OPINION
MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2005
PAGE 5A
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BEELER'S PERSPECTIVE
Nate Beeler/THE EXAMINER
GUEST COMMENTARY
KU on Wheels program ignores plight of disabled
It is important that the entire University of Kansas community understand the context of student transportation on this campus.
DOT NARY
opinion@kansan.com
A portion of student fees is used to fund student transportation. Part of the student transportation fund provides ambulatory stu-
ents with a fairly adequate transportation system through KU on Wheels.
Unfortunately, students with mobility issues, such as wheelchair users, are provided only limited services to get to and from academic events. In other words, a line of funding that most students pay for is used to fund a higher level of service to one group of students and a lower level of service to another group.
While one group of students is asked to provide feedback on the bus routes they would like to access through KU on Wheels, the other group is told to expect little more than rides to and from classes.
Transportation to the recreation center for exercise, to the Lied Center for a concert or to Allen Fieldhouse for a basketball game, is unlikely, if not impossible, for students with disabilities to obtain through the student transportation system.
And, especially at this time of year, who would want to deny any student the excitement of Iayhawk basketball?
In fact, it is doubtful that students needing accessible transportation could get to the Kansas Union for a transportation board meeting to protest this inequity in service. For other oppressed groups, a situation like this is called separate and unequal. For students with disabilities at the University, it is called "not enough funds."
Why? There are transportation funds available but they are simply not allocated with consideration of the needs of all students.
I believe that many KU on Wheels users who believe in justice and fairness would be disturbed to know that the services they receive are not equally available to their peers with disabilities. Similarly, many students would be surprised to discover that, on numerous other U.S. campuses, transportation services are integrated
and equitable, and that students with disabilities are full campus participants. Anyone who believes that transportation to participate in the rich campus life available at the University should be equally available to all students should be asking questions.
Why don't University students with disabilities have equal transportation?
Why did KU on Wheels recently renew a contract with a provider that refuses to comply with a federal mandate to replace older inaccessible buses with accessible ones?
Why is this situation allowed to continue 15 years after the passage of legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act, which protects the rights of citizens with disabilities?
Finally, it is not entirely correct to frame this issue as "students doing the best they can to provide services with limited funding."
Students learning valuable administration and management skills as they organize transportation services on this campus are guided in their decision-making.
And the guidance they are currently receiving provides a dangerous lesson — that instead of dividing resources equitably, it is acceptable to discriminate and to more fully meet the needs of one group at the expense of another.
Those responsible for guiding students who manage transportation services should reconsider the lesson they are teaching. Those who can intervene to provide more equitable services now, and to begin building an integrated service, should do so immediately.
Unfortunately, this lesson is not likely to serve these students well in their post-collegiate careers when they will need to apply their skills in an increasingly diverse society.
This University can and should do better for all students. By providing equitable transportation as a model of how those in management positions should allocate funds and services, the University both can better serve the entire student body and equip its future alumni for success.
- Nary is a Lawrence graduate student in applied behavioral sciences.
▼ FILÓSOFO GALLEGO
Human ability to reason used for both good, bad
Last week, while working on the fruitful adventure known as my honors thesis, I heard what sounded like Stevie Nicks' voice booming from the bathroom. The mysterious voice was followed by loud exclamations that resembled a sea otter having an orgasm.
DEVIN SIKES
dsikes@kansan.com
I sat in the chair, expecting a furry wildebeest to emerge from behind the door, when out walked my roommate.
Steve Nicks he wasn't, but his karaoke debut with Aimee Mann's most recent album brought him that much closer to his ideal woman, and elucidated my mind to a trait ever-present in each human agent. The ability to think abstractly to realize one's dreams, achieve the unexpected and overcome the impossible.
Human beings are endowed with reason, a trait shared with other creatures in the animal kingdom.
Other animals, such as dogs, have basic cognition skills that allow them to analyze a situation, given a set of circumstances, and choose an appropriate response.
For example, although the careless Timmy fell down the well multiple times, Lassie sensed the danger that the young boy faced and rushed to the authorities to seek assistance.
Similarly, the same could be said when the analogy is extended further to illustrate the equivalent result.
Thus, humans as well as other animals share basic reasoning skills that allow them to think abstractly and conceptually.
So what makes humans different from other animals? Unlike flora and fauna, linguistic philosopher Noam Chomsky argues that humans have the ability to think abstractly.
In the case of a drunk male sitting across the bar from a blonde bombshell, although he does not assuredly know how she will respond, he proceeds to make a move after she has repeatedly winked at him.
As human beings, not only are we able to comprehend a cause and effect situation or a trained response, but we can also postulate a plethora of potentials in any given situation.
