4A Friday, October 13, 1995 OPINION UN I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y K A N S A N THE ISSUE: CAMPUS FEES Double fees are unnecessary D ropping and adding classes is a common proce- common procedure on college campuses. But at the University of Kansas, where students are divided between three different campuses, the process can be a hassle. Leslie Scott, Topeka graduate student, thought that enrolling on two different KU campuses would not be a problem. In fact, the University's advertisements about the Regents Center's graduate programs got Scott involved at KU. Problems arose, however, when she tried to add/drop. Scott was enrolled in 12 hours — nine at the KU campus and three at the Regents Center. She decided to drop three of the KU campus hours and to add them to the Regents Center. No problem, right? Wrong. She was charged double campus fees, plus a $10 fee for what she said was called the "paper work." As a result she now owes $228.90. Brenda Selman, assistant registrar, said that this was a result of University policies. No one in the registrar's office or the enrollment center, however, was able to explain clearly why students like Scott are charged twice for studying at different campuses. Selman's justification was that the Regents Center bases its charges on the student's course level. She said that at the University of Kansas Medical Center, both graduate and undergraduate students Charging students twice for taking classes at KU's main campus and at the Regents Center is unfair. are charged different amounts for campus fees. In addition, they have to pay for using the library as well as the fitness center. Scott had to pay for not only the KU campus fee and the Regents Center's fee but also another fee allowing her to visit the Watkins Health Center since she wasn't considered a full-time student at the KU campus. And Scott is not alone. Many other students don't understand the University's policies because they are unclear. The University should clarify these loopholes. Students deserve to know why they are paying so much. To date, Scott has no idea why she must pay this amount. Furthermore, it is ridiculous to have different regulations and rules at the three campuses when we are all KU students. Students who enroll at more than one campus should not have to pay more than those who enroll at only one. If the University hopes to attract more students to the Regents Center, then the same rules should apply to students at the Regents Center and at the Lawrence campus. KU should implement a basic fee system for all students, regardless of where they take KU classes. LUBY MONTANO- LAUREL FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD. Matt Hood/KANSAN Amtrak fiasco mars the serenity of travel by train It is almost like a scene from an old movie. Men and women gather on the moonlit platform, saying goodbye and embracing. A porter — room attendant — helps with luggage and hurries passengers into their compartments. A steamy hiss sounds, piercing the quiet and letting me know it is almost time to leave. I settle into my sleeper, bundling my daughter with an extra blanket. And as I turn out the small light just above my bed, I wave goodbye to my husband. We are off to my brother's wedding in Los Angeles. I rest easily with the gentle rocking of the train. I feel OK because I am not flying. I am going to make it. It's a good night's sleep. In the morning we move to the dining car, where freshly brewed coffee and cinnamon biscuits sit neatly on a white, linen-covered table. Someone asks if I want French toast, an omelette or pancakes and bacon. There is fresh squeezed juice, cold milk and the morning's paper. We dine with some folks from St. Louis. They don't like to fly either. And besides, the man says, "There's so much to see." The meal is served on fine china, and we talk and look out the window. STAFF COLUMNIST The trip is a smooth one, and at each stop, more airplane-sky travelers hop aboard. There is a look of peace on their faces. They are not rushed or nervous, and they readily tell their stories. We laugh together and say how lucky we are to be traveling like this. We agree to meet for dinner later, and when we retire to our rooms, my daughter and I read and play games and relax. It is a calm journey. It is supposed to be. It is the train. The recent act of violence on Amtrak's rail system is sad because the innocence of this peaceful way of travel is lost to us forever. I cannot imagine the horror of being thrown about the compartment, lost in a chaotic nightmare. I feel sick, too, at the thought of my daughter looking for me in the mayhem, as so many children looked for their parents on that tragic night. It is the ultimate act of cowardice to attack