4A
Thursday, March 9, 1995
OPINION UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
THE ISSUE: PLAYER OF THE YEAR SNUB
Award went to wrong player
Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said it best: "This conference should be embarrassed."
Well, it is,and it isn't.
And so it should.
The snubbing of senior forward Angela Aycock for the Big Eight Conference Player of the Year is the result of a flawed voting system that leaves too much room for political maneuvering.
Only coaches vote, and the voting is anonymous. Since a coach cannot vote for his or her own player, the opportunity to penalize another coach or player for personal reasons may factor into some decisions. With only eight voting members, one vote can tilt the scales.
Oh, sure, other Big Eight schools might be wondering whether our gripping is merely sour grapes.
Colorado's Shelley Sheetz, who received the award, is no fluke. Sheetz averaged 13.2 points a
The selection process for player of the year led to the snubbing of Kansas forward Angela Aycock.
game and led the conference in free throw percentage with 91 percent. She's the point guard, the quarterback, of the No.3 team in the nation and helped the Buffs to a 14-0 conference record.
But the award is supposed to go to the player of the year, not the team. Aycock led the Big Eight in scoring with 23.7 points a game, had six double-double games and finished the season with a triple-double against Missouri Feb.26.
Clearly, Aycock deserved the award, no matter what school she plays for.
Perhaps sportswriters should become involved in the voting, as they do for the men.
At least making the vote more democratic might prevent another punishment like this one.
MATT GOWEN FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD.
THE ISSUE: CLASS ACT
Lineup change allows for glory
Roy Williams has proven once again that he is the classiest coach in Division I basketball. In what was arguably the biggest game for the men's basketball team this season, Williams decided to scrap his normal starting lineup. Instead, he let senior guard Scott Novosel and senior forward Greg Gurley start in their final game at Allen Field House.
The start was especially significant for Novosel, who is a walk-on.
Novosel played for nearly two minutes, after which he jumped off the court enthusiastically. Two minutes was all it took to make an entire year of hard work pay off for one player. In those few minutes, Novosel had two assists.
Novosel also got more playing time when he tried to score with one minute left. With one second and a half left in the
Roy Williams, classy as always, made the right decision by starting all the seniors in their last career home game.
game, he received a standing ovation as he came off the court.
Most coaches would stick to their starting lineups in the conference championship game and would not consider starting their seniors for sentimental reasons. However, Williams proved to the entire nation that he appreciates each player's hard work, and he has enough confidence in his players to let any of them play in such an important game.
Many coaches wouldn't make a point of letting all the team's seniors play in the final home game, especially for a Big Eight championship. Thanks to Williams, Novosel got his glory, and the Jayhawks have yet another Big Eight trophy.
JENNY WIEDEKE FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
STEPHEN MARTINO
Editor
DENISE NEIL
Managing editor
TOM EBLEN
General manager, news adviser
CATHERINE ELLSWORTH
Technology coordinator
JENNIFER PERRIER
- IFFER PERRIER
Business manager
MARK MASTRO
Retail sales manager
JAY STEINER
Sales and marketing adviser
News ..Carlo Tejada
Planning ..Mark Martin
Editorial ..Matt Gowen
Associate Editorial ..Heather Lawnz
Campus ..David Wilson
...Colleen McCain
Sports ..Gerry Fey
Associate Sports ..Anthony Jelinek
Jamison Lane
Associate Photo ..Paul Kotz
Features ..Nathan Olson
Design ..Brian James
Freelance ..Susan White
Business Staff
Campus mgr ...Beth Poth
Regional mgr ...Chris Branaman
National mgr ..Shelly Faiyevits
Coop mgr ..Kelly Connally
Special Sections mgr ..Brigg Bloomquist
Production mgrs ..JJ Cook
Kim Hyman
Marketing director ..Mindy Blum
Promotions director ..Justin Froselone
Creative director ..Dian Gier
Classified mgr ..Liesa Kulteh
Compton is a man of his word...
...as long as the words are not "Simply Equal.
Inequality easy to spot, idea of equality harder to define
The presidential hudle is gathering.
President Clinton is assembling his advisers for a White House cram session, pulling in the nation's experts to plot a response to the Republicans latest offensive: affirmative action.
Yet instead of defending the status quo, Clinton should seize this opportunity to launch an offensive of his own. Instead of cow towing to Democratic tradition, he is studying the impact that affirmative action has had on our country. Critics might interpret that as a sign of weakness, or even a lack of decisiveness, but instead it is a sign of someone dedicated to finding a solution that best serves the American people.
Obtaining civil rights in our country has been an evolutionary process, thus yesterday's solutions may not solve today's problems. But that doesn't mean that the problems don't exist. Republicans might pretend that the world is a warm fuzzy place where without affirmative action, qualifications will be the sole factor used to determine who gets a job and who doesn't. Yet one only has to start comparing numbers to see that the world isn't a warm and fuzzy place.
