4 University Daily Kansan/Wednesday, November 13, 1991 OPINION Military homophobia Exclusion of homosexuals needs to change Pentagon officials have recently said they would not change their position on banning gays and lesbians from the military. According to a section in the Pentagon's policy, gays and lesbians are excluded from ROTC scholarships and commissions. The Pentagon's policy is in conflict with a KU policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, creed, ethnicity, sexual orientation and irrelevant disabilities. The Pentagon has stated in the past that gays and lesbians in the military could jeopardize morale, order and dis- cipiine. This is ridiculous. It is only an archaic homophobia that could reduce morale or cause problems, and that is not the fault of gay and lesbian members of the military but rather the narrow minds of others. The Pentagon's policy is in direct opposition to the whole purpose of U.S. government, which is supposed to protect minorities and consist of the people, by the people and for the people. Gays and lesbians are people. The military is a branch of the government and should be held accountable by the same standards as the rest of the government and all other employers in the countrv. But the responsibility to lobby for a change on the KU campus is everyone's, not just gays' and lesbians'. To be silent when discrimination occurs on our own campus is to condone it. Letters about sexual discrimination should be sent to congressional representatives. It seems that the only way the Pentagon will change its outdated regulation is by legislative force. That will not happen until representatives are made aware of the vastness of this problem. Amy Francis for the editorial board Apartment flooding Situation at Stouffer Place demands action It's raining outside. It's raining inside. The apartment you live in looks like Lake Erie. Question: Weredo you live? Answer: Stouffer Place apartments. Thanks to a contractor's mishandling of building renovations, several residents at the complex have had to live in conditions more suited for fish than human beings. Water levels of more than an inch have been reported in some of the apartments, and at least a couple of residents have had several hundred dollars of damage done to their property. The response? The lukewarm assurance from student housing that Plunkett Construction, the contractor who did not complete the renovations, would eventually pay for the damages. The contractor was hired, at a cost of $146,000, to place pitched roofs on three buildings. What Plunkett Construction actually did was drill large holes in the roofs of the apartments and leave it at that. The rest of the work was never completed. To add insult to injury, after the initial flooding, the manager told victims of the contractor's negligence that the apartments' maintenance staff would not clean up. "inconvenience" seem to be catch words for a situation that, for some residents, should be termed a disaster. As things now stand, black roofing paper is a temporary solution to the leakage in Stouffer Place apartments. More action needs to be taken, and it needs to be taken immediately. No delays are excusable. Aquariums are for fish. "Eventually," "temporary" and Editorials reflect the opinion of the University Daily Kansan editorial board. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the board. Opinions expressed in guest and staff columns and cartoons are soley those of the author or artist. Views expressed in columns and cartoons are not necessarily shared by the Kansan. Kevin Bartels for the editorial board Editorial board members are: Benjamin Allen, Kevin Bartles, James Baucom, Michael Dick, Amy Francis, Clarissa Jackson, Ellen Kuwana, Holly Lawton, Holly Neuman, John Noltensmeyer, Karen Park, Jennifer Reynolds, Jennifer Tanous, Jose Vasquez, Julie Wasson and Frank Williams. LETTERS to the EDITOR Don't condemn lesbians, gays Concerning gay and lesbian issues, I was thrilled to see the quick response of the two gay men who were verbally harassed by the bus driver recently, and just as thrilled by the administration's response. And how wonderful to discover that we have a program for lesbian and gay concerns here at the University of Kansas. I was also glad to see the article on female impersonators in Friday's Kansan (although I've heard that many are heterosexual). Lesbians and gays are an important part of our culture as a whole and definitely are everywhere: teachers, students, judges, actors, professional athletes, etc. Unfortunately, because of a great deal of fear and hatred for differences in our culture (called "homophobia" in the case of fear and hatred of lesbians and gays), very few people are free to be open about who their life partners are. It confuses me to see how people can praise movies full of violence (rape, murder, etc.) , then condemn two people who love each other simply because they are of the same sex. Their love hurts no one. Indeed, any couple who can stay together for more than five years in this culture should be an inspiration for us all, whether it be a heterosexual or homosexual couple. Love is the key here, not hate. And for those out there who think that gays are "perverted", I have heard that a majority of child molesters are heterosexual men. Think about it. Su Henry Graduate student Different ideas are not wrong It is pathetic that the University of Kansas indulges in academic reprisal and that disciplines or departments stifle truth — such truth that goes contrary to the self-fashioned