4A
Friday, March 10, 1995
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
THE ISSUE: KANSAS HOUSE CHAPLAIN
Taxpayer funded alienation
Most religions are minority religions, especially in
Kansas. In fact, according to a 1990 study by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, Kansas alone is home to more than 90 different religious denominations.
The Kansas House of Representatives' chaplain refuses to pray in any manner other than in the name of Jesus. The Rev. Cecil T. Washington, a Baptist, said the following during a February invocation at the House: "...Therefore Father, as we consider laws of your people, let us consider you and the law of your word. Please guide us today. In the name of Jesus, Amen."
Such prayers are a taxpayer-financed alienation of the many Kansans who do not hold the same Christ-centered religious beliefs. In this time of cutbacks and unnecessary government spending, the salary of this chaplain, who performs a job of uncertain constitutionality, should be pushed to the front of the line to the fiscal chopping
In this time of cutbacks, a job of uncertain constitutionality should be pushed to the front of the choppling block line. block.
Many would argue for Washington, stating that this country is one that is founded on a Christian tradition. Even if this statement were true, it is a weak argument in favor of government funds being used to sanction religion of any kind. Moreover, if this were a solely Christian state at one time, tradition cannot justify overlooking the reality of contemporary religious pluralism.
Our founding fathers understood the diverse nature of religious opinion in our country. Americans and Kansans always have placed high value upon the life of the spirit and the freedom of the individual. However, if our founding fathers could have anticipated the religious diversity of the late 21st century, perhaps they also would have extended us the right to freedom from the religion of others.
JOHN BENNETT FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD.
THE ISSUE: CAMPUS SPEECH CODES
Speech codes deny freedom
On Dec. 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights was ratified.
But more than 200 years later, one of these rights, the freedom of speech, may be in jeopardy.
On many college campuses there has been a push to adopt speech codes. These colleges insist that the enactment of speech codes would foster harmony on campus. However, this harmony would come at the price of a basic freedom granted to every American — the freedom of speech.
Stanford University is the latest college to bring before a court the issue of whether a speech code is constitutional under the First Amendment. In accordance with the plethora of the other rulings across the nation, the Santa Clara Superior Court ruled that Stanford's speech code was unconstitutional. The court reasoned that in the absence of a compelling government interest that uses the least restrictive means to achieve that interest, a law cannot prohibit speech
The right to free speech should unconditionally outweigh the need for college speech codes currently under debate.
based upon its content. If one rejects the Court's reasoning, then our right to freedom of speech is a weak freedom at best.
More than 200 years ago the founding fathers reasoned that if they could protect even the most hated form of speech, they could guarantee freedom of speech to everyone. This logic was not lost on the Superior Court's decision that said Stanford's speech code was in direct conflict with the First Amendment.
The founding fathers' logic is made clear by a policy at Yale University that points out the fallacy of a speech code. The policy states, "To curtail free expression strikes twice at intellectual freedom, for whoever deprives another of the right to state unpopular views necessarily also deprives others of the right to listen to those views."
LANCE HAMBY FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
STEPHEN MARTINO
Editor
DENISE NEIL
Managing editor
TOM EBLEN
General manager, news adviser
CATHERINE ELLSWORTH
Technology coordinator
Editors
News...Carlos Tejada
Planning...Mark Martin
Editorial...Matt Gowen
Associate Editorial...Heather LawRENZ
Campus...David Wilson
Colleen McCain
Sports...Gerry Fey
Associate Sports...Ashley Miller
Jamie Dunn
Associate Photo...Paul Kozl
Features...Nathan Olson
Design...Brian James
Freelance...Susan White
JENNIFER PERRIER
Business manager
MARK MASTRO
Retail sales manager
JAY STEINER
Sales and marketing adviser
Business Staff
Campus mgr...Burn Plm
Regional mgr...Chris Branaman
National mgr...Shelly Falewits
Coop mgr...Kelly Connealy
Special Sectiona mgr...Brigg Bloomquist
Production mgrs...JJ Cook
Kim Hyman
Marketing director...Mind Blum
Promotions director...Justin Frosolone
Creative director...Dan Gier
Classified mgr...Lisa Kueith
Jeff MacNelly / CHICAGO TRIBUNE
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Story, editorial on GTA accents unfair
I am writing in regard to a series of errors reported in the Kansan in the Feb. 17, article "GTA's accents confuse some students" by Paul Todd.
Todd erroneously reported that "International students who wish to become graduate teaching assistants must score 80 or better on a written and oral English proficiency test at the Applied English Center."
Correction: International students who wish to be appointed to graduate teaching assistant positions must take an oral English proficiency test and score 240 out of 300 points on the test.
