Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Lindsey Henry, Editor
Dave Morantz, Managing editor
Kristie Blasi, Managing editor
Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser
Marc Harrell, Business manager
Colleen Eagle, Retail sales manager
Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser
Justin Knup, Technology coordinator
Tuesday, March 3, 1998
ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL
Editorials
We really aren't asking for much just a hour or so and an open vein
Less than 5 percent of eligible blood donors actually give blood.
Good heavens! Have we actually found something students care less about than voting? Even with such a low national turnout figure, KU students should be able to collectively muster about 1,300 units of blood. Blood-drive organizers will be lucky to see half that.
The Blood Drive committee has set a goal of 700 units, which would be enough to beat the students at K-State: A feat KU students — who allegedly bleed red and blue—have not accomplished in recent memory.
The Spring Blood Drive begins today, sponsored by the All-Scholarship Hall Council, the Association of University Residence Halls, the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Association.
All eligible students should sign up for a time and roll up their sleeves
To donate blood, students should be in generally good health, be at least 17 years old and weigh more than 110 pounds. All donors must go through a screening process and pass a physical examination.
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Blood is one of the most valuable resources in medicine, and a good supply of blood is vital to a strong medical system. Research done by the American Red Cross shows that voluntarily donated blood is actually safer than blood purchased from donors because volunteers have no incentive to deceive the screening questions.
We don't call on you very often to be noble. We normally just ask for students to do their best to do the right thing. But here's a unique chance to do both. Giving blood may not be the most fun way to spend an hour, but it is an easy way students can help others. And if nothing else, you get a sticker and a cookie. To give an hour or so or your time and a pint or so of your blood. Who knows, the life you save might even be your own.
About 4 million people a year depend on blood donations. Every two seconds someone needs blood. That fact alone should be impetus
enough for students to donate blood.
You can—and should— give blood from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m today, Wednesday or Thursday at the Kansas Union Ballroom; from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m today at Oliver Hall; from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Wednesday at McCollum Hall; and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at Corbin Hall.
Andy Obermueller for the editorial board
May we have the envelope please?
This week the editorial board is proud to give a Pat on the Back to the new class of Orientation Assistants.
OAS are the first representatives of the University of Kansas that new students meet. OAS not only provide a valuable first impression, but also help students negotiate the University maze of enrollment, advising,course, line numbers and other things all students were once scared of. Students often remember their OA long after orientation. The four-stage OA application and interview process is exhaustive, certainly more so than other summer internships, like say, at the White House. Students selected as OAs are well-rounded in their activities, doing well in their studies, outgoing, affable, good speakers and positive
Thunderous applause and a Pat on the Back to the new class of Orientation Assistants
The students selected are indeed among our finest. We are happy to commend the new OAs for the responsibility they have agreed to shoulder.
role models — 'Renaissance Jay-
hawks.' if you will.
They are
Toyin Adeyanju, Lawrence soophomore
Anate Aelion, Memphis sophomore
Steve Alton, Hutchinson junior
Amy Brewer, Lawrence junior
Kendall Day, St. Francis junior
Alliance Doe Value, Lawrence
sophomore
Jordan Edwards, Junction City junior
Jason Fizell, Olathe senior
Tisha McCoy, Kansas City, Mo. sophomore
Kristen Merchant. Lenexa junior
gene Meyer, El Dorado senior Julie Numrich, Overland Park junior
Wendy Rohleder, Plainville senior
R. J. Woodring, Lisle, Ill., freshman
Matt Paustian, Wheatland,
Wyo. senior
Allegra DeSalvo, Lawrence
Adam Yarborough, Shawnee junior
If you would like to nominate someone for a Pat on the Back, email andyo@kansan.com
Kansan staff
Andy Obermueller for the editorial board
"We must abandon the prevalent belief in the superior wisdom of the ignorant."
