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Tuesday, October 27, 1987 / University Daily Kansan
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Opinion
Parking disservices
They're new. They're bold. They're top-of-the-line
And they cost $154,000.
They are the 476 new electronic parking meters that Parking Services plans to install on campus. The original plan was to lease the electronic meters for $25,000 the first year with the option to buy them later.
So what was wrong with the old type?
About 200 of the new meters will be installed in Lot 91 near Memorial Stadium. The remainder will be used to replace the mechanical meters that now dot the campus as they wear out.
The new battery-driven meters' durability, auditing features and low maintenance costs make them superior, a Parking Services official says.
Five moving parts are better than 50, according to the plan. But they should consider that electronics are not fail-safe and that an uncooperative electronic component makes the meter just as useless as a broken part in a mechanical meter.
Having top-of-the-line equipment should be a goal for the University.
But top-of-the-line equipment belongs in the classrooms and not in the parking lots.
Hear and heed
The party is over on Wall Street.
On Oct. 19, the Dow Jones industrial average crashed 508 points, and stock market survivors lost more than a half-trillion dollars on impact. But there is hope, as trading revived by the end of the week, erasing some of the damage.
One week later, the halls within the Wall Street trading district still echo messages that perhaps should have been heard and heeded long ago.
President Reagan's message is to slash the growing budget deficit, which makes investors skittish about the stability of the economy.
Alan Greenspan, in the infancy of his role as head of the Federal Reserve Board, should approach the monetary policy with caution. He already has moved to increase the availability of credit to industry, which would compensate for the drop in value created by the market crash. But he should avoid increasing the money supply drastically, which could trigger inflation.
International markets paralleled the U.S. plunge, and some countries halted trading until panic subsided. But the international reverberations should remind leaders of the interconnecting world economy and should prod them to balance trade deficits.
Wall Street itself responded to the crash by closing markets early to catch up on paper work, but the closure also served to quash a possible late-afternoon trading frenzy. Large brokerage firms also were approached by Wall Street leaders and asked to limit large-scale trading by investors.
Even consumers who have little to gain or lose from the crash should avoid panic that might deter them from making large or long-term purchases.
Everyone has a role in keeping the economy on a path of stability. A state of frenzy at this point would have the same effect of screaming "fire" in a crowded movie theater.
And panic leads to chaos.
Editorials in this column are the opinions of the editorial board.
News staff
Jennifer Benjamin ... Editor
Juli Warren ... Managing editor
John Benner ... News editor
Beth Copeland ... Editorial editor
Sally Streff ... Campus editor
Spirit Editor
Dan Rustlimann ... Photo editor
Bill Skeet ... Graphics editor
Tom Eblen ... General manager, news adviser
Bonnie J. Hardy ... Business manager
Robert Hughes ... Advertising manager
Kelly Scherer ... Retail sales manager
Kurt Meseramith ... Campus sales manager
Greg Knipp ... Production manager
David Dierholt ... National sales manager
Angela Clark ... Classified manager
Ron Weems ... Director of marketing
Jeanne Hines ... Sales and marketing adviser
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Senate demands loyal attendance
In response to Brian Kramer's Guest Shot that appeared in the Kanasan on Oct. 21, I would like to state for the record that I would also be a potential victim of the attendance policy set by the Student Senate. I am a member of the KU basketball band, and would need to attend Senate meetings on game days. However, I do not think that there is some plot to kick me off Senate, or to kick Mr. Pritchard off Senate, either.
The attendance policy was set long before Mr. Pritchard or I were duly elected senators. The meeting dates have been tentatively scheduled for every other Wednesday for as long as I have been attending this University. I do not believe that the student body vice president, Stephanie Quincy, learned when the basketball games took place, but that they were actually released, and then scheduled the meetings so that Mr. Pritchard would be forced to miss the Senate meetings.
There comes a time when one must make choices between activities. I would not be serving my constituents well if I were to skip Senate meetings; nor would I be an adequate member of the basketball band if I failed to attend the basketball games. I must make a choice. The Student Senate Executive Committee is not forcing me to choose one over the other. That committee is merely trying to ensure a sound student government. In so doing, they are keeping those student leaders who are truly dedicated and interested. One is not being a valuable student leader if one does not participate in the debate, write bills, answer questions, ask questions, will be the first to admit that one can represent the University nationwide, as Mr. Pritchard does on the basketball court, or as Dr. McCurdy does as he directs the band. It is too bad that representing the University in one of the methods previously mentioned is in no way related to solving students' problems such as faculty flight, parking, advising, campus safety or the financing of registered student organizations.
