4
Friday, February 16, 1990 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
Increasing the standards
Qualified admissions could help universities prepare students for life in high-tech world
The time has arrived for qualified admissions for state institutions of higher learning.
Last week a bill was introduced in the Legislature that would set minimum requirements for admission to Board of Regents institutions. The idea is not new. The Regents have previously tried to convince the Legislature that qualified admissions would improve the quality of education by screening out students who have not prepared adequately for college.
Requirements as outlined in this year's proposal would include: a minimum grade point average of 2.0, completion of four units of English, three units each of social sciences, mathematics and natural science, and two units of a foreign language. Each Regents school could enact its own additional requirements, such as a higher GPA or minimum ACT or SAT scores.
Though Kansas relies on agriculture, high-tech and specialized jobs will be the key to the ever-changing economic base.
Kansas high schools, superintendents and parents need to realize that students must be prepared for college. Students cannot graduate with minimum standards; few jobs-can be found that do not need higher education.
Regents schools claim that they are all on equal ground in terms of educational quality. That may be true. But to be on the same ground or above peer institutions, the Legislature must pass qualified admissions. For KU to compete with other schools in the nation, the image of the school must change.
Regents schools could do away with remedial classes such as math and English and allow professors to teach more students and to offer classes in their areas of expertise.
The graduation rate for each freshman class at KU is less than 50 percent. Increasing the entrance requirements would raise that rate by offering each student a better opportunity for success in academic life.
The Board of Regents cares about higher education, and the Legislature does when money is available. Qualified admissions is an inexpensive way to improve education for generations to come.
John P. Milburn for the editorial board
Services cut
No increase of funds costly to KU students
W who would have thought that a minimum wage increase could partially shutdown the KU libraries?
Apparently the members of the Kansas Senate Ways and Means Committee didn't. Last week, committee members recommended that Board of Regents schools receive no increase in financing for student positions
In April, the federal minimum wage will increase from $3.35 an hour to $3.80. In April 1991, it will increase to $4.25.
With no extra financing, students working for minimum wage on campus will lose work hours or their jobs. When those jobs go, more than just newly out-of-work students could have cause to complain.
About 390 students make up one-third of the work force in campus libraries. That's 390 compared to only 153 staff members. In a very real sense, students keep the libraries operating.
"Every job in the library is, at some point, done by a student," said Rex Hargis, library student employment coordinator. "For me to give you a list of what the students do, that would be what the library does."
Judith Ramaley, executive vice-chancellor, said that KU could expect a 15 to 20 percent decrease in student work hours once the wage increase takes effect.
That's 20 percent fewer hours that students can check out books at Anschutz Science Library, or search for a book at Spencer Research Library, or process and catalog new books at Watson Library.
Library officials have pledged to minimize inconvenience for library users, but the options are less than tantalizing.
A cutback in services is almost a given, but Jim Ranz, dean of libraries, said that the number of hours that KU libraries stay open could be cut as well. KU already has fewer library hours than do half of the Big Eight schools. Further cuts would be downright shameful.
Of course, if the worst happens, Ranz and other library officials would try to work out a sensible cut in hours. But where could that sensible cut be?
Most mornings, students are waiting at the door of Watson when it opens at 7:30. Likewise, students are chased out every night when the library closes at midnight (or at 10 p.m.
Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday). Library hours are lean enough. Further cuts would be asinine.
State legislators need to finance KU's student work force. The alternative is a campus that does not keep up with the needs of its students and faculty.
Chris Evans for the editorial board
TURN OUT THE LIGHTS, THE PARTY'S OVER
图 2.2.1.1 图 2.2.1.2 图 2.2.1.3
Social Insecurity is catching
"Does the name Daniel Patrick Moynhan mean annyhint' to you?"
Mr. Hennessey looked confused as he came spinning through the doors of Riley's Royal I.R.A. Vegetable Bar and Grill. "Oh, Misher Riley," he said, "I haven't been this mixed up since Mike Gorbachev, that terrible Bolshevik and inimay of all things good and holy, turned out 't be Man of the Hour and th' saviour iv Western civilize-zation, what there's left of it."
“What’s made ye thirsty this time?” inquired Mr. Riley as a matter of only abstract interest, when he must turn to stir for purely credit customers.
