Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Lindsey Henry, Managing editor Andrea Albright, Managing editor Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser
Sarah Scherwinski, Business manager
Brian Pagel, Retail sales manager
Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser
Justin Knapp, Technology coordinator
Monday, December 8, 1997
Kevin Frost/ KANSAN
Examining
Give us a break,pencil sharpeners would be a nice gift for Christmas
Many students have undoubtedly noticed the unusually high number of classrooms at the University without pencil sharpeners. Amid concern about the University falling behind in technology and becoming stalled on the information superhighway, University administrators have forsaken a basic student right — that of writing with a pencil. To remedy the gross inconveniences that the University has caused students who dull their pencils taking notes or tests, pencil sharpeners should be placed in classrooms most frequented by students, namely lecture halls.
Administrators often exhort grandiose ideas about how to make things more technologically advanced at the University. But it is ludicrous that a learning institution of this magnitude does not even have the technological advancements of elementary
schools—common pencil sharpeners. So why are there so few pencil sharp eners in classrooms on campus?
Oddly enough, no one has an answer. Robert Porter, of facility operations, said the issue of pencil sharpeners has never been raised with him. Porter said facility operations would be in charge of installing sharpeners if it was told to do so but the order has yet to be given.
Assistant Provost Richard Givens was not aware of any historical reasons behind the lack of sharpeners, but he said maintaining the sharpeners may present a problem. Givens said it would be difficult to keep a pencil sharpener clean and operable in an environment like a classroom.
Obviously, students must be responsible pencil sharpener users and not break the sharpeners or carelessly spill pencil shavings on the floor. But if
students uphold their end of the bargain, then maintaining the sharpeners would be minimized.
Some argue that pencil sharpeners are no longer needed in an era where fancy pens and mechanical pencils have seemingly taken over. But there are drawbacks to modernized writing instruments. Students cannot fill out Scantron bubbles with pens, and mechanical pencils are expensive and break more easily than regular pencils.
Before we take leaps and bounds toward aspirations of modernity, we must first take baby steps. Installing pencil sharpeners in classrooms at the University is one such step.
Many students use pencils in their classes. Therefore, no matter how trivial it may sound, the University has the responsibility to guarantee that every student has the right to a sharp pencil.
Nick Zaller for the editorial board
Athletes' egos are ruining sports
Coaches and their players have had conflicts since the invention of organized sports. Basketball, football, soccer — all entail athletes taking directions from a coach. The recent assault on Golden State Warriors coach P.J. Carlisimo by player Latrell Sprewell illustrates the way professional athletes are treated has degraded the player-coach relationship, especially in the National Basketball Association.
Players must have a certain amount of respect for their coaches. In most cases, the players are physically superior to their coaches, so respect certainly doesn't come from physical intimidation. The respect must come from the knowledge and experience a
team's leader has in his or her sport.
team's leader has in his or her sport.
This kind of respect is hard to find in the NBA. Overpaid players, protected by an overzealous players' union, act like they are the ones running the team—not the coach. From The Chicago Bulls' Scottie Pippen refusing to play unless he could take the last shot in a game to Sprewell's act, there are myriad examples of this behavior.
egotistical acts by professional athletes warp the way budding athletes see themselves.
This has to change. With the constant bombardment of commercials featuring NBA players, America's youth are going to grow up believing they, not their coach, is the authority on the playing field. Just as violent television shows and movies are thought to lead to violent behavior,
Sprewell's contract was terminated by the Warriors. This was the right thing to do. If Sprewell's behavior — which included choking his coach during practice and then coming back later and punching him — was tolerated, it would have been the last straw for an already morally deficient NBA.
Sprewell was punished, which is good. However, more steps still need to be taken to bring respect back to professional athletics. More effort must be made to stop the rampant egotism that is choking the life out of sports.
