OPINION
The University Daily KANSAN
February 13. 1984 Page 4
The University Daily KANSAN
Published since 1889 by students of the University of Kansas
The University Daily Kanaan (USP5 609-640) is published at the University of Kansas, 118 Stuaffer-Flint Hall, Lawrence, KA 60045, daily during the regular school year and Monday and Thursday during the summer session, on booking午班, Sunday, holidays, and final periods. Second class postage paid at Lawnerville $3 for the week, $5 for the month, and $2 for the year. Student subscriptions are a $1 semester paid through the student activity fee. POSTMASTER! Send address changes to: University Daily Kanaan (USP5 609-640).
DOUG CUNNINGHAM
Editor
DON KNOX
Managing Editor
SARA KEMPIN
Editorial Editor
JEFF TAYLOR ANDREW HARTLEY Campus Editor News Editor
DAVE WANAMAKER Business Manager
CORT GORMAN
Retail Sales Manager
National Sales Manager
PAUL JESS
JANICE PHILIPS DUNCAN CALLOH
Campus Sales Manager Classified Manager
PAULESS
General Manager and News Adviser
JOHN OBERZAN Sales and Marketing Adviser
Torch still burns
As thousands of mourners yesterday filed past the bier of former Soviet President Yuri Andropov, the foreign press scrambled to determine whom the Central Committee would nick as his successor.
Most reports predict the selection of Konstantin Chernenko, 72, who rose to prominence in the Kremlin hierarchy as the closest aide of former President Leonid Brezhnev. Other names mentioned include two younger members of the governing Politburo, 52-year-old Mikhail Gorbachev and 60-year-old Grigory Romanov.
The speculation, however, is almost meaningless. All preliminary indications show that the new Soviet leader will continue the anti-American, anti-capitalism stance of his two predecessors.
The new president undoubtedly will continue to accuse the United States of trying to gain military superiority over the Warsaw Pact allies, a line espoused by Brezhnev and Andropov.
Moreover, the new president probably will continue the relentless Kremlin stand against socialism, which signals the continued harsh treatment of Soviet dissidents.
Cherenkenko has called for a "more lively and informative" press, but the Kremlin's past record on distributing information demonstrates that any increase in coverage will prove to solidify the use of political and social propaganda.
Also, many of those mentioned to be in the running for the Central Committee's nod have endorsed Andropov's crackdown on cultural freedom. In past speeches, Cherenko has said that the Soviet Union should beware of ideologically harmful foreign pop music groups and of films showing "loose and whining characters."
Most important, diplomats say that the president-designate of the Soviet Union probably will be unable to thaw diplomatic relations between the world's superpowers. Chernenko leadership, they say, will tighten central controls and reverse Andropov's economic experiments that tended toward decentralization.
Today, the Central Committee reportedly will meet to determine the country's new leader.
The torch soon will be passed. But the Soviet government's flame of repression and censorship probably will burn as brightly as ever.
City should end story
Before Tuesday, only two groups could have been blamed for not resolving the issue of putting a Catholic center at Crescent and Engel roads.
Another chapter in the saga of the St. Lawrence Catholic Center has been written. And the town now has another scapegoat for continuing the turmoil — the Lawrence City Commission.
But the city, which was to moderate discussion between the two groups, has failed to find an acceptable solution to the problem and can now be considered the guilty third party.
The commission again voted to defer action after hearing five hours of debate and comment last week from representatives of both the Crescent-Engel Neighborhood Association and the Catholic center.
Although the question of adequate
parking space is complex, the commission is only prolonging the agony of all concerned by not finding an answer.
Three months ago, the commission heard the issue and told both sides to negotiate privately and approach the commission with some agreement.
But since that time, the groups have further polarized, proving that the chances of a self-wrought resolution are slim.
The city did give some broad guidelines for both sides to discuss until it hears other arguments at its Feb. 28 meeting, but the commission should have recognized the distance between the two sides and forced a compromise.
Imposing a city-developed solution to the problem does seem drastic, but it also seems essential. For the city must end the story.
Education as equalizer
The theme for this year's Black History Month—"Black Americans and the Struggle for Excellence in Education"—should have special meaning for students at the University of Kansas, as well as for students across the nation.
John Slaughter, the keynote speaker for KU's Black History Month activities, said it best: "... education continues to be the great social equalizer."
People of different races, religions and sexes bring up unique ideas through education that improve society for all. People who pursue knowledge begin to appreciate the value of contributions that come from people from different backgrounds.
Education crumbles the barriers of prejudice.
During Black History Month, students should ponder more than usual the thought that education not only allows exploration of one's potential but also makes one aware of the potential of others.
The University Daily Kansan welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced and should not exceed 300 words. They should include the writer's name, address and phone number. If the writer is affiliated with the University, the letter should include his class and home town or faculty or staff qualifications. The Kansan will provide individuals and groups to submit guest columns. Columns and letters can be mailed or brought to the Kansan office, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit or reject letters and columns.
I have lived for 21 years and 865 days as a closet birthday hater. I cringe at the thought of those little girls who look like a family of cone-heads.
