Monday, April 9, 2001
The University Daily Kansan
Section A • Page 5
Letters to the Editor Homophobia behind argument
Tim Lang's view that benefits should not be extended to same-sex partners of KU employees (Point/Counterpoint, Wednesday) requires little mental effort to refute.
First, he states, "M marriage... has remained the most stable infrastructure in society for thousands of years." Besides being broad and vague, this statement is ludicrous. What society has survived thousands of years thanks to marriage? If he's talking about America, aren't there laws and institutions that contribute to the stability of society more than marriage? Oh, let's see, the Bill of Rights?
Lang states, "The liberalization of America has stretched special rights to more and more nontraditionalists in the name of tolerance."
"Special rights" or just "rights?" Would the extension of "special" rights to such "nontraditionalists" as Blacks, women or nonland-owning males be viewed with equal disdain? Lang does show a glimpse of his compassionate conservatism in granting that homosexuals have a "right to exist," so may be gayes and lesbians should count themselves lucky before that right is revoked.
Lang says that homosexuals shouldn't be allowed to be legally married and that because homosexuals have no legal union, they shouldn't be given the same rights as those who do, completing the homophobic circle. The argument that it's impossible to define "partner" isn't even intelligent enough to call specious. What if certain people had once said, "This whole emancipation thing is tricky, so let's scrap it"? If Lang can come up with the legal problems in defining who is a
come up with solutions. Here's a stab: "Partner is defined as a person who has lived with another for two or more years in a nonbigamist or nonpolygamist relationship." This would include homosexuals and heterosexuals without resorting to the volatile mixing of religion and state to define partner. But Lang isn't burdened by this silly notion of separation of church and state, lapsing into a Judeo-Christian (this may be doing most Jews and Christians a disservice) justification for not recognizing homosexual couples as legitimate. He states that "marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman and is a full expression of God's plan for a loving family unit." I'm glad Lang has divined the will of God because in my years as a religious studies major, I have yet to figure out God's mind.
Larg argues that homosexual relationships are illegitimate because they are unable to bear children. This one is too easy. This argument makes illegitimate any relationship in which a couple can't bear children, whether due to infertility, old age, anything.
Lang finishes by saying, "The laws defining marriage have sustained our nation since its beginning and should remain unchanged." I would argue that the laws protecting free speech, personal freedom, equal rights and the flexibility of the Constitution and government to institute change are what have sustained our nation. I would hope they could withstand the incorporation of homosexual unions without society crashing down. It is the ossification of ideas such as Lang's that will make the infrastructure brittle enough to crumble.
Frank Dorsey Lawrence junior
With Senate elections just around the corner, I believe it is time to take a good look at what the problems of Senate and the so-called democratic voice we have at the University of Kansas are.
The first thing I would like point out was the problem I had with the statement VOICE presidential candidate Jessica Bankston made recently, "Delta Force let you down. VOICE produces results." This was regarding minority recruitment and retention. My question is: What results has VOICE produced? If it is a new coalition, as it claims to be, it can have produce no results, as they have not yet been elected yet. If this is true, then if Delta Force has produced one result, which I can guarantee it has, it has already outperformed VOICE by 100 percent. If Ms. Bankston is claiming the results of coalitions that VOICE may be linked to, then as she says, "If you're going to take credit for the sunshine, you have to take credit for the rain," such as election violations those coalitions had. Either way, it appears VOICE is misleading us.
My next issue is that of Senate accountability and accessibility to the students, who it is supposed to represent. I have voted every year I have been here, yet could not tell you who the Senators are representing me. Is this partly my fault for not educating myself? Partly, but Senate has not exactly gone out of its way to solve this problem. Justin Mills, senator and Delta Force presidential candidate, has twice introduced legislation that would make senators not only more accountable but also more accessible to the student population. Twice it was voted down. This is part of the reason every year there is such a small voter turnout — no one knows what is going on in Senate and feels no connection to those supposedly representing them. Good representatives are supposed to do that. U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore shows up on campus to talk to a very small part of his constituency, traveling a long distance to so. It would take much less for senators to hear student concerns, as they are on campus more.
