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University Daily Kansan
Opinion
Friday, Oct. 4, 1985
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Down on Main Street
Take a walk down Main Street, located somewhere in downtown Lawrence in the noto-distant future;
Shoppers stroll from store to store surrounded by new drinking fountains and street lamps.
City crews sweep the alleys clean, while townsfolk milk around the new sheltered bus stop and information board at the corner of Ninth and Massachusetts streets.
This is the vision of many local officials and businessmen who last week supported an application for Lawrence to be one of five Kansas communities selected to participate in the Main Street downtown revitalization program.
Lawrence long has been known for its efforts to spruce up its downtown area, and the attempts of local officials to qualify for the Main Street program should be applauded.
The Main Street program, which was established in 1978 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers technical assistance to communities seeking to reverse the decline of their downtowns.
The program provides little direct financing to cities, but offers technical assistance in such areas as architecture, engineering and capital improvements. Part of the program also calls for the hiring of a full-time downtown manager.
And that, says city commissioner Ernest Angino, is just as valuable as money for a community looking to prevent its downtown from deteriorating.
To strengthen Lawrence's application, the city commission fast week pledged $70,000 over three years for capital improvements, in addition to the more than $55,000 it invests in parking and landscaping for downtown each year.
Lawrence faces stiff competition from 18 other cities, including Salina, Manhattan, Emporia and Hutchinson. The Kansas Department of Economic Development is scheduled to select the five Main Street cities on Oct. 21.
Today, downtown Lawrence is the cultural and commercial heart of the community. Applying to be part of the Main Street program shows that the city wants to keep it that way.
Members of Congress have legendary noses for publicity. Since the reporting of scandals and shortcomings in college athletics has increased, we can't be too surprised to see a half-witted, interfering bill before Congress.
Athletic interference
Rep. James J. Howard, D-N.J., introduced his "College Athlete Education and Protection Act of 1985" in May. It is pending in the House Ways and Means Committee.
lacks a clear connection to the offense.
As two KU athletic officials pointed out last week, the bill has many faults, and even an improved version might not accomplish its stated purpose of increasing the graduation rate of athletes.
Other difficulties abound.
What about partial scholarships? What about a school like Brigham Young, which delays graduation by sending students on two-year mission stakes?
The bill calls for 75 percent of athletes with scholarships for at least three years to graduate within five years. Schools that do not meet that 75 percent would lose tax-deductible status for athletic contributions. The punishment
Moreover, the National Collegeiate Athletic Association has shown resolve to clean its own house. College presidents are reasserting their right to demand integrity. Tougher requirements on academic standing and high school preparation already have passed.
But the biggest objection to this bill is its interference in the affairs of the universities and their governing athletic bodies.
Let the NCAA and the schools work toward solutions with public support. College athletics don't need this kind of law, and Congress has business besides blowing hot air about a hot topic.
A dome decision
A year ago, the question left puzzled state lawmakers scratching their balding domes.
Now it's in the hands of the Kansas Arts Commission.
At issue: Whose form should adorn the green dome of the State Capitol?
To be sure, it won't be that of the Greek goddess Ceres.
She's too pagan, according to the legislators. They'd rather have visitors to the Capitol marvel at a 1,000-watt lightbulb — whose religion no one is quite sure about.
During the 1984 session, the legislators passed a law throwing the top-the-dome question to the arts commission, with instructions to solicit suggestions for the statue. All but Ceres would be considered, the law said.
Asking imaginative young Kansans to decide whose form should adorn the roof under which the state government operates is a good idea.
In response, the arts commission last week announced that it was asking Kansas school children, among others, to send suggestions to its Topeka office by Oct. 31.
And legislators are probably smiling. School kids are the only Kansans unable to thank legislators for taxes or increases in the legal drinking age.
But what will the legislators say if the school kids suggest statues of the beings they know and love best?
Legislators might reconsider Ceres if the other option is Spiderman or one of his amazing friends.
Rob Karwath
Editor
Duncan Calhoun Business manager
John Hanna Michael Totty
Managing editor Editorial editor
Lauretta McMillen
Campus editor
Susanne Shaw
General manager, news adviser
Brett McCabe Sue Johnson
Retail sales Campus sales
Megan Burke
National/Co-op sales
John Oberzan
Sales and marketing adviser
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Tracking AIDS victims' names
It's everywhere, it's every-where. But most of the time we don't know where.
