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Monday, March 30, 1987 / University Daily Kansan
The fragility of life
Four KU students died this weekend.
Four KU students died this weekend. Sometimes it needs to be said more than once before the real impact of the incident strikes a nerve and hits our hearts.
The incident was tragic and its repercussions dismal. Friday night, students Jenifier Jones, Elizabeth Dunlap, Daniel McDevitt and Joel Grantham decided to take a break from the weekly responsibilities of being a university student and let loose at a weekend party.
Their trip to the party ended when their car was hit broadside by a train traveling at 65 mph. Witnesses and officials say that the car's passengers may have been trying to beat the train over the tracks or that they simply did not see the
train's approach.
They were not unlike ourselves. Their week was busy with the juggling of class work, extracurricular responsibilities, personal relationships and plans for a secure future. Their weekend was to be a time to celebrate the present and to rejuvenate their spirits for another week.
Our hearts aren't in it
As we witness and experience the sadness of the untimely deaths of four of our peers, we easily can break from thoughts of our future plans and take a vivid look at the present moment. It's clear that regardless of how strong-willed and secure we may feel, our lives are extremely fragile. So fragile that carelessness easily can jeopardize our future.
Every time President Reagan opens his mouth, the words that come out make him look like an idiot and make the people of the United States look like idiots for re-electing him.
Live for the moment, but do it with care.
Reagan's latest statements on education are appalling, to say the least. When Reagan attended a national conference on education reform last week in Columbia, Mo., he said basic values, not more money, would improve the quality of U.S. schools.
During the Reagan administration, education has taken a back seat to other programs, such as defense, and now we have the real reason that education in the United States faces problems today.
Reagan said at the conference, "The secret to educational quality is not in the pocketbook. It's in the heart."
ries for teachers in the United States?
Will the heart improve equipment for schools in the United States?
Will the heart improve sala-
Will the heart improve educational programs for the students in the United States?
Does Reagan actually believe the statements he makes about education?
Opinions
In Reagan's simple mind, dedicated teachers and administrators can improve the quality of education by setting high standards and attending to the basics of knowledge. And those dedicated educators should work long and hard hours in the classrooms without expecting decent salaries or money needed to improve their schools.
But let's look on the bright side of the education plight. Reagan will be out of office in less than two years.
Reversing a wrong
Black Student Union and the KU forensics team finally got what they deserved — revenue code status...
The Student Senate should be applauded for reversing its decision and granting the two groups status.
Opponents argued that revenue code status was not a prize and that groups should prove that they deserved status. These groups deserved the status.
Black Student Union has proven that it is a responsible organization and that complete control over its money can do nothing but help black students at the University.
It was time for BSU to have more control of its money. Since 1968, BSU has been providing services to black students. In order to continue to grow and not stagnate, BSU needs to become more independent. Revenue status is one way to do that.
Revenue code status will
allow BSU to send more students to leadership conferences and begin Phase II, a five-year program to solicit money from large corporations.
While BSU will grow from revenue code status, the KU forensics team needed the status to maintain its national ranking and reputation. KU is now ranked first nationally with Baylor University.
The rumors that the forensics team would have its finances cut already had reached other schools, and this hurt the University's recruiting efforts. Denying the forensics team status would have devastated a nationally ranked team and curbed the number of students who could participate.
In order to continue to improve and grow, both BSU and the forensics team needed revenue code status, and the Senate recognized this need.
News staff
News staff
Frank Hansel ... Editor
Jennifer Benjamin ... Managing editor
Jul Warren ... News editor
Brian Kibberline ... Editorial editor
Sandra Engelland ... Campus editor
Mark Siebert ... Sports editor
Diane Dualmeir ... 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
Lucas Calhoun ... Classified manager
Lori Copple ... Classified manager
Jennifer Lumianski ... Production manager
David Nixon ... National sales manager
Jeanne Hines ... Sales and marketing adviser
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the scope of Senate involvement. One example of this would be the purchase of a block of 100 tickets for the postseason basketball tournament. These seats would be sold to the students, at no profit to Senate, on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Campaigning for a First Class Senate
Editor's note: Each of the three coalitions in this year's Student Senate election was asked to submit a short statement by September 15, and please join the First Cause coalition to appear on the ballot.
Jan. 17 - As the University of Kansas faces budget cuts, student senators retreat to Kansas City for a $1,700 "field trip."
