Friday, September 16, 1977
University Daily Kansan
INIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Comment
Ununsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Kanan editorial staff. Signed column represent only the views of the writers.
Keep meetings open
The Student Senate's reluctance to pass an open meetings policy at Wednesday's Senate meeting is disappointing.
The Senate considered a bill that would have required all Senate sessions to be public, but it stalled when several senators balked at the blanket provision and said allowances should be made for some closed sessions.
The Senate seldom has closed its doors to the public and press, but the proposal to close meetings accessibility was prompted by an opinion stated this summer by Atty. Gen. Curt Schneider, in which he held that the Kansas State University Senate was exempt from the state open meetings law. Most likely, Schneider's opinion would hold true for the KU Senate, too, because the KU Senate is similar to K-State's in that both bodies' budget allocations are subject to approval by the heads of the universities.
although the Senate's taxing powers—their ability to influence students' activity fees—are not binding, their funding recommendations are rarely overridden. The Senate is the body most responsible for determining how much each full-time student will pay in activity fees, and their deliberations—even considering Schneider's legal opinion—should at the very least be as open as the deliberations of any elected governmental body in the state with taxing powers.
But even the state open meetings law is full of holes, and a responsible student senate would go beyond it and be totally open. An open meetings law with exceptions is open to abuse.
is operated by
The main reason some senators opposed the total ban on closed meetings was they feared that groups requesting budget
allocations would appear at budget deliberations and pressure committees into providing funding. Those groups that were involved in intimidation would have the most success at budget time, they said, at the expense of groups that neglected to show up. Other examples of meetings that senators have said should be closed were discussions on Senate staff appointments or, if it would ever reach the Senate, continuation of the recent hearings on alleged fraternity and sorority discrimination.
It is hard to see why senators would mind allowing groups to attend budget deliberations unless senators feared that the process could not be understood by outsiders—a condescension. We know what is best for "or" unless public meetings exposed committees' arbitrary cuts, in which case senators would deserve to be pressured.
No sound basis could be found for the notion that a student senator should know something of the budget process, Senate staffing or campus issues, such as fraternity or sorority discrimination, that the students and press should not know or be able to
know.
Student government exists mainly as an effort to open up the decisions that affect student taxation, to break those decisions at least partly away from the comparatively closed chancellor's office into the light of public knowledge and public discussion—and public support, if the decisions are reasonable.
Even a partial denial of essential student access to student government could only diminish the Senate's credibility as a representative body.
"TOYLAND" read the blinking neon sign in a typical department store. Amid the hodgepodge of fantastic plastic and colored clusters stood a small boy and his father.
"I don't know, son," answered a reluctant father.
"Hey dad, I think Elmo would like this for his birthday," said the boy, pointing to a game boxed in a black and blue skin. "It's called Malpractice. It says here on the box that you are to perform operations can before the patient finds out what he's in the hospital for. And if you die, you lose."
"AH, DAD. Don't be down on her. She's only 16. She's just trying to find herself."
"I think something a little more practical would be better. How about this Sammy-Slam-Me doll. The description says, 'Beat me, kick me, stomp on me, me, me.' We must maintain my self-whatever makes you feel good. Now, that has practicabilly. Elmo could use it to let out his aggressions. I hear kids need that to play, but if I could use it too. Especially if your sister has another child."
"Well, she's obviously found something," mutters the father, shuffling through more games. He tries to figure out the Watergate game. At least this has some historic merit. It says here, "Swindle, embezzle and be your way to the prize in prizes and lots of friends."
"Forget it, dad. Elmun flunked
that. That can't help him.
Now this game has fun.
M game is played playfully
for kids kinky. I don't.
Atbeist vows war on currency
OVER THE YEARS her
Babe awed by bizarre toyland
One of the biggest responsibilities facing editorial writers and reporters is being careful what people and what things are given attention and what needs to be handled. This press has been validly chastised for covering too many of the wrong people and too many of the wrong things. So it is with some reluctance that I bring up Maladyn Murray O'Hair's suit against the U.S. government in the phrase, "In God We Trust" from our federal currency.