Possibly the worst problem is that the votes of the students appear to have little power behind them. Two years ago, a referendum was on the ballot on whether to build a new recreation center, using students' money, on ground not owned by the University. It passed by approximately a 2-to-1 margin. Even so, Chancellor Robert Hemenway stalled the idea. This showed that the so-called democratic voice on campus really did not exist. When Kyle Browning, senator and Delta Force vice-presidential candidate, said "we need to get away from Topeka," he was right. We need to have our representatives in Student Senate working here on campus, lobbying Chancellor Hemenway for our voices to be heard.
In science, delta means change; we should try that this election for our voices to be heard.
Tarek Al-Baghal Leavenworth senior
Battery of women is not a joke
I am writing regarding Monday's article in Hilltopics, "Woman beaten with ugly stick." I understand the intent was to be humorous, but I am dismayed to think that it was considered appropriate to make a parody of a problem of such serious magnitude.
stalked (National Institute of Justice), 308,000 women are rape (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and 1.8 million to 4 million women are abused by their partners (National Violence Against Women Prevention Research Center). Why do we continue to see a proliferation of cases involving violence against women? The causes are complex and multifaceted, but attitudes that condone and trivialize this behavior play a major role. Violence against women is no laughing matter. I hope that in the future, the Kansan will be used as a forum to educate rather than to promote harmful stereotypes and misinformation.
According to recent national statistics, each year 1.4 million women are
Kathy Rose-Mockry program director,
Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center
Laura Montgomery sexual assault prevention and education program coordinator,
Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center
Lisa Koch program coordinator,
Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center
GTAs need undergrads' support
Almost everyone has had one. They do work and teach classes that no one else wants to, and they contribute to the success of the University. They are graduate teaching assistants, and they need our help.
GTAs and their union, GTAC, are in negotiations with the University for a new contract. Many may think that this only affects graduate students. However, every student at the University, both undergraduate and graduate, is ultimately affected by the results of these negotiations. GTAs teach a wide variety of classes encompassing every major. Chances are, before you leave the University, you will have a class taught by a GTA.
The University employs nearly 1,000 teaching assistants. KUGTAs are paid half of what GTAs make at other major universities. As a result, some GTAs who wish to stay at the University are forced to leave for purely economic reasons. The people who teach our classes should be financially secure. They put in long hours planning, grading and teaching. However, the University is not supporting them.
There are some things everyone at the University can do:
Simply supporting the GTAs is a first step. Let them know that you think they are doing a good job and deserve adequate pay for their services. Tell them you know they are vital to the operation of the University. GTAs should know that the rest of the University is behind them.
Second, Delta Force, a coalition of students running for Student Senate, has recently announced as part of its platform its support for GTAs during negotiations. Justin Mills and Kyle Browning, Delta Force candidates for student body president and vice president, have both pledged to support GTAs if they win. This is the first time a coalition has had a graduate issue in its platform. In essence, supporting Delta Force supports GTAs.
Third, tell your friends. It is very likely that you and your friends' quality of education will be affected by the results of these negotiations. Just spread the word about the situation. Informing people about what GTAs are going through is critical.
Also, GTAs are encouraged to join GTAC. Its goal is to help all GTAs on campus, but to do this, it needs the support of the GTAs.
Last, let the administration know that you care. You can e-mail the chancellor or the provost. The administra-
Eventually, a new contract for GTAs will be rolled out. It is important that GTAs know they have the support of the University. I hope this will pressure the administration to provide GTAs with a fair contract because we could not get by without them.
ion will take note if it realizes that both undergraduate and graduate students support GTAs.
