4A
Monday, October 9,1995
OPINION UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
THE ISSUE: STUDENT SENATE
Personal biases cloud Senate judgement of Kansan policy
Last week, The University Daily Kansas came under attack from Student Senate for its disclaimer on the front page of every paper which states that the first copy is free, but additional copies of the newspaper cost 25 cents.
THE PETITION
Student Senator Amy Hizer wrote a petition for Student Senate to force the Kansan to repeal the policy within 10 days, or Senate would yank funding for the paper. The bill passed through the University Affairs committee with only one dissenting vote, and the finance committee voted to send the issue to the Student Media Board which will have the final say on the petition.
The fact that students' representatives would seek to repeal a policy enacted to protect the First Amendment rights of KU students, faculty and staff is reprehensible.
THE FIRST AMENDMENT
One senator argued the Kansan's policy is meant to deter students from expressing themselves through protest. That accusation is false. The Kansan has made the reasons for the disclaimer clear and enacted it totally within the bounds of Student Senate rules and regulations.
Last year, a group of student leaders, led by none other then Hizer herself, ripped hundreds of Kansans from distribution boxes around campus and threw them on the lawn in front of Stauffer-Flint Hall, where the Kansan newsroom is located.
They were protesting the Kansan's decision to run a story revealing a felony conviction of a man who had been running for Senate. At the time, little punitive action could be taken against the protesters because the papers had no monetary value marked on them. The Kansan placed the disclaimer on the front page to assign a value to the paper so that the next time some students decide they disagree with something they read in the newspaper, they can and will be charged with theft if they choose censorship as their means of protest.
The University Daily Kansan was not in violation of rules when it created a policy to deter paper dumping.
The purpose of the policy is not to collect quarters from students who take a few extra copies. The only time the policy would be enforced is if someone took hundreds of papers at a time, thereby preventing other students from getting the paper their student fees entitle them to receive. The Kansan does not seek to deter protests, just the unconstitutional method of protest known as prior restraint.
SENATE RULES
Student Senator Kevin Olson argued the disclaimer was not in accordance with a Student Senate regulation which states that any publication receiving funds from the media fee must be provided free to University entities. But the disclaimer clearly reads "The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is free. Additional copies are 25 cents." The disclaimer in no way prevents students, faculty or staff free access to the paper. The wording clearly shows the Kansan's attempts to follow the rules.
SENATE CREDIBILITY
How far will Amy Hizer go to ensure she has the ability to deny her constituents Their First Amendment rights? Student Senate is made up mostly of caring, responsible students who look to do good things for the University and its students. But Hizer's petition is obviously the maneuvering of a student leader abusing her office to carry out a personal vendetta against a newspaper that published something with which she disagreed. Her irresponsible actions corrupt the system of student government as a whole and should not be tolerated by her fellow senators or constituency. In the petition Hizer calls for the Kansan to "cease and desist this silly policy." Hizer should cease and desist her silly grudge match.
SARAH MORRISON FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD.
KANSAN STAFF
COLLEEN MCCAIN
Editor
DAVID WILSON
Managing editor, news
ASHLEY MILLER
Managing editor, planning & design
TOM EBLEN
General manager, news adviser
Editors
Hewn & Special Sectorone...Deodre Allison
Editorial...Heather Lawrens
Associate Editorial...Sarah Morrison
Campus...Virginia Margulies
Associate Campus...Teresa Vazeyz
Associate Campus...Paul Todd
Sports...Jenni Carlson
Associate Sports...Tom Fowler
Photo...Paul Kotz
Wire...Robert Allen
On-line coordinator...Tina Fassett
STEPHANIE UTLEY
Business manager
MATT SHAW
Retail sales manager
JAY STEINER
Sales and marketing adviser
CATHERINE ELLSWORTH
Technology coordinator
Business Staff
Campus mgr ... Meredith Hennung
Regional mgr ... Tom Dulac
Administrative ... Neather Barnes
Special Sections mgr ... Melissa
Production mgr ... Haney Euston
Krista Nye
Marketing director ... Hannah
Public Relations director ... Bettie Cailh
Creative director ... Bridget Bloomquist
Internship/o-op mgr ... Kelly Connely
Jeff MacNelly / CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Media can't be blamed for violence obsession
Love and death are the two great subjects of all works of art, literature and other forms of media.
