4a Opinion Wednesday, February 14, 2001 For comments, contact Chris Borniger or Nathan Willis at 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com Symbol's racist overtones aren't appropriate on flag Georgia's compromise a step in right direction Dissent: State's new flag preserves Southern heritage he University of Kansas is a community in T which we as students have the opportunity to attend classes, learn and graduate to the next step in our lives. Similarly, United States citizens share a bond of certain inalienable rights that protect our freedom. In the spirit of this balance of unity and individual freedom, the Confederate flag no longer holds an appropriate place in American culture. As such, Georgia's decision to modify its state flag to reduce the size of the Confederate symbol is a step forward. But it fails to remedy the problems presented by the symbol because it leaves the symbol intact. Georgia's lawmakers missed a chance to help make amends for a past marred by slavery and racism. They should have removed the Confederate symbol entirely from the Georgia state flag. Since the days of desegregation, the rebel symbol constituted two-thirds of Georgia's official state flag. On Jan. 31, Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes signed a bill creating a new flag with the state seal dominant instead of the Confederate symbol. However, a smaller version of the emblem — which covers less than 5 percent of the flag — remains at the bottom of the new flag, in a row with four other prior state flags from the state's history. This new flag represents a compromise between the two opposing groups within the state that feel that the Confederate flag symbolizes different things. Opponents of the rebel battle symbol argue that it represents the oppression of slavery. The Confederate symbol's supporters argue that it stands for genteel Southern heritage and states' rights. The Confederate stands too much for the enslavement of people to be something our nation or a state should look to with respect and patriotism. It has more power to divide the nation than to bring people together. SYMBOL OF RACISM Although this argument for heritage on a flag has its merits, in this case, the symbol is too strongly linked with slavery in the Old South to evoke a universal feeling of historical pride. In light of the Confederacy's strong defense of the slavery system, this symbol is improper as a way to celebrate and appreciate the past. Lawmakers should not perpetuate this divisive symbol, regardless of its size. STILL A SYMBOL OF RACISM Katherine Marchin for the editorial board Wes Benson / KANSAN On Jan. 31, Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes approved a new, improved flag after a statewide controversy. The new flag is a fair compromise that The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other civil rights groups had threatened a boycott of Georgia if the Confederate symbol on the old flag was not removed. The Confederateate covered two-thirds of the old flag, which many African Americans had objected to, saying it evoked images of slavery. The new flag has the Georgia state seal and the five past state flags — including the Confederate flag — in a reduced sized underneath it. The flag also was an issue for the NCAA basketball Final Four in Atlanta in March 2002 because some players and coaches refused to play under the flag. The NCAA told Georgia lawmakers to take the flag down or it could not be the host of the tournament. Reducing the size of the Confederate emblem was a good compromise because the emblem remains on the flag as a symbol of Southern pride, but is in an appropriate place with all of Georgia's past flags. African-American groups should be happy with the large step made for this new flag. Southern groups should also be satisfied with the decision not to remove the emblem completely from the flag. African-American leaders have agreed that they will not call for a boycott of the state. But many Southern pride groups have said the new flag betrays their heritage and succumbs to "economic terrorism." The new flag is more politically correct and moves Georgia in the right direction. Other Southern states have taken similar measures. South Carolina took down the Confederate flag over its Capitol this summer. Hundreds protested, but the protests soon faded. In Georgia, the Sons of Confederate Veterans protested, saying the emblem was a symbol of "independence and self-determination." However, Georgia's change was a compromise that state leaders realized was needed. Hopefully, this will start a trend in other Southern states. Georgia's compromise represents its awareness of the changing South and its willingness to change with it. Molly Mueller, dissenting Perspective Content, advertisements dictate newspaper size Those business elements People often don't understand the business elements behind putting out a newspaper, Kansan editor Lori O'Toole said. Last Wednesday, the Kansan published a 28-page paper. Yesterday's was only 10, which could cause readers to assume there wasn't a whole heck of a lot going on. But they would be wrong. In fact, the amount of news really has nothing to do with the size of the newspaper. Those business elements are advertisements. And because they pay for the Kansan, they also determine its size and shape. As the number of ads vary each day, the paper contracts and expands. It would be easy to get confused. Sometimes the sports page is in full