Gerry Doyle for the editorial board
Kansan staff
Bradley Brooks . . . Editorial
Jason Strait . . . Editorial
Jodie Chester . . . News
Jen Smith. . . News
Adam Derby . . . News
Charity Jeffries . . Online
Kristie Blasi . . Sports
Tommy Gallagher . Associate Sports
Dave Morantz . . Campus
Eric Weslander . . Campus
Ashleigh Roberts . Features
Steve Puppe . Photo
Bryan Volk . Design, graphics
Mitch Lucas . Illustrations
Mark McMaster . Wire
Ann Marchand . Special sections
Lachelle Rhoades . Neus clerk
News editors
Matt Fisher . . . . . . . . . Assistant retail
Michael Soifer . . . . . . . . . Campus
Colleen Eager . . . . . . . . . Regional
Anthony Migliazzo . . . . . . National
Jeff Auslander . . . . . . Marketing
Chris Haghirian . . . . . Internet
Brian LeFevre . . . . . Production
Jen Wallace . . . . . . Production
Dustin Skidgel . . . . Promotions
Tyler Cook . . . . . . Creative
Annette Hoover . Public relations
Rachel O'Neill . Classified
Jaime Mann . . . . Assistant classified
Marc Harrell . Senior account executive
Scott Swedlund . Senior account executive
Advertising managers
Broaden your mind:
"Gotta get away from this day to day runnin' around; everybody knows this is nowhere."
Letters: Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and home-town if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
How to submit letters and guest columns
Neil Young
Guest columns: Should be double-
spaced typed with fewer than 700 words. The
writer must be willing to be photographed for
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All letters and guest columns should be submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Staufer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Bradley Brooks (brooks@kansan.com) or Jason Strait (jstrait@kansan.com) at 864-4810. If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4810.
Reflecting
Remember the details and life will be gravy
The best gift that I can give you in celebration of the holidays is a change in perspective.
After only breaking my neck in an automobile accident that probably should
have killed me, I have certainly had a change in mine. It shouldn't have taken rolling my car a couple times to straingten out my priorities, but it did. I don't want you to make that mistake too
In this era of daily organizers, of breakfast meetings and of cellular teleconferencing, we tend to lose sight of what's really important.
The problem is that we forget about life's details. We subconsciously dismiss
Andy Obermueller andyo@kansan.com
them because we are so inundated with other things that seem more important. Bills loom overhead, and tests, and greenhouse emissions and then there's dinner and I forgot to change the lightbulb in the hallway, too. Next thing you know, you're sitting in your English class taking a final and can't remember anything because your mind is filled with the lyrics of the song you woke up to. You somehow remembered to write your name on the test, but you look at the date and realize you wrote down the PIN to your ATM card.
With such overload, it's understandable — if not forgivable — that we forget to say thank you to the teller at the bank or to tell the lady who keeps the wooden floors so clean in the journalism school that you appreciate her.
When I was in the hospital after my accident, I became annoyed at my communication-obsessed family for calling so frequently. It was during Thanksgiving and we had 30 people attending dinner, so broken neck or no broken neck, my mom had things to plan. But as I lay there in bed, in traction, in pain and worrying about whether I would ever use the bathroom on my own, I couldn't understand why people were calling about such relatively minor details as gravy.
But as it turned, my priorities were backward: what I had thought was so important in my life
really wasn't, and what I had dismissed as mere details turned out to be much more than that. The big picture — what I thought I was living for — isn't as important as the details that comprise it. I had been focusing on the results without giving any thought to the process. I needed a change in perspective.
I'll never forget to be thankful for the life's little details: the warm way your jammies feel when you get up in the morning, the nuclear yellow explosions of forsythia by Potter's Lake during the Spring, the smell of Yello Sub, singing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus at full blast.
Be so careful not to forget what I lost track of:
Every day, be a little happier, a little kinder, a little more glad that you are here to celebrate this thing called life and this experience called living.
And to be sure, I got one.
The big picture — business deals, domestic policy, interest rates — these are certainly important endeavors that we need to live. But the details, the gravity, are what we should live for.
About the details: Work hard to remember people's names. Ask about their day and listen to how they are doing. Make a friend lunch. Pick up the phone once for conversation, not just pizza. Feed the birds.
Don't let the opportunity to pass to say something nicer than you normally might — I never told my old neighbor Tom Pryor just how much I thought of him, now I've moved away and lost the chance. Such sentiment only has meaning when it is shared with others, not when it hoarded for yourself.
