4A - THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
THURSDAY,MAY9,2002
EDITORIAL Shelter needs help to stay open in summer
Summer in Kansas will probably remain miserably hot and humid, with temperatures often reaching the 90s during July and August.
But, summer is especially miserable for the homeless men and women in Lawrence, who currently have no shelter available to them between April and October. The Salvation Army is trying to change that, though, by raising enough money to keep its homeless shelter open during the summer.
Having a year-round Salvation Army shelter is a viable goal, and one that can be achieved easily through student support. Students should take a more active role in the Lawrence community by donating their time and money to this worthy cause.
The Salvation Army's homeless shelter, now only open from October to April, could stay open during the summer if officials are able to raise $60,000 for operating costs. On Tuesday, Salvation Army officials said that they were close to that amount, but donations were still needed.
As KU students, we spend about eight months here living in Lawrence or in the surrounding area. We are not only part of the University community, but make up an important segment of the Lawrence community as well.
After finals next week, many of us will leave KU and the Lawrence community for summer break. But we need to realize that the city of Lawrence still exists during June, July and August, and organizations such as the Salvation Army need our continuing support.
The University Daily Kansan's May 1 front-page feature about Robert Gilmore, the homeless man who lived behind the Dole Center until he was committed to a state mental hospital last month, helped raise student awareness of homeless people living in Lawrence. We can help provide a significant service to our community by supporting the Salvation Army's efforts to keep the shelter open during the summer.
Lauren Stewart for the editorial board.
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I just want to say I am a long-time reader, first-time caller, and the Free for All is the bomb diggity.
By the way, I love conforming with my sorority. Lighten up, people.
The Judge says, "Court is adjourned on the Free for All."
I'm just going to say that after five years and 130 credit hours at KU my greatest sense of pride and accomplishment is being in the Free for All. Now, I'll leave it to you decide if that's cool or terribly, terribly bad.
I was just calling to say that I saw this commercial on TV that said problems were easier if you share them with friends, even if they're problems like painful, burning, feminine itch, and then it shows this woman sitting around with her friends at a slumber party eating ice cream, and I was just thinking if had painful, burning, feminine itch I would not want to sit around with my friends and talk and eat ice cream unless I put the ice cream down there to get rid of the painful, burning, feminine itch.
To those of you at Oliver who think that you party harder than McCollum, you should just come up here and find out. Peace.
To the KU parking employee who had to call in the cops so he could feel more mcha behind Marvin today, I hope you lose your job. And to the poor guy getting the ticket, I'm sorry, man. That nuvy was a jerk.
All right, third time's the charm, so Carrot Top should change his name to Crackhead.
The Anniversary is the crappiest band I've ever seen, next to the Get Up Kids.
I teach here at KU, and I deserved more input on whether tuition rises, why and when.
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Even though they bashed my letter to the editor, and talked crap about me, it's still great.
This goes out to the girl who I went to the sorority party with and grabbed my package and asked me whether it was my gun. Stop, you suck.
My roommate's been running the sink for three weeks and I woke up this morning and the shower was going, too.
TALK TO US
Leona Walker
editor
864-4854 or jwalker@kensan.com
Jay Krall
Kyle Ramsey
managing editors
864-4859 or jjrashl@kaneen.com and
kraneyean.com
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readers' representative
884-4810 or cmccusitionkansasan.com
Amber Agee
business manager
864-4014 or address@kanan.com
Kursten Phelps
Brooke Hasler
opinion editors
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retail sales manager
864-482-0
retailales@kazaa.com
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general manager and news
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KNIGHT RIDDER TRIBUNE
'Kansan'report card
Pass:
Amber Jones. This KU marine is representing for tough women everywhere in her attempt to complete training this summer that no other female has completed. We wish her the best of luck.
Hannah's House. The home that helps pregnant teenagers may have to close if it can't make ends meet. Students and community members should pitch in to help save it.
The end of the semester. In about a week, we can all sell back those books we don't want and toss out those notes we never wanted to take. Enjoy your summers everyone, because you'll be back to the grindstone before you know it.
Fail:
- Supersized students. News flash: beer, fast food and pizza tends to pack on the pounds. Maybe it's time we all cut back a bit.
- College kids who put bombs in mailboxes. As if students didn't already have a slightly tarnished rep in the world, now we've got some guy trying to blow up peoples mailboxes to get attention. Lovely.
Flex Plan gridlock. Department of Student Housing officials seem to be dragging their feet on an initiative that would give housing residents more options for their meal plans. In the tradition of all great bureaucracies, it seems they'll never actually make a decision.
