OPINION
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PUBLISHED DAILY SINCE 1912
CRAIG LANG, Editor MARK OZMEK, Business manager SUSANNA LOOF, Managing editor DENNIS HAUPT, Retail sales manager KIMBELY CRARTREE, Editorial editor JUSTIN KNUP, Technology coordinator TOM EBLEN, General manager, news adviser JAY STEINER, Sales and marketing adviser
4A
Tuesday, January 21, 1997
leff MacNelly/ CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Editorials
Children need to learn alcohol responsibilities at young age
American society has a serious problem with alcohol, and the root of this problem is children who are raised in ignorance and fear.
Parents, policy makers and other authority figures seem to think that their only duty regarding underage drinking is to keep alcohol out of young hands. Instead of teaching young people to drink responsibly, they try to teach them not to drink at all.
According to a report published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 88 percent of college students, including those under 21, have used alcohol.
The mix of youth and alcohol is inevitable. It is time for adults to accept the responsibility of rearing their children.
Alcohol will never be kept entirely out of the hands of minors. Instead of refusing to accept this, parents should introduce their children to alcohol. They should teach their children how to drink responsibly.
Parents should introduce children to alcohol,rather than avoiding the issue.
In most European cultures, attitudes toward alcohol and young people are far more relaxed and realistic. British pubs are laid-back family establishments. Also, most European parents introduce alcohol in the home.
Giving a 12-year-old a little glass of wine with dinner or a sip of beer with lunch won't push the child to a one-way road to alcoholism. Alcoholism comes from the alcoholic, not the alcohol.
Still, 40 percent of parents who responded to a recent Moms Online
survey said that they didn't want their children to drink until they were of legal age.
"Not drinking or smoking around our children is the most effective way to teach them," said a mother in the survey.
This argument falls far short of reality. Refusing to teach children about the consumption of alcohol and its limits doesn't mean they never will drink.
Instead, they will develop standards of normal drinking by watching other youths. Parents who don't educate their children about drinking have surrendered their authority to keg parties and beer-crazy peers.
Shirking the alcohol issue is a dangerous denial of reality. Instead of raising uneducated children who see alcohol as a forbidden pleasure, parents need to send them into the world with the knowledge of how to drink responsibly.
KELLI RAYBERN FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Marijuana legalization sensible
Imagine that you are a cancer patient wracked daily by nausea resulting from chemotherapy, or that you are suffering from AIDS and wasting away from lack of appetite and proper nutrition. There are no drugs on the market to reduce these problems that make your already difficult life even more unbearable. Your doctor would he like to help you, and there is a drug, but it is against the law for him to prescribe to you.
According to Reason magazine, thousands of chronically ill patients face this situation every year. The drug their doctors would like to recommend is marijuana. Until November, it was illegal in all 50 states for doctors to prescribe marijuana to chronically ill patients. In the past election, however, both California and Arizona passed bills that made it legal for doctors to prescribe marijuana for medicinal purposes. California's
Other states should follow the example set by voters in California and Arizona.
Proposition 215 and Arizona's Proposition 200, which passed by 56 percent and 65 percent respectively, are now paving the way for similar legislation in other states. This is a welcome occurrence for chronically ill Americans.
Opponents of the laws say that by legalizing marijuana for medicinal use, the states are effectively legalizing it for the general public. But this is not true at all. In these states, the sale of marijuana for recreation purposes remains illegal. A doctor's prescription simply grants immunity from prosecution for purchase, possession or use of marijuana by the patient. The laws also protect the
patient's primary caregiver, the person who assumes responsibility for their welfare. The laws also assure doctors who prescribe the drug that they will not face criminal sanctions or lose their licenses.
Those against the laws also fear that doctors will prescribe marijuana to recreational users under fraudulent medical needs. However, it is logical that doctors will be cautious to prescribe the drug only for a legitimate medical need and not cater to casual users.
