OPINION
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PUBLISHED DAILY SINCE 1912
CRAIG LANG. Editor
4A
CRAG LANG, Editor
SUSANNA LOOP, Managing editor
KIMBERLY CRABTREE, Editorial editor
TOM EBILEN, General manager, news adviser
MARK OZMEEK, Business manager
DENNIS HAUPT, Retail sales manager
JUSTIN KNUPP, Technology coordinator
JAY STEINER, Sales and marketing adviser
Tuesday, April 15, 1997
Jeff MacNelly / KANSAN
Editorials
Specific majors should be printed on diplomas for students in CLAS
Many University graduates may be surprised when they get their diplomas next month. That's because in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, diplomas do not have the student's specific major printed on them. Only the degree type, like bachelor's of art or bachelor's of science, is printed on the diploma. This shortchanges graduating students and needs to change.
This is because the University of Kansas might not have the computing power necessary to track different majors within the college, said Bob Turvey, assistant registrar. All majors must have a number assigned to them in the University database. To track each of these, the current database needs many more numbers in the system — a quantity perhaps beyond its capacity.
Diplomas for students graduating in CLAS don't give the student's major.
However, the database will be replaced within the next year or so, Turvey said. When this happens, students should get their major印 printed on their diploma.
Students graduating with bachelor's degrees in psychology, biology, philosophy, or any other major in the college have worked hard for their diplomas, and they deserve to see their accomplishments on paper.
Students in speciality schools, like the School of Business and the School of Social Welfare, get a degree that recognizes their specific accomplishments,
which they deserve. But it isn't fair that in another discipline, in which students put in just as much time and effort, no such recognition is given. Despite the inconvenience to the administration, it must grant some concession to the students it serves.
A small thing as the lack of a major printed on the diploma might not seem like a huge injustice, but it does the college's students a disservice. Some schools have corrected this practice and begun printing majors on each student's diploma, Turvey said, and the University will soon have the capability to do so.
When that computing power is available, it must be taken advantage of. Students graduating in majors within the college need to be given specific recognition.
GERRY DOYLE FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Fall Break would let students relax
Something is definitely missing from the Fall Timetable of Classes. Students at the University of Kansas may not notice it, however, because it is something they do not expect to see. This mystical something which has eluded students, faculty and staff at the University for too long is a fall break.
Every spring, students get a weeklong break from the worries of class. During this week, they can opt to take a break from their education and just enjoy themselves. Students deserve an opportunity to do the same during the fall semester.
The Board of Regents requires that Regents universities schedule classes for 150 days during the year, not counting the summer semester. Therefore, simply canceling a few days of class to establish a fall break is not likely.
But imagine having a few days, possibly even a full week, in mid-October when classes are as far out of mind as they are during spring break. A university is a place designated for higher
Taking a few days off in October would give everyone a break.
learning, but a break from stress could advance that purpose.
Carol Holstead, the chairwoman of the University's Calendar Committee, agreed. A fall break would be a wonderful way for students to rest and get a little peace of mind, she said. However, scheduling restrictions make this break nearly impossible to create.
But nearly impossible does not mean impossible. Holstead said most members of the Committee agreed that a fall break was something to strive for. But for students to get it, they may have to make sacrifices.
Although the University doesn't consider religious holidays when setting vacation dates, scheduling classes through Christmas is probably not what students want. Classes cannot start much earlier to make room for a break
because faculty and staff would not be under contract to work. A semester must be 75 days long, not including finals.
Still, there are a few days throughout the semester that the Committee could juggle to create a break. Classes could be held on Labor Day. The final exam period could be shortened to five days instead of six. Stop Day could be eliminated, and the semester could start a day or two earlier.
However, students are accustomed to having these days free. Holstead said that although a fall break was a great idea, it would be difficult to take current vacation days away from students to create it.
Holstead said that students' opinions matter greatly and that she would welcome any comments or opinions by e-mail at holstead@falcon.cu.ukans
If a few days or even a week off in the fall sounds appealing, let her know. Although she might not be able to respond to everyone, students' ideas will definitely be considered.
