MONDAY DECEMBER 2, 2002
4A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN *8A*
OPINION
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2002
TALKTOUS
Jay Kroll
editor
864-4954 or krail@kansan.com
Brooke Hesler and Kyle Ramsey
managing editors
864-4954 or bhesterokkanan.com and
kramesey@kansan.com
Laurel Burchfield
readers, representative
864-4810 or lbrachfield@kansan.com
Maggie Koerth and Amy Potter
opinion editors
864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Amber Agee
business manager
884-4368 or advertising@kansan.com
Matt Fisher
884-4358 or advertising@kansan.com
Eric Kelting
retail sales manager
884-4358 or
advertising@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson
general manager and news adviser
884-7667 or mgibson@kansan.com
KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
Matt Fisher
sales and marketing adviser
884-7668 or mfisher@kannan.com
University senate should leave world issues alone
"The Student Senate shall work to represent students on university, local, state national and international levels." Article I of the Student Senate rules and regulations.
These are noble words by our elected representation. Perhaps a bit too noble as their lofty ambitions oftentimes overshoot any realistic goals.
The fall semester is almost over and its necessary to evaluate how Student Senate has used its finite time to represent the students of the University of Kansas. Most of its resources and meetings have been devoted to debating the funding given for the various student groups on campus. This is a fine area to be focused on because one of the main purposes of Student Senate is to allocate student fees in a cost effective manner.
It's when Student Senate tries to go beyond the confines of this University that one should examine its efficiency. In the past two months, Student Senate has passed resolutions regarding the Food and Drug Administration's blood donations, denouncing the "Romeo and Juliet" laws in Kansas and honoring the late Paul Wellstone.
No one can deny that the deaths of Senator Wallestone and his family were tragic. But to use up the time of members of the Senate to draft, amend, debate and pass a bill takes away from more pressing issues right here on campus.
For that matter, a cost/benefit analysis should have been done for these bills
Senators should have asked themselves how much work would be involved in passing a particular bill and how great an effect the bill would have.
Had Student Senate done this, they would have concluded that bills like 2003-304, a resolution denouncing the war against Iraq, were futile. It fails the above analysis for two reasons.
First, the bill has been debated for two months now. It has been written up, discussed, revised, addressed and rewritten again. At the same time, more worthy proposals are postponed or shelved due to a lack of time.
Second, even if the entire student body rallied together as one unified voice denouncing an siege upon Saddam Hussein's territory, it wouldn't make a bit of difference. President Bush does not look to KU's Student Senate for advice on foreign policy. Quite frankly, he doesn't care.
But the fact is campus is not unified in its outlook. Who is the Student Senate to speak for the students on this issue? The senators were not voted in to address US foreign policy. Yet without even the benefit of a straw poll, they claim to be "representing the students" as they unilaterally condemn the Iraq invasion.
More attention needs to be spent or the issues that affect the University. More time must be used on problems Student Senate can actually resolve.
Dan Osman for the editorial board
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Some sorority girls have a beauty that will fade in a decade or two but as for the nice girls that I have met in McCollum so far, I'm sure that their beauty will last them a lifetime.
remote control in his arm, can anybody say Power Glove by Nintendo?
I just landed in California because I'm home for Thanksgiving and it's a shame that traveling from the great state of Kansas to the great state of California I had to go to the airport in Mizzou. Mizzou sucks,
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For all of those who have just seen the James Bond movie, at the end scene, with the guy with the little
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Yeah, I'm from Mizou. KU sucks.
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Hi. My roommate's boyfriend is from Mizzou and he just called in and said Kansas sucks. But really his statement sucks, so that means Mizzou sucks.
Just because you're not doesn't give you the right to run me over.
To the hot girl who tried to run me over; what are you doing Saturday night?
Yeah, I was just driving down Naismith and there was a paper bag run across the road and I thought, no big deal, it's just a paper bag. So I ran over it. But then I looked in my rearview mirror and it was actually squirrel. So don't run over paper bags because there might be squirrels in them.
probably sue the drug manufacturer
Does anyone know if there is a 7- Eleven anywhere in the town of Lawrence? I am craving a slurp, and I don't know where a 7-Eleven is.
probably sue the drug manufacturer
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SACK'S VIEW
STAR TRIGUNE
Steve Sack/Knight Ridder
BY THE NUMBERS
$84,400
Average salary of a KU professor for 2002 FY.
$97,100
S103,400
Average salary of a University of Iowa professor for 2002 FY.
$84,800
Average salary of a University of North Carolina professor for 2002 FY.
Average salary of a University of Oklahoma professor for 2002 FY.
Average salary for KU professors and peer institutions
$89.700 Average salary of a University of Colorado professor for 2002 FY.
