Opinion
Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Lindsey Henry, *Editor*
Dave Moran, *Managing editor*
Kristie Blasi, *Managing editor*
Tom Ebien, *General manager, news adviser*
4A
Marc Harrell, Business manager
Marcel Eager, Retail sales manager
Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser
Justin Knupp, Technology coordinator
Monday, March 9,1998
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS
Editorials
Corporate sponsorship of Saferide good for students, Senate, Lawrence
Sponsorship of Saferide is a good idea. Molly McNearney, Nunemaker senator, has been working to find a corporate sponsor for Saferide since the beginning of the semester.
Saferide is an arm of Student' Senate's KU on Wheels that is contracted out every two years. However, at the end of the first year of the contract, the vendor
— in this case Lawrence Bus Company
— may change the price of providing the service. This has happened several times during the last few years, resulting in more than $200,000 worth of balloons for the service from the Senate reserve account.
This year, however, when Saferide needed to be bailed out, Senate decided that they had had enough. Instead of just cutting a check, Senate formed a
committee to study Saferide and make recommendations as to how the service could be saved.
Among the ideas the committee discarded were ways to make Saferide eligible for city of Lawrence money and the feasibility of a donations box.
But one of the options the committee decided to pursue was finding a deep-pocketed corporate sponsor like Anheiser-Busch or McDonald Beverage.
The sponsor could provide a yearly gift to Senate to supplement its annual subsidy, thus ensuring that Saferide stays in operation. The sponsor would buy another way to advertise, some good PR, and, surprise, a healthy tax deduction. Winners all around.
Saferide is an invaluable service for
students and the Lawrence community. Bar patrons who have had too much to drink can get a ride home rather than endanger other drivers. Individuals who don't feel secure walking can get home safely just by picking up the phone.
Some in Student Senate approached the lectern during the Saferide debate ready to kill the program because they thought it enabled alcoholics or rewarded drunks. We're glad that these short-sighted senators were beaten out by more big-picture senators — who saw the difference between the forest and the trees.
Admittedly, Saferide isn't out of the woods yet. But Senate has a good idea that all we think students can and should support.
Senate plugs into the 20th Centurv
The editorial board staff
Congratulations to Student Senate for catching up with the 20th Century.
Their new World Wide Web page is more effective as an outreach tool and resource for students. Among other features, the Web page (www.ukans.edu/~senate/) includes a searchable version of Student Senate Rules and Regulations, senator's individual sites, and a chat area.
An improved Web page was a campaign promise of Student Body President Scott Sullivan and has been the subject of much ballyhoo within 410 Kansas Union on and the Student Senate Listserv. At the beginning of second semester, a web master was hired and the page, which is still
A campaign promise has been filled and students have been served. Sounds good to us.
under construction, will be completely operational by next year.
KU Student government must contend with an alarming level of student apathy, so much so that the first concern of any Senate event — be it a town hall meeting or an election — is simply how to get people there. The improved Web page is one more way to make student government accessible and maybe, just maybe, get students to care. It's a way for students to get passively involved, and given an anti-proactive studentry, we chalk the Web page un as a success.
Airick West, the new web master who will be in control of the page at least until the end of the school year, has been bending over backward to make this page one that will meet everyone needs. If there is something that you would like to see on the Senate home page, call him at 864-3710 or 864-4602.
At a time where nearly every business and even hundreds of students have their own web page, it is nice to see Senate upgrade its page to a level of usability that will match at least, sav. UDKI.
Of all the campaign promises that were made during the last election, at least one has been filled.