PERSPECTIVE
As semester comes to an end, questions, concerns still remain
It's the end of the semester and I'm still filled with questions. For my last column, I thought I would ask the readers for some guidance and then step down off my columnist soapbox. It's kind of like a personal "Free for All" stream of consciousness.
Why do some people feel the need to touch my hair and then not-so-discreetly smear their hands on their jeans to get the hair oil off? I don't go around petting other people's hair, so don't be mad if you get some essence of Alexzia on your hand for your curiosity.
Why didn't Lawrence or KU have an
■ Why do some people take me seriously now that I got haircut and some trendy glasses? Someone asked me how long I've been "natural," like I joined some underground revolution.
Why do most of my teachers usually know my name by the end of the first week of class? Is it my sparkling personality? What if I haven't said a word? Could it be something else?
Why do some people refer to Africa as though it's a country and not a continent with many countries and assume everyone from there knows each other?
Why is it that if I find something offensive but someone else doesn't, I can't have a valid point? Why is something offensive only if the mainstream thinks so, otherwise it's just hypersensitivity? Why do some people disregard perspectives they don't understand?
COMMENTARY
Why is it you can't openly bash anyone but Christians?
Alexzia Plummer opinion@kansan.com
organized recognition of Cinco de Mayo?
Why are diversity and multiculturalism considered dirty words in some circles?
When is the patriotic flag-waving fever going to end?
■ When can we resume openly questioning our president and government without the label of being un-American?
- Why do some parents lie to their children and tell them America is a meritocracy and that everyone has an equal shot at the American dream? Why do I keep running into people who believe this and look at me crazy because my parents told me the truth?
■ Why do some people routinely take Martin Luther King Jr.'s words out of context to prove a point? Why do they quote "the content of their character" part of the "I Have a Dream" speech as though that was the only thing he ever said? Why do we use historical figures to suit our own needs?
time I enter a room? If the tables were turned, wouldn't you do the same? Even if you wouldn't, don't tell me how to cope with my situation.
■ Why have I been told that I'm prejudiced because I count the number of minorities every
■ When will the quest for colorblindness end? The only way things will improve is if we embrace our differences and then find similarities. When you disregard difference, you assume everyone is just like you and follows your ideas of normalcy.
Why is the Midwest the nicest and scariest place at the same time? I love how polite and friendly people are but it's scary how people can smile in your face and still be prejudiced.
Why, when someone brings up ethnicity, is it called "playing the race card?" Why does the mainstream have this knack for trivializing minority concerns? "The race card" makes it sound like some "draw four" UNO card that every minority has in his hand to mess up the system. When we reduce American society to a game with words like "level playing field," we undermine the seriousness of the situation.
Why do some people think BET gives an accurate window into the African-American experience? Watching a few videos, a comedy show and paid infomercials is not the secret decoder ring that unlocks black culture.
I hope I've made some people think.
PERSPECTIVE
When you leave KU,leave it a better place
My time at KU has come to an end. As student body president, you learn a few things about yourself, the student
few things about yourself, the student body and the University of Kansas. Looking back over my years here, I thought I would bestow a few parting thoughts and some of my wisdom for present and future students.
Support each other. During Hawk Week, I gave a speech at Traditions Night. I challenged students to raise our graduation rates. One way that we can accomplish this is by doing our part to help others succeed.
GUEST COMMENTARY
From personal experience, I know it is easy to focus on ourselves and what we need to do. But think about what would happen if every student on this campus took a vested interest in helping each other. I believe we would see a major change in the character of this campus.
Justin Mills
opinion@kansan.com
The issue of minority recruitment and retention is a perfect example of this. Having a more
diverse campus is a benefit to all students. Yet most of us do not step outside our comfort zones to help each other.
We must look past the artificial boundaries of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and religious beliefs to create real change on campus. I have spent a considerable amount of time working on this issue. It will take a concerted change in how we view our relationships to others to see substantial change in campus climate.
And while I applaud those who are promoting the Multicultural Resource Center, I know that it will take much more than a building to keep minority students on this campus. It will take all students working together.
Stand up for your rights. At some point, our generation forgot that it is our right and duty to fight for what we think is right. In this day and age we are told that we cannot affect change at the grassroots level.
As we come to the end of another year, I hope that my words will motivate other students to make a difference at KU. Remember, the world of tomorrow is shaped by the actions today. To make our world a better place for our children, and for that matter, our children's children, we must act now and place action over apathy.
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Mills is a Lansing graduate student in history. He is the former student body president.
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