Pick up any newspaper, and you'll see headlines about bombings, murder and mayhem. We love disaster. There's nothing like a good tornado warning to get the juices flowing.
Today, we hear little about love and a lot about death. We all are obsessed with it.
Watching, reading or listening about death and anything that could cause death practically has become a national pastime.
You watch, you read, you listen,
and you can't help it either. You're only human. Death and violence never can be eliminated from society and never will be removed from the nightly news.
And everyone blames the media. They say the media perpetuates this obsession. They only print bad news and heinous crimes. Reporters don't seek out the good news, or so they say.
It's the classic chicken and egg debate. Does the media cause this nation's obsession with death, or is the media coverage symptomatic of the nation's obsession with death?
Neither. The media and the rest of the nation both are obsessed with death and the causes of death because it is simply the nature of the beast.
By nature, people are fearful of and fascinated by bodily harm in any form, be it natural disaster, war or gunfire in the streets. This tendency is seen most clearly in children.
STAFF COLUMNIST
So, to the people who say television is too violent, to the people who say the media is full of blood-thirsty ambulance-chasers out for a juicy exclusive, it's time for a little introspection.
As a child, I believed that an alligator lived under my bed. At night, I would lie awake, my heart pounding with fear. Three or four times, I would lean over the bed, slowly lift up the bed skirt, peek into the darkness and then jump back up in terror.
gator wasn't real, that there was no real threat to my life, so checking under the bed became a game.
Nicole Kennedy is an Overland Park Junior In Journalism.
I knew the alli-
Our obsession with death is quite the same. We lie in our safe beds, with no real threats to our lives, but we still want to take a peek at the things we most fear. So we tune in to the local news and watch corons taking away the bodies of shooting victims. We pay millions of dollars to see movies that feature fantastic struggles between good and evil, as long as they're filled with bloodshed.
We view death and its causes as one big horror film. It's not real to most of us, so like children, we enjoy playing the game.
Look at "Laocoon and His Sons," and you'll see men dying and the looks on their faces. He and his sons are being strangled by serpents. There is such detail, such expressions of agony and fear. The sculptors wanted those who saw the piece to feel Laocoon's agony.
This sculpture's image isn't that far removed from the images we see in movies and on the nightly news. Their gods were violent, they participated in human wars, and they died agonizing deaths.
Look at the ancient Greeks. They were obsessed with death. We see this in their sculptures.
We are not the first people to be obsessed with death.
Their literature was filled with tales of blood and adventure. Read "The Iliad" or "The Odyssey," and you'll find it as violent as any present-day action flick.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Local bakery owner disputes editorial
As the owner of the Free State Brewery and a partner in Wheatfields Bakery, I appreciate the concerns expressed in the Kansan editorial regarding alcohol beverage licenses downtown.
There are a few errors that would deserve some clarification, however. First, contradicting the basic assumption of the editorial, there is no city ordinance that prohibits alcohol beverage sales within 400 feet of churches and schools. In fact, a phone call to the city offices would have clarified that item for the writer. (The school in question, the Lawrence Arts Center, is licensed to provide alcohol beverages at events.) We are not asking for an exemption to any ordinance. We are complying with the requirement that any licensed establishment within 400 feet of a school or church be subject to comment and input from those institutions. It's the same process that has applied to a handful of other licensed businesses downtown and around the city (Mass St. Deli, Red Lyon, Low Rider, Replay, Pizza Hut, and several liquor stores, for example). It's not an exception.
I have a child who attends classes at the Arts Center. I would certainly never do anything that would threaten the safety and well-being of my child in any way. The underlying suggestion of the editorial to that effect is truly sad.
operation were, who our anticipated customers were, or any of a handful of questions that could have helped him understand the situation. We'll be offering European-style breads, pastries and sandwiches and specialties. Our business is a cafe, not a bar. We wish to offer wine and beer, tea, coffee, soda and water as choices for our customers with their meal, as does virtually every restaurant and café downtown. Many of us, as responsible adults, enjoy a glass of wine or beer with our meals. It's not uncommon in modern America; it is not an exception.
I'm not sure what the Journalism School standards are, but of eight statements to buttress his opinion, the only one he got right was our address. With a .125 average, he's certainly not ready for the big leagues yet.