Like rare strains of flu and bad wine, O'Hair pops up every year or so to distress the American public. In 1963, she went to prison for protesting the U.S. Supreme Court to ban prayer in public schools. She took on NASA in 1988 when man made his first trip around the moon. O'Hair objected to the United Nations prayers on television.
Dave Johnson
Editorial Writer
Yes, O'Hair has been an omnivorous hissing voice behind the ears of our consciences, nagging us that maybe our government has its special treatment of religious institutions as it espouses the doctrine of separation of church and state
targets have been prayer breakfasts at the white house, tax exemptions for religious bodies, crosses as Christmas decorations in federal agencies and all statutes regulating Christian organizations on the grounds that they offer some religious sects.
O'Hair has disturbed us and perhaps for a good reason. She certainly brought a lot of change to the classroom by stamping the sentiment that we trust God on
our money, our government also is endorsing religion.
ONE COULD ARGUE that the motto "In God We Trust" is merely a catch phrase that no one, not even the government, takes seriously. However, history argues against that line of thinking. The phrase first appeared on U.S. currency in the 1850s in previous sentiments were stirred by the Civil War. The roots of its meaning were symbolic of our faith that the nation would persevere, despite our internal strife. The words were taken from the second line of the final stanza of "The Star Spangled Banner," this being "In God We are our trust." To say we no longer believe "In God We Trust" would be a denial of our heritage.
LOGIC IS NOT the only weight carried in O'Hair's corner. To those who charge that kind of money, the handful of fanatics, O'Hair can
point to the organization she heads—the Society of Separatists. The Separatists say their mailing list totals 70,000 people who advocate the total separation of Church and State. And O Hair contend that a closed albeit "absent" sendouts to the organization but want to retain their anonymity.
As O'Hair says, "We're here to stay, and the religious community had goddam well better not to ask. There's no way astrology will die now."
Probably not. But in her latest move to publicize her cause, O'Hair has picked on an institution that has only one thing gone wrong: if her plea to erase the mighty phrase does not arouse the passions of the religious community, those who take comfort in the belief that some things should not change, where we have been, should come to the moto's defense.
Administration rotation practical
To the editor:
May I begin by saying how appreciative I am of the coverage that the Kansan has given to my ideas. I am sorry not to contact me personally but not contact an editorial attacking what I am supposed to have written an editorial Dykes in a closed会议
1) in Europe, where I have just spent an academic year, such a system works satisfac-
tively with the students of fewer administrators, but those who do serve as administrators are, in fact, elected by their col-
lective vote. Students work for time (two or three years) with the possibility of re-election. As
Indeed, I did recommend that the University utilize faculty members as administrators on a rotating basis for specified periods of time. More important, I have been editorial, were the reasons for making the proposal. May I list them for you?
Letters
in the administration of any public facility, the state of Kansas, for example, in Europe, too, a trained cadre of admissions secretaries carry on the day-to-day operations while the administrators set policies that hopefully reflect the views of university faculty, namely their faculty colleges and their students.
(2) The gap that now exists on several levels between "the administration" and the rest of the University community would, I believe, be greatly lessened by such a system. Your organization is recommending the appointment of "faculty members" to administrative positions, thus concretizing your own words the unfortunate differentiation between "the administration"
Officials should read sabbatical opinions
(who, of course, continue to think of themselves as faculty) and "the faculty." Further, it seems to me that the current imbalance in monetary reallocation ("your words") (your words) as compared to the rewards for classroom teaching and research would be diminished greatly and perhaps even ultimatum to my suggestion, not, as you reported, "slightly higher" salaries would be paid to the faculty-administrators during their period of service, but no reward at all would be given by the faculty. Merit increases awarded each faculty member annually.
This is just a brief note to tell you how much I and I am sure many other faculty colleagues) have worked with Fraser's Friday on sabbaticals, "Merit is a deremer." I wish I could be as eloquent as you are in the face of what am proud of the concern and the depth of understanding that you
To the Editor:
The editorial has a definite message to the administration and to the Regents, and it will help in帮我. I hope they get to see it.
people have shown on such matters that affect our faculty and our University.
We will work together
(3) If the present system continues, then our junior colleagues who are just joining the faculty should be told from the outset that they must be in administration. It is, it seems to me, unwarranted to encourage our junior colleagues to excel in teaching and research if the ultimate rewards of "ef-fer management" are greater.
