4A
Thursday, October 31, 1996
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
Band is part of the team should be going to Ames
The KU Marching Jayhawks are perhaps the most faithful supporters of KU athletics. With this in mind, the Athletic Department's recent treatment of the Marching Jayhawks — withholding financing for a trip to the Iowa State game on Saturday — is utterly unacceptable.
The KU Band usually takes at least one full-band trip each year. Last year, it was to Kansas State University, and this year it was to be to Iowa State University. However, the department informed the band the week before the trip that funds were unavailable to pay necessary expenses. Robert Foster, director of bands, said a letter was sent — at the request of the Iowa State athletic department — to confirm the participation of the KU Band at halftime. If nothing else, the short notice on which the trip was canceled is reprehensible.
The financing request for the trip was denied because it was submitted after the department established its budget in April, said Janelle Martin, assistant athletic director. The trip should have been rejected outright and the decision not delayed until the week before the trip. This treatment of such an important part of KU spirit should not be overlooked.
In addition to the mistreatment of the band, these actions also are a blow to the recruitment of potential band members, as well as out-of-state students in general. In the same way that athletic teams recruit possible athletes with special events, the band needs trips such as these to swell its ranks and continue its proud tradition.
The speaker system at Memorial Stadium cost $16,000. While it is partially sponsored by advertisers, the outlay for this system very nearly would have covered the band's proposed trip to Iowa State. The KU Band, while more expensive and mobile than a speaker system, also is a larger part of KU spirit and should be treated as such.
GERRY DOYLE FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
University should hire historian to preserve class gifts, artifacts
When a school is as old as the University of Kansas, 130 years old to be exact, crumbling buildings, such as old Fraser Hall or Hoch Auditorium, are inevitably replaced or refurbished. But during the remodeling, sculptures and other parts of the building are removed, taking away little bits and pieces of KU history.
KU and its alumni are losing pieces of the history that they created together; history that should be preserved by an appointed University historian so 1997 students can see what campus life was like in 1866.
It's been a tradition at the University since 1873 for graduating classes to give a gift. But the University has not kept its part of the bargain, and some class gifts have eroded or disappeared. Take the sun dial, for example. This gift from the class of 1899 used to be south of Dyche Hall. It was between the late Green Hall and Dyche, about 50 feet from the sidewalk along Jayhawk Boulevard. What has become of it?
The Jayhawk statue, a gift from the class of 1956 in front of Strong Hall, was knocked off its marble perch Saturday. Perhaps if someone took time to notice that the bolts on the pedestal were rusted through and replaced them, the Jayhawk might not have "toppled" over.
A University historian could keep a list of class gifts and keep track of the items that need to be fixed. In the past, facilities operations has taken care of KU's historical items. In addition, the Mt. Oread Preservation Society has helped preserve our history.
While the University should work with a preservation group such as the Mt. Oread Preservation Society to help maintain KU's historical beauty, they also should hire a University historian.
