OPINION
FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2005
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
EDITORIAL
www.kansan.com
Marriage amendment denies social justice
The proposed state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage goes far beyond being unnecessary and inherently discriminatory.
It is an invasion of the separation of church and state and stands against the basic principles we as Americans value most: our life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The proposed equality for all Kansans at stake.
amendment puts
The amendment reads as follows:
(a) The marriage contract is to be considered in law as a civil contract. Marriage shall be constituted by one man and one woman only. All
Legally discriminating against a group of people, whether it is
based on race, gender or sexual preference, sends a clear message of inferiority and limits personal freedom
other marriages are declared to be contrary to the public policy of this state and are void.
(b) No relationship, other than a marriage, shall be recognized by the state as entitling the parties to the rights or incidents of marriage.
The proposed legal definition for a civil marriage expresses the biblical criteria of marriage as being solely between a man and a woman. It shows complete disregard for first amendment protection from the establishment of religion.
As expressed on glad.org, a Web site for a gay rights advocacy group, every religion has absolute autonomy in determining its requirements for marriage.
But the religious rite of marriage is a spiritual union and grants no legal protections and responsibilities.
vides a list of the variety of economic and social advantages couples receive through civil marriage. These are rights gay or lesbian couples would be denied. The benefits include the spousal right to hospital visitation, health insurance coverage for the spouse of an employee, family leave for the care of an ill spouse and many forms of economic insurance, such as social security, in the
In contrast, civil marriage offers a vast scope of both social and legal rights that have an impact on the quality of life for married couples.
Massequality.org, a coalition of groups against anti-gay legislation, pro-
event of spouse's death.
Kans ans
should learn
from the United
States' bleak
social history.
The United
States Supreme
Court didn't outlaw anti-interracial marriage
laws until 1967
Legally discriminating against a group of people, whether it is based on race, gender or sexual preference, sends a clear message of inferiority and limits personal freedom.
It's ironic that the Constitution that grants Americans their civil liberties is used as a means to take away legal rights from members of the gay community. Will same-sex marriage really erode the significance of traditional marriage?
This battle is only prevalent because some members of society, under the pretext of morality, do not approve of the homosexual lifestyle.
This is not about religious interpretations of the definition of marriage. It is not even an endorsement for homosexuality, which is not the current issue at stake.
It is about justice. On April 5, Kansans should cast their ballots in accordance with individual freedom and fairness for all.
Sarah Stacy writing for the editorial board.
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You know you've had too many cocktails when you wake up and realize you drunk dialed your dentist at 2:30 in the morning.
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Let's stir up some controversy. Girls are better than boys. Discuss.
Is it me or does it just seem wrong that two people were smoking outside the rec center?
I just wanted to tell everybody that Christian Moon just opened the door for me.
hired, they were well-trained. Second, they have a complex, but organized system to quickly find information.
The KU Ticket Office is totally more lame than the KU Parking Department. Overselling basketball tickets is not cool.
You know what's better than $2 pizzas at Domino's? Sex. And you know what's better than that? Having sex while eating a $2 pizza.
So my roommate just asked me if the Grand Canyon is in Colorado.
Rest in peace to my four goldfish who died after two days with me.
hired, they were well-trained. Second, they have a complex, but organized system to quickly find information.
Is it just me or does that Asian cuisine place Jump have the same slogan as Fruit Loops: "taste you can see?"
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111 Staffer-Flint
Libraries dilute KU Info's purpose
COMMENTARY
If you have had a question, KU Info has had an answer only a phone call away for more than 30 years. An independent group of close-knit, highly-trained staffers have been available to KU students, alumni and anyone who could dial 864-3506.
But this venerable KU institution is being forced into regular library staff. Without its independence and own employees, the real KU Info no longer exists.
The KU Libraries have made major changes to KU Info in the last few months. If the University of Kansas does nothing to stop the changes taking place, KU Info's 55-year run will cease.
The libraries' integration of their resources have taken Susan Elkins' staff away. And now KU Info and library staff are becoming one entity.
JOHN JORDAN
jjordan@kansan.com
The changes were so drastic that Elkins, the program's director for 14 years, retired and 10 of her staffers quit.
Former employee Molly Tucker, Prairie Village junior, said the changes stripped away KU Info's ability to answer questions.
"I felt that the Library has a different vision of what information service is to be like, one that doesn't fit what I think," Elkins said. "I felt like my integrity was being compromised."
"They weren't respecting our tradition." Tucker said.
