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Monday, September 18, 1989 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Enrollment should not affect goals of academic diversity
As the Board of Regents considers the fate of interdisciplinary programs, the diversity and academic variety of the University of Kansas might be threatened as well.
KU's interdisciplinary programs, administered through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, are specialized majors. These programs, which offer an in-depth academic view into areas such as women's studies and the philosophy of science, are considered by the Regents to have too few students enrolled to merit their continuation.
enrolled to merit their continuation.
Martine Hammond, Regents director of academic affairs, said the Regents had recommended all programs should enroll a minimum of 50 students. She said the Regents were concerned about sufficient staffing, the opportunity for student interaction and the quality of advising that students received in academic disciplines with less enrollment.
This thinking is clearly inconsistent with the goals of a major public university to complement and enrich the student's academic experience. Del Brinkman, vice chancellor for academic affairs, said the Regents should not evaluate the worth of interdisciplinary programs based on the criteria of more popular majors.
Because interdisciplinary programs draw faculty from various departments already operating within the University, there is virtually no expense for these additional majors. The Regents attempt to restrict the number of available majors based on "sufficient" enrollment is petty. It shuts down an avenue of learning and eliminates academic variety.
Assuming that faculty are available to administer the programs and that students enrolled in the majors maintain academic standards, the interdisciplinary program should not be jeopardized by the irrational reasoning of the Board of Regents.
Thom Clark for the editorial board
Fire code issue is hot topic for greeks, fire department
The Greek fire code problem is smoldering again, sparking new life into an issue that should have been doused long ago.
Eight fraternities and a sorority were cited on Tuesday by the Lawrence fire marshal for missing deadlines in meeting fire code recommendations. It was another episode in the draught-out saga of the Greek system and the fire department
unwanted saga of the greek system and the life department.
What is most disturbing is the almost universal surprise house spokesmen expressed when they learned the houses had missed deadlines for the recommendations.
Lawrence Fire Marshal Rich Barr said many of the house presidents had not been aware of the deadlines because the fire department communicated with the houses' corporation boards and not house members. Apparently the corporations failed to communicate with the houses about meeting the code.
This lack of communication is appalling. Because houses were left unaware of the recommendations, the safety of their residents is still at risk.
The fire department bears much of the responsibility for this breakdown in communication. It is responsible for enforcing the fire code guidelines and ensuring the safety of the buildings. It should communicate directly with each house or at the very least inquire as to whether progress is being made on repairs. Houses cannot meet guidelines if they do not know what they are.
Each house should now move quickly to bring its building up to code. If they don't, the fire department should make good on its warning of fines or possible eviction until code requirements are met.
The safety of the house residents is too important to allow procrastination or lax communication. The houses and the fire department need to extinguish the issue before a house erupts in flames.
Daniel Niemi for the editorial board
Members of the editorial board are David Stewart, Stan Diel, Brett Brenner, Ric Brack, Daniel Niemi, Craig Welch, Kathy Walsh, Deb Gruver, Thom Clark and Tiffany Harness.
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Ship Deserting Sinking Rats.
Ask him out, he's dying for a date
Guys, when was the last time a woman asked you for a date? Better yet, when was the first time?
When one looks at the disparities between men and women, one cannot fall to feel something for.
There's a lot of evidence of the inequalities based upon sex and of attempts to correct them: the Women's Resource Center, the Commission on the Status of Women, Title IX, women's athletics, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, etc. All these exist to ensure non-preferential treatment with regard to gender.
And all of these programs have failed to achieve political and economic equality because, to a great extent, they have ignored the origin of discrimination on gender: social relationships and interactions.
It's not enough to stop men from opening doors for women; women should open doors for men. In fact, whoever is least encumbered and gets to the door should open it, but the woman still waits for the man.
Even greater inequality exists when the man is expected to ask for the date, decide where to go and what to do and then pay for it. You women content you and your boysfriends don't date that way, but I'm not talking about relationships already established; this is about the first few dates. And for some men and women it is every day.)
Are women going to let the men decide the details of the date and pay for it, too? That's not quite equality either.
Richard E.
Felton
Staff columnist
Shouldn't women ask men whom they don't know
out for a movie, dancing, running, bicycling, swimming, dinner or studying? The list goes on forever. And women could even suggest going "Dutch." That sure beats either of us having to pay for both of us.
It seems logical to me that some young woman, not wanting to stay home on a particular evening, or go 'out with the girls', would just ask some guy. I have no empirical evidence, but I think most men wouldn't reject women who asked them out. I know I wouldn't.
Are women cowards when it comes to initiating social relationships? Are the archaic "expectations" and games we have come to know and love since childhood going to run our adult lives? (You know, where the guys stand around with beers at a party or a bar and stare at the women, thinking about getting to first base while hoping to get to home plate. And the women stand around with beers hoping that they are being stared at by the "right" nuvs.)
Both of these behaviors are exist behaviors and are self-perpetuating. All of this male-female role playing only prevents two people from meeting and getting to know each other as people. And
that's what counts.
