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Tuesday, April 9, 1991 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
In its traditional effort to endorse a Student Senate coalition, the Kansean editorial board was faced with an unusual situation. Of the members present and voting, the board was split on which co胁迫 to endorse. The final vote was 60 votes in favor of co胁迫, 23 votes against co胁迫, and none for neither.
Instead of developing a group stance, the board decided to run three editorials that accurately represented the tone of the meeting and the final vote.
Impact
No-frills coalition understands issues
onesty. Realism.
H Although the issues behind this year's Student Senate race are similar, it is honesty and realism that make the Impact coalition stand out.
The coalition's presidential candidate, Darren Fulcher, and vice presidential candidate, Alan Lowden, cut through political rhetoric when answering questions and express their views with honesty. In speech that isn't deceptively polished or politically advantageous, these two candidates represent their coalition with an emphasis on feasible methods to achieve their goals.
The candidates' honesty makes them seem more approachable because they don't hide behind a facade of political jargon. They are down-to-earth people who seem easy to trust.
An example of Impact's realism is a comment Lowden made about Impact's approach to the campus lighting problem: "Lighting doesn't stop crime. It just moves it."
Lowden was correct to recognize the reality of the lighting problem. Because past Student Senates have been unsuccessful at
getting full financing for adequate campus lighting, it makes sense for Impact to focus on other ways to deter crime on campus.
The candidates' straightforward communication style will translate into their goal for creating a university environment that is more conducive to learning.
Such an atmosphere will help prevent race-related incidents, such as the one that occurred at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house last spring, from interfering with academic pursuits.
Communication also is the key to getting campus groups together to solve problems, which is another of Impact's goals. Impact already has a jump on achieving its goals by talking to administrators about ways to make its plans work.
The care Impact took in building its coalition reflects its dedication to making things happen. The coalition includes students who have demonstrated their ability to get things done in other campus leadership roles.
Impact will make a difference. Vote.
Debbie Myers for five members of the editorial board
Facts
Duo's idealism offers creative solutions
Student Senate will have control of $1.3 million next year.
The Facts coalition knows that it is not their money, but students' at the University of Kansas. Facts' platform is based on getting more student input on issues so it knows what the students want to support.
Political jargon? Maybe. But voters who want to have an influence in Senate spending past marking the ballot would have a chance with Facts.
The Facts coalition, led by presidential candidate Jason McIntosh and vice president candidate Giles Smith, has strong and innovative plans to improve the University.
Both the Facts and the Impact coaltions said they would create a network for campus organization leaders to communicate through.
But the Facts candidates also said they would try to make sure every student knew what was happening in student government.
Impact coalition candidates proposed a trickle-down theory of sorts. They would work only with the "popular" members of each group and then depend on them to relay information to the unpopular masses.
The Facts candidates' campaign platform has a well-outlined environmental plan for the University. Facts proposed to take campus recycling a step further by implementing a trash-separation program in addition to newspaper and aluminum recycling.
The Impact coalition has no innovative
ideas in this area. Rather, they simply would add more recycling containers on campus.
To promote cultural diversity at the University, Facts candidates said that although it was important to recruit minorities, KU's diversity still would be weak and the recruitment efforts wasted without having a retention program to keep them at the University. Facts proposes a system of peer advising to encourage retention.
Facts candidates said they were working with Hilltop and Helping Hands day-care centers to come up with a comprehensive child-care plan for campus. When the Impact candidates were asked about their child-care plan, they said they did not have one, even though if elected, it would be a first priority.
Students this semester were able to see how higher education often is placed on the back burner when the Legislature needs to make budget cuts. Facts candidates offer a clear understanding of the functions of state government, a quality that is vital in these lean financial times.
The Facts candidates want to know how KU students want their money spent. The Facts candidates may be idealistic with ways to combat some problems, but Impact is realistic to the point of pessimism and uses it as a defense for not coming up with innovative solutions for some problems facing the University.
Amy Zamierowski for five members of editional board
Neither
Coalitions' platforms lack originality, usefulness
T too few Facts. Not enough Impact. Voters tomorrow and Thursday will choose between two adequate but unremarkable coalitions.
Both Facts and Impact offer a few sound ideas, as detailed in the two above editorials. Both coalitions have canvable leaders.
Jason McIntosh and Giles Smith of Facts are polished speakers but seem to have a limited grasp of Senate's role. The Facts platform includes, for example, a plan to install low-flow shower heads in the residence halls. Senate has no authority to implement campus building policies.
Darren Fulcher and Alan Lowden of Impact offer a more realistic view of Senate's place on campus, repeating the words "feasibility" and "workability" throughout their campaign mantra. Their realism, however, is stripped to cynicism
Impact has proposed a peer-minority recruitment and retention program that appears to duplicate something now coordinated by the office of minority affairs. Facts supports a campuswide service that would escort students to their cars and living areas safely, logistics and liability be damned.
Devoid of innovation, the two coalitions pad their platforms with tired ideas.
when they explain that members of their coalition were chosen on the basis of popularity.
Vote tomorrow or Thursday, but know that one coalition does not have many Facts and the other does not make much Impact.
Either coalition would serve the student body adequately; neither would live up to its name.
Rich Cornell for the editorial board
LETTERS to the EDITOR
When I picked up the April 4 issue of the Kansan, I was embarrassed to be a pre-journalism major. The Kansan's coverage of the Student Senate election coilitions has been completely unprofessional.