innocent people — children — in such an unforgivable manner. For many, myself included, Amtrak served as a safe haven from the terrors of flight. When I fly, I am petrified, and I keep my eyes fixed on the flight attendant, searching for any possible sign of trouble. When he or she is worried, I'll be worried, I reason. But with each dip and sway of the plan, I grow more anxious. It's the lack of control, I think, that drives me insane. Now, however, this same sense of helplessness, of hopelessness, will ride with me on the train. I no longer will enjoy these easy, gentle trips and instead will be wondering if anybody messed with the track. I am tired of creeps ruining life for the rest of us. When you can't take your child for a ride on the train, things have gotten pretty bad. Maybe I have it all wrong, though. Maybe we shouldn't give in. We can't live like frightened rabbits, scared to experience the freedoms we deserve. I don't know. For now, however, while I sort this thing out, I think I'll drive wherever I need to go. Donna Davis is an Overland Park graduate student in education. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Campus plan ignores those with disabilities I hope that you and your SenBx colleagues will consider my input on the deliberations concerning changes in the campus parking-traffic regulations. My viewpoint is based on my personal circumstances. However, I am confident that a number of colleagues face problems similar to mine. If the campus is closed to private traffic, I request an exception be made for those who are crippled and/or feeble. In my case, I have a broken back. The last time I walked from Blake Hall to Wescoe Hall was three years ago when I needed to attend a Ph.D. oral examination. The walk took 20 minutes and involved several stops to lean against trees and to regain strength. Although I am technically emeritus, I make what I hope are valuable contributions to the University. I am active in the research realm. Since I have retired I have produced a book, The Soviet Legacy, an article on the post-Soviet scene for a major European journal, the largest entry in a new Soviet encyclopedia, and several book reviews. In the teaching realm, I have served as the major adviser for three Ph.D. candidates. Two have finished, and the third plans to finish his dissertation next spring. Each spring, I teach (gratis) a graduate seminar on Russian and Central Eurasian affairs. Both semesters I organize and direct a weekly Russian and Eastern European brown bag session, which is very popular with both the faculty and graduate students. I initiated the brown bag session some 15 years ago. Also, this semester I am the adviser to a Fulbright scholar from Kyrgyzstan, who came to KU because of my expertise on collectivized agriculture. I am a quite active, voting member of the KU federally supported Russian and East European Area program. I am dependent on my "cripple card" that is on the dashboard of my car. However, I try not to abuse my special parking privilege. I do my research at home. I arrange my schedule so that most weeks I only visit campus twice to meet with students, to pick up my mail or to have a class or brown bag session. I wish it wasn't necessary to bother you and your colleagues with my concern. However, I am not alone in my situation. For example, in Blake Hall I have a colleague who is confined to a wheelchair. Surely, the University does not want to lose the services of such people. ROY D. Laird Professor Emeritus Political Science and Russian and East European Studies Busy student schedules leave little time for current events While most people in the United States were glued to a television in anticipation of the O.J. Simpson verdict, I sat trying to remember the last time I had seen Tom Brokaw's face. Like so many college students, I find myself with STAFF COLUMNIST tittle or no time to keep up on current events. I was so clueless that I would not have had any idea the Simpson jury was back if not for my teacher announcing it in class. We are in the middle of the semester, and students all around campus are living their lives in a vacuum. With what seems like hundreds of things to juggle, most students have little time to keep up on current events. Look at me; I'm a journalism major with hardly enough time to read the newspaper or watch the nightly news. During this hectic time of the semester, students are torn between classes, homework, jobs, and going out. With all of these factors tugging away, it is easy to forget that there is a world outside the Lawrence city limits. Students are oblivious to the world they are fighting to get into. The only students I know who bother to keep up on the news either have a light class load or a have a class with currents