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Monday, March 18, 1996
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
Old telephone directories should not clutter landfills
It is time again for distribution of new telephone directories. And the University of Kansas, along with the city of Lawrence and Southwestern Bell, should be commended for having a telephone directory recycling program. This means not only having drop-off sites across the city but also having five drop-off sites on campus.
These sites were in areas of accessibility to the entire University community.
Two sites, one at the Burge Union and the other at Carruth-O'Leary Hall, were set up at areas where people could drive by and drop off their old telephone books.
The collection dumpsters were set up in late October and remained until after finals in December.
There was a question raised about the aesthetic quality of the Dumpsters
THE ISSUE:
Recycling
Handy phone book recycling Dumpsters should not be removed from campus simply because they are unsightly.
used in the collection. These Dumpsters are quite old and unpleasant, but the benefit of collecting old directories and not taking up space in a landfill is well worth it. A fresh coat of paint, if needed, would not be too expensive to improve the appearance of the Dumpsters.
The success of this program in the last few years suggests that this program should continue.
Also, the number of old directories collected proves that if collection sites are numerous and easily accessible, people will be willing to take the time to recycle.
SARBPAL HUNDAL FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Co-rec sports' rules make field even for both men and women.
It is spring, and it is time to leave the stuffiness of Robinson Center's gym and play some co-recreational sports. The University of Kansas' intramural program features at least five different sports for both men and women who want to break the mold of same-sex competition.
But many may be unaware of how much some co-rec sports' rules differ from the norm.
We thought we should first mention the University's favorite pastime: basketball. According to intramural co-rec rules, a woman's free-throw, field goal and three-point shots are worth one point more than a man's shot.
Feel like diving into the sand for volleyball? Make sure the team knows that if a ball is played three times before crossing the net, both sexes must touch the ball or the team's point won't be legal.
And if a student is playing slow-pitch softball, understand that if a man is walked, intentionally or unintentionally, the offensive team has the option to let their female bat or take an intentional walk.
At first glance these rules
THE ISSUE:
Co-rec regulations
Even though they may seem sexist, rules for KU intramural competition ensure that everyone can play.
seem inherently sexist. Brett Koch, KU recreation services graduate assistant, said that these rules are used only to increase participation within co-rec teams.
Tom Pollack, manager of "The Big Hurt" co-rec basketball team, which has yet to lose a game, said that the rules help even the competition as well as give women an incentive to play.
In an ideal world, one wouldn't have to resort to making separate rules for co-rec sports, but students should have that option left open to them. An alternative, suggested by Koch, would be to separate corec teams into two divisions. The first division wouldn't include the corec rules, but the second division would. This would give the participants involved a chance to compete on an equal level.
DOUG WEINSTEIN FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
ASHLEY MILLER
Editor
VIRGINIA MARGHEIM
Managing editor
ROBERT ALLEN
News editor
TOM EBLEN
General manager, news adviser
Chan Lowe / FT. LAUDRDALE SUN-SENTINEL
Editors
The rumor that student apathy toward politics exists is true — it is a sickness that has grabbed the University of Kansas and does not seem willing to let go.
...AFTER NIEHAUS
Business manager
KONAN HAUSER
Retail sales manager
JAY STEINER
Sales and marketing adviser
JUSTIN KNUPP
Technology coordinator
Campus          Joann Birk
               Phillip Brownlee
Editorial        Paul Todd
Associate editorial James Lacee
Attorney        Matt Hood
Spokes          Tom Erickson
Associate sports  Bill Petula
Photo           Matt Flokker
Graphics        Nosh Miuser
Special sections Novelists Ternary
Illustration    Micah Leaker
Let's look at a couple of examples. Last spring, fewer than 4,000 students voted in the Student Senate elections, while only about 700 students voted for candidates in last week's National Student Primary. Considering that the overall student population is more than 22,000, these numbers are disgusting.
Power to the people? Well, not true for this University
Why is all of this so terrible?
Campus mgr ... Karen Gerosch
Regional mgr ... Kelly Connelyse
National mgr ... Mark Ornskell
State mgr ... Rob Holmes
Producer mgr .. Rachel Cahill
Marketing director ... Gary Breeloff
Public Relations dir. .. Angie Adamson
Creative director .. Ed Kowaldis
Business analyst .. Warren Ward
Internship/o-op mgr .. T.J. Clark
tering to vote. A friend and I got so bored at one point that we made a list of excuses people would give for not voting.
"Too cool," "I'll vote later," and sometimes complete silence were what we faced. My favorite one was "I'm an archist."
For one thing, student senators have $1,504,000 of student money to spend. While senators spend most of their time mindlessly financing groups, arguing about policies that no one cares about and basically padding their resumes, the average student will complain about paying student fees that don't address any of their needs or wants.
Only a few words are necessary to sum up all of them, though. Those students were ignorant.
The idiots who especially amused me are "counterculture" types who love to whine about the government every time they get busted for pot or have to follow a law that doesn't agree with them. These people are the most frustrating specimens for me in particular.
For one thing, if they actually got off of their couches and started to vote or care about anything above their immediate personal lives, they probably wouldn't be voting Republican and some voting weight could be put toward more reasonable, liberal issues, considering that Clinton won an overwhelming percentage in the poll.
Most politicians don't care about the needs of students and don't want students to vote. Federal student aid isn't very high on their agendas. And I haven't seen any presidential candidates visiting this campus.
