4A the university daily kansan
opinion
tuesday, September 2, 2003
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editorial board
University athletics more than just a game
The murder that transpired recently at Baylor University played out like an Oliver Stone movie.
Oliver Stone movie. The seemingly surreal story of the Baylor basketball team turned out to be all too real, spawning a cast of one dead player and another in jail, accused of murder. Enter one desperate coach caught conspiring to hide the situation, and the result becomes a four-star tragedy of a university's image left shattered.
city's image tell shape. Beyond the facts of the case, a major reality thrust to the forefront is that a university's image goes hand-in-hand with its athletics department.
Baylor is not the only Big 12 Conference school to experience problems in its athletics department.
The University of Missouri finds itself in the midst of its own saga, with allegations of academic improprieties within the athletics department.
department. But all other events pale in comparison to Bavlor's.
Former Bears player Carlton Dotson was charged with killing his teammate, Patrick Dennehy. Then investigators found instances of drug use, illegal money transfers and a cover-up conspiracy that police say point to the tutelage of coach Dave Bliss.
Baylor, a Baptist university previously well-respected in the academic arena, cannot shake its image from the events of its basketball team.
its basketball team. A university draws less and less attention for what it was chartered to do; provide students with a higher education. Inversely, it receives headlines for its sporting accomplishments and demerits, particularly those of revenue sports such as football and men's basketball.
ketball. A solid athletics program can produce stellar results for a university and its student body.
dent body. But the trend lately has turned to highly publicized run-ins with the law.
The University of Kansas suffered a few gaffs of it own, most notably two years ago when football players Mario Kinsey and Reggie Duncan stole a student's purse and ordered pizza with the credit cards.
National press picked up on the story and it amounted to an embarrassing tale for Kansas.
With the undeniable reality that a university often shares a closer bond with its athletics than academics, it becomes critical for the new athletics administration at Kansas to ensure future mishaps do not happen.
It starts with the hiring of a competent and clean administrative staff.
Baylor's administration failed to comply with NCAA rules, refusing to report players' positive drug tests.
The University's athletics department must also institute a greater mandate for accountability of its athletes. The administration must ensure that small problems do not lead to larger ones through the use of quick discipline. Baylor basketball players had been mired in drug use and conflict that was swept under the rug.
Left ignored, such issues usually turn into larger problems that carry far greater implications beyond just the players and coaches. The implications reach the entire university sitting before the nation's eyes.
Steve Vockrodt for the editorial board
Don't take college for granted, no matter where you study
perspective
COMMENTARY
The Fall 2003 semester has started anew. KU students will have a lot of opportunities to party, meet new friends and get motivated for future careers. To succeed in society is the goal of many when they graduate from college. But we all have to decide our own attitude toward college life.
Kengo Terada opinion@kansan.com
own attitude towards
In Japan, the attitude of a student is
very different from a student in the U.S.
It is a magnificent status when you are
able to be a student in my country,
because getting into college is hard for
every applicant. There are five times as
many applicants as there are openings.
If you are trying to get in to a public
school, you may have to prepare for a
year or more after graduating from high
school.
school.
However they survive the competition, Japanese college students feel like they are in limbo once they're in school. Everyone encourages them to have fun. Generally, college in Japan is limitless. You can do whatever you want, not only academically, but also socially. In the United States, there seems to be more pressure to complete college quickly.
Unfortunately, many Japanese college students do not understand what freedom they have until they graduate and start a career. Then, they may recognize that companies expect them to work almost seven days a week. So while they are in college, students in Japan focus on partying.
An example of how this attitude can get students into trouble is the Super Free rape case. The owners of a club called Super Free were accused of sexual assault and being accessories in the matter. In my country, rape is rarely reported, especially rape caused by college students.
The club, organized by students, had several branches in Japan and made good money. As a result, 300 to 400 students were gathering for parties. Several rapes were reported, and people were shocked. It proved how once the party got out of control, people ended up getting hurt.
