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize.
Tutu has honorary degrees from
The Nobel winner presents a message of brotherhood and justice to those who listen.
universities such as Harvard, Oxford and Columbia. Tutu's main contribution to peace was his work in providing assistance to victims of apartheid in South Africa.
Even as General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, Tutu was not afraid to speak against the injustice of the apartheid system. He believed in justice, and he worked until justice was restored to South Africa.
Anyone who fights for peace in the face of injustice and succeeds, war
rants the purchase of a $5 ticket, the student admission price to the event. Jeff LaCroix, SUA vice president for university relations, said that SUA brought Tutu to the University in an effort to raise the bar of the student lecture series. LaCroix said he thought that Tutu fearlessly walked on uncharted waters and that students would appreciate hearing Tutu's story.
LaCroix also said Tutu would probably talk about tolerance, peace and his experience of bringing an end to apartheid in South Africa.
Students should attend Tutu's speech Sunday. Everyone could use a lesson in peace and tolerance, and there is no better source than a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Emily Hughey for the editorial board
Feedback
Chinese prime minister fails in grasp of history
At least week's comedy routine — posing as a press conference — presented by President Clinton and Chinese Prime Minister Zhu, a striking nonsenseur was made by our foreign guest.
Attempting to preempt any criticism that might be assailed at his country over future military moves against Taiwan, Mr. Zhu compared any form of Chinese invasion of Taiwan to the use of force employed by President Lincoln to quell the rebellion of the South in 1861.
Of course, President Jiang Zemin is no President Lincoln, but this is not the salient issue.
Upon closer scrutiny, Mr. Zhu's analogy breaks down entirely. Chiang Kai-Shek and the Nationalists fled the
mainland in 1949-50 when a new Communist government under Mao Zedong won on the battlefield. It is important to note that Mao's government in Beijing was a revolutionary government, intending to dismantle the system of governance that had been in place under Nationalistic rule.
When President Lincoln was elected in 1860, he did not bring to Washington a fundamental change in the democratic constitutionalist form of American government.
Under the specious reasoning of Mr. Zhu, the correct analogy would be the following. After the American colonies successfully fought and defeated Great Britain, many loyalists living in the nascent United States, rather than live under the new American Constitution, fled the States to Canada. Therefore, Mr. Zhu should agree, it would be entirely justified for
the United States, some 50 years later — about 1836 — to attack the burgeoning cities in southern Canada where so many loyalists had fled and had rebuilt their lives after the Revolution. The United States should have nay, still should — attack Canadian cities, decrying the arrogance of a people who dared to determine their own destinies after being soundly defeated in battle.
Mr. Zhu's analogy is quite weak, to say the least. But it fits nicely into a 15-second sound bite and passes without refute when such flimsy logic goes unquestioned. Being surprised by Zhu's remarks, the best Clinton could muster was that the facts surrounding the two scenarios are quite different. I should say so.
Paul Woelk
Hutchinson senior
Kansan staff
Ryan Koerner ... Editorial
Jeremy Doherty ... Associate editorial
Aaron Marvin ... News
Laura Roddy ... News
Melissa Ngo ... News
Aaron Knopf ... Online
Erin Thompson ... Sports
Marc Sheforgen ... Associate sports
Chris Fickett ... Campus
Sarah Hale ... Campus
T.R. Miller ... Features
Steph Brewer ... Associate features
Augustus Anthony Piazza ... Photo
Chris Dye ... Design, graphics
Carl Kaminski ... Wire
Carolyn Mollett ... Special sections
Laura Veazey ... News clerk
News editors
Matt Lopez . . . Special sections
Jennifer Patch . . . Campus
Micah Kafitz . . . Regional
Jon Schlitt . . . National
Tyler Cook . . . Marketing
Shannon Curran . PR/Intern manager
Christa Estep . Production
Steven Prince . Production
Chris Corley . Creative
Jason Hannah . Classified
Corine Buffmire . Zone
Shauntae Blue . Zone
Brandi Byram . Zone
Brian Allers . Zone
Justin Allen . Zone
Advertising managers
Broaden your mind: Today's quote
“When we say ‘War is over if you want it,’ we mean that if everyone demanded peace instead of another TV set, we’d have peace.” —John Lennon
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 home-town 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 submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Staufer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Ryan Koerner or Jeremy Doherty at 864-4924.
