THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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OPINION
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
OUR OPINION
Fraternity reform focuses on manners
A growing trend seems to be slowly infiltrating fraternities and threatening to change the behavior of its members. No, it's not ritualistic castration. It's the introduction of etiquette and manners programs.
The manners movement comes as a direct reaction to reckless behavior displayed on many college campuses. Sigma Phi Epsilon leads the way nationally with its Balanced Man Program. It started more than a decade ago and has grown to 256 SigEp chapters that have adopted the program,
Needless to say, some fraternities' images could stand an overhaul. But is this the panacea for their ailments? Is teaching them which fork to use going to stop the flow of beer bongs?
Fraternity shenanigans are becoming too much of a liability for chapters. The University has already seen its fair share of fratastic mischief, such as Phi Kappa Theta's "unsactioned party," complete with 16 kegs of beer and plenty of minors to drink it, Kappa Sigma's issues with what was classified as "inappropriate behavior" by its headquarters, or Sigma Nu's closure because of undisclosed allegations of hazing. All three instances resulted in disciplinary measures.
Issue: Greek-life etiquette programs
including here at the University. Other fraternities have followed in its wake, including Beta Theta Pi, which has Men of Principle, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon with its True Gentleman program. An article from the Feb. 20 edition of Time, entitled "Taming the Toga," said the experience is geared toward shifting focus from the unhealthy behavior associated with Greek life to activities "that promote healthy living and selfrespect." Requirements include etiquette dinners, non-alcoholic social events and tutorials on proper behavior.
Stance: Reform is necessary, but it could sacrifice other qualities.
But taking away the costume parties and replacing them with salsa dancing night could alienate some members and take away the lighthearted essence of fraternities. If modifying fraternity men's behavior is what it takes to keep them around, is it worth it? That's for you to decide.
Malinda Osborne for the editorial board
COMMENTARY
Claim to planetary fame up for debate
"Arose is a rose is a rose," said Shakespeare. Or was it Gertrude Stein? Or may-be somebody in the Bible? I don't know
OWEN MORRIS opinion@hansan.com
who said it, but whoever it was had obviously never heard of the planet Pluto. Or is that the minor planet Pluto? Or maybe it's just the trans-Neptunian Object Pluto. You see, scientists have never been quite able to decide what exactly Pluto is (or isn't). Some insist that it is no more than a chunk of ice, no different than the billions of other chunks of ice orbiting in the Kuiper Belt. Other scientists are adamant that Pluto is in fact a planet and are willing to use many large words to make their point.
Adding fuel to the sans-planet fire is a new report by scientists from Germany stating that they've found an object bigger than Pluto in the Kuiper Belt. They are calling it Ub313 — those Germans sure have a way with names. Now, scientists are debating whether to make Ub313 a planet and if so, they are wondering If Pluto should remain a planet. So far they have come up with five options: Make both planets; make neither planets; give Ub313 Pluto's title of a planet; leave things the way they are with Pluto staying a planet and Ub313 just a chunk of ice or combine Pluto and Ub313 into one big ice planet, which they would call Plubo313 — OK, so this last one hasn't actually been proposed, but I think it would be kind of cool.
Now, you are probably wondering why you should care about what is happening on a couple of ice cubes billions of miles away that don't even have a Starbucks. The reason is a man named Clyde Tombaugh. Clyde just happens
to be a bona fide University of Kansas alum, and in 1930 it was Clyde that first started this mess when he discovered Pluto one night at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz. How many other universities can claim planet finders as alum? Only seven other people have found planets in our solar system, which puts Clyde in a pretty exclusive club. Not as exclusive as the 3,000 hit, 500 home run club — four members — or the Village People — six members — but still pretty exclusive.
It's a club many scientists want to kick Clyde out of. If Clyde gets kicked out then KU gets kicked out, too. Yes, just when you thought things couldn't get worse for the science community in the state of Kansas now they are trying to take the shining jewel out of our tiara and give it away to some Germans. Imagine the laughing stock we would be. Not only can we not teach evolution, we can't even hold onto our damn planet.
Scientists should leave Pluto alone. It's only been a planet for 75 years. We have known about other planets, such as Mars, virtually since the beginning of time. Why don't we take one of these older planets that's starting to go stale and replace it? Take away Mars' planetship and instead give the name and the planetship of Mars to Ub313. This would leave a very large red object in the sky which we could now auction the naming rights for. What better publicity for FedEx than to have a former planet named after its company?
PAGE 5A
Maybe they would even allow us to ship our creationists there.
Morris is an Overland Park junior in journalism.
"Do not weep maiden for war is kind./Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky/And the afrighted steen ran on alone./Do not weep./War is kind."
More than 100 years ago, Stephen Crane penned his famous poem, "War is Kind," as a de-nouncement of the ravages of war and its effects on soldiers.
Devastated soldiers bring reality of war back home
Patrick Ross, associate opinion editor 864-4924 or pross@kansan.com
Now, with the death toll in Iraq reaching nausea numbers, 2,480 according to CNN.com, some soldiers are returning to our shores in emotional turmoil. Much like Vietnam, there hardly seems to be any uproar.
Both sides pepper public forums with ignorant and misinformed opinions. No matter what side you agree with, however, regardless of whether you think Bush is a devil or a saint, there is one group of people who are caught in the middle of the tempest. These are the soldiers who are fighting the actual war.
▼ COMMENTARY
Art Ben, business manager
864-4462 or adddirector@kansan.com
Sarah Connelly, sales manager
864-4462 or adsaies@kansan.com
Tucked quietly away, buried beneath the pundits and moral theorizing, Brandon Price returned a changed man from his first tour in Iraq.
