Opinion
Kansan
Published daily since 1912
4A
Julie Wood, Editor Brandi Byram, Business manager Laura Roddy, Managing editor Shauntae Blue, Retail sales manager Cory Graham, Managing advisor Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser Scott Valler, Technology coordinator
Monday, August 30, 1999
Seth Jones/ KANSAN
Editorials
Tough zoning laws hurt nightlife
The Brown Bear Brewery has been at the center of a controversy since the Lawrence City Commission revoked the brewery's liquor license last week. The decision was made because Brown Bear was in violation of the C-3 city zoning ordinance that requires bars to make at least 55 percent of their money from food sales.
The commission's decision was correct, but the laws behind it should be questioned.
According to City Commissioner Marty Kennedy, the food requirement for new downtown establishments was meant to keep downtown Lawrence from evolving into a pure bar district. He said the commission wanted to see downtown remain a true downtown, with a mixture of retail, entertainment and food and beverage establishments.
City Commission's decision could hurt downtown
But the zoning ordinance itself could lead to more negative consequences than popular bars closing.
As Lawrence sprawls outward, especially to the west, new businesses pop up constantly. Although Kennedy said all expansion was subject to zoning requirements, the ordinance that stripped Brown Bear of its license was enacted particularly for downtown. If prospective bars cannot meet the food-alcohol ratio requirement, they will likely move to other locations around town. This could be disastrous in a few ways.
First, we face the prospect of downtown losing its unique appeal. Although
Massachusetts Street should not be simply a row of taverns, the bar scene plays an important role in the distinct environment of the downtown area.
The zoning also could impact safety. While it's not desirable to have drinkers stumbling from bar to bar down Mass., it is preferable to drinkers driving from bar to bar.
A basic understanding of the laws of supply and demand dictates that only a certain number of bars and clubs could stay economically viable in an area like downtown Lawrence. The strict zoning laws are trying to protect against an extreme influx of bars, which, if left to the market, would likely balance itself out. What has resulted instead is that a local business is fighting for its life, not because of competition, but because of legal statutes.
Kursten Phelps for the editorial board
Students shouldn't have to pay extra to study late at University libraries
Students, how did you like forking over that big check for tuition? Or the $214 for the ever-present campus fees — especially when Student Senate is sitting on a surplus of $350,007.
Well, if things go as planned, students may have to shell out an additional $1 per credit hour for a library fee starting next fall. What is the deal with another separate fee that isn't covered by the already hefty campus fee?
Just ask the Kansas Board of Regents. This summer, the Regents passed a motion to keep the libraries open 24 hours a day during finals week. This is an excellent idea many students need the library to study, access research materials and escape noisy living environments. Last year, Watson Library closed at midnight during finals week,
Keeping libraries open all night is a good idea,but the State not students,should pay
even though students often study well past that time.
Should students have to pay $1 for every credit hour to have library employees guard the books overnight duringfinals?
The answer is no. Extended library hours are conducive to and necessary for learning; therefore, the state of Kansas should foot the bill.
actions of the Board of Regents are a springboard for other student fees.
"I see this as a scary trend and bad public policy that student fees are being looked to as the cure for our financial woes." Maxwell said.
Furthermore, this fee continues to set a precedent of students picking up the tab for academic services. Korb Maxwell, student body president, thinks that the
In the case of the currently assessed technology fee, which this board has supported, the state pays $2 for every $1 student pay. Matching funds and a critical need for technology were critical components to the technology fee's success.
But with the library fee, student money would not necessarily be matched by state funding. Maxwell intends to lobby for matching funds from the state, but, if the state refuses, he thinks that students must stand up and stop the student fee snowball.
Weagree.
