4
Tuesday, September 29, 1992
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
"I used to work security for one of the residence halls. Sometimes we had to work until 8 a.m. They would be there to ticket me at 8:01."
Michael Reid Lawrence senior maoring in communications
Michael Reid
"I got a ticket at the dorms on my way to get a parking permit. I got a ticket at the computer center when I left at 7:05 because you have to be out
by 7. I think they wait for me." Lenita Richardson Kansas City senior majoring in French
"I've had 11 tickets since school started. They shouldn't be $10. On Mass. Street tickets are only $1.I'll have to take out a student loan to pay off my tickets."
Ron Totarsky
St. Louis senior majoring in biology and communications
"I had an LSAT class on Sunday behind Fraser. On the weekend, you should be able to park anywhere you want. I got a ticket that said police complaint. Police can park anywhere
they want. It was strictly a power move."
James Baucom
Topeka senior majoring in journalism.
"I was parked on the hill by the Wheel, and I got a ticket for not having my wheels turned toward the curb. None of the other cars had their wheels turned, and they didn't get tickets."
Julie Vendel
Lenexa graduate student majoring in accounting
"I was riding my bike home from class and members of the parking patrol almost hit me twice. I've got some tickets, and I deserved those. Driving me off the road is not
Driving me off the road is not "
acceptable.
acceptable.
Andy Hall
Leawood sophomore majoring in art.
KANSAN STAFF
Parking Department breaks the laws of common sense
The KU Parking Department.
However, as a student there is one group in the University community I have difficulty accepting. Yes, this is the place where fascism reigns and student rights are nonexistent.
Asst. Managing ... Aimee Brainard
News ... Alexander Blohmbolt
Editorial ... Stephen Martino
Campus ... Gayle Osterberg
Sports ... Shelly Solon
Photo ... Justin Knupp
Features ... Cody Holt
Graphics ... Sean Tewis
As a KU student, you have to accept some things in life. Sometimes during your KU life, your registration is sure to get screwed up, you'll never enroll in Western Civilization until you're a senior, and some professor who swore you'd get an A in his class will send home a C on your report card.
BILI, SKEET, Technology coordinator
Last spring, as I attempted to enroll for fall classes, I noticed the hold parking had placed on my arts form. I realized that I had two unpaid parking tickets. But to my disbelief, I was informed of a mysteriously unpaid third ticket. Impossible. I could not recall tearing more than two of the
ERIC NELSON
Editor
Business Staff
Campus sales ... Annie Chewenger
Regional sales mgr ... Melanie Taller
National sales mgr ... Brian Wilkes
Co-op sales mgr ... Amy Sumbro
Production mgrs ... Brad Bron
Kim Claxton
Marketing director ... Ashley Langford
Creative director ... Valerie Spicher
GOTT HANNA
Business manager
BILLLEIBENGOOD
Retail sales manager
JEANNE HINES
Sales and marketing adviser
This isn't a conclusion I've come to overnight. Rather, it only took me a few hours to determine this stunning fact. I'm sure many of my student conrades agree.
While I'd enjoy nothing better than to list every grievance I have against parking, that would take far too much time. However, the highlights chart a clear and undisputable level of inepitide from the top man at the parking department, Don Kerns, to the lowliest ticket writer.
GREG FARMER Managing editor
TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser
Instead of trying to pillage the students for the last dime in their pockets, maybe some bigwigs at parking should crawl out of their cave and witness the hell they unjustifiably put students through every day of every semester.
Hey, Mr. Kerns, great guys you have working for you.
Editorial editor Stephen Martino is an otahle junior majoring in political science.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Journalism training leads to liberalism
Business Staff
Traditionally, band members are allowed to park in unauthorized zones while loading their equipment before games. But, Thursday night a nameless Parking Nazi started writing numerous tickets to band members even after they informed him they were about to move their cars. But to add insult to injury, the Parking Nazi began a tirade about how the band could do anatomically impossible feats with their bodies.
I couldn't remember getting this ticket and parking couldn't give me a reason why I had enrolled three times in between and this was the first time they were trying to collect the fine.
The media are liberal. It's amazing how a simple four-word sentence can cause such an uproar. Unfortunately, it is true. Obviously, the people who freak out over the columns written by David Frankel didn't read an earlier editorial by the Kansan or watch CNN. Both have admitted this fact. Fortunately, the Kansan recognized this, and for the first time since I arrived on this campus four years ago has made an effort to do something about it.