If you have general questions or comments,
e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com)
or call 864-4924.
Perspective
Acts of goodwill allow peace to defeat hatred
can judge a country by the way it treats its minorities, then the judgment about India, the United States and South Africa is both baffling and inspiring.
I have singled out three countries for reflection on prejudice and discrimination: India, the United States and South Africa. If it is true, as somebody once said, that you
Donato
Fhensu
opinion@kansas.com
Indian culture, with its linguistic and religious richness, always has impressed me. At the same time, one particular thing about Indian culture baffles me — the division of its society into castes, the lowest being the untouch
it often is said that in order to have a better perspective on your own culture, you first have to get out of it. Gandhi did that when, as a lawyer, he defended Indians against racial discrimination in South Africa between 1893 and 1914. Back in India, he took up the cause of the untouchables. Today, India is working hard to uplift the untouchables, but resistance against this effort is fierce. Like the United States, India has its own battle against quotas and affirmative action. For his pioneering work for social justice and positive peace, Gandhi didn't win a Nobel Prize. But his life and work inspired many people who did win the Nobel Prize for Peace.
ables. This is an old tradition, of course, and much progress has been made toward social justice. But traditions die hard, and the karma of the untouchables, it is believed, is to do the dirty work of Indian society. This always has seemed natural to many people. It seemed natural even to Mahatma Gandhi until, as a lawyer, he was awakened to the horror of prejudice and discrimination.
rne other place where Gandhi's influence was felt was South Africa, where, paradoxically, Nelson Mandela lead the armed struggle against the apartheid regime and, under his leadership, the African National Congress
One such person was Martin Luther King, Jr., who tackled the problems of African-Americans in the United States. King credited Gandhi as inspiration for his work and methods, and, for his efforts, won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. If the members of the lowest class in India were, and are, untouchable, the lowest-class members in the United States were untouchable and invisible. We did not use the Afrikaans term apartheid here, but the English terms "whites only," "colored," "separate but equal" were signposts on our discrimination journey. These words were written in our minds, hearts, laws, public bathrooms and public institutions. Even though they are no longer in the letter of the law, they still are in the spirit of the many laws that are sprouting throughout the country.
In 1955, Mandela named Desmond Tutu as chairman. But Tutu was not a newcomer to the scene of reconciliation, social justice and constructive human relations, especially where race relations were concerned. Following in the steps of Gandhi and King, Tutu had fought the apartheid regime with the only weapon proven to destroy the monster of discrimination: the power of love. For this effort, he was awarded the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize.
Even though a lot of progress has been made in India, South Africa, and the United States in particular, and in the rest of the world in general, much work still needs to be done. We are far from achieving social justice and constructive race relations and true world peace, as the events in the former Yugoslavia testify. These days we yearn for peace by military force. I am not sure this is the right approach to true peace. Can we bomb people into loving their fellow human beings?
committed its own share of atrocities. Called a terrorist, Mandela was arrested and imprisoned. What matters, though, is not how dark one's heart is at a given point in time, but whether one has the guts to change that darkness into light. Nelson Mandela did have the guts. After 28 years of imprisonment by a regime that oppressed the people of his group, the very first thing he did after his release from prison was to call, not for revenge, as we human beings usually do when someone has hurt us, but for systematic forgiveness and reconciliation. The second thing he did to accomplish this goal that many called utopian was, once he became president, to establish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
There is an approach that has been tried and whose results we can verify: the approach of goodwill toward all, non-violent conflict resolution and reconciliation. This approach was tried by Gandhi and King, and the results are known to all of us. Because this method of love is extremely powerful and thus threatening to those who advocate bigotry and hate, Gandhi and King were assassinated.
