Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAPLY Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Lindsey Henry, Editor Marc Harrell, Business manager Dave Morantz, Manager editor Colleen Eager, Retail sales manager Kristie Blasi, Manager Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser Tom Ebien, General manager, news adviser Justin Knupp, Technology coordinator
4A
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 1998
SACRAMENTO BEE
Editorials
Taking a break from complaining to magnify the campus' sunshine
We complain a lot.
But that's not the Editorial Board's only job. We should give equal time to the good things that go on in our community, rather than only focus on what needs to be changed.
That's why we have initiated a feature called Pat on the Back. It will be a regular addition to the opinion page that showcases the good that happens in the KU community, not just the things we think need fixing.
Nice folks who work hard for little money and less thanks are the rule here on Mount Oread, not the exception. We'd like to bring some of these people to your attention, and we'd like you to bring the people who brighten your day
Our first Pat on the Back goes to Mike Christie,the sandwich guy at the Hawks Nest
to our attention. We'll consider any submissions for a Pat on the Back.
We do not intend to kiss up to professors or to curry favor with our favorite administrators. Rather, we'd like to do our small part to recognize people who might not usually get the thunderous applause that they deserve.
Mike Christie is our first recipient of a Pat on the Back. Mike works at the Hawks Nest, one of the restaurants in the Kansas Union. He's there, it seems,
all the time, making sandwiches in the deli. Mike knows regular patrons' names — and often their orders — and always has a smile and a pleasant comment.
Mike isn't in charge of a department and is not a University official, but he makes more than a mean club sandwich, he makes an invaluable contribution to our community. If Mike didn't make sandwiches, someone else would. But not just anyone can add a side order of happiness to a sandwich and fries.
Mike Christie, thanks for making this campus a nicer place to be. We're proud to give you our first Pat on the Back.
Andy Obermueller for the editorial board
Recognizing some not-so-random acts
Pats on the Back are in order for:
Marcus West, a Colwich senior in Liberal Arts and Sciences who volunteers at Woodlaawn Elementary School four hours a week, tutoring students who need extra help and who benefit from positive role models. Paulette Strong, the school's principal, made a point to tell Student Senate how much she appreciated the program. We'd like to make a special point to give Marcus a Pat on the Back.
Dion Jones, a St. Croix senior in Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been working toward establishing a new campus fraternity, Iota Phi Theta. In his spare time, Dion serves not only as a student senator, but also as a Finance Committee member. He provides a voice of reason and reasonability to the chaos of student government. Dion also has been steadfast in his commitment to improving race relations at the University. He has earned this campus' respect, not just a Pat on the Back.
Matt Goodman, a Dallas freshman in finearts, took the initiative to create a local chapter of the National Stuttering Project. He has worked with the Organizations and Leadership Development Center's staff to add an invaluable group to the roster of campus organizations.
Margot Herster, an Overland Park junior in art history and psychology is a volunteer at Spencer Art Museum who works coordinating museum programs and at the information desk. She also works with Students Tutoring for Literacy and with Habitat for Humanity. For all her efforts, we are glad to give her a Paton on the Back.
can Greek Council Association. He put on a leadership conference attended by more than 200 students from four states Sept. 26 and 27. His contributions to campus life extend well past Mount Oread to campuses in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas.
Kelly Wooldridge, a Ulysses senior in education, and John Warren, a Hutchinson senior in biology, are the coordinators of Natural Ties. This organization pairs developmentally disabled members of the community with student organizations. Not only does this help individuals from the community, but it enriches the lives of the members of campus groups who participate. Kelly and John deserve a Pat on the Back for a national meeting of Natural Ties Oct. 18 and 19 at the University, in addition to the help and hope they give disabled members of the community.
