4 University Daily Kansan / Thursday, April 16, 1992 OPINION GTAs fill faculty void at KU For those wondering what the current graduate teaching assistant/graduate research assistant organizational effort is all about, a little history may help. Twenty-five years ago there were few GTAs and GRAs paid to provide services to the University. The first GTAs and GRAs were graduate students near the end of their graduate education, and the University hired them to meet temporary and isolated needs. To be sure, graduate students for decades have assisted professors as a part of their education. But 25 years ago few would have believed that GTAs, many very early in their graduate education, would teach with full responsibility and for pay close to half of the undergraduate course load at KU, including the vast majority of college requirements and a handful of upper-division classes. Few would have believed that GRAs would for pay independently design and complete a substantial number of KU's research projects. John Robertson Guest columnist University administrators, constrained by a pattern of legislative underfinancing, learned quickly that GTAs and GRAs could teach many undergraduate courses and perform needed research at a fraction of the cost of tenure and tenure-track professors. And so, the University steadily increased its reliance on GTAs and GRAs. Rather than increasing the number of faculty, administrators increased the number of graduate employees. Three facts have encouraged this practice. Over the last 20 years, the number of people seeking an undergraduate education has steadily risen, creating an enormous demand for teaching. At the same time, the number of people seeking graduate education has also increased while the per capita amount of grant and fellowship money available to them has diminished. Consequently, teaching and research jobs have become the primary bait with which the University lures the best graduate students. This explains the administration's recently stated and mistaken view that the salaries graduate employees earn is a form of financial aid. Today more than 1,000 GTAs and GRASprovide KU with services essential to its mission. All earn substantially less in salary and benefits than the going market rate for graduate employees. A strong graduate employee organization can only improve the terms and conditions of graduate employment at KU. And ultimately that will serve the interests of higher education at KU across the board. First, it will improve KU's ability to attract and retain the best graduate students and employees. Second, it will eliminate the need for graduate employees to hold second jobs, a practice that undermines their ability to perform as graduate employees. Third, it will lessen the economic incentive for the administration to continue replacing faculty positions with GTA and GRA positions, a practice that only reduces the number of tenure-track jobs available to graduate students when they enter that market. Fourth, and most important, it will increase undergraduate exposure to tenured and tenure-track professors. Higher education is, after all, what this is all about. John Robertson is a graduate teaching assistant in philosophy and member of the Graduate Employee Organization Steering Committee. THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Equal rights for equal duties KU administrators should recognize GTAs as working members of the University Del Shankel, interim executive vice chancellor, recently issued a memorandum setting forth the University's position on graduate teaching assistants to all administrators and department heads. He claimed that they were students who received financial aid. The position of the University is one of the most ridiculous ever to come from Strong Hall. The claim Shankel makes in his memo is a political statement. It was made in light of the fact that GTAs have been organizing a collective bargaining group, or a union. Yet, why the administration is opposed to the formation of such a group is a mystery. The GTAs are not unionizing to gain benefits from the University of Kansas; rather, they are doing so to become a more effective force at the Legislature and the Board of Regents. Furthermore, to say that GTAs are considered to be on financial aid is a large stretch. According to the Office of Student Financial Aid, there are four forms of financial aid: scholarships, grants, loans and work-study. What GTAs do does not qualify for any of the above. Scholarships and grants generally are either merit or need-based. Work is not required to receive those types of aid. But work is required of GTAs. Loans have to be paid back, but the money GTAs receive does not. Work-study is need-based. The selection process for a GTA does not include current financial status; instead, it is based on academic excellence. Shankel's memo ignores the fact that the GTAs' salaries are taxed by the federal and state governments, just like a typical job. However, the most disheartening aspect of Shankel's memo is that it misses reality. GTAs work. Many of them carry teaching loads equal to those of many professors. In addition, they are students. If GTAs did not work, quality education at KU would be a memory. The hard work they perform is a significant contribution to this University and thousands of students. The administration should be shamed by its untimely comments at this critical point for GTAs. Graduate Teaching Assistants are employees. End does not justify means Stephen Martino for the editorial board Mexican doctor accused of killing a DEA agent should not be brought to trial by abduction The Supreme Court in July will decide whether the United States has a legal leg to stand on in its abduction of Humberto Alvarez-Machain, a Mexican physician accused of the torture killings of a U.S. drug enforcement agent and his pilot. Alvarez-Machain's lawyer will argue that his client's kidnapping from Mexican soil is a clear violation of Mexico's sovereignty and that the doctor should be returned to Mexico. The United States will counter that the Mexican government was protecting Alvarez-Machain because of his links to the government and that he would not have been prosecuted adequately in Mexico. There is little doubt that Alvarez-Machain at least participated in the killings, and although he should be held responsible for his actions, this is not the right way to go about it. There are other, better ways than to pay Mexican citizens to kidnap the doctor and turn him over to U.S. authorities, and the United States should have explored those options. Surely, at a time when Mexican President Salinas is actively pursuing a free-trade agreement with the United States, pressures could be brought to bear on the Mexican government to turn Alvarez-Machain over, or at least prosecute him correctly in his own country. Gandhi once said that the wrong means produced the wrong ends. At a time when George Bush is proclaiming the United States as the leader of a new world order, does he really want his administration to be perceived internationally as one that has no respect for the rule of law? "By any means necessary" is not a good position to take for a national government, and in this case the Bush administration should find legal means to bring Alvarez-Machain to justice. