OPINION
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PUBLISHED DAILY SINCE 1912
CRAIG LANG, Editor
SUSANNA LLOFF, Managing editor
KIMBELY CRATTEEFT, Editorial editor
TOM EBLEN, General manager, news adviser
4A
MARK OZIMKE, *Business manager*
DENNIS HAUPT, *Retail sales manager*
JUSTIN KNUPP, *Technology coordinator*
JAY STEINER, *Sales and marketing adviser*
Thursday, March 13, 1997
Tim McCabe / KANSAN
Editorials
Fraternity members should not be punished until proven guilty
Rock Chalk Revue is a prestigious event, an event that any group should be proud to perform in.
Unfortunately for Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity members, they will not be able to participate in Rock Chalk even though their skit was chosen. Some may say that it is their own fault. After all, they did allegedly haze one of their members.
Although the fraternity may have participated in hazing, which is illegal by the University of Kansas standards and the standards of its national chapter, this is not a good reason to exclude them from an activity in which they had already pledged participation.
This is not to condone hazing. But the Rock Chalk Revue advisers, who made the decision to exclude Pi Kappa Alpha from the program, ignored the basic rights of the members of this fraternity when they kicked them out of the Revue.
The hazing allegations against Pi Kappa Alpha are just that一allegations.
By all legal standards, the Pike house has not been found guilty of hazing. Although an investigation is under way, this doesn't prove that the fraternity is guilty.
The argument that this prestigious event should not be tarnished by bad behavior disregards the whole point of Rock Chalk: community service. By excluding the fraternity from participating in a community service, the Revue advisers are sending the message that only good, wholesome people who never make mistakes are capable of lending a hand in the community. If this was actually the case, judges would not assign people community service projects as punishment for crimes.
If Pi Kappa Alpha had been proven guilty of hazing and had been officially punished by the University, excluding the members from Rock Chalk would be a different matter. But by the laws of the United States, you are innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around. On campus, student actions should be treated with that same principle. The Revue advisers, by excluding Pi Kappa Alpha, essentially presumed that the fraternity was guilty of hazing.
Rock Chalk chose the skit of the Pi Kappa Alpha and Alpha Delta Pi houses because it was one of the best. Excluding part of that team because of its alleged behavior is wrong. Maybe the fraternity members committed a crime, or maybe they didn't. But unlike the Rock Chalk Reveal advisers, some of us will wait for the official verdict.
NICOLE SKALLA FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Other athletes victimized by error
Ever heard the saying "don't let a few bad apples spoil the bunch"?
Unfortunately, in Lubbock, Texas, the Texas Tech's basketball bunch got spoiled. Because of two academically ineligible players, Texas Tech withdrew from consideration for the NCAA tournament and also has forfeited all of its conference wins for this season.
The decision to withdraw was made by the chancellor of Texas Tech, who said a University oversight was the reason this infraction wasn't detected earlier. Although extreme, the withdrawal was a safe option because it protected Texas Tech from some of the harsher consequences it could face at the hands of the NCAA.
Although the decision was a difficult one for the University, it also was commendable. At some universities with strong athletic programs, it is easy to lose sight of priorities and upset the balance between athletics and academics.
Texas Tech's problems should have been found earlier in the season.
By withdrawing from the tournament and forfeiting previous conference wins, Texas Tech has made it clear that it realizes the university is an academic institution first and that athletics come second.
entered the most important tournament in college basketball. The withdrawal could have been prevented by monitoring grade standings during the season and suspending the two players until they met the eligibility requirement.
Unfortunately, this university oversight also affects players who maintained eligible grades and worked all year long for the conference wins and a chance to play in the NCAA tournament. These players fulfilled their academic commitment while dedicating themselves to athletic responsibilities, yet they still got the short end of the stick.
It is hard to believe that the two players were ineligible for the majority of the season, yet their academic status was never discovered until right before they
This is not even the first time Texas Tech has been in this position. According to the Associated Press, these two basketball players were the fifth and sixth players since August to have violated grade eligibility requirements without the University realizing it as a result of administrative mistakes. In the case of the basketball players, the late detection of the violations was the mistake of the university that all the players have to pay for. The first or second time, it is a mistake. The fifth and sixth, it is a travesty that affects the entire team and the school.
