Tuesday, September 6. 1988 / University Daily Kansan
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Opinion
Education issues getting little more than lip service
Both presidential candidates claim that they want to be the president of the real education issues are being lost in the campaign rhetoric.
Summary to vague education platforms in the past, the recent GOP convention devoted an entire section to "educating for the future." Among other things, the Republicans promise to "keep the spotlight of public attention on the college cost spiral" and to "reverse intolerable rates of default" in the federal student-learn programs.
Bush also has pledged to "address the barriers that discourage age minority students from entering and succeeding in institutionally segregated schools."
But these come as hollow promises from a party that has, in the past eight years, demonstrated a lack of understanding and empathy.
In contrast, the Democrats had only a one-paragraph section on education in this year's party platform. However, Dukakis promises to stop the Reagan administration's "assault on Pell Grants."
Both parties are concentrating on helping families save for their children's education when that is not the root of the problem. The real policy problem is providing help to students who come from families that can make no financial contribu-
More than half of Pell Grant students come from backgrounds that have not supported their educations at all, academically or financially. To these families, tax incentives and savings bonds are not part of their lives.
Both parties also are focusing attention on the loans program when the priority in educational aid is to help those who can't afford loans. An ill-balanced loans and grants program, with loans on the high side, only will worsen default problems.
To make the situation worse, both candidates talk about loan programs that can be repaid during a working lifetime. But if students must work a lifetime to pay back a loan, how can they in turn save for their children's education? Thus the candidates contradict another election promise: That they will encourage students to save for their children's education.
So far, the candidates have failed to focus on these and other issues. The electorate needs to press for realistic answers.
Muktha Jost for the editorial board
Plus/minus system a plus
GPA. Beyond fall Saturday afternoons, beyond griping about dorm food and playing drunk pranks, beyond pledging a fraternity or sorority, beyond any fond memories of the best four years of your life, the one thing about college that seems to affect people most throughout life are those three little letters: GPA.
A new grading system has been passed by the College Assembly. The system allows pluses and minuses to be added to the grades earned by students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. But the group Students Against the Plus/Minus System has moved to rescind the vote at today's assembly meeting.
The president of the group, an assembly student representative said, "the lack of awareness of the police change among students.
But maybe that should stand as a message to the assembly and the organization against the system: Perhaps students
They shouldn't. The plus/minus system gives a more accurate evaluation of students' work. And while it gives professors an added option, it by no means forces them to use it.
Professional schools, such as Journalism and Architecture and Urban Design, are used the plus/minus grading system for courses.
Many students will find that the system will not change their grade point averages drastically. And besides, students should realize that GPAs are not always the most accurate reflection of a student's school, and are not always the most accurate predictor of success.
Maybe the disinterest about this issue is not apathy, but a realization that a change in the grading system will not drastically help or hinder the grades or the futures of students work to the best of their abilities in their classes and beyond.
Mark Tilford for the editorial board
News staff
Todd Cohen ... Editor
Michael Horak ... Managing editor
Julie Adam ... Associate editor
Stephen Wade ... New editor
Michael Merschel ... Editorial editor
Noel Gendes ... Campus editor
Craig Anderson ... Sports editor
Dave Nibergall ... Photo editor
Dave Eames ... Graphics editor
Jill Jess ... Art Feature editor
Tim Allen ... General manager
Business staff
Greg Knipp ... Business manager
Debra Cole... Retail sales manager
Chris Cooper... Campus sales manager
National sales manager
kurt Messmerstam ... Promotions manager
Sarah Higdon ... Marketing manager
Brad Lenhart ... Production manager
Michelle Garland ... Asst. production manager
Michaela Shearman ... Sales and marketing adviser
Jennie Hines ... Sales and marketing adviser
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Stars get 'My Way' done their way Keeping an old standard fresh for Jerry's telethon is tough
Having caught the 'Red-Eye' from Vegas just in time to make my Tuesday morning classes, give me a moment to throw down a few swaps of classic tennis shoes. Then, get dressed for the Muscular Dystrophy Telephone in Las Vegas.
