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Wednesday, March 29, 1989 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Language programs vital
Although politicians and studies recently have been emphasizing the need for stronger foreign language programs in the United States, the heartland state of Kansas seems to be disregarding the issue.
Less than a month ago, the National Association of State Governors released a report that said, "The vast majority of U.S. citizens cannot speak a language other than English." The report urged state governors to create better international education programs and start teaching other languages as early as the first grade.
However, Kansas politicians must not have paid attention to the governors' report or just didn't take the recommendations seriously.
Recent admissions requirement proposals for Kansas Board of Regents schools have underscored Kansas' lack of concern for a foreign language education. Ammendments to the Regents qualified admissions bill would eliminate the proposed requirement of two years high school foreign language study.
the argument for dropping the foreign language requirement is almost valid — almost. Opponents of the foreign language requirement argue that not every school district can afford to maintain foreign language programs. However, recent reports have shown that virtually every high school in Kansas offers foreign languages. Furthermore, if financing for such programs is scarce, the Kansas Board of Education's priorities need to be re-evaluated.
It is becoming increasingly important for an individual to be proficient in foreign languages and for many reasons.
Take the world of international business. Stories about the lingually inpt U.S. businessman abound. For instance, a U.S. executive meets with a panel of European company heads. The Europeans can conduct business in French, Spanish, German and Dutch, but to the U.S. executive's ignorance and embarrassment, discussion must be limited to English.
Kansas should place more importance on preparing a student to adequately function in a multilingual world. No high school in Kansas should be allowed to function without a foreign language program. The state board of education also should consider creating programs for elementary and junior high school students.
Our economic future depends on communication with foreign officials and executives. The world's largest exporter last year, West Germany, has one of the finest high school foreign language programs in the world. In the United States, knowledge of a second language, especially Spanish, can aid in getting a job.
And benefits of a foreign language do not stop there. The student studying a foreign language learns about other cultures. He or she also learns about the structure of the language, which translates into a better understanding of English grammar.
It's time to stop ignoring other cultures and end the United States' ethnocentric image.
Cindy Harger for the editorial board
Hunger war is ours to win
"Twenty-four people die of hunger every minute," the poster said. "Eighteen of them are children."
Statistics like that commonly are thrown around, intended to shock us to action. Unfortunately, we've become numb to such problems and refuse to find ways to help. Our minds quickly flip to images of late night cable television and Sally Struthers weeping. If only you'd give 40 cents a day, by golly, world hunger would be wiped out. It's easy to become jaded.
Unanswered questions remain, though. Why is it that the United States has food rotting in storehouses but can't even feed its own people? And can college students really help?
A group of community-minded students, KU Students Against Hunger, has taken the initiative to fight the problem.
KU War on Hunger is a week of events aimed at increasing student awareness and raising cash to combat the local and global hunger crises. Monday and yesterday, attention-getting events were scheduled. Tonight through Sunday, events such as a panel discussion, a benefit concert and a hunger clean-up are geared at involving everyone.
Last year $3,000 was raised. Planners are hoping for more this year. At least 85 percent of the money raised will stay in Lawrence to help the oft-ignored hunger in this town. KU Students Against Hunger is to be commended for fighting our anathy and inaction.
James Farquhar for the editorial board
News staff
News staff
Julie Adam...Editor
Karen Boring...Managing editor
Jill Jess...News editor
Deb Gruver...Planning editor
James Farquhar...Editorial editor
Elaine Sung...Campus editor
Tom Stinson...Sports editor
Janine Swiatkowski...Photo editor
Dave Eames...Graphics editors
Neil Gerdes...Arts/Features editor
Tom Ehlen...General manager, news adviser
Business staff
Demba Cole...Business manager
Pam Noe...Retail sales manager
Napole Matt...Campus sales manager
Scott Fragar...National sales manager
Michelle Garland...Promotions manager
Brad Lenhart...Marketing
Linda Prokop...Production manager
Debra Martin...Asst. production manager
Kim Coleman...Co-op sales manager
Curt Cressler...Classified
Sam Hickey...Sales and marketing adviser
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Drastic cut will hurt the Kansan
T THE KU Student Senate's decision to uphold the 50 percent reduction of student funding for the University Daily Kansas will hurt the student newspaper
That was the message that the Student Senate heard last week before reaffirming the planned cut. In the process, various senators took the opportunity to try to force additional cuts, but failed.
In the judgment of the University Daily Kansan, our advertising customers cannot be expected to make up the difference in funding as the Senate finance committee suggested. Witness the number of stores that have closed in Lawrence and the continuing vacancy of the Litwin's building downtown. Retailing is soft in Lawrence at this time.
Now comes an interesting, er, offer from Senate sources. If the Kansan will lay off any criticism of student politicians for finding a way to cut its funding by 50 percent, those same student politicians will do their best to see that the Kansan gets a reasonable share of some supplemental funding that may be available. And if not... well, the implication is obvious.
Imagine what would have happened at the Washington Post in 1972 had the Post been funded in part by the federal government? Would the Watergate scandal have unfolded the way it did, with the Post suffering from the Post withstood incredible pressures, even without the risk of losing funding from government.
