Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DALLA
Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Julie Wood. Editor
Laura Roddy. Managing editor
Cory Graham. Managing editor
Tom Eblen. General manager. news adviser
Grand Byram, Business manager
Shauntae Blue, Retail sales manager
Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser
Scott Vallier, Technology coordinator
4A
Tuesday, September 7, 1999
Seth Jones / KANSAN
Editorials
Sports, money and college are often a corrupting combination
David Katzman, chairman of American studies, recently expressed concern about the role athletics play at our university. Do big revenue sports bring corruption to universities? The following evidence suggests that, yes, athletics can and do bring corruption:
Last month, a former Notre Dame booster was convicted of embezzling more than $1 million and using some of it to give gifts to Irish football players.
- The University of Michigan basketball program is currently under investigation by the FBI as to whether a booster who ran an illegal gambling ring gave money to former players. The university already has found that former coaches had given the booster free tickets to basketball games and access to university hotel rooms during the NCAA Final Four.
An abundance of evidence shows that big-money athletics are problematic
In 1997, the University of New Mexico fired its men's basketball coach after one of his assistants helped two players obtain academic credit for classes they did not take.
In March of this year, a University of Minnesota employee claimed that she had done roughly 400 assignments, such as writing papers and helping complete take-home tests, for at least 20 basketball players. She also claimed that coach Clem Haskins had paid her $3,000 for illegal tutoring sessions. This
led to the suspension of four Minnesota players during the 1999 NCAA Tournament game and the buy-out of Haskins' contract.
In 1998, two former Northwestern basketball players were found guilty of point shaving. Similar point shaving scandals had recently occured at Arizona State University and Tulane University.
Certainly these instances point to athletics bringing corruption to universities. The fact that the list is not much longer is only to account for the space constraints of the Kansan.
Perhaps Kansas' Roy Williams said it best in 1998 when he stated, "The underworld is always looking for an edge ... It's something we have to be aware of everyday."
Erik Goodman for the editorial board majority
Sports corruption not accepted here
Is there corruption in American society? Of course, and too much of it. Is there corruption in athletics, even at the amateur level? Again, yes. But, has the commercial success of marquee sports at the University of Kansas caused corruption here? Not necessarily.
Let's look at the big picture of University athletics.
While one may find isolated incidents of corruption, just as in any other area of the University, sports at times have unfairly become a convenient whipping boy. Corruption is not inherent to money in college sports.
The University of Kansas Athletic Corporation has a $22.7 million budget. It brings the University international acclaim and provides some of the most memorable student traditions.
Corruption creeps into nearly every aspect of life, but KU athletics not tainted by money
But that success did not come easily. It came through many years of hard work, the dedication of thousands of student athletes, and a concerted effort to run a clean athletics program.
Athletics gives back to the University much more than it receives, which hardly seems like corruption. It provides fullride scholarships to many student athletes who may not otherwise have received a college education. It pours millions of dollars into the University, including building upgrades on state-owned facilities. And, for better or
worse, in a society that values athletic success, KU athletics are a helpful marketing tool to attract top-notch students.
The student athlete success stories can not be forgotten, either, among the stories of student athletes gone bad. Consider Gerb Erg, a one-time football walk-on who is now a starting safety and academic All-American. He shows what being a Jayhawk is all about.
Susan Wachter of KU Athletics Corp. recalled a former coach who said athletics are the "front porch of the house," or the first thing you see at a university. The University can be proud of its "front porch." It has taken a firm stance on keeping corruption out of its athletics, and, for the most part, has done so.
