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Friday, April 20, 1990 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Job hunting
University cannot afford to lose Ramaley now; minority concerns, unrest require leadership
The next stop on the Judith Ramaley job hunt will be Portland State University in Oregon. How quickly things change
Oregon. How quickly things change.
Sunday — Ramaley, executive vice chancellor, dropped out of the race for the presidency of the University of Vermont, saying, "It simply wasn't the right career move for me." At the time, she would not comment on whether she had been offered another job. She repeatedly said she wasn't actively seeking to leave the University and that she was happy in Lawrence. The hunt was on.
- Tuesday — Next stop — Portland, Ore. The university announced that Ramaley was one of two finalists for its presidency. This came as a surprise to many people at KU who thought Ramaley had said she wasn't looking to leave.
Suddenly, Ramaley said that her career was reaching a new point and that the next logical step would be a university presidency. Oh, she also said she hadn't decided if she would take the job if offered.
■ Friday — It's time for Judith Ramaley to decide what she wants.
Ramaley deserves to be president of a
university if that is what she wants and thinks is best for her career. Undoubtedly she is qualified to lead a university and would be successful. However, she still works for the University of Kansas at a critical junure in its history. The University cannot afford a leadership vacuum at a time when issues such as racial tension and minority recruitment and retention are so important.
Ramaley could lead the University to a higher plane of understanding and implement an aggressive minority recruitment plan. She also could thwart those efforts by jumping on a plane every week to interview for a new job.
Granted, no one can determine when opportunities will arise. When they do, investigating them only makes good sense. However, the University needs an executive vice chancellor who is willing to see it through its recent difficulties. Jumping off halfway does no good.
Ramaley needs to decide if she is going to be KU's executive vice chancellor or another university's president. Indecision only prolongs the troubles of the University.
Daniel Niemi for the editorial board
Earth Dav 1990
Citizens can't ignore environmental problems
Birth Day, April 22. Ignore it if you want.
Pay no attention to it because, on the grander scale of things, it doesn't matter one ounce.
Environmentalists nationwide herald Earth Day 1900 as a celebration of great consciousness. It is the anniversary of a time when America's leaders, 20 years ago, seemed born of a new understanding for environmental issues. And, as with all birthdays, this one deserves a party.
So — for those annoyed people — ignore Earth Day. It will happen without you. No need to harbor aggression against all the environmentalists just because they care more about preserving the world than you do.
You can make a difference. It comes down to the "one person, one vote" philosophy. In the language of the worst political slogans, a vote for the environment is a vote for you, your children and your grandchildren.
Chris Evans for the editorial board
GALA Week 1990
City Commission should guarantee gay rights
e have tomorrow Bright before us Like a flame." A plaque on the front of Lawrence Ci.
bears this quote from Langston Hughes, a gay, Black writer.
Ironically, two years ago in the same building, Lawrence city commissioners, under former mayor Bob Schumm, voted to kill a proposed amendment to the city's human rights ordinance that would prevent discrimination on the basis of "actual or perceived sexual orientation."
So it seemed fitting that the annual Gay and Lesbian Awareness Week candlelight vigil be conducted in front of this building and its plaque.
In the middle of the candlelight vigil, as people shared their coming out experiences or remembered friends who had died of complications from AIDS, Mayor Shirley Martin-Smith and a TV cameraman made an entrance to the scene.
Why had she come to the vigi? Was it to champion human rights — to be a leader in the
fight to end discrimination and bring the amendment back for discussion? Not at all
The amendment, with the wording "actual or perceived sexual orientation," would have prevented discrimination against homosexuals. But as the situation stands, gays and lesbians, or even people perceived to be gay or lesbian, through some twisted notion that one can tell someone's sexual orientation by looking at him or her, legally can be denied housing, employment and public lodging.
The fact that there was debate over this issue shows the sheer insensitivity and stupidity of many of our city commissioners and Lawrence residents when talk turns to homosexuality. There is no excuse for the stigma that surrounds gays and lesbians in our country, our town and campus.
that is why GALA Week and its activities seek to educate all of us in issues facing homosexuals. Take this seriously.
Trivial election complaints expose political whiners
Take some time to try to learn. That's why we're here.
Liz Hueben for the editorial board
The "political gamesmanship" mentality that has pervaded Student Senate and Senate elections for years is back.
It seems that complaints have been filed against the winning YOU coalition and the not-as-successful Fast Break coalition. The coalitions placed filers on cars off campus and drew illegal chalk drawings on campus sidewalks, according to the complaints filed with Elections Review Board. My God! Fliers and chalk drawings! Such blatantly immoral action must not be allowed to go unchecked. Next year they might hire ex-CIA agents to break into other coalition's headquarters to photocopy platforms and steal posterboard.
YOU officials say they got permission to make chalk drawings that, according to complaints, were too close to polling places and lacked endorsements. So what's the big deal? The infractions, if they occurred at all, were obviously not intentional and had no
Stan
Diel
Staff columnist
real effect on the outcome of the election. It's unlikely that someone might be confused about who sponsored a chalk drawing that reads, "Vote YOU." and it's unlikely that it would make any difference if they were. And it's even less likely that non-students were so moved by the filers they found on their cars that they enrolled so they could vote. So why are people bothering to file complaints about trivial oversights that had no effect on the election?
Because triviality is the grease on the wheels of the student political machine. After every election in recent memory at least one
trivial complaint has been filed by someone who lost and hoped the complaint might result in their replacing the candidate who beat them. The elections were never anything less than fair, and most of the complaints are just the immature whinings of poor losers.
