OPINION
11A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2008
》 FROM THE DRAWING BOARD
COMMENTARY
Possible violation of the Civil Rights Act?
Local bars discriminate against men
Shouldn't this apply to something as trivial as a cover charge? I wonder what would happen if a bar tried to have "white night" and charged black people $5 and $10 to Mexicans. That wouldn't happen without a public uproar.
Doesn't the Civil Rights Act say discrimination is illegal?
I recently went to Brothers and was discriminated against. I was charged $5 to enter, but the person behind me was waved through free of charge. Why? I'm a man, and she is a woman. It was ladies' night at Brothers, and unfortunately I didn't fit the profile of those who got to slide in free of charge.
What if there was a "guys' night" and girls had to pay a cover? There would be several disgruntled patrons at the door. But when men are charged and women are not, it is accepted as the natural order of nightlife.
We must stand up brothers (and sisters). This injustice must end. We must stop attending any ladies night at any bar.
We are all being duped by the very term "ladies' night." Women hear it and think that it will be a bar of mostly other women, a safer environment for them and their girls, to just dance and have a good time. No boys tonight!
Wrong.
They will be hounded, possibly swarmed. Guys hear "ladies' night" and think of it like a freshly stocked tront pond.
The idea of ladies night is sexist, but not just because entry fees are based on gender. Bars use ladies' night as a ploy to get more women to attend. If that
weren't the case then surely there would be "guys' night."
The idea is that more women will draw more men who are hoping to pick up chicks. The unspoken agreement that bars have with women states, "You don't have to pay to get in, but you'll be the worm on our hook to get paying customers in the door."
What price can a person push on her dignity? Is a $5 cover enough to be bait for horny men looking to bump and grind next to the jukebox?
This is the reason ladies' night exists. That being the case, I should be exempt from the cover charge. The girl I mentioned who didn't have to pay was my girlfriend.
Even though I was at ladies' night, I didn't get the benefits of it. I didn't get to chat up the women that Brothers lured through its doors. I wasn't even supposed to look at them. I had to feign neck cramps anytime a halter top or miniskirt walked by. I had paid $5 to be tortured.
Don't get me wrong: My girlfriend is a stone-cold fox (I love you, baby. Please don't hurt me with your martial arts skills.), but I am still flesh and blood. A man can't fight his natural instinct to seek out mates.
My solution to this unconstitutional and sleazy practice is to split the difference. Charge everyone $3. Look at that, Brothers (and other bars), I just made you an extra 50 cents per person. Chances are that girls who plan their evenings out around ladies' night can find some dude to pay their cover for them anyway. Then I won't resent my girlfriend for being $5 up on me for walking in the door.
Mersmann is a Lawrence senior in creative writing.
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the kansas Editorial board are Alex Doherty, Bryden Dykman, Matt Erickson, Kelsey Hayes, Lauren Keith, Darla Slipke, Dianne Smith and Ian Stanford.
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Out with the old, in with ConnectKU
ConnectKU'splattformsembrace compromise, optimism and civic awareness.
After meeting with each of the three prospective coalitions, the Kansan editorial board has decided to endorse ConnectKU in its bid to lead the student body through the 2008-09 school year.
Each coalition presented thoughtful platforms and demonstrated an interest in improving the student body.
Of course, not every platform will appeal to everyone, but every platform should appeal to someone. The proposals discussed struck a balance between feasibility and ambition. None of the ideas were so unrealistic as to be unattainable, but neither were they tired or recycled.
Although the board supports ConnectKU, it strongly encourages the coalition to set a policy against accepting gifts of any kind, including those from the Athletics Department, to avoid conflicts of interest. Platforms and organization are important, but ethics should play the most important role in Senate decision-making. All coalitions, including the eventual winner in the elections, should remember that their first responsibility is to students, not to special interests.
The coalition's creation of WiKUpedia before the election is admirable in its drive for inclusiveness. As written in a Feb. 15 editorial, the board suggests the coalition turn the application over to a third party following the election to achieve maximum impartiality.
The coalition's Gmail initiative went through both committee and full Senate with no negative speeches. It passed with more votes than the two-thirds necessary to override the veto. Eventually passing this initiative will give students much-needed e-mail storage space, chat capabilities and access to calendar applications, among other features.
In the board's opinion, using alumni donations and volunteers
STUDENT SENATE ENDORSEMENT
to start ConnectKU's Potter Lake clean-up project will revitalize a University landmark.
Students deserve a gathering place that has more than concrete like Wescoe Beach, and Potter Lake deserves the attention given to treasured University sites. The board hopes the Potter Lake project will be the beginning of a continuous dedication to environmental projects on campus.
onnectKU.com
More schools might be willing to travel to Shenk for tournaments and games if the facilities were in better condition, giving the University a better overall reputation among neighboring schools.
Revamping the Shenk Recreation Complex by putting in turf will benefit not only student athletes but also students who participate in intramural sports and students in general.
Increasing off-campus lighting is an admittedly tall order, but the coalition expressed a willingness to work with the Lawrence City Commission to get the proposal accomplished. Increasing the number of self-defense courses offered on campus is also a great way to increase campus safety.
ConnectKU's idea for a Hate Crime Prevention Program was unique among platforms, and the coalition demonstrated a desire to unite the student body and embrace the University's inherent multiculturalism.
The number of student groups potentially involved in a week of hate crime awareness, which ConnectKU said would include the Black Student Union, Queers and Allies and the International Student Association, could make such an event a cornerstone of the University calendar. The idea to take the issue of hate crime to
Log in using your KU username and password to the Election Commission's Web site at groups. ku.edu/~election.