Chad Bettes for the editorial board minority
Kansan staff
News editors
Chad Bettes . . . . . . . Editorial
Seth Hoffman . . . . . . Associate editorial
Carl Kaminski . . . . . . News
Juan H. Heath . . . . Online
Chris Fickett . . . Sports
Brad Hallier . . . . Associate sports
Nadia Mustafa . . . . Campus
Heather Woodward . . . Campus
Steph Brewer . . . Features
Dan Curry . . . . Associate features
Matt Daugherty . . . Photo
Kristi Elliott . . . Design, graphics
T.J. Johnson . . . Wire
Melody Ard . . Special sections
Becky LaBranch . . .Special sections
Thad Crane . . .Campus
Will Baxter . . .Regional
Jon Schlitt . . .National
Danny Pumpelle . .Online sales
Micha Kafitz . .Marketing
Emily Knowles . .Production
Jenny Weaver . .Production
Matt Thomas . .Creative
Kelly Heffernan .Classified
Juliana Moreira .Zone
Chad Hale . Zone
Brad Bolyard . Zone
Amy Miller . Zone
Advertising managers
Broaden your mind: Today's quote
Broaden your mind: Today's quote "Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." David Henry Thoreau
David Henry Thoreau
Coverage of cafeteria complaints ridiculous
As it is with any incoming student cohort to the University of Kansas, it's a hard-knock life for the Class of 2003. Along with strenuous new scholarly endeavors, arriving freshmen have to deal with the realization of independence. Enrollment, schedules, fiscal responsibilities, residence hall eating arrangements — these are but a few of the myriad obligations plaguing and repressing the lives of our younger collegian brothers and sisters.
Feedback
Bush made mistakes, but at least he didn't lie
As seasoned members of college culture, may we impart upon them the epic wisdom of the Rolling Stones: "You can't always get what you want."
I came back from Brazil a few days ago and got my first news on American politics in almost three months. I was extremely surprised by all the hype created by George W. Bush's declarations on whether he had used drugs and alcohol in the recent past.
Perspective
Bearing this in mind, it becomes difficult (for the most of us who haven't "too hungry to wait in line just to get a sandwich") to find the slightest shred of sympathy for those freshmen
Bush admitted he had made mistakes in his
Bush admitted he had made youth, and I admire him for the courage he showed with that confession. He also admitted he had problems with alcohol more than a decade ago when he was not the governor of Texas.
The press, however, is trying to confuse him with tricky questions, forcing the candidate, by mistake, to admit errors that he didn't make, failures he didn't have. Those reporters are, in my point of view, cheating the American people. Instead, of focusing on his
Cassio
Furtado
columnist
opinion@kansan.co
President Clinton lied about every single aspect of his private life, and, to my surprise, is still in office. Worse, people around the world think he used the government to cover his activities by bombing countries before important trials. What is more relevant, Clinton continued to make the same mistakes over and over again, while Bush apparently stopped several years ago.
I always admire people who overcome obstacles and succeed in life, and if Bush did that, the American people can learn something from him. He is not a person who has no weaknesses or is above good and evil. He is, in my opinion, a citizen capable of overcoming everything to be successful, to improve his actions and to fight to make this a better nation.
Bush can prove to everyone in the next presidential election that even someone sincere and honest can become the President of the United States of America.
capacity to overcome difficulties, the press may be robbing the nation of a great president. Those reporters are not allowing the people of the United States to congratulate him for telling the truth and for being honest with them, something that is rare in American politics.
I don't belong to a political party, I don't agree with many of Bush's political and social views, and I certainly don't want Bush to win the election next year. However, I profoundly respect his right to make mistakes, to become a better person, and, most importantly, a better public figure for the benefit of the American people. Everyone can do things wrong, everyone can have weaknesses; just ask Bill Clinton.
According to a recent Time and CNN poll, 84 percent of the people who were interviewed said that even if Bush did use cocaine in his 20s, he shouldn't be disqualified from being President. Even better, 58 percent said no when asked if reporters should be asking Bush questions about the cocaine allegations. Third, when asked if a candidate should have to answer questions about whether he used cocaine in the past, opinions really split. Last June, 60 percent said "yes," against 38 percent saying "no." Last week, it came down to 48 percent to 49 percent.
Furtado is a Pelotas, Brazil, junior in political science.
'Hawks should chalk on campus sidewalks
So much for the University being a marketplace of ideas. Provost David Shulenburger has said that he will look into banning or restricting the use of sidewalk chalk. His complaints are twofold: first, that it requires Facilities Operations to do additional work to clean the campus (by removing the chalk) and second, that a disproportionate amount of the chalkings are advertisements.
