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Tuesday, December 1, 1992
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
IN OUR OPINION
Jayhawk fans are blessed with two talented teams
Today, both of the nationally ranked KU basketball teams begin their regular seasons. The 1992-93 season should provide KU fans with another banner season.
Both the Kansas men's and women's teams captured Big Eight Conference titles last season. Both teams were ranked in the top 25 by the Associated Press throughout most of the season. The men's team earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in nine years, and the women's team overcame a rash of injuries to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five seasons.
In 1993, KU fans can expect to see the tradition of KU basketball continue to grow. The men's team enters the season ranked No.3 in the nation and is the preseason favorite to win the conference title. Senior guard Rex Walters is a preseason All-American.
The KU women's team will look to improve on a 25-victory season. Entering her 20th season at KU, Coach Marian Washington is just three victories shy of career victory No.350.The women's team is also ranked in the top 25 in the preseason polls.
The KU men tip off the regular season at 6:30 tonight at Allen Field House against Georgia.
After traveling to Minnesota tonight, the KU women will return to the field house Monday to take on No.11 Southwest Missouri State.
Be sure to show your support for the KU basketball teams this winter, and good luck to both teams as they enter the regular season.
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Clinton's election confuses negotiations in Middle East
Reports saying President-elect Bill Clinton considers a tri-partite agreement grouping U.S., Syria and Israel is a development in Clinton's stand which deserves interest.
But that would not meet the Arab legitimate demands, as Syria's declaration of peace with Israel is connected to reaching a comprehensive settlement of the Middle East problem. We do not want Israel to recognize Syria's sovereignty over Syria's land but we want the Israeli forces withdrawal from Syria's land.
Israel cannot object to such an idea, if Washington took a firm stand for the success of the peace initiative. It is important for the Arab side to reach an understanding with the U.S. party.
Clinton's idea, if worked out, would mean a change in the U.S. stand from the role of a mediator to an actual partner, and this is a development which deserves Arab support.
Iran's story now is the other side of Iraq's story before its invasion of Kuwait. At that time, all Arab parties ignored Saddam Hussein's ambitions to spread his control over the Gulf and Western countries helped him stockpile huge amounts of weapons on the pretext that he would use them to halt the excesses of the Iranian revolution.
Iran is now repeating the same mistake. With Iraq now out of their way, Iranian policy is headed toward stockpiling weapons of all sorts starting with tanks, missiles and fighter jets.
There used to be doubts about Iran's financing and training of Muslim extremists to carry out violent acts. But now there is a consensus among countries like Egypt, Algeria and Jordan that Iran is trying to weaken their regimes.
Al-Bayan
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
KANSAN STAFF
ERIC NELSON
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JEANNE HINES
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Letters should be typeed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words. They must include the name of the person to whom the letter is addressed. Letters must include the name of Kauae that include clauses and hometown, or faculty or staff position. Guest columns should be typeed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The writer will be asked to right to retect or edit letters, guest columns and cartoons. They can be typed on a computer, fax or by mail.
Endangered Species List
spotted Owl: Cause of much political controversy, demise of a president, fast action by environmental groups, and the expenditure of a lot of money, time and effort on the part of many to save a few owls.
Somalians: Cause of much controversy, fleeing by many, hatred by some, inaction by others. Could endanger the popularity of a president-elect and the demise of world respect for the U.S.
Program review will eliminate unique,worthwhile programs
You can imagine our surprise when we were told that the state's sole atmospheric science program was recommended to have its master's degree and bachelor's degree, as Arnold Schwarzenegger would put it, "Terminated."
To be honest, we didn't see this coming. We were well aware of the University's program evaluations, but being a unique program to the state of Kansas, we thought we would be safe from the knife of the restructuring process. We were wrong.
In the program review board's final report, entitled "Positioning the University for the future," the draft Mission Statement (page 5) states. "The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university that serves as a center for learning, scholarship and creative endeavor."
The bachelor's degree has undergone major changes in the past two
In the section that dealt with our particular program, the committee gave a brief rationale to how our future was to be determined. We have taken the liberty to question each point.
"BRIEF RATIONALE. There are concerns about the quality of the B.A. program."
*Atmospheric Science B.A.M.S. degrees. Delete the B.A and M.S. and continue the B.S in Atmospheric Science.
RODNEY PRICE
JOE E. HEIM
years. The revised bachelor's degree now appears much like its counterpart, but offers a few different avenues to pursue. We agree that if any facet of our program needed to be cut, it could be the bachelor of arts. program. However, this is the only agreement that we have with the restructuring committee's findings.
"The M.S. program has insufficient enrollment."
