Wednesday, April 26, 1989 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Government must expedite removing gas from schools
Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that is made by the natural decay of radium and uranium in rocks and soil. The gas breaks down into harmful elements that attach to dust particles and enter the lungs. Radon can cause cell damage and possibly cancer. Lifetime exposure to radon is equivalent to smoking 10 cigarettes a day, and it may cause up to 20,000 annual lung-cancer deaths.
Last September, the Environmental Protection Agency found that one of four homes had unhealthy levels of radon and urged all homeowners to conduct their own tests.
A more recent EPA study found unhealthy levels of radon in public schools across the United States. It judged four picocuries per liter of air to be unhealthy. In 101 classrooms tested in five states, levels of 20 picocuries were found. Fifty-four percent of 130 public schools had at least one room exceeding four picocuries. Private schools were not tested.
So whom should the EPA urge to clean up this mess, and will a simple urging get anyone to do anything?
In 1974, the EPA banned the use of asbestos, a fireproofing and insulation material, because it was proven to cause lung disease and possibly lung cancer. Ironically, asbestos enters the body in much the same way radon does, by particles attaching to the air and settling in the lungs.
The lesson learned from asbestos is this: A simple warning by the EPA is not going to solve the problem. Responsibility and financing should be designated immediately. At the very end, they should be responsible for the safety of its schools and children.
attaching to the air shaft starting in the ujbs.
Fifteen years ago, EPA banned asbestos, however, it is still on campus. That is not enough money available to remove all asbestos in campus buildings, only the asbestos that is broken and exposed.
It would be too idealistic to expect every home and building in every state tested and treated for hazardous gases. However, it's not asking too much to make public buildings safe; especially public buildings we faithfully send our children to. The immediate costs of testing for radon and removing it may be high, but the long-term costs of illness and death can be devastating.
It seems Exxon is writing the book on how not to win friends. As the nation mourns the damage to Prince William Sound, Exxon goes on drilling and spilling.
Jennifer Hinkle for the editorial board
Exxon is not doing enough to clean up tragic oil spill
On Saturday, the company was involved in yet another environmental cleanup. This one was south of Baton Rouge, La. An Exxon barge spilled 10,000 gallons of non-hazardous waste. The cleanup was quick. The damage to the environment will be minimal. Only a few fish died. Great.
On Friday. The New York Times reported that public relations experts had predicted that the Alaskan oil spill would become a textbook example of crisis mishandling.
Nothing like the Alaskan oil spill of a month ago — which, by the way, is a lingering thorn in Exxon's side. In that disaster, 10 million gallons of oil were spilled.
Exxon is not doing enough. The company has paid $23,000 to the Alaska Public Radio Network for expenses incurred in reporting on the spill. Exxon has promised $15 million to the government toward studying the effects of the spill. These gestures do not change the fact that the chairman of the company did not go to Alaska until three weeks after the spill or that the company still has not taken decisive leadership in the cleanup process.
The crisis in Valdez will not simply float out into the ocean and be forgotten. Making aggressive cleanup a priority, completing as much restoration of the environment as money can buy and implementing new safety systems is the least Exxon can do. Should the nation settle for less than the least?
Karen Boring for the editorial board
The editorials in this column are the opinion of the editorial board. The editorial board consists of Julie Adam, Karen Boring, Jeff Euston, James Fuarquar, Cindy Harger, Jennifer Hinkle, Grace Hobson, Jill Jess, Mark McCormick and Tarkil Tillford.
News staff
Julie Adam...Editor
Karen Boring...Managing editor
Jill Jess...News editor
Dan Sniver...Planning editor
James Farquhar...Editorial editor
Elaine Sung...Campus editor
Tom Sinister...Sports editor
Jannine Swatiakowski...Photo editor
Dave Eames...Graphics editor
Noel Cordes...Art Feature
Cordes...General manager, news advisor
Business staff
Debra Cole ... Business manager
Pam Nose ... Retail sales manager
Kevin Mangasai ... Cost sales manager
Scott Frager ... National sales manager
Michelle Garland ... Promotions manager
Brad Lenhart ... Marketing manager
Linda Propp ... Production manager
Drew Martin ... Asst. production manager
Kim Coleman ... Co-op sales manager
Curt Cox ... Glistening
Jeanne Haynes ... Sales and marketing adviser
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Financial success secret revealed Even with little intelligence or skill, anyone can get rich quick,easily
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Today, Harry Langley (not his real name) eats at the finest places — the McDonald's with its signature ice cream and desserts designed by people like K. Mart and J. C. Penney. Harry Langley (not his real name) is filthy rich.
