OPINION
Coming Wednesday, October 17..
McNaughton: Waitressing in Lawrence has its perks and pitfalls.
McLeod: Playing soccer offers the best possible exercise.
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. THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM TUESDAY OCTOBER 16,2007 PAGE 6A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
EDITORIAL BOARD
PAGE 6A
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Campus activities bring attention to poverty
The KU chapter of the Millennium Development Goals Organization offers ways to assist impoverished people
No one person, one school or even one country can definitively end global poverty. In the admittedly unlikely event that poverty in the developing world is ever eradicated, it will be the result of cooperation on a vast scale. It will involve not only governments but private citizens doing what they can in their own way.
This week, the KU chapter of the Millennium Development Goals Organization is sponsoring Global Poverty Week, with events each day to help raise awareness of poverty in places like sub-Saharan Africa and allow students to raise money for the Nothing but Nets program, which provides nets to people in Africa to help ward off disease-carrying insects.
The Millennium Development Goals began in the United Nations. They set a timeline and benchmarks for various achievements in the developing world regarding health care, literacy, education and gender equality. KU's group, founded by Jessica Bergman, Louisburg senior, seeks to promote these same principles.
Tonight at 7 p.m., the documentary "Silent Killer" will be shown in Alderson Auditorium. The film looks at the danger of famine in Africa. Students in various collaborating organizations will collect signatures for the "Pledge Against Poverty" on Wescoe Beach all day Wednesday. All cover collected at Abe & Jake's Landing Thursday night will go to the Nothing but Nets program. Finally, the GuluWalk takes place Saturday in honor of the dangerous journeys Ugandan children must make in their own country.
Anyone and everyone at KU should be able to contribute something to poverty awareness this week. Simply educating oneself on problems facing places like Africa is a contribution. A pledge is nothing more than many individual signatures; it takes action on a personal scale to sign it and build it up. When action takes, at most, five minutes of someone's time, there is simply no excuse for not feeling like it or not having enough time. Ignoring poverty and the social ills—war, disease, famine—it breeds does not make it go away, and does not make it someone else's problem. It is a concern for us all.
Students and faculty should not be made to feel guilty about their fortunate accidents of birth. They should not sign a petition, take a walk or see a film and promptly forget what those symbolize. Rather, they should take action out of a genuine concern for the global community, and a recognition that events in oneremote locations now affect us all, politically or economically. They ignore this at their own expense.
Following this week, there will still be millions of people who live on less than a dollar a day. There will still be war, and people with inadequate medical care and education. However, it is only by taking things one person and one campus at a time that change can ever be truly implemented. People everywhere must own advancements in the developing world. If everyone has a stake in the success of other people, then it makes obliterating poverty that much more of a pressing issue.
Get rid of the kickoff chant
Football game mantra is obscene and reflects poorly on the school, fans
The NCAA Division I is dedicated to providing student-athletes with
student-athletes with an exemplary educational and intercollegiate athletics experience in an environment that recognizes and supports the primacy of the academic mission of its member institutions. Division I institutions are expected to maintain athletics programs that set rigorous standards of performance for both academic and athletics achievement by a diverse community of male and female student-athletes; that exemplify the highest level of sportsmanship and amateur athletics performance for the larger community; and that, in sum, are a source of pride for students faculty staff and alumni
After reading your article, I was surprised that there were students that were actually yelling disgusting "chants" such as the one you listed in your article.
I was so surprised and disgusted, I decided to write you and a few other of the staff members at the Kansan my thoughts.
1) I agree with Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony about his comments regarding the content of the "chant." This "chant", if you call it that, is an embarassment to the University of Kansas, its athletic programs, its athletes, and the student-body. It shows a lack of class, intelligence, creativity, and more importantly, sportsmanship. It shows that the students lack any originality, school spirit or competitiveness for their school and therefore resort to yelling obscenities.
2) Along with these chants, the shirts that many students wear that knock Missouri or K-State could not be even more distasteful. There is a clear line between school spirit and stupidity. Those shirts easily cross the line. I have seen some prospective students come for a campus visit with their parents and see students wearing those shirts and not surprisingly turn away with shock.
3) The University of Kansas is an institution of higher learning. We are all required to take and learn courses in english, the humanities, and speech communications and many more. This is to develop our ability to express ourselves in fruitful and civilized ways. But when you see students walking around like billboards with those shirts, it takes away from not only the richness and pride of your athletic programs, but also from the strength of its academic programs.
4) In response to Ryan McNabb's comment, "Once you think about it, it's pretty distasteful," I would have to
say that you don't even have to think about it. Just hearing it is ugly enough.
