The University Daily Kansan emphasizes the First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech. or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
EDITORIAL: In light of the recent anniversary of the deadly blaze at Boardwalk Apartments, now is the time to reform the city's antiquated fire safety regulations. See kansan.com for more opinions and Free for All comments
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17,2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 5A
》 OUR VIEW
Pending ordinance would make apartments safer
Large apartment fires would become less common in new apartment buildings if the city adopted a new fire code ordinance.
As reported in The University Daily Kansan, members of the Fire Code Board of Appeals are working on an ordinance that would require the installation
of sprinklers in all apartment buildings built after its passage but only if the Lawrence City Commission approves the ordinance.
The ordinance conforms to provisions required in the 2006 International Fire Code, a set of standards for sprinklers and other fire safety measures in buildings.
Russell Brickell, Lawrence fire inspector, said he hopes to have the final version of the ordinance completed by January 1, 2007.
Before Lawrence residents can be safer, the City Commission must approve the ordinance, which will invite resistance among builders looking to avert extra building costs.
But the lives the ordinance would save justify the cost increase. Sprinklers decrease the number of apartment fires by 93 percent and civilian deaths by 81 percent, according to a decade-long study by the National Fire Protection Association.
The ordinance would also require new three-level apartment buildings to have two exits, such as extra doors and exterior stairwalls. The ordinance would close fire code loopholes for new 2 1/2-story buildings by requiring sprinklers and two exits. Existing multi-level apartment buildings, such as the Boardwalk Apartments, would be exempt from the regulations.
No apartment building that presents a threat to its tenants' safety should ever be built again. By approving the ordinance, the City Commission could prevent horrific tragedies in new apartment buildings.
Steve Lynn for the editorial board.
COMMENTARY
Praying Democrats win this election
Well, my fellow Jayhawks, the 2006 midterm elections are fast approaching, and if you haven't registered to vote then run, don't walk, to the library, post office or county treasurer's office today and get it done. This election might just prove to be a pivotal point in American history.
Now, let me make myself clear: I am not a Democrat. This November, however, I will be voting for every Democratic candidate who happens to be on my ballot. It will be a vote not as much for who I want, but definitely a vote for who I don't want. Washington, D.C., needs an enema, people. Republican control of the House and Senate must be broken up, and the Democrats must move to impeach President Bush if given the majority.
For those of you who think that the midterm elections couldn't possibly mean so much, wise up. Back in 1994, the Republican Party seized control of the federal House and Senate for the first time since 1954. Republicans led by their minority whip, Newt Gingrich, took center stage and declared that they would clean up the "swamp" that Washington, D.C., had become by restoring morality to the halls of government.
Once Republicans had control of Congress, they moved against President Clinton. Three years later President Clinton became just the second president ever to be impeached. The grand old "do as I say, not as I do party," who declared that they would restore morals to the halls of government, chose to drag the entire country into the gutter with their investigation of sperm stains on blue dresses and strange places for President Clinton to store his cigars. As for the man leading the charge against Clinton, Time magazine's 1995 Man of the Year, Newt Gingrich, while he was cru-
BY JEREMY WINFREY
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
cifying the President of the United States for an extra-marital affair, he too was carrying on an affair with one of his own aids twenty-three years his younger.
The grounds for impaction President Clinton were ridiculous and, looking back on it, the actions of the Republicans should have been a glaring indication of their hypocrisy. The Republican-controlled Congress has failed in its attempt, if it ever truly was an attempt, to clean up Washington.
Corruption is as rife as ever in the capital city. It is something Democratic congressmen are just as guilty of, and there is no guarantee that the corruption will stop if the Republicans lose control of Congress. Without a doubt, though, the main reason the American people must beat the Republicans back into the minority of Congress is because they have been the enablers to a man who sits in our Oval Office and believes that he is above the law.
Some political analysts believe that if the Democrats take control of the House and Senate that the impeachment process against President Bush will begin. Republicans like to wrap the word "perjury" around their justification for the impeachment of Clinton, but the bottom line is that the presidential impeachment of 1998 was a joke that came at the expense of nearly $41 million to the American taxpayers.
The grounds for the impeachment of President Bush are no joke. He has led to the American people in order to send us into a war that has resulted in the deaths of almost 3,000 U.S. servicemen and women, and 600,000 Iraqis. He has signed off on illegal wiretaps of U.S. citizens and tried to hide it. Members of his administration leaked the identity of an active CIA operative as an act of spite when it was revealed that the Bush administration was fabricating evidence to lead us to war in Iraq. All the while President Bush has pointed fingers, bullied anyone in government or the news media who was brave enough to question his administration, and continually shoved the tragedy of 9/11 in our faces as justification for his blatant disregard for the Constitution of the United States of America.
The Republican-controlled House and Senate have stood idle for too long. They have given too much control to the man who has dubbed himself the "Decider," and it's time to stop the bleeding. You get rid of the Republican-controlled House and Senate and you effectively neuter the Bush administration. I don't care if the impeachment process lasts two years and in his last week in office President Bush is forced to stand trial for his abuse of the laws of this country.
FREE FOR ALL
Call 864-0500
I hope that the political analysts are not wrong, and the Democrats will for the first time in five years show they have something other than a jelly spine. I'm all set to do my part; come that first Tuesday in November, I will step in that booth and cast my vote, my prayer, for the impeachment of George Walker Bush. I hope that the Democrats won't let me down.
