4A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2002
EDITORIAL Candidates shouldn't go to students' doors
Living in the residence halls can be difficult enough, what with early morning fire alarms, faulty thermostats and a general lack of space and privacy. Therefore, solicitation in residence halls — and, in fact, in all student housing facilities — is rightfully banned by the Department of Student Housing.
Questions about the solicitation policy surfaced after incidents two weeks ago in Gertrude Sellars Pearson, Corbin and Lewis residence halls, where members of the Vision Coalition went door to door with campaign posters and buttons. KUnited members who live in residence halls also approached the rooms of people they knew to campaign.
These groups were not selling a product or service, but were selling their coalitions and their agenda.
Good solid reasons exist for this absolute stance. Students living off campus frequently encounter solicitors at their front doors. For those of you who may not have noticed, a dorm room is definitely not an apartment, even if it is a suite in the newly renovated Lewis or Templin halls.
On-campus housing generally has a relaxed atmosphere, and is a prime example of communal living. In most residence halls, the bathroom is in the middle of the hall, the lobby serves as a makeshift living room, and residents don't always lock their door.
In addition, if Senate coalitions are allowed to canvass door to door in student housing, then all 398 registered student organizations should be given that same privilege as well, which could create situations such as student religious groups evangelizing and spreading the word about their beliefs door to door in student housing.
for the majority of students living in residence or scholarship halls, their room is just one room, basically serving as their bedroom. And unless their hall has been renovated, their door has no peephole, and therefore they are unable to see just who is knocking on their door unless they open it.
Student groups and organizations should realize that there are better ways to reach students and publicize their activities than knocking on dorm room doors.
Lauren Stewart for the editorial board.
864-0500 free for
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.
So anyway, J.T. calls back in and lets us know what Cindy-with-a Y, said I. hope she says yes, dude.
Hi, this is Cindy. I'm responding to J.T. asking me to marry him and my answer is no. You don't propose in the Free for All. That's not romantic.
Just a heart-felt thank you to Delta Force for making one of their campaign issues the fair wages for KU employees. That takes guts, and the student workers love you for it.
KUnited? More like greeks united
I just got a $20 bill for an overdue library book. So here's my question: how can KU be short of funding when it charges $20 for an overdue library book or $20 for parking at the meter for an extra minute? Think about it.
I would just like to remind the sports staff at the Kansan that Drew Gooden is not the only basketball player at the University of Kansas.
before you send nasty letters to the Kansan with claims that you can DO' many things with a degree in either English or history, I am well aware of that fact. The "useless" majors article says that degrees such as history form students into highly marketable critical thinkers and analytical writers. I agree. I'm capable of proofing your grant proposal for over-usage of passive-voice and leaping over grammatical errors in a single bound. But while that's helpful and practical, it's still not why I chose my degrees.
before you send nasty letters to the Kansan with claims that you can DO' many things with a degree in either English or history, I am well aware of that fact. The "useless" majors article says that degrees such as history form students into highly marketable critical thinkers and analytical writers. I agree. I'm capable of proofing your grant proposal for over-usage of passive-voice and leaping over grammatical errors in a single bound. But while that's helpful and practical, it's still not why I chose my degrees.
I was just looking at the paper, and I'm wondering, am I the only one who just doesn't give a crap about the Rock Chalk Revue?
I think that you should also print slanderous statements,
because you are being the man. You are being the censor.
Don't be the censor. Jesus man, it's not cool of you at all.
Please don't censor anything. Censorship sucks. Down with
censorship. That is all.
before you send nasty letters to the Kansan with claims that you can DO' many things with a degree in either English or history, I am well aware of that fact. The "useless" majors article says that degrees such as history form students into highly marketable critical thinkers and analytical writers. I agree. I'm capable of proofing your grant proposal for over-usage of passive-voice and leaping over grammatical errors in a single bound. But while that's helpful and practical, it's still not why I chose my degrees.
Chris Wristen, you rock. I'm glad that someone else realizes this school isn't just about men's basketball. Oh by the way, start supporting women's soccer, everybody
I think the reason that most people have stopped complaining about the sex column is most people have given up on the Kansan having any journalistic integrity already.
Man, did anybody see those guys sitting in front of SAE on the couch drinking 40s? Damn, I wish I was one of those guys. Wait, no, no I don't.
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Leita Walker
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KNIGHT RIDDER TRIBUNE
PERSPECTIVE
Liking your major is more important than preparing to earn a big paycheck
I have it tacked to my bulletin board. No, its not a picture of a devoted boyfriend, or an inspirational saying that I live my life by (though "live well, laugh often, love much" does make several appearances in my room). It's an article from our much beloved Kansan from last semester.
And no, its nota Meghan Bainum sex column (yikes). It is an article entitled "Useless majors not so useless, say professors" (Sept. 26, 2001). This article looks at how "one man's trash is another man's treasure" in regard to choosing your major.
COMMENTARY
Ambriel Renn-Scanlan
opinionl.eansan.com
The article attempts to answer why people would choose majors that on the surface seem useless. I understood the questions the article raised because I deal with them on a regular basis.