Newspapers, however, don't make deals with political bodies.
The commercial press recognizes all too well that such freedom precludes the potential benefit of getting money from any kind of public (read politics) funding. What politics give, politics can remove.
Where collegiate journalism is concerned, here and elsewhere, the most practical means of generating student support or funding has been through use of part of the student activity fee. That has been the case since 1947 at the University of Kansas.
Tom
Eblen
Guest columnist
The Daily Kansan historically has received an award of student activity fees like a subscription
fee, paid on behalf of all students. The money was used to pay printing costs.
Now, however, the Student Senate wants to cur-funding and, in effect, force the Kansan to be increasingly dependent on advertising revenues. Student senators want to do that, officially, because the Kansan has advertising revenue and a reserve. Unofficially, student senators are criticized for their association as contribution for its criticism of their politics and the way they run student government.
From the Kansan's point of view, its reserve is irrelevant to Student Senate deliberations. The Kansan needs whatever reserves it can generate to pay for increasingly complex and expensive journalism training. In addition, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication contributes equipment funds to the Kansan.
The main issue is what will happen to the newspaper if the Kansan no longer gets support from the students who benefit daily from the service it provides, and if the Student Senate severs the student subscriber relationship with the Kansan.
It might be necessary, for example, to reduce the number of newspapers printed from the 16,000 printed today. It might be necessary to narrow the ratio of space for advertising to that for news.
As the Kansan told the Senate, that will mean adding revenue wherever possible, but it also will mean cutting expenses. The Kansan will not operate in the red!
If funding is cut as proposed, we will have to make up $5,000 or 6 $\frac{1}{2}$ percent of our anticipated income each year. That student fee allocation will be $75,000 for each student in Kansan's publication costs from August through
December totaled more than $294,000. That is expected to double by the end of the fiscal year. This year's allocation of $109,836 had been used during the first half of the fall semester.
We believe that the Kansan is the best bargain students get at this University. That amount — roughly $2.80 or 4 cents per issue — is less than most students would spend on lunch.
The Kansan argued for the benefit of the student newspaper, not against any other student organization. All student organizations serve a utility to the Kansan community and students on a daily basis as the Kansan.
The message, sad to say, is one that has surfaced here and elsewhere many times. Politicians wish with all of their hearts that they could control the press. In the United States, they would accept on campus — where student politicians can determine how student fees will be spent.
"The Kansan bags on us all the time," student senators complain.
Indeed, the Kansan has been known to question the Student Senate's rationale on more than one occasion. Any newspaper worthy of the name comments on public affairs. No doubt the Kansan's editors will continue to comment on the wit and wisdom of student politicians just as editors throughout the country comment on political matters large and small.
Now comes word that if the Kansan will avoid criticism of what has transpired, the Senate will find a way to shift some potential supplemental resources into coffers for the computer system that we need.
KU's student senators, no doubt, felt that they were following an honorable course.
- Tom Eblen is the general manager and news advisor of the Kansan.
K·A·N·S·A·N
MAILBOX
Policy violations
It is the time of the year that faculty merit salary increases are on many people's minds, as the time for such recommendations grows. The most common process, in many instances, is clearly flawed.
There are administrators and faculty members who felt strongly either for or against "rate increases" in salaries; and either for or against "merit" based allocations, versus "income equalization" or "cost-of-living adjustments." I will not discuss the merits or demersals of any of those criteria. In fact, such arguments are irrelevant.
For different people to hold different views on these issues is perfectly acceptable. It is not
acceptable, however, for either faculty or administrators to attempt to alter the explicitly stated policy of the Board of Regents and the University on these matters at their level. Those that disagree with any of these policies ought to try with whatever means they possess to change the policy at the Regents level. It is unacceptable to impose their own convictions on others, by attempting to act in violation of the stated policy and in accordance with their own belief. By doing so, they send signals to the effect that there are no rules in the
Dimitrios S. Dendrinos Professor of Urban Planning
Religious freedom?
Sarah Truelove, chairman (your usage, not mine) of the policy council for the "Religious" Coalition for Abortion "Rights" (my quotes), is quoted in the March 24 Kansan as saying, "We are a pluralistic society, and the First Amendment grants us freedom of religious practice. To say abortion is illegal to impose one particular religious point of view."
Will Truelove follow her line of thought to its logical end and maintain that the laws against murder are an attempt “to impose one particular religious point of view?”
Interesting logic! Let us assume for a moment that I belong to a religion that accepts human sacrifice, such as Thugee or some other monk. If I still exist, still exist despite all efforts to root them out!
Another point: polygamy, an accepted religious practice in Islam, Mormonism and Tibetan Lamaism, has been outlawed for almost a century. I have not noticed an ottery for the repeal of the monogamy laws. Could it be that Truelove's organization and its allies, the Socialist Workers Party and Planned Parenthood's Choice Coaction, are less interested in protecting "freedom of religious practice" in our "pluralistic society" than in promoting a left-wing radical feminist agenda at undermining Western civilization?
Jovan Weismiller Lawrence resident
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breathed