4A
Thursday, April 4, 1996
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
Decision on dredging just doesn't hold any water
An important bill that would have placed a moratorium on dredging of the Kansas River was defeated in the state legislature recently.
The Kansas river is an important resource because it is the only river in Kansas for recreational activities. The Missouri River is used for commercial purposes and is too rapid for safe navigation by recreational watercraft. The flow of the Arkansas River usually is not high enough to support boating and other recreational uses.
The Kansas River between Topeka and Lawrence is the only part that is undisturbed. It should be preserved as a valuable natural resource.
Private companies want to dredge the river for sand. This dredging will only benefit the companies' bottom lines. The public's right to use the river for recreational purposes should be given greater weight. More people will benefit from recreational use of the river.
THE ISSUE:
Kansas River dredging
and it will not destroy this natural resource.
Dredging companies claim that there are no good resources for sand off the river. But 80 percent of the sand mined in Kansas comes from open-pit mining.
Another reason given for river dredging is that it is cheaper than pit-mining. However, according to testimony at a state senate hearing, pit-mining is more cost-effective than river dredging.
Dredging companies also claim that dredging is good for the river. But dredging removes filters and causes erosion. Among other negative effects, trees are removed, which causes the channel to widen. Dredging disrupts the delicate ecosystem of rivers.
By defeating this bill, the Senate put corporate profit above public and environmental interests.
SARBPAL HUNDAL FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD.
Professional baseball needs season that it can be proud of
The 1996-97 Major League Baseball season is underway. After two controversy-ridden, game-shortened seasons that could have destroyed America's pastime forever, the season has begun and actually should be completed unmarred.
The rift between players and owners was torn open two years ago when the players union opted to strike and not to finish the season. An unprecedented season was completed without a World Series Championship.
The following season was blemished by the same players union failing to come to play because the league minimum salary was too low, at a paltry $1 million a player.
After the strike was settled and the replacement players sent home, America's game was in dire straits. Perhaps only for the heroic, record breaking, old time baseball playing legend known simply as "Cal" was the game saved from destruction. Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's unbreakable record for consecutive games played, and maintained a streak that hast lasted more than a decade.
THE ISSUE:
Pro baseball
Ripkin's feat, coupled with the expanded playoffs that allow for more teams to reach the playoffs and consequently more fans to have a team to root for past the All-Star break, has given the baseball fan something to cheer about despite the overwhelming greed of the players and the owners.
Gone are the days of the Bronx Bombers, the Miracle Mets and even the Big Red Machine. Today the game is filled with players who play for the fame and the money and require million-dollar bonuses just for coming to spring training. There are only a handful of franchise players today, players you grow up watching who lead the same team year after year. Now the players simply follow the money.
Baseball fans can only hope that the players of today can realize the dangerous precedent that they are setting and that the next generation will have heroes to admire like the ones that once ruled America's game.
CHRIS VINE FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
ASHLEY MILLER
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I went home to North Carolina for spring break, and through coverage in a local newspaper I was able to catch a glimpse of life at one of our peer universities, the University of North Carolina. Unfortunately, it was not a pleasant glimpse. This had nothing to do with the college itself, but with a crime that occurs at every school in the nation, a crime that still struggles to be taken seriously — date rape.
Stereotypes make the dirty crime of date rape worse
An ignorant author wrote a column describing and celebrating all the stereotypes of date rape. The writer, an English teacher, was a juror in the trial of a North Carolina student accused of second-degree rape. The victim was another student. I admit to not knowing every detail of the case, but the attitude of this juror was enough to convince me that an injustice may have been committed.
Rape long has been acknowledged as a vile crime, so why not date rape? The juror refuses to believe that a crime could have taken place because a relationship was evident between the two.
The column states: "When I heard that the defendant was charged with second-degree rape, my mind filled with images of my high school students from dysfunctional families whose lives are controlled by alcohol, drugs, violence and illicit sex. In contrast to those students, the two university students in this case had supportive families, a good education and ambitious goals."
Throughout the column, she expresses concern for the poor, maligned defendant. Perhaps he indeed was innocent and deserved her pity. But even more than that, the victim deserved a fair trial, free of societal stereotypes of what constitutes rape.
Hello? Does anyone else get the impression that this woman has her head buried in the sand? The aforementioned evils of society certainly are not confined to students from dysfunctional families who have poor educations. And neither is date rape. It is time for Americans to realize that not all rapists are what we
Maybe there was a relationship. Maybe it had previously been wonderful. But something must have been wrong for the woman to accuse this man of rape.
I can accept lack of evidence as a reason for finding a defendant not guilty of rape. But this woman's reasons stray from what is normally considered lack of evidence, instead stemming from her own prejudices.
Steph Brower is a Cary, N.C. freshman in pre-journalism
consider lowlife scum bags.
