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Opinion
Friday, December 1, 2000
For comments, contact Ben Voosen Embry or Emily Hughey at 864-4924 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com
Letters to the Editor Rape stories need to stop blaming alcohol, victim
This is a response to the feature article of a rape experienced by a student at KU when she was 16 years old. Something we wanted to point out begins with the headline, "Sex on the Hill" evokes a sense that rape is in some form sex. There is no way rape is sex, as sex is consensual and beautiful. Rape is not about sex — rape is about power. The subhead was equally misleading. "Experience with rape changes student's life" also evoked the idea that in some way this horrific, criminal act of violence and invasion is justified because this survivor was able to forgive and make it positive. Hear us clearly: We applaud this woman for her strength and courage to heal and speak out, but not every rape victim gets that opportunity.
Why? Because our society does not protect women or validate women's experiences or value women's bodies. The victim-blaming mentality defined in the article was demonstrated in the fact that this survivor felt like she needed to excuse not only the actions of the men who raped her but also the way her own father reacted to her.
She focused on the fact that she lied to her father rather than the fact that a horrible crime had been committed against her. Besides the physical trials survivors go through, including venereal diseases, pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and other permanent injuries, most victims of rape go through years of psychological turmoil including flashbacks, fear around every corner and distrust of men and intimacy to name a few. Another thing that needed to be mentioned was that this violent crime never saw any justice even though this survivor reported it, went through the horribly painful and invading experience of a rape kit (which can include plucking over 100 public hairs from the survivor, not the rapist) and even had a confession from one of the perpetrators in hand.
Yet in all the things the article mentions repeatedly (like the decisions she made that evening and alcohol she drank), it does not mention once the responsibility of the men. It does not carry the tone of outrage that everyone should feel about a crime as heinous as rape. One problem in sending messages that discourage drinking and drugs because of the potential for rape is that this abstinence does not guarantee a woman's safety and once again places responsibility on the woman — the victim — not the male perpetrator.
In conclusion, this article needed to delegate responsibility appropriately—first, to the men who chose to gang rape this 16-year-old girl, next to the judicial system that failed to serve this brave young woman, then to society for allowing a "boys will be boys" mentality to exist within all of us. As a social service agency, we have a responsibility to educate the people of our community that rape is intolerable, no matter how much she had to drink.
Lea Carland-Burgess & Jami Hamilton
outreach coordinators
Meredith Norfolk
volunteer coordinator
Women's Transitional Care Services
Kansan article about holidays contains several inaccuracies
In response to the Kansan's article of November 28, 2000 "Non-Christians celebrate holiday season," we applaud the Kansan's effort to write about non-Christian holidays, but there are several inaccuracies in the article. First, the Muslim holiday of Ramadan is not necessarily a winter holiday. The Muslim calendar is lunar, and therefore the holiday moves throughout the year. This year it happens to occur in the winter. Second, while Hanukkah is indeed based upon a Jewish revolt, it was not a revolt against the Romans; rather it commemorates the Maccabean victory against the Syrians in 165 BCE. The Romans did not enter Palestine until 63 BCE.
Furthermore, saying that "Other non-Christians ... also divert from the norm during December" could be read to mean that non-Christians are deviant. We hope that the University newspaper avoids such careless wording in the future.
Tyler Gillett
Tyler Gilbert
Jeremy Rapport
Graduate teaching assistants,
department of religious studies
John Trever / TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
Heard on the Hill
What should the University do to enhance minority recruitment?
"I think KU should make more of an effort to make minorities more visible on campus in recruiting publications." Candi Crockett Omaha junio
("Recruit) starting in grade school, especially in high schools that have a bigger minority population."
Erinn Barr
Ponca City, Okla., junior
"By giving more opportunities in Student Senate so minorities will be more attracted." Darmawan Tjhai Singkawang, Indonesia freshman
"I don't have a clue. Advertise to them."
Walker Stevens
Overland Park
senior
Perspective
Community service rule in Lewis Hall full of flaws
KU student housing is a mixed blessing. For the most part, the resident assistants and staff are helpful, efficient people who do a lot to make campus living enjoyable. I've been particularly impressed with dining services, and I have a lot of sympathy for the custodians, who have to deal with some of the foules messes this side of a landfill. The Department of Student Housing gets it right more often than not.
right more often than me. But when Housing gets it wrong, the mistake
But when Housing gets can be pretty spectacular. Last year's air conditioning failure at McCollum Hall comes to mind.