Alisy there. Hennessey, responded Mr. Riley from his magisterial place behind and somehow above the bar. "Fir a man who's never held a job longer than a week, you seem much consarned about high finance. Don't carry on so; ye remind me of Mrs. Gallagher, who was sure she had kidney failure, lung rot, gallbladder trouble and athlete's foot when he onny problem was a little over-aged corned beef. All you've got is a bad case of Social Insecurity. I can recognize the signs every time; there's a lot of it gain' round iv late. Compose yourself, man, and think who's the cause of this commotion. Then you'll understand.
Paul Greenberg
Syndicated columnist
"I'm not sure whether to stop workin' to avoid Social Security or retire now while there's still sawwthin' in the pot to see me through the golden-plated years," explained Mr. Hennessey. "We've been listenin' to 'th daybate so long that I agree with everybody, and have solemnly concluded th onny way it is to cut and raise payroll taxes, keep the Social Security money in the Fed'ral budget but not count on it, and fish and cat bait. A little celery tonic on the tab help might clarify matters."
asked Mr. Riley
"Bless th' man," relied his putative customer. "He's th' brave soul who sounded the alarm and rallied the troops and pointed out th' insidus nature iv the Raypacinian plot against all that th' workin' man holds dear . . ."
"What he is," Mr. Riley corrected, "is the senator and pixie from the State of New York, who has just thrown th' whole cawnthy into a grand tizzy by proposin' to cut Social Security taxes and stop countin' th' proceeds as part in the fed ral take, where it now performs th' invoyallow function iv obscurin' th' galactic size iv a debt that would stretch from here to Arcturus if anybody could count it. Just raymember a couple vi things about Brother Moynihan, and you might feel like feigning that've covered this great hullaballoo will fall into place, and you might get a daycent night's sleep — instead of worryin' about who's goin' to buy you drinks in 2015.
"The first item to keep in mind," continued Mr. Riley, just warming up, "is that, prior to resigni' his post as ambassador to th' somewhat United Nations and becomin' a United States senator from th' State iv New York, he looked straight at the sovran American payle and warned that, should he ever resign his post as ambassador to the United Nations and become United States senator from th' State of New York, he could be accounted as a man of no honor."
“An honest man,” said Mr. Hennessy after a thoughtful pause. “‘Tis not ivory politician who'll give vee warmin’. ”
"An't the second thing to raymene about Brother Moynihan is this," said Mr. Riley, who was oblivious to the irony as if it were a fly circling a free lunch. He reached down under the bar and produced a slightly faded clipping from The New York Times. "I've been savin' Exhibit No. 2 here since May 23, 1988, known' it would come in handy sooner or even sooner. 'Tis as captivatin' an' eloquent a piece iv self-congratulatory rhetoric as arny politician iver wrote. It's signed Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the self-name of the former ambassador t' the United Nations and, sure as you're leaining there, the current senator from th' Great State of New York. Listen to what he says." Mr. Riley cleared his throat and dropped his voice an octave to a senatorial basso profundo:
"In brief, in 12 days in January 1983, a half dozen people put in place a revenue stream that is just beginning to flow and that if we don't blow it, will put the federal budget back in." I think jump start the savings rate and guarantee the Social Security Trust Fund for a half century or more."
Mr. Riley paused for effect, then delivered the moral: "That's the same system, Hennessey, that he's now denouncein' as a snare and a delusion on th' whole less than perfect. I tell ye, Hennessey, when Job wished that his inimay had written a book, he couldn't have known how useful an op-ed piece from th' New York Times could prove on occasion."
Paul Greenberg is the editorial editor for the Pine Bluff (Ark.) Commercial.
LETTERS to the EDITOR Relative freedom
Last Wednesday's Kansan report on my talk at the Soviet and East European Studies brown bag lunch may have given a wrong impression. Allow me to correct it.
Of course, I did not say socialism of means. freedom and capitalism does not. What I did was say that socialism does not necessarily mean tyranny and that capitalism is no guarantee of political freedom and democracy. I elaborated on this issue in great length, pointing, for example, to relative freedom in such a socialist country as Yugoslavia and to great restrictions on liberty and democracy on capitalist countries as the Union of South Africa or El Salvador.
Socialism and capitalism, I emphasized, are economic systems differentiated by who owns the means of production and who plans their use. Either system can be democratic or undemocratic, peace-loving or war-mongering, tolerant of all religions or repressive in many ways.