He also reported that "according to a directory published by Educational Testing Services," that score means that the applicant's English is "generally comprehensible but with frequent errors in pronunciation, grammar and choice of vocabulary."
Correction: The Educational Testing Services bulletin describes the 200-249 score as "generally comprehensible with some errors in pronunciation, grammar, choice of vocabulary terms and with some pauses or rephrasing."
In addition to making mistakes in reporting facts about the required oral proficiency score and what the score means, Todd elected to interview the math office supervisor as to what the oral English proficiency measures rather than to consult anyone with expertise in regard to this test. He quotes the math office supervisor as saying that "while the test was enough to determine proficiency, it did not test for heavy accents."
Testing coordinator at the Applied English Center
Correction: The test is scored for fluency, quality of pronunciation (including heaviness of accent) and grammar. A score is given for "overall comprehensibility," which takes into account pronunciation, grammar, fluency and vocabulary control, and individual diagnostic scores are given for pronunciation, grammar and fluency.
Your articles do a disservice to KU, which has a 10-year-old policy restricting employment of GTAs whose English is inadequate and to the many international GTAs who have achieved success as KU instructors.
Unfortunately, this series of reporter errors was compounded by Tim Muir's Feb. 24 editorial "Students deserve fluent GTAs." In the editorial, Muir selected parts from Todd's article that are completely false and expounded on them.
Christa Hansen
Condemning homosexuality is an act of love
Julie Ann Baker has added her two cents to the debate about homosexuality, which has sound fertile ground in Lawrence lately.
First, Baker questions the Bible's reliability because it was written in different languages. The fact is, we can check the translation of the Bible at least in comparing it to other translations, or at best in its original languages. With such safeguards, mistranslation is a negligible problem.
Secondly, Baker believes the Bible is unreliable due to the fact that it was written by many different authors. On the contrary, this validates the Bible. For despite the fact that the Bible is composed of 66 different books by different authors who were from different times, the Bible still has one consistent message: "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
The third point of contention is that the Bible is unreliable because of its historical context
— that it is simply out-of-date.
This is definitely not true. No one would say that the Ten Commandments are no longer applicable. Nor does anyone believe this about the Sermon on the Mount or the Golden Rule.
Along with this point of whether the Bible is out of date, we must consider the character of its primary focus: Jesus. If the Bible is
out of date, why do so many,
including Baker, think so highly
of him? Everyone likes Jesus
because he loved people.
While this is a true characteristic of who the Gospels say Jesus was, it is often taken to an incorrect extreme: that Jesus never told anyone that they were doing wrong. This is simply incorrect. Jesus' message was, "The Kingdom of Heaven is near. Repent and believe in the good news." (Mark 1:15) For Jesus to tell people to repent, he must have thought they were doing something wrong. Why did he tell them this? Out of love so they would know that they were doing wrong.
So when Christians say that homosexuality is wrong, I hope, we are doing it out of love, just like Jesus. Unfortunately, we Christians are imperfect, and often times when we say such things, it comes out of hatred and anger.
And that's the uniqueness of the Christian message. While there are many great moral leaders in the history of the world, only one took the punishment that his people deserved. So, please, don't judge our God by our actions, but by actions of God on earth — Jesus. He is the one we are imperfectly trying to emulate.
David Zimmerman Lawrence senior
Children can be fed on a mere S7 a week
Liane Davis, associate dean of school of social welfare, under "Writer should get facts on welfare" in Nov. 29 Kansan noting a welfare increase of $68 per month per additional child asks, "Have you ever tried to raise a child on $17 per week?"
It can be done for half of that and with simple luxury.
This response is timeless and transcends delay in writing.
Overheads (rent, utilities) remain the same with an additional child or any number for that matter.
"Day-old bread" is 30 cents a loaf. A third loaf (10 cents), two eggs for 10 cents (60 cents a dozen), a sausage slice for 10 cents and a cup of milk for 10 cents fill a child. Fed on a parent's lap makes it tasty — 40 cents for breakfast. Lunch, two hot dogs (10 cents each), and a third loaf is 30 cents. A like sub-
Welfare separately covers any special medical need of a child.
situte for dinner for 30 cents
makes a day's meals for $1 — $7 a
week.
For transport, carry the child everywhere, and walk — joy for child.
For entertainment, live long,
day talk to child, play with it, sing
to it, sleep with it.
For clothes, use one set, hand wash it nightly — dries by night.
Extra bedroom with additional rent is not needed. At night read child to sleep on lap — a healthy child will average two hours of reading to fall asleep. Transfer it to a warm blanket on floor.
The whole thing is Thoreauan luxury and Wordsworthian bliss for the child, for $7 a week. That leaves $10 a week to snare.
