University Daily Kansan / Monday, September 24, 1990
5
LETTERS to the EDITOR
Kansan policy dubious
We just ordered a meal that was delivered with great service by Pepe and Mimi's Italian Delivery, and we must say it was quite delicious. In fact, we were so impressed we called back to let them know how much we enjoyed the meal. Upon doing so, we inquired why we had not seen an advertisement in the Kansan. We were told by the owner that although they had attempted to place an ad, the photograph did not capture staff on grounds that the photograph they wished to publish was pornographic.
Anyone who has seen the cover of the menu, now widely hand-distributed, must realize the absurdity of such a charge.
Feeling that we have made that point clear to any person of rational thinking, we would like to question whether our contradiction by the Kansan staff.
The lingerie ads we have seen in the paper have been closer by far to what we would call pornographic (if
not blatantly sexist). Not that we are conservative, mind you. We are just quite curious as to what manner of staffing is employed by the staff members.
Finally, we would call attention to a cartoon that recently appeared in the same non-offending publication of which **which** speech — a cartoon that describes a character as very familiar with this "cartoon" openly made a moke about abortion. Perhaps if the editors of this paper find this type of humor to be in accordance with their own morals, we should re-examine the value of so much information of our tuition that supports the printing and distribution of this paper.
Sean Flanagan Leavenworth senior
Ann Mcgrath Overland Park senior
Brett Kay Leavenworth junior
Justin Stewart Leavenworth resident
Chris Matzeder
Leavenworth freshman
Jenny Cole Denver senior
Monday
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. — Golden State
National Honor Society information table
in the south lobby of the Kansas Union
also Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m.
Walnut Room in the Kansas Union Everyone welcome
6:30 p.m. m. — KU Tae Kwon Do Club workout at 207 Robinson Center. Also on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
6:30 p.m. Hispanic-American Leadership Organization meeting at the
7 p.m. — Taking Control of Calculus workshop sponsored by the Student Assistance Center, 300 Strong Hall Free.
7:30 p.m. — Atmospheric Science Club meeting at 6072 Malott Hall. All welcome.
Tuesday
3 p.m. — Study abroad in Spanish speaking countries information session at 3040 Wescoe Hall. Sponsored by the Office for Study Abroad.
7 p.m. -- Surviving College Algebra workshop sponsored by the Student Assistance Center, 4012 Wescoe Hall, Free
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Commuters Club luncheon at Alcove I in the Kansat Union.
4 p.m. — Study abroad in French-speaking countries information session, in 2015 Wesley Hall. Sponsored by the Office for Study Abroad
Room in the Kansas Union, sponsored by Hispanic-American Leadership Organization.
6:30 p.m. -- Moviemental de los Chicanos forum about the struggles and successes of Chicanos, at the Bia 8
7:30 p.m. Eating disorders support
concern about anemia and related
disorder sponsored by Watkins Memorial
Health Center at room 20 in Watkins.
8:30 p.m. — KU Fencing Club work-
130 Robinson Center. Fencing
instruction followed by workout. Also
Thursday at 8:30 p.m.
2 p.m. to 4 p.m. — Career Exploration for Women program sponsored by the Women's Resource Center, at the Pine Room in the Kansas University
Adams Alumni Center
2:30 p.m. — Library tours in Watson Library. Tours last about 45 minutes.
Wednesday
2:30 p.m. - Study abroad information session concerning eligibility, scholarships, and applications for courses, interested in study abroad. At 4 Faxen House
6 p.m. — Environs meeting at Parlor C in the Kansas University. Regular weekly meeting followed by committee meetings.
7 p.m. — KU Pro-Choice Coalition meeting at the Walnut Room in the Kansas Union, Sean Williams, Kansas House of Representatives candidate, will
7 p.m. — Society for Fantasy and Science Fiction weekly meeting at Alcoh Ive in the Kansas Union.
7 p.m. — KU Student Alumni Association general membership meeting, at the
7 p.m. — Notetaking workshop sponsored by the Student Assistance Center, in 300 Strong Hall.
7 p.m. - KU Litter-day Saint Student Association weekly meeting for scripture study and fellowship at Daisy Hill Room in the Kansas University.
8 p.m. - KU Democrats meeting at the Pine Room in the Kansas Union. Fund raising and campaigning committees will meet, and county commission candidate Mike Rundle will speak briefly reading materials for soldiers in the
Thursday
Noon — East Asian studies brown bag lunch presentation "Emerging Economic Relations Between East and West" at the Kansas University. Ocean to the public.
4 p.m. — Amnesty International letter-writing session at Alcove B in the Kansas Union
7:30 p.m. — Gay and Lesbian Services of Kansas weekly meeting, at the Pioneer Room in the Burge Union.
7:30 p.m. — Graduate Student Council meeting of the Graduate Executive Committee, at the Regionalist Room in the Kansas Union.
Thursday, at Alcove C in the Kansas Union.
7:30 p.m. — Slavic Club meeting at the Centennial Room in the Kansas Union.
6 p.m. — KU-ACLU meeting every Thursday, at Alcove B in the Kansas Union
Kansas Union. Every graduate program is encouraged to send its representative.