Average salary of a University of Oregon professor for 2002 FY.
$76,700
Source: Office of Institutional Research and Planning
PERSPECTIVES
Security bill should prevent room for frivolous lawsuits
COMMENTARY
While the Homeland Security Bill was passed, at least one crucial element of our country's plan to fight terrorism and protect citizens was left out of the final version. Senate Democrats, along with some moderate Republicans, voted not to include provisions that would limit lawsuits against drug manufacturers who produce vaccines such as the one for smallpox.
The United States government has already asked private drug companies to begin manufacturing the smallpox vaccine. (The smallpox vaccination was not manufactured in the United States for many years because it had been eradicated). Evidently, there is a great enough threat of terrorist use of the virus as a biological weapon that the government believes citizens could be vaccinated some time in the future.
Analysts predict that if 1 million Americans were infected with smallpox, over 300,000 would die. To prevent that tragedy, we should be vaccinated against it. Sounds simple, right?
Audrey Snyder
oninov@kaysin.com
However, those same analysis predict if I million people were vaccinated against smallpox, about one person would die because of the vaccine, presumably from allergic reactions or complications. Their families would
To many drug companies, the investment might very well not be worth the returns. These companies stand to lose billions of dollars or even be sued out of business if they answer the government's request to manufacture the smallpox vaccine. It is unreasonable to expect that these businesses would risk losing their business by making vaccines for which they could very well be sued.
Vaccine lawsuits, if multiple drug companies were involved, could spell disaster for the entire industry. This is an industry that not only produces all kinds of medications, but that is extremely innovative in developing new medications, treatments and vaccines for all kinds of illnesses.
In response to this concern Republicans in Congress included the provision that would limit lawsuits against
vaccine manufacturers in the Homeland Security Bill.
In the interest of public health alone, Congress should have passed this portion of the bill. The numbers of Americans at risk for fatal reaction to a smallpox vaccination is substantially lower than the number who would die if exposed to the disease. Obviously, if the threat is real, we have to protect our citizens and limit their ability to sue manufacturers of the lifesaving vaccine.
Democrats claimed their opposition to that portion of the bill was because it protected Republicans' special interests, the pharmaceutical industry. While protectionism may be a byproduct of this part of the legislation, the purpose was to protect American citizens.
Democrats usually receive great amounts of campaign contributions from trial lawyers, those who stand to profit most from unlimited lawsuits against drug manufacturers. It seems the Democrats were also committed to special interests during this debate.
Snyder is a Shawnee senior in political science.
Make the effort to stay connected with your closest friends
This past week, something happened that I didn't expect to happen when I was only 21. I finally saw the girl that I had been best friends with from fourth grade through junior year of high school for the first time in about four years.
She hadn't moved so far away that it was impossible to keep in touch, nor had we had some great falling out. We had both been going through some changes in high school and had gradually stopped talking to one another. I think I may have bumped into her in the halls twice senior year.
After high school graduation, I didn't think I'd ever see her again.
Then she called my parents and got
When I saw her again, gave her a big hug and met her husband of one year. I immediately regretd letting a friendship that encompassed years of my childhood disintegrate so quickly.
my number, and when we first talked on the phone, we spent an hour and a half, catching up on the last four years.
It seemed strange, because reunions like this shouldn't happen until you're old and gray, right?
GUEST COMMENTARY
Okay, so I admit, it isn't as big a deal as some reunion you see on Oprah where two people needed a detective service to find each other after forty years and were comparing pictures of their grandchildren. This is not the stuff of a made for a TV movie on Lifetime.
Caroline Boyer
opinton@hansan.com
Still, it seemed strange for me to have gone so long without seeing someone I used to spend practically all my time with, and to be content with the belief that I probably wouldn't see her again.
This was someone who I had thought I would know all my life, the one person outside of my sister who I had figured
would definitely be a bridesmaid in my wedding and visa versa. Now here I was, and I had missed her wedding entirely.
Then I think about my mom, who had one of her best friends and roommates from college as a bridesmaid in her wedding. My mom has barely seen or heard
Looking around at my friends now, I wonder how long it will be after we graduate before we lose touch. It's understandable that after college people move on and go off to work in different states. You can't stay as closely connected to your college friends as you are now forever. Yet it seems strange that the people I feel so close to now may only be a fond memory in five or 10 years.
from this friend since then, and it's been 25 years.
Why do we let such great friendships completely dissolve? These are the people who, you paried with and went on road trips with. they are maybe even the people you plan to have, or already have had, in your wedding.
After graduation, you may plan to move to some city far away to work and meet new people, which is what is to be expected. But at least make an attempt to keep in contact with your closest friends. It's surprising how easily they are forgotten.
Boyer is a Lenexa senior in journalism.