Opinion Page 4 University Daily Kansan, February 4, 1983 The line should remain The Mobile County, Ala., schools and a federal district judge are trying hard to have God reinstated in the classroom. So far, they've come pretty close. Only an order by Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell temporarily stopped the implementation of a Mobile County law that allows teacher-led or silent prayer in its schools. U. S. District Judge W. Brevard Hand had thrown out a case filed by an agnostic who did not want his children exposed to prayer, and said the schools came under the jurisdiction of the state, not the federal court. In so doing, Hand attempted to sidestep decades of legal precedent involving the First Amendment and the application of the 14th Amendment to state statutes as a protection for constitutional rights. He apparently believes that while it is wrong for the federal government to violate the Bill of Rights, individual states may do so at will. But the central issue is where does formal religious expression belong? That question was answered when the men who haggled and fought over the Constitution decided that the state should stay out of matters of religion. Those who see Powell's order as an infringement on religious rights should recognize that the law doesn't prohibit prayer - students can pray on their own virtually any time during the day, or, better yet, at home before or after school. But the law does say that organized prayer involves the schools in an area they ought not to be in — religious education. For those laws, we can thank the men who wrote our constitution. And we can thank God for Justice Powell. Neither rain, nor snow To put it simply, it snowed this week in Lawrence. And students couldn't help noticing the way the University handled the white flakes that buried the city Monday night. Students awoke Tuesday morning to find a thick blanket of the stuff on their roads, houses and University — especially their University. But the administration decided that things were not bad enough to cancel morning classes, despite forecasts that there would be heavy snowfall throughout the day. Students reluctantly, and experiencing much inconvenience, made it to Lawrence and got up to campus, in some cases to face absent teachers and canceled classes. But get here they did. At about 10:30, however, the University changed its mind and decided that the situation was worse than it had expected. The administration closed the campus, but unfortunately this was not until about the time bus service stopped. Some students were stranded on campus and forced to walk home. A few, from nearby cities, were unable to get home altogether. Storms will happen, and because this is Kansas, they may come with surprising swiftness and severity. But in this week's case, forecasts during the early morning indicated that bad weather was on the way. Traveler's advisories warned that people should stay off highways and city streets. It is important to keep the University open whenever possible, but in the face of dangerous weather, perhaps the administration should be quicker in assessing the risks as opposed to the benefits. Survey of college freshmen shows money as main goal By PATRICIA McCORMACK United Press International Other things not so obvious about college reshmen are between the covers of a report on a survey that probed their characteristics and attitudes. College freshmen are attached to personal stereos much of the time, munch pizza some of the time and wear jogging shoes a lot, as we everyone familiar with the type known. The profile of college freshmen is credited to a survey of attitudes and characteristics of 188,692 of the nation's 1.7 million college freshmen. It is said to represent all freshmen. The American Council on Education study was conducted by Alexander Astin, a professor of education at the University of California at Los Angeles. The study shows that freshmen expect a college degree to help them make money, preferably enough to be well off. This is not as altruistic a goal as those of college freshmen in the 1900s, when everyone seemed to aim first to save the world and lift the down and out. The shift to a money goal is not mysterious, however, in this era of the most expensive college educations in the nation's history, including some with price tags $50,000 and up. The fields of study most popular are the humanities, business, computers — that offer some hope the freshmen might reach their monetary dreams — if the applicants don't crowd themselves to death. The survey also says that these freshmen with dollar signs in their eyes are not showing a lot of interest in careers with low pay: teaching and nursing, as well as heading for those fields continues to decline. Goals considered important by about seven out of 10 of the current freshmen include being well-off financially, raising a family and becoming an authority in his or her field. Support for legalization marijuana dropped from 34 percent among last year's freshmen to 18 percent. Politically, Astin found three-fifths of the freshmen in the middle of the road; 20.9 percent liberal or far left; 19.4 percent conservative. This year for the first time pollinators asked the freshmen if they supported increased spending for national defense. About four out of 10 said yes. There was no space to answer in the negative, so one must presume six out of 10 would not favor increased spending for defense. Percentages agreeing with other statements were: - Government should provide a national health-care plan, 57.5 percent; abortion should remain legalized, 54.8 percent; grading in high school is too easy, 54.5 percent; women's activities should be confined to the home, 25.5 percent. - Criminals have too many rights, 69.8 percent; inflation is the country's biggest domestic problem, 69.8 percent; the death penalty should be abolished, 28.4 percent. - Women should have job equality, 92.5 percent; the rich should pay a larger share of taxes, 72.1 percent; busing to achieve racial equality, 70.6 percent; social relations should be prohibited, 47.2 percent - Couples should live together before marriage, 42.8 percent; large families should be discouraged, 37.3 percent; divorce laws should be liberalized, 44.6 percent; it is all right for people who like each other to have sex, 48.2 percent. - College has the right to regulate off-campus behavior, 14.5 percent; students should help evaluate faculty members, 70 percent; college libraries, 60 percent; public publications should be regulated, 40.6 percent. The report said 11 percent of college freshmen need remedial work in English. 