4A
Thursday, September 21, 1995
OPINION UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE ISSUE: RACISM AT KU
VIEWPOINT
False reports hide the issues
Unfounded reports of racism only distract from real crimes of racial intolerance. "Crying wolf" about racial harassment is detrimental to the ongoing struggle for equality.
Alan Lollis, Kansas City, Mo., freshman and Templin Hall resident, reported that someone left a hate message on his door last week. When University of Kansas police investigated the incident, they called the report unfounded and dropped the case.
Inconsistencies clouded Lollis' story. At first, he reported harassment from other Templin residents and expressed fear and his desire to move out. Then, after an undisclosed agreement with police, he said that he was glad the situation was over and looked forward to getting along with "all my friends on this floor." If someone had actually spread racist messages and threatened him, why would Lollis want to stay in Templin?
Lollis' unsubstantiated allegations could cause
Racism does not belong in campus life, but false reports merely hinder the goal to extradite it from the community.
police to question, if only for a brief moment, the validity of someone's next report. Racism is not a game or a joke. It's not a tool someone should use to implicate another person.
Racism has no place at KU, and students and faculty members should not tolerate prejudice of any kind, form or level. They should complain every time there is a discriminative incident, and they should be aware of their right to speak up. Because, as we all know, unfounded complaints don't help real victims of racism.
We do not need to see victims of hate crimes relegated to the same position many rape victims endure. In both cases, the victim is not to blame. But false accusations cause people to question who is telling the truth.
MATT FEY FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD.
Students should respect campus
The litter blowing around campus this semester is abundant. The problem is not only with trash but also with recyclable materials. For example, pop cans, discarded newspapers and inserts are strewn across campus.
THE ISSUE: CAMPUS TRASH
How hard is it to meander over to a trash can to dispose of garbage? There are trash cans conveniently placed all over campus, and students should use them.
The blame can not be placed with campus employees and clean-up crews but with the apathetic members of the student body who continually litter.
Another problem arises with recyclable materials. Very few places are easily accessible to dispose of recyclables.
The obstacle standing in the way of a solution seems to be the question of which University organization is responsible for providing more options for recycling. Student Senate and KU Environs have
Students and campus organizations need to take the initiative to help keep campus clean and litter-free.
been instrumental in producing educational programs and activities to bring awareness to the student body about recycling. This is a good start, but a lot more needs to be done. Recycling bins need to be set up all over campus.
A big part of the problem is laziness on the part of the students, but more options and better access to recycling bins only could improve the situation.
Somebody needs to take the initiative to 'remedy this situation. Students can help by throwing away their waste and by placing their Kansans and inserts in recycling bins in front of Stauffer-Flint Hall and in the Kansas Union. Everybody on campus has a responsibility to keep our University aesthetically pleasing.
TARA FITZPATRICK FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Marko Fields / KANSAN
Top 10 lines guaranteed to stop employment offers
Going to interviews at this time of year may seem foreign to most of you, but in the wacky, mixed-up world of law school, interviews in September are normal. Legal types and anal souls that we are, we wouldn't have it any other way than to arrange for next summer's employment when it's, well, still this summer.
So, if you're ever down by the Burge Union, the Savoy Grill of campus, and spot a freshly scrubbed law student of either gender in a suit, you should know we're not getting class pictures taken. Instead, we're filing into the Burge basement like so many teenagers on a first date, looking to impress a potential suitor who already will have seen a dozen navy blue suits and shaken several sweat palms before noon.
The scene would be cute, I suppose, if it weren't for the fact that we are all lawyer wannabes. I'm reminded of watching nature shows with scenes of parents and their young in the wild. The little critters look so adorable as they stumble into the wild to hunt for dinner. Of course, huggable little bears or lions or wolves still tear into the flesh of some weaker, helpless animal to feed themselves. Somehow, these cuddly creatures lose their cuteness when they get bloodstains on their fur.
Contrived metaphors aside, I was
STAFF COLUMNIST
look on his face.
waiting for an interview in the basement of the Burge, surrounded by brochures and books about forms of nonlegal employment, when I started to get bored. My buddy, Ed, across the table, also had that vacant, unemployable
The situation, like many too-long car trips with the parents, demanded some socially acceptable form of self-amusement. Thus, we began to wonder aloud what the absolutely worst opening line for an interviewee would be, Ed, a Letterman fan, suggested we kill some time with a spontaneous top-10 list. With apologies to Dave and his writing staff, Ed and I worked up this list:
Nine: "I really like that suit. I saw one just like it at Sears the other day."
Ten: "Nice to meet you. So, what is the starting salary at your firm?"
Eight: "So, Bob, er, Jim, just how do you get a feel for someone in a 20-minute interview like this?"
Seven: "You realize that my first year grades don't reflect what I
actually learned. It's just that I didn't get into that rehab program until late April, and by then it was too late to be productive my exams."
Six: "Can we talk about a modified work week? I've been reading about people who work from their own homes."
Five: "Don't worry about that thing on my lip. I don't know where I picked that up, but I'm sure it's not contagious."
Four. "Whoa. Sorry about that. I guess I'm still a little gassy after lunch."
Three: "Do all you guys put on so much weight after you've been out of school for a few years?"
