Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Spencer Duncan, Editor
Lindsey Henry, Managing editor
Andrea Albright, Managing editor
Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser
Sarah Scherwinki, Business manager Brian Pagen, Retail sales manager Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser Justin Knupp, Technology coordinator
Friday. September 12. 1997
W. Dave Keith / KANSAN
Examining
Inconveniences weigh against merit of scholarship program
The University of Kansas is fast approaching Chancellor Hemenway's goal of 100 National Merit Scholars by the year 2000. With 90 new National Merit Scholars enrolled in this year's freshman class, the new mark seems within easy reach. While this goal is an admirable one and the scholarships go to people who deserve them, there are a few problems with the current setup for getting the scholarships.
There is a certain amount of inconvenience. Unlike other scholarships, before this year these monies weren't counted against tuition and then collected by the university. Rather, the students had to pay the amount of their tuition out of their own pocket and then collect their National Merit check when it arrived. On the whole,
a somewhat confusing, inconvenient process.
The Chancellor has taken some steps to rectify this. Now, students should simply have to endorse their checks to the University and let the people in Carruth-O' Leary handle the rest. In reality, it's a bit more complicated than that - the student has to hand-deliver the check to Room 20 in Carruth-O' Leary, a building not renowned for its easy-to-reach location.
To attract more National Merit Scholars, the University has increased scholarship amounts from $1,200 in the fall of 1993 to $5,000 this year. However, National Merit Scholars who were freshmen before this year will miss out on the increase, according to the Chancellor's office. That means, potentially,
a student with the exact same qualifications who happened to enroll in the University for the first time three years ago could get $3,800 less per year than a freshman this year.
If enough money isn't available to give all students receiving these scholarships the same amount of money, something needs to be done to change that. Perhaps a jet aircraft could be sold, or profits from a soft-drink deal used.
In any case, bugs in the National Merit Scholarship program need to be ironed out before the University starts boasting of a "record number" of National Merit Scholars. Until these problems are fixed, National Merit Scholars who were already at KU will be wondering why the University has given them the cold shoulder.
Gerry Doyle for the editorial board
Budig Hall late, but worth the wait
It was nearly two years behind schedule; a campus headache that sparked frustration in anyone who walked past the chain-link fence. It was plagued by delays in material shipments and student complaints about its name. For the longest time, Budig Hall had about as much class as Missouri basketball fans. But at last, it's open for business.
The building opened to mixed reviews. A concerted effort by University of Kansas administration and technical workers made Budig the most technologically advanced building on campus. But teachers and students complained of trouble with the high-tech hardware they were given, and teachers weren't properly trained in how to fix those problems.
Overall, the University deserves kudos
from students for a really classy result. Budig Hall is an aesthetic credit to campus, especially at night when the building's floodlights are ablaze, evoking images of those academic cathedrals of old. Unlike the eyesore next door, Budig Hall shows what can happen when officials and construction workers put some effort into making a building look good.
But Budig is also a success on the inside. Hoch Auditorium stands in stark contrast to most lecture halls on campus, offering at least a tolerable experience. The auditorium isn't hot and stuff, nor does it muffle the instructor's voice or pack students in like so many sardines. Oxygen is freely available in Hoch.
lab includes more IBM-compatible machines, which means more students will be able to bring their filbs from home and work with them on campus. The new machines aren't of the highest caliber (at processor speeds of 90 megahertz) but they're superior to the molasses-laden terminals available elsewhere on campus. Macintosh computers are also available in the lab, which means no students are left out.
And of course, Budig offers a longawaited alternative to the computer labs at the Computer Center. The new
Sure it's late, but it's been worth the wait. Budig Hall looks great and is a valuable part of campus. Prospective students visiting campus can once again be impressed not only by the campus's natural beauty, but also by the high-tech, high-class structures which surround and complement the beauty of the Hill.
Andrew Rohrback for the editorial board
THE SPIN
Spencer Duncan's take on what's happening
Subject
THE
WEATHER
Every day should be as nice as the past week.
