Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY Kansan
Published daily since 1912
4A
Lindsey Henry, Editor
Dave Morantz, Managing editor
Kristie Blasi, Managing editor
Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser
Thursday, Feb. 12, 1998
W. David Keith / KANSAN
Editorials
University recycling efforts must begin, end with students
It is time to change the indifference toward recycling possessed by students at the University of Kansas. The lackluster response to recycling projects is evidence that many students don't care about recycling. But they should. Recycling affects all of us, both in the conservation of resources and maintaining the beauty of the campus. Students should get involved to help create a University-wide recycling program.
Victoria Silva, environmental specialist and campus recycling coordinator, said that if the University is to have an efficient and comprehensive recycling program it must be supported by students. Students must be cognizant of recycling bins throughout campus and shouldn't contaminate the bins with trash that belongs
A comprehensive recycling system is needed,but responsibility should rest on many shoulders
elsewhere. It is the personal responsibility of each student to recycle. Recycling bins are usually located just a few feet away from trash containers. It takes little effort to use them.
If environmental reasons aren't enough to make students recycle, perhaps monetary reasons should be. Part of students' fees go to recycling programs, so students should support these programs and recycle. They're already paying for it.
groups on campus in which students can get involved. One such group is the Student Environmental Advisory Board, which works in conjunction with Student Senate. The board advises the University administration on environmental policies, such as recycling. The board's chairwoman is Natalie Sullivan, who can be reached via e-mail at
There are many environmental
natalina@eagle.cc.ukans.edu. Students can also contact Silva at vm@eagle.cc.ukans.edu.
Silva said that much of the demand for recycling began with students, but the bulk of the recycling on campus will have to be done by them. Students should be willing to take up the slack and help make a comprehensive recycling program work at the University.
Nick Zaller for the editorial board
Advising system not fully effective
The University of Kansas must foster learning. And to do that, students need direction. That direction can come from good advising. However, many students do not get adequate advising at the University because there is no established system that students are required to use. This is not to say that the University has done nothing. It just hasn't done enough.
One of the biggest steps taken was the creation last fall of the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center. In the past eight months the advising center has set up help rooms at freshman orientation and offered advising aid to students. Many other students used the center during this spring's Add/Drop period.
This summer the center will be in full swing. Freshman and sophomore transfer students entering the University in Summer 1998 will be encouraged to use the center and will be allowed to use it
until graduation or until they enter a specialized school, such as Engineering, Business or Fine Arts, where advising help is already available. The establishment of this center shows that students are important and that administrators do want students to receive help.
But the center has problems. It has no full-time advisers. All of the individuals who advise students are borrowed from other schools such as Business, Allied Health and Nursing. For the advising center to be effective, it must hire full-time advisers, which it has planned to do, who specialize in getting students through until graduation.
dents wouldn't have to take the advice, but what would be the harm in requiring a student to go?
The biggest problem may be that incoming freshman and transfer students are not required to visit the center. They hear about it at orientation, but no one requires students to visit for advice. The center should be mandatory. Stuhelp humankind by sharing my insight into the world of exciting and, dare I say, totally rad gifts.
But this is just a small step. While the center could give incoming students direction other students have not had in the past, it might not be enough. The center would need time before its effectiveness can be evaluated.
Steps should be taken in the meantime to further the University's advising goal. It could create a committee of administrators and students. This committee would spend time talking to students about what they want from advising. Then this committee would take those suggestions and help the University create a long-term, substantial advising system tailored to the needs of the students. Whatever the method, the University must create a more effective advising system.
Spencer Duncan for the editorial board
Kansan staff
Paul Eakins ... Editorial
Andy Obermuelter ... 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
Angie Kuhn ... Design, graphics
Mitch Lucas ... Illustrations
Corrie Moore ... Wire
Gwen Olson ... Special sections
Lachelle Rhoades ... Neus clerk
News editors
Kristi Bisiel . *Assistant retail, PR*
Leigh Bottiger . *Campus*
Brett Cliffon . *Regional*
Nicole Lauderdale . *National*
Matt Fisher . *Marketing*
Chris Haghirian . *Internet*
Brian Allen . *Production*
Ashley Bonner . *Production*
Andee Tomlin . *Promotions*
Dan Kimi . *Creative*
Rachel O'Neill . *Classified*
Tyler Cook . *Zone*
Steve Grant. . *Zone*
Jamie Holman . *Zone*
Brian LeFevre . *Zone*
Matt York . *Zone*
Advertising managers
“Today's slovenly standards in education are not unrelated to the disorder and indifference to standards communicated by many teachers' appearances.”
How to submit letters and guest columns
George F. Will
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.
Flowers, chocolate OK gifts, but skip the STDs
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.
Perspectives
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 staff post (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4810.
In the past couple years, I have witnessed the giving of lame Valentine's Dav gifts.
In an effort to protect the innocent, I will not divulge the names and pathetic gifts that
Here are the top 15 gifts that you should not give your sweetie on Valentine's Day. If you do not have your own little buttercup, do not think that you should not continue reading — this list is also applicable to other holidays where gift-giving is required.
Erin Rooney opinion@kansan.com
I also recommend that you cut this column out and
hang it where your significant other can see that you have read it. If he or she thinks that you have at least put some thought into the purchasing of a gift, you can get bonus points no matter how lame the present turns out to be.
A can of potted meat product.
No.15:
with yummy ingredients such as "partially defatted beef fatty tissue," your significant other's heart might stop beating all together. No. 14.
A copy of Playboy or Playgirl with all of the nude pictures removed.
