4A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11,2002
FACE-OFF
Should the Kansan have a sex columnist?
Face-Off is a weekly project of the Kansan editorial board.
The Kansas editorial board. Each Wednesday two editorial board members will argue opposing sides of a hot-button issue that affects students at the University of Kansas. We hope that this section will help students to understand both sides of an argument and make
better decisions about their own beliefs.
If you have a suggestion for a topic that could be used in Face-Off, or if you would like to join the editorial board, please call Maggie Koerth or Amy Potter at 864-4924. You can also email suggestions to opinion@kansan.com.
Students need, deserve information about sex
Should there be a column in the University Daily Kansan that focuses on sexuality and relationship issues and concerns? Of course. My concern is not about whether such a column would be useful or warranted.
In a society where less than 10 percent of children and youth receive what is known as comprehensive sexuality education; where most young people are being exposed to fear and guilt based abstinence-only curriculums; where the general societal attitudes about sexuality are non-affirming and negative and filled with repressive consequences; where unexpected pregnancy and STDs are rampant; where so many women and men are experiencing sexual misuse at the hands of others; where half of all marriages fail, many of which struggle with serious sexual dysfunctions; and finally, where the issue of a sex column in a college newspaper causes a potential controversy, it probably would not hurt to enhance the level of information available.
To quote an often used phrase, "information is not dangerous, but ignorance almost always is."
For me there are two central concerns. Human sexuality is an important dimension of the human condition. It can be the source of both great joy and great pain.
KU students do not leave their sexuality at home when they come to campus. They bring it along with them, whether sexually active or not.
Given this reality, and the fact that most students have been ill-served by
their parents, schools and churches at this point in their developmental journey, it seems that a column that addresses issues of sexuality and relationships would be both respectful of their reality and useful in their living process.
Youth and adolescents are the training ground for adulthood. If we want sexually healthy adults who can maintain long lasting intimate relationships we need to do something different.
The other concern I have relates to the quality of the column.
If the columnist is motivated by the creation of shock responses (not that some folks will not be shocked), or is serving their own ego needs (read sexual insecurity), or reference mostly their own personal experiences (a narrow reference group), or are unwilling to do the hard work involved in a responsible column, then I would wonder about its usefulness.
My concern is that the column should reflect solid scientific backing and good clinical information, where available. The column should reflect an accurate and rich understanding of the topics being considered.
Because no student columnist is a sexuality/relationship expert I would urge the writer to regularly seek the advice and consultation of someone who could guide and consult on issues of concern.
Persons with ideological objections can submit letters to the editor.
Dennis Dailey is a social welfare profes
sor. He teaches a class on human sexuality
sor. He teaches a class on human sexuality.
Mark Lyda/Kansan
Column only useful if moral view complete perspective are provided
What does a Catholic priest think about the University Daily Kansan's new emphasis on sex?
First, that it is dangerously incomplete; second, that it is intellectually inadequate; and third, that it is based upon an overly simplistic understanding of the human person.
By presenting sex as mutual self-gratification, we risk encouraging people to use one another for pleasure. Immanuel Kant, an 18th century philosopher, said the first principle of morality was that "persons should always be treated as their own ends and should never be used as a means to what I want."
To disconnect sexuality from the innate dignity of the individual is to risk causing great personal harm to followers of our experimental advice. The personal brokenness caused by such abuse of sex is well known to counselors and doctors, priests and ministers. Sexual violence stems from this same self-centered, pleasure-seeking view of sex.
If the Kansan must make itself the sex adviser to countless young people, it would do well to balance the hedonistic
perspective with contrary opinions rooted in history, moral philosophy, sociology psychology, theology and medical science.
It is intellectually dishonest to omit ideas that conflict with the pleasure principle.
Because the University of Kansas seeks to be among the top 25 public universities in the country, its student newspaper should set high standards for content and for unbiased coverage of controversial issues. If the paper continues the sex column, it should add a balancing column representing an alternate view, such as abstinence.
Alternative arguments originate in a much richer, more complex and complete view of the human person. In this view, we would offer an understanding of sex as a celebration of mutual self-giving in authentic love.
Concern for the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health of students, and a sense of the beauty of sexuality in proportion with other elements of human personality form my views.
Our goal is to enable students to reach
their fullest potential. To do so, we must focus on their wholeness as persons, treat them with respect and never promote that which would enable them to be exploited for someone else's gain or pleasure.
To violate their privacy, to talk down to them, or to censor competing ideas is counterproductive. The paper should assist in this mission by presenting a fuller discussion of human sexuality.
By exposing students not only to shocking prose and pictures, but also to dialogue and reasoned argument, the Kansan will be making a greater contribution to their education.
The social consequences of the abuse of human sexuality are mind boggling, and we all pay the price for insufficient attention to well-rounded education of young people in this area.
It is not too late to introduce gravity, dignity, virtuous living and balance to the Kansan's treatment of this subject. I look forward to seeing how the staff will address the possibility of these changes.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Father Vince Krische is director of the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center.
