Opinion Kansan Published daily since 1912 Julie Wood, Editor Laura Roddy, Managing editor Cory Graham, Managing editor Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser Brandi Byram, Business manager Shauntae Blue, Retail sales manager Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser Scott Valler, Technology coordinator Tuesday, August 24.1999 Editorials Technology fee worked smoothly because of all-around cooperation While rising student fees are a valid concern, students should listen to the story of a student-fee dollar well spent. Last year, when the $1 technology fee was instated, the Legislature matched each student dollar with $2 of state funding and created approximately $1.8 million specified for technological improvements at the University of Kansas Lindy Eakin, associate provost for support services, said the money was divided three ways. Approximately one-third went directly to each school based on its enrollment. Therefore, an engineering student's dollar improved technology within the school of engineering. Student fees can succeed but should not become a rule. A student advisory committee distributed another third for information and technology projects. The final third advanced the University's technological infrastructure by upgrading the fiber-optic backbone that connects all buildings on campus and increases transmission speed along the network. Eakin said the progress the schools had been able to make with the additional technology funding was tremendous. He said the upgrade placed the University in the top 100 universities for Internet activity. The specific student technology fee worked properly and efficiently, because it allowed student money to go directly back to students for a specific purpose. And, the need for improved technology simply could not be put off. Nevertheless, definite concern exists that the trend of specific fees will force students to bear more of the financial burden for what traditionally was covered by the state. Shifting costs to the students, even when the money directly benefits them, could help push the cost of higher education out of reach of more Kansans. Katrina Hull for the editorial board Joe's Bakery: Coming soon Traditions are an integral part of the college experience. It takes years for traditions to form, and when a tradition is broken, it can be a disturbing event. This is what happened last year when Joe's Bakery did not reopen after Thanksgiving break. But now there is good news for those who have been going into sugar withdrawal because of the bakery's closure. Joe's Bakery will reopen its doors sometime around Labor Day. Joe's Bakery has been a fixture in Lawrence since its opening in 1954. For 45 years, KU students have satisfied their late-night bakery cravings by going to Joe's Bakery to enjoy pastries such as bear claws, cinnamon rolls and fritters. The tradition of going to Joe's was so longstanding that students would flock there a generation after their parents did while they were students at the University. Joe's Bakery is featured as a popular hangout by practically every college guide, has been a part of several Kansan stories and is even featured on the KU version of Monopoly. Because of some personal problems of the bakery's owner, it has not been open since last fall. Joe's Bakery will be back soon. Hopefully its tradition will continue for a long time. the scholarship halls no longer could make their traditional Joe's runs. Cookies to celebrate birthdays no longer could be bought there. A late night sweet tooth could not be satisfied by quick visits to Joe's. For nearly a year, students have had to find alternate sources for their bakery and late-night snacking needs. Now, there is excitement in the air because the tradition is set to be put back into place. Sophomores who missed their brief window of opportunity to sample this tradition can find out if it lives up to the hype, and freshman have their chance to try it for the first time. Most importantly, traditionalists who have been dejected since Joe's closing can breathe easier. A favorite KU pastime is being restored, hopefully just as strong as ever. Emilv Haverkamp for the editorial board Kansan staff Chad Bettes . . . . . . . . . . . Editorial Seth Hoffman . . . . . . . . . . Associate editorial Carl Kaminski . . . . . . . . . . Neues Juan H. Heath . . . . . . . Online Chris Fickett . . . . . . . . . Sports Brad Hallier . . . . . . . . . Association sports Nadia Mustafa . . . . . . Campus Heather Woodward . . . . Campus Steph Brewer . . . . . . Features Dan Curry . . . . . . . . . Association 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 Pumpelly . . 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 Advertising managers Broaden your mind: Today's quote "If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?" — Will Rogers How to submit letters and guest columns **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. 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. an tetters and guest columns should be submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Chad Bettes or Seh Hoffman at 864-4924. If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924. Perspective Lawrence is a landlord's market. Even though college students put enough money to run a small country into local businesses and sales taxes, landlords are the true beneficiaries of our cold hard cash. Tenants should make landlords clean house es, unfinished carpentry, rats and carpet stains that could easily pass for police evidence, and landlords get to charge whatever they want for nothing less than a 12-month lease. Think about it, we deal with faulty electrical outlets, last-minute apartment switches, roach- True, many of the houses and apartments in the "student ghetto," the area of Louisiana to Massachusetts Streets and from 9th to 19th Streets, are older than God and to expect anything in the Martha Stewart realm is unrealistic. Also, this area Jenny Oakson columnist opinion@iansan.com in general is pretty smarmy there are random drunks urinating on cars, domestic quarrels at 2 a.m. and burglaries. (Whoever stole my Weber grill from my porch, you know who you are, bring it back!) But living off-campus should not mean that your living place can't be decent. not mean that your living place can be deceitful. As school begins, a fairly stressful time in itself, many of us are trying to clean up the last tenants' messes or complex blunders. On the first day of class, I ran into three friends on Wescoe