4 Wednesday, February 27, 1991 / University Daily Kansan Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Fifth time around Bill could improve college student success rate, motivate high school students to perform better F For the fifth time in five years, a qualified admissions bill has been passed. proposed in the Kansas Legislature. However, unlike past sessions in which the bill failed, the Legislature should move toward improving Kansas' educational system, both on the high school and collegiate level. Kansas is the only state that has an open admissions policy. Anyone who graduates from an accredited Kansas high school auto- sporting team or admission to a state-supported university The qualified admissions bill would require graduating high school students desiring to attend a state-supported university to meet one of three qualifying standards. The student would have to graduate with at least a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, have a composite ACT score of 23 or higher or rank in the top third of his or her graduating class. By requiring students to meet these standards, the state would push students to improve their educational performance during high school to a higher level. This also might reduce the number of students who drop out of college by adequately preparing them for the higher education. Opponents of the bill claim that it would deny many students the chance to continue their education beyond high school by not allowing them admission to a state-supported university. However, those students who do not meet the qualifying standards would not be prevented from continuing their education. The option of attending a junior college until enough hours have been earned to transfer to a state-supported college would provide an effective alternative for those students The bill is supported by the Board of Regents, which claims that the bill would improve the educational preparation of high school graduates. This kind of bill would have only positive results and would not be detrimental to the educational system. By raising the standards for admittance, Kansas would increase the success rate of college students and improve the quality of its educational system. Brent Maycock for the editorial board Busing must stay Ruling may limit busing, hurt integration efforts If federal court-ordered busing is discontinued in some school districts, an opportunity to help end future patterns of racial discrimination will be lost. The Supreme Court decided last month in a 5-3 decision in a school desegregation case from Oklahoma City that a federal busing order could be lifted if school districts could convince federal courts that they had complied with the desegregation order. The district needed to prove that it had erased all traces of past discrimination owing to segregated schooling. The ruling put the decision back to the lower federal courts that monitor about 500 affected school districts around the country. Many of these districts are in the South and the Southwest. Supporters of the ruling said it would be difficult for a district to prove it had eliminated discrimination. Although proving no discrimination is a high standard, school districts should not be the ones to decide when they can convince the courts that they have erased past discrimination. This decision should be left to people outside the districts so it would remain more objective. Even if past discrimination has been eliminated, busing should not be eliminated in some districts. Because of racially imbalanced patterns of housing in some areas, some of the districts would return to having single-race schools without busing. Although single-race schools are not necessarily evidence of continued racial discrimination or intentional segregation, an opportunity is lost for students attending single-race schools to learn and be with other ethnic groups. Federal busing is more than balancing numbers. It provides a chance not only to desegregate schools but also allows them to integrate. The interaction of students today is a part of what will help make better race relations in Amy Zamierowski for the editorial board States should view battered women as victims Abuse as evidence attered women who fight back finally are being recognized as victims instead of criminals Several weeks ago the governor of Maryland commuted the prison sentences of eight women who killed their abusive husbands or boyfriends. And in December, Ohio's governor granted clemency to 26 women before he left office. Their actions have prompted at least eight other states to consider legislation that would allow evidence of abuse to be admitted at trial. A few states, including Missouri, already have passed similar laws. The governors of Maryland and Ohio were forced to grant clementry because no abuse-defense laws currently exist in those states. Although Kansas does not have any laws addressing this problem, the courts have recognized Battered Woman Syndrome as a defense for about seven years. The syndrome is a desperate mental state that affects women who have been victims of abuse from husbands or boyfriends for many years. Opponents argue that clemency and Battered Woman Syndrome give women a license to kill. But passing laws that recognize abuse as a defense would not automatically set women free. abusers every year, according to recent studies. But thousands more continue to endure abuse day after day. If states would do more to help battered women, there would be no need for governors to grant clemency. The women would not be pushed to the point where they thought murder was their only escape. States need to finance more programs that would provide food and shelter for abused women and their children. And police, who often hesitate to respond to domestic violence calls, must take these crimes more seriously. It is time the government recognized women as the true victims and took action to stop the perpetual cycle of abuse. The few states that have taken action should be praised, but more action still needs to be taken. Stacy Smith for the editorial board About 1,200 battered women kill their War illustrates U.S. domination of world nations and resources Feb. 15, George Bush once again dashed world hope for peace The Iraq proposal was an entirely reasonable one and would have given the world a chance to settle many of the disputes and conflicts in the Middle East. It is clear β€” as it has been repeatedly in Bush intends to wage war to the end. The Persian Gulf War is a continuation of U.S. imperial designs. The benefits of world domination for an empire like the United