I first noticed that politicians were whinners in my first and last foray into the political arena, when I ran for student body president in high school. Two other candidates filed a complaint with the administration because we apparently had begun distribution of campaign buttons a little earlier than was allowed. No big deal — just a few buttons — and it wasn't intentional. All they had to do was point out the infraction to us to remedy the problem. But they wanted us disqualified. The administration laughed it off, of course, and we went on to lose with dignity and grace to the candidates who filed the complaint. Apparently the political whiner mentality is
a genetic trait that makes good politicians.
As a reporter, I covered Senate in Spring 1989, and I witnessed hundreds of hours of time being wasted in irrelevant discussion and political gamesmanship. There were attempts to remove senators from office and fights about political appointments. Several senators essentially were sacrificed in a political battle about one such appointment. One was nearly brought to tears by her removal from Senate as an innocent victim of another's political gameplaying. Little cliques of senators formed and spent hours of Senate time arguing with each other about trivial matters, lengthening meetings to the point that decisions were rushed through late at night and had to be reconsidered later. With often pitiful attendance and with some senators occasionally watching portable televisions, listening to radios and playing "air baseball" in the back of the room while legislation was discussed, the distractions of
political games were really not needed. Not all of Senate took part in the political gameplaying, of course. But there were only a few really active and respected senators: People such as Michael Diggs and Paul Leader, who did not take part in the games and still managed to have some influence in Senate's actions. The issues were more important to them than the false sense of power one can get from holding a psuedopolitical office.
Now that Senate is starting over, it is likely that cliques of senators will form again, and political battles will be fought about appointments. I hope once the trivial complaints about the election blow over, as they always do, the new leadership will work toward a Senate that spends more time discussing issues and less time slinging mud.
> Stan Diel is a Hutchinson senior majoring in journalism and economics.
Other Voices
AT&T submitted to minority bullies
AT&T, the communications giant,
decided recently to quit giving
money to Planned Parenthood.
Directors of the foundation which
AT&T supports should reconsider
their decision.
AT&T's decision to withdraw its support for a worthy program based on the rantings of what it admits is a tiny minority poses a serious threat for a whole variety of charitable organizations. If an outfit as large as
AT&T . . . can be bullied into submission by a handful of nuts, what can be expected from smaller, less well-heeled businesses? . . .
Its position on abortion aside, Planned Parenthood offers a variety of valuable services. . . In an age of concern about the Earth's booming population, it would be a shame to see the agency lose that support.
■ From the April 12 edition Of The Bulletin, Bend, Ore.
News staff
Richard Brack ... Editor
Daniel Niemi ... Managing editor
Christopher R. Ralston ... News editor
Lisa Moes ... Planning editor
John Millburn ... Editorial editor
Candy Niemann ... Campus editor
Mike Consalde ... Sports editor
E. Joseph Zurge ... Photo editor
Stephon Kline ... Graphics editor
Krista Repugt ... Art/Features editor
Tom Ebben ... General manager, news adv*er
Business staff
Margaret Townsend ... Business manager
Tami Rank ... Retail sales manager
Miles Miller ... Company manager
Kathy Roehlke ... Regional sales manager
Luke Lehmann ... National sales manager
Mindy Morris ... Co-op sales manager
Hate Stamos ... Production manager
Jonathan Murphy ... Assistant product manager
Carrie Slainka ... Marketing director
James Glanspach ... Creative director
Janet Rothmoll ... Classified manager
Wendy Slarz ... Team manager
Sales and marketing adviser
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LETTERS to the EDITOR
Punish violators
The Student Senate elections are over. Cheating, dishonesty and injustice prevailed again this year. The good guys never win, or at least it appears that way.
The winning coalition as well as the second runners-up broke laws of the city of Lawrence and University policies to obtain votes. It is a violation of the Code of the City of Lawrence, Chapter 14, Section 112, Ordinance 4778 to place filers on vehicles 'windbills; the University does not permit such activ-
In order to perpetuate fairness and equality in the election process, it is imperative that these violators of regulations be punished to the utmost.
Certain coalitions wrote on campus sidewalks with chalk. This is clearly vandalism and defacing of school and public property, which is not allowed, unless of course you're above the law.
ites on campus either. Both coaltions boldly plastered their messages all over the windsfields of every car parked within 100 feet of every apartment complex in Lawrence.
A certain coalition slid fiers under residence hall doors on election nights. This is against the University housing regulations, but so what, right? The same coalition tied ribbons around trees and telephone poles in violation of Chapter 14, Section 112, Ordinance 4778. Two coalesctions posters on glass windows of University buildings, but who cares? The University only makes these rules during the summer because enroll-
The coaliations that attempted to be honest and fair: You blew it. That is not the way things work in the real world or on this campus. You have to cheat to win, and cheating is not even enough. You have to have money to promote and enhance your dishonesty.
Students should think. If a group of people are willing to go to any extent to win a Student Senate election (violate laws, regulations, mudslinging and lying), what could make anyone think that they are even capable of fulfilling their campaign promises? They've probably already forgotten their
rms University is contributing to the inequity, injustice and unfairness of this country by allowing corrupt behavior to exist. If injustices exist anywhere on this campus, they can exist everywhere. The most saddening part of it all is that more students than ever before expressed interest in student government by making an effort to vote. What is the use of the electoral process when it is infiltrated by dishonesty and injustices? In a system such as this, the people never win, only the cheaters and their friends do.
ment is low and it has nothing better to do.
campaign promises.
It is useless for me to ponder the obvious overspending by the majority of the coalitions because they're not going to be punished; it would only serve to compliment them.
John E. Lewis Kansas City, Kan., senior
CAMP UHNEELY
BY SCOTT PATTY
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