4
Monday, March 26, 1990 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Spring Blood Drive
Donating to the Red Cross is a chance to help someone you might know, maybe even yourself
G give another chance. Give Blood. That is this semester's theme for the University of Kansas Spring Blood Drive, running tomorrow through Thursday in the Kansas Union Ballroom.
More than 400 volunteers from campus groups such as the Scholarship Halls, Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic will help the American Red Cross meet the campus goal of 625 units of blood this week.
"We need a constant supply so we don't have shortages," said Kalen Larson, assistant director of the office of communications for the American Red Cross Services-Wichita Region.
Students should be encouraged to take a half an hour out of their week to donate a pint of blood. When a KU student gives blood, the blood could be used by a recipient from the more than 130 hospitals that the Red Cross serves in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Blood received from a KU student mav end
up helping a family member or friend in another town in Kansas.
Although there isn't a blood shortage now in Kansas, students should realize that a constant supply prevents a waste or a shortage of blood.
Liz O'Leary, co-chairman of the Blood Drive, said that the biggest problem with the blood drive in the past was getting students to donate blood for the first time.
. The consequence of a lack of blood donors is severe.
Students should put their fear of blood in the back of their minds next week, and realize that by donating blood, they could be giving someone another chance to live.
The American Red Cross counts on KU students to help out each semester to keep this supply of blood constant.
In turn, students may count on these donations to save their lives someday.
Jennifer Metz for the editorial board
Understanding the deaf Allow students to learn sign language for credit
Members of the deaf community are urging Kansas legislators to approve a bill that would allow Regents schools to give American Sign Language Courses for foreign language credit.
The bill should be approved.
Under the proposal, universities could give students an alternative to the 16-hour foreign language requirement and lessen the problem of overcrowded Spanish, French and German classes.
In addition to giving students a choice, it would enable communication with the deaf community in the state and elsewhere in the country.
Only one introductory-level course in American Sign Language is offered at the University of Kansas, but it is not given for foreign language credit. The class usually fills quickly.
Alice-Ann Darrow, assistant professor of speech-language-hearing and the only sign language professor at KU, said that most KU
students interested in pursuing sign language must go to Johnson County Community College. She said that the course usually closed early.
Despite what many think, American Sign Language is a complete and complex language. Learning it is as challenging as any other language. It is valuable because it has its own structure, svntax and grammar.
As with other languages, people who sign and are deaf have their own culture. Sign students learn about the challenges facing deaf people. They learn to understand the deaf community and to help when no one else can communicate with them properly.
The University should improve the communication between the deaf and the hearing communities by hiring more professors, offering more courses and recognizing American Sign Language as another language for the foreign language credit.
Andres Cavelier for the editorial board
Ramaley may leave
Salary, more authority entice vice chancellor
Tudith Ramaley is on her way out of town.
Ramaley, executive vice chancellor.
Judith Ramaley, executive vice chancellor, said that KU was her home. She said she liked the town, the people, the students and her job. But, she also is a finalist for the presidency at the University of Vermont.
Vermont began its search for a new executive with a list of nearly 200 potential candidates. That number was reduced several times before a final list of four was announced last week. Ramaley could have taken her name out of consideration at any point in the selection process if she wanted to. Obviously, she has some interest in pursuing other career goals.
Maybe it is because of money. She is paid $99,000 for her work at KU; the Vermont job would be worth nearly $150,000. That's a hefty salary that could entice even the most loyal employees in any position.
Also, the Vermont job offers more responsibility and challenges. As with any job, it is more prestigious to be No. 1. Ramaley has performed remarkably since she began in 1987, but she still has the No. 2 job at KU. Her input and contributions have been invaluable, but she still answers to Chancellor Gene A. Budig.
Ramaley is ready to leave. If it is not the University of Vermont, it will be another position elsewhere. By remaining in the pool for the Vermont job, Ramaley has sent signals that she is open for offers. Other universities will be hard-pressed to find another administrator with a better record or better qualifications than Ramaley. Eventually, she will have an offer she cannot refuse.
