4A
Monday, September 11, 1995
OPINION UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE ISSUE: SCHOLARSHIP HALLS
Scholarship halls need cooling
The five scholarship thalls without air conditioning deserve the same necessary comfort enjoyed by every other residence hall at the University of Kansas.
To furnish these scholarship halls with air conditioning, alumni from the scholarship halls and the families whose names adorn the buildings should donate funds so that residents will not have to shoulder the entire financial burden of keeping their homes cool.
During the first weeks of this semester, scholarship hall residents endured cramped quarters with little air circulation and temperatures exceeding 100.
Only three scholarship halls — Amini, Douthart, and Grace Pearson — have central air conditioning. Sellards Scholarship Hall has window air conditioning units. Ken Stoner, director of student housing, said that renovating the halls only for air conditioning would not be cost effective, especially since most of the buildings were not designed to handle central air. Stoner said that the scholarship halls, unlike
Students in scholarship halls should have the same modern amenities that students living in residence halls enjoy.
the residence halls, were not used during the summer. Airconditioning the halls for just a few weeks at the beginning and end of each school year would not be practical, he said.
In an average year, though, temperatures in Kansas remain high into late September and can return as early as mid-April. Asking students to live without adequate ventilation for this period of time is not practical. For these buildings, air conditioning is a necessity.
If central air is not feasible installing separate window units for each room could be done. To finance this project, housing payments for scholarship hall residents probably would have to be increased.
Residents would not mind the increase if the families who financed the construction of the buildings and hall alumni lend a monetary hand.
MATT FEY FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD.
THE ISSUE: CHEATING AT KU
Cheating hurts KU's reputation
Last spring, the University of Kansas' reputation was marred when the University Daily Kansan reported that a business professor had evidence that exams had been stolen and suspected nearly half of his class was involved. This semester, students and faculty should work together to significantly curtail cheating at KU.
It's impossible to measure how many times a KU student has programmed an essay into a calculator, looked off a friend's test or even somehow received a test in advance. Most students have seen a peer take part in at least one of the preceding actions at one time or another.
Some may consider cheating a personal decision that doesn't affect others. That premise is untrue. At the student level, cheating throws off grade curves and can lower the grades of honest students. Professors forced to deal with cheating end up being a detective rather than a
Professors and students need to work to change University of Kansas's reputation as a cheating institution.
teacher.
The ramifications are even more damaging to the reputation of the University as a whole. When cheating is evident, KU's reputation and integrity are damaged, thus decreasing the net worth of all student degrees.
The simplest solution is for students to take it upon themselves to ensure that cheating doesn't occur. If that doesn't happen, perhaps professors can work on varying that exams each semester, instead of giving the same tests again and again, and the University can create and enforce a stricter honor code.
In recent years, KU has gained more and more national prominence as an academic institution. It would be a shame if cheating damaged the University's progress.
MARK POTTER FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Matt Hood / KANSAN
Road to liberation a long one for women in China
As is the case with many people from Beijing, I was excited about the Chinese government holding the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women, yet embarrassed by the manner in which the Chinese government conducted it.
I felt excited about this conference because it provided the opportunity for people all over the world to get to know Chinese women and their struggle under a dictatorial government. It was also an opportunity for the Chinese to get acquainted with the views and ideas of women from other parts of the world. After all, China is a developing country, and its women's liberation movement needs to follow the lead set by other countries.
For the Chinese government, the fact that a U.N. conference could be held in China is a big victory since it gave the government the recognition it has craved. More importantly, it was also a chance for them to impose on the world their view of women's liberation, to show to the way how much they care about women's issues and how much they have accomplished without ever mentioning the most touching issue — how women are victimized by its population control policy.
My excitement was mixed with a feeling of disappointment when I heard Gertrude Mongella, secretary-general of the Fourth World Conference, saying, "a revolution has begun," in her opening speech. I sighed, for here again is the talk of revolution. Most people in the West have no idea how many revolutions
the Chinese people have experienced, and it is difficult for them to understand the feeling of a Chinese when he or she hears the word "revolution." Each country and culture has its own unique problem with the issue of women's liberation. One cannot realistically expect a single worldwide revolution to solve all the problems relating to women's issues all over the world. The problems of the population control in China will not be solved by applying the Western idea of democracy and human rights to China's situation. One has to know the cultural and political background in order to evaluate possible solutions.
GUEST COLUMNIST
During the 2,000 years of monarchic rule, women in China suffered a life of dehumanization to a degree that is difficult for Westerners to imagine. The bound feet of Chinese women are just the most conspicuous aspect of a life regulated by societal rules and customs. Confucianism has been the philosophy primarily responsible for the dehumanization of women.
This ideological misogyny is so deeply rooted in people's minds that no revolution ever has completely eradicated it. As a matter of fact, it always seems continually to manifest itself. When the government's population control policy
became more restrictive in the 1980s, the fear arose in common peasants' households that if the only child turned out to be a girl, there would be no one to provide support for the parents and no one to carry on the family name. This fear has led to the contemporary tragedy of killing the baby girls.