Of course, this capacity contributes to positive, as well as negative, results.
Human thought in the aforementioned manner has brought technological advancements, methods for improving basic daily functions and has allowed individuals, such as Paris Hilton, to ruin pop culture.
In my personal experience, these skills have shown my limits as well as my potentials.
Ten years beforehand, I stood in front of the mirror practicing my jump shot, pretending to be the next superstar of the NBA. Inspired by the last great white hope of my era, Chris Mullin, I went to the barber and had my hair cut identical to his.
Although I was the most uncoordinated, ungifted and awkward player on the court, with a bowl cut and braces to boot, I was, in my mind, quickly on my way to basketball stardom.
Yet, this multifaceted process has allowed me to realize my future lies within the classroom.
Abstract and conceptual thinking is essential in the foundation of knowledge at any level, including the basic of understanding literature, philosophical, scientific, political and linguistic themes.
Further, abstract and conceptual thinking allows an individual to go beyond these pre-established schemes, to cross unknown boundaries in these studies and to lead thought itself in a new direction.
Whether your dream is to be serenaded with Aimee Mann lullabies, practice international law, or right the wrongs in an unjust environment, thinking abstractly is essential to each agent.
- Sikes is a Wichita senior in Spanish and philosophy
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
U.S.military effort to promote freedom shouldn't be taken lightly by Americans
I am writing a response to Wednesday's "The Letter to the Editor" from Brian Pearson.
I am appalled that the author actually wrote, "The problem is no one wants to believe that we deserved to be attacked" referencing Sept 11th. Wow. One of my best friends was killed in the Pentagon attack. The worst of it, was he had a brother that was killed two years earlier in an accident and now, thanks to the Sept. 11 attacks, his parents are without kids. The Sept. 11 attack was against innocent civilians, not our Army bases nor our Naval ships, not even our Air Force planes; they just attacked the average American citizen at work or flying to visit their grandparents. Would you like to tell the victims' families that you think they deserved it?
Last time I checked, our military didn't attack Iraq's churches and schools or shoot down their passenger planes for the heck of it, yet it is okay for others to attack our civilians?
Despite the media, who loves to put the military down and distort the image of our men and women over in Iraq. The military does not want to kill innocent civilians. We are trying to help them. We aim at military targets and train to hit those targets with little to no damage to civilians.
You may be wondering how I know this for a fact and it is because I have been over there three times in the last four years. Before the war, the Iraqi military loved to try and shoot down my aircraft, even though we were not doing anything.
Did we shoot back and defend ourselves? No.
Why not? Because Iraq's military liked to put
their weapons in or near churches and schools
and we did not want to kill innocent civilians, despite the fact they — as in their military — were trying to kill us. If you are such a broad-minded person, who is neither liberal nor conservative and want to get to the truth, try talking to the people who are risking their lives for your freedom, the freedom you possess so that you can write letters like this. It is freedom you have, not just 'license'. I am fighting for freedom, not license.
Finally, just so we are clear, fascism, according to the dictionary, is "a government system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism." How is this amazing country where you have the right to vote for whoever you want? How are we "becoming more and more fascists as the years go by"?
Maybe you can ask all the immigrants who have come to America and are still trying to come to America, sacrificing their home, money, friends, perhaps family, maybe their life. Why they are coming to a place that is turning 'fascist?
I am a proud member of the United States Navy and love this country so much that I am willing, and already have, put my life on the line for you so that you can write your opinion, insult my best friends senseless death and put down our democratic government.
I will continue to do this for you, happily and proudly, and for everyone in this country no matter if they are liberal, conservative, Muslim or Christian, until the day I die. Most importantly, I am not alone in this fight for your freedom.
Free for All
Lt. Laura jefferson
Adjunct Instructor
Naval ROTC
Call 864-0500
Free for all callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded. For more comments, go to www.kansan.com.
Yeah, my phone bill is $1200, but if I turned my phone off,
I wouldn't be able to call the Free For All, would I?
How much do you want to bet it was a squirrel that started the fire at the fieldhouse?
Restauranteurs, listen up. Lawrence needs a German restaurant.
Jason Whittock looks a hell of a lot better in a velour jumpsuit than he does in his Ball State offensive lineman jersey.
Dear Wayne, thanks for coming to Kansas, thanks for playing, thanks for all the talent.
Video game basketball players are hot.
All I want is my dessert pizza.
I'm sorry, but the Kansas baseball team needs to change their hats.
I wish Free For All callers would only call in if they had something worthwhile to say.
Donovan Atkinson, Mimty Huber, Amanda Kim Steairte and Marissa Stephenson managing editors 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
TALK TO US
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