The attendance policy is not "blatant discrimination against athletes," as Mr. Kramer would lead you to believe. I think I know as well as anyone what constitutes discrimination. The Student Executive Committee, including the Student Executive Committee chairman, and the student body vice president~
One must not forget that the student body expects their duly elected representatives to represent them. In order to do this in an appropriate manner, the senators must attend the meetings, voice their opinion, ask intelligent questions and vote with the views of their constituents. A senator may not vote on any issue, speak in favor or against any bill when not present at the meeting, thus making it impossible to represent the opinion of the student body.
William Sanders, Nunemaker senator, Lawrence junior
Shed some light
After reading Brian Kramer's Guest Shot in the Oct. 21 issue of the Kansasan, I was shocked to learn that according to Kramer, the Student Senate has been corrupted by a faction of power-hungry individuals intent on manipulating rules to their advantage and to the disadvantage of a possible threat to the faction's control: Kevin Pritchard. In reference to Kramer's article, it would seem that Kevin Pritchard never has given any indication at any time that basketball has interfered with his ability to represent the students of KU or to participate in Senate activities. Further, the fact that he was elected by a "landslide" proves that students feel that Pritchard's athletic involvement would not preclude his involvement in Senate.
Kramer backs up his statements on Mr. Pritchard with references to Pritchard's history of responsibility, hard work and loyalty for the Student Senate and the community. Yet, Kramer's article contends that desire of his advisers could be because of absurd attendance policy set up because of a prejudice against athletes that exists among the elite of the Student Senate.
The picture painted by Brian Kramer is not a pretty one. Is Kevin Pritchard about to be the victim of a policy set up to eliminate him from the Student Senate or is the attendance policy one of necessity? Does a vendetta against Pritchard exist or is it all just grapes on the part of Pritchard's supporters because Pritchard will have to choose between basketball and Student Senate? Unfortunately for those fingered in Kramer's article, Stephen Quincy, Roger Templin and Jane Hutchinson, the cat is out of the bag and despite their attempts to keep it out of the press and "within the system," some questions must be answered. For the sake
of all of us in the dark about this questionable policy and situation, I ask Templin, Hutchinson and especially Quincy to shed some light on the subject by answering Kramer's allegations. I want to know what is going on.
Athletes' voice
Callie J. Denton, Salina freshman
We are further distressed that this absentee policy has become the political weapon of such student "representatives" as Jane Hutchinson, Stephanie Quincy and Roger Templin. We voted for Kevin Pritchard so that athletes could finally have a voice in student government. We are concerned that the attendance policy as currently defined will eliminate Kevin from serving on Student Senate. And with his elimination we will lose our hard- earned voice in student government. If anything, we would expect so-called "representatives" to fight such discriminating practices. We wonder how such representatives could have possibly been voted into office?
We are outraged to learn of an attendance policy that would prohibit the involvement of any athlete's participation in Student Senate at the University of Kansas. We applaud the responsible actions taken by Brian Kramer to reveal such outrageous policies. As Brian pointed out, such discrimination can never be tolerated.
We know Kevin Pritchard as one of the most dedicated team leaders. How could Kevin become the target of such hatred? Kevin's work ethic alone demonstrates his intrinsic value as a student leader. Kevin has always prescribed to being a team player. Kevin strives for team success above all other considerations. It is unfortunate that Quincy, Templin and Hutchinson seem to have different views about teamwork. Their style of teamwork consists of a "one-man-show." We all know that teamwork is the only route to success.
Kramer's realization to the foul play gives insight to the prejudices produced by stereotyping athletes. Should such prejudices keep one of the University's most recognized leaders from pressing input in Student Senate affairs? But their actions have created a monster of hypocrisy.
It has been suggested that Kevin Pritchard should run for the presidency of the student body. We would adamantly back Kevin if he chose to run for the presidency. We hope that you will help put an end to this blatant and unjustified discrimination against student athletes, because that's exactly what we are, students first and athletes second.
Danny Manning, Lawrence senior
Chris Piper, Lawrence senior
Archie Marshall, Tulsa senior
Sean Alvarado, Washington, D.C., junior
Scooter Barry, Oakland, Calif., junior
Milt Newton, Washington, D.C., junior
Otis A. Livingston, Los Angeles freshman
Joe D. Young, Chicago junior
Marvin Branch, Detroit junior
Lincoln Minor, Los Angeles junior
Keith Harris, Inglewood, Calif., sophomore
Jeff Gueldner, Charleston, Ill., sophomore
Mark Randall, Englewood, Colo., sophomore
Mike Mausci, Grandview Mo., sophomore
Mike Maddox, Oklahoma City freshman
Bill Pope, Lawrence
Mark Perimutter, Lawrence
Danny Tyrell, Philadelphia junior
Mark Turgeon, Topeka graduate assistant, basketball
student coach
John Robic, graduate assistant coach
As a fifth-year senior, I have never written a response to an article. That was before Brian Kramer's Guest Shot dealing with the attendance of Kevin Pritchard at Student Senate. And I have never voted in a Student Senate election, with the exception of last year. And the only reason I voted last year is so that I could vote for Kevin Pritchard. After reading the Guest shot by Brian Kramer and also reading the article by Brad Addington titled "Pritchard authors bill," I decided to break with my tradition of non-involvement.
