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Wednesday, April 3, 1991 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Rally ban mistake
Many Soviet citizens recall days before reform after Gorbachev's decision to ban public rallies
Last week more than 100,000 demonstrators defied Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's ban on public rallies and showed support for his chief rival, Boris Yeltsin.
Instead of marching to the Kremlin as planned, the Muscovites rallied in favor of the Russian republic president at Mayakovsky Square, within sight of numerous police. KGB troops, barricades and military trucks.
Fortunately, the demonstrators avoided any serious clashes with police by staying away from Red Square.
Nevertheless, Gorbachev made a wrong decision when he called for the three-week ban. Many Soviet citizens could have been injured or killed if either side had not restrained themselves.
In the end, the ban did little but anger citizens who already support Yellsin. Many saw the ban as a challenge. As one proteester said, "I'd never come to a rally before, but today we were challenged by Gorbachev."
Of course Gorbachev is concerned about Yeltsin's growing popularity. He saw the decision as a way to quiet Yeltsin's supporters. But his decision to ban rallies only strengthened the opposition. His actions are paving the way for even stronger accusations that he has turned away from earlier reforms and has returned to hard-line communist traditions.
One Soviet newspaper said the police barricades only showed that Gorbachev and the government feared their own people and were unwilling to talk with them.
Gorbachev's ban, combined with thousands of angry pro-Veltins demonstrators, could have ended in violence. Lithuanians will not soon forget the confrontation in Vilnius two months ago when tank troops were used against unarmed independence demonstrators. More than 15 people were killed.
Many feared the same results from last week's rally. Yet thousands turned out to protest anyway.
Gorbachev must realize that bans will not help him regain support. Instead, the decision was a step in the wrong direction. For many Soviets it has brought back memories of the hard-line tactics used against dissidents in the years before Gorbachev.
Melanie Botts for the editorial board
Senior feedback
Praise deserved for education assessment efforts
A about 100 seniors made a quick $25
March 25 - 28 by telling the University
what they thought about their education
at the University of Kansas.
The students who participated deserve thanks from other students for voicing concerns about education. Seniors in future years must take as much care representing students' concerns so that the quality of education at KU will improve.
The office of academic affairs deserves recognition for conducting the assessment project. By interviewing seniors, the University can gain useful insight about general education, required courses and individual majors.
The University's goals in conducting the assessment project must be commended, as well. Students' appreciation of the arts, capacity for critical thinking, capacity for innovative thinking and attainment of an enhanced awareness of differing values,
needs and customs are areas in which it is vital that students thrive.
The 40 faculty members who volunteered their time to interview the seniors also deserve thanks. The quality of education at the University is sure to improve because dedicated faculty members donated their time.
The office of institutional research and planning also must be praised for helping the office of academic affairs assess how well KU's goals are being met.
Now the University must take on the challenge of using the seniors' feedback.
The ultimate goal must be to make the education assessment project useful for the University administration, students and faculty members. Working together, as they did in conducting the assessment, could improve education at KU.
Debbie Myers for the editorial board
■ Editorials reflect the opinion of the University Daily Kansan editorial board. Editorials appear in a box on the left side of the page. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the board but not necessarily the opinion of the signed author.
Opinions expressed in guest and staff columns and cartoons are solely those of the author or artist. Views expressed in columns and cartoons are not necessarily shared by the Kansan.
Poetry puts war in new perspective
I remember well the tale of Godzilla when he battled the Giant Moth, fierce and dangerous. Half of Tokyo lay in ruin. Many people were mmaired or killed. Life lay on the verge of total collapse.
Why so much destruction to be Rid of an insolent moth when A mere Lighthulb would do?
L. Brian
Patrick
Guest columnist
I do, however, remember a vaguely witty comment that he made
one day while in my English 102 class, bored to tears by the third edition of the Norton Anthology of Poetry. I was pondering the somewhat confusing status of Iraq. The GTA, a rather zealous but cool literary martyr, was on our舒容 soap box teaching about American history.
I remember not much about the poem, but rather the frenzied GTA, with his semi-coherent ramblings about various symbolic blah, blah, blahs, sweating profusely in all his excitement, ironically, as he pushed himself to near exhaustion and cardiac arrest in his fervor; not one of us students seemed to be able to keep our eyes open; I was personally wishing that I had had toothpicks to prop my heavy and drooping eyelids.
regarding creepy-crawlies such as snakes.
