4 Thursday, May 2, 1991 / University Daily Kansan Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Exxon cover-up Propaganda campaign won't clean oil-damaged beaches and wildlife in Prince William Sound Exxon Corp. is trying to use the power of commercialism to soak up its oil spill in Prince William Sound. Perhaps the public will forget that in 1989, 11 million gallons of oil were dumped into an area that is almost as large as Kansas. The oil company has persuaded the mayor of Valdez, Alaska, to star in slick, upbeat commercials promoting tourism. More importantly, maybe the commercials, paid in full by Exxon, will sway some judge into thinking that a $100 million fine is big enough. Tourism in Valdez has not declined since the accident, according to Valdez chamber of commerce officials. There is fear, however, that the public may not choose to visit after they hear the results of a damage assessment survey being worked on by the Oil Pollution Program of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Scientists examining the area for the survey have reported that although the beaches look clean, underneath the sand the oil remains. In some more remote areas, the evidence is not covered up at all. On some beaches that only wildlife see, oil slicks stretch for miles. Although scientists admit they have been surprised by nature's resilience, it will take years for the area to recover from this environmental disaster. Exxon not only created one of the worst environmental disasters in history, but it now is attempting to whitewash the damage in a giant propaganda campaign. It also is using the mayor and chamber of commerce in Valdez to do it. If these commercials are aired, the greatest environmental damage that Exxon would be doing is lulling the public into thinking that one of the worst oil spills in history can be cleaned up and washed away in just two years. Elicia Hall for the editorial board Nutrition reversal USDA bows to pressure, trashes food pyramid T the U.S. Department of Agriculture blew its credibility last week when it threw away its new food pyramid, returning to the outdated wheel of four food groups. The USDA reverted to the classic lineup of meats, dairies, grains, and fruits and vegetables after the powerful meat and dairy industries voiced disapproval of the pyramid. Suggested by leading nutritionists and physicians as a guideline for a healthy diet, the pyramid didn't call for much meat or milk. The wheel of four food groups, of course, does emphasize meat and milk. That's how the meat and dairy producers wanted it when they invented the wheel in the 1940s to encourage people to buy and eat more of their products. So, a large part of the nation's economy grew around the meat and dairy industries. Meanwhile, the products contributed to a nation of deteriorating health, in which heart disease became its worst killer. Cholesterol and saturated fat, prevalent in meat and dairy products, have been shown to lead to heart disease. If the USDA wants to play watchdog for two influential industries, it no longer should pass itself off as an agency for consumers. Rich Cornell for the editional boar Cosmo's dubious dating hints may be demise of civilization I have a startling piece of news that must be shared. It's going to be scary, may downright horrifying, so you may want to sit down. OK. Fine, don't sit down, but when you crash helplessly to the ground in astonishment, don't say I didn't warn you. An article in Cosmopolitan may end civilization as we know it. Now don't get carried away and run screaming toward the nearest bomb shelter. At least not yet. The damage can be slowed, if not stopped, if immediate action is taken. If you read the rest of this column and heed its suggestions, everything should turn out OK. The simple facts are these. A few months back, Cosmopolitan, whose name comes from the Latin root Cosmopi, meaning, "Men are slime," published a list titled, "How to Be a Great Date." The article seemed innocent enough at the time, but I recently began to realize that if the article's feeble-minded suggestions were followed, people might quit dating, and then there would be no relationships. So we should continue on through generations, relations between men and women could cease entirely, ending the world as we know it. Rich Bennett Staff columnist So, as you can see, the situation could become serious. That is why the article's suggestions must be countered immediately. Cosmo tip No. 1: Offer to pay for something, even if it's just for parking or drinks. If a man buys a woman a dozen roses, takes her to a play and treats her to an expensive dinner, chances are pretty good that he can afford a dime for the parking meter. It seems a shade on the unappreciative side for a woman to say, "Oh no, you've already spent way too much money driving around in a car for the parking meter." If a woman does this, later that night she will be digging through her change purse again, this time for bus fare. Cosmo tip No. 2: At the table, be somewhat gestual; butter his hands alongside him. Not only is it degrading for women to act like a Japanese word that few people even know the meaning of, men aren't likely to take very kindly Cosmo tip No. 3: Say, "That's absolutely fascinating!" at least once before the evening is over. to a woman reaching onto his plate to help butter his roll. If you did decide to use this line, you'd have to have been paying close attention before you said it. If a man says "That's absolutely fascinating," after his date just told him why she planted beans instead of corn this year, it could sound a trifle condescending. Cosmo tip No. 4: Don't stop him if he's telling a joke you've already heard. Laugh anyway. Yes, that's right. You hum your date. Cosmo tip No. 5. If he wants to talk about his shrink, hit him. Yours, of course, is strictly off-limits. I wish I was making this stuff up, but I'm not. Cosmo tip No. 6: Give him a tiny present. Really tiny, like a funny button. There were several more tips, but you get the general idea. I hope my suggestions will save civilization as we know it. At the very least, I hope this column has left you saying, "That's absolutely fascinating!" You aren't running for office, so keep those buttons to yourself. Rich Bennett is an Overland Park junior - Rich Bennett is an Overland Park junior Students must help beautify the city, not blame landlords There is something that has been bothering me for many years, something that all of us in Lawrence perhaps notice, but may not think can be changed. That something is the area of Lawrence commonly referred to as the "Student Ghetto." A part of the historical Oread neighborhood, its borders run roughly from Tennessee Street to Alabama Street on the east and west sides, Street to 14th Street on the north and south. This area is largely inhabited by the KU student population — an area of mixed rental rates, quick-build duplexes and complexes, houses badly in need of repair, some nicely maintained older homes and a lot of trash. Marilyn Roy Guest columnist For a long time, I thought that the landlords were to blame for the appearance of these