Ramaley should be forthright and admit that she is interested in the Vermont job. Next month she plans to fly to Vermont for an interview. That action would indicate interest.
Ramaley cannot be criticized for seeking new challenges and opportunities. However, she should be up front with the University about her intentions. She has declined any comment beyond a prepared statement and has said she is not seeking to leave.
The University needs to prepare to look for a new executive vice chancellor. Ramaley has served the KU well and has been an excellent administrator and community leader. KU will have difficulty replacing Ramaley, but the University should entertain no illusions that she will remain here long.
John P. Milburn for the editorial board
Members of the editorial board are Richard Brack, Daniel Niemi, Christopher R. Ralston, John P. Milburn, Liz Hueben, Cory S. Anderson, Angela Baughman, Andres Caveler, Chris Evans, Stephen Kline, Camille Krehbiel, Melanie Matthes, Jennifer Metz and Scott Patty.
LETTERS to the EDITOR Efficient classes
The article in the Kansan (Feb. 13) on my section of social psychology omitted what I consider to be one of the class's most important features. It permits efficient instruction.
This semester, one journalism student received an A in a similarly structured course, Psychology of Satisfaction, in three weeks. At the time she obtained her A, two other students achieved A's (although over longer periods of time since she started late), 25 had achieved B's, 12 C's, two D's and eight still had F's. Ten students had dropped.
It would have been a mistake to require her, for example, to sit through 14 weeks of lectures to obtain only a few more, if any, significant ideas. Instead, she is now free to spend time learning more material in other courses,
thereby increasing the value of her college education.
Maynard W. Shelly Professor of psychology
I also permit performance on one aspect of the class to modulate what is required on another. This semester my students in social psychology did so well on their essay exams that I lowered, in a predetermined way, the number of points required for different grades on the games. Since they apparently knew much of the material, it was less important that they complete the same number of exercises, thus saving many students from using their time inefficient.
Efficiency in instruction is too often a neglected feature of educating college students. I am not, of course, alone in recognizing this. Many Human Development professors, for example, stress efficient learning. I do believe, however, that it is neglected too often not to be mentioned and rementioned.
News staff
Richard Breck ... Editor
Daniel Niemi ... Managing editor
Christopher R. Raleton ... News editor
Jim Lamm ... Publishing editor
John Milburn ... Editorial editor
Candy Nieman ... Campus editor
Mike Corollain ... Photo editor
E. Joseph Zurga ... Photo editor
Stephen Kline ... Graphics editor
Kris Benguel ... Area/Features editor
Tom Ebbins ... General management
Margaret Townsend...Business manager
Tami Rank...Retail sales manager
Misey Miller...Campus sales manager
Kathy Skill Regional Manager
Mike Lehman...National sales manager
Mindy Morris...Co-op sales manager
Nate Stamos...Production manager
Mindy Lund...Assistant product经理
Carrie Staninka...Marketing director
James Glasanapp...Creative director
Janet Rorkholm...Classified manager
Wenny Stock...Telemarketing manager
Jeanne Nines...Sales and marketing adviser
Business staff
The Kansas reserves the right to reject or edit letters, guest columns and cartoons. They do not accept any images in their collection unless they have written a comment in columns and cartoons are the opinion of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author. Any content may be removed without notice.
Letters should be typed, double-spaced and less than 200 words and must include the writer's signature, name, address and telephone number. If the writer is affiliated with the University of Kansas, please include class and hometown, or faculty or staff position. Guest columns should be typed, double-spaced and less than 700 words. The writer will
Academy's nominations miss the mark
I grew up in a small town. For most of my life, those of us who were so inclined indulged our movie habits at the Crest Theater, the town's only movie house.
