Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Lindsey Henry, Editor Marc Harrell, Business manager
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Friday. Jan. 23, 1998
Editorial
The schoolchildren who cleaned Allen Field House deserve full wage
The University of Kansas Athletic Department managed to save $750 this month by refusing to fully pay a group of elementary school students hired to clean Allen Field House. The Athletic Department, which regularly lets local groups clean the field house as a fundraiser, gave the group of students the cleaning job after the Kansas vs. Colorado men's basketball game on Jan 7.
Anyone who has ever cheered on the Jayhawk men at a home basketball game knows what a tremendous effort it would take to clean up afterward. The thousands of half-filled cups, nacho containers and shredded newspapers make it a job that most college students would be reluctant to tackle. The Athletics Department decided to give the task to a handful of elementary school students.
The 15 children from Prairie Park Elementary School were promised $1,450 for cleaning the field house. The
Miscommunication occurred between both parties,but c'mon — give the kids a break
students, who were trying to raise money for a class trip to Washington, D.C., arrived at the field house shortly after the Jan. 7 game. Although they received no formal instructions about how to do the job, the small group of children and a few parents worked well past midnight. Realizing that they had not completed the cleanup, the group returned Jan. 8 and 9 to finish.
After hours of hard labor on the part of the young students, the department said the cleanup was not done satisfactorily. Ron Penny, facilities maintenance supervisor, decided that the Prairie Park group should receive only half of the $1,450.
1n1s job never should have been given to a group of small children. The task requires the use of gas-powered backpack blowers that are almost impossible for small children to handle. The exhaust fumes from these blowers, not to mention the tobacco spit cups and half-eaten food, combine to make working conditions that are less than ideal for elementary school students. Penry, who said that he had similar problems in the past with other young groups, had the responsibility to grant the job to a group that could handle it. The actions of Penry and the department were irresponsible and inappropriate. Their dealings with the Prairie Park students make the phrase "stealing candy from a baby" come to mind. The department is in no dire need of the $750 it is holding. It should, as one anonymous field house janitor said, "Grow up and pay the full amount."
Susan Dunavan for the editorial board
City wrong in limiting center use
A venue used by nonprofit organizations has new policies that could restrict the use of the building.
The South Park Recreation Center implemented new policies in January that limit the number of bands that could play.
There also have been complaints about a violation of the noise ordinance when the facility was used, said Janet Murphy, the center supervisor.
These rules are too stringent and the noise complaints are exaggerated.
The one-band-per-rental policy is a city-wide policy implemented because of the wear and tear on the buildings that
may be caused by bands and their equipment.
This is absurd. Perhaps in other, newer recreation centers this could be a problem, but there is very little to damage at the South Park Center. The room in which the bands play has one door through which bands bring their equipment. All they have to do is set up on the tile floor, play and leave.
If groups want to have more than one band, they must ask Murphy. She should not pick and choose which groups are allowed to have multiple bands play.
nity. It allows Lawrence children to enjoy a show in a town where most events are geared toward college students.
Finally, the center has had problems with bands breaking noise ordinances. It seems unlikely that this could be a problem as the nearest building is hundreds of yards away and most concerts are during the day or evening. Anyone who has been in the building knows that the cinder block walls do a painfully good job of keeping the music inside.
These shows not only benefit the groups involved, but also the commu-
The city should work to increase the options for its organizations, not limit them.
Kansan staff
Paul Eakins for the editorial board
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"Democrats are...the party of government activism, the party that says government can make you smarter, richer, taller and get the chickweed out of your lawn. Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then got elected and prove it." —P.J. O'Rourke
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Perspective
First step toward harmony is to ban intolerant people
've always hated intolerant people.
Honestly, what's the matter with people who don't understand that the rights and actions of others should be respected? It seems
pretty basic concept, ye many just don't get it. And don't like those people.
Tolerance is in the news again because of the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade
that annual excuse for people to hurl epithets at each other and feel morally superior. I'm not going to write about Roe vs. Wade because 1) I'm not stupid and 2) I want to keep my friends.
Clay McCuistion
oininge@tansan.com
However, one symptom of the anniversary is the huge amount of intolerance and intolerant people —which, as stated before, I can't stand.
I guess this prejudice of mine goes back to childhood, as most prejudices do. I lived in a neighborhood that was mainly comprised of tolerant individuals. Our schools had "Winter Breaks" instead of "Christmas Breaks," our local church performed "friendship ceremonies" between persons of the same gender, and everybody just got along. My third grade year, though, the "intolerants" moved in. They were ugly people with the Neanderthal features generally associated with antiquated ideas. They started campaigns to make English the official language of town, formed prayer clubs in the schools and suggested that single motherhood wasn't a good idea.
Needless to say, the arrival of these deviant sent the tolerant people of my town into an uproar. No one knew course to take, until an older, respected lady suggested the formation of the TOD (Tolerant or Die) organization at a city meeting. The idea was that people from around the community would wear plaid robes and caps and pay midnight visits to the intolerant people. These visits would consist of the TOD members burning a stick of wood (a burning cross would be offensive) in the intolerant's
yard and chanting "equal rights for all" in soft voices.
