4A Friday, April 19, 1996 OPINION UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN VIEWPOINT Student complaints need attention from department Students in a Western Civilization I section are upset because they feel they did not receive proper treatment from the department of Western Civilization while their teacher was away on leave. The graduate teaching assistant was gone from many classes before spring break because of a personal emergency. There is a serious discrepancy between the stories of the students and the department that needs to be worked out. The students claim they never had a substitute teacher, while the department insists the class always was covered. It is not difficult to realize that one or both parties are not telling the whole truth; the question is, which side is not being completely honest? What would the students gain from lying? They may be upset, but it is doubtful they all would organize and conspire against the department. The students obviously are discouraged by the situation of their class this semester and deserve THE ISSUE: Western Civilization I an explanation. And why would the department of Western Civilization lie? It is doubtful that it knowingly would not provide a teacher for a class for almost half of a semester. Students have a right to be concerned, and they deserve to be treated with respect by the department. The department of Western Civilization and the students have a different idea of what happened in the class. They should be able to work out their problems so that this discrepancy does not happen again. The department of Western Civilization should be concerned if a class full of students has complaints with the way it has been treated. The department should meet and work with the students in the class to deal with their complaints. It is important for both sides in the disagreement to work out the differences with each other and for the truth to be told. TARA FITZPATRICK FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD Neglecting to join clubs now could create regrets later We all have walked by the bulletin boards and noticed the sheets of paper informing us of the next school club meetings. However, most of us just probably run on by, thinking that we have more important things in which to involve ourselves. A college education is supposed to prepare the average student to combat the dangers of the real world. The University of Kansas offers students many opportunities to join professional clubs in their majors, but nobody is showing up. Students aren't recognizing that they have these great opportunities. Teachers and advisers need to start publicizing professional clubs to insure participation because fliers aren't enough. Shannon Cleverley, Fredonia graduate student, said she couldn't find any club regarding her interest in health education, so she did what any enterprising student would do — she formed a local branch of THE ISSUE: School clubs the Association for Worksite Health Promotion. Acting as president of the club, Cleverley's goals are to provide students with opportunities for getting work experience in their field outside of classes. Cleverley said professional clubs such as hers gave students the opportunity to meet new people and network with them. But club presidents and sponsors wonder about student apathy when a department such as health, physical education and recreation, which has 500 students, has 20 people turn out for a meeting. Students don't realize the advantages of joining a professional club. Companies always are looking for students with work experience, and these clubs can be a student's first step. So the next time you walk past a flier, at least give it a quick glance because it might help you in the future. DOUG WEINSTEIN FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD Shawn Trimble/ KANSAN Some KU professors presume students know recent history In all the history lessons I've ever had, there has been a small void. During the three years I have been at the University of Kansas, and even in high school and junior high, I have taken history classes with focuses ranging from early civilizations to the history of film. Unfortunately, while I have learned about nearly every time period in history, I know little about short time period — the period from the late 1970s to the present day. Yes, I was born in 1975, so I was alive during the Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter administrations. However, I was only five years old when Ronald Reagan became president. Maybe I should be ashamed, but I just can't recall many of the major historical events that occurred during my childhood. For example, I don't remember the gasoline shortage of 1979, because I was only four at the time —obviously too young to drive. The reason for this void is simple: Most of my instructors say that they will not focus on the modern era since most of us were alive throughout this period; we should be aware of the events that have shaped our lives. ASSOCIATE EDITORIAL EDITOR But the only class I ever took Because the instructors remember the event, they seem to think that the students can remember it, too. However, the age of 21 still is one where 10 years in the past which covered that event was the history class I took my freshman year in high school. — the mid-1980s in my case — is a lifetime ago. That is not to say that I haven't paid attention to every historical event that has happened in my lifetime. I do recall important events such as the Gulf War, the tearing down of the Berlin Wall and even the Gary Hart/Donna Rice scandal. However, as a child, I did not realize the importance of keeping up with current events. Having fun and just being a child was more important then. The only reason I knew about the Iran-contra hearings