I am sorry to shove this harsh reality in your face, but no one just reads the articles.
No.18
Hernes
This is one of those times you should ignore the Nike "Just Do It" slogan.
No.12:
An 8-inch-by-10-inch framed, glossy photo of Monica Lewinsky and a gift certificate redeemable for a night in the Lincoln bedroom.
There is no need to funnel more money to the already corrupt Democratic Party.
An orgw with NKOTB
That is the boomin' late '80s band New Kids on the Block for those not in on the lingo.
The sad reality is that this would be a lot of people's ultimate dream come true.
No.10:
Special river dance lessons with Michael Flately.
There actually may be a reason that he is the "Lord of the Dance."
A pipe bomb delivered by a rodeo clown.
It did not work well for the Unabomber, and it is not going to work well for you.
Your laundry.
A private viewing of Spice World.
No Hallmark card or self-adhesive bow will make this sentimental. You would have better luck giving a fire extinguisher, and, trust me on this, fire extinguishers are not star gifts either.
Unless you are dating Prince Harry, you should try to stay away from movies starring Dopey, Lumpy and Busty Spice.
No. 6:
An "I Love Norm" Mizzou sweatshirt.
If you even consider this, you should be tied up by your toes and hung from the top of the Campanile.
NO. 5.
A 40-ounce bottle of Mickeys.
No one has enough class to give a gift as smooth as this.
A hostage.
This is not a good idea if you want to see next year's V-Day.
No.3:
No.2:
A night with a mime.
Steps one and three from Jenny Craig's 1-2-3 Plan.
Even if your baby needs it, refrain. This also means no books about personal hygiene.
A seat on Student Senate.
You cannot give a gift filled with more evil.
My final word of valentine's advice is that if you really care, you will get your sweetheart a job at SuperTarget. I was there Sunday night and I counted 14 employees standing around doing nothing. A Target job is a gift straight from the heart.
Erin Rooney is a Topeka senior in journalism.
ong lines and short hours.
Ball in students' court for Robinson expansion
These are the two most-often heard complaints about recreation facilities at Robinson Center. The main problem with
Robinson is that already inadequate and over-used facilities and equipment are only available on a limited basis throughout the day for recreation.
However, it is not simple to fully understand the situation from which these complaints and problems arise. The history of this issue is relatively short and easy to follow. The underlying significance of what happened and why is much harder to come by.
Jason
Fizell
opinion@kansan.com
The history of the Robinson expansion issue reached its climax in the public eye two years ago. Students were asked to vote on a proposed $21.5 million recreation facility on West Campus, near 23rd and Iowa streets. To pay for this facility an increase in student recreation fees, from $13 to $90 per semester, was called for. This proposal went down in flames. Seventy percent of KU-student voters opposed the plan.
They made the right choice.
The proposal quite simply was a raw deal. Students were not willing or able to pay the exorbitant amount that would have come out of everyone's pocket, regardless of whether they ever would have used the new center.
Also, the proposed facility would have been far from the heart of campus. This would have inconvenienced most students, especially if it had day time operating hours, as many students have asked for. There is further evidence in the proposal that the whole thing was nothing more than wastefulness on a grand scale. The wholesale duplication of facilities and services is perhaps the most goading aspect of the whole affair.
For example, there was no provision for the continued use of already existing facilities at Robinson or increased shared-use of athletic facilities such as Anschutz Sports Pavilion. It seemed that, much like a selfish child, Recreation Services simply wanted to take its new toy and go off and play by itself.
The plan called for the construction of facilities already in existence, and the discontinued use of the old facilities. For example, the new facility would have had six basketball courts, which is only slightly more than the four courts currently available. This would have cost $3.9 million dollars, or almost $2 million per additional court! Furthermore, the new facility was not even going to have a pool or racquetball courts. It's no wonder the
This time we won't make the same mistake.
Luckily, the best solution, which would be the least expensive and most convenient, still has not been tried. That solution is the option of adding to and improving the already existing facilities at Robinson Center.
Having recognized the problems associated with the original plan, the question is: Where do we go from here? Most everyone would agree that there is still a great need for improvement of recreation facilities on campus. The lines are only getting longer and the hours are not.
The option was scarcely considered two years ago, as the planning committee that drafted the proposal was prejudiced towards building a new, separate "Taj Mahal" of recreation far out on West Campus.
This time we won't make the same mistake.
As a member of the Recreation Services Advisory Committee and Student Senate, I have been working with some like-minded colleagues to ensure that recreation again becomes a priority and our recreation center a thing of pride. We do not think it is necessary to build a new, $21.5 million dollar facility to do so.
With this plan we could continue to use the existing facilities at Robinson during peak, non-class times at night and on weekends, plus the new facilities, and even have additional space open during the day. But it would not be necessary to build as much new space, and spend as much of your money, in order to make comparable improvements in campus recreation facilities.
The field between Robinson and the Computer Center is a prime place for Robinson expansion. Just think of how many additional basketball courts and weight room space it could hold.
students reiected this proposal.
In addition, we want to work out mutually-beneficial shared-use agreements with the Athletics Department so that it will not be necessary to construct another indoor track at Robinson when a perfectly adequate one is across the street at Anschutz.
Finally, we are going to look at cutting the majority of the waste and pork in the original proposal, such as new offices for Recreation Services.
However, do not rest easy thinking that these improvements are inevitable. We need your input and assistance in order to shake up those complacent souls out there and make this project happen. Only with your involvement will this approach student-centered recreation improvements come to fruition.
Jason Fitzell is an Olathe senior in history.
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