COCA-COLA
FOOTBALL TEAM
SPANISH DEPARTMENT
it's changing the way it does classes. Just what we needed, something else to make the department harder to understand.
When something is wrong with a machine the number to call is in Georgia. They promise to get to your problem...never.
PROVOST
THE
Christopher Bulgren
opinion@kanan.com
2. 0 isn't bad, but a win against Missouri may be needed if the team wants to finish the season near .500.
Shulenburger said KU doesn't have enough money to buy journals. Do what students do, steal what you need from another library.
BROWN
BEAR
BREWERY
The beer is OK and the atmosphere isn't bad. It's a shame the food isn't very good.
How to submit letters and guest columns
**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.
McVeigh's act a product of a voiceless nation
Guest columns: Should be double-spaced typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run.
Raving
Now that Timothy McVeigh has been tried and sentenced, it's time to step back from the anger and frustration that America felt about the Oklahoma City
All letter and guest columns should be submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 StuFFer-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 generic questions or comments, e-mail the page stuff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4810.
combing. Enough time has elapsed for us to look at the issues beyond the senseless death and tragedy. It's time to ask ourselves: "Why did he do it?"
Americans have the right to influence lawmaking and legislation, but there's no way they really can.
age and the public eye. It didn't fade from McVeigh's mind, however, and this country will never forget the way he made his point. They may not remember or care about why he did it, but they remember the bomb blast. This is entirely indicative of the problem. If we could face and discuss issues that bother Americans in a positive, progressive manner with our politicians, it might discourage the next guy from filling a Ryder truck full of fertilizer and diesel fuel.
This country was founded and won through violence. Today, social rebels are pigeon-holed into fighting a multitiered bureaucracy and are drowning in red tape. If sounds clichéd, but how can a citizen's voice be heard?
McVeigh's bombing was a response to the lawlessness in Waco. His lack of voice and the inappropriateness of the ATF action forced him, and continues to force others, into lawless protest.
Brandeis criticized the Olmstead decision because wire taps were used in a conviction. The conclusion reads: "Crime is contagious; if the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for the law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy."
This is cryptic until you see the rest of the quote.
So, what do we do? Our friends in Washington, D.C., seem to be making a faint effort to get moneyed interests out of politics. But, that seems unlikely, and no quick fix will solve the pickle we're in. Whether you support these militia groups and other disgruntled Americans, or if you think they're just nuts, we have to find a way to communicate on the same level.
Therefore, some people think they have to go outside the system to make their voices heard. Whether it's a fight in a common law court, or the worst terrorist act in U.S. history, these types of actions all have important underlying meanings. People are fed up.
If we don't, Americans will continue to go crazy and pull big stunts to show up politicians. I'd personally like to talk to my senators about a multitude of problems.
A Missouri militia group known as the Missouri 20 recently charged a judge in their own common law court. They then filed a lien to take his property because he fined a girl in their militia for speeding, failure to wear a seat belt and failure to drive in a single lane.
The answer is usually protest and lobbying that will go unheard and unseen by legislators and the general public. Or, you could keep sending those letters to your congressman, or use some other form of political necommunication. It is obvious that Americans are frustrated and tired of not being heard. They are turning toward more drastic measures.
I'm not saying that everyone should have five minutes to yell at Brownback (although he deserves it). But, he does represent us. Can't we have a reasonable return of power to the people? More accessibility and true representation by politicians might avert the next bomb blast.
After his sentencing, McVeigh read a quote by Justice Louis D. Brandeis dissenting in the 1928 Olmstead case: "Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or ill, it teaches the whole people by its example."
For instance, I was offended as hell when Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., mocked China's morals by saying, "So, no raise money, no get bonus," in his best Charlie Chan accent. I don't want to blow him up, I just want to ask why a racist attitude is driving the John Huang hearings.