Happy birthday to me
I have no tolerance for noise-makers, and that icky-sticky white frosting that comes from the bakery in town is worth it. It has a high point of the annual festivities.
I also despise that stupid birthday song, written so that nobody can ever hit the high notes.
And, of course, I detest the thought of growing old.
In a word, I think birthdays are rotten.
Birthdays are forced on you at the age of one, when your doting parents turn your rosy cheeks into something close to a sacrificial offering to the relatives 'pin-happy fingers.
Luckily, memory does not permit, for most of us, a clear recollection of our first birthday party.
little friends to your next birthday party. Oh, goody. When you run crying to your room at this suggestion, Mom takes it upon herself to invite the whole class.
Unfortunately, some sniper with a Kodak Instantastic always manages to get a snapshot of you with chocolate cake smeared over everything within a 15-inch radius of the chair, including most of your face.
The years following your first birthday pass, with the perennial partying much the same as it was the first year. But after four or five years with only Aunt Zelda and Grampa Hubert to witness your rites, you are suddenly thrust into the grade-school environment.
During your teen-age years, this photo will come back to haunt you when your mother uses it to问 what a slob you have always been
Now you're in the birthday big time. Mo n tells you to invite all your
Of course, only four kids show up at your party and three of them give you the same Barbie doll as a present. And when you play the
HELAINE
KASKEL
Staff Columnist
requisite round of pin-the-tail on the donkey, the class clown decides that you — the birthday girl! she will get pinned right there on the tail
To put the final sting into this humiliation, Mom insists that you write thank you notes to everybody who showed up.
And fun times are still ahead.
This relief lasts only until you get invited to your first slumber party, complete with peanut butter in the sleeping bags and training bras in the ice-maker.
Like most things in life, grade school ends at last, along with all that "kid stuff." Junior high hooks into the classroom, respite from the birthday blight.
High school brings with it your 16th birthday. Along with the keys to the car, Mom and Dad hand you an auto insurance bill and tell you to find a part-time job to pay for it. I question the sanity of whoever christened it "Sweet Sixteen."
LETTERS POLICY
When the magic number — 18! — arrives at last, men wake up to a draft registration notice waiting in the mailbox. Later that night, men and women alike suffer the after-effects of a birthday baptism in six pitchers of 3.2 beer.
So what's left, today, on my 22nd birthday? As I searched in my triple-magnification mirror this morning for the first signs of crow's feet, I found the answer to this question: not a whole heck of a lot.
And I never trusted those ads that tell you you're not getting older, you're getting better. Any truth in that statement would apply to only three things in this world: wine, cheese and rare antiques.
You've now been initiated into the ranks of adulthood.
But I'm not one to go down without a fight. My aversion to birthdays has spawned a rather devious flash of affection for invigorating my birthday on February 29.
Your 19th and 20th years are distinguished only by an ongoing battle to procure a fake ID, which is difficult. You must be the forbidden fruit of the "21 clubs."
I dread those tacky studio greeting cards that trumpet "Happy Birthday!" — and then make some crack about their victim's longevity.
And finally, the last of the birthdays that has anything even marginally good to offer - your 21st arrives on schedule, healed by the assessment of a singing strip o-gram in your 9:30 a.m. lecture class.
As I said before, birthdays are rotten. But I think I can deal with them once every four years.
Basic themes in campaign pride, value
A twin tree is that government is bad in almost every way. And in his opinion there is no middle ground
WASHINGTON — President Reagan is laying out his basic campaign themes, and pride in America is foremost.
Since he declared his candidacy for re-election, Reagan, beaming with self-confidence, has made several speeches, all striking the theme that Americans are exemplary in almost every way.
When he went home to Dixon, ill,
to celebrate his 73rd birthday, a nostalgic Reagan spelled it out.
HELEN THOMAS
He is on a crusade to restore rugged individualism in hopes that people will gradually wither away except for the right to foreign policy and national security.
United Press International
"Our values bring us together as a nation.
The president genuinely feels that the nation was in a state of weakness and going backwards, until he took over and reasserted a strong America.
He uses the example of the Iranian hostage situation, blaming predecessor Jimmy Carter for weakening the government
He said in a speech on his birthday at Eureka College, his alma mater, that "partly in response to the Vietnam tragedy, an era of paralyzing self-doubt ruled out just and legitimate uses of American power, even acts of self defense" before he came to the presidency.
It is noteworthy, however, that eight uniformed men lost their lives in a rescue mission during the Carter era and some 260 military have been killed in foreign assignments in the present administration.
The assertion of U.S. power is not without a price. But the president believes it is worth it to show the world the United States stands ready to defend its interests. The cause, he said, is "human freedom."
He also believes he has created a safer America than his recent predecessors.
His tenure as president of the Screen Actors Guild in his movie acting days and his run-ins with the industry, he also founded a lifetime crusade against statism.
At Eureka, he said, "For most of my adult life, the intelligence has been entranced and enamored with the idea of state power, the notion that enough centralized authority concentrated in the hands of the trusted people can reform mankind and usher in a brave new world."