during the summer of 1987 was because the afternoon TV coverage of it interrupted my regular viewing of Alice and Too Close for Comfort rurs. I still can't explain what those hearings were about. I have yet to take a class where the instructor can educate me as to why they were more important than what went on at Mel's Diner. I'm not saying that what we can learn from all the earlier historic periods isn't important — knowing what has happened in the past can help us figure out how we got to where we are today. However, when I look back and see that I have read The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin for three different classes, I realize I have wasted time that I could have used to study the events of the early '80s that led to the collapse of communism. I am aware that a few classes are offered at the University that focus on the '70s and '80s, and I hope to take at least one before I graduate. But I also hope professors realize that students like me know more about presidents John F. Kennedy and Andrew Jackson than presidents Ford and Carter, and I hope that they work to remedy this problem. After all, what happened 10 or 20 years ago has more influence on my life today than what happened in ancient Egypt or even in the American Revolution. Craig Lang is a Springfield, Mo., Junior in lournalism. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Language classes offer cultural learning The Multicultural Resource Center recently distributed a letter to deans, directors and other staff members of the University of Kansas. courses are on the list. Attached to the letter was a listing of courses that include a multicultural component, as identified by the Blueprint for Diversity Committee. Since not all students are subject of a foreign language requirement, I would encourage students and academic advisors to consider studying a second language. The Multicultural Resource Center states in the letter that the listing is not comprehensive. This is certainly true, in that no foreign language The study of another language is an excellent way to discover a different culture. the University of Kansas gives you lots of great choices for second language study. Chris Johnson assistant director, office of student financial aid How to submit letters 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. All letters should be submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Paul Todd, editorial page editor, or Craig Lang, associate editorial editor, at 864-4810. Dogs are more work than some people realize The morning was too beautiful to be stuck in a car. The fields had finally grown green with spring, the trees were budding and the wildflowers were just awakening to a new season. It was a day that should have been spent outside traipings through the meadows and singing songs from The Sound of Music, but instead I was on my way to the doctor's office. As usual, my mom was running late and the only trapping to be STAFF COLUMNIST done, as we nurtled down the gravel road at 60 miles an hour, was done with my imagination. This precisely is what I was doing — staring, thinking, dreaming of a day better spent — when I saw something in the ditch. Fearing the onslaught of a rare Cartesian fit, I asked my mom to turn around. But my eyes didn't lie, and I found, abandoned in the ditch, eight young puppies. Only a few weeks old, some of them hadn't even opened their eyes yet. They were all crying incessantly and wondering, no doubt, why their mother had abandoned them. Although they may have survived one night out there alone, they wouldn't have survived another, so I gathered them up, stuck them in my laundry basket, and took them to the Lawrence Humane Society. Four of them died that night. The rest were adopted later. Stories like this one have become an annual rite of spring. There is nothing strange in finding unwanted animals left to die a slow, lingering death along a lonesome rural road. These irresponsible dog owners who let their dogs roam and refuse to get them spayed or neutered lack even the basic decency to allow their pets the humane death that can be found at the animal shelter. For these people, my only hope is that karma will mete out a similar end to their lives. But while abuse of this magnitude certainly deserves damnation, cruelty to dogs comes in many forms. Most cases are born of ignorance from well-meaning owners who weren't prepared for the burden of owning a dog. These owners don't fully realize that dogs are like children who never grow up. They require extensive training with firm, nonviolent discipline. They require constant care including yearly immunizations and heartworm medication. And most importantly, they require company if they truly are to be happy and healthy. Being pack animals, dogs get extremely lonely when deprived of fellow pack members or their master's attention. If you are away for the greater part of the day, you may even have to get a second dog to keep the first one happy. Sadly, the pound is full of dogs whose owners weren't prepared for this much emotional and financial commitment. Maybe these people always wanted a dog. Maybe they were lonely. Maybe they simply thought it would be cool. But these reasons aren't enough. Instead, one must truly want to share every day of the next 10 to fifteen years of his life with a dog. But for all the sacrifices that come with ownership, life with a dog is worth the effort. Traipsing through meadows while singing show tunes infinitely is better in the presence of a happy, healthy pet. Fortunately, unconditional love doesn't care when you mumble through the second verse or fail to hit the high notes. Todd Hitt is a Lyndon senior in social welfare. 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Clark I'm gonna make my last drag count.