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Wednesday, December 9, 1992
OPINION UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
IN OUR OPINION
Western Civilization needs to re-evaluate reading requirements
Western Civilization and its reading list needs help. The class which has to be endured by thousands of KU students has become
thousands of KU students has become embroiled in controversy. The reading list has become a melting pot of politically correct literature. Many of the included works have little or no significance to the time period they are supposed to represent.
Furthermore, for students in lecture classes, attendance is no longer a necessary requirement. Lecturers put all of their class notes on reserve at Watson Library. These notes should be a study aid for careful students, but they have become the only reading many students do.
The root of many problems within the Western Civilization program is the required reading list, which has grown extremely long and cluttered. Many works are snippets of larger, more interesting readings. To subject students to less than a reasonable amount of a fine work defeats the purpose of the class.
Western Civilization should focus on broadening students' perspectives of the times being studied and serve as a great authors class. Instead, administrators have buckled under pressure to include every group that seeks recognition.
Consequently, small pieces of works that have actually contributed very little to the development of western civilization have become required reading. Christine De Pizan, a medieval writer, is such an example. De Pizan's works were moderately read during her lifetime but did not contribute to the development of society following her death.
Works are also cut so much that important pieces are left out. This can be found in the works of John Calvin, author of the theory of predestination. Western Civilization I requires 10 pages of readings from his works though less than two lines of the text deal with Calvin's most famous theory.
These concerns are not limited to students. Jim Woolelf, director of the Western Civilization program, wrote a Feb. 4, 1992, memo to the Western Civilization Program Committee. The program committee makes up the reading lists every three years. In the memo he wrote, "My view continues to be that students are better off really feeling that they have a handle on six to eight 'great authors and books' — even if the course reading doesn't 'cover all the bases' — than they are being exposed to the bewildering number and variety we expose them to even now."
The number of authors in Western Civilization I is currently 20 and for Western Civilization II it is 25.
Woelfel continues, "The current result of this mentality, the 1992-95 reading list, is 'politically correct' but as I see it awfully cluttered and extremely difficult to teach. Quite honestly, I have no idea at this point how I am going to manage coherently to present all the material, and it will require fundamental revision of the way I have been doing things."
Clearly, given the skepticism of the man in charge of the program, something must change.
Western Civilization does not review its reading until 1995. It should begin now. To enroll students in a course where clear problems exist is neither educational nor professional.
Changes should occur which will guarantee that the course is truly as great as its intended to be.
STEPHEN MARTINO FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
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The kind of complication the Pentagon worries about.
Administration opening gives hope for diversity
The announced resignation of Del Brinkman as Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs is unfortunate for the University. Throughout his 20-year association with the University, Brinkman has proven himself to be a concerned and effective administrator. He has earned the respect of faculty and students alike. Brinkman's concerns have been to provide a better environment for learning and at the same time balance the needs and wants of every special interest.
There are many people who have made a commitment to make this university better. But unless the top positions become available to all persons and all races, inclusiveness will just be a word for the administration to hide behind.
EDITORIAL EDITOR
In this regard, Brinkman receives high marks and commendation from university officials. Replacing him will neither be an easy nor an enviable task. However, it will be an excellent opportunity for the University to reaffirm its inclusiveness in hiring. And it would be about time.
Now I'm hardly an alarmist, but I become a little dismayed when a university with as proud a tradition as KU has, would seemly appear to interests of diversity without putting a real effort behind it. Administrators ask students all the time to stand behind their commitments and do their best to follow through with what they start. The administration had started a commitment to diversity and multiculturalism but only follows through with tokenism and nice smiles.
The University seems bent on giving a lot of lip service to minority inclusion, but when it comes to putting up or shouting up, the voices in Strong Hall seem to fall silent. The reason is obvious. In the past year, the University has appointed two high-ranking University administrators, both of which were white males. Now there is nothing wrong with this as long as both men are the best to fill the positions. However, a review of the number of women and minorities in advanced positions in the University reveals a shocking fact.
The highest-ranking Hispaniad administrator is an assistant director in the minority affairs office who makes $18,000 a year. There are far too few influential African-Americans at this university. And women hold only a few upper positions at KU, such as dean of one school, general
STEPHEN MARTINO
Editorial Editor Stephen Martino is an alta junior majoring in science.
counsel, one associate vice-chancellor and one distinguished professor
By comparison, white men hold the following positions: Chancellor, executive vice chancellor, three vice chancellors, four directorships, five associate vice chancellors, 11 deans of schools and divisions and 34 distinguished professors.
Now being a white male myself I'm not trying to be unsympathetic to the administrators. However, I cringe when I hear an administrator talk about "KU's commitment to minorities and equal opportunity." While many people talk a good game, they are slow to act. When was the last time a major commitment was made by the University to be inclusive instead of exclusive?
