OPINION
4A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PUBLISHED DAILY SINCE 1912
CRAIG LANG, Editor MARK OZIMEK, Business manager
SUSANNA LOOP, Managing editor DENNIE HAUPT, Retail sales manager
KIMBERLY CRABTREE, Editorial editor JUSTIN KNUPP, Technology coordinator
TOM EBLEN, General manager, news adviser JAY STEINER, Sales and marketing adviser
Amy Miller / KANSAN
Editorials
Kathleen Richards, Lawrence freshman, would be a junior now if she hadn't had to wait two years to get her children into Hiltop Child Development Center.
Richards is one of many nontraditional students whose access to campus daycare is directly related to her ability to get an education.
David Ambler, vice chancellor for student affairs, said that the University was not able to find a private donor to offset the cost of a proposed $3.3 million childcare center. But couldn't the University have drawn from the pool of unallocated funds that alumni donate each year, as suggested by Grey Montgomery, student body president?
Childcare is an educational issue. Like financial aid, childcare is an essential tool in the pursuit of education. It provides access and makes the theoretical right to an education a practical reality.
University should accept a compromise, financially support Hilltop.
And just as it is the University's responsibility to provide tools for education — like computers, libraries and lab space — it is also its responsibility to provide childcare facilities.
Although many agree that the Hilltop program is top-notch, the facility is clearly insufficient. The building is too small, although about 150 children are enrolled, 200 other children are on a waiting list.
If the University would comply with plans for a 310-space childcare center, maintenance and space problems could
be largely alleviated. Since the University refuses to provide financing, Montgomery has proposed a compromise—a 220-space center.
"Id rather see something than nothing," Montgomery said. That compromise would require that $4, rather than $2, from student fees go to the center. However, Montgomery worried that the University's response would be the same—no money. The University has not yet responded to the proposal. Let's not be fooled. When University administrators say there is no money for Hilltop, the truth is that they simply do not choose to draw from the year's unallocated funds to support childcare.
There is always a choice. And in this case, the University's choice could reflect a lack of interest in the educational opportunities of a significant population of its students.
LAURA WEXLER FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Parents need to repeat warnings
Do not talk to strangers. Do not invite a stranger into your house. Adults often repeat these phrases to their children hoping that children will follow this sound advice in a time of crisis. Yet once children reach a certain age, they may disregard the commands.
After a man posing as a magazine salesman allegedly raped a Lawrence woman, maybe students will take this advice more seriously. Somehow people think that Lawrence is safe and that nothing bad will happen to them. This can be attributed to the belief that everyone is friendly and that young people are invincible.
However, none of this is true. Lawrence is safe if you take the necessary precautions, like locking your doors and not walking alone at night. Inviting strangers into your house, even if they are solicitors, is not safe. The
Students should stop assuming that Lawrence is safe, protect themselves.
University of Kansas even has a policy against solicitation in the residence halls to help keep students safe.
Rape, however, is not committed only by strangers. In fact, acquaintance rape, or date rape, is one of the most common types. Barbara Ballard, director of the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center, said national statistics indicated that one in four women would be raped or would have rape attempted against them before leaving college.
Although the victim is not at fault when rape occurs, many rapes could be prevented. The Emily Taylor Center
has peer educators who participate in a sexual-assault-and-prevention program and talk to campus groups about preventing rape.
Communication is a key to prevention. Women and men need to talk about what they want — and be clear about saying yes or no to sex. Other precautions peer educators tout are simple, such as not going to social gatherings alone, not leaving with someone you don't know and not being afraid to leave an uncomfortable situation.
Also, 90 percent of raps involve alcohol, and students should be cautious when they drink alcohol so that they do not inadvertently put themselves in dangerous situations.
This advice should not be unfamiliar. Most of our parents delivered the same message to us when we were children, and many give us the same advice now.