I'm used to the stares and looks of pity and confusion. After answering the question — "So, what's your major?" — I often endure subtle platitudes of sympathy and amusement. "But what will you DO with your English degree?" When, with a smile, I inform the questioning individual that I am also a history major, this only adds to the confusion. "But what will you DO with a history degree?"
I'll let you in on a little secret. Put down the crossword, stop listening to your professor and poke the person sleeping next to you in the Budig Hall auditorium because this is impor-
chat with the folks at the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center. Finally, after much stress and confusion, I came to the realization that choosing my major did not have to mark me in a category or permanently set my life in one, unalterable direction. Essentially, my choice would not have to define me.
So here's the real answer: I'm a history and English major because it's fun, interesting, exciting, and I love it. I didn't want to spend four years taking classes about engineering because that would mean a for-sure job, and I didn't want to spend months finding out what business administration actually means. I wanted to read thoughtful, challenging books and learn about pre-modern Japan and the history of the U.S. Constitution.
tant. Here's the truth: I don't want to DO anything with my degree. I am not taking classes about James Joyce or studying "From Goddesses to Witches" because I want to DO something particular with that information.
As a second-semester sophomore, I couldn't quite decide what I wanted to DO with my life. Like many other 19-year-olds, I was unable to chart the course of my existence after only a brief
And even though graduation and the "real world" loom, I'm glad that I've had four years of engaging and fun classes. A fellow humanities major in the "useless" article says, "I don't want to have to take classes I hate just to get a high-paying job," and further confirms that she's an art history major for "education and enjoyment." I'm happy with my decision and I am hoping that my next four years don't include asking customers whether they want fries with their order.
Renn-Scanlan is a Topeka senior in English and history.
Students should fight for a living wage to help Americans climb out of poverty
We have all been hearing a lot in the news lately about how the American economy has taken a turn for the worse. A decade of prosperity has come to an end, analysts keep saying. The 1990s have gained legendary status in terms of the economy. But were the last 10 years really as rosy as they are being remembered? Perhaps not.
PERSPECTIVE
If you look closely at the data, it is easy to see that the years of economic growth America enjoyed in the 1990s did not benefit all people. In fact, they overwhelmingly benefited the rich and left the poor behind.
The bottom two-fifths of our society has lost income in real terms during the past few decades, while the top 5 percent of income earners have enjoyed a veritable windfall. The buying power of the U.S. minimum wage is now 30 percent below its peak in 1968, and the share of wealth of the poorest 20 percent has declined since the early 1970s.
Kyle Browning opinion@kansan.com
GUEST COMMENTARY
Additionally, the 1999 Kansas Standard of Need and Self-Sufficiency Study revealed that in Douglas County, families with one or more children face such steep costs for housing, food, transportation, health care and childcare that all too often, current wages are inadequate for family self-sufficiency.
A recent report on economic trends by KU's Policy Research Institute shows that the average wage per job in Douglas County is less than the average for Kansas. Additionally, it shows that these low wages cannot be solely blamed on the presence of abundant student labor because other Midwest college towns have higher average wages than Lawrence.
The living wage is an important issue for many reasons. First, it is unfair to local small businesses and workers that the city subsidizes some big businesses with tax abatements without requiring them to pay their workers enough to keep them out of poverty. Our tax dollars should not be subsidizing poverty.
An effort to address one aspect of this disturbing trend has been taken up in Lawrence. The Kaw Valley Living Wage Alliance formed more than a year ago to advocate an ordinance in the city of Lawrence requiring businesses that receive tax breaks to pay their workers a living wage.
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What is a living wage? Simply put, it is a wage that keeps a worker out of poverty. The alliance has defined a living wage as 130 percent of the federal poverty line for a family of three, which works out to $9.14 per hour plus health benefits. Though that may seem like a high wage for a student, for a worker trying to support her or his family, it is very modest.
Evidence also shows that a living wage does not reduce employment or business investment. In fact, employers have stated that the living wage was often absorbed in increased efficiency, decreased worker turnover and reduced training and recruitment costs.
who then spend that money in the local economy. Also, a living wage may increase public resources in the future by reducing workers' dependence on social services and other benefits for the economically disadvantaged.
Having a living wage will benefit other Lawrence businesses by putting money in the pockets of traditionally low-wage workers,
The City of Lawrence has developed a taxabatement policy that offers a standard tax break of 50 percent over ten years to some large companies. A provision requiring that workers employed at those companies be paid a living wage was struck down in a November 2001 referendum.
More than 70 cities and counties across the country have established living wage ordinances. Students at universities from coast to coast have joined citywide living wage campaigns. At Harvard University, a college with a $6 billion endowment, students pitched 76 tents on campus to protest the university's refusal to pay a living wage to more than 1,000 workers.
It is time for University of Kansas students to start addressing this important issue in our community. To get involved in this local movement for economic justice, call the living wage alliance at 979-7472 or visit www.kawliving-wage.org.
Browning is an Overland Park senior in political science. He is student body vice president.
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