Most newspapers run news stories on the front page. Unfortunately, it appears that the University Daily Kansai runs to editorials in the front page.
The headline "Facts budget angers election officials," in the April 4 issue of the Kansan, was misleading. The Facts coalition has a valid point that a limit should be placed on campaign spending as it has done something wrong.
Coverage opinionated
After being appalled by Page 1, I turned to Page 3 to read about the Senate's final session. Here, I read how the Impact coalition's vice president had passed a bill in the Senate. John McDonnell, the Facts coalition's presidential candidate, passed three bills in this same session.
'This was not the first time I was disappointed in the Kansan's campaign coverage. According to the March 28 issue of the Kansan, we don't need to waste our voteoting because both coalitions' platforms have to go any further than the campaign tables in front of Wescoe Hall to discover that the coalitions have differing plans.
The Student Senate has a great deal of influence at the University. The Kansan has a responsibility to the students to cover the elections in a fair and thorough manner. By neglecting to fully present all angles of the campaign, the Kansan is not fulfilling its role as a newspaper.
Jane Henderson Shawnee sophomore
Facts plan insufficient
As a woman at KU, I seriously contemplate any program designed with the intent of increasing campus safety. So when the Facts condition meets its plans for addressing the issue of campus safety, I perked up my ears.
Unfortunately, what I heard disappointed me. In proposing a University-wide escoff service, the coalition's intentions are good, but the committee has to better spent on campus safety projects other than this approach.
Initially, the proposed escort service benefits only a small percentage of the campus population. The escort service could not provide transporta-
to students traveling to an off campus destination. Most of the students attending the University live off campus.
Moreover, many of the students who are on campus at night drive. Although having a car on campus at night decreases the danger of walking home in the dark, the routes to the parking lots are poorly lighted and the landscaping makes these paths dangerous. An escort service would not help people who are just walking to their cars or who live beyond the boundaries of the campus.
Even if the proposed escort service assisted a larger population, it is the least efficient and least cost-effective option available.
For the escort service to decrease the University's liability, teams of either two women or a man and a woman would retrieve and escort the students. This automatically doubles the cost of an escort necessary to implement such a program
These teams would have to be trained to deal with both confrontational events and with other contingencies, such as if they are called by a woman who already has been raped. Special organizations such as Headquarters, Rape Victim Support Services or Women's Transitional Care Services would be needed to train the excelses.
Each escort would need to be equipped with some sort of easily identifiable jacket, vest, shirt and name tag. Because of the training provided by the staff, the escort service probably would not be operational for at least a year.
The need for increased campus safety is an immediate one, not one that can wait for another year. Ellsworth Hall already offers a smaller-scale escort service, so there is reason to believe that the Facts escort service would be a duplication of services.
The need is a bigger one, however — one that can be better addressed through improved lighting and an expanded transportation system developed to run at night and cover both on- and off campus routes. Transportation systems provide efficient, dependable solutions to campus safety problems.
I laud the Facts recognition of campus safety issues, but it provides only a Band-Aid solution where we need stitches.
Ami Hyten
Topeka sophomore
Accusations deter logic
I am troubled by Professor Paul Mirecki's response to Ed Killeen's column on the Resurrection. In calling for a more logical approach to the subject, she should a professor accuse a student of repeating "irrational claptrap" and "subjectively based nonsense" as the result of "fear and backwoods superstition"? Is this the best way to demonstrate the need for
logic in argumentative discourse?
My own failings in the classroom tell me that it is not.
I trust that only Killeen's arguments and not his beliefs were under attack. Any argument can be faulty and ill-informed; argument alone probably never convinced anyone of the Resurrection. But in acknowledging that, this belief may be supported by reason and experience.
Something happened to give rise to the early church. Since then, generations of witnesses have spoken of Christ's continuing presence. To ignore their testimony, whether in scripture or in a weekly prayer event, can a certain mystery of human experience. To listen is more reasonable.
Max Keith Sutton department of English
Bible says Jesus rose
I am writing in response to Paul Allen Mirecki's letter in Friday's Kansan.
Mirec熙们 ed Killeen to take a course in logic, yet the only argument or logic that Mirec熙 used to teach is Jesus' rose from the dead is ridicule.
I hope that everyone who is open-minded honestly will examine Christianity's claim that Jesus rose from the dead. The Bible states clearly that he did, and the existence of constantly rests on the fact that he did.
If Jesus did not come back to life, Christianity is a false religion. If he did, then Jesus' claim to be the only one who can endure and eternal life becomes convincing.
Christianity does not expect followers to believe blindly. In fact, it is just the opposite. Christians are encouraged to check out the facts
Paul, in the New Testament,
appeals to the fact that these events
were witnessed by many people and
that these witnesses were among
them who wrote. He even
praised those who checked out the
facts (Acts 17:11).
For those who desire to check out the facts, I recommend "Evidence that Demands a Verdict." vols. 1 and 2, by Josh McDowell.
McDowell was agonistic at the time he set out to disprove the resurrection of Jesus. After sitting through considerable evidence, he became convinced that Jesus did come back as a result, McDowell became a Christian.
These books contain references to all the documents quoted, so do not take McDowell's word for evidence, look it up for yourself.
For those who are not up to the challenge of reading through those two books, I recommend "More than a Carpenter." also by McDowell. Blindly believing or disbelieving a book you vulnerable to those
Blindly believing or disbelieving can leave you vulnerable to those who would deceive you
Mark Nachtigall Lawrence graduate student
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