Opinion
Kansan
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4A
Tuesday, March 10, 1998
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
Editorial
Bravo and a hearty Pat on the Back to Jayhawks who brighten our campus
The editorial board is happy to give a Pat on the Back to:
Facilities Operations employees, who managed to get campus "desnowed" Sunday and Monday. Getting up at the crack of dawn in the freezing cold to scrape out the sidewalks and Jayhawk Boulevard is a Herculean task that we should all be thankful for. In addition to a Pat on the Back, we suggest that every student who did not slip and fall on his or her rear drop off a plate of hot chocolate chip cookies to the folks at Facilities Operations, conveniently located next to Stauffer-Flint Hall.
Chris Ogle of Lawrence Bus Company and KU on Wheels, who made sure that the buses could run
by testing them 3 a.m. Monday morning, rather than just taking the easy road, no pun intended, and canceling bus service for the day.
Trudy Foster, who works in the media room at Haworth Hall. Trudy was nominated for her friendly attitude and her penchant for chatting with students. She goes out of her way to help students get what they need. For doing her job well and making students' days a little more cheery, we are happy to salute Trudy.
Aroop Pal and Sasha Floros deserve commendation and a Pat on the Back for coordinating the Blueprints leadership Conference Feb. 28. About 100 students attended the conference, geared
around the theme, Get Connected Empowering you for the future. The students who got up and faced the cold early that Saturday morning also deserve a Pat on the Back.
The students who took part in the Campus Cause sponsored clean-up of campus Saturday deserve a Pat on the Back. Although campus looks cleaner now simply because of the snow, it is also much cleaner underneath. About 250 students took this opportunity to clean up campus and do something for the community.
If you would like to nominate someone who makes your day brighter for a Pat on the Back, please contact the opinion page at opinion@kansan.com.
Andy Obermueller for the editorial board
Feedback
Rep. Powell's plan for affirmative action is mere conservative rhetoric
Rep. Tony Powell of Wichita has introduced a bill, (House Bill No. 2958), in the Kansas House that is an exact duplicate of the California Civil Rights Initiative commonly known as Proposition 209. Kansas has implemented few affirmative action programs, and even those few are window dressing. The bill is more conservative rhetoric than it is of practical value. It also mirrors a plank of
thekansas Republican Party platform which opposes government mandated affirmative action for businesses.
The bill makes no mention of sexual orientation or veterans' preferences which leaves a great deal of uncertainty in the future for these groups. There are similar bills in Missouri, Colorado, and Oklahoma. The Black Democratic Caucus of Kansas has joined forces with the The Kansas Democratic Hispanic Caucus in opposition to this bill. We feel that all minorities, African-American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or women should have the opportunity to
The Black Democratic Caucus of Kansas and The Kansas Democratic Hispanic Caucus urges all Kansans, regardless of race or political party, to write or call governor Bill Graves. Request him to veto this eclectic piece of legislation if it reaches his desk. He can be contacted at 1-800-748-4408, or write to Governor Bill Graves, 2nd Floor State Capital, Topeka, KS 66012-1590
Joe W. Oliver
Secretary, Black Democratic
Caucus of Kansas
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*I are only difference between Democrats and Republicans is that the Democrats allow the poor to be corrupted, too.*<sup>17</sup> —Oscar Levant
How to submit letters and guest columns
**Letters:** Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and homework if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
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spaced typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run.
All letters and guest columns should be submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stuaffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Paul Eakins (eakins@kansan.com) or Andy Obermueller (andyo@kansan.com) at 864-4810. If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff [opinion@kansan.com] or call 864-4810.
No opinion, no problem: Come on, get happy
Perspective
The world would be much simpler if we didn't have opinions on anything. We could walk around whistling the theme to the Andy Griffith Show, skipping rocks on the sidewalk.
We'd run into some perturbed stranger angry about his daily worry and we'd say, "Sorry, friend, I have no opinions to share with you today." And we'd say it with a happy-golucky grin as we squeezed ripe tangerines into our Fozzie-the-Bear lunch mugs.
Tom Winter
opinion @ kansan.com
We'd walk out into the rain on a cold, dizzily October night and we'd aloofly comment, "Looks like rain, buddy," to a passing stranger with our everpresent smile.
We'd whistle and chuckle like Ward Cleaver the day the Beav brought home an A. When a friend would try to engage us about the recent political scandal, we'd lean over and comment. "Politics isn't for me, buddy boy, I've thrown in the public-service chains and pardoned the mover."
Cherry Coke would taste like Cherry Coke and not like carbonated capitalist sugar water in a demographically-oriented can. The air would be air instead of polluted city vapors. (I know this is Lawrence, where the air is relatively clean, but we're imagining here.)
