4A
Opinion
Friday, September 17, 1999
Editorial
University should stand behind its historical seal
Special meaning behind seal make it worth keeping
The ACLU has picked the wrong issue to challenge. The University of Kansas seal does not violate the separation between church and state. This appears to be an invented issue and not a serious constitutional violation. In spite of the insignificance of the KU seal's religious content, we must not throw out a meaningful element of history. The effort used to deal with this issue, on all sides, would be better spent elsewhere.
The ACLU is not coming to the aid of students. No one has stood up against the seal, or argued that it has affected them or their religious faith. It seems that the ACLU has decided to pick a fight for the purposes of picking a fight, not to correct some iniquity. No harmful effects from the seal's content are apparent. Students are not asked to rise in the morning and recite the seal's inscription as if in some bizarre religious ceremony. Nor can anyone — outside of the classics department, perhaps — be called on to recite the Latin inscription, even on pain of torture. A modest reference such as this does not coerce people towards a religion.
This action appears more politically symbolic than socially just. In the wake of the State Board of Education's decision to remove mandatory evolution from high school curriculum, conservative tendencies seem to run high. When the ACLU, out of the blue, decides to question the appropriateness of an antique symbol, the motivations seem a bit gray.
But the KU seal has never intruded into the classroom. It stays perched outside of Budig Hall, it rests quietly in the corner of your timetable, possibly on your notebook. Despite the religious flavor of the seal, it does not interfere in the educational process at the University and that is a reasonable enough test for these kinds of church vs. state conflicts. Fewer students probably have sought out the actual Latin translation, than the ones who simply wanted to know why the guy on the seal doesn't just
Certainly if the seal were inappropriate, then we have been saddled with it for 133 years. If they are right, that means last year the seal was just as inappropriate as this year, and the year before, yet the ACLU did not take the issue to task. Possibly, no one's ire was up about religious intrusions into public education.
stomp the fire out.
Even in public settings, if an expression with religious overtones does not impose its religious dogma onto a student, there is no harm. The student still is free to learn and worship however that student sees fit. The parking department or the library fines office pose a greater hindrance to the progress of a student than the University seal.
Investigations such as the ACLU's a harmful themselves for a number of reasons. Most importantly they drain credibility and resources from the ACLU. In the politically correct climate of today, organizations like the ACLU must judiciously consider which challenges to pursue. The purely symbolic actions numb the public and make the true task of liberal organizations that much harder. People think of political correctness as buzzwords for liberal intolerance for the same reasons challenging the KU seal is a bad idea — because it accomplishes nothing substantial, but its costs are high.
The cost comes in the form of what parts
of history we lose. We must resist the
Kyle Ramsey / KANSAN
ness of a university symbol, our concern itself proves we are in the right mind set for protecting the rights of all and maintaining a fair balance between church and state. But are we going to consign our 133-year-old seal to the dustbins of history because, all of the sudden, we got tired of minuscule religious imagery? If we are willing to make that choice now, there are several consequences we will have to live with. Not least of all is the precedent that, even
the most inoffensive information can be stricken out of a public forum if it has even a low threshold for bothering people. If the ACLU persists in its investigation, we may have to find an alternative seal. Perhaps we should go with the scull and cross-bones and an inscription that reads: Watch out, punk! Because the ACLU shoul d protest indi
viduals when their rights are trampled upon, it cannot squander its resources when no clear conflict exists. Our interests are best served when groups such as the ACLU help maintain the balance between church and state. This is not one of those cases.
Brett Watson for the editorial board
Perspective
The Hill's good practice for the rest of life's work
B breathless, I arrive atop the Hill each day. The view from Mount Oread is beautiful and all, but I don't mean the "wow, what a view" kind of breathless. I mean the short-of-breath, temporarily-oxygen-deficient kind of breathless.
Thinking positively, I remind myself how great the exercise of walking the Hill will be for me. I secretly hope that one day in the near future I will arrive on Jayhawk Boulevard after walking from the Robinson Center or Memorial Stadium parking lots and realize that I have not even been phased by the steep trek.
It never happens. I'm still breathless.
For a long time, I decided I must be the most
out-of-shape person at the University of Kansas.
I asked around to see if the Hill had this same demoralizing affect on any of my fellow Jayhawks. I was relieved to find out I'm not the only one. Many friends and acquaintances confirmed that they too struggle to carry on a conversation, for lack of oxygen as they move further up the Hill.