KANSAN STAFF
NICOLE SKALLA FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
LATINA SULLIVAN . . . Associate Editorial
KRISTIE BLASI . . . News
NOVELDA SOMMERS . . . News
LESLIE TAYLOR . . . News
AMANDA TRAUGHBER . . News
TARA TRENARY . . . News
DAVID TESKA . . . Online
SPENCER DUNCAN . . . Sports
GINA THORNBURG . . . Associate Sports
BRADLEY BOORES . . . Campus
LINDSEY HENRY . . . Campus
DAVE BRETTENSTEIN . . Features
PAM DISIMAN . . . Photo
TYLER WIRKEN . . . Photo
BRYAN VOLK. . . Design
ANDY ROHRBACK . . . Graphics
ANDREA ALBRIGHT . . . Wire
LZ MUSSER . . . Special sections
AERICA VEAZEY . . . News clerk
NEWS EDITORS
ADVERTISING MANAGERS
HEATHER VALLER . . . Assistant retail
JULIE PEDLAR . . . Campus
DANA CENTENO . . . Regional
ANNETTE HOVER . . . National
BRIAN PAGEL . . Marketing
SARAH SCHERWINSKI . . Internet
DARCI MOLAIN . . Production
DENA PISCIOTTE . . Production
ALLISON PIERCE . Special sections
SARA ROSE . . . Creative
DANA LAUYETZ . Public relations
BRIAN LEFEVRE . Classified
RACHEL RUBIN . Assistant classified
BRIDGET COLLYER . Zone
JULIE DEWITT . Zone
CHRIS HAGHIRIAN . Zone
LIZ HESS . Zone
ANTHONY MIGLIAZO . Zone
MARIA CRIST . Senior account executive
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Columns
Senate must face reality, pass budget
Until last week, I wasn't sure if politics was about rhetoric or reality. Now I know it's the former.
When the U.S. Senate voted down a Constitutional amendment that would have required a balanced budget by 2002, it demonstrated that no matter how much people talk about responsibility, no one is willing to bite the bullet and do the job. All 55 Republican senators voted for the amendment, but only 11 Democrats voted for it. The measure was defeated 66-34 —one vote
ANDY ROHRBACK
ity needed to pass the amendment.
It's not even worth asking if the amendment would have been ratified by the necessary 38 states. It wouldn't have been.
State governments have little to fear from an amendment regulating the federal purse strings. In fact, such an amendment might force the federal government to give the states a little more power.
Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., announced on Feb. 28 that he would vote against the amendment, giving the opposition the necessary 34 votes. Torricelli had run for office on the promise that he would support a balanced budget amendment, and Republicans made sure everyone remembered his earlier pledge.
But Torricelli alone is not to blame. What
As a result of the cowardice of 34 senators and one president, the federal government is buying time at the cost of my children's prosperity. The "Bridge to the 21st century" is looking more like a bridge that eventually will drop into the ocean. The fact is, no matter how many sob stories about Medicare and welfare there are, those debts have to be paid. I could tell the credit card company how badly I need this new big-screen TV, but it won't stop them from billing me for it.
defeated the balanced budget amendment was 34 spineless legislators who spouted the rhetoric of fiscal responsibility but couldn't handle the reality of actually carrying out their promises.
I wish I could have been there when Torricelli and the 33 other senators voted against the amendment. I really only have one question for them: "So do you honestly believe that government can continue to plummet into debt indefinitely?" Of course, I would have to tape their comments and play them once every five minutes over the TV during election season.
With elections coming in 1998, the amendment's supporters have talked about bringing it to the table again. It's sad that our leaders don't have the guts to put the rhetoric behind them and face reality.
I spoke with some Canadians by Internet recently, and they asked me why Americans let such "losers" be our leaders. As much as I love this country, I didn't have an answer.
Andy Rohrback is an Andover Junior in Journalism.
e-mail: arohback@kansan.com
Technology threatens to degrade quality of life
I support the Unabomber.
Before the FBI comes busting through my door I must qualify this by stating that I sympathize with his or her ideas and not the methods of broadcasting them. For example, I do support many of the Unabomber's ideas on technology. Technology is not inherently beneficial, and we should not accept all past and future advances.
The Unabomber called for more simple times, and the
hour nas come to question what will become of our future exploits. Throwing away our technologies and returning to a more basic existence seems unlikely, but we at least need to consider where we are heading.
Technology has a storied past. Each important technological advance has been greeted with amazement, hope and fear.
