Opinion
Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Jodie Chester, Editor
Gerry Doyle, Managing editor
Ryan Koerner, Managing editor
Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser
Marc Harrell, Business manager
Jamie Holman, Retail sales manager
Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser
Justin Knupp, Technology coordinator
Fridav. October 23,1998
Editorials
KU football should not be given preferential treatment over arts
The new kickoff time for the Kansas vs. Colorado game has unfairly disadvantaged Murphy Hall. A remedy must be found.
Kickoff was changed from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow to accommodate the Fox Network, which will televise the game. The change was announced one week ago and has fowled up Murphy Hall's plans. Murphy will lose its parking lot, making it difficult for people attending the 8 p.m. performance of "The Batting Cage" to park. The lot across from Murphy will be used Saturday by the Williams Fund, the athletic department's fundraising arm. Williams Fund members park in the lot and are shuttled to Memorial Stadium.
Murphy Hall would have allowed its patrons to park at the Lied Center and would have shuttled them to the theater. However, that is not possible. The Lied Center is playing host to a performance of "STOMP," so the Lied Center lot will not be an option.
This has left Murphy with no parking and the University Theater, which is presenting the play, is allowing patrons to exchange their tickets for
Murphy Hall will lose its parking to the Williams Fund on the last night of a play.
another performance. However, Saturday will be the last night the play is being performed.
The attention the football team brings to the University by being on television is important and benefits all students. But in this case, the Williams Fund, the University, the parking department and the Athletic Department need to work something out that allows Murphy to have the lot.
The Athletic Department had no choice in accepting the new start time. It was dictated by Fox, and the television contract allows Kansas little say in the matter. The Williams Fund also reserved the lot a long time in advance and has to pay the University for its use.
The problem is not specifically anyone's fault. However, these are the only groups that can solve the problem and if they do not, blame must be
placed on these groups. Chancellor Robert Hemenway, Athletic Director Bob Frederick, Williams Fund officials and Murphy Hall administrators should sit down today and find a way to give the theater parking. The Williams Fund should be willing to give the lot up. It is not the only lot they have reserved.
The Athletics Department and Williams Fund have always said athletics are not the most important activity at the University, just one of many wonderful events that occur on campus. But in this case, another activity is suffering because athletics are being regarded as more important.
If Murphy Hall decided days before a basketball game that it needed a lot that was reserved primarily for basketball fans, the Athletic Department and Williams Fund would not give it up. Murphy Hall should not have to give its lot, which needs to be used for the theater.
The students performing the play work just as hard as the athletes. The actors deserve an audience just as much as the football players.
Spencer Duncan for the editorial board
Student volunteers make a difference
It is easy for student to dismiss opportunities to volunteer in the community. A bevy of time-related excuses tend to pop up: More time should be spent on homework; a job pays money for time spent, etc. Students just may not know what organizations to contact.
However, a student can make a difference by volunteering even if they feel that they cannot commit very much time.
Students should give their time on "Make a Difference Day" this Saturday.
Oct. 24 has been deemed "Make A Difference Day." The theme this year is "Share A Smile, Make A Smile." The East Central Kansas Economic Opportunity Group, or EAKAN, is trying to bring in new volunteers —
both individually and through student associations - to help in the community.
It is up to students to set aside a weekend day or an afternoon a week to give food to the homeless, renovate a historic building, or spend time with a child as a Big Brother or Sister.
EAKAN provides the promotion and the resources for volunteering.
Ann Premer . *Editorial*
Tim Harrington . *Associate Editorial*
Aaron Marvin . *News*
Gwen Olson . *News*
Aaron Knopf . *Online*
Matt Friedrichs . *Sports*
Kevin Wilson . *Associate sports*
Marc Sheforgen . *Campus*
Laura Roddy . *Campus*
Lindsey Henry . *Features*
Bryan Volk . *Associate features*
Roger Nomer . *Photo*
Corie Waters . *Photo*
Angie Kuhn . *Design, graphics*
Melissa Ngo . *Wire*
Sara Anderson . *Special sections*
Laura Veazey . *news clerk*
Students can get involved by contacting Eve Cefo for EAKA1 at 841-3357.