This leads me to my parking conspiracy theory. The parking attendants seemingly have no one to report to except the head Parking Nazi himself. The department is obviously not responsible for accurate reporting or execution of their tickets. In fact, as a parking attendant admitted to me, it would be possible for someone to sit in an office, write tickets all day, and
never see an actual violation occur anywhere on campus and, still hold students responsible for paying them. Fairness and democracy in action.
Thursday night the Parking Nazis were at it again. This time cursing, offending and doing everything possible to prevent the Marching Jayhawks from performing at the biggest football game in recent KU history.
Needless to say, I thought that this was a bunch of crap.
yellow-money makers out from under my windshield wiper. Upon further investigation I found the reason for my failing memory. The third elusive ticket had been issued in August 1990 — two years earlier.
The press being liberal, however,
is not the primary issue. The main
focus of this discussion deals with
the press being biased. I think it is,
STEPHEN MARTINO
Letters should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words. They must include the writer's signature, name, address and telephone number. Writers affiliated with the University of Kansas must include class and homework, or faculty or staff position. Guest columns should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The writer will be the Kansas reserves the right to reject or edit letters, guest columns and cartoons. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansas newsroom, 111 Stauffer Flint Hall.
Now this is not to say that all reporters and teachers are out to push the liberal agenda.
What I am saying is that journalism as a whole will naturally sway most members of the media to the left and this will alter the way they pursue a story. The important aspect to recognize is that this does happen and, as members of the media, we need to be aware of it.
than professionals (class envy), the unfairness of pollution (environmentalism), the unfairness of manufacturing jobs being replaced by robots (socialism) and the unfairness of minorities not holding more executive positions (minority/ women's rights).
That is why we see so many liberal causes adopted by the media, because a liberal's main aim is to make life fair for everyone. General examples of this idea include the unfairness of some people having more money than others (tax the rich), the unfairness of people living in poverty (welfare programs), the unfairness of people being unemployed (socialism), the unfairness of teachers making less
Brent Kassing Peoria, Ill., senior
I hope not.
but it is not entirely their fault. Liberalism is taught in journalism classes. How do I know? I am in those classes, Of course, the word liberal is never mentioned. Liberalism is taught behind the code word fairness. Reporters are taught to discover injustices in society and to bring these to the public.
If I could just find a candidate to offer me all of these things, I could live in ignorant bliss of harsh realities such as poverty, racism and crime. I could write him a check out of my barely balanced checkbook and pretend that everything is OK. That's what U.S. voters want, isn't it?
The column made me realize that I've completely given up on the American public. Candidates wouldn't be throwing lame issues at us if we didn't latch on to them so eagerly.
I am looking for a candidate who could arrange for me to receive a copy of the lyrics to every song R.E.M. has recorded. I've been listening to R.E.M. for years, and some of its songs are still comprehensible to me. To make matters worse, I read an interview with lead singer Michael Stipe, who said he doesn't remember the words to some of R.E.M.'s songs, so he just sings sounds.
The basic premise of the column was that Quayle and his advisers had managed to choose a completely inane issue, considering the small percentage of U.S. citizens who actually know what tort law is.
JULIE WASSON
Student suggests new batch of issues
Julie Wasson is a Springfield, Mo., senior majoring in journalism and political science.
Last weekend I read a column in the Washington Post about the absurdity of Dan Quayle choosing tort law as a campaign issue.
So I'm going to jump on the bandwagon. If the candidates want to address trivial, non-political issues that they really can't do anything about, I can come up with several.
The last non-issue I'm going to propose would earn not only my vote but also a campaign contribution.
For example, I would pledge my support to a candidate who could get the Lawrence cable company to offer Country Music Television. It's like MTV, but with country music. One of my roommates told me last year that the reason Lawrence didn't have CMT was because it couldn't expand the number of stations it offered. But the Sci-Fi channel is here, and we still don't have CMT.
I also would support a candidate who could get the Los Angeles Dodgers to start playing like a real baseball team again. This is an easy one. It wouldn't take much for them to do better than they have this season.
And forget about balancing the budget. Since the evolution of our ever-expanding deficit, no president has even come close. But I would vote for a candidate who could arrange for someone to balance my checkbook
I happily would back a candidate who could banish all crickets from the face of the earth — or at least from North America. This might be more politically risky than you would think.
A friend of mine told me recently that some people consider crickets to be good luck. Some of these people actually buy brass crickets to keep in their homes. It boggles the mind.
Grace
By David Rosenfield