The whole point of the matter is social change. How can men, as husbands, employers, employees, landlords, car salesmen, mechanics, boyfriends, dates, etc., take women seriously if most of the women they've known while growing up don't expect to be taken seriously? (Having certain expectations and not taking "no" seriously is a cause of date rape.)
It's scary to think that in most cases women have little control in choosing whom they marry. Why? The guy asks for the first date and then for the next ones. All she can do is decline. Men get to search for their spouses. Women are stuck waiting for Mr. Right to come to them, and most of the time they get stuck with Mr. Wrong.
How can salaries and political and economic opportunities ever start to equalize between men and women unless the more frequent social opportunities become equal? How we learn to think of ourselves and the other gender everyday molds our expectations. These expectations guide our behavior. But when it's counterproductive, changes must be made by both sides.
Women must start by asking men out and expect to help finance the date. Men must act like "gentlepeople" and think of women as people first. Both must remember that, "however you want people to treat you, so treat them . . ." Matthew 7:12.
So this weekend, let's see how many women ask men to dance; to see a movie, to go to dinner or to study. Lets' see if social equality can become a reality. By the way, my phone number is . . .
Richard E. Felton is a Lawrence law student.
Hogan hobnobs with video dealers
"Lift me, Hulk," the businesswoman said.
Hulk Hogan complied. He wrapped his arms around the woman, who appeared to be in her mid-30s, and was wearing a cocktail dress, and he lifted her into the air. Around the room, men and women were sipping drinks and eating hors d'oeuvres. Most of them pretended not to be paying attention to what Hulk Hogan was doing.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves here. Let us explain the context in which this was taking place, and then we shall return to the wrestler and the businesswoman.
On a recent trip, quite by coincidence, I found myself staying in a hotel that was the convention headquarters of the Video Software Dealers Association. I was not there to take part in the convention or to cover it, but it was virtually impossible to avoid running into the celebrities from various echelons of show business who were on hand to mingle with the video dealers.
One night I ducked into a cocktail party, and there, among the video executives, was Hulk Hogan. The men and women from the video business were generally attired rather conservatively; Hulk Hogan was attired in a sleeveless jersey that displayed his massive arms, in wrestling tights and wearing a bandanna wrapped around the top of his head.
It was interesting that Hogan was not regarded by the others as some sort of cultural freak, or even as a mere pro wrestler. He was at the party as a drawing card; no question about that. But the unspoken assumption, and it was true, was that Hogan was a show-business entrepreneur just like the other men and women in the room. They were
Bob Greene Syndicated columnist
all in the same enterprise; they just dressed differently.
Recently I wrote about Buddy "Nature Boy" Rogers, a golden-haired wrestling star of the '50s who could properly be described as the Hulk Hogan of his era. In Buddy Rogers' day, pro wrestling was considered a very "owlife" sport, and although it was highly theatrical, wrestlers and promoters were constantly, if unconvincingly, insisting that wrestling was pure athletics.
Today, pro wrestling is willingly promoted as just one more part of the entertainment business spectrum. Wrestling matches are delivered to the public with a broad wink, as if to let everyone in on the joke. You might have thought that this would take away from the allure of wrestling. Not hardy. Hulk Hugan is reportedly a multinillionaire because he has avidly allowed himself to become a cartoon character (both figuratively and literally) Hulk Hugan has starred in a children's cartoon.
In today's culture a star almost has to be a cartoon character, definable in an instant image, with no shades of subtlety, to make it to the top. Hulk Hugan, Michael Jackson, Mr. T, Madonna — they sometimes seem as much marketing logos as they do human beings.
Which brings us back to the party. The businesswoman approached Hulk Hogan not as she would a famous athlete, or even as she would an attractive, well-muscled man. "Lift me, Hulk," she said, as if lifting her was his version of handling over his business card. So he lifted her, and when he put down she said in a friendly, yet very proper voice, as she would to any colleague, which in a real sense he was. "You're a delight."
A video executive in a dark suit, accompanied by a friend carrying a camera, introduced himself to Hogan and asked if they might be photographed together.
"Of course." Hogan said. The voice was not the familiar bragging shout heard on television; it was soft and courteous.
"I'm going to put my hands around your neck," Hogan told the man. "It won't be hard. I'll count to three, and you jump."
Which is what happened. On the count of three the man in the suit jumped. Hogan, his hands loose around the man's neck, flashed a momentary ferocious expression. The camera flashed. The man settled harmlessly to the carpet.
When the picture is developed, it will look as if Hulk Hogan has throttled the man and yanked him angrily into the air. Undoubtedly, it will make a scene when the man is marketing Hulk Hogan videos.
"Thanks a lot," the man said, and extended his hand.
"Don't mention it," Hulk Hogan said, shaking hands back.
CAMP UHNEELY
▶ Bob Greene is a syndicated columnist.
"THEN, ANTESCPATING THE UPCOMING ENCOUNTER, THE MALE GATOR, VISITS THE NERREST VENDING MACHINE."
"THEIR MOMENT TOGETHER IS INTENSE, BUT BRIEF."
BY SCOTT PATTY
"AFTERWARD, THE MALE RESTS WHILE THE FEMALE SNEAKS OFF WITH THE VIDEOTAPE OF THE NIGHT BEFORE."