Paul Eakins . *Editorial*
Andy Obermuelter . *Editorial*
Andrea Albright . *Neus*
Jodie Chester . *Neus*
Julie King . *Neus*
Charity Jeffries . *Online*
Weric 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 . *Neus clerk*
News editors
Advertising managers
Kripti Bisel . 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
Daniel Boorstin, historian
Letterers: 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 home-town if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
How to submit letters and guest columns
Guest columns: Should be double-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 Stuffer-Flinf 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 Obermuerll (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.
Perspective
U.S.-Iraqi diplomacy: more than meets the eye
As citizens of this great nation, we the people, according to the Constitution, have the right to disagree with the actions that our government is taking. It is
obvious that the Clinton administration is prepping America for an assault on Iraq. According to the media's coverage of the conflict, it is quite clear why we would want to go to war with Saddam Hussein.
Ash Anthony Taha
Or is it? Hussein is portrayed to be a ruthless leader, but prior to the Gulf War he helped Iraq become economically secure and established unparalleled freedoms for women in the region.
opinion@kansan.com
I am in no way a fan of Saddam Hussein, but I also find no merit in or justification for bombing the people of Iraq simply because our government has said it is the right thing to do.
Our government stands by the goal to fulfill the U.N. resolutions, which it says Iraq has violated.
Question No. 1: When did America start policing U.N. policies? The answer is only when special interest groups — like the oil lobby — are involved.
The United States leads the public to think that Iraq has the capability to harm its neighbors. But even if Iraq could cause a conflict, the country is now in a situation where it will never be able to wage war or start trouble because of the consequences it knows it will receive, not only from the U.S. but also from Israel.
Question No. 2. If you were Saddam Hussein would you trust America? Probably not, that is why he asked to have the presidential palaces inspected by a team that was put together by the U.N. instead of the United States. This should mean nothing because the goal of the inspectors would be to dismantle the war machine of Iraq. The Clinton administration agreed to the offer — but other leaders want to circumvent the diplomatic process and bomb Iraq anyway, thus demonstrating that the resolutions are not what is on the agenda for our
government.
Our government wants Saddam out of the picture, it's that simple. The conflict now has nothing to do with the U.N. resolutions. With Saddam dead, a puppet government easily can be placed — making all Iraqi contracts with Russia and France void and enabling U.S. oil companies to sign new contracts with the new government.
Question No. 3: What is the real reason we are going to bomb Iraq? The answer is simple and comes from paying careful attention to what the media says. Iraq has signed contracts with France and Russia so that when the U.N. sanctions are lifted they will have access to Iraq's $400 billion-a-year oil refineries. This is a problem for England and America who, for the first time since oil was an important commodity, have been shut out of Iraqi oil fields.
This would lead to an even bigger problem that worries me. About a month ago, Boris Yeltsin warned the United States that if Iraq is attacked, World War III could result. Leaders of powerful countries do not make statements such as that without merit. It is clear that America's interests conflicts with those of Russia and could lead to bigger problems. About two weeks ago at Ohio State University, three top foreign policy officials tried to rally support for U.S. objectives and were greeted by a doubting crowd who did not believe the government's intentions were true. They pleaded for diplomacy as a means to deal with this problem. One veteran who lost his son in Vietnam spoke with anguish about how the troops had fought for their country. He asked if the government was willing to send troops if Saddam would not back down. If not, he asked if the United States would ask his grandson and some of these other grandons to put their lives on the line.
I am a proud and dedicated American, but when special interests and money are the sole reasons for military involvement, I will voice my opinion and stand for what is right. Never silence the movement of peace.
Taha is a Watchung, N.J., senior in organismal biology and psychology.
Feedback
Here's a tip—it only helps corporations
Your editorial titled, "Here's a Tip: Give it up for the pizza Guy," has little merit as far as the goals in which it seeks. Tipping is just another social custom which ultimately benefits corporations. Would it be better for the corporation to pay its service employees (drones) extra for their jobs or divert this supposed responsibility on to the customer? From the corporation's perspective, its much better to pay less and socially pressure individuals to pay more. Did you even consider this or are you simply preparing yourself for future jobs in which you obediently placate business at the expense of independent thought and personal freedom. We have enough enslaving forms of social pressure designed to help institutions. You needn't to it.