Kansan staff
Kathryn Jensen for the editorial board
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Matt Thomas ... Production
Traci Meisenheimer ... Creative
Tenley Lane ... Classified
Sara Cropper ... Zone
Nicole Farrell ... Zone
Jon Schlitt ... Zone
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Brian Allers ... PR/Intern manager
**Broaden your mind:** Today's quote
"Self-conquest is the greatest of victories." — Plato
How to submit letters and guest columns
**Letterers:** 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.
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.
All letters 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 Ann Premer (premer@kansan.com) or Tim Harrington (tharrington@kansan.com) at 864-4810. If you have general questions or comments, email the staff post (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4810.
Gospel according to Phelps one of 'confused spirituality'
Perspective
The Rev. Fred Phelps Sr. of Topeka did it again; He made a fool of himself. He and his team of protesters from West-
He and his team of protesters from Westboro Baptist Church picketed at the funeral of
Donato
Fhunsu
coinjin@kansu.com
New Shepard, the University of Wyoming student who was beaten to death. They waved signs with their favorite message: "God Hates Fags."
This sign actually means "Phelps, the self-appointed messenger of a god he has created in his own image and according to his own likeness, hates the people God has actually created." Confused about spirituality. Phelps has dedicated himself to a ministry of bigotry and hate. He can't stand people, even after they have died and relatives, friends and acquaintances are mourning. The Reverend claims that he is a Christian, a man of God following in the steps of Christ.
But what Christ?
During my lifetime, I have seen many things done in the name of Christ. These things have been so contrary even to the common sense of a child that I have decided to do my own research. To make sure I covered the problem from as many perspectives as possible, I have acquired seven Bibles in seven different languages to study for myself the life and teachings of Christ. I don't know about the Bible Phelps reads, but the Bibles that I read present a Christ who is very far from being a bigot. On the contrary, the Christ I have come to know is a Christ who embodied the very love of God so we could understand it. So deep is the love of Christ that Paul says it "passes all knowledge" (Ephesians 3:19).
To their threats, Christ responded: "The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). Then he described the things that people were hearing and seeing him do: "The blind see and the lame hear; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me" (Matthew 11:5-6).
Should I even bother to share what I have discovered about Christ? Just as Phelps has created a god in his own image, he has also created a Christ in his own image. In Phelps this popular saying is confirmed: "I have already made up my mind, don't confuse me with the facts."
But the leaders of the religious establishment in those days were offended because of Christ. They hated Christ because he loved the people they hated. They hated him so much that they crucified him, the equivalent of today's electrical chair or shooting squad. Capital punishment was reserved only for the most horrendous crimes, just as it is in our country today. But what crime did Christ commit?
Sometimes I wonder what would happen to Christ if he reappeared among us today. What would happen to him if he decided to appear in the form of a homosexual student at the University of Wyoming? I don't know. But my gut feeling is that he would be beaten to death. Then at his funeral, a Rev. Phelps from Topeka would lead a group of religious establishment bigots to picket with signs reading, "God Hates Fags."
English, let me share a few things. When Christ lived in Palestine 2000 years ago, the religious establishment had already decided how God should behave: He should hate the prostitutes, the sick, the tax collectors, the poor, the foreigners and the people who practiced other religions. The self-appointed keepers of the faith were so determined to have things their own way that they had bigotry written into the laws of the land and they put to death anyone who dared to oppose them or even suggest that they might be wrong.
But just in case I am mistaken about Phelps and he does read the same kind of Bible that I read in
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." These truths are indeed self-evident to the people of good will. To the bigots, however, they seem to be meaningless.