image needed for the survival of that group. A case in point is that of the KU psychology professor in an Oct. 28 *Kansas* article. He felt the need to resign because of pressure from his department for his position that psychology is not a science. An absolutely necessary condition for the scientific method to be applicable is that the object of investigation must be without will; that is, it cannot have a will of its own. In other words, this object (of investigation) has no power or control over its destiny. It is governed entirely by the impersonal laws of nature. Of such, for example, is stone. The flight (trajectory) of a stone is decided entirely by the impersonal laws of nature. The stone has absolutely no control over its pathway or destiny. In distinct contrast to the above, the object of investigation of psychology, which is the human mind, behavior or personality, is essentially a will. It is this personal will, not the impersonal laws of nature, that decides on its trajectory, so to say. Note that one must clearly distinguish and separate out the human mind, with its will, from the human body, which is without will. Thus, if you jump from a cliff, and will that the body not be hurt, it won't work, for the body, which is without will, comes entirely under the impersonal laws of nature. From the above, the scientific method and conclusions are not applicable to psychology. Therefore, it is not a science. That it is a science is a great hoax hoisted upon an unsuspecting and gullible society, creating the vast credibility of a science, so that today, courts, mental institutions and other agencies decide the fate of a criminal or a child (in a custody case, for example) significantly upon the "report" of psychologists and social workers. Such manner of defense is a telltale sign that the discipline is not a science, for jurisdiction over something being science is made by nature and not 110 human authorities. Only non-sciences quote human authorities for their defense. Another psychology professor quoted in the article said the professor under pressure to resign was entitled to his own opinion but that opinion conflicted with the 110 members of the National Psychology Association, which considers psychology a science. To put pressure on one for his different, tenable position, in this case the truth, and make him resign is not only academic reprisal, but worse, antidischolarship. T.S. David English graduate student Outfits cause embarrassment We read the article titled "Cheer-leaders fight to end stereotypes" in the Friday's special section to the Kansan and were absolutely floated at Elaine Brady's comment. She said, "Everyone is educated on sports. But no one is educated on cheerleading. I see them all as athletes in a sport. People see them as figures in a short skirt. There are sexual overtones." Does that honestly surprise you? How can there not be "sexual overtones" when they're dressed the way they are? ! We think it is best summed up in the statement overheard at a football game this fall from a male student sitting behind us who caught sight of the Crimson Girls' outfits and said, "Well, that certainly doesn't leave a lot to the imagination." We support the Crimson Girls and the cheerleaders, and we appreciate all the hard work and long hours they put in to support our school, but we are embarrassed to be represented by them when they are so provocatively dressed. We are not feminists, but we would appreciate if you would represent our sex less as sexual objects and more as the athletes that you are. Elizabeth Young, Lakewood, Colo. senior Amy Young, Lakewood, Colo. graduate student Where To Send Letters or Columns 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall Lawrence KS 66045 Letters should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words. They must include the writer's signature, name, address and telephone number. Writers affiliated with the University of Kansas must include class and hometown or faculty or staff position. Guest questions should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 750 words. The writer will photograph them. The Kansas reserves the right to reject letters, guest columns and cartoons. KANSAN STAFF HOLLY LAWTON Editor JENNIFERREYNOLDS Managing editor TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser Editors Editors News Erik Schutz Editorial Karen Park Planning Sarah Davis Campus Eric Gorki Spot Mike Andrews Photo Brian Schooni Features Tiffany Harness Graphics Melissa Unterberg KATIE STADER Business manager RICH HARSHBARGER Retail sales manager JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser Business Staff Campus sales mgrs Leanna Bryant Regional sales mgrs Jennifer Claxton National sales mgrs David McWilaine Co-op sales mgrs Lisa Keeler Production mgrs Jay Steiner, Marketing director Wendy Stertz Creative director David Haligher Classified mgrs Jennifer Jacquot Business Staff Letters should be typed, double-space and fewer than 200 words. They must include the writer's signature, name, and contact information, with the University of Kansas campus and hometown, or faculty or staff position. Guest columns should be typed, double-space and fewer than 700 words. The writer will be photographed. The Kawaiens reserve the right to reject or edit letters, guest cartons and cartoons. They can be sent to the Kawaiens office at 150 W. 34th Street, New York, NY 10016. Last Hurrahs SO MR.COSBY, YOU SAY I'M STUCK HERE IN UMBO WITH ALL THE OTHER WASHED UP SINGERS, ACTORS, GONC SCRUB CHARACTERS AND by Mike Romane