These changes directly affect the staff's ability to do its job. They respond well to a multitude of questions for two reasons. First, they're well prepared. They must pass a thorough hiring process and, once
Staff selection was critical, Elkins said. The application contains a larger quantity and variety of questions than you would find on a normal University application. Those questions revealed more about a person than normal qualifications. Elkins said.
After the application process, Elkins conducted interviews in groups. She said this allowed her to see the students interact with each other and work as a group
Next, students had one-on-one interviews. Elkins said she looked for warm, funny and engaging people.
"I could not be more proud of hard working, dedicated students," Elkins said.
Training was equally important.
New employees first took an hourlong tour of KU Info's walls, which are littered with sheets of information. The rookies then study the walls from four to six hours and did a scavenger hunt with a questionnaire to test their knowledge. These walls were the main source of quick information for KU
Info, but have since been taken down by the library administration.
After initial training, students would then work with a partner on the phones until they could go solo. Elkins said it took about two months for the workers to proficiently answer the phones.
The libraries' plans for KU Info don't match the quality and commitment put forth by Elkins. Bill Myers, director of library development, said KU Libraries were progressively integrating KU Info into information and information desks. He said the vision was to provide students access to information they needed to succeed academically at the University.
Myers said comprehensive training would include orientation in print and on-line resources, catalog and databases, computer and reference assistance and customer service principles.
This vision and training do not match the goals and work Elkins and her staff put in, and without that commitment, KU Info will lose its sense of community and hard work that has made it an exceptional and unique service to the student body for so long.
"I hope that whatever happens to KU Info, whoever is in charge will put the best interests of the students first," Elkins said. "And I know they will."
Looking at what's happening to KU Info, students' interests are not being put first. I only wish I had as much optimism about KU Info's future as Elkins does.
Jordan is a Salina junior in journalism
NBA's charity efforts questionable
AS I SEE IT
Ah, the decline of the National Basketball Association. Gone are the days of classy superstars like Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, only to be replaced by such reputable thugs, rape suspects and malcontents as Ron Artest, Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal. The NBA has sunk so low so fast the Titanic would be jealous.
BOB JOHNSON biohnson@kansan.com
But wait! The same guys who beat up fans and cheat on their wives with teenage hotel employees are out to do what they can to save the world. On Jan. 6 and 7, seven NBA players pledged to donate $1,000 for each point they scored to UNICEF for relief efforts in the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami. Among those philanthropic souls: Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O' Neal, and the much-aligned former University of Michigan "bad boy," Jalen Rose.
In 2002, Rose was implicated in a scandal from his Wolverine years in which he was accused of accepting money from a booster. On Friday night, Rose not only shelled out a grand for each of the 21 points he scored against the Milwaukee Bucks, he decided to base his contribution on his career-high 44-point game performance and donate a whopping $44,000. Indirectly, one could suppose, we should thank the booster, Ed Martin, for his generous contribution to UNICEF and for making the world a better place by paying college students for doing nothing. Maybe someday, Martin probably thought, my illegal deeds will help the victimized and downtrodden. In light of his charitable acts, Martin should be let off the hook and awarded for such honorable intentions, with Rose right alongside him.
Why not Kobe and Jermaine too? So what if you cheated on your wife with an unstable teenager who claims you forced her to have sex with you? I'm sure that was the only time it happened and hey, the case was dismissed anyway. And Jermaine, thanks for stepping up to the plate and making some dunks for the less fortunate. That totally makes up for the dunking you did on that Detroit fan's head in November!
Now I don't want to downplay or desecrate the generosity of these players and the good their donations will ultimately do. Maybe the players are trying to atone
for their past transgressions. On the other hand, maybe this is all a marketing scheme dreamed up by super-agent Arn Tellem, whose SFX agency represents all seven of the ballers involved in the "Shoot-a-Thon" and who has announced that he will match the highest donation made by any of the players.
At this time of despair and tragedy in Southeast Asia, every dollar is helpful and if a few troubled athletes and an überich agent gain a few sympathy points in the process, then so be it. There is even the chance that the "Shoot-a-Thon," which ultimately raised $263,000 for the relief effort, will inspire some of the folks at home to spare some change from their own pockets. That is, if there is anyone out there who still pays attention to the NBA for any reason other than to witness barrical brawls and criminal trials.
So, are these scandalous stars heroes or something slightly less valorous? Should their good deeds wash away their mistakes? Are they changed men? Or maybe it is more pertinent to ask if anyone even cares. I applaud the players' generosity, but the "Shoot-a-Thon" was an obvious marketing ploy. Will the players be redeemed in the public eye? Only time and jersey sales will tell.
Johnson is an Edmond, Okla., senior in journalism.
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