4A
Friday, October 11, 1996
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
Lab dissection should be optional in biology class
Ideally, the classroom is an atmosphere of learning in which students may obtain knowledge and grow intellectually, free of an environment that compromises their values. However, individuals who do not support dissection are denied this opportunity in biology labs. The department of biological sciences should accommodate students who object to lab dissection. To deny students the full pursuit of their education on the basis of ethical objections is both discriminatory and wrong.
A determined effort by Proponents of Animal Liberation, the campus animal-rights advocacy group, has proposed a student choice dissection policy to address such concerns. The policy proposes that biology labs offer an alternative project to dissection, demanding equal time and effort, of which the instructors would inform their students. The policy calls for the creation of separate labs that do not offer dissection, which would be noted appropriately in the Timetable of Classes.
Although it is reasonable to expect students to gain a basic understanding of science that dissection offers, this knowledge should be acquired in a manner that does not impose on an individual's values. Fostering an environment that is conducive to intellectual growth is far superior to an environment in which a student will feel morally compromised. By adopting a student choice policy, the department would be extending its respect to students regardless of moral stance and would be expanding the educational opportunities for all students.
JEREMY LIND FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Efforts to overcome violence deserve support of students
For eight years, people have come to the South Park Gazebo at 12th and Massachusetts streets to rally against violence and abuse toward women and children.
On October 12, students will have the opportunity to come together for the ninth annual Take Back the Night March, Rally and Speak Out, in which women will tell their powerful stories of survival and march against their oppressors.
This year, the Take Back the Night program will begin at 1 p.m. and will include children's theater and art projects, voter registration, community service booths, workshops and a visual display called the Clothesline Project. The project's purpose is to let women and children who are survivors of violence create shirts that tell their stories and hang them on the clothesline.
60 Lawrence women and children already have created shirts for this project, said Amy Turnbull, Lawrence senior and member of the Women's Empowerment Action Coalition. This display will show Lawrence that at least 60 people have dealt with violence and have the courage to take a stand.
Turnbull said she hoped that people don't get the wrong impression about the march. She said there was a perception that the march is just for women, but violence against women never would end unless men participate in the effort. The evening events, which begin at 7 p.m., will have rallies for both men and women.
If students participate in this event, more people will march away touched with the power to help stop violence. When people come together, great things can happen.
Join the effort and empower yourselves to take a march against violence.
DOUG WEINSTEIN FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
2. 1.3 温度和湿度控制
KANSAN STAFF
AMANDA TRAUGHBER
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
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
Editors
Campus ... Suzanna Lóðí
... Jason Strait
... Amy McVey
Editorial ... John Colliar
... Nicole Kennedy
Features ... Adam Wint
Sports ... Bill Petulina
Associate sports ... Carlyn Foster
Online editor ... David L. Teskia
Photo ... Rich Devkind
Graphics ... Misha Musse
Andy Rohrback
Special sections ... Amy McVey
Wire ... Debbie Stalne
Business Staff
Campus mgr ... Mark Ozmkel
Regional mgr ... Dennis Haupt
Asistant Retail mgr ... Dana Contento
National mgr ... Kristine Kye
Management mgr ... Kristina Kye
Production mgr ... Dan Kopec
... Lisa Quebbeman
Marketing director ... Eric Johnson
Department manager ...黛安娜
Classified mgr ... Sheila Wachter
Mass Impact mgr ... Dena Piscotte
Internet mgr ... Steve Sanger
Jeff MacNelly/ CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Departmental reorganization involved input of many groups
In a Kansan article that appeared on Tuesday, Stephanie Fite wrote about the proposed consolidation of the two departments in the School of Engineering. She reported that because the consolidation had been "proposed by the Office of Academic Affairs and not mandated by the Board of Regents, as it was believed," the decision needed full faculty approval. There are inaccuracies in this statement that may cause confusion, and I am writing to provide clarification.
The Board of Regents has not mandated the consolidation or elimination of specific academic units or of a specific number of academic units. However, in "A Strategy for Mission Development in the Kansas Regents System," adopted on Jan. 16, 1992, the Board charged the Regents institutions to be "more rigorous, more productive, more efficient in the use of human resources and facilities." In this document, the Regents established the parameters for the comprehensive academic program review that took place in 1992 and set forth seven strategic themes for the system. Strategic Theme 3, which deals with governance and administration, required institutions to "review the costs of administration at all levels, and compare
GUEST COLUMNIST
those costs with increased costs for faculty..."
When the University of Kansas began the 1992 program review process, all units were asked to determine whether there were ways in which they could be more
cost-effective, including departmental reorganization. The final report of the University, "Report on Mission, Role and Aspiration" was submitted to the Board of Regents on Nov. 18, 1992. That report, which was unanimously accepted by the Board of Regents on Feb. 18, 1993, included a number of specific recommendations for department transfers or consolidations. It also committed the Lawrence campus to an overall goal of reducing by 10 the number of departments within the Academic Affairs sector to reduce the size of the administrative structure and better serve academic programs.