At no point did the writer contact us to find out what our cafe would offer for meals, what the hours of
Perhaps the writer isn't aware of what the law is. Perhaps the writer isn't aware of what our business is. Perhaps the writer chose to make his decisions and express his opinion before taking the time to research either the city ordinance, or the nature of our business. It may be adequate for rumor, innendo and rhetoric, but it's a tragically poor example of journalism.
Chuck Magerf Lawrence resident
County benefited by fund-raising efforts
I read your editorial about volunteerism, which focused on the United Way campaign taking place on campus.
Our county goal this year is to
increase the individual contributor base by 10 percent. The University of Kansas' campaign team set a higher goal for its division. As head of this year's campaign, I want to thank you for supporting the goal.
KU's commitment to the United Way is demonstrated in numerous ways. Chancellor Robert Hemenway and Bob Frederick, athletic director, are in our television ads.
The KU campaign team led by Lee Gerhard, director of the Kansas Geological Survey, is responsible for the banners placed on campus buildings and for coordinating employee-solicitation activities.
The Rock Chalk Revue proceeds contributed to the $216,000 pledged by Pace Setter organizations, announced Sept. 16 at "Day of Caring" activities. Members from organized living groups participated in the campaign kick-off by giving time to various projects at social agencies throughout Lawrence.
With such widespread support, I'm confident that the KU division will attain or exceed its goal.
As your article indicated, the beneficiaries of these combined efforts will be the 30 agencies that provide social services throughout Douglas County.
Larissa Johns
1995-96 United Way
campaign chairwoman
Natural beauty of country is in jeopardy of destruction
We are human; we have needs.
We need supermarkets, gas stations and homes. We pave things, drill for things and use things up, until nothing is left. We tell ourselves that animals, water, clean air and trees are legitimate prices to pay for these
to pay for these needs
STAFF COLUMNIST
This is my brother's first lesson in the world of need:
It was a fall day, sun-glittered and filled with autumn activity. While on a walk, my parents, and you grest brother, David, came upon a family of red foxes. A mother
was playing with her offspring — much like children play. As they scampered across the street, a truck struck the mother fox. Her offspring ran in fear. David started to cry and asked what would happen to her children, where would they go. Although we knew the answer, we lied and said they would be okay.
Looking back, I think we should have told him, although I don't think his innocent heart could have taken the truth. We should have explained that we were to blame. We had stolen their home — we steal the homes of all ani-
— we steal the homes of all animals to build our own.
Now David is 11, and he has forgotten about the red fox, but he constantly witnesses these same crimes. The baby rabbits, who used to play in our backyard, are gone — along with the family of possum. The explosion of new homes and commercial buildings in the neighborhood took the place of our 'little wilderness'. We miss them, but it is too late. They are gone.
But these lost resources aren't unique to Kansas; these problems are across the continent. And we should be concerned about everyone's backyards, not just ours. Like David's worries of the red fox, Alaskans have some worries about their land.
Environmentalists have been battling with bureaucrats over Alaska's Tongass National Forest. It is the nation's last rain forest and home of the largest population of grizzly bears and bald eagles on this continent.
The bill, introduced by Senator Frank Murkowski, eliminates wilderness protection and federal logging restrictions. It also gives away billions of dollars in federally owned land and mineral deposits to industries. Industries that will mine, drill, log and ranch every inch of our nation's last unspoiled rain forest.
Last month, the U.S. Senate passed a bill giving the forest, spread over a series of islands in the southeast Alaskan panhandle, to the state of Alaska.
This same bill stops the EPA from preventing the toxic pollution of our waters. It kills major funding for the Endangered Species Act and will see to it that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska will be plagued by oil and gas drilling.
No doubt it would steal the stars from the sky if it were possible.
It will steal and steal, until we are without the few small natural beauties left on this continent.
Murkowski, along with his sidekick Don Young, a member of the House Resources Committee and former trapper, hope our lack of knowledge stops us from claiming our God-given beauties. And why not? They have gotten this far, while most of us stood ignorant.
With this bill, Alaska takes control of over 5.7 million acres of precious forest — which they will cut and keep cutting, until it is all gone.
We must gain back our control. This is still our country, and until the last tree falls, it is our obligation to remind them of it. Our land in the Tongass — the animals' land will be cut and sold by large corporations unless we voice our concerns.
Be aware, write letters, voice your concern and make them hear it.
And watch for falling trees and missing stars.
Amy McVoy is an Oathe sophmore in Journalism.