student residential areas. Commonly referred to as "slumlords" by those who had experienced or seen the living conditions in their houses, these people advertised "nice 2-bedroom apt., no pets" each semester, only to have desperate seekers with limited financial options paying deposits on not-sense places that had long since lost their ability to comfortably shelter anyone. In the past four or five years, however, I have joined that select group that must daily hike Mount Oread to attend classes. During this time, I have had the opportunity to observe an interesting phenomenon, that of former ghetto buildings undergoing conversion, and please even the most conservative neighborhood historian, and then watch the students return with their dogs and broken-down porch cushions. Within a few months, the lovely dwellings have doors hanging from hinges, broken porch railings and dog feces in the yard. Late-night beer parties have ruined flowers and trees. The bar glass. I have been forced to conclude that it may not be the landlords after all who have created the "ghetto," but rather the students themselves. In a time when recycling, the greenhouse effect, animal rights and ecological awareness are becoming buzzwords in many households, I would think that college-age people should be best in their immediate surroundings. Recently, when Earth Day brought several campus and community action groups to tables in front of the Kansas Union, I noted a recycling center that supported Society and the campus Vegetarian Society just to name a few participants. Our high-speed, high-tech lifestyle has combined with our self-centeredness to wreak havoc on our planet. And in the midst of it all, on any given weekday, I can walk through neighborhoods fitted with broken beer bottles, beer and soft drink cans, food wrappers, condoms, used tampons, plastic bags, loose paper and animal wastes. Sometimes the wind decorates neighborhood trees with sheets of newspaper or plastic produce bags. Ironically, along many of these curbies, some of the bottles are unbroken bottles ready for pick-up by the recycling organization. I realize that not all students are careless. Doubtless, there are many student residences in Lawrence that are clean, orderly and pleasant. Many students do care very much for the homes in which they live. Yet, a very definite problem does exist, not only in the Oread neighborhood, but in areas all over Lawrence that serve or house University students. I suppose that an argument in support of the students could be built along the lines of: "What about all the other people who litter?" What about the non-students who regularly cigarettes, banana peels (it's organic, it'll biodegrade) and fast food trash out their car windows or on the street? Why don't you talk to them? Well, there's a good possibility that there's a connection between the behavior of the KU students and those other litterers. However, those others are not our concern for the moment. KU students are the hometowns of this column. This reputation of their "ghetto" is the focus of this column. How can we make the student "ghetto" a safe place to be? I'd like to propose what may be a simple solution. Why not start applying our ecological consciousness to our own front yards? s a Lawrence senior majoring in speech, language and hearing LETTERS to the EDITOR Investing in education I believe that a 2.5 percent salary increase will trigger an exodus among our best faculty and staff over the next 12 months. Many will have lost faith in the state government and its sustained commitment to education. The same will true at all the other Regents universities. It is regitreatable that too many legislators support higher education with words only, rather than deeds. The lack of such deeds of the state's long-term interests. It is an utter outrage to hike tuition and fees significantly while cutting the budget. Students will be the clear losers in any such action. I continue to hope that something meaningful can be salvaged in the closing hours of this legislative session. But I find absolutely no comfort in the fact that most other states are experiencing financial difficulties. Chancellor Gene Budig Now is the time for Kansas to step forward and regain our lost momentum. We are not a poor state. We are not the young people and in their futures. Sexual misinformation I wonder sometimes whether writing letters to the newspaper makes a difference, but once again I felt comfortable to respond to a public display of ignorance. Less than two weeks after GALA week, Dan Amego traped out a few of the more common stereotypes surrounding sexual orientation: Gay people could change if they would just try, pedophilia is linked to being gay or lesbian, etc. He seems to want to us to believe that he knows more about the true causes of homosexuality than gays and lesbians themselves or people who have done scientific research in the field. It is adequate information about sexuality that Amego needs. The fact is that scientists don't know for what causes a person to be heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual. Current theories seem to indicate that we are programmed before birth by hormones to respond to the sex hormones and with sexes. Very few researchers say that it is a completely free choice. And as for not thinking through their decision, why does Amego think that many people wait until college to come out? What were these people doing in high school? Many times they were weighing their right to be who they were against societal homophobia, which is influenced by mostly inaccurate, irrational beliefs about gay and lesbian people. A lot of them came to the conclusion that this is the way they are and that their choices were to hide this or express it proudly. If Amega believes that being gay is bad and that gay and lesbian people should change, why does he 't just come right out and say it? By it?' Amiga asks. 'Why not action', he has only proven how little he knows about the subject. Liz Massey Mission senior KANSAN STAFF CHRIS SIRON Editor RICH CORNELL Managing editor TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser AUDRA LANGFORD Business manager MINDI LUND Retail sales manager JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser by David Rosenfield Editors Business staff News Melanie Matthes Campus sales mgr. Sophie Wehbe Editorial Tiffany Harness Regional sales mgr. Carmen Dresch Planning Holly M. Neuman National sales mgr. Jennifer Claxton Campus Jennifer Reynolds Co-op sales mgr. Christine Musser Pam Sollier Production mgrs. Rich Harbarger Sports Ann Sommerlath Kate Stader Photography Keith Thorpe Marketing director Eglin Emblinder Graphics Melissa Unterberg Creative director Chrisy Hats Features Jill Harmington Classified manager Cik Crowder 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 and staff position. Guest columns should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The writer will be photographed. The Kansas reserves the right to reject or edit letters, guest column and cartoons. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansas newroom, 111 Staffer-Fin Hall. Sketch 1