OPINION
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Editorial: The University's policy towards study abroad in Israel is justified, but a compromise should be considered.
Cohen: The Democratic presidential candidates for 2008 leave much to be desired.
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2007
PAGE 7A
POINT/COUNTERPOINT
The conflict of traffic laws and cyclists on campus
GARDENING TIPS
People on bicycles should be subject to the same rules as everyone else
BRANDON MINSTER
Rules apply to everyone but me, and that's the way I like it.
Rules used to apply to me, but I found they were cramping my style. When I wanted to stand in line doing nothing, then following the rules was fine. But usually I didn't want to wait, and so I stopped waiting. Now I get things done a lot faster, which leaves me more free time to solve the Crypto-Quip.
However, my neat little system of personal efficiency is facing a threat. It seems more and more people think they, too, should be exempt from the rules. There can be only one, people!
Last weekend at the Hy-Vee deli counter I spent three turns being "second" in line as other people, obviously busier and hence more important than I moved right to the front. I've waited outside an instructor's door only to somehow be fourth in line when he showed up at his office.
A recent article in the Kansas regarding bicyclists being subject the same laws as other vehicle operators on public streets found some cyclists were shocked, SHOCKED, to discover that the police had failed to get the memo regarding their personal absolution from responsibility. "I trust my ability to see and my yielding," Bentonville, Ark., junior John Louis said, explaining why stop signs were for squares.
I see my logic is catching on everywhere. Restauranters will demand removal of health standards because they trust their abilities to not
ANARCHY IN THE U.K.
poison people. Doctors will demand allowance to perform surgery in their garages because they trust their abilities to not get sawdust in the incisions. The entire world will become simpler when all rules are replaced with a slight smile and the phrase, "Trust me."
learn the material have been ignored. My creditors also refuse to be more accommodating, despite my several insistences that "I'm good for it." My bathroom scale continues to apply the laws of gravity to my mass, even though I've vouchered for my trustworthiness to not float off into space.
Trust is based on predictability. If I can assume someone will not stab me in the back, I can trust him to stand behind me with a knife. Failing to follow rules except when they are convenient.
"I trust my ability to stay standing on the ground," I said.
"No dice," said the scale, and showed me a number significantly higher than I thought was fair.
It seems some people will
Between traffic tickets and a lack of racks, cyclists have it rough
It looks like a parking garage for bicycles. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of bikes. Red bikes, blue bikes, black bikes, small bikes and large bikes. Locks from dozens of different companies. I'm standing just outside the
The campus has numerous areas that deal with heavy traffic. There are the levianthan buses, ordinary cars and pedestrians trying to cross the street without being taken out by a Hummer. Then there are the bikes. Neither automobiles nor pedestrians, they seem to slip through the cracks.
KU Police treat bikes and their riders like traffic. Running a stop sign on a bike can get the rider a $120 ticket, the same as they'd get if they were driving a car. It's a legitimate safety issue; a cyclist who runs a stop sign can cause a collision—SUV versus
DRAWING BOARD
bike, pick it—in a four-way stop.
however, sort of throws off his predictability. A cyclist who does what he wants might trust himself, but no one else can trust him.
One group who fails to appreciate my viewpoint is my professors. Repeated calls to cancel tests because I can be trusted to
MAX RINKEL
While KU Police are obviously obligated to correct dangerous behavior, the school itself should be doing more to accommodate cyclists.
never get on board with my plan. Until then, though, feel free to run every stop sign you come to, as long as you think you can be trusted to do so.
Minster is a Lawrence senior in economics.
Alternative forms of transportation should be encouraged and supported. KU shouldn't want its roads clogged with cars, not only because it causes congestion, but because of pollution and exhaust fumes. The school should, by all intents and purposes, be falling all over itself to make cycling an appealing
Alter
If only KU could be more like the Dutch.
train station in Amsterdam, a city that loves its bikes. People have plenty of bike racks all over the city, and if they can't find a space, it's cool. Tie it to a light post, a canal rail or a street sign.
choice for students, faculty and other staff.
For one thing, there are not nearly enough bike racks on campus. Three University departments—The Center for Sustainability, Facilities Operations and Design and Construction Management—announced in late August that new racks would be constructed. This is a great start, and hopefully it will help ease some of the congestion on the current racks, and cut down on the number of bikes and mopeds that are impounded.