22.4 percent in Math. 36.5 percent in Social Studies. BARING 85 UNIVERSITY DINY KRYSTAN Letters to the Editor Non-registrants making their point To the editor. I agree with Matt Schofield ("Not all draft objectors consistent") Jan. 28) that civil obedience is "the most effective tool the individual can wield in fighting for social change". Furthermore, I agree that "if we continue to guardrail this tool, we are condemned to exist in a society over which we have no rights." I take issue with him on two important points. First, Schofield is concerned primarily about our generation's so-called "moral wimpery." I believe the military draft and its forerunner, registration, present a more immediate moral question: the issue of death or not the state of war, or the humiliation of battle (morale cannon) to an end (fighting a war). Clearly, the draft is an attempt to reduce a person to the status of an object. The draftee soldier is not treated as an equal, a sovereign over his own life, but as an object to be manipulated and exploited. He is exploited for the "health of the state" or by some industry privileged to have the government protect its interests overseas. Second, the military backs up its "request" for service with the threat of coercion — physical In the face of such well-organized violence, is it a mystery why most of those who refuse to register for the draft also refuse to draw attention to themselves? Schofield claims that the non-registrant "has a civic obligation to actively resist the law." I disagree. The context in which this alleged civic obligation arises is contrived by the state; the non-registration's hand is forced. He can sign the registration card and tacitly agree to participate in the well-organized violence against human beings, or refuse to sign and risk the possibility of imprisonment and the anguish of seeing one's plans for the future dissolve. Either course of action leaves the person the hostage of the government. In such a context, a mockery is made of one's freedom of choice: Non-registration is martyrdom. There is no guarantee that someone will be conscious violation of unjust laws, only the obligation not to participate in the injustice. suggests, in its vulnerability to civil disobedience — noncompliance. In one strike, it deprives the government of the cooperation of another subject, challenges the very legitimacy of the law, and demystifies the state power and so encourages others to act. Whatever moral apathy plagues our generation has its roots in skepticism about our control over political events. Registration for the draft is within our control, and a moral stance against it requires only that we refuse to cooperate, nothing more. Pat Goodwin. Lawrence law student The weakness of the draft is, as Schofield Nigerian economy ill To the editor. I wish to state that apart from the inaccuracy and confusion emanating from the story, Nigeria regards herself as a leading African state that would do everything possible to unite other African states for economic, social and political freedom from all colonial dominance. The University Daily Kansan, in its Pen- sula report, "16 Nigerian refugees die in Africa." The economic situation in Nigeria has compelled her to ask the aliens who have no valid immigration papers to leave her shores. Unfortunately, there are many aliens taking refuge in Nigeria because of their economic buoyancy in the past. With President Shagari's political manifestos now under trial because of a poor economy due to the last oil lust, the expulsion of these millions of aliens has become necessary. As a Nigerian student at KU, and with friendly relations to other African students on campus, I have tried to analyze the situation to the many that approached me, saying that the step was not顺利, causing the pasal, but that it was an attempt to pull the presently deteriorating economy in order. This不fortunate situation is nothing to be happy about, especially because in spite of Nigeria's poor economy, it is still looked upon as a European African state and other African states' shelter. It will be recalled that some 13 or 15 years ago, Ghana and Zaire sent Nigerians packing from their areas. These Nigerians were given 24 hours before their property confiscated while others were killed. Nigeria shouldn't have waited 15 years to retaliate. John Raymond Mbapuun Nigeria sophomore Watt cartoon not fair To the editor. Don Winkler's political cartoon of a tree thinking about Interior Secretary James Watt hanging from itself (which appeared on Page 4 of the newspaper) in 2014. 72 was at once both poignant and hypocritical. Granted that Wright effectively criticizes Watt's aggressive policies in regard to land development via a tree's eye view, the hypocrite was then told the cartoon was printed on what was once a tree. We must consider that Watt is only looking out for industry, and that industry arises from the demands that you and I place upon it for coal, uranium and paper products. We are the first to admit that my writing this letter is also hypocritical (a little like shooting my mother to demonstrate the tragedy of homicide). Thank you, we have a renewable resource and my mother isn't. Paper is a necessary part of our lives, and I'm not suggesting that we could or should do without it. But before we criticize Watt's policies that threaten America's last remaining wilderness areas, we should look to ourselves for the root of the problem. Keeping this in mind, I urge the reader to please recycle this newspaper: Paul Hamilton. Bearit lubert. Author, author To the editor. RE: Dan Parelman's statement on rock music. I have but one thing to say to Parelman: Lisa Gish, Eudora junior Letters Policy The University Daily Kansan welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced and should not exceed 500 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 position. The Kanans reserves the right to edit or reject letters. Bob The University Daily The University Daily KANSAN Editor Rebecca Chaney The University Daily Kraman (USPSE 60-644) is published at the University of Kraman. 118 Ft Hall, Lawrence, Kan. 6004, daily during the regular school year and Monday and Thursday during weekdays. Subscription fee is $25 per month at lawrence. Kan. 60044. Subscriptions by mail are $10 for six months or $27 in Douglas. Kan. 60044. Subscription fees payable to the student activity office PFOSTMATCH. 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