Desmond Tutu, fortunately, still is with us and is coming to the University of Kansas. He will speak at 7 p.m. Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse. His lecture is titled "Bridging the Chasm Between Black and White." This is the opportunity of a lifetime for KU faculty, staff, students and the residents of Lawrence and the surrounding areas.
Only 259 days left, and the 20th century will be over. As we prepare to enter the 21st century, let's soak in Desmond Tutu's message and leave behind us the follies of the old millennium. Looking to the future, let's bridge the chasm that still exists between us and fellow human beings of different political affiliation, religion, class, sexual orientation, gender, color, ethnicity and, thus reconciled, move together in harmony into the new millennium.
Fhunsu is a Lawrence graduate student in journalism.
Common sense becomes scarce during enrollment
Enrollment for the fall semester is upon us. Students are sorting through timetables, looking up lists of class require- ment and figuring out how they'll afford
another five months at the University of Kansas. As a service to these students, I thought I'd answer some of the numerous questions about enrollment and related topics that swirl around this time of year.
What classes should I take next year?
Clay McCuistion opinion@kansan.com
Easy ones.
Easy ones? How can I ever get a job if I only take easy classes in college?
Taking classes is a very personal decision. While student A may enjoy quantum physics, student B may enjoy interpretive dance and student C may enjoy a support group for kids who don't have names, just identifying letters. If you think "hard work" in a "good-paying job" is what you "want," then take courses that challenge your "mind."
Of course, Bill Gates probably is much smarter than you.
Or you could move to Thailand and work in a factory putting "quote marks" around "words." Should I apply for financial aid?
Should I apply for financial aid?
Certainly. Although financial aid forms are put together by the same brilliant minds that design tax forms, it's important to apply. Thousands of dollars in aid go unclaimed by students each year, and if you believe that, I have some great investment plans I'd like to tell you about.
Will I actually get any financial aid?
It depends on what the financial aid overlords decide your "financial need" is. This calculation is carried out in a very logical and scientific way that involves sacrificing small waterfowl to evil spirits.
If the experts determine — after appeasing the spirits — that you have "financial need" you may qualify for a grant, scholarship or loan. Grants and scholarships are forms of free money, while a student loan will haunt you for the rest of your accursed days.
Tattooing student IDs on foreheads would make matters easier and more convenient, too. But does mere convenience justify the action?
Should I be advised?
Is the University of Kansas "other colleges?" Is blindly following every faddish trend the way for an institution of higher learning to conduct itself? If every other university in this country required ID numbers to be tattooed in red on students' heads, would it be right for our University to do the same? Obviously not.
Sure! Counsel from wise elders who know class requirements intimately is to be treasured. Keep their advice in mind — and totally ignore it when you take "Meanings of Modern Minimalist Sculpture" because the GTA is cute.
How much knowledge do you take?
Again, this is a question with an answer depending on the individual. I know of people who enjoy and thrive while taking 18 credit hours. Personally, I would pry out out my eyes with a rusty fork if forced to endure that much class.
Why can't we enroll online? I've heard about other colleges doing it.
But isn't online enrollment a lot easier and more convenient?
■ The University's just behind, isn
ar. yes, Next question please.
**What if I don't like my classes when I get in them?**
Don't go.
But isn't there an add, drop procedure you can go through if you want to stop taking a class?
Yes, add/drop exists. But its steps are only understood by a tiny, extremely old hermit who lives in a cave somewhere in the Alps. He sleeps most of the time these days, but he'll sometimes talk to students on pilgrimage if they ask really nicely and bring him a colorful ceramic elephant.
Any final words of advice for students preparing to enroll?
Remember that there is more to college than attending house parties, drinking beer and escaping legal prosecution. Sometimes, it may help you to attend some classes. If you actually have ambitions in life, it may pay to endure some challenging course work as well.
But hey, do whatever you feel like, man.
McCuiission is an El Dorado sophomore in pre-journalism.