Rupali Limaye for the editorial board
Kansan staff
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
News editors
Advertising managers
Becky LaBranch . . . Special sections
Thad Crane . . . Campus
Will Baxter . . . Regional
Jon Schlitt . . . National
Danny Pumpely . . Online sales
Micah Kafitz . . . Marketing
Emily Knowles . . Production
Jenny Weaver . . Production
Matt Thomas . . . Creative
Kelly Hefferman . Classified
Juliana Moreira . Zone
Chad Hale . . Zone
Brad Bolyard . Zone
Amy Miller . Zone
Broaden your mind: Today's quote
Broaden your mind: today's quote
"Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act."
—Truman Capote
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 hometown if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
How to submit letters and quest columns
Guest columns: Should be double-spaced typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run.
All letters and guest columns should be submitted to the Kanzen newsroom, 111 Stuffer-Flint Hall. The Kanzen reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Chad Bettes or Seth Hoffman at 864-4924.
If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924.
Perspective
Kyle
Browning
guest columnist
opinion @kansan.com
Organization dedicated to social change, justice
canothouse like many women die of safer serious disability in pregnancy or childbirth for lack of simple remedies and care. To ensure universal access to basic social services, UNICEF
It is these kinds of statistics that helped lead to the growth of the movement known as Food Not Bombs (FNB). FNB was formed in Boston in 1980 as an outgrowth of the antinuclear movement to put forth the simple idea that governments should produce more food for the hungry, and fewer bombs to kill and destroy. Since then, more than 100 autonomous FNB
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) estimates that every hour,1,000 children die from easily preventable diseases, and almost twice that many women die or of
estimates, would require only a quarter of the annual military expenditures of developing countries.
Throughout the world, millions upon millions die of starvation, while about 46 billion pounds of usable food is wasted each year in the United States alone. FNB recovers healthy vegetarian and vegan food that would have otherwise been discarded and serves it at regular community meals. FNB groups in North America and Europe serve thousands of meals each week.
chapters have been formed around the globe. FNB is dedicated to social change through nonviolent direct action and community activism, and uses consensus decision-making to confront inequality and abusive power, as well as to promote nonviolence.
Organizations such as FNB are important in today's world for many reasons. Some have already been pointed out; another is the increasing disparity between the upper and lower classes. This inequality is evident on a local, national, and international level. Locally, take a look around East Lawrence and then visit West Lawrence. The disparity is obvious.
have been instituted in hospitals in some cities. All of this comes from the fact that the U.S. has the most unequal distribution of wealth of any industrial country. Other nations are not perfect by any means. The London Observer stated in early 1997 that up to 2 million British children are suffering ill health and stunted growth from malnutrition because of poverty on a scale not seen since the 1930s.
Internationally, the United Nations Development Program maintained in its annual global overview, the Human Development Report, that global inequalities in income and living standards have reached grotesque proportions. It also said that the richest countries have 20 percent of the world's people, but 86 percent of its income. Most poorer countries suffer from debilitating debt. Powerful global establishments such as the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund only care about financial stability for rich multinational corporations. Thus, poverty-stricken countries have little chance of catching up any time soon unless things change.
On the national level you can look at most cities, where children are dying of malnutrition at an amazing rate and some adult males under the poverty line have life expectancies lower than that of some third world countries. Malnutrition clinics
While the poor keep getting poorer and the rich keep getting richer, the U.S. continues to spend millions upon millions on the military. Congress gives the Pentagon more money than it asks for every year, yet we have malnutrition clinics in some cities! Perhaps we should be spending less on bombs and more on infrastructure and programs for the poor and middle class. Perhaps we should be building fewer prisons and more homeless shelters. Perhaps our government representatives should be working towards more public transportation and low power radio stations, and creating fewer tax breaks for the rich. FNB discusses these issues and what can be done about them, as well as serving free food at related rallies, gatherings and protests.
Lawrence FNB serves food every Sunday. We meet at the Sunflower House (1406 Tennessee) around 4:30 p.m. to prepare the food. We serve in South Park at 6 p.m.
While active in FNB and other such groups I am often reminded of the words of Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has."
