Friday, February 6. 1987 / University Daily Kansan
Move with mercy
If it's not one thing, it's another.
For University residence halls this semester, it's not overcrowding but not enough of a crowd.
The office of residential programs is trying to find roommates for about 175 residents left without roommates after semester break. The office has informed the residents that they cannot live alone unless they pay a more expensive single-room rate.
The students and their residence halls will play a switching game, as the office tries to pair up these students and close up extra rooms.
The students can choose a roommate or accept an assigned one. The move, especially after students have settled in a room, will be
inconvenient for them. But they signed a contract, which gives the office the right to shuffle them around if necessary. The halls are trying to cater to the students by keeping them in about the same location, if possible.
Although other students may have paid extra to live in a single room, asking these stranded students to pay extra is unfair.
Burdening students with a room switch within their residence hall is not asking too much, but resorting to a game of musical residence halls is.
These students haven't asked for a single room at a double-room rate. The office of residential programs should find them roommates or just leave them alone.
Ads have value to public
"Because of AIDS, I'm afraid AIDS isn't just a gay disease. It's everybody's disease. And everybody who gets it dies. The Surgeon General says proper use of condoms can reduce your risk. . . I'll do a lot for love. But I'm not ready to die for it."
And that's all she said.
This is the advertisement that Anselm International, the makers of LifeStyles condoms, plans to run on Midwest network affiliates. The stations have established certain regulations before airing these ads, such as not showing them during children's programming hours and making sure the ads are done in good taste. The three networks are still refusing to air the commercials, claiming that they would offend some viewers.
When the networks run such violent and sexually provocative shows as the A-Team and Dynasty, why should they think that a commercial for
If people are offended by the commercials, they have every right to change the channel, just as they can with any other television program or advertisement. No one is forcing them to watch. The ads also are not promoting sexual activity or promiscuity. They only suggest that people take some precautions to prevent catching a deadly disease.
prophylactics would offend the public? Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is a grave national concern. So why are the networks trying to pretend it doesn't exist?
Until a cure is found, education is the next best thing. The commercials are not offensive, they only provide information. It is good to see that the cable networks and some network affiliates are not too intimidated by the possibility of offending some viewers to air the ads. The networks should follow their lead.
Shouting a part of game
Coaches using verbal abuse to get a point across to athletes has been around since the beginning of sporting events. However, the Faculty Council at Indiana University just recently discovered this abuse.
The council then issued a condemnation of oral and physical abuse by Indiana coaches.
That's right. It's the same school that has had Bobby Knight as a basketball coach for 16 years.
Physical abuse of players should not and is not tolerated, although cases of it are often remembered. Names such as ex-football coaches Frank Kush and Woody Hayes seem to be associated with instances of abuse. Kush was fired in 1979 at the University of Arizona after he was accused of punching a player, and Hayes was dismissed at Ohio State
University after he slugged a Clemson University player during the nationally-televised Gator, Bowl in 1978.
This type of abuse is the exception and has not been tolerated. Verbal abuse is something altogether different and is commonplace in sports from the high school level to the pros.
Yelling at players is a coaching tool that players expect. Imagine the reaction if KU coaches Bob Valesente or Larry Brown never raised their voices during practices or games. The players wouldn't know how to act.
Coaches are not out to publicly humilate players through oral abuse, although in an enclosed basketball arena such abuse would be hard to hide.
College athletics may have its share of problems, but oral abuse is not one of them.
Frank Hansel . Editor
Jennifer Benjamin . Managing editor
Jull Warren . News editor
Brian Kaberline . Editorial editor
Sandra Engelland . Campus editor
Sports Editor
Diane Dulmeier . 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
Lori Coppel. Classified manager
Luciana Ludmaniaski. Production manager
David Nixon. National sales manager
Jeanne Hines. Sales and marketing adviser
News staff
Opinions
Letters should be typeed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words and should include the writer's name, address and telephone number. If the writer is affiliated with the University, include class and hometown, or faculty or staff position.
Guest shots should be typeed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The
that Reagan spent too much and then tacked on their own special interest budget requests — Washington at its best.