The truth is the percentage of minorities in today's board rooms, country clubs and government-policy-making bodies is not reflective
STAFF COLUMNIST
of their numbers in the general population. Sometimes being "qualified" means rubbing the right elbows, something that is hard to do if you don't know the right people, or if they don't want to know you. Additionally, the idea that everyone has started
on a level playing field to obtain those coveted qualifications is about as realistic as Donald Duck.
While the Republicans set about destroying affirmative action, Clinton must invent a better alternative and effectively market it to the American people.
Yet, the idea that a qualified person would lose out on an job because they are white or a man isn't fair either. When we were little our parents taught us that two wrongs don't make a right. Likewise discrimination will not rectify discrimination.
So what are we to do?
First, we must decide what our goals really are.
We have never had a problem defining inequality because it has been a part of our society from the beginning, but the notion of equality is harder to define. As a society we've never experienced it, so how will we recognize it when we see it?
What is equality anyway? Is it the ability to get a job? Is it the ability to
compete for a job? Is it the ability to lose out on a job and not wonder if you didn't get it because you are Black, a woman, or disabled? One thing equality is not is the ability to get a job because of your color, no matter what color you are. If affirmative action is to go the way of the dinosaurens, then we need to first decide what sort of future we really want.
But Clinton shouldn't look at this issue as a quagmire. Instead, he should see it as an opportunity and set about utilizing his brain trust to invent a new future for race relations in the United States.
Conformity welcome in this chaotic world
Affirmative action may have been a rung on the ladder of our evolving social conscience, but we have not reached the top yet. Clinton is undoubtedly wringing his hands and wondering if he is in a no-win situation. After all, he needs the support of minorities to stand a chance in the next election, yet he also needs the support of the white male population, too. He knows the issue has come along just in time to divide the electorate and turn us against each other.
Heather Kirkwood is a Wichita Junior in journalism.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
This is in response to Carter Voekel's column in the Kansan on Feb. 22. I am going to speak from the side of a nonconformist. What gives you the right to battle conformity and harmony? I won the right to wear my long hair.
In this world of total chaos, a little conformity and harmony would be nice. Nonconformity has become too hip — everyone is now doing it. Everywhere I look I see the long hair, the goatees, the tattoos, the body piercing, etc. It has been done so much and seen so much, there is no longer a "statement" behind it either. The band with the weirdest name and the loudest lyrics make the charts and the money. That is not what "alternative" music is about. It is about making statements that have an impact.
So you see the line of conformity does have a purpose. There has to be a balance of chaos and harmony or the world will fall apart. Right now we are a nation of chaos falling deeper into the abyss. A little conformity might be just what the doctor ordered (I'm starting to sound like a Republican). So, put on those cowboy boots, stand in line, and maybe I'll see you on the dance floor at Coyote's sometime, partner!
Robin Halbert Oliver Hall custodial staff
Basketball illiterates are not 'lost souls'
In regards to Mark Lawlor's Feb. 23 letter, I'm sorry you feel that someone is a lost soul if they do not happen to know who "Phog" was, but you are going to have to deal with the fact that not everyone is going to sit and listen to one of your "sultry lectures" on that subject.
Sure, it is pretty amazing that, as you say, we attend a campus that has had some of the best basketball players ever, but another cool thing about KU is that you can, like, get an education and stuff.
Allian Holt Overland Park freshman
Environmental regulations are necessary for country's future
In another move to fulfill a plank of their Contract on America, Republicans in Congress have called for a halt to federal environmental regulations that would harm landowners and business owners. The regulations would force owners to set aside land that might suffer environmental damage if put to use. Furthermore, Republicans want the owners compensated if land values decrease because of environmental regulations. My question, quite simply, is why?
Some federal regulations may be excessive, and red tape probably is involved. However, let's assume that land use and business activity will harm the environment by destroying wetlands, killing rare species of wildlife and polluting the soil, water and air. Why, then, should landowners and business owners be paid for not doing something that is clearly wrong?
The debate centers around the role of business. Is it simply to make money? Is it a business' responsibility to provide decent wages, benefits, employees' work environment or not to destroy the environment for the surrounding community? And what good are profits if the environment is destroyed? What if the greenhouse effect takes hold or the ozone layer is eaten away by chlorofluorocarbons. What about soil erosion that destroys croplands, or smog that keeps us in the house during really bad days. And what about a worst-case scenario where the world is destroyed by runaway pollution and environmental degradation?
Who will then care if General Motors made more money than Chrysler or a landowner was able to build more apartments on what was once wetlands? We may be spending all those profits setting up oxygen tents in our houses and chemotherapy for our cancers. Or we might be paying for the higher cost of food because more chemical fertilizers are required because the fertile soils have washed downstream and are clogging the harbors.
It is dangerous to undercut the current environmental regulations, which really are only the first step in dealing with the environmental problems. Those are the problems we have caused in the past through careless mismanagement and ignorance.
Michael Paul is a Lawrence graduate student in political science.
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 columns: Should be double-
spaced typed with fewer than 500
words. The writer must be willing to
be photographed for the column to
run.
MIXED MEDIA
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 684-4810.
By Jack Ohman