It's bad enough that there are not enough racks for the number of bikes. Bikes and mopeds that are improperly stored (such as chained to light poles and trees) are impounded without warning at the owners' expense. Cyclists pretty much can't win.
Cycling etiquette on campus should also be clearly spelled out (is it kisher to pass a stopped bus, for example). If buses, cars and bikes continue to clash, a more long-term solution might be to create bike-only lanes and paths on campus. For now, hopefully the creation of more racks will solve the problem.
Cyclists should be subject to the same rules, I agree. However, there's a lot more to be done in supporting cyclists' alternative transportation choices.
If only that massive bike parking garage in Amsterdam could fit on Wescoe Beach.
Hayes is a Lenexa junior in journalism, political science and international studies. She is Kansan opinion editor.
FREE FOR ALL: 864-0500 OR KANSAN.COM/FACEBOOK
I just had a female Marine tell me that joke about the Marine and the Navy man in the bathroom... I'm confused.
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. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
Let's be honest, Talib = Amaz ingness.
The red jerseys are magic.
If any of ya'll feel like there is no reason to get up in the mornings, think again. You might just be lucky enough to run into me!
My best friend and I agree, our math TA is the sexiest guy alive. No, really.
Does anyone else think Jenniler Jones is really pretty? Barney's Chili Hacienda. Any questions?
The best reason to go to the volleyball games? Sarah Wittenauer. She's ssssmmoooookin'
I was born in 1922. He made a million dollars a week, I was born in 1922.
Coke would have a better case against Pepsi for "Taste Infringement" than they would against Coke Zero. That stuff tastes like @$$
Too much anal
The song "She's Out of my Life" by 98 Degrees is my favorite. I HATE my ex-girlfriend. She's nothing but a little bitch and she's naving for it now! I'm happy :)
Another Friday night down the drain. I have two condoms for whoever wants to share them with me. Maybe tomorrow won't be another Saturday down the
My bum-hole itches im- mensely!
Free For All, I'm really bored, I need to fuck something.
The song "She's Out of my Life" by 98 Degrees.
Girls, I need some advice. If my girlfriend has been with about seven guys and I'm a virgin, should I be worried? What should
GUEST COLUMN
That Sex on the Hill party last night was probably the best party I've ever been to. UDK rocks! (Editor's Note: We sure do.)
4th floor of Wescoe smells like a locker room every morning.
Raise your hand if you're sure.
drain.
Woot! Sex on the Hill! Last night's party was amazing! Go Kansan.
Don't forget the ladies! The Bettys will dominate!
I do?
Newly-passed bill supports higher education Measure reduces loan interest rates,increases grants,programs
REP.TODD TIAHRT (R-KAN.)
In order to keep this great nation competitive, everyone should have the opportunity to go to college and receive a quality education. Lately, that has become difficult as college tuition rates increase, leaving students with a large amount of debt after they graduate. This dilemma is causing many students to abandon their dreams of a college education. Yet statistics show almost 80 percent of today's jobs require some postsecondary education and training. Congress recently addressed this critical situation.
With bipartisan support, the College Cost Reduction Act (H.R. 2669), passed both the House and Senate and is expected to be signed into law by President Bush. The measure
will reduce the interest rate for Stafford student loans from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent over a period of four years as well as provide significant increases in Pell Grants. This legislation represents the single largest investment in higher education since the GI bill, and it was accomplished without a tax increase.
Another provision of this important piece of legislation is the TEACH grant program. This program will provide $4,000 grants to promising students who agree to teach in high-poverty schools or in subjects that have a high demand for teachers. It is clear that highly qualified teachers are needed—especially in high-poverty schools.
America is known as the "land of opportunity" and I want to see all young people pursue
their dreams of higher education. I believe lowering interest rates on student loans, increasing the amount of Pell grants, along with funding allocated to programs that help low-income students gain access to college, young people and their families will find a college education more affordable and accessible. This is a goal all Members of Congress should share.
TALK TO US
The approval of the College Cost Reduction Act is one of the few accomplishments of this Congress. I am hopeful we can continue to work together in a bipartisan manner to expand opportunities for young people and help them make their dreams come true. There is much more to be done, but passage of this legislation was a step in the right direction.
Erick R. Schmidt, editor
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Erick R. Schmidt, Eric Jorgensen,
Darla Slipe, Kelsey Hayes, Bryan
Dykman, Brandon T. Minister, Angelique
McNaughton and Benjamin R. Smith