The Kansan reserves the right reject or edit letters and guest shots. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Staffer-Flint Hall
Similarly, more than half of the state legislatures have passed resolutions calling for a constitutional convention for the purpose of adding a Balanced Budget Amendment, but the two-thirds required is still lacking.
The University Daily Kansan (USPS 650-640) is published at the University of Kansas, 118 Stauffer-Fint-Hall Law, Kanen, K6045, daily during the regular school year, excluding Saturday, Sunday, holidays and finals periods, and on Wednesday during the summer session. Second-class postage paid in Lawrence, Kanen 66044. Subscriptions by mail are $40 per year in Douglas County and $50 per year outside the county. Student subscriptions are $3 and are paid annually.
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No easy answers to budget problems
The split then would appear to be quite clear, except for the current inconsistency of opinions regarding the budgets of the United States and Kansas.
It is generally accepted as common sense that one should live within one's means. To do so is praeworthy as being financially sound. Failing to do so is disapprovingly viewed as being a spendthrift.
President Reagan, in his annual State of the Union address last month, entreated the Congress, as he does every year, for a Balanced Budget Amendment. It gave him a rare chance to sound like a successful conservative before the Congress responded with the de rigeur apuplase.
Paul Campbell Columnist
Despite the plea and plaudit, the
Kansas, like the majority of states, is required to have a balanced budget, i.e. no deficit spending. By law, Hayden was required to do something and, when it was apparent the revenue expected would not appear, he made the unpopular decision.
possibility of a balanced budget this year is only slightly better than the possibility of, say, skiing in hell. The president's budget request, while within the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings guidelines, would still spend feloniously on congressional needles and thread were being readied to stitch on more appropriations even before the president reached the podium.
The people who blame the president solely for the problem, neglect that Congress still passes the budget no matter how bad it is. The people who blame only the Congress forget that it is the president who requests the budget in the first place.
At the state level, Gov Hayden made himself even more unpopular with the academic community by calling for an across-the-board 3.8 percent cut in spending to keep the state's budget balanced. While Gov Hayden responded to a reduction in expected revenue by making a very unpopular decision, one which the voters will undoubtedly be reminded of by the Democrats when
This has caused various departments to tighten their belts to meet the new guidelines, as many a chairman and instructor alike refer to Hayden with the most unprintable of expletives.
The end result of all this could be referred to as critical "chameleonism". The voters complain about deficit spending in Washington and then complain about Hayden's budget balancing in Topeka.
he comes up for re-election.
Our country needs, more than anything else, a Balanced Budget Amendment requiring states to keep their financial houses in order. The principle is easy enough to understand: governments should not spend more than they collect.
A version of the amendment was proposed once. In 1982, the Senate passed a constitutional amendment to the house to both balance the budget and limit taxes. While it garnered little support, the required two-thirds vote necessary. The people who voted against this are the same ones who claimed
Rather than the criticism that he has received since the election, Hayden deserves a hearty "well done" for courage in the face of political adversity. Let us hope that somebody else will have the opportunity also be deserving of such praise on matters of fiscal integrity. And let's hope it soon.
Washington filled with new faces
WASHINGTON — The White House will have several new faces during President Reagan's last two years in office.
Helen Thomas
UPI Commentary
Some of the aides held off jumping ship after the Iran scandal hit the White House, but they appear to have decided that Reagan has weathered the storm and their departures will not be construed as desertions.
Several top aides have quit or are leaving to advance their careers in private life with the backdrop of service in the White House. And there is some room at the top now.
The most visible of the new insiders is Marlin Fitzwater, who replaced Larry Speakes as chief White House spokesman. Fitzwater will always have a high profile in the waning administration since he is on the podium every day, briefing reporters.
Ever since the scandal broke, Reagan himself and chief of staff Donald Regan have been fairly out of the spotlight for occasional ceremonial events.
White House Communications Director Patrick J. Buchanan, who tried to put his finger in the dike, is leaving at the end of the month to campaign for the conservative cause is promoted in the next presidential campaign.
His successor is expected to be less of an ideologue. Buchan, known as "Mr. Conservative," became the president's point man in the Iran affair and his biggest public defender.