He referred to the fact that though most people were frightened by them, snakes, as Marlin Perkins often told me from the safety of his helicopter while Jim struggled with a thirty foot Anaconda in the rain forests as natives blew poison darts at him, are probably more scared of you than they are them. Regardless of this fact, how can something unattractive or frightening such as a snake, spider or bug, even though it might be perfectly harmless, we must kill it and be rid of it forever.
As I juggled this idea with an admiration for the mighty wind that seemed to want to take Wesco Hall to Oz, we started yet another poem, "Design," by Robert Frost. In this poem, the author is captivated by an
intricately patterned spider who is devouring a moth.
Suddenly, the thoughts of the devastation in Iraq, the pointless need to obliterate small living organisms because they are too ugly to cuddle and the intensive rhetoric of my lecturer all came together in a flood of symbolism *Ernest Hemingway*, eat way, eat way, write this poem with, write this poem with, with the above background, should make my point.
I walked out of English 102 that day with a different perspective of the war and some aspects of life itself. Up to that day, I had supported me in my work at the withdraw of Iraq from Kuwait and to a certain extent I still do.
But I cannot help but wonder, in retrospect, if maybe a better solution could have been found.
I only hope that my own lack of foresight with regard to the devastation of Iraq and its people will teach me not to jump to objection. I have rudely discovered, the obvious answer is often the wrong answer.
L. Brian Patrick is a Baldwin sopho more majoring in French and Haitian.
Fans' conduct foolish
The end of the basketball season was certainly not a "consolation" or a "heartbreaker," as the headlines on the front page of yesterday's Kansan suggested. I believe I express the sentiments of many students at the University when I say that I am extremely proud of our men in blue and Roy Williams and thank them for a great year of basketball.
What is a "heartbreaker" is the way many students were acting on Wesco Beach following the game. I was happy to see KU fans in good spirits and was expecting a fairly tame evening of celebration.
the accomplishments of our team, to become the focus of the local media and memories of Kansas' 1991 trip to the Final Four. I hope Coach Williams and his players restores their performance, but of the immaturity of these students. Again, I congratulate them on an outstanding season.
Unfortunately, some students decided the appropriate way to celebrate the success of our basketball team was to deface the campus as much as possible, to injure fellow students and to act like complete jerks. I fail to see the fun in throwing cans and bottles at people climbing poles, sexually harassing them, by The time I left campus at midnight. I was furious that there are such astute people in this world, especially at KU.
It is unfortunate that the foolish behavior of a few students erupted into such chaos causing this, and not
Beth Brady Lawrence senior
Helping the homeless
With the close of the Salvation Army Safe House, there has been a great deal of talk about and sympathy for those individuals who will be most significantly affected by this action, the homeless. Everyone seems to be paying lip service to the issue, but what is being done? Although the shutdown of the shelter is a tragedy, people should nonetheless realize that the homeless other ways of helping them are aside from giving money for shelter. The homeless are not abstract entities, but rather are individuals with needs including, but going beyond, mere shelter.
Project Acceptance is a group in Lawrence that concerns itself with these other needs, particularly those of the mentally ill homeless. The project does not have the funds to raise it; instead, it uses, but it does provide a place where people can come and relate to one another in a non-judgmental
environment based upon the equality of all members. Here one encounters the homeless at a fundamental level: as human beings. Raising money and making speeches have their place, but anyone who earnsly wishes to take up the cause of the homeless should first meet such people face to face in order to understand the true significance of such a cause.
Deborah Heikes Houston senior
Thanks to the 'Hawks
Congratulations to the Jayhawk basketball team. Coach Williams and his players have had a great season and given their fans much enjoyment. They have shown that by working together unselfishly, much can be accomplished. This lesson should be taken to heart by the academic community where little selfish dukesdoms prevail.
I wish the seniors well in their chosen careers. I look forward to watching next season to another textbook case of what unselfish cooperation means and accomplishes. Take it to school, academia.
Again, thanks and congratulations to Roy Williams and Company.
KANSAN STAFF
R. T. Hersh Director of human biology
CHRIS SIRON
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RICH CORNELL
Managing editor
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Sports Ann Sommerlath Kate Stader
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Loco Locals
by Tom Michaud
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