Unfortunately, the TOD group was a resounding failure. Not enough plaid robes and caps could be found and most of the members were worried about waking people in the middle of the night.
I'm sure that some readers are smirking to themselves. "Surely," they say, "McCuistion isn't serious. Isn't it intolerant to hate intolerant people?"
Sadly, the area in which I was born and raised became a haven for small-minded, conservative, Republican-type people. Thankfully my family moved away before I could be tainted by the corruption. But since then my prejudice against such people has been unshakable.
My answer: of course not. How could you possibly accuse me of being an intolerant? I believe in getting along and in general harmony. But if anyone doesn't like those ideals, then they're obviously worthy of my scorn and derision.
The same readers then might say: "Isn't this whole column a juvenile put-on? We bet you made up all that stuff about your childhood."
To which I would reply: Part of tolerance is putting up with others' handicaps. Sometimes people are handicapped in their ability to tell the truth. In order to show them respect, you must act like you believe them. If you say you doubt them you are acting intolerant, and I must hate you.
Suffice to say that intolerant people don't have a place in our society. We've moved beyond those primitive days when people could hold onto whatever moth-eaten ideals they wanted. The notion that some humans are good and some bad is silly and outdated. We should respect and support everyone in the fast-approaching new millennium. If any person is not prepared to take this leap into tolerance and understanding, they should be shunned and discriminated against at every opportunity.
Intolerant people, move along. There's no place for your kind here.
Clay McCuistion is an El Dorado freshman in journalism.
Nothing brings us together like a good pile driving
Call it corny, call it fake, call it what you will, but the World Wrestling Federation is the great unifier. Few things bring people together the way a beautifully executed pile driver does
Admittedly more entertainment than sport—maybe even a soap opera for men—the WWF is back on the rise. Whether you like it or not, you can't help but be captivated by the sub-plots which unfold every week. All it takes to get hooked is one two-hour episode of Monday Night Raw, and you're addicted. I succeeded to this temptation over Christmas Break.
R. J.
Wooding
spinion@kansan.com
My family is one of rabid wrestling fans. My father
attended high school with "Macho Man" Randy Savage. My brother Chris and I grew up as "Hulkamaniacs," saying our prayers and taking our vitamins just like the Hulkster instructed. As I grew older, though, I began to lose interest and ultimately stopped watching. Not until this year did I take an interest again.
Every Monday Night, the guys on my floor in McCollum Hall gather in the lobby to watch Raw. There used to be a lot of animosity on my floor, but that all ended when we began to watch together. Many of us became friends. We even tried to purchase Royal Rumble on pay-per-view. Every week when I watch Raw, I look through the crowd and see all types of people. Men in business suits cheering in unison with construction workers. Grandchildren and grandparents sharing popcorn while Dude Love struts his stuff. Women swooning for "Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. And the entire audience erupted when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, the most popular and charismatic wrestler since Hulk Hogan, entered the ring. The W.W.F. simply brings people together.
Of the catch phrases on campus today, "com
My challenge to you is this: Let's work together to bring Monday Night Raw to Allen Field House.
mon ground" is my favorite. People have been talking about diversity requirements as a way to help soothe racial and cultural tension. That's a nice idea, but I have found that nothing brings people together better than a common goal. Using that goal as common ground, KU students of all walks of life can unite and work together.
Imagine if all of the University worked to make this vision a reality. The benefits would be incredible. Barriers would be broken, stereotypes shattered and friendships made. Campus pride would be at an all-time high. The university would be showcased for two hours on national television to an audience other than basketball fans.
How do we bring them here? Since the WWF travels to Kansas City each year, we need to convince them that Allen Field House is better than Kemper Arena. To do that we can fly out WWF owner Vince McMahon for a basketball game. After that experience how could he say no. Then we persuade SUA to sponsor *Monday Night Raw* rather than AI Franken. The WWF will sell-out a lot faster and would be more exciting.
How do we pay for this? We ask SuperTarget to sponsor the event, which unty advertise in the Kansan with those ugly inserts. We would reimburse any money the Kansan would lose by giv them a cut of the event's revenue. If any unexpected costs should arise, we could cover them by dipping into the Student Senate reserve account. After all, that's what it's there for.
As you can see, this would have to be a campuswide project, it will be a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. This is something that could unite us all, and isn't that what we all want?
As for campus unity, we pair up student organizations who are interested in working at Raw. For example, members of the Delta Force would be selling concessions with the Army ROTC.
R. J. Woodring is a Lisle, Ill., freshman in journalism.
Buzz on the Boulevard
What is your opinion about residence hall polling sites for Student Senate elections?
Vanessa Sincock, Springfield, Mo. freshman in fine arts
Sarah McPartlin, Chicago senior in interpersonal communications
"I think we should have them. It should be more available to the whole campus population. The easier it is to vote the more likely you are to get diverse voting."
Jesse Oberkisch, St. Louis sophomore in business
"It's a good idea. It makes it so much easier. When they had the blood drive they signed up a lot of people at the dorms. It's more convenient."
"I think it was probably working out just the way they had it. They shouldn't complicate it by putting it at the dorms."
Jerome Wilhort, Salina junior in journalism
"I don't have a problem at all with the polling sites. I think it's a good idea because it will get students more involved in voting."