Professor of mathematics
T. P. Srinivasan
fortunate" that the University's becoming a business. If I had wanted to go into business, I would certainly not have chosen an academic education of young people and to the pursuit of scholarly research. Of course, you may be right. The University may be more convenient with management policies" than with teaching and research. If this is the case, then the voice of the AAUP is more necessary than ever for those students and faculty who despair at such a trend.
(4) The problem of "musical chairs" to which your editorial columnist will be asked where every member of a faculty has an opportunity to serve his fellow and where no professional is allowed to develop.
Unlike your editorial writer, I cannot dismiss with a cavalier "it may or may not be un-
Grant K. Goodman
Professor of East Asian studies and history
Rick Thaemert
Editorial Writer
think I get it, but these pictures on the box are keen, hui? I bet Elmo would know how to play." "It's bane not, son."
"Here's another one called The Social Disease Game. What is it?" He nods. "Oh never mind, What's this thing that comes with it, dad?"
"JUST A BALLOON, son. Put it away."
The impatient father moves further down the aisle.
"Here's one." The Son of Schumck Assassin Game. You give two riffles and a handgun. And a book phone to pick your
"This one looks better. The Willie Warfare Combat Kit. It's a boo-trapped crossbow, cyanid pills, an M16 rifle and a barbed-wire jungle torture kit. All for $19.95. What a bargain! He could blow that little creep next door to smithersines."
victims at random. How about it, son?"
"That's a little expensive,
son. How about this Uncle
Cool's Boy Scot Package or
a wacetts-Drip Jigsaw
wake sure?"
"Come on, dad. You can't be serious. Boy Scouts went out with dinosaurs. And, who has the patience to put a puzzle together? Especially when you have your parents on hand. Dorsers. TV is educational, too. Don't forget that, dad. The FCC says so."
"WELL, MAYBE SO, but this game seems a little more educational to me. It's called, "Smul-'Twisted Topics for Wormy Writers. Elmo likes to write. And judging by the samples on our bathroom wall, he'd do well at this one."
"He doesn't like to write that well. Besides, they don't teach English in school anymore. Forget that one, dad. This one looks better. It's got a catchy title: Puke, the游戏平台 for games. And, as many people can play as you want. I guess the name is Diseased Liver medal to wear. I love games where you win something in the end. Whadaya say, dad?"
"Or this one, dad. It's called Leadfoot. See, you try to run over the moving pedestrians
with this little car. If you hit the blind man, you only get 10 points. But for the fat lady, you get 50. And Elmo could relate to this. It won't be that long before he 'be able to drive, you know.'<sup>17</sup>
"I JUST DON'T know. son, I really can't make up my mind. We never had such great toys when we were little. jacks and piddling stuff like that. With all these inventive toys to occupy a kid's childhood, it seems so much easier there so much violence and corruption in today's society.
"If idle hands are the devil's workshop, then you'd think that. Oh well, let's look a little longer, son, then we'll call the tube, box. How? That sound? I thought you'd like it, son."
By JAMES J. KILPATRICK Washington Star Syndicate
Crepe paper 'art' a boondoggle
Sen. William Proxmire, D-Wis. our town's leading practitioner of the gadfly profession, sank his teeth last week into the National Endowment for the Arts. In the process, he once raised a fundamental issue of constitutional government.
The senator was upset—justifiably so—at the award of $6,015 in tax funds to Le Ann Wichusky of Pittsburgh. The award financed the production of a 20-minute film depicting, in part, the dropping of crepe paper from a table onto a twin plane. In times past, though not at public expense, the same artist has dropped bouquets of plastic streamers, tire rubber and even 35 rolls of toilet paper from airplanes. She told Proxima's statistic that she loves lovely patterns in the sky, crepe paper is even better. These things are not easy to explain.
The National Endowment for the Arts, in the year of this remarkable award, was financed chiefly by $82 million in tax funds. Most of this was paid out in federal-state partnership programs and in large grants to museums, orchestras and public bodies. But more than 1,07 individual grants in fiscal 76 amounting to $4,833,000. These went, by way of example, to 78 peopl, 45 novelists, 26 playwrights and to a whole flock of artists.