Because they claim to be an independent country, they say these laws do not apply to them. These people are willing to take on the state and a judge over a traffic violation to maintain or establish their independence and freedom.
People are determined to go to huge lengths to have their voices heard. This is getting scary, folks. According to the Associated Press, last year 858 extremist groups were active in the United States. If we don't look at the problem and do something, all we can do is hope it's not our next-door neighbor who goes crazy.
It takes serious action (violent or non-violent) to make an impression and bring an issue to the forefront of American and world consciousness. In Oklahoma City, we have missed the point. That bombing represented McVeigh's frustration with society.
McVeigh is one of many Americans tired of government imposition and laws. The public speculated that he blew up the federal building in response to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms invading the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Some people believed this was a violation of Constitutional rights. I remember a fair amount of public discourse on that hypothesis. Many wondered why it happened, and why Attorney General Janet Reno had the right to do such a thing.
But, like every other issue that is important to the public, it faded from media cover
Bulgern is a Lawrence graduate student in journalism.
Feedback
Phillips 66 column unfair criticism
Regarding the numerous inaccuracies in Matthew Caldwell's article in Wednesday's "Kansan," we're most deeply troubled by the absolutely untrue charge that Phillips is involved in genocide against the people of East Timor.
His view that Phillips is "profiting the most from Indonesia's occupation of East Timor" overlooks the fact that Phillips has no income from, or current operations in, Indonesia.
Our company, along with several others, has made a gas discovery in the Zone of Cooperation, jointly administered by Australia and Indonesia. Plans to develop the field are under construction. Our company's position is that this important project will actually help the people of East Timor. We plan to hire as many East Timorese people, and purchase as many East Timorese supplies and materials as possible to help improve living conditions there.
Our company is very interested in, and follows very closely, developments concerning human rights in East Timor. And we're hopeful that efforts by the United Nations and others to resolve human rights issues in this part of the world will be successful.
We share Caldwell's concern about human rights issues in East Timor, and elsewhere in the world. And we appreciate his passion. But his inaccurate statements about our company — which neither he nor the "Kansan" attempted to verify with us prior to publication —
have unfortunately added heat, but no light, to this important issue.
Rob Phillips
Bartlesville, OKla.
Director of Public Relations
No "On Campus" irritates reader
I so innocently assumed that what was printed in the "Kansan" would hold true. When I read Spencer Duncan's Aug. 22 article I believed that I would now have to pay one dollar for a one-day On Campus ad. I wasn't pleased about this since it had been a free service, but nevertheless thought that my student fees may not be paying for all of the "Kansan," so I'd dig into my pocket. I went down to the "Kansan" to place an ad and they, after some discretion, gave me the price of $1.30, 30 cents more than I was told in their paper, but O.K. Later, I received a phone call that I had not paid enough and I needed to come back if I wanted my ad to run. I thought well, there's been a mix-up, they just didn't realize that it was an On Campus, one dollar ad. But I was wrong. They wanted to charge me $3.90 for the three-line ad.
Now, the organization meets on a weekly basis that brings the semester total to $58.50 for a service that should be free. I am angry. I am angry, if you agree, write me at jenk@eagle.cc.ukans.edu. We can organize and rock their world.
Jon Keltnor Wichita senior
Glossy insorts as evil as Coca-Cola
Liz Musser makes a strong point in her Sept. 10 editorial, "Instead of complaining about glossy inserts, find a trash can." Advertising, she points out, is a necessary evil; inserts litter the campus and are not recyclable, but they allow students to get a good newspaper at a great price.
Perhaps Musser could explain this economic truth to the rest of the "Kansan" staff. Spencer Duncan and his cohorts may not like the Coca-Cola contract. They may not like the hard-to-recycle 20-ounce bottles. They may think that the KU administration sold-out to a corporation. But the fact is, contracts such as the University's with Coca-Cola allow Kansas to do the same thing the "Kansan" does with obnoxious inserts: provide a good product at a great price.
Rachel Robson Baldwin City junior