Brownning is a Overland Park junior in political science.
Addiction to add/drop makes class choice easier
Katie
Bartkoski
columnist
opinion at kansas.com
Hello, my name is Katie, and I have a problem. No, this is not the first step toward recovery in some alcohol rehab program. My dirty little secret has to do with classes and add/drop. I like to shop around a little bit before I actually commit.
During the first two days of school, I managed to attend eight classes, procure nine sylabi — and that was before I even attended three of the classes in which I'm actually enrolled. I think class shopping is important in order to assure that a class will fully fit my needs as a student.
I sit through the first day of class, regardless of my enrollment status, to get the syllabus and get a feel for the personality of the teacher. Other factors I consider include what kind of
As I wander into classroom after classroom, I keep an open mind. My warped way of choosing classes begins by scouring the timetable for classes that sound interesting. If they will actually count in some way toward graduation, it's an added perk.
Knowing people in a class also is important to me. It can be a deciding factor in my little add/drop world. I wholeheartedly believe in meeting new people, but it's so easy to exchange notes and study with friends. Finals are something I don't think many people really look at much, but who wants all 7:30 a.m. finals or your two hardest finals back to back on the first day?
time commitment the class will be, what time it is offered, whether I know anyone in the class, and, of course, what kind of final is held and when it is. These things truly can make a difference in the class experience. I'm a busy person, and, if it's a class I'm taking for fun, I don't want a lot of homework.
I would love to take this opportunity to give advice to freshmen and transfer students on the wonders of walking around collecting a rainbow of cards in order to stand in line for hours in Strong Hall, where you meet the bored faces of people telling you that you need another signature, dean's stamp, or different colored card.
Unfortunately, I have a harpsichord lesson to get to because, face it, you should keep your options open.
Bartkoski is a Baseehr junior in business communications and English.
Really, this class shopping problem is all because I'm an add/drop junkie. This is the honest to goodness truth. I have been known to go through add/drop sometimes three times in a day during open add/drop. The enrollment center people see me coming and suddenly the majority of the people take a coffee break to avoid me. Most know not to make eye contact with我 because then they will be unable to get away.
I worry that there may be some sort of a list circulating among departments alerting teachers of my class shopping. Some teachers know if they ignore me during the first week, maybe I will go away. Others try to blindly lead me into taking a class with low enrollment. Yesterday, I even received an e-mail from a teacher saying he was happy to see that I was on his class roster to take harpsichord. He said I needed to sign up with him soon for a class time. I'm unaware of how the error was made, but I'm enrolled in the harp, not the harpsichord.
The journalism school is so sick of my incessant need to for a dean's stamp that they gave me my own so I would no longer bother them.
I can be flexible. I've already broken one of my rules this semester by taking an early morning class three days a week. In my defense, Chancellor Hemenway is the professor, and, hey, on Thursday I don't have a class until the afternoon.
Senate should give refund to students
Feedback
If businesses overcharged you for goods or services, you would expect them to give the extra money back, wouldn't you? Since the $350,000 sitting in Student Senate's reserve account ("Student Senate Has Money to Spend." 8/26) represents the amount that they have overcharged KU students for Student Senate services, why don't they give the money back to the
Dan Drees Hays graduate student
people to whom it belongs by cutting Student Senate fees for next year, rather than scratching their heads trying to figure out how to spend it?
Robinson remodel bad for students
This letter is referring to the article about remodeling Robinson. I understand the University needs cash; I am a business major. However, to deceive the students that we
will be able to use these facilities for over two years now is businesslike and disrespectful, and do not tell me that that you did not say or imply this. I will let the administration in on a secret; if you want respect, do not back stab the students in the back on critical issues. How hard is it to tell the truth? It is time for the administration to grow up and give us the respect we deserve. Since we pay for much that goes on here, the administration owes us respect at least. It is about time that you start paying up!
Russell Warren Lecompton sophomore
(