Since its introduction in 1985, the graduate program has seen a substantial increase in enrollment, from three students in 1985 to 12 in 1992. The graduate students have done significant research work in such fields as tornado simulations, profiler wind data, wind tunnel tests and numerical weather prediction models. All are extremely important to the future of the atmospheric sciences.
high degree offerings."
There is insufficient faculty for
We have tried desperately during the past two years to get additional faculty for our program. In fact, a recommendation by a Board of Regents review in 1990 stated that two additional faculty members are needed in our program. However, when the time came to carry out this motion it unfortunately failed. Ironically, page 8 of the restructuring report, which details the roles and aspirations of KU, states: "By the Year 2000, they aspire to protect and enhance the overall quality of the institution at every level by increasing the proportion of faculty, staff and students from under-represented groups..."
Didn't they just specify that there is insufficient faculty and enrollment in our program? Wouldn't that qualify as "under-represented?"
"The subject was deemed peripheral to the University's mission."
This is by far the most blatant contradiction we see in the committee's findings. The simple fact that this university is in Kansas, the hotbed of severe weather and tornado alley should be enough reason to preserve the two degree programs. The Lawrence hailstorm of March 26, 1991, caused $22 million in damage to the campus and many areas of the city. And then, as if enough wasn't enough, the lightning-igored Hoch Auditorium blaze on June 15, 1991 made it obvious what a profound
impact the weather has on all of us everyday.
The No.1 idea behind this whole restructuring process was to eliminate waste. Being the only atmospheric science program in the state, how can the committee justify our program as waste? If there were two or three meteorology programs in the state, we could understand their reasoning. The fact is, we are a cost-efficient program. We make good use of the limited resources that are available to us, both at the graduate and undergraduate level.
And what kind of incentive would the lack of graduate program give to a professor? Conducting high-quality research without graduate student assistance is not an advantageous situation. This seems inconsistent with the draft mission statement which states the University is a center for research. Thus, the program review repudiates itself when it asserted the Masters program should be eliminated.
As singer Randy Travis says in his song "Forever and Ever, Amen;" "As long as old men sit and talk about the weather. . ." there is a need for the continuing graduate and undergraduate study and research of atmospheric science at KU.
Rodney Price is a Haveline senior major
law in atmospheric science.
Joe E. Heim is a Clarence, NY graduate stat majoring in atmospheric science.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Today is also World AIDS Day, the fifth annual union of more than 180 countries of the world to raise awareness of and prevention of HIV. This year's theme is community: how our communities have been affected by HIV and how they have responded.
World AIDS Day deserves attention
For the past three years, I've watched the many communities on this campus learn to deal with this reality. Have seen the gay and lesbian community, the initial point of impact for the AIDS pandemic in the U.S., fairly accept the disease, with the older members trying to teach the younger ones about precautions and safer sex practices. And although the incidents of infection are decreasing in this community, they are just as vulnerable to the disease as anyone. But many younger gay and lesbian people respond by denying that AIDS is
something that would really happen to someone they know.
One day last year African-American students told me that they were not really interested in talking about AIDS, because although it was important, it was not a topic they were concerned about. The next day, those same students changed their minds about getting more information; a rather famous African-American had announced he was HIV-positive.
I have worked with fraternities, sororites and residence halls, in addition to the community of women at KU, to provide programming and events to increase awareness.
I have spoken to international students, who are faced with not only learning about the disease but also how to communicate more openly about sex. Most Americans think it is difficult to do, but try to imagine coming from a culture where it is simply not done. And if sex is not talked about, AIDS is certainly not.
I have worked with student governments and University administration, although sometimes it felt as if we were working against each other. They care, but compared to immediate concerns, AIDS doesn't seem a part of our university community.
After KU student Ken Scott died last spring, Spike with state officials and legislators, asking for their help, as part of our community. There are some people who like to picket funerals of people who had AIDS, to harass and heckle their mourners. Such actions are now illegal, but these people are, still, part of our communities.
The point is this: Everyone is affected by AIDS. A person can be infected for 10 years or more before being diagnosed with AIDS; that means these people became infected during their teens and college years. Nationally, from December of 1991 through September of 1992, 16,503 Americans died due to AIDS complications—55 people each day.
Protect yourself; use condoms and spermicidal lubricants every time you have sex; do not share IV drug needles. Protect your friends; talk to them about protection and why they should be concerned. Protect your community; there are local agencies (Topeka AIDS Project, Douglas County AIDS Project, the Student Senate AIDS Task Force, and KU's new Center for Sexual Health Education) where you can volunteer your time and energy.
Think about today. Look up from the paper, at the person across from you. What would you do if that person were HIV-positive? How about a friend? How about you?
Grace
Don't think that AIDS is not part of your community. Don't read this and think it can't happen in your life. It is and it can. But you can join others in your community to help end AIDS. Together, we can stop the dying.
Patrick Dilley
By David Rosenfield