The president has struck a favorite theme for his political campaign — that individual freedom makes the seat what and government is the roadblock.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Voicing support
To the editor:
We all seek humane ideals such as justice, equality, love, honor and understanding.
We also hate to see ignorance, corruption and the high crime rate neutralize our positive efforts for better conditions of life.
Our humane motivation, however often times becomes a victim of politicians, the mass media and high-ranking interest groups.
The Islamic Revolution that occurred five years ago is one such event. In fact some of us might already have developed an unfavorable opinion of this historic event.
Let's, however, in spite of the biased reports we hear about the Islamic Revolution, consider some of the social modification that has been accomplished since the down-fall of the monarchy and the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran.
The crime rate has dropped substantially. During the last year, for example, less than 10 raps were reported; illegitimate children were not born or else their births were not reported.
Today alcoholism and its related problems do not exist in Iran. The number of marriages has increased because of divorce seems to be decreasing.
Illiteracy has drastically decreased. Twenty-five thousand new elementary and high schools were built. Water and electric power have reached many remote areas of the country.
All elderly rural citizens receive a regular pension and the economy of the country, as witnessed by Western sources, is flourishing.
And all of this has been accomplished while the country has been engaged in defending its territory
against the aggression of the godless regime of Iraq.
Isn't it now time to voice our support for those Muslims who are determined to bring man back to the essential values he was created for?
Domeshjoo Mosalman Lawrence resident
Kansas not dull
In reference to Mary Coffey's letter to the editor, I first tried to restrain myself from written comment because of the obvious fact that the poor woman was in for a deluge of inevitable nasty rebuilts.
Unfortunately, disgust prevailed. Mary seems to be under the impression that Kansas consists of Top 40 radio stations and cars salesmen dressed in polyester. Just one question, Mary. Do you realize that polyester Dick Smith is from Ravtown, Mo.?
To the editor:
As for the music, many Kansas might consider the nifty tunes of David Bowie and Prince a bit mundane — boring if you will — considering the progressive programming of our own KJHK.
So please, if Lawrence is that dull for you, maybe you belong back in Detroit, where your unsubstantiated opinions might be better received.
Jeff Williams
Andrew junior
Icing on the cake
To the editor:
When I first read the article in the Jan. 25 issue of the University Daily Kansan about Gov. Blanchard calling Kansas boring, I didn't think a
But then the opinions started coming in on the issue. Some of the letters I laughed at, and a lot of them were justified.
When I read Mary Coffey's letter in the Feb. 7 issue I then realized
To the editor:
that someone had finally put the icing on a perfectly tasteless cake.
Or did she read it at all? Mary notes that the governor was talking about excitement. I think that I must have misread the article three times because I could swear that he was arrested by Michigan贾斯顿 such high taxes.
But if Mary says she read the article, I will take her word for it.
I'm truly glad that Mary had thought enough to go back to the article that has caused so much anger among her readers, she proudly proclaims that she did.
Thanks very much for your editorial of Feb. 8, "KU as gunae pig," about the inadequacies of the Kansas Integrated Personnel Pay roll System as a means of paying faculty salaries.
I love to dance, drink and attend concerts and do so to the extent that my billboard will allow. But truthfully, I'm glad that the taxpayers of Kansas don't have to pay for the bars I patronize.
I'm sure that Michigan is more exciting in some places than others, just as any state is more exciting in places than others including Kansas.
I had no idea that residents had to pay for such things. As for radio stations and car advertisements, I guess that if these too come out of the taxpayers pockets then more could be done about them.
I am of course using the definition of "exciting" that Mary was so kind to offer this "Kansas kiddie." I also want to add my apology for the Kansas stereotypical car salesman who lost of Detroit into a state of regression.
but not everything in the letter Feb. 7 pertains to the main idea of the article, which was Michigan's high taxes, then I'm glad that the University is right where it is — the Land of Oz.
And in concluding, I want to say that I also attend the University of Kansas because of its reputation as a leading university. I do not matter where it was located.
Ty Mamie
Kansas City, Kan.. special student
Other guinea pig
Secretary of Administration Harder's recent report confirms the statement of "scandalous incompetence of KU and state payroll officers" made in a KU-NEA letter to the faculty of Dec. 12, 1983
I am puzzled, however, by your statements that "KU was the only Regents institution dragged into KIPPS," and that "before smaller Regents institutions or other state agencies with simpler payrolls were placed on KIPKS. KU was used as a guinea pig."
"Donald Cravens, director of personnel, payroll and employee relations at Emporia State University, said Emporia State was also to have used the system for its paychecks yesterday."
A Nov. 2 story in the Kansas reported that "the first Board of Regents school to go on the KIPPS system was the Kansas Technical Institute in Salina, for the Oct. 1 navy.day.
"However," Cravens said, "the system caused problems in its first round at KTI. About 25 percent of KTI employees missed their paychecks entirely, and many more had checks in the wrong amount because of errors in withholding money for taxes or for benefits."
If the Kansan story of Nov. 2 was correct, KU was an experimental guinea pig for KIPPS. But not the first. The first one died of blunders. And then there was the second guinea pig . . .
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Clifford S. Griffin president, KU-NEA
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