4 Tuesday, May 4,1993 OPINION UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN IN OUR OPINION Congress right to lift combat ban on women Defense Secretary Les Aspin announced recently that he would lift the ban on women in the armed services. Restrictions for women flying combat missions and serving on Navy warships would soon cease to exist. With congressional approval, women would be allowed to participate in air and sea combat duty. Aspin's historical action still would cleave women from infantry, cavalry and armor participation. But if Congress approves lifting the ban, women would be able to work battlefield jobs that currently only are available to men. Some veterans, however, oppose the Pentagon's decision. Women would have to face the same perils as men. The opposition does not think women cold handle this pressure. Yet, by allowing women into combat, unit cohesion actually might be improved. Women's chances for advancement to higher positions now are becoming a reality. Lifting the ban would diminish inconsistent policies of the Navy and Air Force in regards to women's assignments. Gender should not matter when it comes to fightinga war. Neutral qualification standards for both men and women would ensure that the most appropriate person would get the job. T. M. KNIGHT FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES Clinton lacks focus on issues risks failure President Clinton's task of consolidating his presidency will be better served by a more selective agenda until he has scored some successes. He should focus on the more urgent issues. Opening up too many fronts is inadvisable for a president who still gropes in foreign relations or federal politics at home. Focusing on core issues would also help to optimize his time and energy. America's external clout will depend more on its economic recovery than anything else. He is right to want new measures in place soon. But he must first build a working relationship with Congress rather than clobber his opponents in public. Straits Times Singapore Referendum offers hope for Yeltsin, Russia The Russian president, armed with the moral backing of the results, can discredit his adversaries, put a finish to the endless struggle over byzantine divisions of power between parliamentarians and government representatives. The widespread confidence in Yeltsin, if the current estimates (from the referendum) are confirmed, will allow him to try to end the country's governmental paralysis. The rivalry between the two powers, the executive and the legislative, was preventing the nation from moving forward after several years of pure anarchy. tives, and finally, after all this chaos, govern a country that's going through tremendous diffculties. Russia has said "Yes" — "Da" in Russian — to Boris Yeltsin. Now what's needed is government. If Nelshun's adversaries face reality, they won't use their last legal resources and they'll bury their perpetual parliamentary sabotage that they had, until now, used against the interests of the country. ABC Madrid Spain Russian vote signals support for reforms (Boris) Yeltsin claims that he won, Khasbulatov (the Russian parliamentary chairman) denies having lost, but both overlook the principle verdict of Sunday's referendum; the extraordinary triumph of the Russian people; the political and human lesson of those voters who voted 'yes' to the economic privations imposed by the president. Russians voted "yes" against the logic of immediate interests that usually guides the masses, against a past of czars and tyrans, against that conservative resignation which has for centuries chained the people to risk-free "social acts." From the referendum ballot boxes came a cultural revolution that affirms the Russian people's desire for reforms, their willingness to continue to suffer in order to obtain them, and their hope in a better future in the name of modernity, a market economy, and, it is to be believed, democracy. Corriere della Sera Milan, Italy Kansan editor reflects on challenging semester Last semester, my predecessor, Eric Nelson, encouraged me in his end-of-the-semester column to enjoy "the walk." What he meant in simple terms was for me to enjoy my daily journey up to campus. This was the time each day when I like be before, slowly would make my way to class, monitoring as I went student reaction to that day's University Daily Kansan. But in a broader sense, Eric meant for me to enjoy my tenure as Kansan editor. It's a message I've remembered throughout the semester. And I have enjoyed this job and all its challenges thoroughly. I began this semester with two goals. My first was to work with Gayle Osterberg, managing editor, and Justin Knup, assistant managing editor, to establish a vision for the Kansan that would allow it and all its staff members to thrive. In simple terms, I wanted the newspaper and its staff to be the best they ever had been. That was a lofty and idealistic goal, and I cannot be the judge of whether we met it. KANSAN EDITOR But this staff has worked together as a team better than any staff I've ever been around. We shared our successes and our failures, and we were committed to making each issue of the Kansan the best we could provide. The people on this staff worked between 20 and 70 hours a week, many without monetary compensation, to improve this newspaper. They were loyal to the vision we had established, dedicated to providing a newspaper consistent with our high standards and committed to excellent journalism. They made this semester the success Lonely could hope it would be. My second goal for this semester was to improve relations between the Kansan and the University and Lawrence communities. I owe many of you for helping me meet this goal. I visited with several individuals and groups to discuss issues that concerned them. They would explain their concerns, and I would try to explain our position. Sometimes, as I told the groups with whom I visited, we were wrong. If forever will be grateful to the members of the African-American community who explained to me how our pictures of the 16th Annual Big Eight Conference on Black Student Government perpetuated stereotypes about African Americans. Relations between the Kansan and that community were improved simply through understanding. But sometimes we have to agree to disagree. Sometimes we have to realize that we all have different perspectives on different issues and that all of those perspectives are important. We received many calls last week from women in regard to our package about Tracy Jones, a student who strips to make money for college. They claimed the stories and the photos were demeaning to women and should not have been printed. While we understood their position, I explained that the package was, in the opinion of myself and Gayle Osterberg, well-balanced and well-researched and the portrayal of a trend toward this sort of activity. Both sides had to agree to disagree. In addition