Vote on April 9 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and April 10 from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Results will be announced at 7 p.m. April 10.
Students can vote on their personal computers or at polling sites on campus.
how to vote
local schools is evidence of dedication to the greater Lawrence community.
ConnectKU has expressed interest in forming a KU Dining Board through Student Senate. This board would work in conjunction with KU Dining Services to use student input in increasing the Better Bites program and increasing student options for healthy eating on campus.
These ideas cover a wide variety of ground and would benefit all students in some way.
Its candidates' pledge to make Senate more accessible to students and increase voter turnout are essential to stem the growing tide of student apathy toward its own governing body.
ConnectKU has drawn members from other Senate parties, and has recruited members from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Its members have enough experience to be prepared for the work ahead of them, but they have ideas that are fresh enough to inspire change.
The Kansan editorial board supports the student body presidency of ConnectKU leader Austin Kelly, Lawrence senior, and the vice presidency of Jason Oruch, Plano, Texas, junior.
—Kelsey Hayes for the editorial board
> LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Myths debunked about gay pride
As you walk down Jayhawk Boulevard this week, you probably noticed the numerous rainbow flags lining the street. They are for Pride Week for the city of Lawrence, as well as the University. I was asked the other day what pride is like in Lawrence, and before I could respond, the person asked if the week consisted of "a bunch of sex, glitter and gay men dancing in the street."
Another person asked, "If you get gay pride week, when do I get straight pride week?" Answer: Those other 51 weeks a year.
These statements forced me to look at the world around me. Do people really think this? If so, how many other horribly untrue stereotypes are out there? I decided that in celebration of Pride Week, I would compile a list of 10 common misconceptions concerning the
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
1. Not all lesbians are like Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O'Donnell or Melissa Etheridge. Nor do lesbians have to like those celebrities.
2. Transgender is not a disease, syndrome of illness or a sickness. It is a lifestyle.
3. Not all drunk girls who make out with each other are lesbians, and not all lesbiens get drunk and make out with each other.
5. "Will and Grace." "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and the "L Word" cannot and should not be the only representation of LGBT communities. Not all of us watch those shows.
4. Not all gay men hit on straight men. You are not that good looking, get over yourself.
6. Straight men, making fun of that gay guy in your math class in
front of the girl you like will not get you play. You should know that behind every great woman there is a hard working gay.
7. Bisexuals are not greedy. There are people out there that actually like both sexes.
10. Our community is not only comprised of glitter, fairy wings, flannel or sexual confusion but also love, self respect, integrity and pride.
9. No, I do not know your other gay friend Jeff. I guess I did not meet him at our weekly "Look, I'm Gay" meeting.
8. Lesbians are lesbians because they like women. Stop thinking that if they had sex with you that you can "turn them."
Christopher Thomas, Junior in secondary education from Overland Park
editorials around the nation
Does America know where it sends nukes
The story would almost be amusing — if it wasn't so deadly serious.
A red-faced President Bush last week told Chinese President Hu Jintao that America had made a "mistake" in accidentally shipping sensitive nuclear-warhead components to Taiwan.
Four electrical nose-cone fuses were mislabeled and sent to Taiwan as part of a fall 2006 shipment of helicopter batteries, of all things.
Defense officials say they only discovered the fuses were missing last week, when Taiwan alerted them of the error — despite the department's practice of conducting quarterly inventory reviews.
And that raises a harrowing question: Is anyone actually in charge of America's nuclear systems? ...
It was only last August, after all, that a B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with six nuclear warheads before flying from North Dakota to Louisiana — a goof that ultimately
cost at least five Air Force officers their jobs
Um, oops?
For painfully obvious reasons, of course, this kind of sloppiness is absolutely unacceptable.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a full inventory of all American nuclear weapons and materials as well as an assessment of the procedures used to keep track of them.
Seems like a no-brainer.
Let's just hope he stays on it.
—New York Post
March 31 editorial
To contribute to Free For All, visit Kansan.com or call 785-864-0500. Free For all callers have 20 seconds to talk about anything they choose.
Good to know I go to school with some close minded idiots. Our future.
--ass.
If I vote for you for Student Senate, will ask me out on a date?
--ass.
A recent study said that only one out of two students graduates high school. That's OK because the half that don't can just go to K-State or Missouri. Somebody has to fill those empty seats
--ass.
There needs to be more girls in bikinis on campus.
I'm going to live forever or die trying.
--ass.
How can I vote for "Connect"
if they can't spell their own
name on Daisy Hill?
Bill, if you don't beat any other time in your coaching career, kick North Carolina's
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Dear 12-year-old boys who go to the Hawk: Never, ever ask three senior girls back to the dorms for after hours. It's never a good idea.
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Why am I so awkward when I even look at pretty girls?
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To the girl who gave me a dollar at the vending machines Monday night: You're a hottie.
To the cat that I ran over: My bad.
Roy took us to the Championship.Twice.
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And lost. Twice
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Oh, Free for All, why am I so completely obsultive when cute guys are flirting with
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I love being a Ginger Kid.
I wish I had a boyfriend though who would appreciate it.
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To the guy who sits next to me in Geography 105, talk to me already.
If you believe that KU is a liberal school, you probably have never been outside of the Midwest or even Kansas
Tip: Never use a telephone pole to strip on. Way too many splinters!
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@KANSAN.COM
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