The government gave the artist $6,025 to unreel four rolls of crepe paper from an airplane . . . The artist said her work calls attention to the higher spirit of mankind and the coming era of peace and harmony on earth.
The grant to Wilchukys came under the category of Public Media, Programming in the Arts. Such grants are intended "to encourage quality programming and production," When Proxmire complained to Nancy Hanks, chairman of the Arts Endowment, she amplified this explanation. Such films as the Wilchukys film, she said, are designed "to capture the moment before or alter an audience's immediate environment for a short period of time."
sculptors, printmakers, photographers, and even to 24 art critics.
This was how the taxpayers had their immediate environment altered for a short period of time: Wilchusky, according to her final report, insisted that she and lodging for herself and her husband for a week's stay on the resort island of Maarten in the Caribbean. This was in February, while little bleak in Pittsburgh. Wilchusky told Proxime's staff that she needed to go to Maarten in order
Editorial issue created
To the editor:
A recent editorial proclaims that sexual preference has no place in an affirmative action
The first article headlined the new grievance procedures as an "improvement" or victory. It refused to mention that Chancellor Dykes was required by federal law to sign the equal opportunity provisions at the risk of losing federal funding and that he crossed to mention that Dykes crossed "sexual preference" off the lists. Despite these facts, the Kanans made Dykes into a champion of civil rights at KU, which is hardly the case.
The Kansan articles on the affirmative action plan have been grossly inaccurate and biased.
plan to "request KU to actively seek gears." Such a plan never existed and is a fignment of the Kanans's imagination. This issue was conceived entirely by the Kanans.
Apparently Dykes and the Kansan have joined Anita Byan's crusade. The only shame's that Dykes is our charceller and the Kansan is our newspaper.
Such distortion and invention stem from an aggressive antigay bias of the Kansas staff. The editorialist stated that any action not be in the affirmative action plan, which would grant those discriminated against a grievance procedure, are not adequate. He should the job of seeing that solutions to future proven discrimination be responsible and reasonable." Not only are they saying gay people are not using grievance procedure, but also that they should seek "the exclusion of
sexual preference" questions from all University policy."
Gays have long been Dykes' second-class citizens, and since his appointment he has ensured they have no rights whatsoever because their erasure does not avoid a "gay rights struggle" as the article suggests, because gays have been afforded grievous treatment there has been no struggle until Dykes crossed them off the list.
A
G. David Berg Great Neck, N.Y., sophomore
to film one of the environments that had influenced her development as an artist. Her husband served as cameraman. The finder also shows various prints of the artist posing in St. Maarten.
In August, 1976, the artist, her husband, two sky divers and two of her children assembled in El Paso. They spent $1,713 for the crew, the $500 to walk While the children stayed on the ground, the others went aloft. The sky divers then unreleased four rolls of crepe paper and an accordion made the camera whirled away. The children retrieved the crepe paper. The artist told Proxen that the addition to the higher spirit of mankind and the coming era of peace and harmony on earth.
A spokesman at the foundation further explained that transitory works of art, such as sculptures and their way as objects made of clay, bronze
or stone. It is, she said, kind of like filming a fireworks show.
The $6,025, said Proxmie, represented the total annual taxes paid by a factory worker in Milwaukee, a cleaning woman in Madison and a dairy farmer in Marathon County, Wis. Proxmie termed the award "an outrage."
This sort of thing is indeed outrageous, but such payments from public funds also raise grave questions under the Constitution. Where is the reason? If the general welfare clause is cited, it is absurd to contend that grants to individual artists and writers are for the general welfare. Such grants are subject to regulation, of pursues bestowed by wealthy patrons to their proteges.
Forget the Wilchusky film. What of these 78 poets and 45 novelists? For every poet who received a $6,000 fellowship, it is a fair assumption that ten applicants were turned down. The 19 men who won in literature simply gave away public funds on their subjective judgment of the applicants' talent.
A few years back, the foundation paid our tax money for a poem that read, more or less in verse, "I will be your six grand, if you please, for my own poem of protest: "Arrggghhh.!"
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