to the constructive criticism we received, we received calls and letters from people praising some of our work. I appreciate those efforts, too. The point is that a newspaper exists to be debated. If you read what we write and think about it critically, then we are doing our job. And if you write us letters, either for publication or not for publication, or call us, then a useful dialogue is created. Everyone benefits from this. My second goal was met when readers felt strongly enough about what we printed to open a dialogue with us. Today I made "the walk" for the last time. I have no regrets, and I forever will remember my time here. The Kansan will continue to thrive under the leadership of David Mitchell, summer editor, and KC Trauer, fall editor. Good luck to the summer and fall staffs. And guys, enjoy "the walk." Kansan Editor Greg Farmer is an Olista senior majoring in journalism. LETTER TO THE EDITOR The Native American Student Association would like to clarify some misconceptions that may have developed from the recent articles in the Kansan. One of these misconceptions is our perceived affiliation with the American Indian Movement. In particular, we would like to address the article printed in the April 21 Kansan. In that issue, a NASA clears air about affiliation NASA member was cited as being the president of the organization. This is almost correct as NASA decided to have an egalitarian form of government and elected two copresidents in name only to deal with the administration. Those persons who were brought business to NASA for proper handling of issues. NASA as a council made decisions. imply that NASA restricts its members from being involved with other organizations. NASA has its own purpose and objectives operating under the rules of the University. NASA can sponsor events off campus but must be approved through proper channels. The other issue we feel is misleading. We want to clarify that AIM and NASA of KU are not affiliated with one another. However, this is not to With these misconceptions clarified, we extend our welcome to all who wish to become involved with NASA at KU. M. C. Baldwin NASA public relations officer Lawrence sophomore M. C. Baldwin Opinion page editor passes the torch on I have to thank both Eric Nelson, editor in Fall 1902, and Greg Farmer, this semester's editor, for the chance to serve in this position. The confidence that they showed in my leadership allowed me a chance to do what I thought was right. Well this is it. It's over. And while I can't say that I'm going to miss the long hours or the angry phone calls from editorial page readers, this has been one experience that I won't ever be able to duplicate. EDITORIAL EDITOR I'm not much for goodbyes but there are several people who should be recognized for their outstanding work on the editorial page this year. It is not often, so I am told, that the same person is able serve as editor for the entire year. I feel privileged that I was given the opportunity Their confidence also gave me the opportunity to fail. I think that everyone should be given that chance. It is only from a person's failures that one learns what to do differently. And trust me. We learned a lot. I also must thank and recognize all the people who served as editorial board members, columnists and cartoonist during the last year. I am the captain of the ship, these are the people who row the boat. Their commitment during this past year has been remarkable. They are the ones who served with thoughtfulness to further the public discourse at the University of Kansas. You may not have liked what they wrote or drew, but if they caused you to read the editorial page, they did their jobs. I have to thank both David Mitchell and Chris Moeser, the associate editorial editors for the fall and spring semesters. Although their names did not appear on the mast head everyday, they deserve just as much credit as anyone for the quality of the editorial page this year. Most importantly, I want to thank you, the students and readers, who truly do breathe life into the editorial page. Your letters and guest columns let us, the people who write, know what we are and are not doing right. And judging by the number of letters we received this year, we must be doing a lot of things right. It is not the function of an editorial page to seek agreement among everyone. It is not the function of an editorial page to be light and easy reading. The job of an editorial page is to criticize when necessary, offer suggestions when possible, but most importantly, present thoughtful, well-researched opinions in a fair and credible manner. I believe we achieved that academic year. The students of KU are truly blessed to have one of the most respected, if not the most respected, collegiate newspaper in the nation. While many people could care less if the *Kansan* stopped printing tomorrow, you should be proud that the *Kansan* gives as much care to detail and strives to produce a quality product for you everyday. Very few colleges can make such a claim. And now Chris and I pass the torch on to two new leaders. Two capable, reasonable and intelligent women who will guide this page next semester. Terrynlyn and Colleen, have fun. The hard work will surely pay off, and the whole campus will be better because of your contributions. Editorial Editor Stephen Martino is an Olathe junior majoring in political science and journalism. GREG FARMER KANSAN STAFF GAYLE OSTERBERG Managing editor TOM ERLEN General manager, news adviser BILL SKEET. Technology coordinator Editors Asst. Managing Justin Knupp News Monique Guisain David Mitchell Editorial Stephen Martins Campus C.C Treuer Sports David Mitchell Photoshop Mark Rowlands Features Lynne McAdow Graphics Dan Schafer Writing Tiffany LAush Hattir Assistant Editors Assoc. Editorial Chris Moeser Assoc. Campus Joe Harder Asst. Campus Christopher Leav Stacy Morford Assoc. Photo Daron Bennett Assoc. Sports David Bannuel Reporters Vicki Bode Mark Button Jane Dalewee David Donney Matt Doyle Dan England Ben Grove Martin Baker Will Levine Frank McCleary Terilyn McCormick Brady Prauner Jim Reece ... Britt Riga Todd Selfert ... Blake Spumey Jay Williams ... Era Wolfe Scott Anderson ... Copy Chiefs Copy Editors ... Shelly Sollo Heather Anderson ... Aaron Baker Clair J. Brolore ...艾曼e Etrada John Paul Fogel ... Kristi Fogler Kevin Furlong ... Katie Greenwald Karen Hadley ... Joe Mander Linda Laskas Hurt ... Chin Jian Kaito Noelle Kastens ... Chris Laue Allison Lipper ... Tim Marks Slaky Mortord ... Monique Nasser Trace Richie ... Coney Shoup Julie Wasson ... Jay William Photographers Andrew Arone ... Jason Auld Kim Buche ... Kip Chin Richard Devinki ... Kathy Driscoll Douglas Hesse ... Jason Hyman Ritune Noobber ... Paul Koehler Irene Lanier ... Rachael Thompson Graphics Artist Dave Campbell ... Andrew Hodgis Katherine Manweller ... Derek Noen Designer Eri Fogart ... 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