DOUG WEINSTEIN FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
AMANDA TRAUGHBER
Editor
CRAIG LANG
Managing editor
MATT HOOD
Associate managing editor for design
KIMBERLY CRABTREE
CHARITY JEFFRIES
News editors
DARCI L. McLAIN
SARA ROSE
Public relations directors
Editors
KAREN GERSCH
Business manager
HEALY SMART
Retail sales manager
TOM EBLEN
General manager, news adviser
JAY STEINER
Sales and marketing adviser
JUSTIN KNUPP
Technology coordinator
Campus ... Susanna Lóď
... Jason Stralk
... Amy McVey
Editorial ... John Collar
... Nicole Hammond
Festivals ... Adam Ward
Sports ... Bill Petulia
Associate sports ... Caitlyn Foster
Online editor ... David L. Teakea
Photo ... Rich Devinik
Graphics ... Noah Muser
Andy Rohrbach
Special sections ... Amy McVey
Wire ... Debbie Staline
Business Staff
Campus mgr ... Mark Ozdemik
Regional mgr ... Neil Daulem
Assistant Retail mgr ... Dana Centeno
National mgr ... Krista Nye
Special Section mgr ... Heather McKee
Production mgr ... Dan Kopex
Liae Quibbeman
Marketing director .. Eric Johnson
Creative director .. Desmond Lavelle
Classified mgr ... Sheila Shields
Designer .. Dena Plioletta
Internet mgr .. Steve Sanger
Jeff Victor/KANSAN
Slogans, catch phrases: a crutch for intolerant
the next time I see a No Fear T-shirt, I'm going to give its wearer something to be very afraid of. Watch out, exhibitors of Coed Naked Spelunking sweatshirts: I have decided to break up my midterm monotony with a little project. I'm going to become a style vigilante, kind of like the Fall Guy. However, instead of chasing down bail jumpers with the help of a busty blonde, my goal will be to banish the banal and to strike the sin of unoriginality from the earth (busty blonde optional).
Like anti-fur protesters, I'm going to run around campus with a can of red spray paint and apply the slogan LOGO SPORTSWEAR=INTELLEC-TUAL DEATH to the unsuspecting backs of anyone who looks like they've done a little too much shopping-by-numbers.
I am bothered by our tendency to imitate; it can be unfashionably dangerous. The preoccupation with making the most populist, the safest and simplest of statements extends beyond T-shirts. As people buy logo-laced athletic wear because it's popular and convenient, they buy into symbols and slogans and attempt to pass them off as thought, as intellectual statement.
Complex issues are compressed into bite-size images on the news; multidimensional debates are reduced to simplistic statements shrunk to fit the space of a bumper sticker. Labels and catch phrases not only ignore multiple dynamics of an argument, but they also reduce issues to dangerously dense shades of "right" and "wrong."
"Abortion Kills." "It's a Child — Not a Claim." "Clinton & Gore — Gone in Four." And on a sign held in a protest I witnessed two weeks
STAFF COLUMNIST
ago:"Fags Die."
I witness the passion with which some people cling to and defend their narrow beliefs, to the point that they wish death upon their ideological opposition. Fred Phelps' Welcome - Wagon-from-hell. The Planned Parenthood assassin. Suicide bombers.
Passion blinds; it can kill.
To me, it seems that to believe in something or to take a die-hard moral or philosophical stance, you have to blind yourself to the views of those who disagree with you. Essentially, to have an opinion, you have to be ignorant.
But isn't the goal to be a freethinking person who sees each issue from all sides, who is able to empathize with people who aren't precise Xerox copies of oneself, who appreciates the intricate dimensions of explosive topics instead of rushing to judgment?
This is where a personal sense of morality comes in, I suppose. But too often, our personal morality is shaped by the opinions of others — parents, teachers, friends, religious figures — all with their own interpretations of moral doctrine masquerading as fact. We're too quick to let those who speak to us think for us as well.
If so, how can you make decisions? How can you have convictions?
We are engaged in a perpetual game of societal Simon Says: We
echo and hide behind the thoughts and beliefs of others because independent thought is too difficult.
But I'm badgering my own witness here; I'm guilty of the same crime. I should be more understanding toward those who want to be completely unoriginal by slapping meaningless slogans on various parts of their body. And I do sympathize. I remember when two simple words on a T-shirt spoke volumes to me.
Those words were "Banana Republic," and I was 10 years old at the time.
Likewise, I remember when I was 8 years old and thought abortion was the worst crime in the calendar. In second grade, I didn't understand why two men would ever want to get married, so I fell back on religious doctrine and labeled it "wrong."
Then I grew up and learned all sides of the story.
As I get older, I'm discovering that a lot of people don't really grow up intellectually. Many children stay children; only their bodies and the playground get larger.