The idea of cloning a human is frightening as we move one step closer to godlike status. Looking beyond these emotions and viewing technology with cost-and-benefit analysis leads me to conclude that many technological miracles are no longer worth the trade-off. We welcome the surge in information access but do not stop to think about the threat to our privacy while satellites spin above us. The double-edged sword of technology has become too sharp, and our quality of life is suffering because of the pervasiveness of technology and our dependence on it. Thanks to technology, we are obese, lazy and no longer the sole arbiters of our lives.
Technology has given us many comforts, helped alleviate suffering and prolonged our lives. It sure is nice to be able to run again after four knee surgeries that couldn't have been performed 30 years ago.
Technology has given us the ability to overcome some inconveniences. However, our existence is not more enjoyable because of our longevity. Accepting technology as something beneficial
because it makes our lives easier and longer is not a complete analysis.
We are able to grow plenty of food so that most of us do not have to provide for ourselves, but technology also has given us weapons of mass destruction and environmental degradation. I step out of my apartment each day and smell not nature but automobile exhaust.
Technology has enslaved us. Cars, elevators, adjustable beds, riding lawn mowers and more control us. People perform mind-numbing labor inside factories or have their hands nailed to computers. We no longer know simple joys like hunting for food, but only understand that our spirits have been crushed by the march of progress. Place the majority of us in the wilderness without a portable generator, and we will die.
Technology reduces us to impersonal communication and shallow relationships. Instead of talking with someone face to face, we just use the telephone or the Internet. We use ATMs instead of going to the bank.
The automobile gave us freedom to ride, so we have moved farther from each other. Our most basic relationships with family, friends and community are no longer essential because they are no longer necessary for survival. Our dependence on our neighbors has been replaced with dependence on technology.
I am not advocating a march to Strong Hall to demand that we be recognized as more than just our KUID numbers.
Sadly, computers and technology are here to stay. My one-man army will not stop the march of progress.
I just beg those of you in Learned and Malotl halls and other technocrats who will be developing technology and dictating our futures to give the simpeltons a thought.
The thought of multiple Dennis Rodman clones and cameras that can see through the walls of our homes makes many of us just plain scared.
Colin Gotham is a Kansas City, Kan., first year law student
Letters
Rock Chalk committee made the right choice
Kudos to the Rock Chalk Revue advisory board for not allowing Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity to participate in Rock Chalk activities this weekend.
By excluding the fraternity, they sent a strong message to all present and future groups who decide to put forth the many long, strenuous hours that are necessary to make the Rock Chalk competition: If you act irresponsibly, the Rock Chalk Revue has the right to drop your group from the show at any time, no matter where you are in the rehearsal process.
While the disreputable act in question, at this point, is still only an alleged hazing incident, the additional description of the events that took place that night are enough to garner at least some attention from the Rock Chalk Revue folks.
Unfortunately, the women of Alpha Delta Pi seem to have gotten the bum end of the deal.
Derek John
Topeka freshman
which was made about waking up three times in the wee hours of the morning to a fire alarm, was false.
Columnist exaggerated fire alarm incident
Nevertheless, it is reassuring to know the Rock Chalk Revue folks can still make a good decision when needed.
I would like to address Mary Corcoran's editorial about leaving Oliver Hall.
First of all, the statement,
Lastly, being apart of a hardworking, creative and conscientious group that wasn't selected by the Rock Chalk Revue judges this past fall, I can't help but be more than a little bit angry at the Pi Kappa Alpha for squandering its golden opportunity to perform in front of the Lawrence community for a good cause.
They knew the risk of signing on with a fraternity, which appears to me to have a questionable reputation.
I can sympathize, only to a point, with these women.
We only awake once at 3:30 a.m. that morning, which was due to a resident finding it humorous to pull the alarm.
It was not the fault of the resident assistant, security monitor or staff that residents had got out of bed and stand in the cold.
So, I ask Corcoran, how bad was it?
And one more thing, Ms. Corcoran. You must also know that during the two years you lived in Oliver, you met some of the best friends that you will ever have. And had some of the best times and memories of you life in that very same residence hall. That I know.
Joyce Newman Chicago sophomore