It seems to me that the complaint about adver
Simpson columnist
opinion@kansan.com
It seems to me that the co-
tirements is a symptom of a greater problem. I have to ask myself what the difference is between drinkspecials.com writing on the sidewalk and MasterCard or the Kansas City Star hawking their wares in front of Wesco Hall. Maybe Facilities Operations has to do a little extra work to clean up the chalk (though the writings are placed in high traffic areas where, after a few days, enough Birkstein stores have traipased across them to erase them
from existence), but there likely would be an equal amount of effort required to pick up discarded fliers and handbills from the vendors. And I don't hear the provost calling for an end to the inserts inside the Kansan (or the Kansan itself, for that matter), both of which make a far bigger mess on campus than any pastel colored bubble letters in front of Fraser Hall.
If a clean campus is the top priority, let's be consistent in who we hold responsible for it being dirty in the first place. If the problem is that the chalkings are advertising something, let's be consistent with keeping advertising off campus. Banning one type of advertising while allowing another is certainly a double standard. While the credit card sharks prey on a student population already wallowing in student debt.
the venders forced to leave are those trying to save me 50 percent on textbooks. Something's not quite right with that picture.
Banning sidewalk chalking also could disproportionately affect student groups. I know that most of the writing on the sidewalks around campus isn't by student organizations. But if such a practice was banned, companies could well afford other means of advertising. Student groups can't. Banning sidewalk chalk would eliminate one of the few remaining means that student groups have of communicating with the University at large.
Restricting sidewalk chalking under these circumstances would have a less dramatic effect on student groups and would provide advertisers an alternate forum for their catchy slogans. Maybe then Facilities Operations can spend their time cleaning up the blood on Wesco Beach after the credit card sharks pack up for the day.
Last fall the provost's office released a new policy severely restricting the use of bulletin boards across campus. Now the few boards that students can post on are so overgrown with filers and posters (many from University offices such as the Office of Study Abroad), that it is increasingly difficult for any one group to announce meetings or events. Banning sidewalk chalkings would make it just that much more difficult for groups to convey their messages.
A solution lies in the creation of more public bulletin board space. Other universities across the country and even various cities around the world (particularly in Europe) provide outdoor, designated posting space in the form of kiosks, pillars and bulletin boards. It certainly would be possible to create something of similar design for the University. Maybe Student Senate could allocate some of its massive reserve account to this project.
Simpson is a Lenexa junior in political science and international studies.
quoted in the Sept. 2 issue of The University Daily Kansan. Front page headline: "Cafeteria lines gnaw at hungry KU students." Fifty bucks says never in the history of the Kansan has such a preposterous complaint embedded itself upon the front page of this respected and widely-read source of media. Shame on the Kansan for sacrificing integrity for a pathetic and unjustified attempt at affiliating with such impatient members of the freshman class.
Christopher Andersen
Ridgefield, Conn., senior
Charlie Drucker
Chicago, Ill., senior
University seal part of Western culture
I have always respected the American Civil Liberties Union for its efforts to defend individual freedom. I was disturbed, however, to learn that the organization is questioning the representation of Moses on the University seal. In the valiant
I do not consider myself a Christian, but it is impossible for me to not acknowledge that the Bible has made a strong impact on Western culture. Our art and literature are ripe with biblical allusions. From Milton to Steinbeck, some of the greatest literary minds have built masterpieces around the stories found in the Bible.
As students, we read the Bible in our Western Civilization classes, not because the humanities department is on a religious crusade. We read the Bible because it is integral in understanding the Western mindset. It is also the reason why school children and academics study the religious beliefs of the ancient Greeks.
Whether or not you as an individual hold the Bible as a sacred text, it is the mythology of our culture. For good or bad, it has affected the way each of us conceptualizes the world around us. The stories of the Bible hold sym-
effort to keep religious dogma out of the educational environment, the organization's thinking has become muddied.
I strongly support the separation of church and state because I believe that the intellectual climate of our educational system would suffer if it were encumbered by religious dogma. I don't, however, believe that the University's deposition of Moses in the University symbol constitutes religious practice, at least no more so than Steinbeck's novel *East of Eden* can be considered a religious text.
bolic meaning for members of our society that extends beyond their religious context. Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Moses before the burning bush—these stories possess a symbolic resonance that every member of our culture understands, whether or not we believe these stories to be divine truth.
The myth (or revelation, if you prefer) of Moses before the burning bush has traditionally been associated with the quest for knowledge. I can think of no more apt symbol for an institution of higher education.
Jennifer Curry Lenexa senior