4
Monday, March 1, 1993
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
IN OUR OPINION
Students need to take notice of local issues
The recent presidential election demonstrated that students can make a difference when it comes to the government. Tomorrow, students can invoke that same power in the Lawrence city commission primary elections.
It is an ironic but too often true fact that people are more likely to vote in a national election, where their vote has less impact. On a local level, 10 or 15 extra votes are all that is needed to affect change.
The majority of KU students owns no real estate in Lawrence. Many spend summers and vacations elsewhere. If asked where home is most will give their parents home town, even if they reside there three months out of 12.
But city commission decisions involve all Lawrence residents, no matter where they call home. In the past, decisions banning alcoholic beverages on the Hill, increasing bar checks, creating a noise ordinance and raising the sales tax have been approved by the commission with students taking little notice.
Students put a considerable amount of money into the Lawrence economy. If a student spends monthly $275 for rent, $150 on food and entertainment, $25 on clothes and accessories, $10 on gas, that student would spend $4,140 in nine months. This semester there are 23,683 students enrolled on campus.
On Tuesday, an informed vote is only the first step. Weekly commission meetings are open and televised live on cable Channel 6. For those who find them tedious, both the Kansan and the Lawrence Journal World run commission highlights on Wednesday. Student representatives also are invited to take part in commission meeting discussions. Lawrence High School and Haskell Indian Junior College have sent student representatives to the Tuesday night meetings. KU has no such representative.
VAL HUBER FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
It's time KU students start putting their mouths where their money is.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
New policy on abortion intolerable
I think Ms. Jurcky was right on the mark with what she insinuated about Clinton. Only a few things were omitted: 1. A major part of his pro-abortion policy lifted the ban on fetal tissue experimentation. This tissue is taken while the baby is still alive. Regardless of whether you call it a fetus or a baby, it is alive--why else the need for an abortion? This entity still has a brain stem and therefore feels the painful process that sucks out her or her brain tissue.
2. Clinton re-established aid to agencies in Third World countries that purport to do abortion counseling. Some would not call this counseling at all, but coercion. Many of these so-called "underdeveloped countries" do not share the popular western view that demeans life below a certain povertyline.
3. And, of course, the Freedom of Choice Act was mentioned. But it was not explained that this would allow for abortions during all nine months of pregnancy for any reason. No limits on abortions whatsoever. In fact, it is even suggested that such a measure would
mandate private hospitals to provide abortions, even if they are ethically opposed to it. So much for freedom.
Juryck is headed in the right direction, but the question is not whether Clinton a feminazi, but rather, can we as a nation of conscience let him continue?
Patricia McGowan St Mary's Kan.
Letter reveals arrogance of University
First there were the comments of the KU Law School dean about the Washburn Law School.
Then there was the letter to the editor by T.S. David stating that Washburn should be kept around to provide underpaid public defenders.
It is amazing how arrogant one university can be over such a mediocre program on the national level as the KU Law School.
Snob Hill lives!
Scott Feldhausen Lawrence graduate student
GREG FARMER
KANSAN STAFF
STEVE PERRY
GAYLE OSTERBERG Managing editor
Editor
TOM EBLEN
General manager, news adviser
MELISSATERLIP
TOM EBLEN
JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser
Assist Managing Justin Knapp
News Monique Gulalan
David Mitchell
Editorial Stephen Martino
Campus KC Trauner
Sports David Martino
Photo Mark Rowland
Festivals Lynne McAdoo
Graphics Dan S*
Editor
BILL SKEET, Technology coordinator
Business manage
Campus sales mgr ..Brad Broun
Regional sales mgr...Wade Baxter
National sales mgr...Jennifer Perrier
Co-op sales mgr...Ashley Hessel
Production mgrs ...Ashley Lengford
Marketing director...Angel Cleverdon
Creative director...Holly Perry
Loretta Cameron
Ad Director...Dave Habler
Retail sales manager
**letters** should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words. They must include the writer's signature, name, address and telephone number (or email address) with the (inverse) order of city or city staff position.
**Guest column** should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The writer will be photographed, so the right is in respect or edit letters document and cartoons. They can also be used to send a resume to the office.
photographed.
The Rancho deserves the right to reprint or re版 letters, guest columns and cartoons. They can also be sent to the Kavanah newsroom, 113 Stanfield Fell Hall.
Enough would be for all of us to remember that a single beam of white light, when shown through a prism, breaks up into a rainbow of colors. And that when equal parts of these colors are mixed together you still get nothing but gray. My point being that we have to respect our differences and celebrate our similarities to avoid the grazing effect of confusion.
enough would be all of us making a personal commitment to the realization
Enough would be for the University to stop treating diversity like a sensitivity workshop and more like the way of life it deserves to be.
African-American events deserve better coverage
Last month the world paused to celebrate the life's work of one of this country's most admired and looked-to leaders, Punxusutawney Phil, that Pennsylvania rodent who promised us six more weeks of winter. Thanks, Phil
And while I appreciate the forewarning, I have to wonder why Phil got more accurate coverage than the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. Black Student Union, Lawrence High School and other local organizations played host to several events to commemorate Dr. King's legacy. All but one of these events came and went without any news coverage by the Kansan, including a speech by Susan Taylor, editor-in-chief of Essence magazine. And the one article to appear in the Kansan was written by a reporter who was nowhere near the event. Granted, she did make some phone calls to people who were in attendance, and I hesitate to call that accurate coverage. And, considering the impact that Dr. King had on all of our lives, I would say that it borders on the disrespectful.
