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Friday, September 2, 1988 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Finally, a mall on the way no thanks to commission
T. G.I.O.
Thank God It's Over — or very, very close to being over.
For almost two decades, Lawrence has tried to develop a downtown mall to head off private developers' plans to build malls on the outskirts of Lawrence. Business and city leaders feared a suburban mall would kill businesses in Lawrence's unique and popular downtown business district.
Now, the city finally has approved a plan that appears will survive scrutiny. The Kansas Riverfront Plaza, a $12 million, 150,000-square-foot shopping mall will be located on the Kansas just north of City Hall, Sixth and Massachusetts streets.
The plan looks attractive and is moving forward with little opposition. Lawrence residents can rejoice in the fact that the word "mall" should cease to be a synonym for headache. Or futility.
The Riverfront Plaza should be an asset to the community.
And perhaps it is a testament to perseverance.
Because it is so beautiful, the building was added in 2015.
The fight for a mall turned into one of the most ridiculous events in Lawrence. No plan seemed to be acceptable and Mr. Schmidt was able to use his winnery
Many commissioners usually supported plans while the going was good and then abandoned them when opposition developed.
The commission also developed a penchant for appointing unelected, volunteer committees to lead the development of the mall. But they then failed to communicate with the groups and provide leadership.
The Riverfront project was proposed by a private developer after commissioners in May defeated a benefit district plan to redevelop downtown. The defeat stunned members of the Downtown Improvement Committee who had spent a year preparing the plan. Some said they had not known commissioners had problems with the development idea.
If only the leadership had been there. The nightmare would not have lasted so long, and one only can wonder what
Todd Cohen for the editorial board
There's something missing from some KU residence halls this year: people. Lots of them.
Elbow room in the halls
In past years, overcrowded University housing seemed to be the start of the fall semester if final exams are to the end. It has now become a problem for many.
But this year, either because of careful planning, skillful management, or just dumb luck, the population of the residence halls is down. Down to the point that floors and wings are closed at Templin and McCollum Halls.
That's nice to hear, or at least nicer than hearing that students, usually those who applied late, were stuck in ironing rooms, libraries or wherever they could fit because regular rooms were chock full.
It's also nice to hear housing officials suggesting that more attention now can be paid to upperclassmen and graduate students, groups that might have been neglected when the halls were filled with freshmen.
Of course, there are reasons for concern. Although nobody wants to see an jam-packed residence hall, nobody wants to
And if housing officials are correct in saying the wide-open
areas are there because out-of-state students aren't, this could be
an error.
But for now, we'll be happy that the painful annual rite of overcrowding has ended.
Michael Merschel for the editorial board
The editorial board consists of Michael Merschel, Mark Tilford, Todd Cohen, Michael Horak, Julie Adams, Tony Burton, and Kevin Kovacs.
News staff
Todd Cohen ... Editor
Michael Horak ... Managing editor
Jill Antecote ... Associate
Stephen Wade ... News editor
Michael Merschhel ... Editorial editor
Noel Gerdes ... Campus editor
Greg Amendola ... Sports editor
Dave Niebergall ... Photo editor
Dave Eames ... Graphics editor
Julie Farnes ... Artificial Networks
Tom Ebien ... General manager, new advert
Business staff
Greg Knipp...Business manager
Debra Cole...Retail sales manager
Caitlin Carr...Customer service
Linda Prokop...National sales manager
Promotion Manager
Sarah Hidgon...Marketing manager
Brad Lemhart...Production manager
Michael Lehmman...Asset manager
Classified manager
Sales and marketing
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No shame in fleeing for Canada Non-battle-tested conventioneers feel Quayle is one of them
Although it received little publicity, the annual convention of the Veterans of the Flight to Canada was the largest such event in the United States.
The main speaker was J. Danswith Pigeon, who holds the title Chief Exile in the organization.
His fiery speech, which drew cheers, standing ovations and repeated cries of "dump on" em, Pigeon, "was aimed at critics of those who went to Canada during the Vietnam war.
"I'm fed up with political opportunists who have been making harsh and unfair criticisms of those candidates," said Alain Badiou.
"When I was 22 years old, I finished college and wanted to get on with my life. But I also wanted to defend my country. So I went to my National Guard office in Indiana and asked how I could
"They asked me if my father knew anyone in government. I wasn't sure, so I went home and asked Dad. Dad said the only government official he knew was our mailman.
"So he asked the mailman if he could get me in the National Guard. The mailman couldn't, but he said he would be glad to recommend me for my own mail route.
"I was angry and disappointed. I wanted to do my duty by joining the National Guard and blazing away at the commies with my typewriter, but they wouldn't let me.