You hear about it on television and on the radio. You read about it in the newspaper, What's the subject? AIDS, of course.
We have been bombarded with information and gossip concerning AIDS. Rock Hudson and his sexual preference were dragged through the mud when we found out he had the deadly disease.
Foundations are being formed to research AIDS and hopefully find a cure. A governmental agency, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has asked Congress for an additional $70 million for fiscal year 1986 for AIDS research, bringing its budget to $196 million.
Attempts have been made to keep children out of school if they contract AIDS.
John Peterson, one of my journalism professors, spoke on the subject in class one day. He offered this projection to illustrate the number of people affected by AIDS;
As one of my friends said to me,
"It is the leprosy of the '80s."
Kathy Flanders Staff Columnist
"Nationally there were 14,000 reported cases of AIDS this year. Officials are expecting another 14,000 cases next year. That puts the number of cases up to 28,000, and that would wipe out the population at KU.
"The next year it would double again, to 56,000. That takes care of Lawrence. The next year the number goes up to 112,000, and that pretty much takes care of Topela.
"Then it would double to 224,000,
which is about the size of Wichita.
And the following year it would
become one of the largest cities.
So there's the state of Kansas
wiped off the map in five to six
years."
I began to wonder whether Kansas had reported any cases of AIDS, and if so, where were they reported. I called the Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control in Topeka and talked with Don Schwarz, manager for the state Sexually Transmitted Disease Program.
He told me there had been, at a "rock bottom minimum," 10 cases reported in Kansas — six cases this year, two last year, one in 1983 and one in 1982. But those 10 cases are confirmed cases, and the actual number of cases in the state is probably closer to 35. Schwarz said.
So I asked him whether he would tell me the names of the cities where cases of AIDS had been reported. Sure, he said.
"The cases," he said, "are in metropolitan and rural towns."
That really told me a lot. Schwarz said the program's policy was not to disclose the hometowns of AIDS victims.
As a reporter, I thought the press and the public had the right to know such information. Then I
recalled seeing the Rev. Jerry Falwell on "Nightline," and reading an article in a recent Kansan issue.
Falwell wants to quarantine not only AIDS victims, but homosexuals as well. Images of Japanese during World War II in U.S. internment camps came to mind. I thought that kind of thinking had gone out with the end of the war more than 40 years ago.
The Kanan article reported that a poll taken in New York City last month revealed that 55 percent of the respondents thought children who had AIDS should be kept out of school. And 48 percent said they would keep their children home if a child afflicted with AIDS attended the school.
Now I understand why state and federal officials don't want to release the locations of AIDS victims.
Hysteria about AIDS has turned a tragic disease into a modern-day witch hunt — and until such thinking is changed, victims' names need to be kept secret.
Columnist won't help 'creep rockers'
When I declined the invitation, one of them said, "But you're against censorship, aren't you?"
I was asked by some sincere civil libertarians whether I would help them defend the right of record companies to produce rock records with raunchy lyrics.
Most of the time, yes. But it's always been my policy that if some creep is determined to make a buck by producing or selling something that is obscene, disgusting, offensive and of no social or artistic value, they should have to fight for the right to do so. And without my help.
That's what's been happening to some elements of the recording industry. They are being hounded and harassed by a Senate committee, wives of congressmen, the PTA and other influential groups.
The idea is to protect children from hearing songs that hail the joys of incest, sadism, masochism, suicide, rape and other subjects that inspire some of today's lyricals.
I doubt whether such labeling would help. More likely, it would make it easier for youthful record-buyers to do their shopping. They
wouldn't have to worry about inadvertently buying a record that sounds good and has something worthwhile to save.
Nor do I think that members of Congress or any other politicians should start deciding what people should read or hear.
And, so far, nobody has proposed any laws that would prevent record companies from producing junk. They just want the junk labeled as junk.
But that's been enough to cause great anguish at some of the record companies and bring cries of outrage from some of their better-known stars.
Which is fine. Nobody ever guaranteed that the path of the creative artist would be smooth and easy.