Chad
Bettes
opinion editor
opinior @ kansan.com
I also started watching people as they climbed those final few stairs. Same
story there — panting was not uncommon.
This phenomena has reminded me that life, even college life, is a lot like that daily walk up the Hill. It never really gets any easier, and we're probably the better for it.
Classes begin anew each semester, with a whole new set of goals and objectives different than the semester before. We always are building on the base of knowledge we've obtained, ever-expanding our minds. This isn't always easy. There's reading involved. There's research and writing involved. There's thinking involved.
Budgets are something else that demand constant attention. They must constantly be balanced and adjusted. When I reconcile my checkbook at the end of the month, the cycle begins all over again. When I get a paycheck, I better keep working or another one won't come. If I want to have a secure financial future, I
must suffer a little deprivation now in the interest of saving for tomorrow.
Then there are interpersonal relationships. Talk about work. Just when you think you've reached a comfortable place, something happens to disturb the peace. Problems must be solved, compromises reached and guidelines set. Relationships are dynamic because people are as well.
But the rewards that can come from our difficulties can be so rich. The discomfort, the difficulty, the breathless moments — they strengthen and improve the person.
After striving for years at the University, we come out of here different than we came in. We become more educated, more exposed to different subjects, more prepared to face the future. Even if you discover that your academic field of study does not match your future interest, that was an important discovery in itself. By graduating, you prove your mental ability, intellectual stamina and sheer determination.
Financial benefits also can be enjoyed if you put a little effort into your budget. Through financial responsibility, you develop a positive credit history. You learn to stretch a dollar. And you may even figure out how to make your money work for you. We've all probably heard that money can't buy happiness, but there's no denying that financial responsibility can make things a lot easier.
And what would life be without our relationships? Family, friends and others add flavor and meaning to life. Our relationships bring support, joy, excitement and love. They're tough at times, but loneliness is not an appealing alternative. Put a little effort into relationships and it's amazing what comes out of them.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said, "Life is a constant business." Thatcher's life exemplifies her statement. Politics aside, her rise to the position of world leader speaks volumes to that work ethic. Those willing to attend to that "constant business" can achieve remarkable results.
So, do I get a little breathless climbing the Hill? Sure. Would I rather sit at the bottom looking up? No way.
I want to get to the top.
Bette is a Shawnee graduate student in journalism.
Kansan
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Feedback
I would like to present my side of the plagiarism story that recently appeared in the Kansan.
First of all I would like to sincerely apologize for anything I did that may have caused, pain, reproach, or anything that is obviously associated with this type of occurrence. My intentions were not hostile, nor were they with forethought. I fully regret my plagiarism and have nothing to say that can take back anything done.
Athlete apologizes for plagiarism mistake
I am not a creative writer and nor do I ever want to be. The only things that I write are obscure poems to past girlfriends and small essays about how I feel. My writing expertise is contemptible and infinitely small. For those who do not have this problem that are hurt by me, I feel as though I have mugged you of your decency and immaculacy.
But I am here now trying to get a life for myself. I am in this place and this time trying to live to die happily. I regret my mistakes, and I'm still learning from them and life. I have a long length of time ahead of me to find my right way to live. All I can do now is learn and incorporate that knowledge into my daily life.
I made a mistake and life goes on. There are greater tragedies and bigger things to worry about. This ordeal has affected me mentally and physically on a vast scale. I would like to think that I could get passed this without major fatigue and agony, but I don't think I can get myself passed this.
Jay Kocks Peoria, Ill., senior
Robinson hours don't compete with other schools' rec centers'
I have let my mother down in so many ways. I have let my friends down in so many ways. I have let myself down in so many ways. I have hurt others, and I have hurt myself, as I'm sure all of you have. I can't take back my mistakes nor can you.
I'm sorry.
The other morning I had to go to the Visitor's Center. I didn't have a class for three hours, so I thought I would finally stop and see Robinson while I was close by. Afterall, a bike is my transportation, and the miles (or more exactly, hills) have to count. So I put on shoes, grabbed my ID, and got to Robinson around 10 a.m. But when I walked in, the building was empty. Not only that, but the weight room was dark and locked.
For some reason the fact that I couldn't get into the weight room struck me wrong. Maybe it was because I had finally decided to exercise, only to be locked out. Maybe it was because I no doubt paid a fee to access a Rec center that I...well..couldn't access. Mostly, though, I was annoyed because of Robinson's ridiculous hours.
