IA = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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OPINION
THURSDAY,OCTOBER 3,2002
TALKTOUS
Jay Kraff
editor
864-4854 or krall@kansan.com
Brooke Hesler and Kyle Ramsey
managing editors
864-4854 or bhesler@kansan.com and
kramsey@kansan.com
Laurel Burchfield
readers' representative
864-4810 or lbruchfield@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 864-7667 or mgibson@kansan.com
Matt Fisher sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or mfisher@kansan.com
KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
University needs new system to track sweatshop labor
Products associated with sweatshops have come under extreme criticism through the years. Association with sweatshops can greatly damage the image of a large corporation.
Even the University of Kansas has its own vested interest in these issues because 440 companies are licensed to use the Jayhawk with their product.
The group is asking the University to join Workers Rights Consortium (WRC), in addition to its current affiliation with the Fair Labor Association (FLA). Both companies track overseas factories and keep records of violations.
The global fair labor issues group at the University of Kansas seeks to ensure that KU is not licensing its name to companies who use sweatshop labor.
The group expressed concerns to the KU Athletic Corporation in April, said Laura Adams, Topeka sophomore. She said FLA failed to provide detailed reports of companies that are in non-compliance with codes.
If the University is to be protected from a possible association with sweatshop labor, it must use a service that will make reports readily available for consumers.
During the last few months the FLA has made positive changes to its regulations, adding access to company names and the factory locations on its Web site.
However, Adams said these changes still fail to offer enough information for
students to make a socially-responsible choice.
The global fair labor issues group wants updated reports detailing companies in non-compliance. It also wants reports of companies working to correct sweatshop abuses. WRC does all of these things and, unlike the FLA, it is independent of company control.
Paul Vander Tuig, KU Licensing Administrator said KUAC was going to address the group's concerns in November.
Vander Tuigs said the University would be open to joining other labor associations. However, he said he was apprehensive about the practicality of paying royalties to two groups when the University is facing a budget crisis.
Adams points out that of the universities affiliated with FLA, 50 are also affiliated with WRC.
Students who are interested in these issues can help the global fair labor group when they present information to various organizations.
An option for KU is to switch services from FLA to WRC. Simply switching associations would eliminate the University's budget concerns.
Their overall goal for this year is to pass a resolution in Student Senate demanding full disclosure of reports on a continual basis.
Amy Potter for the Editorial Board.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Student opposition to blood drive funding not "petty" issue
I cannot tell you how disappointed I was when I learned that Student Senate decided to pass legislation to fund the blood drive at KU. While I fully support the aims and goals of the blood drive, I feel that providing money to a group that actively supports discrimination against any group of students goes against one of the basic guidelines of Senate.
But, perhaps even more disturbing than the actually funding was the attitude of some members of Senate, including the Student Body President Jonathan Ng.
In two different occasions he remarked that debate over this subject was "petty" and essentially irrelevant. This is a stance that I could not agree less with. From my years working with student governance, I can tell you that it is the role of the student government is to make sure that the rights of all students are equally protected. Debating such an important issue as discrimination is neither petty nor irrelevant. Even if the student body felt the way Mr. Ng does, it is up to the student leaders of KU to make sure that no student is marginalized, no matter what the cost.
Justin Mills
KU Class of 2001
Student Body President 2001-2002
Rape story still not justified
This is in response to Laurel Burchfield's Sept. 25 column, "Kansan ran story about rape in interest of student safety".
Did you ever think that you could preserve student safety by running regular front page articles encouraging good personal safety habits instead of producing a big rape layout whenever there happens to be an incident? Despite your stated concern with individuals' safety, I saw very few personal safety articles on the front page in my 10 years at the University of Kansas and the KU Medical Center.
I did see an article or two about safety in the back, right before the sports section, as each fall semester began. I've even seen one or two that I can recall about general rape
statistics and how they compare among the Big 12 universities.
But I have never seen anything of the magnitude of the sensationalist story that Ms. Burchfield tried to justify, which proves that the big story on the rape and your interest in student safety are NOT equal priorities.
Michelle Newton
Class of 2002,
Kansas City, Kan.
Junoon promoters worked hard
Rather than praise the Pakistani Cultural Club (PCC) for taking the initiative to organize a peace symposium and benefit concert to aid children's charities, you mostly just reprimand them for lacking media savvy.
I just read your Sept. 27 opinion piece "Junoon deserves student attention more publicity" and felt compelled to express my disappointment.
I wrote and issued a follow-up press release from the Office of University Relations here on campus that was distributed on Wednesday of last week. Granted, this was late in the scheme of things, but it proved to be ample time for the Kansas City Star to run a story.
Instead, the PCC students put together a press release and hoped that media coverage would make up for their lack of commercial advertising.
I do not know the details of the club's budget but I can assure you that print and television advertising rates can add up quickly.
If the Kansan is so concerned with the lack of publicity, why didn't it also run a news article on the symposium and concert?
I found it disheartening to see you criticize a group of students that has such good intentions.
You're right, Junoon does deserve better.
But then again, so does the PCC for creating these events in the first place.
Ranjit Arab Science/News writer Office of University Relations
SACK'S VIEW
Drinking-column writers need shot of reality, responsibility
PERSPECTIVES
The last week has brought two sides, or rather, two extremes of the college drinking issue to the
COMMENTARY
opinion page of The University Daily Kansan.
