4A the university daily kansan
opinion
tuesday, december 9, 2003
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outnumber their female counterparts. From kindergarten through adulthood, males turn out in greater numbers to play sports. Why hold this against them?
For more comments, go to www.kansan.com
You would think that Triangle, the engineering fraternity, could at least put on their Christmas lights straight.
The devil is now on earth in human form on MTV's show One Bad Trip. That is the worst thing in the entire world. How would you like it if you were followed by your parents to spring break or anytime that you went out? You are supposed to let loose and have a good time and not be worried about being followed by your parents.
A KU Women of Distinction calendar would be so much hotter than a bunch of girls in bikinis.
I am a heterosexual and I love it.
correction
In yesterday's column. Past artists can help soothe through experience, music, by Patrick Cady, Elliott Smith's name was spelled incorrectly.
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stayskal's view
Wayne Stayskal for Knight Ridder
Feminist spin on Title IX hurts men, sports
No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
COMMENTARY
To any reasonable person, Title IX is a straightforward, easily interpreted amendment. So why has it led to the abolishment of hundreds of men's athletic teams? Feminists under the Clinton administration turned their sniveling, PMS-induced wrath on Title IX enforcement and made proportionally (a word never mentioned in Title IX) the only sure test for compliance.
In their view, if 60 percent of the student body is female, 60 percent of athletes must be as well. Anything less implies discrimination and leaves schools susceptible to law suits. It doesn't matter if every female athlete wanting to play sports is playing. If the percentage of female athletes does not equal the percent of females in the undergraduate population, schools are susceptible to lawsuits. Lawsuits have been filed against institutions where no complaints were made.
Consider that male intramural, club and walk-on athletes overwhelmingly
Arrah Nielsen opinion@kansan.com
New York Times issued an article that claimed the skyrocketing cost of football is to blame for cuts to men's teams. This is nonsense. Universities with large football budgets, such as the University of Nebraska and the University of Texas, tend to do better on Title IX compliance than their peers with more modest budgets. At Marquette, which has no football team, men's wrestling was cut, even though it hadn't received funding from the university since 1992. At Marquette and so many other universities, cuts to men's teams were not about football or even money but Title IX compliance.
Universities that do not have enough money or athletes to create new women's sports are forced to cut men's teams to bring gender ratios into compliance. Removing opportunities for male athletes without creating new ones for female athletes is deemed acceptable to comply with stipulations laid out by feminists — not by Title IX. Title IX feminists counter that schools are not required to cut men's teams. This may not be the requirement or even the intent, but it is the practical effect.
Proponents of Title IX gender quotas say to blame football. Last fall, The
Because it appears the current, kooky interpretation of Title IX is here to stay, I have two suggestions. First, college sports for women should be compulsory. Granted, many women may insist they don't want to play sports, but after generations of patriarchal oppression, it isn't realistic to think women really know what they want. Even if they do, it may not be what radical feminists want for them. The goal of perfectly equal gender ratios is more important than what anybody "wants."
Second, the NCAA has a long list of "women's developmental sports" that
tew of us have played or care to. Sports such as squash, badminton and synchronized swimming inspire little more than yawns and half-hearted participation. In contrast, women's hot-oil wrestling requires little skill and equipment, and has the potential to generate revenue and an enthusiastic fan base. If universities continue to cut men's sports, they should at least create women's sports the fellas enjoy watching.
Title IX bans gender discrimination in federally funded institutions. If female athletes have been discriminated against in the past, male athletes are being discriminated against in the present. This does not result in equality but merely two instances of gender discrimination. This warped interpretation of Title IX is less about providing opportunities for women than it is about gender bean counting. The fact that gender differences have been overemphasized in the past does not mean they cease to exist today. As a group, males are more interested in playing sports. They shouldn't be penalized for it.
Nielsen is an Andover senior in anthropology. She is a member of the Kansas track team.
A
editorial board
Brilliant scribe Burroughs deserves our recognition
The Douglas County Commission recently stalled in making what should be an easy decision to name a local creek after 1960s beat author William Burroughs.