Focus on playing the game, not winning. When you start playing the game of life just to win, the game loses its inherent value. If you win, fine, but when you love playing the game, even when you lose you come away with something. Likewise, focus on living, not life. Life goes up and down, and by standard, only half of life can be above average. But if you focus on living, you will always have at least one thing to be thankful for you are alive.
And for heaven's sake, wear your seat belt.
Obermuelter is a Liberal, Kan., senior in journalism.
Mmmm plop, holidays bring cheer and pounds
I would have to say nothing makes me feel warmer inside than the holiday season, unless of course I accidentally set myself on fire.
on fire.
The holiday season refreshes my faith in humanity. Nothing says "Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men" more than an 80-year-old grandmother giving you the finger while jockeying for a mall parking space.
On the bright side, KU students aren't usually worried by crazy mall parking. They're actually pretty relieved to look around and say, "There are five spaces available,
Nick
Bartkoski
opinion@ kansan.com
that has to be about five times the total number of parking spaces at the University."
This is also the time of year for giving, sharing and generosity. And I don't think there exists a better example of this than the decorations on the Chancellor's house. Full of the spirit of sharing, the facilities operation crew decided to share the decorations with Miller Scholarship Hall — they shared the power cord with a wall socket. But in the spirit of the Secret Santa, they neglected to consult housing. It's this kind of selfless giving that really lights up the season, not to mention the trees in the Chancellor's yard.
I also think this season is kind of thrilling. I look forward to the day when someone in my neighborhood will finally see "It's a Wonderful Life" one time too many and snap like cheap mistletoe. He'll probably end up running down the street yelling "Merry Christmas Quickie-Mart, Merry Christmas Liquor store." By the time KUPD shows up, his delirium will probably have them shouting "Merry Christmas police officer, Merry Christmas nightstick, Merry Christmas unconscious."
I also love the high quality Christmas albums put out by bands that have almost used up their 15 minutes. My heartstrings are pulled every time I hear Hanson sing "Deck the halls with boughs of holly, mm mm mm mm mm, mm mm mm bop." And
though the magic of New Kids on the Block may have faded, once a year everyone can be moved by their soulful melody on "This One's for the Children." I can only hope that by next year we can enjoy the Spice Girls' respectful version of "Silent Night."
But as good as those respective artists are. I just can't get into them. It's only dogs barking "Jingle Bells" for me.
Speaking of bands past their famous 15, I think Poison said it best: "Every rose has its thorn." The holiday season is no exception. As good as the holidays are, nothing hurts more than putting on the holiday pounds. Last year between Thanksgiving and New Year's, I gained roughly 240 pounds. I might have gained more, but I was working out at the time. I'd like to say it's just the extreme abundance of food that caused my minor weight increase. But I have to face facts, it's all due to my sick craving for pie.
I've tried to combat it. I started attending Pie Eaters Anonymous meetings. They've got a 12-step program that will allow you to finally watch pie fight scenes in old movies without shedding a tear.
I've even resorted to more drastic measures. I've baked four pies and put arsenic into one of them, hoping that it would prevent me from eating all four. But that plan ends the same way every time: me in the emergency room getting my stomach pumped screaming, "for the love of God, take the poison but leave the pie!!!"
So it's not an easy dilemma. But maybe, if I've been really, really good, Santa Clause will give me the home liposuction kit I asked him for.
All this holiday joy has me nearly ready to cry. It all reminds me of a famous poem:
As you put down the paper,
Please remember my kicker.
Merry Christmas to all.
Now where's my malt liquor.
Bartkoski is a Basehor junior in journalism and English.
Feedback
Student regrets sprinkler incident
To the residents of Templin Hall, department of student housing, resident assistant and the fire department, and all those involved in the fire sprinkler accident:
I deeply regret the accident that occurred Thursday evening and I apologize for any inconveniences caused. I am very grateful for all those who came to help and I appreciate everyone's effort in assisting to solve the problem. For a moment, I was feeling hopeless for myself and dismay
for causing such a burden, but I became more relieved as I saw everybody cooperating and working together to finish the job. I owe each and every one of you more than my sincere thanks, and again, I am sorry for the trouble.
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John Nguyen
Wichita junior