I went to Vegas hoping to land a job as assistant director, associate producer or talent coordinator for Jerry Lewis' Labor Day festivities raising money to fight muscular dystrophy. My assigned duty turned out to be even more creative than I could have imagined.
For the last couple dozen years, the classic song "My Way" has become sort of an anthem for this event. The feeling of the words and music are so powerful that many people raise $30 million-plus yearly. The song is so perfect, in fact, that everybody and his brother upsing at least one verse of the tune on the radio.
To keep the song from getting stale by early Monday morning, they hired me to write special lyrics of "My Way" for each artist who wished to perform the number.
Here's the verse I wrote for MD TeleMath
Announceer Causey Kassem, lid of "American Top
Miller."
Bill Kempin
Staff columnist
And now, let's count the backs
We've totaled up for Jerry's kiddies
At number ten, it's up four spots
On their rack, they don't have
for each lee cake in their stores
Jer gets 5 cents, and I dare say
I could get more ice
They did it their way.
Television co-host Ed McMahon liked this rendition I wrote for him:
K·A·N·S·A·N
MAILBOX
For all these hours, I've laughed at Jerry
吉rafaw of pure sympathy,
chase the girl in my space
interrupt and roll the timpani.
It's easy work for Labor Day.
And John lets me take off Friday.
And John lets you can sing or dance
I did it my way.
Powerful thank-you
At approximately 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, Watkins Health Center's electrical transformer melted down. The result was a loss of electrical power at the center and in the surrounding area.
Robert Porter, Richard Perkins, Randy Samuels and several other Facilities Operations staff members were on the scene almost immediately. They had to identify the patients and other appropriate staff to remove the burned-up transformer and replace it with a new one. The transformer replacement was
The University of Kansas is extremely fortunate to have a conscientious staff at Facilities Operations. Because of these dedicated individuals, health services to students were hardly interrupted. Anyone who was here on Tuesday or Thursday would not have known that this event had taken place.
From the Health Center staff to the Facilities operations staff, a public "Thank You."
James Strobl
Director, Watkins Memorial Health Center
Student Health Services
Seeking students
Of course, Old Blue Eyes himself felt compelled to do a version:
As undergraduate student representatives of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences College Assembly, we would like to take this opportunity to inform you about the elective election, which took place on September 14, 13 and 13.
The purpose of the election is to fill 89 seats
Hey babe, I've crooned this tune
Hey habe, I've croned this tune
So often I can do it a sleepy thing,
and Garrity keeps it true. Trudeau
If you don't like it, you can just go bleeping.
I'm here for Jer, my top-of-the-heap Cat
As long as I get some perks for this show biz day
I want to play with Jer off-key
He does it his way.
Finally, as the show comes to a close, Jerry took the mike:
From 6 till 4. one day a year
Pom!
I'm a big star with my own program.
Do my "Typewriter Song" another time.
Pretend to lead the Les Brown show band.
The acts are bad, the program's worse.
Those local segments make viewers cry, hey,
Ippon! and the cause is good.
Ippon it my way.
■ Bill Kempin is a Lawrence graduate student in journalism.
that were left vacant after the Spring elections. The seats are reserved for undergraduate student representatives. Some of the assembly's members are required to approve course changes and to establish procedures for probation, suspension, restatement and other matters related to academic standings.
The assembly meets at 4 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month in Auditorium Aitbier.
We think that student participation in the decision-making process of a university is an essential component of the educational process. We want students to attend meetings to put their names on the ballot.
Nomination forms are available at the Under-
graduate Services Office, 100 Strong Hall. The
recommendation is made in writing to:
Margaret E. Lindsay
William Bayne and 10 assembly representatives
Dweezil
by Chris Farrar, University of Idaho
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breathed
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