None of the above will work if mama's new boyfriend (or daddy's girlfriend) is hanging around, displacing time, attention and love.
Lawrence graduate student
Student ambassador demands respect for KU's campus tour guides
T. S. David
In response to David Day's recent column regarding campus tours, I feel he should be informed of the time and research put into those "here a building, there a building, everywhere a building" tours. I am one of those "friendly ... babbling tour guides", and no my name isn't "Joe Smiley." Though I found Day's article humorous, he needs to be informed of the commitment involved in becoming a KU Student Ambassador, or in Dave's words, someone who answers absurd questions and points out bus stops. Each Ambassador is given a 36 page handbook to memorize so that he or she is prepared to answer "future KUID numbers"
questions. From experience, I know that inquires are much more involved than "Can I park in Wescoe?" A little more respect needs to be given to those young students, trying to understand somewhat the adult world of college.
OK, now that we've established that "Possible 'Official Coors Light Party Animals' deserve a little more respect, back to the tours. Campus tours, given throughout the year (not just in spring but in 15 degree January, too) are crucial in the recruitment of students. I'm sure that the article referring to prospective students as "salivating ... eventual sixth year seniors" was not very
encouraging to possible Jayhawks and their parents who, on their tour Wednesday, picked up the Kansan. Yes, it is difficult to give a tour amid the bus fumes, but perhaps it is more difficult to continue a tour after some joker across Jayhawk Boulevard yells, "Hey tour guide, don't trip!" Very funny.
The point about the obscurities of our campus was taken in the humor that it was presented, but much of the student body needs to realize the hard work ambassadors do, as well as the respect that should be given to prospective students.
Jillian Buser
Lenexa sophomore
0dds of getting hit by lightning winning lotto about the same
Lotto Fever - (wish*ful think*ing)
n. 1. The hysteria caused by a "lottery"
2. What causes third-shift factory workers to spend their paycheck on the odds that they will be struck by lightning.
The Powerball Lottery has a knack for big jackpots. When the total
exceeds $100 million,
the what-
would-I-do virus
gets a foothold in
the populace.
It should be.
"I imagine how you'd act if you won,
cause you won't! Sucker!"
The Missouri Lottery has a slogan,
"Imagine how you'd act if you won."
Millions of people stampede the convenience stores, wild-eyed with dollar in hand.
Yet still we dream
If we do win, we're gonna take a chunk and mail it to Dionne Warwick.
With Powerball the starry-eyed sucker picks five numbers and a "powerball" ("gimmick"). We consult clerics, look to the stars or pray to God (or Elvis) for divine revelation.
Then we tune in to a two-minute, locally produced glamfest. The host is jumping around,牙teeth gleaming, loaded with amphetamines while we fixate nervously on a glowing, blinking, spinning contraption coughing out Ping-Pong balls (looks funny in print, don't it?). Standing close by, as if to protect the medium, a hostess turns these "cosmic messengers" to face the salivating public.
You know what really happens. An octogenarian in Tempe, Ariz., or suburban Jersey City wins $120 million. (move to a cottage in South Florida)
Leo: what-?-! >ghckk< (THUMP!)
Myrtle: Leo?... [shrug] I won! I WON!
WON!
But still we play.
Myrtle. Leo! LEO! We won! WE WON!
(fade in "Love Boat" theme...)
You are immediately integrated into the Federal Lottery Winner Protection Program.
If you do actually win, you must go into hiding. You are stalked by disciples of the Church of the Holy Lobster, supporters of Save the Saharan Spider Mite and a man who calls himself "Ralph," the father of your steady in grade school.
After weaving through a spaceborn avalanche, you arrive at the Capitol Building. You shake hands with the governor (who is expecting a heavy campaign contribution).
And they present you with...
The king of the money orders
Agiant check.
A deposition on steroids
As if you could take this worthless piece of cardboard to the local bank
You: Yes, I'd like to open an account.
Teller: Oh, hi! I haven't seen you in soooo long! How are you?! (gives you a monster hug)
You: Do I get a free toaster for this?
Such hysteria, such a ridiculous display of carnival-like state government is appropriate in our cash-fueled society. A society run by a few dead presidents, a secretary of the treasury (also dead, shot, actually), and some guy who was struck by lightning while out flying his kite.
He should buy a ticket.
He shoulda bought a ticket.
David Day is a Wichita junior in English and magazine Journalism.
How to submit letters and guest columns
Letters: Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the authors signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
Guest columna: Should be double-
spaced typed with fewer than 500
words. The writer must be willing to
be photographed for the column to
run.
All letters and guest columns should be submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or out-right reject all submissions. For any questions, call Matt Gowen, editorial page editor, or Heather Lawrenz, associate editorial page editor, at 864-4810.