This is an example of how students in Japanese colleges often lose their goals and priorities in college. In this case, students were crazy about the club. They should have invested their college lives in other activities.
activities. Colleges in the United States still force you to study and come to class. You have to keep a balance of study and vacation, or you might have a hard time catching up with others in the class. The students care about grade point average, which reveals what you can get from your career, in the future. Students in the United States rush through school more than Japanese students.
students. Students have many reasons for going to college, such as the ability to spend their time however they want. In Japan, society is still doing well. So I cannot tell which way of college life is better: the American or Japanese. The ultimate goal for students is to graduate college and to succeed in society. All students should establish how they chase that goal as best they can.
- Terada is a Kashiwa, Japan, junior in journalism.
Free forAll
Call 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
I really like the map on the front of the
*Jayplay*. It would be useful if K-10 was
actually on it.
This is the president. I am ordering all intorms to report to my office immediately.
For more comments, go to www.kansan.com
won't
Arrah Nielson is a racist. I don't appreciate her commentary about racial profiling. I can say some slanderous comments; but I
ZTA is closed. Yeah, I can't wait for all of the other greek houses to close.
are not picking up. Boo.
Sunflower Broadband sucks
are not picking up. Boo.
are not picking up. Boo.
图
are not picking up. Boo.
Is it bad that the people outside of Hash scare the hell out of me?
Who can I talk to about getting the state to fund a program to teach Kansas drivers how to merge?
图
Those stupid reflector strips on the crosswalks get slippery when it rains. I almost busted my ass twice. Thanks, KUnited.
With the computer lab starting to charge eight cents per page to copy, I think I might just transfer back to Southwest Missouri State. After all, there I could at least print out things for free.
--are not picking up. Boo.
I have discovered the world's best mixed drink. You take one-third skim milk and two-thirds chocolate milk and you do this all in Mrs. E's cafeteria. It is the greatest drink on the face of this earth.
II
KU Info sucks. I have been trying to get ahold of them for the past half hour and they
are not picking up. Boo.
No matter how tempting it may be, Nerds do not belong on the top of a cake.
This is to the people who are in charge of the parking zones. I live in the Towers and I have to park at the Lied Center at night. I hate you, and you are ass-faced.
--honoring a visit to BKU. You dutifully list the names of Kansan editors each issue, but it is clear that nobody is exercising any editorial judgment whatsoever about Free for All. Because the juvenile potty mouths who call in their comments are never named, readers can only assume that authorship and responsibility lie with the only names that do appear on the page: The University Daily Kansan and its editors.
There was an article in the Jayplay about going to Kansas City and the DeSoto police. I am from DeSoto and there aren't any actual DeSoto police. It is patrolled by the county sheriff and by state troopers. But thanks for actually noticing that little DeSoto actually exists.
honoring a visit to BKU. You dutifully list the names of Kansan editors each issue, but it is clear that nobody is exercising any editorial judgment whatsoever about Free for All. Because the juvenile potty mouths who call in their comments are never named, readers can only assume that authorship and responsibility lie with the only names that do appear on the page: The University Daily Kansan and its editors.
We should allow drinking back at the Jaybowl because bowling drunk just sounds fun.
图
honoring a visit to BKU. You dutifully list the names of Kansan editors each issue, but it is clear that nobody is exercising any editorial judgment whatsoever about Free for All. Because the juvenile potty mouths who call in their comments are never named, readers can only assume that authorship and responsibility lie with the only names that do appear on the page: The University Daily Kansan and its editors.
Your mama is so stupid that she tried to put M&Ms in alphabetical order.
The one thing that I hate the most is when a phone line is busy. It drives me insane.
My fantasy has just been lived out. The Madonna. The Britney, The Christina. Amen.
letter to the editor
Free for All maturity level needs professional boost
The Kansan's Free for All fell to a new low in its Thursday offerings, which featured seven consecutive comments about masturbation, dumb and promiscuous blondes, fondness for boobs and nipple rings and "a pooh so big that you thought it was going to tear you in half."
As its adolescent level of discourse might put it, Free for All fits on a newspaper's opinion page about as well as a hot, steaming turd dropped on Queen Elizabeth's plate at a state banquet honoring a visit to Britain by the Pope.
One bit of advice to Kansan staffers seeking professional editing jobs: Do NOT provide prospective employers with copies of opinion pages you edited.
That would go over like a fart in church.
Ted Frederickson, professor of journalism
submitting letters and guest columns
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