OPINION FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2005 staff chline immer 'ean meet have lege. anted talk. WWW.KANSAN.COM AS I SEE IT PAGE 7A Pay heed when entering Phog, Roy's ghost still resides here BOB JOHNSON bjohnson@kansan.com We miss Roy Williams. Admit it everybody. If you have been a Jayhawk fan for more than two years you know exactly what I am talking about. It is not that we have turned on coach Bill Self, which we should not do, or that we even lament his presence, which we do not. The matter of fact is that the Williams hangover has not quite worn off yet at the University of Kansas. I don't need to tell you how much Williams was loved by the Kansas community. The adoration for him was about more than basketball; it was about a person who represented an institution as a whole. Coach Williams was not only the face of an athletic team, he was the national spokesman for the Jayhawk nation. He was loyal and humble and didn't give a you-know- what about North Carolina — neither did we until two years ago. Who believed that coach Williams would stay at Kansas for the rest of his career? Who knew in their heart that he would be standing at center court when the next national championship banner was unfurled from the rafters at Allen Fieldhouse? I wish you could see me right now, because my hand is raised high. If coach Williams wanted a legacy, this was the institution to build it. He had the opportunity to have monuments made of himself in following the Tar Heels during the last two seasons I would call you a liar. Kansas fans tried not to give a youknow-what about Williams after he left, but breakups are just not that easy. Our divorce with him did not end on good terms, no matter how hard you try to gloss it over. That rocky separation made it all the more excruciating to watch him win the big one with another program after failing to do so time and time again while he was here. We tried to be happy for Williams but our hearts were not in it, especially after his former Jayhawk recruits went down in the first round to a no-namer. That should have been us, many Jayhawk loyalists thought. That should have been Roy and Wayne cutting down the net in St. Louis together. Besides, could you Kansas fans tried not to give a you-know-what about Williams after he left, but breakups are just not that easy. Our divorce with him did not end on good terms, no matter how hard you try to gloss over it. Kansas, and while coach Williams might have said that he wouldn't want that, my guess is that he would not have fought it either. I had faith that our beloved coach could resist the charms of his alma mater and of the man who had once resisted his own, Dean Smith. In the end it was that former Jayhawk turned Tar Heel who prevailed and lured Williams back home. If you were to tell me that you have not been see Simien taking off his jersey and flaunting it around the arena after the victory? Come on, where's the class? I could almost hear The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" playing in the background. We have one question to ask ourselves now: Is it right to try desperately to love someone when you still miss another? Sometimes in order to keep going that is all we can do. Maybe now that the main staple of Williams-generation students will soon graduate it will help us all to move on and give up the ghost. As long as Wayne, Keith, Aaron and Mike were on the floor, it was inevitable to catch ourselves glancing at the bench from time to time to see what Williams thought about a bad call or muffed play. Maybe the departure of those great players will help us to forgive and forget the departure of a great coach and embrace a new era of Kansas basketball more focused on the Self. - Johnson is an Edmond, Okla., senior in journalism COACHING RECORDS FOR SELF AND WILLIAMS
Self at KansasWilliams at North Carolina
2004-2005All games23-733-4
Conference12-414-2
NCAA Tournament0-16-0
2003-2004All games24-919-11
Conference12-48-8
NCAA Tournament3-11-1
Source: Kansas and North Carolina athletics departments LETTER TO THE EDITOR Kansan's Pride Week coverage dissapointing; needs controversy to show homophobic society I am writing a complaint about The University Daily Kansan's coverage of Pride Week as of far. There seems to be sufficient coverage of Black Love this week. There also was a story about the Asian Festival this week. But where's the story on Pride Week? We had an event on Monday called the "Kiss In." There was a photographer there, and it looked like she got some pretty good shots. But what I don't understand is the photo the paper published. It was of two women hugging. It wasn't of two guys kissing or even two guys hugging. The event was a "Kiss In" not a "Hug In," which was what the photo showed. Two women hugging in today's society is not controversial. It doesn't put to light how heterocentric and homophobic our society is about two people of the same-sex sharing a kiss. Why does the Kansan shy away from the LGBT community when it comes to issues like these? David Ta Wichita senior education studies Pride Week 2005. The LGBT community has been rocking this week with its Kiss-In, drag queens and rock opera. Not to be missed is this weekend's musical performance of a transgendered operation gone horribly awry. Attendance policies. Go to class? Honestly, with the weather as beautiful as it's been, how can we be expect- ed to sit in a sterile classroom? We all need to take a day off to enjoy spring. REPORT CARD Pass: Fail: TALK TO US Andrew Vaupel, editor 884-4814 or avaupel@kansan.com Donovan Atkinson, Mlily Huber, Amanda Kim Stikrelt and Marissa Stephenson managing editors 844-8410 or editor@kanan.com German and communication studies Steve Vockrott Steve Francoviglia opinion editors 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.org 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com Ashleigh Dyck, business manager 864-4358 or advertising@kansan.com Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news adviser 884-7687 or mgibson@kansan.com Danielle Bose, retail sales manager 884-4358 or advertising@kansan.com Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser 864-7686 or jeweaver@kansan.com EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS David Archer, Viva Bolova, John Byerley, Chase Edgerton, Wheaton Elkins, Paige Higgins, Matt Hoge, John Kyle Koch, Doug Lang, Kevin McKernan, Mike Mostafa, Erica Prather, LETTER GUIDELINES Erick Schmidt, Devin Sikes, Gaby Souza, Sarah Stacy and Anne Weltmer. SUBMISSIONS The Kansan welcomes letters to the editors 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 Steve Vockrodt or Laura Francoviglia at 864-4924 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com. General questions should be directed to the editor at editor@kanan.com **Maximum Length:** 200 word limit **Include:** Author's name and telephone number; class, hometown (student); position (faculty member); phone number (will not be published) Maximum Length: 650 word limit Include: Author's name; class, home- town (student); position (faculty member); phone number (will not be pub- lished) GUEST COLUMN GUIDELINES **Also:** The Kansan will not print guest columns that attack another columnist. SUBMIT TO Steve Sack/STAR TRIBUNE Kansan newroom 111 Staufer-Flint Hall 143 Jawayh Blvd. Lawrence, KS 66045 (785) 664-8410 opinion@kansan.org ▼ SACK'S PERSPECTIVE CITIZEN OF THE WORLD Foreign cultures conduce life-changing experiences Culture shock can lead to personal transformation. Last summer, I went to Chennai, in the South of India, and I had trouble adapting to a new culture, so I started questioning everything in my life. JULIA MELIM COELHO jcoelho@kansan.com I was supposed to be in a theater program, but that never happened because the never happened because the theater group had a financial crisis. But what seemed like a disaster turned out to be an experience that changed my outlook on the world. Going through both positive and negative experiences helped me understand a reality I hardly knew existed. My first three days in India were a nightmare. I was shocked by the poverty of most of the people. I did not stay in a five-star hotel, like many tourists, but lived in a shantytown. Also I was afraid I could become ill if I drank the water or ate I learned that I should not leave the house unless somebody from the theater group accompanied me because I could be attacked for being white and for being a foreigner. I was shocked to know these were regular procedures for foreigners. Facing all these negative aspects of India and believing my life was in danger, food prepared in the village. I did not have treated water in my house, and it was surrounded by a trash site, so I was fearful of contracting malaria. I said I wanted to leave India immediately. There were some aspects of the culture that bothered me, such as oppression of women. One night I was having dinner at a restaurant and My friends made me question the life I had led in the West. They showed me how empty my life was, because I focused on materialistic values. Then the director of the theater group said I should give India a chance, and he introduced me to the actors whom made me feel welcome. They would bring me food and take me around the city. Somebody would always accompany me to the house to make sure I was safe. I felt they cared about me even though I was a stranger. engaging in a conversation with some girls, but we were soon reheated by one of the producers because only men could speak "loudly." The men at the table told us women should not laugh in public. This led me to question how oppressed women still are in India and how much women have achieved in the West, which is what they called anybody who is from North, Central or South America and Europe. Indian culture also deals with relationships differently. Romantic relationships are only allowed after marriage. I did not feel comfortable talking about dating, because this was taboo. But some young people break the social rules and have secret relationships without telling their parents. Even then, the relationships are based in friendship and respect, rather than physical contact. My friends made me question the life I had led in the West. They showed me how empty my life was, because I focused on materialistic values. The actors taught me happiness is not necessarily associated with material achievements. lived in poverty, but I have never been so happy. Even though the people had poor living conditions, they didn't have any material ambitions. They were happy as they were. I don't see the world in the same way since I went to India, and I don't think I ever will. It was a very contradictory experience. I Sometimes it takes culture shock to realize that materialism cannot truly make you happy. Being in a foreign place and letting yourself become vulnerable to your surroundings can help you understand other realities and be open to enriching life experiences. Challenge yourself. Step outside, and find out what it really is that makes you happy. - Melin Coelho is a Rio De Janiero, Brazil, sophomore in film and journalism. Free for All Call 864-0500 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. For more calls, go to www.kansan.com. Benedict XVI looks about as healthy as John Paul II did on Easter Sunday. + My boy John Randle needs respect, and if you fools can't give it to him, you deserve to be knocked out by him. ♦ + Do anarchists leash their dogs? I'm pretty sure 4/20 is a holiday created by the fast food industry to boost sales for their spring quarter. Anyone who smoked up on 4/20 just celebrated Hirter's birthday. Happy Smoke-Weed-Until-You-Pass-Out-In-A-Pile-Of- Cheetos Day. I wonder what sort of an impact 4/20 has on the sale of Jimmy John's and Yello Sub, because both of those sound really good right now. Word to the J-School! Beyond article selection, if you actually edited articles, perhaps more people would take our paper seriously and view us professionally. The men's basketball team is being very fairly compensated with its free rides to school and its private jets. Give me a break. I just found out on Facebook that the first boy I ever kissed turned out gay. ♦ Does anybody else notice how the pope's picture in today's Kansan looks like he just made a three-pointer? The pope for three! Yes! It's good! We also decided that the pope could probably shoot threes better than J.R. Giddens. + Oh my god, I just got donkey-punched. Save me!