And in a rare act of bravery, Student Senate passed a resolution recently calling for the Office of Minority Affairs to be elevated in importance and visibility and for its director to be made a vice chancellor. For this action, Student Senate leaders have been called in for "conferences" and criticized for daring to instruct the administration in what to do.
The motive behind Student Senate's
actions are clear; the director of the Office of Minority Affairs reports to the dean of student life who reports to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs who reports to the Executive Vice Chancellor who finally reports to the Chancellor. No wonder Senate is mad and nothing gets done. This is once again a clear decision by the administration to bury the concerns and activities of minorities deep within university bureaucracy.
Furthermore, the office of affirmative action has been without a full-time director since the resignation of James "Skip" Turner more than a year ago. During the announcement of program review, a proposal was made which would put the Affirmative Action Office under the department of human resources, a move which would even further diminish the role of this important office.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Qualifications should be basis for hiring cabinet
Imagine Roy Williams announcing that he wanted his basketball team to "look] more like Kansas. He would immediately drop all the African-American basketball players from the team except one. Then he would add one American Indian and 10 whites so that his team would be demographically similar to the state of Kansas. He would no longer
If Roy Williams really would do this, he would be called among other things the most stupid human being on the planet. There would be calls for his ouster before he begins dismantling the greatest college basketball team ever. Fortunately, Coach Williams will never install this policy. Unfortunately, there is someone in America who is trying.
recruit on the basis of talent. Granted the dayhawks would no longer be a powerhouse, but that would not matter. Our basketball team would be ethnically correct.
Clinton has announced that his primary goal is making his cabinet "look" more like America. Instead of saying that he wants to fill the positions with the most qualified people, he is going to fill the positions on the basis of race and sex.
That man is Bill Clinton.
There is nothing wrong with attempting to find people of all races and sexes to lead our country, but that should never become the primary goal. Clinton should recruit the best, not the most colorful.
Brent Kassing Peoria, Ill., senior
JULIE WASSON Semester's end prompts recollections
Early this semester, I reported that my apartment had been inundated with evil bugs prone to late-night frolicking in my living room. I'm happy to say that my home is now bug free.
Well, it's the end of the semester and time to answer the burning questions on the minds of opinion page readers everywhere. Or at least on the minds of a few people who have asked me.
However, I now face a more irritating problem. The boyfriend of one of my upstairs neighbors has started climbing up to his lady love's window by way of the ledge outside my window. This late-night Lothario has yet to master the climbing process and therefore kicks my window repeatedly every time he climbs up.
The first time this happened it was 1 a.m., and he scared me to death. I was certain that someone was breaking into my apartment. And although I was somewhat comforted by the thought that I could go hide in the living room while the intruder tripped and broke his neck in the chaos that is my bedroom, I was still unmerved.
The last time it happened it was 4 a.m., and he almost got shot with my BB gun. Were it not for the fact that I was too groggy to open my eyes, much less find my gun, he would be limping around with RBs in his shine.
STAFF COLUMNIST
A couple people have asked what happened to my friend who was trying to scam backstage passes out of Garth Brooks' manager. Well, she didn't get the passes, but she did get two free tickets to his concert, admission to his press conference and several free posters.
In my column about election non-issues I would support, I said that Sunflower Cablevision should offer Country Music Television. Since then I spoke with a representative from Sunflower who said the real reason Lawrence didn't get CMT was that not enough people had requested it.
So I ask everyone to call and request CMT. Think of it as a movement by the masses to influence policy.
And I have just one thing to say about driving on those two-lane highways that are plagued with really bad drivers: brake lights.
In closing, I have to comment on my column about sick people who should stay home. I mentioned a woman who never blew her nose but instead sniffed and snorted her way through the room. She kept has warmed my heart more this semester than what happened the first time I went to class after the column ran.
I think I have found a solution to the holiday shopping crisis 1 was complaining about last week. It seems that if you shop after 4 p.m. on Fridays on the Plaza, you will be able to avoid many of the screeching children and hot outdoor adults who seem to plague the holiday season. This is just consider it漂亮 this is
She started snuffling in the middle of class, and I almost walked out. But before I could shove all of my stuff back into my bag, I heard the noise of a zipper behind me. And the next thing I knew, she was blowing her nose. Never has she normally gross activity sounded so nice.
And you know, I think that's what makes the United States great. We have freedom of press that allows people like me to whine about things in print, and through that whining make this world a better place to live. Or at least a little less irritating.
Johne Wasson is a Springfield, Mo. senior
majoring in journalism and political science.
Grace
By David Rosenfield