Matt Hamill, a Colby senior in Liberal Arts and Sciences, serves as a national vice president for Mid-Ameri-
Kansan staff
The editorial board
Paul Eakins ... Editorial
Andy Obermüller ... Editorial
Andrea Albright ... News
Jodie Chester ... News
Julie King ... News
Charity Jeffries ... Online
Eric Weslander ... Sports
Harley Rattliff ... 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
Lachelie Roades ... News clerk
News editors
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"I go for all sharing the privileges of the government who assist in bearing its burdens." — Abraham Lincoln
Lettera: 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 columnms 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 Stauffer-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 Obermeyer (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.
I came to college because I didn't know that there were other options after high school. As far as I knew, even the guy who sat in his souped-up muscle smoking pot during junior English car accidents of
Please phrase your answer in the form of a question
Erin Rooney
opinion@kansan.com
English had expectations of moving on to higher education.
I may have been correct, but I don't think we had the same definition of a "higher" education.
Anyway, after experiencing institutionalized indoctrination, I've concluded that not all of the answers to life's questions can be found in the classroom. In fact, I think that the system creates more questions than answers. And it certainly creates more problems than solutions.
In a lame attempt to make the last six years of my life have some sort of meaning, I've decided to use this column to seek answers to questions that the University has instilled in my mind. With your help, I might not have to become the new hostess of "Unsolved Mysteries: The College Years." (Sort of like Beverly Hills 90210, except with Robert Stack.)
If you have answers to any of the following questions, please feel free to contact me. I'd appreciate your effort.
Question No.1
What are those colored pancake things that hang from the trees on campus every winter?
I'm convinced that one of the Hill Top day care workers brainwashed a bunch of four-year-old kids into thinking that adding food coloring to Bisquit is considered art.
Question No.2
Why do the windowless bathroom doors in Wescole Hall swing both ways and what genius thought that this was a good idea?
I manage to smack the door upside some unsuspecting soul's head every time I go into the bathroom.
It probably would have cost the university $10 more to purchase doors with those small rectangular windows in them. I gues there's no need to spend the extra money to make the student bathrooms user friendly.
Question No.3
Why can students 21 and older drink beer in the Union but not in their dorm rooms and, on that note, not in the football stadium?
Sure, the stadium and the residence halls are state property, so the law forbids alcohol there.
but isn't the Union about as on-campus as a building can get?
I also think the University can make a profit off of beer sales in the Union, but they don't make money off dorm residents drinking in the privacy of their room or from tailgaters on the Hill before football games.
If profit is a motivation, then why not have beer sales in the football stadium during games? There's a load of money to be made there, to say nothing of the dorms.
Question No.4
Do people really have sex in Watson Library?
My first semester at the University someone told me that the library stacks were named in some national magazine as a hot spot for having sex.
Question No. 5
I can't imagine what fun there is in getting all hot and bothered in the creepy stacks. If a person is trying to do it for sport, well, I think that the floor in front of the Chancellor's office would bring a bigger adrenaline rush.
Question No. 6
Did Raef LaFrentz, Lester Earl and Scot Pollard really wear glasses or were glasses just a part of their suave, coach-like. I have-to-sit-on-the-side-lines outfit?
Just curious.
What is the real story behind Red Man?
Someone out there has to know what existed before his body was adorned with "That's my Dillon's" T-shirts.
Question No.7
Why is the speed limit 20 mph on Jayhawk Boulevard and 30 mph everywhere else on campus?
I'm in favor of ditching the speed of sloth on the Boulevard, especially after 5 p.m.
Somehow I can find a way not to squash the engineering students pouring out onto 15th Street when I'm traveling at 30 mph. Campus motorists have the same abilities in front of Fraser Hall.
Question No.8
And finally. Question No. 9
For all of the time they spend on campus, have the Hare Krishnas ever converted any students to their religion?
No offence to any Krishnas that may be out there but I think that I'd ask the same question of my priest if he were doing the same.
If anyone buys or finds any CDs with my last name written in black magic marker on them, could you please let me know?
I'd appreciate getting them back. Thanks.
Erin Rooney is a Topeka senior in journalism.
