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Thursday, April 30. 1987 / University Daily Kansan
Opinions
Taking a bite out of plan
It was once a good plan, but now the University of Kansas needs to see if it is being used.
The plan is a reciprocal agreement that allows students from Missouri to pay instate tuition at KU while they are enrolled in the school of architecture and other programs. Kansas students can pay in-state tuition while attending dental school or other programs at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
The programs have been equitable in the past, but a recent surge in Missouri architecture students at KU cost the University $1.3 million in fiscal year 1986. That amount will likely soar to $1.5 million this fiscal year, said Stanley Koplik, Kansas Board
of Regents director.
Because it is more expensive to teach dental students, MU also charges Kansas an additional $40,000 each year to make up the difference.
The economic picture in the state right now and financial problems that the University has had should be enough for KU to re-evaluate the program.
With the recent increase in architecture students, Kansas is getting it from both ends.
If the financial benefits are equal for the two universities, then the plan is a great idea and a tremendous benefit for the students of the two states. But if KU continues to lose money in the agreement, it needs to reconsider the plan to see if the cost is worth it.
Today's Bible lesson: Religion, or so-called religion in this case, provides no money back guarantees for customers not completely satisfied.
Sorry, no refunds
It seems that some people must have been asleep during the lesson because three very upset members of a family are suing the PTL club for $601 million on behalf of 500,000 "unsatisfied customers" as well as themselves. In their suit, they claim that the money they contributed to the PTL club was not used for the purpose of Christian works, beliefs and endeavors. These followers think they were erroneously led to believe that this is what the money was being used for.
Two suits were filed by Buchans family. The first suit filed is seeking the return of $11,800 that the family contributed to the club and $1 million in punitive damages. Another suit was filed by the family on behalf of the estimated 500,000 people who also were duped
The suit has been filed in response to the recent sex scandals that have rocked the PTL club, which stands for Praise the Lord or People That Love.
into contributing to this organization, for which they are asking $100 million in compensatory damages and $500 million in punitive damages.
It is a shame that these people gambled and lost, but can they really blame the PTL for their own mistakes? If they were foolish enough to think they were contributing money to a worthwhile organization, and they were proved wrong, then they should accept the consequences.
Before giving money to any club or organization, especially a religious one, people need to investigate the group. They shouldn't just blindly contribute, expecting the club to be worthwhile because of its "affiliation" with God and religion.
Don't cloud memories
The first anniversary of the world's worst nuclear disaster, at the Chernobyl power plant, passed with demonstrations around the globe, the biggest in Europe.
Remembering the Chernobyl disaster should have brought back some of the same
People remembered the accident with peaceful protests, for the most part. The United States also remembered the disaster, but on a smaller scale, with a few rallies around the country. However, the United States did not react to the anniversary with the same urgency as the citizens of some European countries.
The disaster plagued the Soviet Union last year. But it also should have been a lesson to other governments, especially the United States. The accident led the Soviet Union to increase reactor safety.
feelings of fear and doubt that circulated immediately after the accident. The nuclear disaster happened in the Soviet Union. But, a disaster of the same magnitude could occur in the United States.
Nuclear plants in the United States have not been devoid of accidents or problems. In 1986, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reported more than 3,000 mishaps at U.S. plants. The Soviet Union and the United States should not rule out the possibility of another disaster. The two countries should set the example of checking and double-checking safety at nuclear plants.
Government officials around the world should not block the Chernobyl disaster from their minds. Instead, they should be aware of the potential for disaster and work to make the world a safer place to live.
News staff
News staff
Frank Hansel ... Editor
Jennifer Benjamin ... Managing editor
Juli Warren ... News editor
Brian Kaberline ... Editorial editor
Sandra Engelland ... Campus editor
Mark Siebert ... Sports editor
Diane Duttmeier ... Photo editor
Bill Skeet ... Graphics editor
Tom Eblen ... General manager, news adviser
Business staff
Lisa Weems ... Business manager
Bonnie Hardy ... Ad director
Denise Stephens ... Retail sales manager
Kelly Scherer ... Campus sales manager
Duncan Calhoun ... Marketing manager
Classified Copper ... Classified manager
Jennifer Lumianski ... Production manager
David Nixon ... National sales manager
Jeanne Hines ... Sales and marketing adviser
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Experiencing and surviving 'The Line'
I trained for The Line for weeks. I practiced standing in one spot and looking as if I wasn't skipping three classes to be there. The day before The Line, I drank plenty of water and snarfed carbohydrates in preparation.
