Wednesday, March 7, 2001 The University Daily Kansan Section A · Page 5 Letters to the editor Cutting two sports unjustified At 5 p.m. Sunday, the members of the Kansas men's tennis and swimming and diving teams were informed that they no longer have a program. As a member of the swimming program, this came as a bit of a shock, to put it lightly. Through the confusion, I found myself trying to decipher the reasons behind this decision. The primary issue that continued to pop up in my head was economics. As the Athletics Department struggles with a tightening budget, someone must bear the burden. The result: two non-revenue sports are eliminated. These sports do not yield much of a financial return; they depend on basketball, as all the sports do, including football, whose skyboxes have been highly unsuccessful. The elimination of these programs should not have been the solution. There are many unnecessary expenses that could be cut to preserve these programs. The swim team takes an annual training trip to Florida, and when the tickets selected for this and other trips run about $300, it is obvious that there is room for improved spending. The tennis courts outside Robinson are being renovated. Does it make sense to invest more money into a program that has been reduced by half? (The women's tennis team is still in existence, thanks in part to Title IX.) In a press release by the Athletics Department, Bob Fredrick mentions "salary issues." Perhaps we should take a look at the ludicrous amount some coaches are paid. Because of poor financial planning, 50 athletes have been set adrift with the single stroke of a pen. Two good programs have been eliminated, and 50 people can do nothing but watch as everything they know and trust crumbs around them. Cory Gallagher Norman, Okla., sophomore Student senators work hard Although Robert Chamberlain's column "Silly campaign tactics merit reforming Senate," Monday) illustrates some important points about Student Senate and elections, I believe he is mistaken in claiming "Student Senate is a repository of folks for whom being a student senator is its own justification." Too many senators have worked tirelessly on important issues. There are people involved in Senate who do not work very hard on anything in particular, but many have worked on a variety of issues that affect a lot of students. They have received little recognition, nor do they seek it. Senate helped get Fall Break, the citywide bus system and the Hilltop Child Development Center. It also has a student on the board that oversees the Coke contract and runs the KU bus system and the Center for Community Outreach. Senate distributes money, through the work of some good senators, to great student organizations and events. I do believe Senate needs massive reform — but reform that makes Senate more responsive and better at tackling student issues without destroying the good things Senate does. Kyle Browning Overland Park senior Liberal arts and sciences student senator and Delta Force candidate for student body vice president Senate column misses point Sympathy for killer is wrong Every spring, some witty Kansan columnist comes up with a novel idea for a column: making fun of Student Senate and those who choose to run for it. This year, Kansan readers were treated to Robert Chamberlain's cynical comments about Student Senate and the VOICE and Delta Force coalitions. Chamberlain even goes so far as to suggest, quite idiotically, that control of student fee money should be given to the chancellor's office in order to avoid "27 hour" Senate meetings. I don't believe Chamberlain has any idea what Student Senate does. Let's pretend for a minute that he is right and that Senate ought to be abolished. Does Senate actually do anything that would be missed? Well, there's the KU on Wheels bus system, which is the only student-run bus system in the nation. And how about the Center for Community Outreach, an arm of Student Senate that helps thousands of students participate in community service each year? Or the Student Legislative Awareness Board, which registered 2,000 students to vote this fall? The list of what Senate has done for this campus is long; the creation and funding of the Legal Services for Students program, a new recreation center, the new Fall Break (which takes effect this fall), the Hilltop Child Care center, the free newspaper program that begins next fall and campus recycling. If we did as Chamberlain suggests and delegated Senate's functions to the chancellor's office, does anybody think that any of these initiatives would have been accomplished? And although I'm not running for a Senate seat this year, I have run twice before, and I find personally insulting Chamberlain's contention that all students running for Senate are interested