Harry G. Shaffer Professor of economics and Soviet and East European studies
News staff
Richard Breck ... Editor
Daniel Niemi ... Managing editor
Christine R. Relston ... Director
Liese Moes ... Planting editor
John Milburn ... Editorial editor
Candy Niemem ... Campus editor
Rita Coronation ... Show coordinator
E. Joseph Zurga ... Photo editor
Stephen Kline ... Graphica editor
Kris Berguelt ... Area/Features editor
Toni Edmonds ... General manager
Margaret Townsend ... Business manager
Tami Rank ... Retail sales manager
Miskey Miller ... Campus sales manager
Kathy Robbins ... Region sales manager
Mike Lehman ... National sales manager
Mindy Morris ... Co-op sales manager
Nate Stamos ... Production manager
Minka Lind ... Assistant product manager
Carrie Stanikas ... Marketing director
James Glanapp ... Creative director
Janet Norholm ... Classified manager
Tamie Hines ... Travel manager
Jeanne Hines ... Sales and marketing adviser
Business staff
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
The Kansan reserves the right to reject or edit letters, guest columns and cartoons. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Staffer Flat Hall, Littles, columns and cartoons are the opinion of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University Daily Kansan. Editorials are the opinion of the Kansan editorial board.
We shouldn't switch national anthems
Recently, Indiana Congressman Andrew Jacobs, regrettably from my home state, introduced a bill into Congress which would replace "The Star-Spangled Banner" with "America, the Beautiful." Those in the media are not supposed to say things like this about people, but what a bonehead.
One of the more compelling reasons for changing the national anthem is that the United States should not maintain an image as a warmongering country. Some might feel that glossing over the symbols of our country would improve our image around the world. By this logic, we should also get rid of the eagle on the Seal of the United States, because it is a bird of prey, in favor of Ben Franklin's suggestion of a bird. Surely this sort of reasoning is seriously weak and 175 years of tradition count for nothing superficial changes, such as a new national anthem, cannot make our image better. That can only be achieved if we keep our hands off other countries that do not want us interfering in their affairs.
Brandt Pasco Staff columnist
It is true some things about our national anthem are less than desirable. Perhaps the most obvious complaint is that "The Star-Spangled Banner" is hard to sing. Not only are the lyrics hard to remember, but in the musical score the highs are too high and the lows are too low. It also has been said that the music came from a popular beer drinking song in London. Some critics maintain that it is inappropriate to memorialize the War of 1812, which was Francis Scott Key's inspiration, and the British sacking of Baltimore, when Britain is the United States' most prominent ally.
"America, the Beautiful" is without a doubt a beautiful song. Certainly there is nothing wrong with lauding the beauty of the country we
CAMP UHNEELY
live in. However, this country is supposed to stand for other things which "America, the Beautiful" does not portray.
The War of 1812 is an example of the United States standing up for itself in opposition to Great Britain pressing U.S. sailors into its navy. In the face of a dangerous enemy, "The Star-Spangled Banner" tells a story of American resolve and determination. Following the signing of the U.S. Constitution, this was the first war the United States fought against a foreign power. This war finally forced the nations of the world to recognize the sovereignty of our nation. Our national anthem is about American independence and our determination to live in freedom. It is about freedom from oppression. It is about freedom to determine the
'Our national anthem is about American independence and our determination to live in freedom.'
Perhaps in the final analysis it is appropriate that "The Star-Spangled Banner" is hard to sing. Keep it as our national anthem. Let it serve as a constant reminder to all of us that nothing worth having is easy.
What it is not about is purple mountains and picturesque settings. It is fortunate that our country is beautiful, but lots of countries are beautiful. A national anthem should not sound like an advertising jingle for tourists. The physical beauty of the land has nothing to do with the spirit of the people. The point of a national anthem is to show that spirit. I hope we still have it. I hope we have not become so complacent that we have forgotten who we are and those who sacrificed to get us here. It would be flat out wrong for us to neglect our history in such a way.
course of our own lives. It is about patriotism. It is about the people whose blood was spilled so that you could live in the greatest nation on Earth.
» Brandt Pasco is a Lawrence sophomore maturing in political science.
BY SCOTT PATTY