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of The University Daily Kansan editorial board. Opinions expressed in letters, cartoons and guest and staff columns are solely those of the author or artist. Views expressed in columns and cartoons are not necessarily shared by the Kansan. Mark Coatney for the editorial board Members of the editorial board are: Alexander Bloemhof, Jim Brown, J R. Clairborne, Mark Coatney, Amy Francis, Tiffany Harness, Tiffany Lash Hurt, Kate Kelley, Julie Eileen Litt, Stephen Martino, David Mitchell, Chris Moeser, Beth Randolph, Martin Schershtuil, Jule Wasson, Frank Williams and Sarah Zerhoff Buttons do some good As a person who wears buttons, ribbons and clothing which display messages in support of specific causes, I feel compelled to respond to David Loewenstein's implication that wearing ribbons or making donations is only token help. Lettersto the editor These tokens alone will raise consciousness and sensitivity, promote action and recruit supporters. Many helpful organizations are largely financed by individual donations. This money keeps organizations running which, in turn, provide community support and financing for vital research. I'd alolike to emphasize that if a person feels strongly enough to wear something in support of a cause, he or she has more than likely put in, or will put in, valuable time and energy to support the cause further. If I can prompt someone to ask me why I am wearing a particular button or piece of clothing simply by wearing them, I feel that I have done my small part to educate, to make one person just think about such issues as AIDS, discrimination and violence against women. I would suggest that the next time Loewenstein finds himself offended by the display of a person's cause-supporting token, he ask the person why he or she is wearing it and how that person has helped the cause in other ways. - Dawna Phillips Dawna Phillips Lawrence senior Gavs deserve equality tary. I have become more aware and involved with civil rights. I find my sense reacting with anger when Mr. Caruso suggests that a homosexual person should be denied his or her right to serve our country because it would make some of our service men and women uncomfortable because of their own intolerance. This same criterion was used to keep African Americans out of the military for many years. It is an injustice to use ignorance and intolerance as an excuse to deny a human being the right to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness if that happiness is best achieved by serving this country in the armed forces. I am also struck by the fact that Mr. Caruo believes that the difficulty in integrating people of different sexual orientations lies in the lower ranks of the military. Do the enlisted personnel make I am writing in response to the David Caruso column concerning homosexuals in the milli- the rules by which a person is punished? No. It is the officers and the politicians who make the rules about what is acceptable behavior in the military, and they are the people who need to change those rules. **Margot Hill** Lawrence senior KU staff is the best I am writing in response to T.S. David's April 10 letter to the editor calling for the firing of the Kansas basketball coaching staff. First of all, just to get it out of the way, Mr. David, you are the most ignorant basketball "fan" I have ever come across. At first I laughed so hard at your letter that I almost cried, but that was soon replaced by anger. How could a sane person say these things about our outstanding coaching staff? How was KU able to win both Big Eight titles? By pure coincidence or by the coaching staff expertly preparing the team for any type of game. Let's look at the facts: AP/UPI 1990 Big Eight coach of the year — Roy Williams AP 1992 national head coach of the year Poy Williams Soon-to-be coach at Oregon — Jerry Green (as he would known in his) 91-percent winning junior-varsity team coach - Mark Turgore I don't know what drug Mr. David wason, but he should go back to Manhattan and get his money back. KU staff is the best, end of story! The manhole is the best. Lincoln.Neb.,senior KANSANSTAFF TIFFANY HARNESS Editor VANESSA FUHRMANS Managing editor TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser Editors Editors News Mike Andrews Editorial Beth Randolph Planning Lara Gold Campus Eric Gorski/Rochelle Olasn Sports Eric Nelson Photo Julie Jacobson Features Debbie Myers Graphics Aimee Brainard/J Jeff Meesey JAYSTEINER Retail sales manager JENNIFER CLAXTON Business manager JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser Business Staff Campus sales mgr .Bell Lichtenberg Regional sales mgr .Richard hamburger National sales mgr .Scott Hanna Co-op sales mgr .Ame Johnson Production mgrs .Kim Wallace Marketing director .Lisa Keeler Creative director .Keaneynant Classified mgr .Gilb Letters should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words. They must include the writer's signature, name, address and telephone number.riters affiliated with the University of Kansas must include class and homeown, or faculty or staff position. The writer will be photographed. The Kansas reserves the right to reject or edit letters, guest columns and cartoons. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansas newsroom, 111 Stuuffer Flint Hall. Loco Locals WHAT A GREAT WAY TO RELIEVE THE TENSION BUILT UP FROM THE WORK WEEK... ME AGAINST MY WORKER! I JUST HOPE SHE DOESN'T LOSING... MEAN, I MAY BE NEW AND MESS UP, AT WORK... NOT NOT HERE... HERE IM NUMBER UN- byTom Michaud MCHANDO 192