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansas editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls
football coach.
Who flies all the way to Philly to get some?
Mark Mangino is, without a doubt, the most overpaid college
are recorded.
in the toilet in Wescoe.
Winfrey is a Lawrence junior in English and creative writing.
I called KU Info and they said the game was in Stillwater and I drove here, but no one is here. Were the ball?
Pants off, dance off.
If you adore the Patriot Act you are a Mitchum man.
Enough with the sidewalk chalk.
We don't need that.
Please, please stop writing about that Nebraska cartoon.
I just managed to drop my iPod
I just saw Congressman Dennis Moore getting in a Toyota Camry. Birch'in car
Damaged Circus, you are right, I don't get it.
Not that my day hasn't sucked enough, but the highlight of my day: The man I lost my virginity to is now a bisexual that does a drag show in Kansas City. Yea, I feel really good right now.
ally good
I just got back from Watkins and the doctor touched my naughty
ally good
parts.
COMMENTARY
Nine easy steps for a healthy teacher-student relationship
Every student at some point has had a bad professor. I have a few suggestions that professors and teachers' assistants can follow in order to keep their students happy and active in the classroom.
Of course I realize that we as students are not perfect beings, but some of the things can be addressed on the part of the teachers.
BY BETH RUHL
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINIONKANSAN.COM
1. There is a problem with the professor who on the first day of class says, "I know nobody wants to take this class because it is a prerequisite, but I will try to make it as easy as possible." Students will immediately lose confidence in your ability to make the course interesting. Many times there are students who didn't come into the classroom thinking that it would be a tough or scary course, but they sure do once you've said it.
2. This is to anyone who is teaching and tries to make assignments that "the kids" will think are cool. Giving assignments that involve MySpace or The Daily Show just show your age and inability to communicate with our generation. Teach the way you know the best, not the way you think will be trendy.
3. To the teachers' assistants who have just received their undergraduate degree or who are in their first two years of grad school: You do
not know everything about your field just yet. You are not an expert. Please don't act like it. We will see right through your frivolous answers to our questions. We know when they have not been thoroughly answered.
4. Nobody likes teachers who cannot accept anything but their own opinion. Don't get me wrong, I know the importance of strong and logical arguments. But there are other perspectives out there that should be respected as long as they follow these rules. Flunking someone because they don't agree with you is intellectually hypocritical.
5. This one should be obvious, but it happens more often than you would think. Don't have favorites. If you call on the same three people all the time and praise only their work, students will stop making an effort in your class. Everyone must be equally involved.
6. Teachers who are in the classroom to show off their knowledge
base, rather than teach the students, should not be teachers, period. Unfortunately for some teachers, the idea that students are in a classroom to learn is a foreign concept. Students are seen as an audience for theatrics instead of as learners.
7. If you are a grad student and think teaching will be an easy way to make money, please reconsider.
We need people who are passionate about what they are teaching and who have the time to meet their students needs.
8. A common complaint among students is about the teachers who go through material too quickly. This happens especially frequently in large lecture halls. Professors are zooming along and nobody has time to take notes or ask questions. If you pay attention to these factors and slow down, students will perform much better in your class.
9. Finally, try to make the material you are teaching interesting. This can be especially challenging depending on the subject, but real-world applications are always a good way to make students feel they are at least getting something useful out of your course. Act like you care, and don't simply read and lecture out of the course texts.
Jonathan Kealing, editor
864-4854 or jkealing@kansan.com
Ruhl is a Lawrence sophomore in
Journalism and creative writing.
TALK TO US
Erick R. Schmidt, managing editor 864-4854 or eschmidt@kansan.com
Gabriela Souza, managing editor 864-4854 or souza@kamsa.com
Frank Tankard opinion editor
864-924 or ftankard@kansan.com
Dave Bruleh, associate opinion editor
864-4924 or druigh@kansan.com
Kyle Hoedl, business manager
864-4014 or khoedl@kaisan.com
Maicolim Gibson, general manager, news adviser 864-7667 or mjbibson@kansan.com
Lindsey Shirak, sales manager
864-4462 or lishirak@ksansan.com
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser
864-7666 or jweaver@kansasan.com
SUBMISSIONS
The Kansan welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns submitted by students, faculty and alumni. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions.
For any questions, call Frank Tankard or Draugh R
at 864-481 or e-mail oksan@kansan.com.
General questions should be directed to the editor at
editor@kansan.com.
LETTER GUIDELINES
LETTER GUIDELINES
*Maximum Length:* 200 word limit
**Include:** Auth. 's name and telephone number; class, home town (student); position (faculty member/staff); phone number (will not be published)
SUBMIT LETTERS TO
111 Staffer-First Flat
1435 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 60045
(783) 864-4818, opinionkham.com
GUEST COLUMN GUIDELINES
**Maximum Length:** 500 word length
**Author:** Author's name; class, hometown (student); position (faculty member/staff); phone number (will not be published)
**Also:** The Kansas will not print guest columns that attack a reporter or another columnist.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Jonathan Kealing, Erick R. Schmidt, Gabriella Souze, Frank Tankard, Dave Ruigh, Steve Lynn, McKay Stangler and Lois Mora