States are clear: control of the world's resources, maintenance of a cheap labor pool in Third World countries, superiority to keep other countries out, and keeping national security interest." This only reinforces what many on the far left have been saying for years: the course of the United States through the past century has been toward an imperial domination of the military, political and economic basis. In short, the United States is trying to maintain an order that does not benefit the needs of the masses around the world, but rather the rich and powerful who prosper in the Great American Empire. Bush's "New World Order" is the old order world β€” the United States Clay Carlson Guest columnist Now, more than ever, the people of the United States must fight to end this order. It is the rich who own the media, the corporations and the means of production who benefit, not the many U.S. citizens who feel so burdened by politics that they no longer bother to vote or question the status quo. remains the decisive power in the world, exploiting Third World countries and destabilizing democracies and dictatorships alike when it feels that order is threatened. There are so many pressing problems on the home front (e.g. homelessness, AIDS, the environment) that I can only begin to list them here. The Bush administration continues to ignore them. its goal: keep them in place and they will have the ability to rise up and challenge the status quo. The newly formed Direct Action Movement seeks to call attention to U.S. imperialism and hypocritical U.S. foreign policies. empower themselves and do something constructive to change the current world order. DAM is a non-violent alliance of Lawrence citizens advocating the use of civil disobedience to stop the war and call attention to its injustices. Non-violent civil resistance allows us, at least for a time, to take back in our hands the power of the people denied us by a government and political system clearly out of touch with its people. We hope to show that people can The war against Iraq is not about liberation or freedom. It is an attempt to stop the slow decline in U.S. power that in region and revitalize that power around the world. That is what the anti-war movement is up against, and that is why simple slogans, such as "No Blood for Oil," and ordinary protest strategies will not do. While Bush talks about the horrors of Saddam's rule, he turns a blind eye to his own horrors. El Salvador is an example. The U.S. government has being supported a brutal and repressive dictatorship there, just as it armed and financed Saddam when it supported our interests to do so. Clay Carlson Lawrence resident LETTERS to the EDITOR The acid test revisited At the same time the ground war began the other night, another dubious event took place here in Lawrence. Around 10th and Ohio streets, 35 encounter groups took part in the war, mind, according to one participant. The sign on the back door read "Therapy in Progress." I peeked in the window to see (surprise, surprise) flashing lights and other psychiciede toys. I thought I heard the sitar of Ravil Shankar or George Harrison. Heightened Perceptions! Time Distortion! The Acid Tests. I wondered if anyone there had seen Timothy Leary at Hoch Auditorium. He sounded to me more senile from acid, not age. Based on his example, I would argue that proponents of the LSD short cut to enlightenment engage in an antitheapeutic exercise of emoforia and machismo. If any of those 35 people tripped alone, I would bet they would encounter not cosmological surrealism but their psychological reality. Sometimes that is known as a bad experience. And sometimes guides allow one to face reality or unreality and not be devoured. With LSD, real therapy can come only with a bad trip β€” you confront yourself in pure reality. Now, if the sign had read "Recreation in Progress" I would understand the purpose of subjecting one's brain to a little damage. But I have a feeling that most people present that night were after quick self-revelation at the price of self-destruction. So, trippers, your heart may be in the right place, but if you need help, call 911. George Gurley Lawrence graduate student Double whammy abides Parking Services has to change its ways. Everybody has to pay $2 to park in the lots closest to Allen Field House. I have paid $30.50 to park on campus, but on game days, I am expected to fork over another two bucks. How many times am I to pay to park? It’s like buying a bus pass, and then laying 75 cents every time I get on it. During this past month, a professor was kicked on a game day for not leaving a parking lot before the barricades were set up. This means if we are not ready to leave, we must drop what we're doing and move our car. This is a ridiculous rule. The rules stink and should be changed. I can think of several parking alternatives on those game days, but the point is that the faculty, staff and students have paid once and shouldn't have to pay again or even be ticketed. I'll say this one more time: I should be able to park, if I want to park there, I should be able to without any hassle. But, of course, we all know that this University is full of hassles. I don't mind if you charge two backs, as long as you charge anyone besides those with permits. Just get the phone number with all the money. Everyone knows that students and teachers don't have cash. KANSAN STAFF CHRIS SIRON Editor RICH CORNELL Managing editor TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser by Tom Michaud AUDRA LANGFORD Business manager MINDI LUND Retail sales manager JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser Editors Business staff News. Melanie Matthes Campus sales mgr. Sophie Wehbe Editorial. Tiffany Harness Regional sales mgr. Carmen Dresch Planning. Holly M Neuman National sales mgr. Jennifer Claxton Campus. Jennifer Reynolds. Co-op sales mgr. Christine Musser Sports. Ann Sommerlath Production mgr. Rich Harshanger Photography. Keith Thorpe Marketing director. Gail Einbinder Graphics. Melissa Unterberg Creative director. Chris Hays Features. Jill Harrington Classified manager. Kim Crowder Letter should be double, double-sided and fewer than 200 words. They must include the writer's signature, name, address and telephone number. Writers affiliated with the University of Kansas Guest columns should be typed, double-sided and fewer than 700 words. The writer will be photographed. The Kansas reserves the right to reject or edit letters, guest columns and cartoons. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansas newsroom. 111 Stauffer Flint Hall Home Remedies