Playing politics
I have obtained a copy of the Student Senate Executive Committee minute that Brian refers to in his article. And after reading the notes, I am convinced that there was a deliberate attempt to get Kevin Pritchard kicked off Student Senate. If anything, Brian Kramer was too soft on the devians who include Roger Simplin, Jane Hutchinson and Stephanie Quincy.
Templin even says that basketball players can't make good senators. I am convinced that Templin is acting with his own personal motivies in mind. As you may well know, Templin is the Student Executive Committee chairman who traditionally goes on to run for president of the student body. Templin, I'm sure, is well aware that the only thing that sits between him and his throne is Kevin Pritchard. And what better for Templin then to hide behind
this attendance policy that would force Kevin off of Senate. How easy it would be for Templin to make Kevin look bad if he could throw him off the Senate.
But now that Brian Kramer has revealed this politically-motivated scheme, how ironic that Templin has changed his mind. What we want us to believe that he supports Kevin. What a joke.
Mike Conway, Leavenworth senior
Political move
I applaud Brian Kramer for bringing such exploitations of our student government to the attention of the student body. I feel that Brian is foraging a new, refreshing and most importantly, honest style of representation. His attacks on Quincy, Templin and Hutchinson are highly justifiable. How can these people make such attempts to stop Kevin Pritchard from being a student representative? These people think that they are the only people that can run the student government. Quincy's attempt to forfeit Kevin's eligibility is a complete joke.
Kramer has hit upon some incredible realities that the student body is not aware of. These elitists are too wrapped up in their political scheming world to inform the student body of such acts. Their duty is to represent us, but they have tried to keep their little clique intact, and all the while making great attempts to keep out leaders such as Kevin Pritchard.
I don't understand why Kevin is being excluded from Student Senate when he is one of the best representatives the University has. Kevin has the ability to make a major impact on Student Senate, and why should he be excluded because a few representatives are worried about his potential? Kevin wouldn't go out of his way to ruin someone's eligibility or character in order to better his position like some of the current members.
I am somewhat amazed that the notion of impeachment has not been brought about by these malicious actions. Kramer has untapped a possible mountain of fallacies created by the current elitists. I would like to see more bold actions like Kramer's so that I will someday have faith in the people who play with my money. As for now, I can only hope that people step out and respond to these findings by Kramer.
Pritchard and Kramer should run for president and vice-president because I feel they better represent the student body than the fallacious representation that currently exists. Yes, I am looking forward to chants of "Pritchard for President."
Kevin Conway, Leavenworth junior Union nonsense
With unions, reasonable conversations are impossible because everything must be handled by formal, adversarial, grievance procedures. These problems are a part and end of nonsense around the University of Kansas.
The article in the Kansan about the KU National Education Association's criticism of Dr. Ramaley is a prime example of the reasons we do not need or want a faculty union. The KUNEA representative says it does not want confrontations with administration, Board of Regents and the Legislature. The very act of bringing up a "grievance" when Dr. Ramaley exercises her rights of free speech contradicts this.
Richard Moore, professor of electrical and computer engineering
O Canada
When I first moved to Kansas nine years ago, I felt flattered that people were so interested in my home country, but after awhile it became quite aggravating to find that Americans know very little, if anything, about their neighboring country. It is a country that knows plenty about its neighborring country, a country that is the smallest of all countries close to $120 billion in business last year — a little less than what the United States traded with the entire European Common Market.
Too many times have I been asked, "Do you wear jeans up there?" "Is it winter yearround?" Or, "Do they have a president of Canada?" These are just a few questions my uninformed but well-meaning friends ask me when they find out I'm from Canada.
In response to Paul Greenberg's column on Canada and the United States' free trade negotiation, I say thank you.
For these facts and for a column that realistically portrayed Canada, I applaud Greenberg and the Kansan for enlightening us all on a nearby country whose trade and peace with the United States may well be taken for granted too often.
Linda Garbig, Overland Park senior
BLOOM COUNTY
YET THERE ARE THESE WHO
Would ACCUSE me...ME!.
OF THE UNFAIR USE OF
THIS MEDIUM FOR
PROPAGANDA PURPOSES...
bv Berke Breathed