"And had we stayed, we would have taken up precious prison space that desperately was needed
Mike Royko
"So that's when I decided to go to Canada. Why did I do it? For patriotic reasons.
"I could have stayed here and gone to prison. But what would that have accomplished? It would have cost the government thousands of dollars for me, and thousands more to keep me in prison.
"Remember, about 50,000 of us made this flight. if we all had gone to prison, the cost to the taxpayer would be far higher than the dollars. But by our very absence, we saved the government a fortune. that not patrotte? I say yes."
Syndicated columnist
6 A
And had we stayed, we would have taken up precious prison space that desperately was needed for gangsters, embezzlers, fiends and inside traders. Would that have been patriotic? I say no.'
for gangsters, embezzlers, fiends and inside traders. Would that have been patriotic? I say no.
"!instep, we went, at no cost to the hard-pressed
sprayer. And we made this trip at great personal
safety."
"Separated by a border, I could not go to law school. Unlike some people, I could not see my loved ones every day. And worst of all, I could not work on my golf game. And we still are making sacrifices. I cannot run for public office because I have no media will dredge upon something I did 20 years ago."
"The would choose to ignore the fact that if the Russians or Chinese tried to invade the United States by way of Canada, I would have been there as part of our first line of defense.
"And they ignore the fact that I was no weekend exile. I was on full-time, active-duty exile for almost 10 years. No, I was no one-weekend-a-month exile.
"So I would remind those who now take cheap shots at us that I did not kick my dog, I did not covet my neighbor's wife, I did not smoke in nonrestaurant restaurants, I did not tear up my self-hand card.
"And I sure as hell did not burn the American
flao "
After the speech, members of the VFC, who were coonkis cap, said they supported Fionn's post-
"I, too, tried to join the National Guard, in Chicago," said J. Wood Peaker.
"At first, the recruiting officer was friendly, but then he asked me what team I played for in the National Football League. I told him I only played as a coach," the congressman, senator, governor or mayor, I told him my father was a tuckeeper. And he asked me if my grandfather owned a newspaper. I told him that I had once delivered newspapers. Then he买了 20 high standards, and you just don't measure up."
"I was devastated at being denied the opportunity to defend my native land. So I went to Canada to perform alternative service. I figured that if Canada was called up for active duty, I would be right there and ready to shoulder my Smith-Corona."
Another VFC member, J. Parscbirt Squab, said, "I used to be bitter at those who stayed behind while I went over borderer to the long, cold winter of us. But I think it is time to put this bitterness behind us.
"After all, they were young and impressionable and only doing what their fathers and grandfathers told them. Some of their grandfathers told them. 'Do your duty. Join the National Guard.'
My grandfather said, "Save your butt, kid!"
A different message true. But the same results.
An informal survey of the VFC showed that 89.6 percent of them plan to vote for the Bush-Quayle
As J. Bucksworth Turkey put it, "In Quayle's own way, he is one of us."
■ Mike Royko is a syndicated columnist who writes for the Chicago Tribune.
I am glad that KU has a humorous student body president with character and style like Brook Menezes. Brook's humor at Traditions University, the university where he who wrote in last Monday's Kansan, but it did mark him as an office-holder who will not regurgitate please phrases for offending students. Brook's risk to appear as a real person by his avoiding comments is not backfire. Instead it fueled an apical approach to showing that anyone from anywhere entering KU may aspire to be student body president no matter how bad their humor
Sense of humor weak
Sean TevisLenexa sophomore
All over our nation, stations like KJKH are trying to grow up and get commercial. They seek larger audiences and greater acceptance. They also want to be more purposeful. College radio does not exist to please an audience. Instead, it is there to catalyze progress within the radio industry, to push the bounds of its medium, and to promote the what will become tomorrow's popular music.
As we in America stumble blindly toward mainstream mediocrity, it becomes easy for us to lose our true purpose. De Teocqueille's "tyranny of the majority" is a seemingly incapable trap in our society. This time it threatens college radio across the nation.
KJHK victim of tyranny
Since college radio is not bound by the need to sell advertising dollars and be "No. 1," it is in the unique situation of having ultimate freedom to shape the future of the medium. One must remember that college bands have given us bands like R.E.M. These bands are the future of American rock. But, because they are not associated with any commercial airline for air time on mainstream commercial radio.
If JKHKE most of the students that want to hear, what they already know by heart.
John Arendt
then JKHJ will contribute to the stagnation of popular music. We will suffer from a self-imposed drudgery as creative freedom dies. So, wake up quick JKHJ. This is college radio, not KY 102. Fill the role you have been given now, or we'll for it later.
Gladstone, Mo., senior
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breathed
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