So, it isn't unreasonable to expect a few recording executives and musicians to face some adversity while they strive for the artistic fulfillment that comes with producing songs that describe the joys of getting it on with one's sister or schoolteacher.
Actually, nothing is going to come out of all of this. Any new laws trying
Mike Royko Chicago Tribune
to censor musical lyrics probably would be shot down by the courts.
But I see nothing wrong with somebody putting the heat on the record companies and musical groups which can't find anything more interesting to yowl about than the joys of rape.
Somebody writes a creepy song, hoping to make enough money to buy a California house with a swimming pool and hot-and-cold running groups. Some record executive punches his desk calculator and sees the song increasing his bottom line.
Then along come the bluenosed ladies, forcing the songwriter and the record executive to hire lawyers to defend their right to be public nuisances.
Eventually, the creeps will win their battle. But they have to sweat a little and spend some money on lawyers.
Well, as so many businessmen have said: You have to spend money to make money.
That's been the history of all dedicated porno dealers. When they first opened stores, they knew they'd be busted and have to go to court. They didn't whine about their rights. They just called their lawyers.
Flashers get arrested. So do peepers. And hookers, B-girls, and pimps. It's part of the business.
So, the peddlers of creep-rock should just accept this as part of the price of success, the struggle of the creative artist, the pain of the pioneer.
But, please, do it on your own like
any self-respecting creep.
When I explained my position to the civil libertarians who asked me to defend their cause, they said, "Today it is rock. Tomorrow it could be your column."
That's what they always say, but I don't believe it.
But if it does happen, I won't wait around for some dope-sniffing guitar banger to help me.
Mailbox
Middle East lessons
This is in response to Rachel Klugman's letter (Kansan, Sent. 30).
Klugman seems to have taken a crash course on Middle Eastern affairs through a brief visit to Israel. However, a more informative visit would have been to Palestinian (or temporarily Lebanese) refugee camps. Pelican can best describe the Middle Eastlict because they live it every day.
She says the Jews fought for their land for 4,000 years. The truth is that they left it a few thousand years ago. Then they decided to return only to find it inhabited by Palestinians, whom they fought and ousted.
Klugman invites Israel's neighbors to lay down their arms. Israel then would have two choices: make peace or invade. Knowing Israel's record, I think it would invade. So why lay down arms first?
I would like to extend some advice to all self-proclaimed experts on the
Middle East conflict: If you attempt to be impartial in your investigation, your conclusions are likely to be practical and realistic.
Thaer Laham Damascus, Syria graduate student
Other 17-year-olds
I would like to point out an error Bob Tinsley made in his "Student tackles college early" story in the Oct. 1, Kansan. Tinsley's error occurs in the first paragraph, which says, "While many KU students look forward to the magical milestone of 21, one still awaits her 18th birthday." The error is the word "one," because there are several KU students who are not yet 18.
This generalization is an insult to all students who got a "head start" in college by actually graduating from high school early. The story could have been more interesting if it had contained quotes from KU students
who are tackling college early because they graduated from high school early.
Roger T. Moore Kirkwood, Mo., freshman
Above all, however, the story should have pointed out that there are several other 17-year-old KU students and that Kate Lindsey is not the only one.
Misleading editorial
The editorial in the Kansan (Sept. 30) "Term papers for hire," expressed an important point about the educational value of doing one's own writing. However, the editor expressed this point with a demeaning and misleading reference to foreign students.
I do not accept without qualification and references that 80 percent of cheaters are foreign students. This sentence also seemed to imply by association that 80 percent of foreign students cheat. Do you mean this?
In addition, the education at the University of Kansas — although I believe it is great — may not necessarily be better than education in the foreign students' own countries. They come here for many reasons, and I do not think it is necessarily because KU offers a "better" education.
And why the reference to the proverbial rose garden? Of the foreign students I know (at least 20), none of them came here because they thought it was a rose garden. This is in your mind only. Generally, they expect to work hard and do what is required to earn their grades according to the rules.
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I am sure the term paper business will continue and will never contribute to one's education. However, your use of foreign students to show this was not appropriate:
Gordon F. Sargent
Lenexa graduate student