At the halfway mark, Student Senate falls short on some goals
Jonathan Ng and Loren Malone, Student Senate president and vice president respectively, were elected last spring on the KUited ticket. Their platform included at least five separate, specific goals they wished to carry out for the current academic year. Now at the halfway mark, it's time to see what they've accomplished.
According to Malone, their number one priority has been the development of the Multicultural Resource Center. They've met with members of the Kansas University Endowment Association as well as the KU administration and should have a report finalized by January. It's a fine first step to a goal of greater diversity on campus.It's too bad
the rest of their policy initiatives don't have quite as good a tale to tell.
KUnited has all but ignored many of their other campaign issues. Their yellow bike program, highly touted during the campaign, has all but fallen off the map. Malone claims senators have met with various businesses and the Lawrence police department. "We're still working out the logistics," she said.
This would help to explain the conspicuous lack of bills on this or any of KUnited's other proposals. "Not everything we do is in bills," Malone said. "Bills are not going to do the work."
But without any kind of easily available documentation, the average student cannot find out what Senate is
doing to make their lives better.
Malone also says that the Student Senate Advisory Board has helped to add in blue phones and lights for safety at a few places around campus. John Mullens, assistant director of the KU public safety office and is a non-voting member of the Campus Safety Advisory Board, disagrees with that assessment.
"Discussions of pros and cons started this time last year," he said.
He said they ended up making their decision by early May. Ng and Malone couldn't have had a hand in this project because the issue was practically resolved before they came into office.
Other campaign promises such as an online calendar for student organiza-
ions and campus events still require more attention than they've been given. Malone says that Student Senate has been working towards that goal with KUCalendar.com.
Although the University already has an online calendar at www.ku.edu/~calendar, some in Senate don't like the way that calendar is set up. KUCalender.com was created to alleviate those problems.
However, without a lot more work, the ku.edu calendar will still be better than KUcalendar.com because it has more information.
Susan Elkins, director of KU Info, said the ku.edu calendar had more activities listed and was printed out on a
weekly basis and distributed to faculty and staff. "If you look at KUCalendar, it doesn't have everything you want on it," she said.
With the top two spots and 39 of the 80 student senators, KUnited wields an undeniable power in the legislative chambers.
Yet after a semester on the job, their campaign promises have resulted in drafts of reports and completed projects that were independent of Senate's input. Winter Break may be a good time for Ng and Malone to think about what they want their legacy to be on campus.
Dan Osman for the editorial board.
TALK TO US
Jay Krall editor
684-4545 or rat@kansan.com
Brooke Hesler and
Kyle Ramsey
managing editors
864-4854 or
bhesler@kansan.com
Laurel Burchfield
readers'
representative
864-4810 or
burchfield@kansan.com
kramsey@kansan.com
Maggie Koerth and Amy Potter opinion editors 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Amber Agee business manager 864-4358 or advertising@kansan.com
Eric Kelting
retail sales manager
864-4358 or
advertising@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson
general manager and
news adviser
864-7067 or
mgibson@kansan.com
Matt Fisher
sales and marketing
adviser
864-7668 or
mfi fisher@tansan.com
Free for All
Call 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansas editors reserve the right to omit comments. Standingous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
For more comments, go to www.kansan.com.
People say that Aaron Miles looks like Ja Rule, but he also looks like Rudy Huxtable. So does that mean that Rudy Huxtable grew up to be Ja Rule?
This is for the person who called in and said that there are no hot girls at KU. Just because you're ugly and not getting any doesn't mean you can pick on the rest of us.
Right now, my life consists of homework, homework, school, homework, a little bit more homework, a final project here or there, a few essays, a whole bunch of tests, and maybe, when I get the chance, sleep.
pee in the street and not in our parking lot. We'd really appreciate it next time.
This is for the girl down the hall that laughs at all my jokes, I really appreciate you. You're all I could ever ask for in a friend. You bring out my self-confidence because you laugh at everything. Thanks.
This is to the anonymous girl that need in the Corbin parking lot after the KU game last night. That was really disgusting. If you have such a small bladder that you cannot hold your piss until you get inside, please go
图
We were just sitting around doing a little homework, and the topic of McDonald's characters came up. I was just wondering if anybody had any ideas of what sort of species Grimace was? If you have any ideas, it would be good to hear them.
-
图
At what point did it become fashionable for a guy to wear his hair longer than his girlfriend's?
I just took a bite of week-old pumpkin pie, and it tasted like bologna. Is that bad?
He's not George Bush Jr., he's George W. Bush. His dad was George Herbert Walker Bush, so he was George H.W.Bush. So he can't be George Bush Jr., he has a different name.
-
-
FYI, make sure not to ever park on a steep hill with a low gas tank. It doesn't have to be empty, but even if it's low, you will not be able to get up the hill. Also, to Lauren and Ryan, thank you so much for your help. You two are awesome.
So I came home today, and there was a tent set up in the middle of my dorm room. My roommate says he's going to start doing homework in the tent.
---
Thought for the day: geology lab tests really, really suck.
-
Hi, I'm at work, and it's 5:30 in the morning, and I had to wake up at 4:40 so I could be here at 5. And I have a test in seven hours that I know I'm going to fail because my teacher told me I would. Can somebody help me on my downward spiral to hell?
---