But do these students vote or get involved in organizations?
Hopefully, it won't take the last of student loans to be cut for the people to use the power they are supposedly given in a democracy.
ian Ritter is a Leaweed senior in English, history and Journalism.
One of the biggest complaints that students have that Senate is run by greeks and is a body that only serves the agendas of fraternities and sororities. They'll complain about greeks until they are blue in the face, and their heart rates start to explode.
Hell, no!
I'm not exactly the most greek-friendly person in the world, but I believe that students in the Greek system deserve to run Senate because they are the people who vote and run in the elections. The
STAFF COLUMNIST
Ken Collier, assistant professor of political science, on Sen. Bob Dole's weakness as a presidential candidate.
average Joe or Betty on campus couldn't give a crap, until they find out that some cool group didn't get financing or until they bother to look at the paper and watch fees get raised.
it is really sad,
but that is the
way things have
been going for
"IT SOMETIMES SEEMS THAT HE'S BEEN WORKING TO BE PRESIDENT FOR SO LONG THAT HE'S FORGOTTEN WHY HE'S DOING IT."
I got to see student apathy firsthand on March 6 when I worked tables for the National Student Primary.
But similar to the usually pathetic student-voter turnout, only 700 students bothered to participate in the poll.
Sitting at my little table with a pile of ballots in front me, I was baffled at the many blank faces who walked by, not even interested in the poll let alone interested in regis-
The primary basically was an opinion poll that the University participated in with 24 other schools, and it was a good way to show the needs of students and their political preference as a block of voters. Major national media could use this information and stick it in the faces of politicians, trying to get people running for office to address issues important to a possibly large student voting block.
"I AM FROM A VERY SMALL TOWN, SO I HAVE NEVER BEEN EXPOSED TO ANYTHING AS UP-FRONT BEFORE. IT WAS VERY SEXUAL."
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Jennifer Rowan, Hiawatha sophomore about choreographer Donald Byrd's dance troupe's performance Tuesday at Robinson Center.
BEER. I WAS SURPRISED WHEN I SAW PEOPLE WEARING GREEN AND MAKING THIS HUGE EFFORT."
Honor O'Hea, Cork, Ireland, graduate student, who was impressed by the way Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
"I DON'T FEEL THERE IS ANY HARM DONE. IT'S NOT LIKE A LOT OF MONEY IS CHANGING HANDS. YOU PUT DOWN FIVE OR 10 BUCKS AND IT JUST MAKES IT A LITTLE MORE INTERESTING. I DON'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT."
Alex Protzman, Overland Park freshman, about betting pools and the NCAA basketball tournament.
"AMERICANS REALLY GO FOR GREEN
It is a thing that most us think about daily. It keeps us up at night and makes us ponder our future. It has the ability to ruin relationships and crush all hopes of future ones. It can leave us bewildered, mired in the confusion of our own existence. This thought, or rather predicament, is loneliness.
OUT FROM THE CRACKS
There are two types of loneliness. One is the solidarity of thought. It is the process of being alone with our thoughts, dreams and fears. This type of loneliness is inherent in most
But that is not true for everyone else. People these days are so skeptical about others' motivations that it makes it nearly impossible to find the right person. We tend to look at the negatives in a relationship and forego any positives about a new acquaintance. We lack the gumption to get past insecure thoughts and move on to real feelings.
It seems as if people today are too scared to get involved with anyone. We get scared when someone actually is a nice person, a real friend; we tend to doubt them. This doubt, ironically, comes from the fear of being alone. It seems that if we are going to make the effort to be friends or lovers with someone, then we don't want to be let down if they happen to feel differently. What we don't realize is that this apprehension and doubt will only lead to the loneliness that we all fear and hate.
Loneliness is a difficult part of being alive
of us. It is the freedom that allows us to maintain some sort of individuality, some sort of dignity knowing that we are OK with our dementia.
What is difficult today is that sometimes help seems out-of-reach. It is difficult to really discern who is on your side and who is not. Just look at your friends, even your boyfriend or girlfriend. Will they be there for you later in life? Will they be your friend no matter what, in any situation? I hope for your sake that they will.
STAFF
COLUMNIST
Carter Voeckel is a Dallas junior in English.
human contact. It is a rather scary thing. Just the thought of being alone frightens many people to the point of forced isolation and unnecessary brooding.
The other type, the one that permeates our rule of daily action, is the solitude of being — the loneliness that comes from the absence of
Whether you choose to adopt this cynical stance is your choice. Personally, I have spent the past 21 years trying not to give into the idea. As easy as it would be to give up and accept solitude, I find it an increasingly difficult thing to do. Why would any sane person want to spend life alone? The odd thing about loneliness is that it is not always a choice. Sometimes it is thrust upon you with no warning, leaving you gasping for air and reaching for help.
This loneliness is the fear of spending our remaining days alone. It is the apprehension of being old and having no one. I know this seems like an implausible thing to many. How can we, you say, go a lifetime without finding one person to be with, one person who understands and cares about our problems? It can happen.
This feeling of despair is one that has been a part of our culture for many years. Just read Kafka, Salinger, Twain or Dostoevsky to understand the permanence of loneliness in the world. It is something that everyone has felt, from every culture and from every class. However, as young adults, we do not relate to the seemingly arcane worlds of the great authors. Instead, we develop a new take on loneliness — one that is inherent to only our generation.
By Jeremy Patnoi