John Benner Columnist
My alarm sounded at 3 a.m. I
donned my running shorts and
a sweat shirt, grabbed my backpack
and went to face the monster.
I arrived at Strong Hall at 3:15 and entered through the southeast door. I walked past those who had arrived before me. I passed the sleeping bags and campstoves. I maneuvered around the pup tents, the La-Z-Boy recliners and the cots. I took my place on the second floor, at the end of The Line.
To pass the time, I struck up a conversation with the guy in front of me. "Hey," I asked, "When did you get here?"
"Have you eaten?"
"I brought some rations, but they ran out late last night. I am getting pretty hungry."
A woman farther up in line over
heard us. "How about if I make a food run? Some of us haven't eaten for days." She licked her lips in anticipation of nourishment. She wouldn't last much longer without food.
A man behind her in The Line had vacant eyes and a desperate look on his face. "Hey, lady. If you get out of line, that's it. I'm not letting you back in." He nervously shifted his feet and glanced over his shoulder for support from those farther back in line.
The people behind him jeered at the woman. Some threw enrollment cards and then hurriedly retrieved them. The woman slid, with her back to the wall, and sat on the floor, defeated and demoralized.
I pulled my folding stool from my backpack and set it up, waiting for the enrollment center to open. I fell asleep about 4 a.m.
I had horrifying dreams of Soviet toilet paper lines and of Depression-era bread lines. I was relieved when I awoke at 6 a.m.,跑步 running down my face and tracing a path that would end in my shorts.
I looked behind me and saw that The Line stretched out of sight, possibly ending somewhere near the window. I watched as he was rubbing his eyes and yawning.
"Hey," he said. "Will you wake me if The line starts to move?"
As he dropped off, his head dipped down toward his chest and his arms
"Sure. Don't worry."
He slept fitfully, Ficked a little, and muttered mostly incomprehensible words. At one point he even shouted: "Oh great God in heaven, I didn't realize it had a flag!"
went limD.
Thinking that he had suffered enough, I awakened him from his sleep.
"Is The Line moving yet?" he asked.
"No. You were kicking and yelling.
I thought it best to wake you."
"Thanks. I was having this terrible dream about . . ."
"Yes, I know. It's OK. Everything will be OK."
We began to talk about the reason we were in The Line. I realized, from overhearing bits and pieces of other conversations, that everyone had an excuse for being there. I didn't hear anyone say, though, 'I was too lazy to get here at my scheduled time, so here I am.'
1, myself, had what I thought was a good excuse. I told the guy in front of me about how the cruel and uncaring history department had left me high and dry after it canceled its only summer course above the 300 level.
He listened, but I knew he was just waiting to tell me he was there.
At 7:30, The Line began to move.
"What's on going on there?" I yelled.
"They're opening up early," someone yelled back. A cheer arose from the crowd. People got to their feet and packed up their gear. We stood in
The word was passed back through The Line that the enrollment center would open at 8 a.m. the beginning of the journey was at hand.
At 8:15, I was able to take my first step toward the objective. I speculated that the infamous "accordion effect" was the cause of the shortening of The Line. Soon, we began to move forward at regular intervals.
At 10 a.m., I got to the first floor. The offices were open, and the Strong Hall workers had to weave in and out of The Line to get to their offices.
the same spot for more than half an hour.
At 11 a.m., I passed the rack that held the pamphlets about alcoholism. I thought then that I certainly knew what would drive me to drink,
At 11:30, I rounded the final turn and saw the actual computer room. For so many hours it only had been a vision in my head. I blinked my eyes, sure that it was just a mirage. It was not.
Suddenly, I realized that the lunch hour was fast approaching, and that I must get into the computer room before they slammed the door. I out the last half hour and was one the last people to get in before lunch.