Making it legal for doctors to prescribe marijuana hardly means that doctors will be giving handouts to anyone who wants them. The legalization of prescription marijuana use will prove an intelligent, safe and compassionate measure in California and Arizona, and it should be pursued by other states and the federal government.
BEN SHOCKEY FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
LA TATINA SULLIAN. Associate Editorial
KRISTINE BLAST. News
NOVELDA SOMMERS. News
LESSI TAYLOR. News
AMANDA TRAUGHBER. News
TARA TRENARY. News
DAVID TESKA. Online
SPERCER DUNCAN. Sports
GINA THORNBURG. Associate Sports
BRADLEY BROOKS. Campus
LINDESE HENRY. Campus
DAVE BreTTENSTEIN. Features
PAM DISIMAN. Photo
TYLER WIRKEN. Photo
BRYAN VOLK. Design
ANDY ROHRBACK. Graphics
ANDREA ALBRIGHT. Wire
LIZ MUSSER. Special sections
AERICA VAZEY. News clerk
NEWS EDITORS
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HEATHER VALLER . . . . . . . Assistant retail
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DANA CENTENO . . . . . . Regional
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SARAH SCHERWINSKI . . . Internet
DARCI McLAIN . . . . Production
DENA PISCOTTE . . . . Production
ALLISON PIERCE . . . Special sections
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MARIA CRIST . . Senior account executive
Letters: Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown if a University student, Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
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Guest columns: Should be double-spaced typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run.
All letter and guest columns should be submitted to the Kansan newsroom. 111 Stuaffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Kimberly Crabtree (opinion@kansas.com) or LaTina Sullivan (isulvann.com) at 864-4810.
Landlords' many visits are invasion of privacy
Columns
When my roommates and I signed our apartment lease last summer, we also signed away our right to privacy.
I cannot find the place in the lease that specifically states that we relinquished this right, but it must exist. That is the only explanation I can come up with for why the landlord is allowed to enter our apartment at any ___
enter our apartment at any time for any reason.
I will concede that the lease states the apartment manager has the right, with reasonable notice and at all reasonable times, to enter the apartment for inspection, to make repairs or to perform agreed-upon services. This clause has essentially given our manager free rein to come and go.
Every month since we moved in, there has been
some inspection requiring our landlord, the maintenance men or even some schmuck off the street to come traipsing into our humble abode, uninvited.
The first time we called for a repair, the maintenance man made a horrendous, irreparable mess. We now insist on an appointment so we can monitor the perusal, repair or inspection of our apartmelt.
The complex has relinquished any responsibility for our frustration through the clause that states, "Owner shall not be liable for any inconvenience or annoyance."
I respect the fact that they need to test fire extinguishers, spray for bugs and do repairs.
However, I question the purpose of a "house-keeping inspection."
Do they want to make sure I fold my socks correctly and mop the kitchen floor? Do they want to
see if I vacuum often enough or use a color-safe bleach? I confess, my Buzz Lightyear pillow is sitting on top of a pile of dirty clothes that obscures the view of my life-size poster of Cal Ripken.
But I'm a busy girl I have classes to study for and I work six days a week. So sue me for not doing the dishes every day.
It is humiliating enough for some of us to be sharing an apartment at this point in our lives. I had planned to own a small, quaint home in the city and to have embarked upon my intended career path by now. Unfortunately, I am still in school. I adore my roommates, but I think all of us are ready to live alone.
But I digress. My point is that the humiliation and frustration is exasperated by the continual intrusion upon our privacy.
I understand that because they are in a college town, they feel the need to take extra precautions to ensure that no serious damage is done to their property.
Some of these little inspections could be scheduled for one day, with one appointment. Clearly, the landlords are just creating reasons to impose on our lives.
However, when I am paying rent, this property becomes my home. I am not an irresponsible, dangerous, evil individual who is going to destroy or damage my home.
If they are so concerned about the potential damage us crazy college kids may perpetrate, then perhaps they should join the ranks of those businesses in this town that already discriminate against college students and refrain from leasing their property to students.
Or they could just start paying part of our rent, since they already seem to be living in our home.