The Crest is one of those old, cavernous movie theaters with 300 or so seats, a huge screen with a purple velvet curtain, a proscenium arch and a stage. There is a marquee extending over the sidewalk complete with flashing lights arching down into the front doors. The place has a balcony, which I can remember being open only once - when "Jaws" was in town, and two cry rooms. The cry rooms are soundproof, glass-fronted rooms where mothers with baby babies to keep their boisterous babes from disturbing the general movie-going public.
I tell you all that to explain why Oscar nominations never really meant that much to me before I moved. With only one theater in a small central-Kansas town, I never had a chance to see movies before they were nominated for the awards. I watched them for months after the awards were given that the movies would have their first run at the Crest.
I always took for granted that what the Academy had chosen as best picture was the best picture. I assumed that if a movie had been nominated for any of the major awards, it must have been among the
You never would have seen movies
Richard Brack
Editor
But don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that I'm qualified to pick the nominees or the winners for the major awards. I clearly am not. As a colleague of mine recently wrote, "The way I see it, let the starry-eyed fans and whiny video reviewers pick winners for these awards; a real newsman's job is to complain about them." I agree. So I am complaining. The Academy too often follows the popular, easy avenue toward nominations and leaves the ground-breaking, thought-provoking movies unminated. Luckily, though, many of those "whiny movie reviewers" side with me about omissions and misplacement of the nominations.
Perhaps the fact that so many people never get the chance to see such fine movies is one of the reasons the Academy finds it so easy to exclude them from nominations for awards that they deserve.
Polled in the April edition of American Film magazine, 80 U.S.
film critics picked the winners. In some cases they coincided with the Academy.
Unlike the Academy, though, the critic's picks seemed to indicate a preference for films outside the Hollywood mainstream. Stepping out of line in Hollywood, unfortunately, is the kiss of death when Oscars time came up. With this list of the best of '89:
■ Best picture - "Do the Right Thing." There are many theories about why this picture, indisputably the most timely and thought-provoking of the year, was not nominated. The most likely is that Spike Lee, the movie's writer, director and star, has eschewed Hollywood's glitter and money for the gritty reality of New York City. It could also be that the film hit too close to home. Maybe the Academy thinks if they keep such filmmaking out of sight, it will also stay out of mind.
Best director — Spike Lee. The best director nomination has always been disputed by critics and directors. Omissions such as Lee's and losses by such popular filmmakers as Steven Spielberg may be the Academy's way of trying to reign in the young unstarts.
Best supporting actor — Danny Aiello for "Do the Right Thing." Although Aiello was nominated for the award, many contend that his role, along with Lee's, was more a lead than supporting role. It's also
interesting that Aiello, a white male, is the movie's only nomination in an acting category.
- Best adapted script — "Drugstore Cowboy" Not nominated
Cowboy. Not nominated.
■ Best documentary. "Roger and
Tom" nominated. That there is
any discussion about this category is
proof that the Academy erred in
failing to select Michael Moore's
hilarious documentary. Can you
remember a time when any group
outside documentary circles cared
about this award? Moore was able to
make an entertaining and insightful
film about apathy, greed and the
danger of following the party line,
and it was apparently too good to be
considered.
If a film like "Born on the Fourth of July" were made 20 years ago, it would not have been as lauded as it will be tonight. Finally, decades too late, it is politically safe to make such a movie. Maybe in ten years when it is safe to make a movie such as "Do the Right Thing," ground-breaking filmmakers such as Lee will get the respect they deserve.
So the annual question is, "What does it all mean?"
It means the Academy is saying that in the world of filmmaking, nominations languish in a rut of safe, non-controversial and outdated
Richard Brack is a Great Bend senior majoring in Journalism.
CAMP UHNEELY
HELPFUL TIPS ON
HOW TO ENSURE
THAT YOUR CHILD
WILL WANT TO
ATTEND YOUR
ALMA MATER.
BY SCOTT PATTY
}