color and has its own section. Other times, sports headlines are buried in black and white in the middle of section A. Leita Schultes Lerza Schultes readers' representative reader@hannan.com Three days a week. there's a Hilltopics page — unless one gets bumped for a more pressing story. Occasionally, there's an international story from the Associated Press on the front of the paper. On other days, there's hardly anything in the Kansan but campus news. It all depends on how many ads are sold and where they are placed. An ideal ratio for the Kansan is 50 percent ads, 50 percent news, O'Toole said. However, a typical day's newspaper contains 40 percent ads, 60 percent news. When that ratio changes, so does the content of the newspaper. Every day, nearly a dozen people at the Kansan meet, look at the available space and decide which stories to run the next day and which ones to hold for future issues. Sometimes the paper is "loose" — such as yesterday's, which was only 43 percent ads — so wire stories from the Associated Press help Kansan reporters fill up the pages. On other days, the paper is "tight," and less pressing stories — or those of less significance — are put on the back burner. The size of the paper also determines the number of wire stories, and the amount of national and global news is something many students take issue with. I know I've seen comments about it in Free for All that basically say, "I don't read the Kansan because there isn't anything in it I need to know." Maybe. But O'Toole had a reply. "The Kansan is a campus newspaper," she said. "Our first priority is to cover campus events for students." But she added the Kansan was the only source of news for some students, so every issue has some national news — even if it's just briefs on page 2A — to keep students up to date. With that in mind, responsible readers — whether they are reading The New York Times or the Kansan— do not rely on only one source for their news, regardless of how good those two media are at their respective coverage. When the news is bigger or affects a large part of campus, such as an earthquake in India or natural gas explosions in Hutchinson, it makes the front page. "We don't have the space to do it all, but we try to choose what we think is most important." O'Toole said. schultes is a Rolfe, Iowa, sophomore in journalism and religious studies. The bottom line is that the paper size will vary and so will the news in it. Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. The Kansan reserves the right to edit submissions, and not all of them will be published. Slanderous statements will not be printed. For more comments, go to www.kansan.com. Does anybody notice that Black History month is the shortest month of the year? I played Baylor at basketball on the Playstation and beat them by 80. I'd just like all my professors to know that the reason I didn't show up to class today was because I fell into a massive pothole on 15th Street. and typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run. Hey, if the record industry is allowed to sue and cancel out Napster, I think the U.S. Postal Service should be able to sue and get rid of Hotmail and Yahoo. and typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run. If anyone thinks this is the end of Napster, they are wrong. and typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run. We want Crider back. 图 I know everybody's noticed the pothole problem in Lawrence, but who else has got a flat tire from driving over those death traps? If anyone is dissatisfied with our basketball team, you might want to go out and watch our nationally ranked track team compete. 2 and typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run. Maybe ESPN should rename it Big Mundane or maybe Monday, Bloody Monday. Art and design students deserve more credit than they get. Right now, it's 4 a.m., and I'll be working until I turn in my graphics project at 8:30 a.m. Yippee. and typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run. For us to succeed further in the season, Bryant Nash must play and must start. Roy should put a gag order on all his players because every time they open their mouths, something stupid comes out. And I'm not just talking about Eric Chenowith, either. Nine thousand Baylor fans can't be wrong. We're overrated. Baylor? Come on guys. You can do better than that. 39 图 The announcers for the Baylor- KU basketball game on ESPN 2 should be fired. They're saying that the Baylor player Black is better than Kenny Gregory. We all know that's not true. I just wanted to tell everybody that I got my car towed on Friday for not being on the line when the parking department couldn't plow their lot. 丽 If Jimmy John's were any slower, they'd be fossils. 量 To the person who said that classes are like prisons: Why are you here? So Clay McQuiston thinks we shouldn't debate issues which are legal and accepted by many? Good thing his idea wasn't followed by those fighting slavery. and typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run. Congratulations to Iowa State, the top guns of the Big 12. Don't choose Jefferson Commons. Don't bother living there. Just flush your money down the toilet. and typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run. I simply don't believe that the Society for Open-minded Atheists and Agnostics exists. **Letters:** Should be double-spaced, typed and fewer than 200 words. 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