Sabrina Steele is an Overland Park senator in political science.
Break provides chance for political thoughts
Here are a few thoughts I had while the press was cooling during winter break—
Dick Morris, President Clinton's top aide who resigned after he was caught in cahoots with a Washington call girl, has just released a book. In it, he says he made such high-level decisions as where the Clintons would vacation and with whom to associate. Given Morris' alleged sexual proclivities, I'm surprised the president accepted his resignation.
Anyone else think it's a little screwy that the Republican party is having trouble with ethical questions and the Democrats are getting in trouble for their fund raising?
I know the parties have sort of swapped their key issues during the past few years, but come on. Is nothing sacred?
It looks like it will be another banner year for student politics if current rumors turn out to be true. Student politics, which has been notably quiet this year, is already gearing up for another two-coalition election.
Let me get this straight: Lawrence is embroiled in a bitter debate about building a new bookstore because of a bar and other downtown tenants, but no one has so much as raised an eyebrow that Sigma Alpha Epsilon tore down its West Campus Road fraternity house to build another one.
By the way, if you get the "banner" comment, please contact the Lawrence police department about it. I'm tired of them coming to my house.
The very junior Kansas Congressional delegation was sworn in Jan. 7. Except for Rep. Jerry Moran, a sharp former state senator from western Kansas, none of them are bound to be stellar legislators. Freshman Rep. Jim Ryun was a remarkable athlete and admittedly is a nice fellow, but other than that, he has never held a real job in his life.
Astronauts, actors and athletes should be barred from going to Congress. The more lawyers we can send there and get out of circulation, the better.
The best bumper sticker since the ant-Joan Finney people came up with, "Don't Blame Me, I Didn't Vote for Her" is "Dr. Kevorkian for White House Physician."
Hillary Clinton was nominated for a Grammy award for the audio version of her book, "It Takes a Village." Between the First Lady and Shaquille O'Neil, who was nominated for his rap album, I'm for just giving all of the awards to Babyface.
From line "it Must Be Sweeps Week" Department: C-SPAN aired a congressional hearing on air-bag safety, paying keen attention to the question of whether an air-bag deployment cut-off switch should be installed in new cars.
No report on whether freshman legislators will be equipped with wind-bag cut-off switches.
President Clinton has been under fire for selling access to the White House. In lesser news, QVC, the home shopping network, has announced that it will offer commemorative Inauguration Day merchandise.
Look for the network to get an Emmy for its coverage of the event.
Andy Obermueller is a Liberal, Kan.,Junior in Journalism.
Letters
Extending lighting fee is again up for debate
As students may or may not know, the end of the campus lighting plan is upon us.
This is my fourth semester on the Campus Lighting Advisory board, and in this short time I have seen this $2 fee make a real difference in the lighting on campus.
Now what needs to be decided is whether we need to extend the fee or terminate it. Many think that these fees need to go. Personally, I would not mind spending less, especially now with linear tuition.
However, this project is well worth your two dollars and it should be extended. The agreement five years ago was that the student funds that were collected would be matched by University funds.
Ward Cook
Nunemaker senator
I hope if the two dollars is cut that the shortfall would be picked up in some capacity.
This has enabled $200,000 a year to go directly to improving the lighting on campus.
We would like to hear student opinions on extending the lighting fee. If you have questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me at the Student Senate office at 864-3710.
Looking toward the future, if the fee were to be expended, there are many projects that we would have on the agenda for lighting, such as West Campus, the hill between the stadium and the Campanile and various other dark spots on campus.
The Kansan opinion staff is looking for editorial cartoonists. Anyone interested in applying should submit three sample drawings depicting an editorial stance to Kimberly Crabtree, opinion page editor.
Applications should include a cover sheet that has the applicant's name, address and phone number.
Applications can be submitted to 111 StaufferFlint Hall.
Questions should be directed to Kimberly Crabtree or LaTina Sullivan, associate opinion page editor, at 864-4810.
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