Sadly, many citizens of our country believe that rape happens only in dark alleys. Perhaps a definition is in order. Rape: The crime of forcing a person to submit to sexual intercourse (as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary).
partying with the defendant during the evening. She willingly left wifih him and went to his room to crasl for the night."
I may be stupid, but I don't see anything about consenting to sex in there. As for her drinking and smoking, she may have been wrong in doing that, but it doesn't give her date an excuse to rape her.
The definition does not say, "The crime of beating a stranger in a deserted place, such as a dark alley, holding a knife to her throat and forcing her to submit to sexual intercourse." It doesn't have the addendum imagined by so many people. It doesn't count as rape if a) the alleged victim is your spouse or date, b) the victim was dressed provocatively, c) the victim was drunk, d) the victim flirted with or engaged in other physical relations besides sex with the offender. No means no. Then why do so many people follow the above guidelines instead of the simple definition when trying a rape case?
The writer continues by telling of the victim's invitations to go skinny dipping with the defendant, and the defendant's "love and concern" for the victim.
The woman who wrote the column uses the following reasons for finding the defendant not guilty. "She (the alleged victim) gave details of drinking beer, sipping grain alcohol cocktails and taking hits of marijuana while attending a semiformal party. She admitted to dancing and
Feminism means ending stereotypes of men. too
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Some time ago, as part of a column about her feelings about pornography, Leslie Bowyer characterized mainstream feminism as elitist, narrow and dictatorial in telling us "to be forever strong, to play the victim, to never trust a man, and to never, ever acquiesce in a relationship-Not to mention never flaunting our sexuality..."
basic goal of feminism is to put an end to prejudice against women. Since this prejudice is based on gender stereotypes, these too should be dismantled, and this means ending prejudices surrounding men too.
It saddens me to see this perversion of feminist ideals taken for the real thing. What Ms. Bowyer described is the conservative media's parody of feminist thought. Having been a participant in the women's movement since the early 70s, I have a very different understanding of feminist principles. The
Since prejudice based on gender stereotypes extends across class and race, feminism embraces the notion that all people should be judged on the basis of their talents and skills, not on the basis of stereotypes.
The idea is freedom to be a unique individual who follows her or his own dreams rather than the path laid out by society. Since what has been needed most was freedom from the expectations that women physically were weak, emotionally unstable, intellectually feeble and from economic dependence on men, many women have campaigned for us all to be strong, though, smart and ambitious, or, in other words, like men.
The real point, though, is not to substitute a new set of "shoulds" for the old set, but to gain the right to carve out individual selves. It is a reflection of the successes of feminism that a great many young women today feel free to be strong, smart and ambitious. It is because of this progress that we can now question the value that also was placed on emotional toughness. Sexuality has not always been difficult terrain, and it is another area where, now that women are finding the overall playing field less unequal, we still are sorting out the power dynamics.
Maggie Childs
Maggie Childs Chair, KU department of East Asian language and cultures
Dear Jacque Vaughn.
Vaughn has too much to do to consider leaving now
The word on the street is that you are considering skipping your senior year and declaring yourself eligible for the NBA draft. That would be a big mistake, and here is why:
- Your play has improved every year since you got here. Leaving now would stunt your development
as a player. Also, you have not completed your education, something that appears to be quite important to you.
■ You are not a guaranteed first-round selection in the draft. In fact, there is a chance that you might not be drafted at all. Playing for Kansas for another
year will improve your draft position and increase the paycheck that comes with it.
You often are referred to as the ideal student-athlete.
The University of Kansas made a four-year pledge to fund your education, and you made a four-year pledge to play basketball for the University. Because these pledges have yet to be fulfilled, you should feel compelled to honor your commitment.
You have an incredible academic record that is close to being complete. Quitting school to play professional basketball certainly would tarnish your reputation as a student-athlete as well as diminish your chances for future financial success.
Like it or not, Jacque, you are a role model. During your stay at the University, you have become one of the most respected college basketball players in the country. Thousands of people admire your presence both on and off the court. Show us that you can finish what you start.
You have yet to succeed in your quest for a national championship. Since you arrived at Kansas, you have maintained that your primary goal is to win a national title. When Danny Manning led Kansas to an NCAA championship, he instantly became a permanent hero in Jayhawk athletic history.
You, along with the rest of the team, have the ability to achieve this distinction.
Leaving Kansas for the NBA would be a slap in the face to the people who have supported you for the past three years.
Just because you were frustrated by the team's play in the NCAA tournament does not mean that you should quit.
A true winner makes his teammates better, and that is something you should strive for in the next season.
As you can see, Jacque, there are many reasons for you to stay in Lawrence for your senior year. Honestly, the only argument for you to leave is money.
You must remember, however, that the money will be there next year, too.
Do yourself and the school a favor. Stick around for one more year, complete your education, improve your draft position, win a national championship and become a permanent hero at Kansas. Anything else would be a disappointment.
Mike Walden is a Leawood sophomore in political science.
HUBIE
By Greg Hardin