It is not fair that the entire team has to suffer because two players slipped through the system.
CATHY PIERCE FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
LATINA SULJIAN ... Associate Editorial
KRISTIE BLASH ... News
NOVELDA SOMMERS ... News
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GINA THORNBURG ... Associate Sports
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PAM DISIMAN ... Photo
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LIZ MUSSER ... Special sections
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Column
I'd like to introduce a fellow KU student to you. I'm sure most of you already recognize him when you see him on campus, but I doubt any of you really know who he is.
His name is Robert
All letter and guest columns should be submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Kimberly Crabtree (opinion@kansan.com) or LaTina Sullivan (isullivan@kansan.com) at 844-681-409.
His name is Robert Steven Gilmore. The University of Kansas classifies him as a non-degree seeking special student. Other University students classify him as the "That's My Dillons" man.
I'm not exactly sure why Robert has become so famous on campus and around Lawrence. There really isn't anything that unusual about him. Yes, he is a person with disabilities, but there are
many people with disabilities on campus. Maybe he has become famous because he is so recognizable because of his attire.
Students call Robert the "That's My Dillons" man because people usually see him on campus wearing a red T-shirt with the slogan "That's My Dillons." The T-shirt often completes a red-dominated outfit that includes sweatpants. We see Robert wearing a sweat suit most of the time because he takes an aerobics class at the Robinson Center, staff there say. Robert probably wears the same outfit whenever he is on campus for the same reason Paul Pierce wears the same outfit whenever he plays basket-
out whenever he plays basketball.
Many students think Robert is weird or strange. They see him on campus wearing the same clothes, sometimes humming or talking to himself. So what? I've seen many more unusual people on campus who don't get half as much attention as Robert does, even when they ask for it.
Look out in front of Wescoe Hall on a warm day and you might see two or three people standing on top of concrete podiums preaching their version of the gospel. They might get an audience of three or
four KU students, and they're begging for the spotlight.
Andy Rohrback / KANSAN
However, watch Robert leave Robinson after he finishes his aerobics class and you'll see six or seven people watching him. What is so fascinating about seeing a man walk home?
Robert doesn't seem to care about the people observing him. It looks to me as though he quotes his poetry for himself, not for an audience. If people have enough free time to pay attention to a guy talking to himself, why not go to Wescoe and give an audience to the guys who want one?
Robert has almost become a cultural icon for the University. He is recognized by more people on campus than anyone else I know, and that includes the basketball team. Students might miss T.J. Pugh sitting with a group of people at the Kansas Union, but I'd bet if Robert were there, students would immediately identify him.
This University is known for its diversity. How often are students bombarded with pamphlets and lectures about multiculturalism? Student Union Activities brings people like Spike Lee and Bill Maher to the Lied Center to present differing voices to our diverse campus.
I don't want to offend Robert, but he does not deserve all of the attention that he gets. He is a student just like any of us. There is no reason to single him out or ridicule him just because he acts a little differently and wears a shirt bearing the name of a major grocery store.
We should see, understand and respect every race, creed, gender and ethnic group we encounter. Our generation has been taught that since grammar school. That is, we've been taught to do that as long as the person from the different race, creed, gender or ethnic group is "normal."
Maybe our culture is slowly becoming colorblind. But it has a long way to go before it understands and respects people like Robert. If taken at face value, Robert is an Anglo-Saxon male. He is not even a part of the minority groups we have been taught to see as non-minorities. However, he is still not respected or understood.
The archaic views we have when it comes to people with disabilities amaze me. The simple fascination of Robert and his mundane actions proves just how little we understand the community of people with disabilities in Lawrence.
is the closest thing I've ever seen to a completely colorless educational environment. If a stranger walked into my mom's classroom, he or she would not see an Asian-American girl but a girl with Down Syndrome.