"We students can't begin to imagine what it's like to be homeless" ("Helping homeless people means care, not cardboard," Tuesday). True. In fact, many students do not know homelessness exists in Lawrence. This is why events such as Friday's Homeless Sleepout are crucial.
Travis Weller
Garden City freshman
Delta Force candidate for a Nunemaker
Student Senate seat
Sleeooutfosters understandino
The Homeless Sleepout was an educational as well as a fund-raising event. We encouraged students to acknowledge and educate themselves about homelessness. Members from the homeless community shared their experiences. Volunteers helped students learn how they can serve the homeless community. And money raised will go to Jubilee Cafe, the free breakfast restaurant that has served thousands of meals to in-need community members for the last six years.
Homelessness is neither a joke nor something to be mocked. Education is crucial to addressing the issue of homelessness in a society that fails so many of its members.
co-director, Center for Community Outreach Clav Center senior
Homeless sleepouts respectful
I was saddened by Ben Tatar's opinion piece titled "Hiding homeless people means care, not cardboard" on Tuesday. He was upset that students seemed to be imbacing or impersonating homeless people by "sleeping out." The purposes of Alpha Phi Alpha's sleepout and the Center for Community Outreach's sleepout are to raise awareness as well as money.
Tatar stated that his giving packages on Christmas Eve in Chicago had a direct effect and didn't offend. I have to say that I was offended by his giving away "leftover food" and "items that we could do without."
Tatar should know that at the CCO sleepout, KU students sleep with the homeless people, spend an evening talking and sharing a meal with them. If these homeless people are offended, I have never heard them say so. When the Alpha Phi Alpha members presented a check for $400 to the Jubilee Cafe, everyone at the Cafe that morning applauded and cheered. Raising $400 buys 400 meals at the Cafe, and this is a "direct effect." Many of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity members told me what a humbling experience it was to sleep out with no means of support. To me, that is far from mocking, impersonating and imitating homeless people. They now know what it is like to be homeless, if only for a night. They will never look at a homeless person the same way again.
As one of the founders and directors of the Jubilee Cafe, I want people to know homeless people by name, hear their stories and treat them with dignity and respect. I see no disrespect in sleeping out with the homeless, even if it's only for one night.
The Rev. Joe Alford director, Jubilee Cafe
In his column Monday ("Moral absolutes point to presence of superior being"), Matt Cox offers proof of the existence of a god based on the tenuous assumption that moral absolutes exist. Unfortunately, a proof based on an assumption is not convincing.
Moral absolutes don't exist
Cox believes that certain actions are unquestionably and universally wrong, regardless of any social constructions. He offers two examples: killing another person and raping a young child. For a moral to be absolute, it must apply in all circumstances. Yet killing people is widely accepted in many situations.
Our own state kills people who are thought to have committed unforgivable acts, sometimes killing innocent people in the process. This "eye-for-anye" approach to punishment is based on supposedly Christian principles.
Many societies practice capital punishment for crimes ranging from petty theft to multiple homicide, and some even kill people for being homosexual; others do not permit capital punishment for any reason. Some societies believe it is wrong to kill any form of life, while others throughout history have practiced human sacrifice.
This array of relative morals does not even touch on the most accepted form of killing, war. Wars are based on the idea that it is OK to kill people under certain circumstances, often historically for reasons of religion and faith. Even religions that teach that the worst sin of all is to kill do not handle their morals in an absolute way.
Even the raping of a young child has not been universally regarded as an atrocity. Some cultures in history have accepted and even encouraged similar behaviors. Some cultures today continue to allow such actions or fail to enforce laws that forbid it.
Sean Ringey Clearwater junior
Cox asks how social construction can dig that deeply. His very arguments are based on the social constructions in which he was raised. These ideas are so deeply ingrained in us that almost no one, including Matt and myself, can tell where we got these morals. It is easy to mistake them for absolutes with which we are all born, but if one were to look beyond our Western culture and the Judeo-Christian ethic, it would become evident that nothing is absolute.