Martin Scorsese's film, *Kundun*, was released about a month ago. The film, set in the 1940s and 50s, is about the young leader of the Asian nation of Tibet. He is the Dalaj
America must act against China's Tibetan genocide
Lama, the leader of Tibetan Buddhism. He is forced to lead his peaceful nation during an invasion by the People's Republic of China. The film shows Tibetan culture in all of its beauty, but stops when the true story begins.
Tibet, which is located in the Himalayas, is the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism. It is to Buddhism what Mecca is to Islam and what Israel is to Judaism In 1959, however, the peaceful and almost completely
Erik Goodman
opinion@kansan.com
unarmed nation was invaded by the Chinese government. What ensued was similar to the Holocaust. Since the invasion, more than 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed and more than 6,000 monasteries destroyed. Even today, Tibetan monks and nuns are tortured, and women are forced to have abortions and are made sterile.
The Chinese government's plan is to use genocide as a tool to expand its empire. China is moving its own people into Tibet as it commits these crimes. Tibet's culture is fading away as China assimilates it into the Chinese nation. Native Tibetans allowed to live there are shunned and the Chinese government does its best to deny them homes and jobs. If action is not taken quickly, Tibetan Buddhism will be wiped out. Those that wish to practice the religion will have to live in exile. Even children are not immune to China's oppression. Three years ago an 8-year-old boy was recognized as a reincarnation of the Pan-
With China's Holocaust-like actions, one might assume that the United States had taken action to correct the situation. However, our government has done nothing. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other U.S. politicians have said they wanted to separate our economic policy with China from our human rights policy. Even President Clinton would not officially meet with the Dalai Lama, perhaps in fear of angering China. Instead Clinton dropped by while Vice President Gore met with the Dalai Lama. Meanwhile, individuals concerned about China's atrocities must wait while corporate America reaps the gains from economic relations with China. America needs to oppose China's actions, and it must act soon. Every day that we fail to act, a Tibetan monk may be tortured or a Tibetan family murdered.
chan Lama, 'Tibetan Buddhism's second-highest spiritual leader. He then was imprisoned by the Chinese government, making him the youngest political prisoner in the world.
Americans must help to stop this injustice. When our government will not speak out, it is up to us. We should inform our elected officials that we want to support Tibet. Tell other Americans about the genocide in Tibet — just passing the word could make a difference. We must take a stand because it is, in a sense, our world at stake. If we had not stopped Hitler, many of our Jewish friends and classmates would not be here. If we had not supported an end to apartheid, then oppression and murder might continue in South Africa. We must ensure that Tibet receives the same attention we gave to these and other atrocities around the world. The genocide must be stopped.
Erik Goodman is a Dayton, Ohio, sophomore and president of Students for a Free Tibet
Feedback
Kansan story missed the point:
GTA issue is more than money
This is regarding the story "Forum affirms higher-quality GTA benefits" in the Kansan, Thursday, Jan. 29.
Graduate teaching assistants formed a union to address concerns about compensation, work conditions, and training. While money was a factor, it was not the sole issue around which GTAs formed a collective bargaining unit.
Therefore, I was surprised to find that my presentation at a
Indeed, during negotiations GTAs and their union did not request huge base salary increases. Rather, GTAs negotiated a modest 3 percent
recent University Forum was summarized by the Kansan reporter as "salary earnings were a big issue." Of course the low earnings of GTAs are an important issue and should concern all members of the University of Kansas community. Despite that, it should have been noted, as it was repeatedly at the Forum, that money was not the biggest issue for GTAs.
merit increase which was contingent on faculty merit increases, and went for health care rather than more money.
Helen Sheumaker
There's nothing wrong with money, of course, and GTAs would welcome higher salaries more commensurate with their work. But the issues around which GTAs formed a union, negotiated a contract, and work for now are far more complicated than just the buck.
Acting Secretary, Graduate Teaching Assistant Coalition