Mitchell E, Daniels Jr., Political and Governmental assistant, made some headlines when he asked White House chief of staff Donald Regan to step down to give Reagan a clean start in the aftermath of the scandal.
The top national security matters are now in the hands of Frank Garland, who replaced deposed Secretary Security. The vice President Vice Adm. John M. Poundster.
Regan has a constituency of one, but it's the most important vote he can have as long as he serves in the White House. The president likes to be known and does not want to relinquish him despite urges to the contrary.
Since Reagan is not going to run again, some staffers are looking around for a new presidential candidate to support. Some have already left to serve a new master. At least a few of them went over to Rep. Jack Kern, K. Sen.
Most of the president's Californian crowd, who made the long political march with him, have pushed on to other jobs.
Carlucci sweep with a new broom, sending several NSC staffers packing
A new look at the White House is not unusual, particularly at this stage of a two-term president.
Mailbox
Quinquia's figures of 10,000 political prisoners are the most imprecise assertions of the article.
Column confused
With relation to his opinions about religious persecution against the Catholic Church, he showed both a misunderstanding of the Nicaraguan church structure and an ignorance in the role of the Church.
the article "Constitution a shield for Sandistas" by Carlos Chuquin was full of errors and confusion.
Like in any other Latin American country, the Catholic Church has played a political role for more than 450 years. Since a large number of priests, nuns and lay people not only support the Sandinista government but also hold governmental positions — some of them in high-ranking levels — it is absurd to say that the Church "has no political ties" and that it is persecuted.
Perhaps Chquinu's most confusing statement was when he tried to relate political pluralism with power division within the government in one sentence. It may be true that the executive branch holds more power than the other branches of the government, but it is not related to the participation of different political parties in the country.
Since more than 76 percent of 1986 gross national product was generated by the private sector, the article's assertion about centralized economic planning is not valid Nicaragua's economic plan. It would do nothing to do with the lack of planning rather than excessive planning.
Even the Reagan administration hasn't been able to compile figures on political prisoners in Nicaragua, and did not make accusations against Nicaragua at the United Nations Council for Human Rights that began Monday.
According to Armesty International, the contrasts are the ones consistently violating human rights through killing of peasants, raps and destruction of schools, hospitals and farms.
I believe Carlos Quinquih has written an inaccurate article and is responsible for misleading the public. His haphaazard and arbitrary statements not only add to the disinformation on Nicaragua, but also jeopardize his future as a journalist.
administrative
Oscar Quiros assistant, Latin American Studies
As a Central American who has been observing the political process that began in Nicaragua before the triumph of the Sandinista's in 1979, I was more than shocked by the article "Constitution a shield for Sandinistas" by Carlos Chuquin. The article not only consistently ignores the basic facts of present Nicaraguan politics, but elaborates on false assumptions.
Shocking column
Chuquin contradicts himself when he says the seven political parties involved in the promulgation of the Constitution were involved in the Sandinista cause and later mentions that the parties opposing the Frente Sandinista were declared enemies of the government. If that is the case, why were the "enemy" parties so eager and participative during the discussions in the Parliament?
The seven political parties he refers to are not "in some way involved with the Sandinista Cause." The Sandinista Party is only one of them. The remaining six are opposition parties from the extreme left to the extreme right. Chuquin's opinions are not only underestimating the true efforts of leftist and rightist opposition leaders, but are also reflecting his disinformation on the tonic
The Frente Sandinista is the most interested in allowing the exercise of political freedom within the system. This political freedom is the best strategy against the contrast. The U.S.funded contras will not have strong popular support as long as there are political means to promote changes in the country. Not only did all of the parties participate in the writing of the Constitution, but Chuquin failed to mention the process that occurred before the Parliament began to discuss the issues. Different peasant, working, and professional groups, regardless of political affiliation, participated in the discussion of each clause of the Constitution through the traditional "cabildo abierto" or town meeting. The Constitution was a topic of farm, classroom, and office discussion for several months. Results of those town meetings were given to the Parliament.
Unfortunately, Carlos Chuquin was not informed of the basic facts when he wrote the article.
Marisol Sanchez Managua, Nicaragua graduate student
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breathed