Two: "Hey, nice tie. Burgundy, huh? I really like it. Seriously, I really like it. Look at your shoes. They look pretty spiffy too. Before I leave, you need to tell me where you shop."
One: "If you guys hire me, will I get paid for this 20 minutes or not?"
Ed and I realize these openers don't make up an exclusive list. We're open to suggestions. After this column gets published, I won't have any more interview opportunities; however, Ed will still be hanging out on a semi-regular basis at the Burge. So, if you come up with anything good, stop in the basement and run it by Ed.
KANSAN STAFF
John Martin is a Lawrence second-year law student.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Hemp has many uses besides recreational
Your Friday, Sept. 15 article on marijuana mentions "hemp" without reference to the many industrial uses of this gigantic plant. Hemp products provided our country its first flags, sails, books and Constitution. Henry Ford first introduced the resource to automobiles as farm-grown fuel and super-strong plastic fenders and doors. At that time, linseed and hemp oils made up the majority of all paints, shellacs and varnishes. Hemp was
used by major pharmaceutical companies such as Eli Lilly to make various medicines. For textiles and paper, hemp was (and is) unbeaten in terms of quality, material per acre and natural topsoil maintenance. Popular Mechanics magazine called hemp the "New Billion Dollar Crop" in 1938, but the government ban (contested by the American Medical Association) was one year ahead. Hemp lost out to petroleum because of an intrusive government and the irrational fears of those who confuse it with highgrade marijuana.
farming and technology are seeing growth. The "crop more versatile than soybeans, cotton and the Douglas Fir" is being sown in China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Hungary, Poland, Rumania, Russia, Slovenia and Spain. The United States, which used hemp wisely throughout its original independence, early industry and its efforts in World Wars I and II, should not miss out on new agricultural advances simply because our newspapers would rather report on bong resin.
David P. Webb
Lawrence resident
COLLEEN MCCAIN
Editor
DAVID WILSON
Managing editor, news
ASHLEY MILLER
Managing editor, planning & design
TOM EBLEN
General manager, news adviser
Today, outside of the U.S., hemp
STEPHANIE UTLEY
Business manager
MATT SHAW
Retail sales manager
JAY STEINER
Sales and marketing adviser
CATHERINE ELLSWORTH
Technology coordinator
Editors
Business Staff
Campus mgr...Meredith Henneng
Regional mgr...Tom Dulac
National mgr...Heather Barnes
Special Sections mgr...Heather Nihouae
Production mgr...Nanoy Euston
Krifea Nye
Marketing director...Konan Hauser
Creative director...Bring Bloomquist
Classified mgr...Heather Valleer
Internship/oo-op mgr...Kelly Connelys
At an institution such as KU, research and publication always will be important and deserve much of our time and attention. Yet if we have any hope of re-establishing the place of respect once accorded to the University by our society, perhaps it will be more the result of our work outside of the University.
News & Special Sections...Deeja Ailson
Editorial...Heather Levarrant
Associate Editorial...Sarah Morrish
Campus...Virginia Marghelm
Associate Campus...Teresa Vaezay
Associate Campus...Paul Todd
Sports...Jenni Carlson
College Sports...Tom Hunt
Pitching...Paul Kotz
Writing...Robert Allen
Gridline coordinator...Tina Passett
Scott Manning is a Lawrence graduate student in French.
A recent conference held at the University of Kansas addressed the current and future status of graduate education in America. While most students and faculty on campus went about their daily routine, a number of others gathered to discuss the growing problems facing
Some KU faculty already provide excellent examples of the ways in which we can contribute our expertise and knowledge to the general public. John Nalbandian, associate professor of public administration and government, is regarded as an effective, hardworking Lawrence city commissioner. At nearly every city commission meeting I have attended, I have seen one or all members of that body look to Nalbandian for guidance. Barbara Ballard, director of the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center, serves as a state representative. Allen Omoto, assistant professor of psychology, helped direct the Douglas County AIDS Project. Several faculty members worked hard to help change Lawrence's human relations code to include sexual orientation, while some worked against that change. But all of them got involved in community efforts beyond the KU campus, using their skills for the public good.
graduate programs and graduate students.
STAFF COLUMNIST
While enrollment in graduate programs has increased dramatically in recent years, faculty size is being reduced. Retiring professors are not replaced, and their positions are eliminated to conserve funds. For
those of us with advanced degrees in the humanities seeking jobs as professors, finding a job may be impossible. The problem, at least at public institutions like KU, has a lot to do with financing for education in general. Although the national economy appears to be gaining strength, there has not been a corresponding growth in allocations to public universities. On the contrary, universities are frequently faced with reductions handed down from state legislatures. The issues and possible solutions are complex, yet I would like to point out what I believe to be one essential ingredient to any resolution of the situation.
Involvement in community gives strength to University
Faculty and graduate students alike should consider devoting more attention to their communities. The opportunity we have, as academics, to make a living thinking, researching and investigating new ideas is quite a privilege. Along with this privilege comes a responsibility to the public who makes such a career choice possible. I do not mean to say, as some do, that taxpayers should dictate the business of the University or the academic interests of its faculty. However, many of us can help improve the image of the university and therefore improve our chances of having our programs financed, by participating more actively in the "outside world."
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
By Shawn Trimble