We'd walk up to strangers with a "Howdy do. We'd pet every dog we saw, and say 'How ya doin there fella? and wed be genuinely interested, waiting for a response, the world would be spendidly lively and happy. We'd play imaginary hopscotch on Massachusetts Street, and bounce a rubber ball while jingling the change in our pocket.
Why? Because we'd be eternally happy. We'd be delirious and busy from the constant rush of endorphins. We'd be giggly and goofy and silly. We'd be a nation of zany geek men and women. We'd collectively look at our reflections in windows, cock our hands like guns and shoot and wink. We'd be oblivious to torture, disdain, torment, and anguish. we'd be
goofballs. We'd be out-of-control ridiculous goofballs.
tipped themselves with finger paint and we'd walk by an inquire, "How's the pain on your skin, pal?" We'd nud at each other and smile and shine apples on the lapels of our jackets as we tipped the brims of our derbies.
Some lunatic would come screaming and flailing some religious doctrine in our face asking us if we know God and we'd say simply, "There nella cain, can't say that I do, but I hear He's a real nice chap." And we'd have to call him a chap, because we'd call everybody a chap. It would come naturally.
We'd stroll down the boulevard in our tuxedos and top hats and spats smoking cigarettes in holders. We'd squint to keep our monacles in place while readjusting our gloves. We'd take in every breath like it was our first and stretch our hands out to the mid-day sky.
We'd be pompous and arrogant and we wouldn't care, because we'd be pompous and arrogant about nothing. We'd be pompous and arrogant because we were alive. We wouldn't care about the dead people, not because they are unimportant, but simply because we could no longer chat together or play Sunday badminton. This is a world without any opinions. You have to let me acknowledge the fact that we could have simple positive opinions like "I love that bright sun," or "Gee, this bubblemug's got a lot of chew." But that would be it. We could have no opinions except for the ones about simple pleasures. We wouldn't even laugh when somebody said "Testicles" because testicles would be an everyday word. "Sorry there friend, didn't mean to kick you in the testicles."
We'd wop in our motor carriages and do a quick shine of our shoes. And as we'd drive into the sunset with our newly bleached white-wall tires, we'd put our arms around our favorite gals and whistle, "My, what a day it is!"
We'd be a bunch of mindless bafoons, but at least we'd be happy.
Winter is a blue Springs, Mo., senior in advertising and biology.
Feedback
Of course, people who aren't informed about issues like this and people who don't have to be concerned about issues like this because it doesn't negatively affect them, like Smith, naturally would think that those of us who are concerned are pushing the panic button. But once you look at the political context within which this request is made, and when you are aware of the many
In the Feb. 26 article, "Context is needed to Understand Request", Judy Smith of Concerned Women for America says she thinks the legislature might be pushing the panic button a little too soon in regard to the legislator who request information about which college courses within the Regents institutions continus homosexual or bisexual content. I would like to respond to her statement.
Last year in Iowa, a similar request was made, which led to legislation that sought to restrict funding to universities that had such courses. Fortunately, this attempt failed.
The 'panic button' and content request
I have another response to Smith's statement: By pushing the panic button, we were able to galvanize the support of people across the state and across the nation to assert that no one's academic freedom would be violated. This story was covered by national and local press — even Gov. Bill Graves sent a clear and unequivocal message that he would not support legislation that sought to restrict course content. Perhaps this message sent by the governor and from Kansans across the state will cause the anonymous leg-
ways in which lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgendered people are marginalized, it makes perfect sense. It was only a year ago that the Kansas legislature signed into law the prohibition on same-sex marriage. Kansas is one of only five states that still criminalizes same-sex sexual contact between adults — this is not illegal for unmarried heterosexuals. Kansas is one of only eight states that has no hate crimes legislation. I suspect we will see other bills in the legislature this year that will threaten our community. I think the facts and the context of this request give us every reason to be concerned.
islator who made the request to reconsider proposing something that will obviously be vetoed by the governor. In my mind, that is worth pushing the panic button.
Christine Robinson Lawrence graduate student
I am very upset about today's Kansan. A great program, casino night, was put on by Templin Hall last Saturday night. We had double the attendance of the campus cleanup, yet no mention was made of the residence hall program. Our program was also for charity and made quite a bit of money.
I looked through the paper three times just to make certain. Why was this huge program overlooked, and neglected by the school newspaper that is supposed to represent the entire school? Will there be an article tomorrow, or will the Kansan just pretend that the residence hall's don't exist and cannot outshine the Greek community?
Templin's event deserved coverage
Britta Ernst Topeka sophomore
SACRAMENTO BEI