Candidates shouldn't hide past
As a candidate for Student Senate and a senator, I have to agree wholeheartedly with Chris Bormiger's response to Truth in Reporting ("Kansan" duties demand Senate background checks."March 29).
Although I occasionally find J. D. Jenkins' vigilance appropriate, this time he is merely protecting a few scared candidates from their true records. Although my background check will reveal no hidden secrets, I find no fault with the Kansan's effort. As an advocate of informed voting, I think KU students should have access to as much information as possible about their potential representatives.
I am further alarmed that Jenkins intends to protect others behind his threat. By not revealing the membership of Truth in Reporting, Jenkins takes another step in secrecy from the voters. Why is Jenkins willing to be seen on the Kansan's front page promoting such a voter-unfriended organization? One simple answer: He's not a candidate. Instead, he hopes to shield others from retaliation at the
If students truly want to represent their peers in Senate, why hide from their pasts? I have never known a voter to discount a qualified candidate on the basis of a minor offense, and I doubt that this year will be different. If Jenkins' cohorts in Truth in Reporting are so eager to play an active role in student government, why not take credit for their stand against the Kansan?
Wayne Hannick
All Scholarship Hall Council Senator
Delta Force Student Senate candidate
Wichita junior
Kansan owes apology to BSU
On March 12, two representatives from the Black Student Union came to the Journalism 101 class to present their side of a conflict with the Kansan. Readers' representative Leita Schultes also attended to explain the Kansan's position.
First, I wasn't aware of the protest of the Kansan by the BSU and supporters. I vaguely remember reading the story, about their Big 12 Conference, but as one of the BSU reps pointed out, often people read the beginning of an article rather than the whole thing. I'm guilty because I read about the fight and went on with my life. I vividly remember the first word of the headline, though,"fight."
One BSU demand is mandatory diversity training for the diversity reporter. The current reporter admitted that he had little experience with cultures other than his own. How accurate can coverage be with little to no understanding of the issues? Schultes pointed out that the majority of the Kansan staff is Caucasian. Another demand is an apology printed in the Kansan. Schultes thought this would be a precedent, stating that the media would be apologizing to everyone because people often aren't happy with coverage of their issues. This needs to be put in perspective. Both demands are perfectly reasonable and would lead to greater understanding and reparation for harm.
The Kansan is a microcosm of the larger media picture. Minorities are sorely under-represented in mass media, from owners to reporters. They are often mentioned in reference to crime, poverty or struggles they face in society. Instead of glossing over their issues using buzz words, these issues need to be examined in the context of everyone — what it means to live in a society where minorities are seriously disenfranchised. Minorities are oppressed by many factors; the media should not be one.
I hope those who determined the headline and focus of the story are reconsidering their decisions. Some people might read about the fight and think the rest of the story is boring. Others might not be able to make the leap from talking about a fight to talking about a serious organization and its great effort because the two had nothing to do with each other. It seems there may have been an error in judgment when organizing this story. That's OK, but it's also OK to admit it.
Harm was done to this organization because it was slighted in the public eye. It was the Kansan's responsibility to explore the issues raised by the BSU and explain its purpose and achievements. The Kansan can rest assured that it has other options to satisfy sensationalist tendencies. What we need from is thoughtful dialogue about serious community issues.
Sarah Finks
Overland Park junior
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| 2 Pokemon ™² | (1:55) 4:40, 7:35 |
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1 Hennibal **1** (1:55) 1:55 8:10
2 Down To Earth **1** (2:00) 4:45) 7:10, 9:40
3 Finding Forrester **1** (1:45) 4:30) 8:55
4 0 Brother, Where Art Thou **1** (1:55) 4:40) 7:55, 9:35
5 Traffic **1** (1:50) 4:30) 8:00
6 Chocolat **1** (1:45) 4:30) 7:00, 9:30
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