In order to solve this problem, the Chinese need some down-to-earth policies which can both change the peasants' feudalist mentality and provide for population control.
The Chinese government's police harassment of the demonstrations by some of the delegates, the surveillance of the delegates' activities and the official confiscation of the lesbian materials was embarrassing. I can understand, though, the government's fears and concerns, even if I find them repugnant. One reason for the paranoia is that the government still is recovering from the aftermath of the shameful and chaotic situation that resulted from the Tiananmen incident in 1989. The government is still suspicious of any action which may cause turmoil in the city. Thus, any kind of demonstration will make the government officials nervous.
It is so pathetic to see the Chinese government work so hard for more than a year in preparation for this conference in order to bolster its reputation in the world, and then, ironically, to treat some delegates in such a disreputable manner. Chinese officials are clearly slapping themselves in the face.
Xiuten Lu is a Lawrence doctoral student.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"They say lightning never hits the same place twice. We're just going to cross our fingers on that one.
- Stacy Kretschmer, Topeka senior, on the lightning that struck her chimney Sept. 2.
Campus mgr ... Mendell Hanning
Regional mgr ... Yon Duelo
National mgr ... Heather Barnes
Special Species mgr ... Meister Nihanee
Presentation mgr ... Moore McKee
Kelsey Kate
Marketing director ... Konan Hauer
Public Relations director ... Bothilla Gail
Classified mgr ... Heather Vallee
"He was just told to sit down and shut up."
-Jack Klinknett, Lawrence attorney, on the banning of lawyer William Kunstler from speaking in court
"He was very nonchalant about the whole thing. It was almost as if it was a hobby of his."
Business Staff
- A Lawrence woman regarding a man who masturbated in front of her late Wednesday
"It doesn't matter who starts and who finishes, as long as everyone gets to play." - Calvin Rayford, senior guard, on his role on the 1995 Kansas men's basketball team
KANSAN STAFF
Compiled from Kansan staff reports for the week of Sept. 5-8.
STEPHANIE UTLEY
Business manager
MATT SHAW
Retail sales manager
JAY STEINER
Sales and marketing adviser
CATHERINE ELLSWORTH
Technology coordinator
COLLEEN MCCAIN
Editor
DAVID WILSON
Managing editor, news
ASHLEY MILLER
Managing editor, planning & design
TOM EBLEN
General manager, news adviser
Groups like PETA have been around for a long time and need to be stopped. Protests and demonstrations staged just for the sake of making the 5 o'clock news serve no value to society. Unfortunately, such protesters can hide behind the First Amendment and use it in ways for which it was not intended. PETA actually was a decent group in my eyes before this incident, but this shameless move has changed my view. The ethical treatment of animals is a noble cause, but we soon will need a group for the ethical treatment of children with so many ignorant demonstrators running around.
PETA made a monumental misjudgment when it decided to use this form of demonstration to reach Oscar Meyer. I hope that other groups will learn from PETA's mistake and use a higher standard of ethics when they plan to protest.
Editore
Young, happy children are gathered in Kansas City to try out for an Oscar Meyer commercial. They are in front of the cameras singing the well-known hot dog jingle, when out of nowhere a butcher starts chasing a pig mascot and pretends to hack it to bits.
Jenny Wiedela is an Evergreen, Colo.
Junior in Journalism.
PETA put the safety of pigs above the emotional stability and psychological well-being of children. Who knows what kind of impact such a vulgar demonstration could have on the children? Some may remain unaffected, but if even one child's life was altered by the demonstration, it was not worth it for the saved life of a pig. PETA needed to consider the consequences of its actions before it staged such a demonstration. Someone should have been wise enough to realize that killing a pig in front of children is not an ideal way to get a point across. Unfortunately, the people involved were more concerned with making headlines than any ethical standards.
STAFF COLUMNIST
Animal rights group doesn't act ethically at demonstration
PETA should know there is a time and place for everything. If PETA has something against Oscar Meyer, it surely could find a more appropriate way to reach the company. Pretending to slaughter a cute, stuffed pig in front of elementary-school-aged children is not the smartest way to change a company's actions. The shock value of the demonstration was probably enough to reach the CEO of Oscar Meyer, but if the organizers think that Oscar Meyer will change its ways as a result of this maneuver; they are sorely mistaken. As a result of this flagrant demonstration, I am more inclined to go out and buy a hot dog than to save Porky Pig.
One group a ct u l y thought that this was a great way to protest the inhumane treatment of pigs by Oscar Meyer. This recent demonstration by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) violated every
common sense and ethical standard that protest groups should use. Who needs television violence with irresponsible, immature people like this running around?
alliottors
Name & Special Sections ... Dean Allison
Editorial ... Howe and Lawrence
Associate Editorial ... Barb Morrison
Campus ... Virginia Morgenthall
Campus ... Terry Neumann
Associate Campus ... Paud Todd
Sports ... Jennil Carlson
Associate Sports ... Tom Eiflonsohn
Nursing Careers
Wire ... Robert Allen
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
By Shawn Trimble