Bill Kempin
Staff columnist
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Bill Kempin is a Lawrence graduate student in journalism.
K·A·N·S·A·N
MAILBOX
The whole story
I was one of many students who attended Campus Crusade's Late Night festivities April 19. I had heard many good things about the event, and went to enjoy the evening. The topic, "Handling Pressure," seemed applicable to me considering the time of year, and I also was attracted by the speaker, ABC sports commentator Gary Bender. Yet, when I read the correlating story the following day, I was surprised to find the thrust of his message omitted from the article. The reporter did a tremendous job recording the amusing and dotes and jokes Bender to share, but what did not appear was Bad he was solution to hand-weasel him (he as a commentator) and we (as students) face daily. That solution, he told the group, is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and how it manifests itself in our daily lives.
I fail to understand the lack of responsible reporting in the Kansan. It would seem, as up-and-coming journalists, the goal would be to report the entire story, not just what the reporter or editor feels like reporting. But then maybe Bender hadn't gotten that from when the reporter and photographer stood up and proceeded to walk out of the room. Not only did this create a stir and disrupt the attention of the group, it was plain rude.
anyway that, I do not understand the Kansan basis for deciding which stories are given over.
brushed over. On Friday, April 14, the Kanans took great liberty in reporting the views and practices of the Campus Pagan Network. The article mentioned safe-sex orgies, magic and supernatural things in the story. Not to mention the quote, "The Maypole was like the penis of the earth. It was great
" Surely Bender's views of Christ and his desire to have personal relationship with each and every person on this campus could be no less than the readers than that unbelievable statement.
Tim Keel
Leavenworth sophomore
Come on Kansan, take a little responsibility and report the stories the way they are, not the way you choose to report them.
Tim Keel
Christopher Wilson attempted to emphasize the rights of unborn children in his anti-choice article on abortion. However, I find it both ironic and offensive that he conveniently excluded acknowledging the rights of women in his article.
Women's rights
It is not pragmatic of Christopher to claim that the availability of birth control and informative sex education programs are alternatives to abortion. This claim evades the fact that our current reproductive control are the only controls we remain only a precaution and not a guarantee against pregnancy.
Furthermore, it is inconsistent to say that abortion is justified in cases of rape or incest. With or without a woman's consent to participate in sexual acts, a woman chooses to have an abortion because she is unwilling to carry a potential life, simply because her anatomical structure allows her to conceive, and carries a fetus.
Abortion may be the ultimate selfish choice, but the choices and the consequences of pregnancy should remain with the woman and not with our male-dominated legislatures.
Kris Gottschalk
Englewood, Co. sophomore
Out of context
In an April 24 guest column, Jude Pate took a line out of my March 8 letter: "One learns at KJHK by doing, not by being spoon-fed." He posed the questions. "Doing? Do you mean I should do it?" or "I have a little done without reflection or even the faintest intimation of an original thought?"
Taken in context, my quote supported my point that those of us enrolled in Theater and Media Arts 188. Practice in Broadcast Performance. don't do the majority of our learning during our weekly lecture and discussion but during our actual radio laboratory work
Taken out of context, my quote could be used as a nifty little transition into rhetorical questions that indirectly accuse those who work at KJHK of following orders blindly without thinking in order to keep our staff aware that we have mistakes with not a single fact to support them.
Hey, Jude . . . a senior majoring in journalism should know better . . . tsk. tsk.
KJHK does not discriminate based on any mythical "blacklist" — or on race, color, religion, national origin or sex for that matter. They assign staff positions according to ability, including the ability to work on a team to our goal, to our April 26 meeting and see for yourself.
Carrie L. Richardson Lincoln, Neb., sophomore KJIKH staff member
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breathed