Kansan staff
The editorial board staff
Paul Eakins ... Editorial
Andy Obermuller ... Editorial
Andrea Albright ... News
Jodie Chester ... News
Julie King ... News
Charity Jeffries ... Online
Eric Weslander ... Sports
Harley Ratliff ... Associate sports
Ryan Koerner ... Campus
Mike Perryman ... Campus
Bryan Volk ... Features
Tim Harrington ... Associate features
Steve Puppe ... Photo
Angle Kuhn ... Design, graphics
Mitch Lucas ... Illustrations
Corrie Moore ... Wire
Gwen Olson ... Special sections
Lachelle Rhoades ... News clerk
News editors
Advertising managers
Kristi Bisiel ... Assistant retail, PR
Leigh Bottiger ... Campus
Brett Clifton ... Regional
Nicole Lauderdale ... National
Matt Fisher ... Marketing
Chris Haghirian ... Internet
Brian Allers ... Production
Ashley Bonner ... Production
Andee Tomlin ... Promotions
Dan Kim ... Creative
Rachel O'Neill ... Classified
Tyler Cook ... Zone
Steve Grant ... Zone
Jamie Holman ... Zone
Brian LeFevre ... Zone
Matt York ... Zone
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones." —John Cage
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Perspective
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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.
If we need smart cards, let's get serious about it
enjoyed listening to Lindy Eakin, associate provost, talk about smart cards at Student Senate last Wednesday night. He answered questions for about two hours about
the new KUIDs that students will have to contend with beginning next year.
语
Andy Obermueller
andyo@kansan.com
I have to admit that I am a little sad that the only smart card that KU graduates such as me will possess will be our diplomas. Because these new little IDs have more usable features, than say, my car.
The smart card will hold information about you. It can be used to make small purchases at vending machines or even larger
But I have to say that I still would like to see a few more options added to the smart cards. In fact, truth be known, I am anti-smart card. I am pro KU-Tag. I think that the University should harness the same technology that the State of Kansas has employed to automate the state's toll roads.
purchases at the bookstore. And what's more, because of the features that the computer geeks have worked out, all your purchasing information can be stored on the chip right under your cute little bug. So with the right computer, the University will know everything about which candy machines you use, where you make comies, and when you do your laundry, if ever.
If we had KU-Tags, available in crimson or blue to coordinate with the bookstore's line of Hawkswear, then even more technology could be added to this fine institution. Since automated doors have been installed to help the disabled, we could combine the technologies. All dean's lists students would have the door opened for them by the central tracking computer. A perfect 4.0 would warrant your own theme song to be played on the building's intercom system.
"You are neither enrolled in ethics nor have you had any other midterms coming up," he says, peering over his reading glasses. "You did, however, charge $74 at the Red Lyon last night. Nice try."
The new technology would allow the professor to have the student's schedule pop up on his screen as the he tried to give an excuse for postponing an assignment.
well, so much for technology. At least maybe the library would be improved. You'd walk up to the card catalog and it would know in which class you had a paper due and thus, what books you needed. It would access your academic records to see how difficult of books you could handle, and it would check your schedule to see how much time you had on your hands. Then, it would guide you through the library in a "You are-getting-warmer" type of game to take you right to your thin, easy books.
And parking would be a real cinch. The parking department could gate all the lots with the same type of checkpoints that the turnpike has, and if there's a space and you have the correct permit, the gate's let you drive through. We finally can fire all those ticket-scribing knaves.
KU-tags could even make large classes better. Instructors in such technologically equipped places as Budig Hall could use its computers to know where the smart students were sitting and call on them during lectures. Better answers to well-aimed questions means more learning for
The professor makes a few inquiries to the central computer.
And the banking feature would really be nice. You would walk into the Union to grab a bite to eat. By the time you got to Cafe Salsa, your super nachos already would be made and you would've been billed for it. You'd just walk out into the seating area, sit down, open your mouth and chew. The central computer, which knows your dining habits, would track how long you were there and in about, say, five minutes, somebody would come bring you another Diet Coke.
the dumber students, who will of course, be asked to sit in the back so their snoring won't disturb the smart kids.
Well, so much for technology.
"I was studying for a midterm for my ethics class," a student may claim.
What, you thought the University actually would fire all the parking-ticket people? I mean, c'mon, they have to work somewhere.
But the really neat thing about this is that all this data would be recorded. Your studying habits, the path you take to class, how often you work out at Robinson, even your health data from Watkins and your sports ticket package could be stored on the new KU-Tag. That way, when the University sells this information to marketers, at least the junk mail will be tailored to stuff that you may actually want.
You know, maybe all this technology isn't such a great idea. After all, I already worry about my parents getting my grades. I don't want a letter from the University telling my folks that I haven't been doing my laundry.
