4a Opinion --- Thursday, January 25, 2001 for comments, contact Chris Borniger or Nathan Willis at 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com Perspective Voting process merits debate, needs reform The Electoral College was one of the most heavily criticized aspects of the 2000 election for allowing George W. Bush to become president despite losing the popular vote. Critics have branded the College an anachronism that hinders the fullest realization of democratic ideals. One issue is the validity of an election system where 537 votes for Bush in Florida outweighed more than 500,000 votes for Gore nationally in deciding the presidency. Defenders of the College believe that electing a president through individual state contests preserves federalism and ensures that candidates address issues relevant to each state. Furthermore, supporters maintain that the College makes small states integral participants in the election, thereby avoiding a disproportionate concentration of voting influence in densely populated ence in densely populated areas. Opponents of the College, however, believe there is no truer expression of the will of the people than a direct election, where, in theory, one voice equals one vote. Critics also allege that the Electoral College discourages voter participation; in states such as Kansas where one party has a considerable stronghold, supporters of minority parties have little motive Dalyn Cook guest columnist opinion@kansan.com parties have to make the in- tention to go to the polls because, in the winnere-take all system, their votes do not influence the distribution of electoral votes. Moreover, the College discourages third parties. Voters often are influenced to not "waste" votes for third parties because the chances are small that a third party could seriously challenge the Republicans and Democrats for electoral votes. Thus, in the Electoral College system, third parties become "spoilers," often attracting enough votes from one party to give the other a plurality. Others criticize how the College allows a president to be elected without a majority of the vote. Bill Clinton was elected twice without a majority (43 percent in 1992 and 49 percent in 1996). "ColorLines" editor Bob Wing branded the Electoral College a "pillar of racism" for making it difficult for minorities to express their will at the polls. He cited the results of the 2000 election: Although 53 percent of the nation's African Americans live in the South and voted 90 percent Democratic, white Republicans out-voted them in every Southern state, essentially negating the African-American vote and sending all southern electoral votes to Bush. Despite the many arguments against the College, few believe that it will be abolished. Nevertheless, the 2000 election debacle demands election reform. During his campaign, Green candidate Ralph Nader suggested several reforms that would improve the system - Instant-runoff voting. Voters would rank the candidates according to preference, and each voter's top choice would be tabulated. If no candidate receives a majority, the candidate receiving the fewest votes is eliminated, and the ballots are counted again. Each voter's top choice is again registered; if the top choice was eliminated, a vote is registered for the voter's second choice, and so on. This process would require a candidate to receive a majority of votes to be elected. It also would prevent third parties from being "spoilers." A binding none of the above option. If a majority of voters select "none of the above," a fresh slate of candidates is introduced. Under the Electoral College system, voters who find the candidates unsuitable often feel compelled to vote for the lesser of two evils or a write-in candidate. Or they may abstain from voting altogether, actions that belie their disapprobation. With "none of the above," voters can cast a vote that clearly expresses their opinion. Although Election 2000 has finally reached a close, public debate about the Electoral College and election reform has just begun. The KU Green Party is hosting a public forum on the College from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Lawrence Public Library. A panel of guest speakers will discuss the College's benefits and detriments, and the audience then can ask questions and interact with the panelists. Election 2000 exposed the weaknesses of the American election system. Now, we must assume an active role in encouraging reform. Cook in a Colorado Springs, Colo., sophomore in piano performance. Bruno Pieroni/KANSAN Kansan report card Pass: New add/drop process. Changes making it more convenient to add/drop should stave off students' desire for online enrollment — for about 10 minutes. Free newspapers on campus. Student Senate deserves kudos for trying to increase newspaper readership. Just remember, The New York Times doesn't have Free for All. Two KU students running for city commission. Five older white men weren't representing students? How surprising. Now if other students would just show up to vote for them ... Fail: The Glass Onion closing. The pickings got slimmer for Lawrence's vegetarians and milkshake lovers. We'd say this would boost traffic at the Kansas Union, but then we remembered what the food was like. A crumbling campus. Decrept conditions of steps and sidewalks make walking dangerous. As if the Hill weren't enough of a challenge. The Meadowbrook cat killer. An innocent feline gets slaughtered for no apparent reason. The guy who did it should be put to sleep. Perspective Guys shouldn't be afraid to shed tears sometimes When was the last time you cried? When was the last time you cried? I bring up this question after watching the movie All the Pretty Horses. During the movie, I felt tears welling up in my eyes several times. Like any red-blooded male, I held them back to keep my manly reputation. After doing my best not to cry, I wondered when the last time was that I let the water-works go. It was more than three years ago, during my junior year in high school, back when the Spice Girls were popular and I wanted to go to the University of Missouri. Three years is a long time to go without crying. But there were moments during that time I wanted tears to fly. I have wanted to shed tears of sadness and pain while watching the Lei Garrett Behind