Jeromy Horkman Concordia senior
Let's just mail them a course catalog
It seems that some legislator wants to know about University of Kansas courses that deal with homosexuality. The inquiry is anonymous, perhaps cravenly so, leading a number of people to speculate that this time it's the right wing's turn to attempt to abridge academic freedom. I haven't seen the document in question, but published reports keep using phrases like courses which directly address homosexuality. There has been no little hand-wringing about how to handle this situation. My solution is simple: comply completely. That is, send over a listing of virtually every course in the humanities and social sciences divisions, supplemented by the dozens more courses in the sciences, in journalism, in law, in medicine, which "directly address homosexuality," even if for only a few minutes per semester. I have seen no indication that the legislator in question is limiting his or her search to core content, so the University ought to respond accordingly.
For example, Plato almost certainly engaged in behavior we would now call homosexual. Even if we ultimately decide that the sexual maze of fifth-century
I teach acting. Do I directly address homosexuality? You bet I do. It's not a core issue of the course, but I've assigned several heterosexual students to work on gay or lesbian characters, as well as homosexual actors to work on straight characters. I directly work with students to help them to lay aside preconceptions and stereotypes, and simply to play the role. To me, the ability to view the world through the eyes of someone with different life experiences is essential not only to good acting, but to a liberal arts education and even to adulthood.
So let's send over the complete catalog. Of course, I am fully aware that this is not what the legislator in question had in mind, but I've been telling students for years that I grade their papers based on the say, not on what I think they meant to say. Should we have lower standards for state legislators than for first-term freshman? Surely legislators, of all people, ought to know the importance of precision in language.
If the sound we hear is really the forces of ignorance pounding at the door, we can confront them now or cower in a corner and hope they'll go away. I don't think they're /leaving, though, and I for one have never been very good at cowering.
Rick Jones Lawrence graduate student
Athens had no influence on who is included in and who is excluded from the Republic, we need to directly address homosexuality to make that determination. Does Western Civilization I directly address homosexuality? It had better. Similarly, no Renaissance English drama course can possibly avoid homoerotic themes, which are explicit in Lyly, Marlowe and Jonson, and implicit in Shakespeare. And so it goes through virtually every course in the division.
Legislator's request could go further
The anonymous legislator's request for a list of course that include homosexual or bisexual content, while not itself a violation of academic freedom and probably not an ongoing threat of violation, should remind us how easily political pressures can be applied. Long
What happens, though, if the Legislature creates a new superboard to govern all of higher education in the state [as has been discussed]? Will this more remote board reaffirm the Regents' position and show concern for the academic freedom of KU students, faculty and stu@p
William O. Scott professor of English
ago, the Kansas Board of Regents adopted the "Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure" of the American Association of University Professors, the Association of American Colleges and Universities and other major organizations. While the Regents' resistance to political pressure in the name of academic freedom has not always been uniform, the overall commitment has been important.
BSU story was not front-page material
This letter is not so much in response to the Friday, Feb. 27 article "Former president to return BSU funds," but more so to the editors of The University Daily Kansan who found it worthy of front page status. As we all know, February was African American History Month. The Black Student Union put on many positive and uplifting events that made the paper, but for some odd reason we were made to search for these articles on the third, fourth, or even the back page of the Kansan.
However, we find that the mistakes of an ex-BSU member are far more important to the Kansan than any of the positive programs that the BSU implemented. Not only was this negativity conveniently given to us on the front page, but it was the largest article concerning the BSU that was printed all month. I have to seriously question the motives and priorities of the Kansan staff and editors in this situation. If the Kansan would have expressed such an interest in the positive events that occurred, African American History Month might have been more effective.
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Conway Ekpo BSU vice president and Lawrence junior