Last Thursday Meagan Kelleher told students that she does not drink. Kelleher gave the impression that she fights the hard fight of staying sober every weekend while simultaneously taking the shotgun approach to her audience; peppering all drinkers as idiotic scofflaws.
Kelleher's choice to abstain from alcohol is acceptable and admirable to some degree, but not her attitude towards the opposite practice. Being proud of not drinking is like being proud to have ten fingers; nobody ever did anything to earn that. Furthermore, categorizing people who act differently than her as "idiots" is narrow-minded.
Borja derides Kelleher from the perspective that he is a responsible drinker and should not fall under the realm of her criticism. Soon after implying that he drinks responsibly, he declares himself as president of the "Yes, in fact, I don't really remember much about last night, but I am sure it was a damn good time" club.
Even more abborrent was the opposite viewpoint taken by Eric Borja on Monday.
Steve Vockrodt
opinion@hansan.com
People who drink to the point of losing memory are not responsible
Borja continues to assert his glee as he learned Playboy ranked KU as the number nine party school in the nation, and appeals for students to take up more irresponsible drinking to boost the ranking up the remaining eight spots.
drinkers. In fact, they are the drinken who lie at the crux of the nationwide college drinking problem.
The kind of behavior that it will take to get KU to number one on Playboy's dubious list results in the estimated 1,400 deaths, 70,000 date rapes and sexual assaults and a half-million injuries sustained from irresponsible drinking that took place on college campuses nationwide, as reported by CBS News last year.
Maybe if he spent more time focusing on doing his part in improving KU's education ranking and not its party ranking, his education would serve as a better investment for him than his $100 fake ID, which he calls his "smartest investment yet."
Perhaps the problems with the slip.
Free for All
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansas editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
Call 864-0500
For more comments, go to www.kansan.com.
Has anyone ever noticed that being drunk is like being a baby? It makes you cry and throw up, you can't drive, you're tempermental, you whine, you need a three o'clock feeding, and you have diarrhea in the morning.
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I'm glad that America's biggest problem is not.
is running all over the yard, or Sperm ate my hotdog, or come here, Sperm, or Sperm, get off the couch!
is running all over the yard, or Sperm ate my hotdog, or come here, Sperm, or Sperm, get off the couch!
I had a comment about the person who wanted a name for their cat, and I have your solution. I used to have a toy dog named Sadie, and Sadie and I would have a great time. I would throw him down the stairs and put crickets in his mouth, so I think that in honor of Sadie, you need to name your cat Sadie.
You people need to name your cat "Sperm." That way you can say fun phrases like Sperm
ping education ranking lies in the fact that many students like Borja readily admit to failing a test "because I chose to party instead of study." Is this really the behavior of a responsible drinker as Borja insists he is?
Ah, it's good to see the bell is back on.
"Wet paint on doorframe." Boy, was that sign right.
ping education ranking lies in the fact that many students like Borja readily admit to failing a test "because I chose to party instead of study." Is this really the behavior of a responsible drinker as Borja insists he is?
Hey, this is in protest to the weed shortage.
It's about 4:30 right now, I'm listening to Bob Marley with my buddies, and I'm really high.
A funny thing happened in Watkins today. I just bought 24 condoms for $4.25, and I think the pharmacist was a little more timid to sell me 24 than I was to buy them. I just thought that was funny.
ping education ranking lies in the fact that many students like Borja readily admit to failing a test "because I chose to party instead of study." Is this really the behavior of a responsible drinker as Borja insists he is?
Call the cat Bagel. It's a good name. It's funny.
I know why I started in the journalism school.
I just don't know why I've been here so long.
Please help.
ping education ranking lies in the fact that many students like Borja readily admit to failing a test "because I chose to party instead of study." Is this really the behavior of a responsible drinker as Borja insists he is?
ping education ranking lies in the fact that many students like Borja readily admit to failing a test "because I chose to party instead of study." Is this really the behavior of a responsible drinker as Borja insists he is?
People involved in media research eat their young.
图
How cute. I couldn't think of a better way to advertise for pedophiles besides Abercrombie and Fitch's kids new line of thong underwear that says "wink, wink." What eight year old needs these?
We just wanted to let you all know that it's time for the late night GSP kitchen raid. We're about to make cur move, so we'll be back with the 411.
Dr. Drew Pinsky, specialist in addiction medicine and host of syndicated radio show Loveline, claims that the definition of alcoholism lies in the practice of choosing to drink despite consequence.
If Borja drinks despite the consequence of a failing grade, then he must certainly fit this definition.
If other college students drink as heavily and irresponsibly as Borja encourages (despite the numerous consequences), then they must fit the definition as well.
Whether one chooses to drink or not relies on a personal preference of the individual.
Nobody is particularly impressed with either decision since it is one everyone has to make.
To shower heavy-handed criticism on those who make the choice to drink serves no effect. Alternately, to encourage the practice of drinking to the point of sickness and in light of the widespread consequences is pathetic, idiotic and lacking in any serious thought.
Vorkrodt is a Denver, Colo., junior in journalism and political science.
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The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Maggie Koerth or Amy Potter at 864-4924 or e-mail at opinion@kansan.com.If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the readers' representative at readersrep@kansan.com.
The Kansan will attempt to run as many submissions as possible that conform to the guidelines below.
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