STAFF COLUMNIST
After the King incident the country and the Kansan chanced upon another opportunity to pause for the cause: Black American History month. The entire month of February, the shortest month of the calendar year, is dedicated to acknowledging the achievements and contributions of African-Americans in our society. The Kansan's coverage of some well-done profiles of African-American campus and per campus events. But it almost completely disregarded the 16th annual Big Eight Conference on Black Student Government; the conference that took more than two years and 75,000 to plan; the conference that offered student government workshops and world-renowned lecturers including Leonard Jeffries,
Enough would be a mutual respect and finding a means to break through the communication barriers that so solidly still exist.
Sonia Sanchez, and Marcia Ann Gilliespoon, editor-in-chief of *Ms. magazine*. I cannot stress enough the significance of the Big Eight conference, the impact that it had on me and its participants or the impact that it will have on all of our lives, because those in attendance are our country's future leaders. This year's conference was the biggest and best that BSU has ever hosted, but many people weren't given the opportunity to know that.
Kim Baskett is an Olathe senior majoring in Journalism.
The conference offered students an opportunity to realize the importance of Black contributions. But you would not get that from the Kansan coverage. But you did get another opportunity to see Black people dancing and singing in a stereotypical manner. The lack of high-quality coverage was a disservice to the entire University community. And the fact that it received less than adequate coverage is a classic example of University disregard for minority contributions to this campus. It is my opinion this is the primary responsibility of a university paper.
But responsibility does not get checked at the Kansan's door. As a minority I have an obligation to voice my concerns and put myself in a position to make the necessary changes.
The Kansan has a responsibility to further the education of students outside of the classroom.
The Kansan has a responsibility to cover news relevant to all of its readers and, in my opinion, this obligation has often gone unmet.
I know for a fact that the Kansan has made some effort to get minorities on the editorial board. I know for a fact that Greg Farmer, editor of the Kansan, has personally made phone calls and asked for volunteers to be a representative voice of the minority community. I know, too, that James Baucom, BSU president, specifically requested group coverage of the conference but did not get it. I know that minority students have, in the past, gone through diplomatic channels to affect a change.
And I know that it has not been enough. Had it been enough, the conference would have gotten the coverage it deserved. Had it been enough, that reporter might have actually been present, in more than spirit, at the Dr. King celebration.
Enough would be minority students becoming involved and, in effect, empowering themselves to make the changes we all know are necessary.
Then what would be enough?
NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
New fighter not justified in light of cuts
Gen. Colin L. Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is likely to receive kudos for his plan to consolidate some U.S. military aviation operations.
With the Cold War over, there is no need to maintain an army capable of massive mobilization. Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, noted last July that the Pentagon could save $1.5 billion annually by doing away with five duplicative wings.
The Navy is pursuing a new version of the F-18 jfighter in a program that cost more than $80 billion.
Against whom is this new version to fly? Are we developing new, better weapons for the sake of better weapons?
wings.
But, wait. What's this?
Who does this benefit?
Is this technology for the sake of technology or for
the sake of defense contractors?
Against the context of downsizing to save $1.5 billion, this proposed $80 billion expense for a new fighter raises enormous costs and taxes, taxpayers should demand answers. What justifies this expense?
The Clarion-Ledger Jackson, Miss.
1906 FM
STAFF COLUMNIST
Unstable job market upsets engineering candidate
What does the world need? Certainly a question with many answers.
For my own part, I've always been partial to tar — something about the way it oozes into a crack to seal a roof or repair a street.
Unfortunately, many of us about to graduate are finding that the world doesn't need us. At least not in the profession we chose to pursue.
Yes, after busting our butts for the last four years, we're faced with the burning question: "Should I apply at McDonald's or burger King?"
Although it hasn't come to that yet, the current trend in my job search indicates that it will. For those of you who have yet to begin a job search, allow me to give you an example of what it's like.
I'm sure you're all familiar with what is known as a career fair — where several employers gather at a university to meet with prospective employees. Well, the last career fair that I attended was back in the fall semester. Out of the approximately 40 employers attending, a grand total of three were there to recruit aerospace engineers. This may not seem unusual, but consider the fact that this was an "engineering" career fair held here at the University of Kansas (which, the last I've heard, is ranked second in the nation for undergraduate studies in aerospace engineering.).
Note the word "recruit." That's what those who promoted the career fair called it. It was a strange usage of the word because none of the three was actually looking for employees. From what I could tell, they were basically there to comfort job-seeking students. Using some sort of twisted psychological belief that those in a bad position feel better knowing they're not alone, this was done by informing us that thousands of employees are currently unemployed. Also, they are temporarily inclined to prevent us from getting our hopes up about recruiting a job by saying, "We'll have to rehire all those people we've already laid off before we consider hiring an inexperienced student." I guess they don't want us to be disappointed.
so, it we return to my initial question, the answer would be one less aerospace engineer and one more airplane. Of course it's something each one of us has to answer according to our own special circumstances, and I'll allow you to fill in the blanks. This leaves the final question: What is to be done with us "extras of society"? To this question, there is no simple answer. It's something that has to be determined by the extras themselves. Just keep in mind, everything happens for a reason.
Now, this is not to say that the job search problem is unique to aerospace engineers — I'm only speaking from my own experiences. After all, only a small percentage of the 27,000 Boeing employees fired aerospace engineers.
As for me, I'm going to look at the time I've spent in engineering school as a valuable learning experience — something I can take with me as I pursue my career as an actor. Who knows, maybe I'll make enough money to open a shelter for homeless aerospace engineers.
The truth is that finding a job has become difficult. And, if you're in my position, it's not a matter of competition, but a matter of finding a job to compete for.
Marvin McBett is a Hutchinson senior
malering in aerospace engineering.
by Moses Smith