Phunsu is a Lawrence graduate student in journalism
Responsible behavior best solution for bars
Once again, complaints by people living near a few neighborhood bars have prompted city commissioners to review the status of such bars and their closing times.
At the center of the latest dispute is the fate of the The Hawk, 1340 Ohio St. The Hawk was granted a cereal-malt beverage license last January that allowed it to stay open until midnight. Later, it was granted a temporary drinking-establishment license. This type of license would normally allow a bar to stay open until 2 a.m., but The Hawk's temporary license restricted it to a midnight closing time. The latest controversy when city commissioners decided to consider granting The Hawk a 2 a.m. closing time. People who live near the bar have complained bitterly because they are tired of the late-night noise and problems with bar patrons who relieve themselves in public. These problems, they contend, have been going on for years.
David
Perico
opinion @ kansan.com
There are many reasons why these problems have lingered. For one thing, the police cannot sit and watch the bars that are most often the targets of complaints. They only can respond to complaints. Another problem is the increasing sophistication of fake IDs. In the past, the biggest problems were borrowed ID's and crude forgeries. Now, however, many fake ID's are virtually indistinguishable from the real ones because several ID machines have been stolen.
Another problem preventing a permanent solution is the cyclical nature of the complaints and remedies. If enough residents complain, or if the city commission starts to take action, the bar owners will make corrections that last for a while and then they will slack off when the furor dies down.
The problems can be resolved if the owners and patrons of problem bars simply would be more responsible. It doesn't take a lot of effort to
make a bar acceptable to people who live nearby. All the problem bars need to do is to imitate those bars that provide enough security to prevent unruly behavior and that pick up trash in the surrounding areas.
Most of the neighborhood bars in Lawrence don't get any complaints, or very few. I pass by at least one neighborhood bar almost every night, and I can't remember ever seeing empty beer bottles or cups on the ground. The music can get fairly loud sometimes, but they always turn it down before it gets late enough to cause complaints. What a difference a sense of responsibility can make: no trash, no vomit on the sidewalk and no outhouse smell.
To be sure, the city is responsible for part of the problem. It's fine for the commissioners to talk tough right before the election, but when they postpone taking real action until after the election, does anyone really think the situation is going to change?
Under current ordinances, the city commission can revoke a license from a drinking establishment if it becomes a nuisance. But the commission is generally reluctant to do so because bar owners often cite their financial dependence on revenue from the bar. So, even if the City Commission adds new restrictions on paper, the problems will continue until repeat offenders are shut down or the owners decide to take preventive measures at all times, not just when their licenses are in peril.
Of course, all of these problems could be avoided if the students who patronize these bars would simply act their age.
I really doubt it. The ordinance being proposed won't change things much anyway.
None of these solutions seem likely to me, and that's a real shame. Unless this situation results in a lawsuit with a multi million dollar verdict for pain and suffering, my advice to the people who are affected by the bars is this: Buy some ear plugs and spray your lawn with toiletbowl cleaner once a week to keep the smell down.
Perico is a Lawrence sophomore in English.
Feedback
University should avoid censorship
The University of Kansas should not tolerate, and certainly must not be an advocate of censorship in any form. When KU officials began investigations of the "Templin Revolution" Web site, they began to encroach on the basic fundamentals of a free society. Visiting the Templin Revolution site will not result in a disturbing or upsetting feeling to any viewer unless they are upset and disturbed by dumb humor and pictures that reek of cheap parody. This is not wrong, and demonization of such behavior should not be tolerated. To claim that the KU Campus Internet Association should remove a link to this site is also uncalled for, because the site has a serious relevance to KU topics, even though it is not dealt
with in a serious manner. In short, the Templin Revolution web site is a simple parody for Templin Hall Governance. If KU wishes to control the site's content, it wishes to silence its naysayers an action that is not acceptable to anyone who encourages the dissemination of free speech, however it manifests itself.
Joe Walberg Shawnee Sophomore