only in resume padding. Students running for Senate invest countless hours of their time during the campaign and, if elected, many more hours working on behalf of students. Candidates for Senate, regardless of whether they are running with the Delta Force or VOICE coalition, have a vision of how to improve KU and are doing the University community a service by taking part in the political process. Those who expend the time and effort to campaign for Student Senate deserve to be commended, not condemned. J. D. Jenkins Shawnee senior Liberal arts and sciences student senator Last Thursday, the Kansan published an article that I found deeply troubling. The article ("Capital cases rare in Kansas") focused on the death sentence given to Gary Kleypas for murdering Carrie Williams, a student from Pittsburg State, in 1996. The article, instead of focusing on the brutality of the crime that was committed, sought to portray a sense of sympathy for Kleypas. I find this particularly disturbing. I have family in southeastern Kansas, many of whom knew Carrie Williams and her family personally. I can be the first to attest that this murder struck fear into an entire community. It certainly brought to the forefront of discussion the value of life and the vulnerability of us all. When Gary Kleypas was convicted a sigh of relief went out through the community. Never would I have imagined that only four years later, there would be cries for mercy for this dispicable man. I have no opinion on capital punishment. I believe it serves a useful purpose, and yet it has its flaws. The arguments for and against it are as old as the hills. Nonetheless, I believe that Amnesty International and other anti-capital punishment groups are barking up the wrong tree on this case. Until they have walked a thousand miles in the shoes of families and friends of the victims of a crime, they cannot begin to understand the gravity of the situation and the debate in which they partake. Jimmy Lightfoot Schaumburg, Ill., junior Come early and gaze into your future! Paying the bills will be on hand prior to each performance. Movement Coaching by Marianne Kubik www.kansas.com Blithe Spirit Reserved seat tickets are on sale in the KU box offices; Murphy Hall, 785-649-3824, Lued Center, 844-63TS; Arts Office, 864-637-3824; public #1 & $12, all students #7 & $6, senior citizens #13 & $11; order tickets on line at The University Theatre website: www.kuhtheatre.com; both VISA and Mastercard are accepted for phone and on-line orders. *The Friday, March 9, performance will be signed for the deal and hard of hearing. The University Theatre is partially funded by the KU Student Senate Activity Fee STUDENT SEAT NUMBER Discover the Difference $5 OFF Any service with minimum $20.00 purchase. 841-6886 Holiday Plaza Coupon #8 25th & Iowa Expires 3/21/01 W Hollywood Theaters SOUTHWIND 12 3433 IOWA 822 0880 BARGAIN MATINEES INDICATED BY () STADIUM SEATING * ALL DIGITAL 1 Sweet Novemberc 1:30 4:25, 7:10, 10:05 2 Finding Foresterc 1:35 4:15, 7:10, 10:05 3 Saving Silvermanc 2:00 4:59, 7:40, 10:05 4 4000 Miles to Gcelandc 1:35 4:25, 7:00, 10:05 5 Hannibal c 1:05 4:05, 7:00, 9:50 6 The Mexican c 1:10 4:10, 7:55, 9:45 7 See Spot Run c 1:45 4:45, 7:55, 9:45 8 Reece To Earth c 1:20 4:10, 7:35, 9:45 9 Reece's School Outc 1:40 4:30, 7:00 also... namaham 10 Brother, Where Art Thou?(4) (1:50) 4:20, 7:40) 11 The Wedding Planner(1) (1:55) 4:30, 7:50) 12 Traffic Stops (1:00) 4:00, 7:50 PLAZA 6 Sat & Sun Daily 1 Cast Away102(1:50) 4:00; 8:00 2 Save The Last Dance102(1:50) 4:35; 7:05, 9:35 3 13 Days102(1:45) 4:00; 8:00 4 Snatch 1(2:00) 4:45; 7:10, 9:40 5 Monkeybone 1(2:00) 4:45; 7:15, 9:45 6 Chocolat 1(1:45) 4:30; 7:00, 9:30 ★ NO VIP * PASSES * SUPERSAVERS SHOWT MES FOR TONIGHT ON Y Photo ID required for R movies Foremothers... Finding Our Extraordinary Women at the University of Kansas Celebrating Women's History Month Guest Speaker Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle WHEN: 3:00 PM to 4:00PM Wednesday, March 7, 2001 WHERE: Walnut Room, Kansas Union In 1866, KU was one of the first state universities to admit women to the same program of study as men. With stories and photographs, this presentation will trace the history of extraordinary women at KU, students, faculty, and administrators. Sponsored by the Emily Taylor Woman's Resource Center. For more information, call 864-3552. All movies are shown at Woodruff Auditorium, Level 5 of the Kansas Union. Tickets are available at the door thirty minutes before each show. Admission is $2 or free With SUA Movie Card. Movie times and dates are subject to change. Please check our website at www.ukans.edu/~sua for final schedules. For more information about movies or any other SUA program, please call the Box Office at 864-SHOW. FREE C FREE COKE ON FRIDAYS!