5) The vulgar chants and distasteful shirts reminds me of a debate. Two gentlemen stand debating an issue using their ideas and minds. As one gentleman begins to lose ground due to the lack of strength in his arguments, he begins to attack the person and not the issue. Not a perfect analogy, of course, but let's remember what these athletic events are all about (as stated above).
I hope that the Student Senate, the student body and friends of those participating in these chants are willing and intelligent enough to tell them how poorly they reflect on KU and its other students.
HAVE A POINT/COUNTERPOINT TOPIC?
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DRAWING BOARD
MAX RINKEL
FREE FOR ALL: 864-0500 OR KANSAN.COM/FACEBOOK
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed.
I should have gone home for Fall Break.
Is it required for our secondary to "Superman" after every interception?
Nick Lachey was at the Chiefs game to see his favorite team, the Bengals, get beat by the Chiefs.
FFA, you are lame. You only print crap from Facebook. While I realize Facebook is amazing, you need to realize there is a phone line too!
(Editor's Note: When people call in enough to fill the Free for All space, then we'll use only the phone line. The Facebook application is Free for All, too.)
I would punt for the football team, but I am a girl, and we are playing Colorado this week.
Oooooouch. Too soon?
When in the history of college football has Kansas had a better record/ranking than the Notre Dame Irish?
Too bad we won't be playing Missouri next week. It would be cool for have AP #15 playing AP #15. How often do you get that?
We are #13 in the BCS Standings, that's almost as cool as you are Free for All.
Come on, Daily Kansan, kiss me deadly!
Why do I have to write eight page lab reports for Chem 184?
K-State just has you do worksheets!
I hate my housemate.
I used to think I was really smart, until organic chemistry. Because of you, I no longer want to be a doctor. How does that make you feel?
Word of advice: Never race someone while drunk. You'll end up with more flying than running and bruises in the morning! Ouch!
Thanks to the lightning for pushing the game back 1.5 hours and giving me another 1.5 hours to drink beforehand so that I was hungover by half-time.
Holy Smokes, Batman! I think these tights finally cut off all my circulation.
It's been three weeks. I need to get laid. I'm 500 miles away from KU and sober. My chances don't look good.
My new goal in life is to start a bar fight at Henry's. Come on, Free for All, let me make it happen!
Three semis were following me
I ordered the game on Pay Per View before I realized it was postponed.
Free for All, my roommates keep leaving me alone in the apartment at night and I'm getting a little afraid of staying by myself. Will you keep me company?
Dear Free for All, why do I always make out with guys when I'm not sober?
Why isn't Al Gore burned to a crisp with all his talk of global warming?
on 35-N on the way home. Creeps.
Free for All, I'm having a great time on break but God, I miss you.
Dear Free For All, I think I may be in trouble and need your opinion. Do you think it's possible to be too sexy?
The girl I'm in love with just moved to my hometown from Texas. Life could not get any weirder.
Free For All, I will end you!
I want to marry Al Gore. I'm glad he got a Nobel Peace Prizel
I hate the construction on the Hill. It won't be the same like they say. For this reason, I'm mad at KU football.
Free for All, I've been
Free for All, I've been playing violin for seven years, but just played it for the first time in six months and quite frankly, I think I just fell in love again.
What the hell is Fox College Sports Central, and why the hell does no one get it?
If every home game is an all-out whomping of the other team, why are our own fans complaining about our chants? We're obviously doing something right!
What does global warming have to do with peace? Stop global warming, or we'll all kill each other over air conditioning? (Editor's Note: You'll find out when people are waging war over clean water supplies in about 30 years.)
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Erick R. Schmidt, editor
864-4810 or eschmidt@kansan.com
Darla Slipke, managing editor
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Keisey Hayes, opinion editor
864-4924 or khayes@kansan.com
Eric Jorgensen, managing editor 864-4810 or ejorgensen@kansan.com
NOW THAT YOU'VE READ THE OPINION PAGE, HAVE AN OPINION?
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The Kansan welcomes letters to the editors and guest columns submitted by students, faculty and alumni.
The Kanseis reserves the right to edit cut to length, or reject all submissions.
For any questions, call Kelsey Hayes or Bryan Dykman at 864-4810 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com.
to the editor at editor@kansan.com.
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The Editorial Board
Erick R. Schmidt, Eric Jorgensen,
Darla Slipe, Kelsey Hayes, Bryan
Dykman, Brandon T. Minister, Angelique
McNaughton and Benjamin R. Smith
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