4A the university daily kansan
opinion
wednesday, october 1, 2003
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This is to all the of the pretty sorority ladies out there: No matter how much money Daddy has, the bleached-hair look still looks trashy.
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What is worse: Seeing your one night stand at a party when you are drunk, or seeing the guy that ripped out your heart when you are drunk?
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Would you believe me if I said that I had a pimple on my ear lobe?
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There is noodles everywhere and they are freaking the hell out of me.
I think that the phone number to Hash should include the number 420.
My name is Sam and I like girls that look like squirrels.
Love me tender, you hippie man
If hippies ran the country, hacky sack would become an Olympic sport.
I am just a squirrel trying to get a nut.
Set your standards low. This way you will always achieve them.
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111 Staffer-Flint
A
meigs' view
Athletes can get by like everyone else
perspective
The NCAA announced it would consider raising student athletes' scholarships by an extra $2,000 or $3,000 to assist in living costs in response to pressure by state legislators. Its board of directors, of which University of Kansas Chancellor Robert Hemenway is chairman, claims that student athletes do not receive enough money in addition to their scholarships to help pay for school.
GUEST COMMENTARY
Giving extra money to student athletes, especially in lieu of the millions of dollars schools make off their athletes, is nothing new. The NCAA has always put its foot down in the past.
Steve Vockrodt
opinion@kansan.com
This time, it appears the NCAA might put its foot in its mouth. Many student athletes come with at least part of their education paid for. They know exactly how much they will get from the Athletics Department, and they should have to make the decision with their family on whether or not they can still afford to come to school. Every other prospective student faces with same issue. Student athletes should not be any different.
If the cost exceeds the family budget, the athletes should take out a loan,apply for financial aid or look at another school that might offer them more or cost less.
No university wants to turn away students simply for cost, but with such a proposal to benefit only athletes, how can the schools cope with an already tight budget at hand?
The Athletics Department already spends thousands of dollars on the athletes in a form that never enters athletes' pockets, but benefits them nevertheless. Athletes receive free tutoring — something regular students would consider a dream come true — as well as priority enrollment, paid travel to competition, along with a more-than-sufficient allowance. In most cases, asking for extra payment is greedy.
Another issue at hand lies in the amateur status of college athletics. Tradition always dictated the athletes come to the
University and learn first, compete in the spirit of the sport second. That might be why they are called student athletes, not athlete students. The fact that many receive money for their education and housing and books should make them happy.
Student athletes should consider their participation an honor and a privilege, not a right.
Demanding money in addition to the benefits they already obtain, as well as the adulation they receive from the student body for their participation comes off as callous. Regular students receiving academic scholarships do not ask for an extra couple thousand dollars to spend; they get jobs outside of school to make up for the costs of college.
Considering the money that would go into undertaking such a proposal the NCAA is considering, the universities will, ideally, determine that the money needs to go back into the school to educate students, not assist athletes.
Vockrodt is a Denver senior in journalism. He is a member of the University of Kansas cross country team and a member of the editorial board.
perspective
Search for truth in fear-mongering news
In the United States, the news finds us. Generally speaking, Americans make their way through the tangles of modern-day society unaffected by their surroundings. We subconsciously detach ourselves from the terrors of the news for many reasons. The news has turned itself into a cross between a low budget horror film and a prime-time sitcom. Why should we relate to it any differently?
Violence sells, and action keeps our attention. It is frustrating, though, to realize that the news is formulated in the same manner as entertainment. We, the audience, will keep the channel on if we are constantly stimulated and the news fulfills that stimulation. Knowing this, why are we desensitized to the issues being presented, is it our fault, and what are the dangers of this?
GUEST COMMENTARY
The news gives us glimpses of terror between shots of advertisements, and expects us to sit unaffected by the time the following show begins. Whether it is talk of terrorist threats, child abductions, murders or trials, we are spoon-fed paranoia so smoothly, we both distance ourselves and fall victim to it unknowingly.
Though the images shown on the news are threatening and fearsome, we remain unchanged by their existence. We are products of our surroundings and grow accustomed to what exists within it subconsciously. There is a perfect balance of controllable fear and distanced viewing when the news is on. The fear is what
keeps us nervous and hungry for guidance, while the distance allows us to separate ourselves from the realities of current events. The danger of this is not reacting to violence in our own lives. The worse part of the effect is that most of the news is an unreliable source of information.
In Michael Moore's latest movie, Bowling for Columbine, he mentions how murders have decreased sufficiently in recent years while coverage of them has skyrocketed. This reality uncovers the manipulation of the news.
The government has a lot of uninvited control over us through means of media. A simple solution seems to be to switch the channel to another, maybe local, station, right? Wrong. Mainstream media limits diversity both in thought and broadcast. The stations are all merged together and virtually owned by the same rich few resulting in many news stations having to follow the same set of guidelines and often
Fortunately, in our generation of hopeful and progressive truth-seekers, there are many outlets for honesty. The truth about issues regarding war, politics and more is out there. It just takes some effort to find it.
portraying events from the same political standpoints. Why are these important realities kept from us, and where do we find the truth if we are not aware that we need to search for it?
Online sites such as Indmedia or Gnn are wonderful resources for current news. Such sites are independently owned and operated, diverse and aimed at spreading the truth over raking in profit.
Independent media also offer solutions instead of simply presenting the terrors of modern-day living. When we avoid the solutions, we only fuel the problems. Mainstream media rarely offer a solution and suggest it is nothing but an update of our terrible state that discourages hope for progressive change. Look for alternative news and expand your views.
Read as much information from as many differing sources as you can, and only then will true opinions be formed. We have been taught to regurgitate ideas and take them for our own. It is time to formulate personal ideals; we are not at a dead end yet. We are a part of the world that we read about.
Cullerton is a Chicago senior in creative writing.
Connor Meiils for The University Dalkan Kansen
editorial board
More assault prevention needed on campus
Recently, a KU student was sexually assaulted while walking home from work.
Statistics indicate that since the beginning of this year, more than 200 Lawrence residents have been inappropriately touched, assaulted or harassed. It is important to recognize that this is not just a women's issue. It needs the attention of everyone to eradicate it.
Sexual assault is a serious crime and deserves to be treated as such, specifically by the University of Kansas and the Lawrence community. We should look at multiple options to prevent sexual assault and not stop until we find an alternative that makes a difference.
Every year, women march through the streets of downtown proclaiming their right to walk alone at night and remembering past victims of sexual assault. This event, ironically titled Womyn Take Back the Night, is more than a symbolic action.
Women need to feel confident enough in themselves and in their community to walk alone at night. Walking in pairs, however, is one of the easiest ways to prevent assault. Rule No.1: If you have to walk alone somewhere at night, stay in lit areas or bring a friend along to keep you company.
Because of the rise in sexual assault on college campuses, other universities have introduced programs to combat the danger.
Programs include handing out whistles to use when attacked, increasing lighting in dark areas on and surrounding campuses and establishing safewalk programs similar to SafeRide, except on foot. The Campus Safety Advisory Board is looking into establishing a Jaywalk program, which would allow students to call for a buddy to accompany them on late night walks.
This is not enough.
Our campus needs better lighting, especially from campus to GSP-Corbin Hall and the back stairways between Wescoe and Robinson Center. We also need a sexual assault prevention program with a paid staff member to provide support and counseling to victims of these violent acts of aggression.
Consider this a challenge to stand up for the safety of our school and community. We need to feel safe in Lawrence and on campus. If we act as one, we can achieve increased awareness and decreased danger of sexual assault.
Amanda Fittt for the editable board
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