Intellectual maturity involves not accepting anything at face value, being unafraid to stand out in an intellectual or moral crowd, being wary of people who attempt to bully themselves into your consciousness with loud slogans and name calling, avoiding those who claim to have too many answers in too few words.
Because thought, unlike T-shirts, shouldn't come neatly packaged and preshrunk.
Michael Martin is a Lenexa sophomore in English and theater and film.
counter-productive. The intelligent thing to do would be to lower student prices while increasing those for visitors. In addition, general-admission tickets should be made available first to students, and then to the general public. A similar pay scale is already in place for basketball, which is a harder ticket to get on campus (which, by the way, costs only $3).
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
College football is about students and college atmosphere. Without students, the atmosphere
is just not the same. The athletic department seems to think that money is more important than having a loud, supportive student crowd, regardless of who we're playing. What's better? A smaller crowd that pays more, or a stadium full of excited fans. Maybe they should ask Glen and his players about that one.
Doug Ahrens Baltimore graduate student
Football ticket prices too high for students
Halloween rites, rituals make pranks for memories
It's that nightmarish time of year again. The time of year that sends herds of people into downtown Kansas City in a relentless pursuit of finding the perfect, fear-intoxicated haunted house. It's the time of year to fill the punch bowl with hefty bags of ghost-shaped chocolate candies — the time of year when no pumpkin is safe from the wanna-be artist and his pocket knife.
The student ticket price of $35 for the KU-KState football game is outrageous. If the University wants to see an all blue stadium, they should encourage students to go, not deter them by raising ticket prices. The increase is intended to decrease the number of visiting fans in Memorial Stadium. However, raising both student prices and guest prices is
STAFF
COLUMNIST
This time of year has me searching for my place in its tradition. I'm not a fan of haunted houses. The claustrophobic fashion of the house and the groups of frightened people moving at a glacier's pace and sweating like lawn boys in August just doesn't appeal to me. I live in an
apartment complex, so children won't be knocking on my door for candy. I've knocked my hand at pumpkin carving, but I end up pumpkin slaughtering.
With these three options out of the question, I'm essentially left with only one way to show my Halloween spirit this year. Wearing some kind of frightening or interesting attire. I've been considering a plethora of costumes. For example, I first thought of the clichés of ghost and goblins. There was a day when these dressrobes sent streaks of terror down our spines. Remember the Darth Vader mask and the accompanying glow-in-the-dark light saber? How about that hockey mask that scared everyone, including your mother?
But that was then, and this is now. In the '90s, it's going to take more than light sabers and hockey masks to spark any kind of reaction from anyone.
Maybe I could strap on my Bob Dole mask and run through campus wearing a shirt reading, "I'm from Kansas." I thought of going in drag. That would be interesting. And considering the fact that I would not be willing to sacrifice my goatee, it would be a very frightening sight.
Or even better, I could go as Bob Dole in drag. That's it. My theme for Halloween should only be — the Bob Dole drag queen theme. It would be so perfect. I already can envision the black sundress, highlighted by the fluorescent orange pin reading, "I'm no liberal."
It's both interesting and frightening. It also has that certain flair that was missing from my other ideas.
Maybe it's more of a political satire than a Halloween theme, but you can't say that the idea of Bob Dole in drag wasn't starting to grow on you. Who knows? Maybe I'd have a chance to be on the Ricki Lake Halloween special. Now that's a frightening thought.
The clumsy high heels, long dirty blond hair, fire engine red lipstick ...
Cory Hedgepeth is an Oathe freshman in Journalism.
How to submit letters
Letters: Should be double-spaced, typed and fewer than 200 words. Student letters must include the author's signature, name, address, telephone number, class and hometown. Faculty or staff members must identify their positions. All letters should be submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Staufer-Flint Hall, or by e-mail; opinion@kansan.com/ The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject submissions. For more information, call John Collar or Nicole Kennedy, editorial page editors, at 864-4810.
OUT FROM THE CRACKS
By Jeremy Patnoi