I handed my card to the man on the stool and waited. He looked it over but didn't look happy. "It's OK," he said, disappointed. "And you're a senior, too. This was our last chance to get you."
Mailbox
Everybody's mess
A letter to the editor that appeared in Monday's Kansan seems to miss the point. The point is that all students leave trash and newspapers on Wesco beach, and we do not want visitors to see this mess.
Joanne Stohr uses this problem to express her personal feelings toward the greek system. She suggested that the greeks are solely at fault.
I agree that visitors to the University of Kansas should not see this because it reflects poorly on the student body. I do not agree that the greeks are the only ones who gather and litter though.
Tracie Fitzgerald St. Louis junior
Column full of myths
After reading Malek Bouzid's guest shot on the Middle East in last Thursday's Kansan, I would like to constructively examine the myths in his letter.
Bouzid says, "The Middle East is that no man's land . . . has been bugging us for eternity." By "us," he means the West, I presume. He goes on to say, "The Arab World" is a collection of 20 countries created by
France, England and Italy ...
These two statements are self-contradictory; if the second statement is true then the first must be false, for the second statement indicates clearly who has been bugging who.
Next, he erroneously includes Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya in the Middle East. If North Africa and the Middle East were laid end-to-end, would they span the gap between the left and right sides of Bouzid's brain?
Bouzid says, "Qatar: Where else have you seen a 'q' not followed by a u?' Where else is Bouzid's idiocy best reflected? Trying to spell an Arabic word in English is like trying to fly a plane without wings.
Then, what authority does he have to speak about Arabs or Muslims? Boudiz is neither an Arab nor a Muslim. Would his broken spoken Arabic dialect make him an expert in the Middle East? So, is he trying to fool? His expertise is best demonstrated in dishonesty and treachery. Didn't he receive more than $30,000 in scholarship money from his native country? Any decent human being would honor his contract. As a token of appreciation to his native land, the least he could do is to give thanks. How ungrateful can he be?
zenith. Last year he claimed to be a U.S. citizen (Kansan, April 3, 1986). I have known him for years, so tell me, how can someone with an expired foreign passport receive American citizenship in the span of a few years?
Lastly, he says, "Israel: Holy Land. Democracy with Western standards." I think this statement would sell best as a headline in the National Enquirer. The reality is rather this, Israel: Stolen Land. Zion and cockey living with Uncle Sarn money.
Bouzid's dishonesty is reaching its
Louqmane Tidjani
Louqmane Tidjani
Algiers, Algeria graduate teaching
Where will funds go?
I hope all 36 KU students who attended the Washington march had a good time. It's too bad about the rain and drizzle, but that obviously didn't dampen your spirits since "everybody there was bonded by a common purpose," and the atmosphere was "exciting, intense and dramatic." By the way, did anybody think about what will happen to that $25,000 that Jackson Browne presented to the African National Congress? I did, but I guess that's just me? I did, that Should be good for
a few medium-sized car bombs, or perhaps a gross of firebombs. The infamous necklace is a lot cheaper, requiring only a used Michelin tire and a gallon of gasoline, and the black children have all the good rocks they need.
Or maybe the ANC gets its weapons from the same wonderful people who supply our Pentagon. That $25,000 should be good for a couple of defective monkey wrenches, or one used toilet seat.
If I get really silly, I might imagine that they could use that money to buy some food. Food's good, especially considering Africa's present state, Nah. Or perhaps a nice tractor for farming? That has been tried too, but the nice United Nations people who sent the last one forgot to include gasoline and spare parts. That is the West's incredible depth of understanding of African affairs.
If you've read this far, you might have gathered that I'm being sarcastic. I guess my perspective is a bit warped, though, since some of my relatives still in South Africa might be the next victims of that car bomb.
Richard MacDonald Leawood graduate student
BLOOM COUNTY
RIGHT. A HOME IN L.A. 30 TIME'S BUGGER THAN HE NEEDS... A PORCHEE. A HARLEY FOR IMAGE. A DISHONEST PERSONAL BUSINESS MANAGER. A BOOKING AT THE 'DELI-AID' CONCERT. A PITIZY FASHION MODEL FOR WIFE...
by Berke Breathed