Instead of seeing him as that strange guy who wanders campus in the red sweats, we need to see him as Robert. Instead of calling him the
My mother has taught students with special needs for more than 15 years. Her students have African-American, Caucasian, Latino and Asian backgrounds, but more importantly, they have disabilities. That is what people see when they walk into her classroom. Consequently, her room
The more we try to find ourselves in people with disabilities, the more we will be able to find understanding and respect for them. We need to put the same amount of effort into understanding persons with disabilities now that we did into understanding persons from minority groups in the past. I know at least one person on campus who would benefit from such an understanding. It's not the "That's My Dillons" man. It's Robert Gilmore.
"That's My Dillons" man to make our friends laugh, we need to call him by his name. Instead of mocking him for quoting poetry and singing, we need to realize that that he is educated enough to know the poetry in the first place.
Mary Corcoran is an Overland Park sophomore in Journalism.
Letters
Anything is possible with persistence, faith
Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the responsibilities that assail us. More often than not, these forces originate well beyond ourselves. Because of this, our inner selves and our mechanisms for coping are constantly taxed and weakened. It would do us all well to realize that we have within ourselves the ability to transcend these external forces, and that ultimately we can draw from the inner strength inherent to what we truly are.
As a graduate student, I am painfully aware of the outward manifestations of the powers beyond myself that influence my academic, professional and personal life. During these times, I console myself with the words I once shared with high school graduates at their commencement. As a former high school educator, I know that the words I spoke then can now benefit and empower the many students at the University:
"The elusive gems of our highest aspirations are wrought from the raw and unpolished stones of our hopes and dreams. Through persistence and determination, these stones are forged in the crucible of the heart. Knowledge, success and happiness emerge as delicate and sparkling facets adorning the finished jewels. Among these will be many which seem to shine as if the sun itself had been captured within their cores. Golden threads of character, formed through self discipline, guided by morality and strengthened with the love and comfort of our chosen faiths and family, course through those special jewels, preserving them as wonders and shimmering examples of majesty, for all to contemplate, and all to heed."
As Winston Churchill once
Wayne Stark Falls Church, Va., doctoral student
said, "Never give up, never." We, as students, should always remember that the power to succeed comes from within. The high expectations that others may have for us always augment the ones we have for ourselves.
Rock Chalk director appreciates support
stands behind. The terms sisterhood and brotherhood go much further than our own chapters, and this time stretched to Alpha Delta Pi. These men had no obligation to commit. If anything, it will be more of a burden in their lives by the demand on their time. Still, they stepped up and supported Alpha Delta Pi.
Often, the negative aspects of Greek life are emphasized but the positive things that the greek community does are ignored.
What exactly does it mean to be a member of a fraternity or a sorority? For those who see the superficial side, a social clique, think again. I am a Rock Chalk director for Alpha Delta Pi sorority, and because of all the letters of support, words of encouragement and men who rose to the occasion, I have proof that the greek community stands for more than just a social group.
This is an example of something good that has come from a bad situation. Everyone is so quick to jump at the negative aspects of greek life, but here is an example of unity within the greek community. The men that came to audition on March 3 in the Kansas Union Ballroom for our Rock Chalk Revue show demonstrate the values of leadership, support, dedication and sisterhood and brotherhood that the greek community
At a time of need, a time when we were in a difficult situation, the men of the greek community stepped forward to lend a helping hand to us and the Douglas County United Way. These men represent the future leaders of our nation, for they are not afraid of challenge. They are not afraid to take a risk, and for that I thank each and every one of you.
The original cast will always hold a special place in my heart, for the members created and made our production come to life. But the show must go on, and it will. We face a difficult task, but I know we can and will accomplish great things. Thank you to all who have given us the opportunity to do so.
Yes, cows are so wild and vicious.
Police shouldn't have killed loose animal
Meg Strayer
Glen Ellyn, Ill., senior
The brief in the March 3 University Daily Kansan was completely absurd. I was absolutely shocked that an officer felt the need to kill a cow to gain control of the animal.
To me, this shows boredom in the police department and the uncontrollable urge to bring some excitement to the average day in a Lawrence police officer's life.
The owner of the cow doesn't even deserve livestock if he can't keep control of the animals. When one does get loose, the owner should find a non-lethal measure to control a harmless creature.
Whether it was boredom or laziness that brought on this absurd incident, we must all remember, cows must be like bears and lions that are incredibly, and I mean incredibly, vicious.
Can we all say sedation?
Jill Bailey
Overland Park senior