Here they are: On Monday through Thursday the weight room is open between 6 and 7 a.m. Yep, that's one hour, and if you have a 7:30 class, too bad. You'll have to go back between 6:30 and 10:30 p.m. Friday is the best weekday. You can use the weight
I was amnoyed by the hours enough to find out how other rec facilities operate. I went to Internet sites for the Universities of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Missouri, K-State, and Iowa State. Their Rec centers al' varied, but on weekdays not one opened later than 6:30 a.m., and not one closed before 10:30 p.m.
Andreleita Schultes
Rolfe, Iowa, freshman
room for an entire two hours between 6 and 8 a.m., and again between 12:30 and 10:30 p.m. I'm guessing Saturday is catch-up day, because the weight room is open from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and on Sunday you can work out between 1 and 10:30 p.m.
College is designed in a manner that leaves students with free time throughout the day. I would have liked to use my time getting in better shape. Instead, I baked back up the hill, went to my room, sat down, and ate a muffin.
There is no reason that the weight room at Robinson should be locked up more than any other building on campus. Bodies exist to staff the facility, and bodies exist to use it, yet Robinson stands empty for most of the day.
When I first heard the Fred Flinstone whistle, my impression of KU changed from "University: Place of higher learning" to "Factory: Degrees manufactured here." If students really need a signal for class periods, why not use the pleasant bells of the Campanile? Carillons and chimes are used at other universities for the same purpose, and I doubt that any hearts stopped or knees buckled when they sounded. I am sure the Lawrence community would also appreciate the change.
For the safety of the Facilities Operations staff who have had nearaccidents, for the peace of our community, and for the sanity of the rest of us, I ask the chancellor, staff and students to give "Too-toot" the boot.
stephanie Schaffner Library program assistant
As for its original purpose of ending lectures, the whistle ironically can't do its job. It is inaudible in most of the classrooms on campus and those students with watches or internal clocks always signal their peers by wriggling in their seats.
Give Tooty-toot boot off campus
I was surprised by John Auduleh's article "All choked up" because I never heard anyone say a positive word about the horrible, heart-stopping whistle some affectionately call "tooty-Toot." It is an annoyance and an embarrassment.
Free speech or graffitti?
With all due respect to the usually worthy causes of the ACLU, the chalking of sidewalks on compus is *not an exercise of free speech ... it's graffiti*.
Stephen Grabow professor of architecture
our editorial cartoon implied that you have a plentiful supply of anti-Parking cartoons. Please, spare us. You've more than made your point that there isn't enough parking at KU, and students don't get preferential treatment over staff. Let's move on to covering something that's news.
Parking problems no longer newsworthy
Important facts have been omitted from the Blake Hall parking debate. The survey that discovered about a dozen empty places a day was done prior to the construction project currently underway on Twente Hall. About one-third of the lot is being used by construction workers and their vehicles. In other words, the dozen empty spaces are currently being occupied.
Another fact you have omitted is that blue zone stickers are a University seniority benefit, available to workers whose age and years of service exceed 60. It is a reward for service, and an acknowledgement that while the hill is hard on everyone, it tends to become harder to climb the closer you get to retirement. The faculty and staff who purchased blue zone permits did so after earning the privilege.
Jayhawks speak out!!! Please, we at Kansas State may not be your biggest friends in the world, but our cries of pain from so many miles away are not being heard by the management at 105.9 The Lazer. Lovers of true music here in Manhattan, as in Lawrence have been betrayed by the last radio station that was worth listening to in Kansas, as Rolling Stone so eloquently put it a year ago, the Lazer was one of the last stations in the United States that didn't suck. Now it has joined the masses of stations that bombard our ears with the drivel of boy bands and teenage girls whining about life issues they can't possibly understand. Please, friends, Jayhawks, Kansans, do not let this tragedy occur.
Jocelyn Martin Lawrence graduate student
The parking department showed a commendable willingness to work with students. When it was reported that there were a dozen empty spaces, it changed the rules to allow students to buy parking spaces that the majority of staff in adjacent buildings were not eligible to buy. Only after it was reported to them that there were not a dozen empty spaces, and the original permit holders could not find parking places, did they rescind the decision.
K-State asking for help with Lazer changes
Patrik Leonard Kansas State University
Broaden your mind: Today's quote
"The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his."
—Gen. George Patton