Malcim Gbolem, general manager, news adviser
844-7867 or mibonline at kansan.com
Jonathan Kealing, editor
864-4854 or jkealing@kansan.com
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser
684-7686 or jweaver@kansan.com
864-4854 or jeeling@kansan.com
Joshua Blickel, *managing editor*
864-4854 or jiekai@kansan.com
Nata Karlin, *managing editor*
864-4854 or nklerkin@kansan.com
Jeson Shad, *editor opinion*
864-4924 or jshead@kansan.com
On the front page of Monday's Lawrence Journal-World, Mike Belt told the story of a veteran wrestling with the demons inside after his return from the battlefield.
Jerrigan is one of a large group of soldiers who recently participated in a ride to promote veterans' awareness in Miami.
livelihood. According to the article in the Herald, he was irritable, depressed and incredibly angry.
These soldiers aren't random faces plastered across the television set. They aren't images painted by the writers in news stories. These men and women are your neighbors, your brothers, your sisters and your spouses.
Rhetoric concerning the true intent of the war is a dime a dozen. Simple vandals plastering graffiti across campuses around the nation, including the University of Kansas, saying "War Kills," and frothing "good ole boys" can argue until they pass out.
And still more have joined simply for a way to make it through college. As a society, we have an obligation to help those who have made the ultimate sacrifice; political leanings be damned.
It is morally irresponsible to ignore those who have sacrificed their sanity, their limbs or their lives. Perhaps they felt it was their patriotic duty to join the armed forces. Perhaps it was family tradition that led them into service.
TALK TO US
When Jernigan, now 27, returned from the war, he had been left by his wife and much of his
Truly, do not weep maiden. War is kind.
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Vierthaler is a Dodge City junior in journalism.
Two years ago, Jernigan, a marine, was manning his machine gun turret in Iraq when a series of mortars were detonated. Jernigan's face was evicerated; shrapnel burrowed into his eyes and his entire frontal lobe was liquefied.
In a story eerily reminiscent of Vietnam, 21 year-old Price coped with the horrors of war through drugs and alcohol.
Price returned to the states with an honorable discharge. He ended up at the doorstep of Lawrence Memorial Hospital, his arm bloodied from a self-inflicted wound.The Miami Herald printed a moving column by Nicholas Spangler dedicated to Mike Jernigan, a wounded veteran in his late 20s.
MARK VIERTHALER
orienton@hansan.com
I would like to thank the Catholics on campus for bringing cookies. I regret to inform them, however, that I have lost the pamphlet that they had given me, so if they could please bring more pamphlets and cookies tomorrow, I would be glad to take a cookie, err, pamphlet.
1
pamphle
I swear to God they put crack
in orange mint tic-tacs.
+
Why is ESPN televising golf for the rest of the week instead of PTI and AroundThe Horn. That's crap! Crap!Yeah, crap!
Free-for-All, I'd like to apologize to the old bus drivers for saying that they sucked because the new ones suck even more.
Does anybody out there know how to make bean soup? I think I have all the ingredients over here at Tuckaway, so if anybody knows how to make bean soup, please come by.
I was just wondering, is it a sin that I'm watching the K-State-Texas game and I'm rooting for K-State?
Can I get an editor's note on that, please?
about that, Chiefs fans?
Yeah, Free-for-All, I just saw a picture of Fred Phelps wearing a Kansas City Chiefs jersey. So what do you think about that, Chiefs fans?
They suck.
Canada just beat the U.S. men's curling team and I'm really mad right now. I mean, seriously, can we just go to war with them? I want to punch them in the face.
We just saw an unmarked white van pull up onto Wescoe Beach. I think there's a drug deal going on. It is the humanities building, so that kind of makes sense.
Here's a little known fact:
Happy Gilmore was the first
Jared Fogle.
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Jonathan Kesling, Joshua Bickel, Nate Karlin,
Jason Shaad, Patrick Ross, Ty Beaver, John
Jordan, Malinda Debourne
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SUBMISSIONS
▼ COMMENTARY
Minor issues get too much attention
ANDREW SOUKUP opinion@kansan.com
While I was initially hesitant to admit that I agreed with someone who thinks "the age of Tae Bo and Pilates" would bring an answer to our national security problems, I must confess with all candor that I agree with Cassie Gentry that women are just as capable as men to serve in the Oval Office. Yet, at the same time, I disagree with the entire discussion centering on a candidates gender. Too often, the discourse leans toward finding the best woman for the office instead of finding the best person for the office, regardless of gender. For as inconsequential as the argument maintains gender is, it makes a big deal out of this one issue.
This problem, however, is not unique to this debate. Many groups simultaneously assert that something does not matter and then assert that it really does. Organizations like the Black Student Union, Queers and Allies and Feminists United serve only to reinforce the belief that the differences between groups are more important than their similarities. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with groups of people who share common interests organizing themselves. It is more than just slightly hypocritical, however, to form these groups and then malign the fact that others go on to recognize and react to these differences, very often leading directly or indirectly to false stereotypes and prejudices
Educational and governmental programs, such as affirmative action policies and minority scholarships, also emphasize the differences among groups. Some, such as former Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, have even charged that these approaches are tantamount to "reverse discrimination" (opinion in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 1978). And, while I won't go on to lament the many problems of middle-class, white, Christian males like myself, this should not be something that is shrugged off lightly. Even though it may now be cliché, it is nonetheless true that we still observe Black History in February, Women's History in March and Gay Pride Week; but there will never be a White History Month or White Pride Week.
I don't hate women, blacks, gays or anyone else. But, if you make the distinction between yourself and the rest of society, then forgive me if I notice. And, if you run for president and your campaign slogan reads something like "I have a uterus, vote for me," expect that I will probably not vote for you. I want a candidate, not just a woman.
Soukup is a Lakin junior in linguistics.
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