Jeff Mullins and Brian Kramer Guest Shot
Jan. 23 - Presidential and vicepresidential salaries are raised to more than $7,000, combined.
■ Feb. 28 — The Student Senate Executive Committee, chaired by Jason Krakow, denies revenue code status to the KU forensics team and the Black Student Union, continuing a long record of inconsistency in faculty policies. Stephanie Quincy. They split their votes on supplemental funding for
Kansas Crew and on revenue code status to KU Forensics and BSU, three of the groups that First Class has supported since the beginning of this campaign.
They agreed only on the need for a costly Student Senate retreat, and they both supported Senate salary increases. Taking the example of Chancellor Gene A. Budig this past summer a step further, Brian I and I will donate our entire salaries to the University. We also will refuse to hold an extravagant Senate retreat.
■ March 4 — Fed up with petty manipulations of Senate rules, Jeff Mullins and Brian Kramer file as candidates for president and vice president under the First Class coalition, bringing a much needed fresh approach, new ideas and new blood to the Senate.
You, the students of KU, must decide what you think are the most important issues facing this University in the upcoming year and then decide which coalition best supports those ideas.
The biggest contributions Krakow and Quincy have made while in the Senate have been indecisiveness, confusion, disillusionment and frustration to those the Senate should be serving, the students. In a word,
bureauacuacy. They have done everything but give the students the bottom line.
They both played major roles in the campaigns of previous coalitions with workable issues, but neither has come forward to introduce proposals dealing with these issues to the floor of the Senate.
Do our ideas sound bold and brash? Well, they are. And so is the look of our coalition. Yes, we are the coalition with Kevin Pritchard and Kelly Donoho running, and why shouldn't they run? They have both shown their leadership ability on the athletic fields, why shouldn't they show it on the floor of the Senate? They are just as capable of representing the views of the student body as any one else.
Is a grade appeals board timely or workable? No! Grade appeals have been proposed before and were defeated by the University Senate by 90 votes on May 8, 1984
A more pertinent issue that First Class supports is the efficient allocation of academic resources to open classes. By helping to fund equipment purchases and other expenses, departmental funds could be released for use in opening new classes. We also support broadening
It doesn't take experience to be fair and show integrity. We know we will bring both of these qualities to Senate, and bring a little respect back to the body. So cast a First Class vote on Wednesday or Thursday, April 9 or 10, and we will give you a FIRST CLASS STUDENT SENATE!
Mailbox
Capturing realities
"Platoon" deserves every one of the eight Oscar nominations it has earned. Besides being the most critically acclaimed film about the Vietnam War, it captures the veterans' experiences, both real and psychological.
"Platoon" brings these realities home to a society that has failed to acknowledge them for the past 20 years. Facing realities helps families of veterans share in the frustration and anger that their loved ones are going through.
Because of society's contempt for the war, veterans were alienated and forced to harbor their feelings when they returned home. "Platoon" can serve as an outlet for many of these feelings. Yet, this opportunity will be wasted unless the public realizes its importance and gives veterans the recognition they deserve.
Veterans support groups and administrations are a good start in helping veterans deal with the problems they now face. But this is not enough. They need to be told that what they did was not wrong and that there are many Americans who love them for what they do. With public awareness on the rise, now is the time to wipe out feelings of alienation resulting from attitudes created 20 years ago.
After all these years, it's ironic that a movie about the Vietnam War is glorified. The veterans who fought the war are not. Isn't it time we finally welcomed America's heroes home?
Jennifer Hoeffner
Salina freshman
Kelly Luck
Lenexa freshman
A question of class
During the past few weeks, we have received a "handful" of complaints about our halftime routines and our uniforms. The uniforms, which are red unitards, have been termed "too revealing and lacking class." The routines have been called "more fitting for a burlesque show." This is very discouraging to us because we are trying
Bringing about change is always difficult, but it has to occur for progress to continue. As a member of the Kansas Crimson Girls, KU's pomp squad, we are facing some opposition to change.
hard to bring a little "entertainment" to KU halftimes.
We are a national championship team and many of our routine ideas came from the week we spent at a National Cheerleading Association camp this summer in Dallas.
Obviously, this "handful" of alumni never have been to a ballet. Broadway musical, or any professional dancing event. It is a shame that due to a few people's narrow-mindedness, we must be so restricted.