CODY SIMMS FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
NEWS EDITORS
LATINA SULLIVAN ... Associate Editorial
KRISTIE BLASI ... News
NOVELDA SOMMERS ... News
LESLIE TAYLOR ... News
AMANDA TRAUGHBER ... News
TARA TRENYAR ... News
DAVID TESKA ... Online
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GINA THORNBURG ... Associate Sports
BRADLEY BROOKS ... Campus
LINDSEY HENRY ... Campus
DAVE BIETENSTEIN ... Features
PAM DISIMAN ... Photo
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ANDY ROHRBACK ... Graphics
ANDREA ALBRIGHT ... Wire
LIZ MUSSER ... Special sections
AERICA VEAZEY ... News clerk
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ANNETTE HOOVER . . . National
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DARCI McLAIN . . . Production
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ALLISON PIERCE . . . Special sections
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How to submit letters and guest columns
Letters: Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown if a university student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
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All letter and guest columns should be submitted to the Kansen newroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kansen reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Kimberly Crabtree (opinion@kansen.com) or LaTina Sullivan (isiluillan@kansen.com) at 864-4810.
Column
Critics overlook merits of television for young
Television gets a bad reputation. Child psychiatrists have declared that watching too much of it will turn a kid's brain into Jell-O, the sole exception to that rule being Sesame Street, which it is universally agreed that a kid can't watch enough of. It is important to point out that this exception is not made for the educational content of the
show, but rather because Grover has about 90 percent of our nation's child psychiatrists on the take.
Adult critics of the medium, traditionally fat males who honestly believe that they originate from the planet Vulcan, say that there hasn't been anything good on since Starfire let a woman take any significant office on the bridge of the Enterprise. And all of this is not even taking into account additional
Luckily, all their favorite programs will be there for them, keeping them company and helping them deal with problems teens face every day. And they do so in a manner that never, ever panders to them or treats them as a lucrative, exploitable demographic. One such show that fits this criteria is Beverly Hills, 90210's high school years. This show started to suck when the gang from West Beverly High went to college and Ian Ziering, who plays Steve, the lovable frat rat with a heart of gold, started to look his age, which is somewhere close to 50.
extensive scientific research proving that if a television was dropped on you from a tall building, it would almost definitely cause some kind of undetermined cranial damage. The boob tube is in bad shape, indeed.
I'll never forget the episode when Brandon's nutty girlfriend, Emily Valentine, slipped him a mickey, got him high and made him make out with her on the hood of his car. This gave Dylan a chance to brood, as only a 30-year-old playing 17 can, upon discovery of Brandon's condition. These events touched me because this same thing had happened to me the previous weekend, and I just didn't know how to cope. I can honestly say that 90210 saved my life. Watching this show, along with a steady stream of other intelligent programming such as Saved By the Bell and California Dreams — which also have catchy theme songs — should result in a well-balanced child who doesn't have any issues whatsoever concerning inferiority or how to properly use styling gel.
But I watched a lot of television as a kid, and I turned out OK, or at least I have gained the skill of deluding myself into thinking so. These critics are ignoring all the wonderful things we have to gain from this beloved device.
There is, of course, the aforementioned Sesame Street, which proves a little-known theory by an anonymous scientist. It states that learning about colors, numbers, and the alphabet — both vowels and consonants, though strangely not much coverage is given to the elusive and confounding "schwa" sound — is much easier when taught by the Muppets. In an actual classroom, there is constant distraction courtesy of both the teacher and odd little Timmy who constantly wets his pants.
Those child psychiatrists have failed to note that children need the guidance that television provides through thoughtful, socially relevant and redeeming broadcasting. Without it, the youth of today would be in the gutter or at least more so.
That, however, is not the case. When a child starts to blossom into the teenage years, he or she needs the warm glow of television more than ever. And so do parents, who are sick of being accused by their offspring of kidnapping them from a much cooler family who smokes pot in the living room.
ing tool for preschoolers and also a remedial tool for some college students, perhaps some of the hoopla would be warranted.
I suppose if the only redeeming quality television could provide was an above-average learn
Some studies, not particularly reputable ones but some nevertheless, show that kids who watch seven to eight hours of television a day make the best students of all. If you are one of these people, count yourself lucky. Your future is bright no matter how much television you watch, unless you watch so much you start to consider Screech Powers a role model, and then you are doomed to a life of loneliness and despair.
Robert Bishop is a Wichita senior In English and film.
Letters
Letter misunderstood Ebonics stance
Jake Harwood's March 31 letter responding to my March 11 letter reflects careless misreading and irresponsible reporting. My letter objectively assessed weak arguments presented at a Feb. 10 Ebonics lecture by Robert C. Williams, properly concluding that it was irresponsible on *Williams' evidence* to classify Ebonics as a language, a conclusion too elusive for Harwood, who misstates my point. Nor did I suggest that the only difference between Ebonics and standard English are minor phonetic differences, as Harwood reports, but that phonetic differences alone are insufficient to support Ebonics as a language, a difference apparently too subtle for Harwood.
