Opinion
Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Jodie Chestpr. Editor
Gerry Doyle, Managing editor
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Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser
4A
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Monday, September 21, 1998
Editorials
Students without valid bus passes getting free ride at other's expense
Though it's easy to blame Cybermark and the University of Kansas for the recent busing flasco, some students are making the situation even worse.
even worse. Last week, Cybermark announced it would distribute new bus passes to all current pass holders, replacing the problematic microchip reading system which was too slow and hindering students and bus drivers Now, all a rider needs to board the bus is a current KUID.
Unfortunately, many students who did not purchase bus passes have taken advantage of the situation. Because there is no proof that one has a pass, every single KU student now can ride the bus at the expense
If students did not pay for their ride, they should not get on the bus.
of those who actually bought a pass. Although this problem is a temporary one — new passes should arrive soon — it is substantial.
It's easy to consider this a victimless crime. But to about 7,000 students who bought bus passes, it's not.
Considering the University enrolls more than 20,000 students, almost twice as many students that have passes now have access to the buses.
don't have passes board a bus with a capacity of about 50,10 students who did have passes may be left at the bus stop. And if those 10 people end up missing a class or a test,they've experienced an unwarranted injustice.
For example, when 10 people who
Pass holders have the right to be angry with those who unfairly ride the bus. Pass holders' $60 pays for a semester's worth of rides; if they miss out on a couple because others took advantage of an unfair situation, those who paid are losing money.
To those without passes: Until the new passes arrive, do the kind thing and don't deprive your fellow students of a helpful and sometimes necessary mode of transportation.
Chris Borniger for the editorial board
Parking spots scarce at Nunemaker
A lack of parking spaces is one of the biggest problems for the University of Kansas, and students, faculty and staff at Nunemaker Hall are well aware of it.
As many as 150 students attend classes in Nunemaker Hall on any given day during the week. Street parking is prohibited, and the residence hall parking lots are restricted 24 hours a day to those with resident permits.
Not only are students with daytime classes out of luck, but also those with evening classes are forced to brave the campus alone at night on the long trek home because for most students, Nunemaker Hall is anything but centrally located. The Templin Hall lot across the street has a few visitor meters, but the meters usually are occupied and do not have the capacity to provide space for the number of students in even one class.
And how much time are students
Classes at Nunemaker, which is located on Daisy Hill, are not easily accessible to students.
willing to spend to get to class?
willing to spend a lot of time with the meager nine-car faculty and staff lot attached to Nunemaker Hall is full by 8 a.m. Later this semester, the university admissions office and visitors center will move to Templin, inevitably increasing traffic and restricting space.
ing that the student gets out of class on time, the odds of making it to class on time are slim.
Students with back-to-back classes at Frasier Hall and Nunemaker Hall don't have too many options. They could choose to walk, which assures their tardiness because even fast walking takes a good 12 to 15 minutes.
The University should either allocate space for Nunemaker Hall students in the new Jayhawk Tower lot east of Nunemaker Hall or create a small lot next to the building, where there seems to be ample space. The University could issue permits to students with classes in Nunemaker Hall on a semester basis.
Or they could attempt to catch a bus en route to McCollum Hall and then walk to Nunemaker Hall. Even assum-
There seems to be no explanation why there is not a student lot at Nunemaker Hall or even why the honors program is so removed from central campus with the exception that it is an available building. Barbara Schowen, director of the honors program, said she had been thinking about the problem for years and had sent a couple memos to the University parking board but to no avail.
Nadia Mustafa for the editorial board
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Broaden your mind: Today's quote
"I have always observed that to succeed in the world one should appear like a fool but be wise." — Montesquieu
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.
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Perspective
Religious disputes not in spirit of their faith
The conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland is troubling. More troubling still is what is done to remind the Catholics that they were deformed by the Protestants
Donato Fhunsu
opinion @ kansan.com
deleted by the Protestant 300 years ago. During this year's Orange Order march, for instance, three brothers were burned alive by Protestants in a supposedly Catholic house. The parents of these children, it turned out, were a Catholic and Protestant couple, married despite the animosity between their two groups, raising their children simply as Christians, and thus doing their humble part in healing the Catholic-Protestant divide.
onc-Protestant divide.
Despite this couple's courage and the sacrifice of these young souls, the Church of Christ in Northern Ireland and in many other parts of the world remains divided, mainly between Catholics and Protestants, each side claiming to be the true heir to the legacy of Christ
before the controversy about Mary and the other saints, the fundamental issue of dispute seems to be about the afterlife. Protestants claim that Catholics are not really Christians and therefore would not go to heaven if they died as Catholics. Catholics, on the other hand, claim that they are the true Christians and therefore have the assurance of eternity in heaven, after a short passage through purgatory maybe. These contradictory claims have made my brother in New York ask me, "Into which heaven do you feel God placed the souls of those three half Catholic, half Protestant Irish boys? Into a Catholic heaven? A Protestant heaven?"
In the 16th century, we had the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. The Reformation gave us the Protestant churches, and the Counter-Reformation produced the Jesuits. A lot of good has come from these two movements. However, I think that as we prepare to enter a new century and a new millennium, we are due for a true reform. We need to seriously revise Christianity and make it relevant to the new era.
tant neaven?
Like those unfortunate Irish brothers, I also have had my own experience with the Catholic vs. Protestant madness, with the only difference that, thanks to God knows what, I am still alive. When I was born in the Congo, my father's family was Catholic and my mother's family was Protestant. I still wonder how my parents got married in the first place, but I no longer wonder about what happened after my birth.
haps worse than being burned alive. I continued to be a Catholic though, and the Jesuit fathers taught me many things. The best thing I learned from them was, probably, the value of an open mind, a sensitive heart and the courage to entertain the possibility that maybe the Spirit of God is much nobler than the best of our theologies. In traditional theologies, whether Catholic or Protestant, we tend to claim a direct line to God, through the blood of Christ, at the exclusion of the people of other denominations.