The legendary writer spent the last several years of his life in Lawrence. His literary contributions and his association with the city are certainly enough to warrant naming a creek, otherwise known as the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Tributary, after the writing luminary.
It appears the only hang-up concerns Burroughs' lifestyle. His reputation for drug use and the death of his wife in his "William Tell reenactment" seems to worry commission members.
The excuse is a laughable response from a community that honors John Brown in the form of a modified Jayhawk on Massachusetts Street.
While Brown's abolitionist stance before the Civil War was commendable, his actions were that of a homicidal maniac. To honor someone who traveled the countryside and exacted grusome and grotesque revenge upon others for their ideology would be akin to honoring Charles Manson or some similar psychopathic murderer. Yet no one has a problem with honoring Brown.
Burroughs contributed a great deal
rough professionally.
This city has embraced former KU great Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain makes no secret of his dubious claim that he had sex with more than 20,000 women in his life, a questionable and embarrassing claim to say the least. Yet his name and accomplishments on the basketball court are associated with the city and nobody has a problem with it.
to society. What he did in his personal life was not intended to, nor should influence others, no matter what generation. Commissioners should not use his questionable personal past to decide how much respect to give Burroughs professionally.
It is not to imply Chamberlain and even Brown do not deserve some honor for their achievements. The implication is that the honor extended to famous people should concern their accomplishments in whatever they do.
Brown ought to be commemorated for his stance against slavery, Chamberlain for his basketball prowess and Burroughs for his outstanding literature. After all, it is their accomplishments that will stand the test of time, not activities that took place outside of what they contributed to society.
Steve Vockrodt for the editorial board.
letters to the editor
Rights worth fighting for
Dear jayne (Ascendinglyeer)
As much as I respect your assertion that marriage does not define a committed couple, I must tell you how offended and disappointed I was by your latest column.
("Are marriage rights worth fighting for?" Dec. 5, Kansan)
DeerJayme (Aschemever):
First and foremost, you entirely fail to mention the aspect of love in your discussion of the pros and cons of marriage. If I were to judge by your column, marriage seems merely to be about financial and material benefits, whether it is between heterosexual or same-sex couples. How can you entirely omit the idea that loving homosexual couples are finally receiving the opportunity to express their commitment on an equal footing with heterosexuals?
Secondly, although people sometimes marry for the wrong reasons and divorce rates are shockingly high, this is NOT grounds to suggest that homosexual couples should reject the right to marry that they have worked so hard to gain. It seems that you are suggesting that society should reject the entire institution of marriage simply because it doesn't work out in many cases!
Finally, I object fervently to your assertion that women and "metrosexuals" seem to be only in it for the wedding ceremony and fabulous-looking diamond rings." The very fact that you classify sensitive men as "different" simply encourages the idea that men should be "maclo" and never share how they feel.
Students must register to vote
Kelly Carson
Littleton, Colo.
sophomore in Spanish and Italian
Perhaps things are different in Leawood, but from where I sit, I don't see the status quo supporting President George W. Bush in his quest for reelection. ("No need to change status quo, Bush should stay," Dec. 3, Kansan) A Gallup poll says that 33 percent of Americans have decided that they are definitely going to vote against Bush — a promising statistic, given the fact that there is not yet a strong democratic candidate.
It's important for us as citizens of the United States of America to be registered to vote, and it's our responsibility as voters to be educated about prospective presidential candidates and how they respond to the issues of greatest concern to you and the nation. There are nine democratic candidates. To learn more about them, check out the Democratic National Committee Web site at www.democrats.org.
In order to find an acceptable replacement for Bush in 2004, we need to understand what these Democratic candidates stand for, and get out there and vote in the democratic primary, which for Kansas is on March 13, and for Missouri is Feb. 3. And — correct me if I'm wrong, here — we all came to college to learn how to be able to make our own decisions. So we owe it to ourselves to make a decision and vote for the future of our country, lest we have it stolen for the next four years too.
rathan Burma-Sprung Kansas City, Mo. junior in English
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