His defense of Ebonics fails. His implied argument (Languages have rules; Ebonics has rules, therefore Ebonics is a language) is a non sequiter. Furthermore, he fails to address why Ebonics speakers from different regions follow different rules. Harwood then insists Ebonics speakers consciously use "he be happy" instead of "he is happy" to articulate something other than "he is happy right now." But his conspicuous failure to define the former phrase blunts his point, notwithstanding that happiness, unlike gladness, is not a momentary condition. Incidentally, the logical, syntactical structure of those phrases is identical, contradicting Harwood's claim that Ebonics is syntactically completely different from English. Thus Harwood's defense fails because of incoherence. One needn't be a linguist to recognize logical inconsistencies.
The faddish attitude that there are no facts or objective truths and that different opinions properly replace right and wrong pervades soft, unrigorous academic disciplines. That philosophically untenable attitude engenders intellectual dishonesty, in the name of political correctness or pseudo-egalitarian patronizing, concerning issues about which neither should be a part. Ebonics is one such issue. Advocates, of course, are fettered in the search for truth by their own zeal.
Ramon Ziadie
Ramon Ziadie Miami law student and graduate student
Kansan innaccurately reported interview
The University Daily Kansan's April 7 article on child care was not an accurate portrayal of my interview. I am against the administration's solution of the problem of inadequate child care on this campus. In my interview, I tried to show that the administration wished to resolve the problem by making a half-compromise to the petitioners. The administration requested that we, the people who got signatures and the people who signed the petition, should remove the referendum from the ballot if we wanted phase one of the facility built. The administration only made the plea to build half of the proposed child care center after the petition was brought to their attention. The way that the University supports the new child care center is only on their terms. This is not an acceptable policy for the University to be abiding by.
The students, faculty, staff and community should not allow the administration's obvious use of power to silence us, or, more importantly, this issue. The referendum will be on the ballot. I ask for your support in favor of it and in favor of our future, the children.
Jen Keltner
Wichita senior
Unite coalition wasn't treated fairly in Kansan
We are four liberal, non-Greek politically educated students who voted for the Unite coalition. We take offense to many of the supposedly objective articles presented by The University Daily Kansan. We feel that the Kansan needs to shift its emphasis to objective coverage of the issues.
The minimal coverage of the debates failed to include information pertinent to students' interests. Debate encompasses the purest method of revealing the candidates' position on issues. Because few people attended the debates, it is the Kansan's duty to provide adequate, unbiased and correct information about the event. In failing to do this, the debate article took second to the headline accusing Unite of failure to report the "professional" help of Travis Harrod. This article was based on insufficient evidence, most of which came from an
uninformed source. We think Stevie Case may be biased against Unite because she failed in her own campaign. In truth, Harrod lived out of town during the time Case was running the coalition.
When the Kansan accused Delta Force of vandalism, the coverage was miniscule in comparison to this less severe complaint against Unite. If the Kansan wants to emphasize the negative, it should have reported on Jason Blitzell's and Matt Caldwell's blitant bashing of Unite's intentions and character at the debates.
The Kansan has denied Unite fair representation by taking the emphasis off of the issues. When students pick up the Kansan they believe what they read. Try not to let your political affiliations blind you from the truth.
Omaha, Neb., sophomore
■ Margot Herster
Overland Park sophomore
■ Heather Mitchell
Omaha, Neb., sophomore
■ Becky Limanni
St. Louis sophomore
Almee Mitchell
Omaha, Neb., sophomore
Child care center vital to University's mission
As a parent of a Hilltop preschooler, I am delighted that the University plans to help finance a new child care center. And as a former public official, I commend Provost Shulenburger and Chancellor Hemenway for having the maturity and self-confidence to change their position in light of demonstrated community needs.
Everyone will benefit from Hilltop's expansion. A modern employer and higher-educational facility like the University will recognize that child care is vital to its mission.
Hilltop's first-class reputation helped bring my wife and me to Lawrence. Our experience since August 1996 has confirmed that reputation, and we look forward to helping Pat Pisani and the Hilltop family realize the goal of expanded child care opportunities for more students, faculty and staff.
On behalf of our son, who thinks it's cool that his friends will soon get a new building, I urge the administration to press ahead with this important task.
Karl Brooks Lawrence graduate student