The influence of my father's family was strong. So I was introduced to the Catholic tradition by the Jesuit fathers, and became Catholic. I still can feel the anguish I felt whenever I visited my Protestant relatives. No, they didn't firebomb me. But to the tender spirit of a child, religious ridicule for being a Catholic is per-
era.
With the exception of a few individuals and groups, popular Christianity is out of touch with the human condition and has even become one of the most serious problems we need to solve. During the years, I have struggled with this problem in Africa, Europe, South America, the Caribbean and North America. I therefore plead, to both leaders and followers alike, for common sense, pruning of the theological non-essentials, focus on the essentials, goodwill and true unity between Protestants and Catholics, for “there is one body and one Spirit, just as ye were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
Is not this, after all, the simple message Christ lived and died for?
Armed with the lessons of history and the admonitions of the present state of the world, let's be honest with ourselves and shed from our individual and collective spiritual eyes the scales of prejudice, self-righteousness, selfishness, bigotry, ignorance and the many superstitious fears that cloud our spiritual vision and clog the arteries our spiritual heart and the nerves of our spiritual brain.
For God's sake, let's build God's Kingdom on earth and not our own exclusive kingdoms. For Christ's sake, let's stop our religious madness now. For Humanity's sake, let's love as Christ loved, loving not only our brethren, but also our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48).
Fhunsu is a Lawrence graduate student in journalism.
Feedback
Marlon Marshall St. Louis, Mo., sophomore
She was in no way trying to deceive the students. Yes, a suggestion may have been brought up to keep the situation "hush hush," but that does not mean that she in any way wants this to happen. It was what it was, a suggestion. You have to remember that the people who run KU on Wheels are also students so if they were to deceive students, they would be deceiving themselves. Any decision could have left someone unhappy. As you can see, the board did not agree with that option, and students now know about the bus situation. I don't think the blame should in any way have been put on Ms. Skalla for thinking of options. I am sure she knew the board would vote for the best option for the students. Therefore, making suggestions about how to solve a problem, whatever the suggestions may be, is nothing wrong, and in my opinion, good that she can make suggestions and then let the board vote for the best one. And that is indeed what happened.
"Thursday's article "Bus pass remedies were deceptive," was very inappropriate. Running KU on Wheels is not an easy task. Transportation Coordinator Nicole Skalla has this task and does a very good job. She did not ask for the bus system to have glitches, and when it did, she and the transportation board had a big task on their hands. But when a problem of this magnitude occurs, you have to think of many solutions and then decide on one good solution to the problem
Skalla was not trying to deceive
Criticism of Skalla was personal
I would like to extend my support for Nicole Skalla's efforts to provide effective service for all students at the University of Kansas. I would also like to note that many of the criticisms that
Tom Moore
Lawrence Senior
Pedestrians have the right of way
In response to Mr. Miller's article about pedestrians:
I find it incredibly rude that a person who admittedly drives 10 miles over the speed limit (which last time I looked, was breaking the law) dare assume that the raised eyebrows he gets from pedestrians in crosswalks are looks of "I'm-too-cool-to-hurry." I believe Mr. Miller is suffering from projectory thinking. Usually when people slow down in crosswalks and raise their eyebrows at an approaching vehicle, it is because the driver of that vehicle is speeding and thinking that he/she is "too-cool-to-slow-down." I would also like to bring to his attention, and the attention of all other drivers with his narrow view of thinking, that yes, pedestrians do have the right of way in a crosswalk and if they are struck by a vehicle, the driver of that vehicle is found at fault, not the pedestrian. As a pedestrian and a driver, I am always aware of my surroundings (not watching squirrels playing in the trees) and very aware of the fact that cars are bigger than people.
I am also aware that as a driver of such a "life-endangering object." I and I alone am responsible for how I drive. I would also like to point out the sad incident we had last semester when one of our stu-
under her trust many others at the University try their hardest every day to merely do a good job. They also want to maintain positive relations with the Kansan. Every year it seems that this task is made all the more difficult when personal criticisms are leveled when it is only policy that is in question. It is important to make that distinction between what is policy and what is personal. Apparently, the board cannot.
the editorial board made of Skalla are in areas that are not under her direct control.
Although the criticism of Hollywood Theaters' domination and ill use of the Lawrence market is valid, the complaint that Lawrence no longer has a discount theater is not. For almost 50 years, Student Union Activities (SUA) has been providing films for the KU and Lawrence communities at a discount rate. The SUA films committees are working specifically in favor of the students. The films are programmed by students, and are, in turn, financed by students in the form of ticket and movie card sales. We provide a quality film program that will improve with the participation of the students, not only through ticket sales but through suggestions of films that you would like to see, and that you think the University community could benefit from.
dents was struck by a car while crossing the street at a crosswalk on campus. I'm sure it was her fault completely, I mean after all, she didn't see the car coming and certainly it wasn't the driver's fault that this particular student was born blind.
SUA would like to invite all of you to demonstrate your overwhelming support for discount theaters in the form of a sit-in at the Kansas Union in Alderson Auditorium at 7 or 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Tickets are $2.
In response to the recent uproar by KU students and the Lawrence community concerning the closing of Lawrence's "only" discount theater, I would like to suggest that the KU and Lawrence communities, including the University Daily Kansan and Student Senate look more closely at the options.
KU offers a discount movie theater — SUA
Alex Hornbrook Sterling, Va., freshman
Leah Humphrey
Kearney, Mo., senior
SUA Feature Maps Coordinator