the Music special on VH1 and when I found out Britney Spears was dating uber- Eric Borja columnist gionine@kansan.com teen-dork Justin Timberlake. I also wanted to shed tears of happiness when we beat Mizzou in football this year and when I left home for the first time to come to KU. For some reason greater than I will ever know, I held the tears back and remained stoic. Back to the movie, though. I tortured myself for days wondering why I hadn't cried for such a long time, and I came up with several thoughts. Crying is the most powerful way to show emotion. The simple act of a tear falling out of one's eye evokes flattery, controversy, sadness, madness, happiness and hate. It can mean many things but is always an outburst of emotion. But what it all comes down to is image During the course of mankind, crying has become associated with being sensitive and feminine. Men avoid being associated with those two words as much as Calista Flockhart shuns solid food. It is strictly taboo. Being sensitive means coming off as soft and without masculinity, and we all know men are not supposed to be soft or feminine. There are times when it is OK to cry. When athletes retire or win a championship, more than a few of them shed tears. Still, men can be seen as cowards if they succumb to the tears. Either way, a contemporary male in today's society risks ridicule and shame with the shedding of tears. Keeping emotions bottled up has been proven to have medical setbacks, too,guys. One of the reasons men do not live as long as women is because men keep emotions and stress bottled up inside. So on that note, I have a bold and cutting edge New Year's resolution unlike any other, and I encourage everyone to go along with me. Lots of people say they will quit smoking (yeah, right), quit drinking (fat chance) and lose weight (even fatter chance). Me, I vow to cry whenever I feel like it and be a more caring and gentle human being (hey, ladies). Now if you don't mind, I'm going to curl up with a box of tissues and a cup of hot chocolate and watch Steel Magnolias. Actually, I'm going to watch Girls of Spring Break with the boys and knock back a few. I'll start observing that resolution tomorrow. Instead of being ashamed to cry, I am going to cry when I feel even the slightest emotion, and I will wear the tear like a badge of honor of my newfound confidence and realization of my inner self. Borja is a Springfield, Mo., sophomore in pre-journalism. Editorial Senators, students must meet Student senators and students share obligation to communicate. Student Senate and the student body are often perceived as two Student Senate and the student body are often perceived as two separate entities. Most students don't know much about Senate in general, let alone what it can do for them. This week is Student Senate Outreach Week, where Senate is attempting to inform students about its organization. But more can be done as far as Senate outreach, and in turn, students can do more to be involved in student government. Current Senate requirements include attending Senate meetings and two office hours per week. Last semester, a bill failed that would have required senators to attend two meetings per month that involve their constituencies, which would be an addition to existing requirements. The bill is being revised to require student senators to attend one constituent meeting. This bill is a good idea in premise, but it is largely symbolic. It is unlikely that having a senator attend an outside group meeting will benefit that group in any significant manner. There are avenues for students who wish to have their concerns addressed by Senate, but the average student does not realize that processes, such as Senate office hours, exist. The beginning of the semester is an ideal time for senators to attend several group meetings to inform their constituency of what Senate can offer. Once the students know, then the responsibility is theirs. A more aggressive educational outreach at the beginning of each semester would be the best way to allow students better access to their senators without overburdening senators with measures that would be only symbolic. It is important for Senate to be available to the people that it represents, but students also need to be aware of who represents them and how. If both Senate and the student body take steps to strengthen their relationship, Senate can be more representative of the University than it is today. This is not only the responsibility of Senate, but also the responsibility of students. Emily Haverkamp for the editorial board free all for 8640500 8640500 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. 颜 All you people who said they were going to move to Canada if W. was elected better do so; I need a place to park on campus in the morning. --- I don't care what anyone else says, but I think Temptation Island is the most entertaining show on TV. Today in my philosophy class, two girls sat behind me discussing whether Lawrence was in eastern or western Kansas. Oh well. At least they were hot. - I swear the University is selling the students out because me and all the students I know have gotten stuff from Playboy and credit cards, and I think that's pretty ridiculous. 图 Whoever said that Rae Carruth got sentenced to prison for killing an unborn child with a foreign object just didn't realize that he didn't kill the child, just his girlfriend. So I guess he's pro-life, just anti-girlfriend. 图 To the comment about the person who said everyone should quit badmouthing Chenowith: Maybe if Chenowith was smart enough to get the ball in the hole, people wouldn't badmouth him. Is McCollum Hall trying for a worst-dorm of the year award? Right now, it's in the lead. 图 璃 I'm a slut. Why doesn't somebody send me to be on Temptation Island? - Why did the entire campus smell like dog poop today? 图 Who cares if Kournikova can't play tennis? Man, she is hot Those short-sleeved shorts are great. I love short-sleeved shirts, and I love to wear them — all the time. And what color am I? I don't know. My time's not up yet. - It'd be pretty funny if the mole really turned out to be a mole. How to submit letters and guest columns Letters: Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown if a University student. 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