Due to these complaints, we now have been banned from wearing our unitards, which we paid for ourselves, and our halftime routines will be reviewed by members of the University of Kansas Athletic Corporation staff from now on. It is frustrating when one or two people can run everything we've worked so hard for.
We have been accused of spanking the "class act image of KU." Quite the contrary, with the superiority of the basketball team, jazz band and student body, we too are trying to finally bring a little class to KU halftimes.
It's time we come out of the dark ages and show other universities that Kansas is not the backwoods place that everyone perceives to it. Be our main goal has been, and always will be, to bring added enjoyment and entertainment to the University.
Kansas City, Kan. senior
Bishop mistaken
The article on Catholic students and their faith, published in the March 23 issue of the Kansan, was good. However, Bishop Fitzsimmons was in error when he stated that only Roman Catholics believe in the seven sacraments, the Mass as the highest act of worship and the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Episcopalians also hold these beliefs.
The Episcopal Church is a product of the Anglican Reformation, but we have maintained the essence of the Catholic tradition, mainly the apostolic succession of bishops and the sacraments. The Episcopal Church understands itself to be a middle-way between Roman Catholicism and the Protestant denominations.
Angel Clowers Lawrence sophomore
Forest Bloodgood, in his guest shot concerning the march against the Student Senate Executive Committee's refusal to grant the Black Student Union revenue code status, accused black students of being politically apathetic and of promoting segregation without the proper reference points to do so, as some white neople often do.
These are only a few of the issues that black students have to face every day.
Instead of asking black students why they didn't march against the death penalty in Kansas, why didn't he ask about more pressing issues, like why we feel BSU needs revenue code status? Isn't that what this is all about? Why didn't he ask what the differences were between living with our black families, our primary support system, and living in a predominantly white residence hall? Did you know that the attrition rate among black students at the University of Kansas is 72 percent?
A hasty judgment
The fact that black people have to deal with white people on a daily basis is a fact of life, but how many times are white people forced, or are willing, to involve themselves with black people and their culture? Bloodgood mentioned that BSU automatically considers all black students as members. If someone is a Democrat, doesn't that make them an inactive member of KU Democrats?
Did anyone tell him he couldn't participate in a Mr. Ebony-Miss Essence pageant or any other event? Is it just another aspect of black culture?"
Please consider this letter a personal invitation to become an active member of BSU and get involved in other functions which promote and support the activities of black people. That way you can get a first-hand look at how black students function on this campus and then form your opinions.
Ametta Reaves
Ametta Reaves
St. Louis junior
Joy Evans
St. Louis junior
Making new fans
This last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Junior College NCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Both Friday and Saturday evenings, Ed Manning also attended the games. Throughout the games, Manning had at least five young boys surrounding him on the bleachers. At one point he even had one young man on his lap so the attendants wouldn't ask the lad to move out of the doorway.
Manning gave many young boys the pleasure of being close to a celebrity, and the chance to dream of someday playing for KU.
On Saturday evening, Larry Brown was also at the games. Both Brown and Manning spent time signing autographs and talking to each individual that came up to them.
I would like to applaud the public relations that both of these men displayed, especially Ed Manning and Kurt Larsen, in films and future KU students harpy
Rhonda Denning 1979 KU graduate
Fashion statement
This Thursday, April 2, Gay and Lesbian Services of Kansas once again will hold the annual "Wear Blue Jeans if You're Gay Day" as part of Gay and Lesbian Awareness Week.
Every day, the reason of this day is misunderstood by many people who say such as, "Nobody — especially a group of queers — is going to tell me what to wear!" And every year those planning GALA Week point out that the purpose of Blue Jeans Day isn't so everybody on campus can see "who is and who isn't," but to point out that it really shouldn't matter what a person's sexual orientation is.
I'll never forget my freshman year when I walked across campus and realized that some people actually were wearing plaid golf pants because they didn't want others to think they were "one of those."
The fact is that there are some people who will wear jeans this Thursday and realize after it's too late to go home and change. And all day long they'll feel as if people might be thinking . . .
And some people will look around, see people in jeans and realize that they can't tell "who is and who isn't" and, when it comes down to it, it's really no big deal; we have one head, two arms and two legs just like everybody else. And just like everybody else, we have feelings.
Craig Miller
Ottawa junior
katz
k.l. thorman
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breathed