6:30 p.m. — KU Christian Science Student Organization meeting every
Fridav
3 p.m. — Graduate Representative Assembly at the Jayhawk Room in the
U.S. education problem needs to be fixed
The question we have been asking ourselves during the past 50 years has been, "Can Johnny read?" The answer we continually come up with is a resounding, "No." This consequence of governmental and societal apathy leaves us on shaky footing as the United States enters the '90s.
If the quality of a nation's educational system is the measure of its financial worth, the United States is institute. In simple terms, the United States has no priority on education and urgency on the issue of priority.
Perhaps it would be too critical to say that on the issue of education, the United States lacks a sense of priority. After all, George Bush did deem himself the "Education President." Fortunately he didn't take the spotlight off his plans for our schools. But we cannot让 Bush forget what he set out to do.
What the Iraqi crisis means to the preservation of international peace, our educational crisis means to the sustenance of the United States as a world leader. One false move and we are all in trouble. There is no room in the Middle East or in Iraq under any policy, just as there are no quick or easy solutions.
So far, Bush has consummately and dexterously maneuvered our nation and our allies in Saddam Hussein's backyard. Chances are, if and when Bush will be able to transfer his attention back to domestic issues, he will reconsider his pledge to the United States by putting it to his advantage in a 1992 reelection campaign
Earlier this year, in his state of the Union address, Bush announced a six-tiered plan for achieving educational excellence by the year 2000. His first goal is intended for preschool children who "must start school ready to learn." For high school age students, Bush's plan intends to reduce the drop-out rate to 10 percent. Collectively, his other goals call for increasing the standards on math and reading in his set and continuing the $180 billion "investment" we have placed in our public school systems.
For Bush, fixing the problems in our schools is like opening a Pandora's box — now that he has opened it, he has found a prolific amount of problems presenting themselves and demanding immediate attention. Here is what he faces: SAT scores that are on the decline for the third
a growing percentage of Americans who cannot place their own nation on a world map,
pass proficiency exams and to identify and help at-risk students; of the government to set national curricula standards; of parents to encourage their children to learn and to tell them the importance of getting a good education, and of community and business leaders to bring the private sector into the arena.
- students from careers in education;
- discipline and drug problems in our youth;
- and the need for stronger curricula at all educational levels.
- low salaries that discourage our brightest students from careers in teaching.
The unstable situation in the Middle East rightfully should consume President Bush's thoughts and dictate his priority list. Without the Iraqi crisis, Bush would have to contend with other issues as well, including the tax debate and the homeless, to name a few. Yet, with all these concerns, education must fit in.
Sally
Gibbs
Staff columnist
"In a world marked by war, inflation and recession, a population explosion, careening technology, pollution, racial strife, unemployment, an energy crisis, starvation, ecological suicide and anxiety about the future, education and schooling cannot be taken for granted."
The list does not end there.
Yet Pallium's call for more education cannot be adequately answered by Bush unless it is met with
It is important that Bush continue to encourage reforms while not letting the situation in the Middle East steal his attention from the equally important battle that is being waged in our schools. A quote of Benjamin Disraeli, 19th Century British prime minister, offers an appropriate corollary to Bush's objectives: "The secret of success is constancy in purpose."
A quote from educational critic John D. Pallium
consummately emphasizes the importance of education
George Bush must endorse this maxim if the promises he has made for our schools are to come to frution. For the sake of our nation and its future, let us hope he succeeds.
The measure of Bush's success in reforming U.S. education will come in the year 2000, the year he has targeted for achieving his six educational goals. If in the next 10 years we find that Bush's goals were not met, it would be easy to point the finger of guilt at him. But a great deal of the responsibility for the success of national education reform falls on those who will be responsible for carrying out Bush's plan; namely governors, legislators, school officials, teachers and parents.
Recent studies reveal other negative indicators in our educational system. For example, U.S. students are taking fewer classes in the humanities and are more concerned with money than with moral values upon graduation. Is this how we want our youth to enter society?
This is proof that throwing money at the problem will not correct it. To borrow the magazine's analogy: "You don't fix a car that isn't running properly by pumping more gasoline into the tank."
The reality of an educationally dominant Japan shadows our education system. Japan has generated a system that has catapulted its youth to the top of the educational heap. Since the end of World War II, Japan has had time to devote to the complete reconstruction of its economy, its government, and its schools — an opportunity to begin anew that we do not have for our schools.
Ironically, the United States spends more money on elementary and secondary education than both Japan and West Germany. And yet, when the United States are out-performed, this should tell us something.
money alone cannot solve the educational crisis. An informative study published in the May edition of Forbes magazine pointed out that since the early '80s, expenditures on a public school student have increased from $3,500 in 1980 to $4,950 in 1988. This increase should have been reflected in higher national SAT scores, but it has not. On a state level, schools are investing in increased financing for teachers' salaries, such salaries have declined as a percent of state and local operating budgets.
The alternatives to a financial fix are many, the most important of which is the issue of accountability. Specifically, this is the accountability of students to pass proficiency levels; of teachers to
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Bally Gibbs is a Columbia, Mo, senior majoring in economics and political science.
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