In the same vein is the incomprehensible Lewis Hall community service requirement.
requirement
This was an idea that clearly had good intentions behind it. Community service is a great thing. It builds character, it puts something back into society, it helps those less fortunate. In fact, it began because student housing research found that stu-
So yeah, good intentions. But we all know what the road to hell is paved with.
Mike Loader columnist opinionkansan.com
qents who were involved in community service performed better academically than students who were not involved in community service.
Here's a hint. Students who choose to go out
and perform community service are usually energetic, motivated people. Energetic, motivated people tend to do well academically. It's not that community service improves grades — how on earth could it? The kinds of people who are naturally disposed to volunteer for community service are also the kinds of people who will put 100 percent into their classes.
Some people don't have the time to do volunteer work. They're taking five classes and holding down a part-time job to pay for tuition and housing. They don't need to be forced into extra work. That's the sort of thing that reduces academic performance.
In other words, the requirement won't help anyone's grade point average.
Some people also have limited residence hall options. They may have wanted to live in Templin Hall but got Lewis. Yeah, the community service thing is in the contract, but what choice do they have?
The residents of Lewis Hall signed a contact, and they should abide by it. But it is a bad contract based on a flawed idea — albeit an idea backed by the best of intentions. Student Housing should once again rise to the occasion, recognize the mistake and negate this unjust requirement.
choice do they have?
Finally, the notion of forced labor or expulsion strikes a bad note with me. Good works should be voluntary, done out of a sense of duty, love and civic spirit. When they are unwanted and forced, they cease to be charity and become something more Soviet in nature.
Loader is a Henderson, Nev., senior in Journalism.
Editorial
KU students must help University save energy
University, students need to conserve energy to stem rising energy prices.
It is time for people at the University to become more energy efficient. If we don't, it will hit us where it hurts — in the wallet. Because of an increase in natural gas prices the University stands to pay almost $1 million more for gas this year. This cost squeeze is cause for a major re-evaluation of campus-wide energy use.
There are several ways in which students and faculty can help out. The most obvious and easiest way is to turn off lights in campus buildings when they are not in use. Other actions that could be taken would be to shut off campus computers when not in use and not to use space heaters.
Provost David Shulenburger recently issued a memo calling for the lowering of thermostats in all campus buildings. If sufficient cuts are not made, then departments face the threat of having to pay the difference out of their own budget. The memo states that thermostats are to be set at 68 degrees during the day and 60 degrees at night and on weekends. Students living in residence halls can help by setting their thermostats at lower temperatures also.
The Department of Student Housing already has decided to include the price increase in student housing fees for next fall. The department is in the process of passing its largest one-year increase ever. The rising costs of electricity and natural gas are the biggest contributing factor for the projected $234 increase. This price applies to those living in a double room with a 19-meal plan. The Jayhawker Towers residents look to be paying $118 more next year.
With the energy crunch, students and faculty must do their part to help alleviate the burden of rising costs. If everyone contributes and conserves, the budget cuts will be slim or none. Otherwise, we will foot the bill.
Kate Hazelwood for the editorial board
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. The Kansas reserves the right to edit submissions, and not all of them will be published. Slanderous statements will not be printed. To read more, go to www.kansas.com.
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Why should Gore concede? He's the one with the popular vote.
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Scientists have proven that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. Yet our politicians refuse to legalize it. It's time they got on the ball and do what is right for the citizens.
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Why does the UDK keep printing expired Mr. Gatti's coupons?
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Why can't students use their excess meals on friends from out of town? It's not like the meals aren't already paid for.
The reason there are more white people at the University of Kansas is because there are more white people in Kansas.
If I was the president of Student Senate and knocked my girlfriend out, causing $400 of damage, I'd be impeached too.
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I don't understand why this country takes rape so lightly. There were a reported three rapes for the year 2000 but, come on, there must have been more that weren't reported.
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The Kansan is a horrible paper. The only reason I bring it home is because my roommates are too cheap to buy toilet paper.
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Women are beautiful creatures. Any man who commits rape should have his testicles removed without the benefit of an anesthetic.
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The redhead that I sit next to in psychology is extremely beautiful.
The UDI must be really deserate if there is a story on the chancellor's secretary.
wny does Free for All put their phone number twice? Are we stupid?
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There needs to be a ski lift on 14th Street.
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If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the page staff (opinion@kansan.com) or call 864-4924.
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