Obermüller is a Liberal, Kan., senior in journalism and the opinion page co-editor.
Feedback
Suicide story not front-page material
It was with great dismay that I read "E-mail Helps Suicidal Student." While I am extremely impressed and heartened by the quick response to help the suicidal student, I felt the way this was handled was disturbing.
I understand that the intention behind this article was well-meant, but this is not a front-page story. This is someone's life.
Tracy Meyers
Topeka Junior
You must realize that when a person contemplates suicide, he or she feels very much alone. By reporting the student's gender, where he was at the time of the intervention, and where he was going for evaluation, you have all but pointed him out for the crowd. Someone knows this person. What if he lives in a residence hall or fraternity? An unexplained two-day absence in the middle of the week would prompt friends to wonder if he was the one, and then talking about him to their friends. I've been exposed to suicidal people through my job, and I've learned that many of them don't want everyone to know about their despair because then they are treated differently. This student shouldn't be subjected to whispers and stares during classes or have a room fall silent when he walks in. You may have further isolated this person—possibly increasing his chances for a suicide.
Affirmative action story lacked impact
This is in response to Brandon Cople's article, "Proposed bill could change hiring practices within Kansas."
I am amazed at how the Kansan would publish an article such as this without questioning its own racial prejudices. Although the article was written with an obvious attempt at being unbiased, the fact that the Kansan would print such a poorly written,
I propose that this topic be taken up in a more serious manner. Let us hear what the true implications of Kansas Representative Anthony Powell's proposal would have on hiring practices at the University of Kansas. What would the passing of House Bill 2958 say about the state of Kansas and racial bias in hiring and recruitment. What are the true debates and who is talking?
researched and edited article says much more. Several times it was not clear who was being quoted, nor was it clear what issues it was addressing. The ongoing debate about affirmative action is much too important to be handled in such an off-handed manner. Is this the Kansan's way of saying the issue does not merit serious debate?
What ever happened to the daily paper that wasn't afraid to take up public debate?
Lesa A. Marbut Lawrence senior in English and American Studies
Reviews need more substance,less fluff
when I returned from Winter Break to begin reading the Kansan, I realized that it didn't include album reviews anymore. I had mixed emotions about this. On one hand, I didn't have to force myself to read weak, superficial inexperienced reviews by Ashlee "Rock n" Roll anymore. On the other hand, I really wanted to see reviews again. I was about to ask the Kansan about an album reviewing position when I read that Kelly Corcoran, music coordinator for KJHK, took over the spot. I was so excited to hear that someone who deals with music everyday would be critiquing albums. To my disappointment, even though Corcoran took more time talking about musical content than Roll ever did, the reviews overall lacked any relevant information about the album. When true critics review albums, they don't waste paragraph upon paragraph talking about how the band met or the closest
venue they will, play. Corcoran's review of Common began beauti- talky, talking about the content of the album, but then said that it fell short as a whole album. He didn't support his claim at all.
His Neutral Milk Hotel review was horrible. It talked nothing about the content of the album except is sounds like Michael Stripe of REM crossed with Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips. Come on. That isn't a review, that's a fifth-grade analogy.
Why couldn't he describe the quality of melody or spend time talking about the originality of the music without resorting to unprofessional comparisons?
This is the *Kansan*, not high-school paper. If the *Kansan* won national awards for print journalism, it wasn't for album reviews. Remember, you are writing a review of the musical album, not a biography of the band or their concert schedule. So don't waste space rambling on about the band's life, especially since you don't have that much allotted space in the first place. Professionalism is the key. If Corcoran is going to continue writing reviews album reviews, I suggest that he study, the format that David Wild uses for Rolling Stone or reviewers like Entertainment Weekly and pin. I don't think that true music lovers at the University can take much more of this music mockery.
Matthew Ryan Cox
Lansing sophomore
Columnist blessed by his two moms
I wanted to commend Rufus Coleman on his courageous testimony about growing up with two moms. It proves two things that I have learned in my life-time: any hardship can be over come and love is the most vital element in overcoming them. In my book, Rufus is ten thousand times more blessed with his family than those who come from traditional but unloving homes.
Katie Burford
Lawrence graduate student