event news quizzes. It's ironic that we are here to prepare ourselves for the future world, and yet we have no grasp of the one we live in. My friend had no idea if the whole "Haiti thing" was still going on. Another didn't know what area Hurricane Opa hit. I'm sure if every professor gave a current events news quiz today, less that half of the University would pass. The simple solution is, of course, for students to read the newspaper every day, but that hasn't worked yet. A more creative solution may lay with professors and teaching assistants. If more teachers integrated current events into their lectures, students not only would learn more but also would find the class much more interesting. I have had teachers who have used outdated textbooks and have taught the information word for word. These classes teach me nothing but facts that I forget minutes after the final exam. But the professors who use O.J. Simpson and Haiti examples in their lectures are teaching me something I will remember. When students graduate, they need more than information. They need to be able to apply the information they have learned to the world. Despite the popular myth, grades are not a measure of intelligence; people don't have conversations in a multiple choice format. A student who has kept up on current events while in college is far better prepared for the world than one who will have a four-year memory void when he or she graduates. Jenny Wiedeke is an Evergreen, Colo., Junior in Journalism. Editors Managing editor, news ... David Wilson Managing editor, planning and design ... Ashley Miller News, special sections ... Deedra Allison Campus ... Virginia Marghelm Editorial ... Heather Lawrenz Sports ... Jenni Carlson Photo ... Paul Kotz Wire ... Robert Allen Copy Chlefs Associate Editors Associate editorial...Sarah Morrison Associate campus...Paul Todd, Teresa Vasyay Associate sports...Tom Erickson Associate photo...Kathleen Driscoll, Edmae Rodriguez Greg Johnson Charles Menifee Mary Bath Kurtak Amanda Trawhber Clerka ...Kim Grabtree KANSAN STAFF Designers Gerry Fey...Brian James ...Nosh Musser Kelly Cannon Jodie Chester Ed Kowaldak Michael Lauer Andy Rubbens Reporters Jeffrey Auslander ... Chris Austin Joan Birk ... Philip Brownlee Spencer Duncan ... Dan Gelston Adam Horschman ... Matt Irwin Bill Kern Cordrill Laurel Hannah Naughton ... Brendon Sagar Robert Sinclair ... Novada Sommara Jeason Britt ... Tara Tennary Sarah Wiseo ... Scott Worthington Ashley Yews ... Kimberly Becke ... John Collar Ken Gatee ... Robbie Johnson Kathleen McGee ... Ryan McGee Irena McHane ... Grey Montgomery Dennis Martin ... David Moore Amy Southerland ... Dobble Stain Amanda Traxler ... Brian Whitburn Photographers Jenny Brannen...Hanna Brazzee Matt Cowen...Richard Devinki Andy Direke...Pam Dishman Matt Flokner...Brian Flink Chris Hamilton...Tim Haneen Scott Harper...James Matakso Steve Puppe...Andy Rulletestad Carol Thoae...Adam Ward COLLEEN MCCAIN Editor TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser Tom Leisinger... Zone Managers 2XIMA Manager Cady Bush ... Mark Cohen Laura Frost ... Jennifer Karkela Troy Sauer Retail Account Executives Business Staff Campus manager...Meredith Hennings Regional manager...Tom Dulac National manager...Heather Barnes Internship/Co-op manager...Kelly Connelys Business officer...Jason Nailer Production managers...Nancy Easton, Krista Nye Marketing director...Konan Hauser Creative director...Brigg Bloomquist Classified manager...Heather Vailer Public Relations director...Both Cannill Social interactions assistant...Bernard Blount Classified assistant...Kim Tidwell Marketing assistant...Cary Breasof Photographer...Paul Kotz Michael Bell Tonya Barnes Cary Bresloff Dana Centeno T.J. Clark Debbie Greenfield Quinn David Gregg Denise Haupt Dan Koppe Dariel McLaniel Melissa Morgan Adrienne Moore Lisa Quebbenman Christine Rehder Robin Richardson Amy E. Richmond Healy Smart Scott Williams CATHERINE ELLSWORTH Technology coordinator BRANDONHAMLIN Systems Administrator Campus Account Executives Angle Adamson...Karen Gersch Eric Johnson...Mark Ozimek ...Cerle Sagart Regional Account Executives Account Assistants Caren Crockett Brian Pagel Sara Rose Ulvye Emilizade Laralissa Ayestas ...Mark Brockstein Christina Gibbs ...Nicole Hartzorn Allison Petrice ...Michelle Polich Sarah Scherwinwald ...Carrie Bimpson Shelly Wachter ...Stacey Welgarten Creative Account Assistants John Dohmann ...Lorin Horosz Ed Kowalskid ...Dena Piscolotte Mindy Story ...Sara Taylor Crystal MoWirt ...Todd Sliger MATTHEW SHAW Retail sales manager JAY STEINER Sales and marketing adviser PAT BOYLE Business coordinator Apple Account Exec/Assistants Justin Fresolone ... Anne Lauranze STEPHANIE UTLEY Business manager WILLIAM THOMAS Production