The "Report on Mission, Role and Aspiration" is a public document. It has been accepted by the Board and the University is bound to honor the commitments it contains to the fullest extent possible. The fact that the Board of Regents did not specifically mandate consolidation of certain departments does not remove the institution's responsibility to continuously review its operations to use its resources more effectively. The Regents expect us to do so, and we are required to report annually on our progress toward this mission.
Finally, I wish to state that the University has procedures that are used to evaluate all recommendations for academic restructuring (mergers, consolidations or transfers). These procedures were developed by University governance groups in the fall of 1992 and were accepted by thenChancellor Gene A. Budig. They provide for hearings by committees including elected faculty and students from the programs that potentially would be affected as well as members of the University Council's Academic Procedures and Policies Committee. Broad faculty consultation is required in every case, whether the proposal for restructuring originates within a department or school itself or comes from another source. Thank you for the opportunity to clarify these important issues.
David Shulenburger is provost of the University of Kansas.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Jaywalkers got harsh treatment from officer
The girls, presumably on their way to class, simply walked out in the middle of the street, in front of Bailey Hall, and started to cross. The difference between these girls and other jaywalkers on campus is simple. They were stopped by a police officer. The girls were forced to hand over their driver's licenses and KUIDs, threatened with a ticket, yelled at and lectured for 15 minutes and humiliated while at least 20 onlookers stood in shock. While the police officer
About 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, three girls did something that thousands of KU students do every day. They jaywalked.
focused only on the girls, others continued to cross the street illegally in front of him. People were also walking around his car, which was blocking traffic.
This is not a complaint against the jaywalking policy on campus. It is illegal to jaywalk, even though the law is not enforced. The girls were wrong, and if the officer had not slammed on his brakes they would have been hit.
Very simply, students should demand a high standard of conduct from our administrators and police officers on campus. In this instance, the officer never even offered his name. No one is going to monitor this kind of activity except us. If we neglect our responsibility, something worse could happen. In the case of the girls, they were allowed to leave ticketless and without any dignity.
Cases like this will worsen if students overlook incidents as one-time cases. If it happens once or every day, it is still wrong. I urge anyone who saw the incident and agrees that the officer was wrong in handling the situation to call and report it. I did. It was my responsibility.
Shyra Darris Wichita freshman
National Coming Out Day is about visibility.
Coming out is way to remove barriers to our relationships
The gay and lesbian community crosses all racial, ethnic, geographical and economic barriers. Yet, until every one of us comes out of the closet, we are invisible even to ourselves. On an individual basis, coming out to family and friends breaks down negative stereotypes, fosters more honest and open relationships
and provides role models for gay and lesbian youth.
The process of coming out leaves us vulnerable to rejection by the people we love and respect the most, our families and friends. Many closed gays and lesbians assume their loved ones will react to their
news by cutting them off, so they go to great lengths to hide the truth.
Studies show that most straight people who know someone who is openly gay, lesbian or bisexual are much more likely to be sensitive to social and political issues that involve sexual orientation. When a straight person's mental image of a gay or lesbian person has a familiar face, negative stereotypes and myths are destroyed.
Coming out takes much more than one day of the year; it is a continual process that requires large reserves of personal strength and self-esteem. The honest relationships and sense of community that follow coming out are well worth the risk of rejection.
One of the most difficult and common experiences of being in the closet is silently listening to friends and family make anti-gay comments. When I came out, I resolved that I would never listen to another anti-gay slur without taking the speaker aside and explaining why it angered me. While I've found this is not always appropriate, I've also found I rarely hear negative comments anymore.
The most important aspect of increased gay and lesbian visibility is providing positive role models for gay and lesbian youth. A 1989 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that gay and lesbian teen-agers are at least three times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers. This should not come as a surprise when one considers the normal stress of the teen years coupled with the growing realization that one is different from one's friends.
Gays and lesbians are constantly bombarded with the hateful messages of religious and social conservatives. It is imperative that teenagers be able to see positive role models in their families and communities. Had I known that I have gay and lesbian cousins or that professionals and leaders in my small hometown are gay, my self-acceptance would have come more easily.
Brent Sutter is a Pratt senior in civil engineering.
HUBIE
In my own experience, I expected my parents not to understand my feelings, so I gradually drew away from them, telling them less about my life. This caused my parents to feel shunned and wonder what they had done wrong. After I finally told them the truth, they went through a period of disbelief and depression. Now my parents are my best friends and two of the most supportive allies the gay and lesbian community ever had. We must trust our loved ones enough to let them make up their own minds.
By Greg Hardin