beach whom I had not spoken to in at least three months. The first topic of conversation revolved around their personal rental hells. The main feeling was helplessness. Don't feel helpless. We are students, we are the future of society, we can legally drive, smoke cigarettes and buy porn. It's a shame to know that just when sales clerks stop following us around stores to see if we will shoplift, we move on to situations in which we get cheated and charged at the same time. Activist Bobby Seale said, "Power to the people!" and I think we should grab hold of our predicaments and take control. Technically, these landlords, property monsters or on-site apartment managers, are working for us. Let's start making them really work for us. For complaints about repairs and lease disputes, Legal Services for Students at the University of Kansas, 864-5665, handles cases for 3,000 students a year. In 1998, 15 to 20 percent of cases were landlord-tenant disputes. Unfortunately, it often takes a call from Do not hesitate to call the Kansas Department of Health and Environment at 842-4600 if you have rats or roaches. Seriously, do not slack on this one. If your home is infested, your landlord has to pay for damages and housing for you until the creatures have been removed. mommy or daddy to actually get things done. Man, that's embarrassing. One of the purposes of college is to live apart from our caregivers and establish life skills that will someday enable us to go to the bathroom without our parents hovering over us with wads of toilet paper. Just because Lawrence landlords treat tenants like they're five years old, doesn't mean we have to act like infants. To independently solve these problems you've got to let your fingers do the ranting and raving. Try calling the Better Business Bureau of Northeast Kansas, Inc. at 766-2009. I know it seems like a lame idea, but this institution cares about fraudulent advertising and management companies who do not provide clean, safe residences. Plus, it's a great threat. Housing and Credit Counseling Inc. in Lawrence and Topeka, 749-4224, can also provide assistance. When you're in a situation like this, the best thing to do is A) Stop talking to your friends about it. They've heard it, and they have their own problems, and B) Find out your rights. Two years ago I found out most judges will award you money if you take a roommate to court who neglects to pay rent on a multi-person lease with no cosigner. I never had to do it, but it made me feel better just knowing I could have my day in court. Most of all, I recommend bugging your landlord into submission, especially if they have 50 other tenants with minor complaints. This is one instance where persistence works, unlike in dating or using duct tape. Just don't be too obnoxious, you'll regret it when you're trying to get your deposit back. Oakson is an Overland Park senior in journalism. KU student in Costa Rica finds clean air, pure life In a country where the No. 1 business is gingo dollars, this town is not a tourist destination. Foreigners stick to locales with bigger surfing waves, white sand beaches and large resorts. Golfoft, at first glance with Midwestern eyes, appears to be a miserable sprawl of tinfooed shacks stuck in the middle of nowhere. But the locals love it and are happy with the sedate speed of life, clean air, relative safety Golfito lies at the end of the road in southwestern Costa Rica, a funky, worn-down town of 15,000 tucked into a protected golf along the Pacific coast. The road and the town cling tenuously to the sharp, jungly hills that spill into the turquoise water of the Golfo Dulce. Started as a United Fruit Company banana port, Golffo suffered an economic collapse when the company left in 1985. To remedy the situation, the city was declared a duty-free port in 1990. Ticos, or native Costa Ricans, swarm to the town on weekends and holidays to spend their $500 yearly allotment on televisions, stereos, refrigerators, tires and other imports. The walled, barb-wired duty- and easy access to beaches ocean and forest. Matt Merkel-Hess columnist opinion@kansan.com free compound of 52 stores employs more than 700 locals. Taxes from the stores support social welfare programs throughout the country. Elsewhere in the town, there are rooms for rent known as cabinas, small restaurants called sodas, grocery stores, a gas station and numerous hole-in-the-wall bars and bars. Because most people don't own a car, red and maroon taxis whiz back and forth, and buses chug along sporadically. Many people also walk, popping open umbrellas when it rains—a daily occurrence during the wet season. The rain creeps up slowly most afternoons, usually without the thunder, lightning and flare of a Midwest soaker. Instead, the clouds work over the hills and then dump their contents on tin roofs, asphalt and plants. My host brother claims it once rained for a week straight. When it isn't raining, the humidity keeps paper products a bit damp and jeans on the line for four or five days. In the jungle, a cloudy day dims the light drastically, while the dense plants hungry soak up moisture—shooting out monstrous leaves and a scattering of bright flowers wherever possible. The forested hills around Golfto are a reserve of secondary growth rain forest. This land protects the city's water supply and provides an easy escape to pristine waterfalls, chilly mountain streams and beautiful ocean vistas. In the jungle, you can sense one of the world's best oxygen factories at work as you drink in the pure, sweet air. For this reason, the University of Kansas' Estudios Tropicales program is located here. Former United Fruit Company offices house the program's one classroom, small library, computer lab and offices for the six professors. This semester there are nine students, about half the number that is usually here. We arrived August 4 in Golfift and have been in orientation since, working on our language skills, Costa Rican history and getting to know the town. On August 23 classes begin—biology, birds, oceanography, mangroves and other subjects will be our focus for the next four months. Already, one lesson has stuck: Pura vida! It's the mantra, ethos, hello and bottle-clinking toast of the Ticos. Pure life. Pura vida! Merkel-Hess is an Iowa City, Iowa, junior in journalism. Now taking applications for columnists and cartoonists THE UNIVERSITY DAILY Kansan Come by 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall for an application. Questions? Call Chad or Seth at 864-4810.