4 Friday, October 1. 1993 OPINION UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN VIEWPOINT THE ISSUE Last month, Ed Meyen, executive vice chancellor appointed members to the Study Group/Coordination of Programs for Minority Students Committee. THE BACKGROUND This committee was formed in response to recommendations made by last year's African-American Student Concerns Task Force. Eleven members compose the committee, but no students were asked to serve on the committee. THE OPINION Minority study group lacks students' input The formation of the Study Group/Coordination of Programs for Minority Students Committee is a bureaucratic stall tactic that eliminates students from the decision-making process. Essentially, the University formed this committee to review some of the recommendations made by the African-American Student Concerns Task Force. However, the University failed to include any undergraduate students on the 11-member committee. Ironically, the committee's long-term goals include improving recruitment and retention of minority students. Yet none of the six students who served on the initial task force was asked to serve on the newly formed committee. Barbara Ballard, who heads the committee, asserts that student representation is not needed because the committee is reviewing programs and policies. These programs directly impact minority students, though. Accordingly, student input is essential to recruiting and retaining minority students in the future. By forming a new committee made up of administrators, faculty and staff, the University is hindering rather than aiding beneficial change. A committee designed to review the findings of a similar task force illustrates bureaucracy at its finest. Rather than continuing to review the recommendations made by the task force, the University should take action and begin to implement change. The University should now work to improve services offered to minority students, and students must be included in this process. COLLEEN MCCAIN FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD Proposal would reform flow of bills in Congress The current proposal to change the discharge petition process in the U.S. House of Representatives would help reform the political process. Currently in the House, a committee head can block any bill sent to that committee even if a majority of House members support the bill. Representatives may publicly support and sponsor a bill, yet actually oppose it by withholding their names from a confidential discharge petition, leaving the bill stuck in committee. If names were made public, those people interested in the political process would know whether their representatives support a particular bill. The proposal also seeks to eliminate the pressure applied lawmakers who sign a petition. Ironically, this proposal currently is being held in committee. By contacting members of Congress, concerned citizens can help rescue popular ideas from the clutches of committee heads. TOM GRELINGER FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD First-hand experience alters view of assault Listening to reports last weekend on the trial of the two men accused of robbing, kidnapping and setting an African-American man on fire brought back memories of another Labor Day weekend several years ago. Two friends, Donald and Pam, and I went out on a Saturday night. The bars we went to were packed, and we ended up parking several blocks away. As we were walking away, Pam noticed that I had left on my interior car lights. I went to the car while they walked on. I did not pay much attention to the car that approached. Two guys got out, walked toward me and asked whether something was wrong. I was bent over the car door, trying to find the lock in the dark and said no. Then my head hit the car. I yelled, "What are you doing?" As my head hit the car again, I realized someone was kicking my head into the car. My friends came running back. Donald tried to defend me. For all his bravery, he weighed about 90 pounds and was no match for the second guy. Pam tried to scream for help, but two more men got out of the car, one of whom decked her. I was trying to get away, to stand up, but I kept being kicked in the head. After the 10th time, I started blocking the pain and tried to figure some way out. I assumed they must be muggers, and I responded by offering them my money. My assailant said he would take it, but as I tried to stand he started punching my abdomen. I finally backed far enough away and threw a few dollars on the ground. "Is that all you have?" he asked. I replied no and threw my change. He picked it up and then hit my head. The guys in the car yelled, "Get in" and then drove off. Pam returned with a security guard who went to call the police. I looked for Donald. He was huddled in the dirt of the parking lot. I could not see flesh, only blood. I turned around and asked one of the bystanders, who had come with Pam, to call for an ambulance. Someone started wiping blood from my face. The next thing I remember were the police. An officer was asking me for a description of the car and the guys. I told him what I could, and I realized that I had not seen Donald or Pam for some time. I found them inside. Pam told me that I had to help Donald in the bathroom. I have never seen so much blood or skin hanging or bones misshapen. I tried to turn away, but he called my name. He did not want to leave the bathroom. I finally got him to Pam's apartment. He would not go to a hospital because he had no insurance. I was luckier. I spent three hours waiting, being X-rayed and making more statements to the police. I got home at about seven in the morning and called my mother to tell her I had used her insurance. She was convinced that I knew who had done this More than a dozen other gay people were assaulted that Saturday, all by the same men. One was left comatose in an alley for hours. He lived, though he spent weeks in the hospital. Donald went to his house, not leaving it for three months. His face was unrecognizable for the rest of the year. I was lucky. I had bruises, a minor concussion and, when the skin healed, some scarring on my temples. — no stranger would just attack someone. I went out the next night to try and find these men. Many of us were trying to find them. We did and called the police. Four people identified them, including the guard. The officer asked the men if they had been there before. They said no. The cop asked how we could be sure. It was dark, after all. I looked at the two, questioning myself. How could I be sure? Then I saw the eyes of the one skull. I will always remember those eyes. The cop told the two they could go. They were never charged. Patrick Dilley is a Lawrence graduate student in higher education. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR People should be judged by ability not skin color I was offended by the statement in Tiffany Hurt's Sept. 27 article "Women and Minorities Still Striving for Equality" in which she said, "A white male cannot represent a minority person as adequately as a minority can." This statement is not only racist but probably sexist as well (Ms. Hur is unclear as to whether or not a white female can adequately represent a minority person). Clearly, such a statement would be false. If Ms. Hurt automatically assumes that she cannot be adequately represented by a white male, then she has a lot to learn about equality. This is exactly the same as saying that a minority female cannot adequately represent a white male. Equality does not consist of keeping scorecards to see how many women, Blacks, Jews, homosexuals, left-handers, cat-lovers, et cetera infinitum serve in the president's administration. True equality consists of all people being judged solely by their words and deeds, or, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. put it, "...not by the color of (their) skin, but by the quality of (their) character." be judged not by what they are but by who they are. This includes white males, too, Ms. Hurt. Western Civilization too crowded for Jesus Hays graduate student In other words, all people should Dan Drees In regard to the ongoing flap of "Would Jesus Flunk Western Civilization?" perhaps the more revealing question is: "Could Jesus Get Into Western Civilization?" John Lahti STAFF COLUMNIST Fight with loan service bureaucracy costs nerves Yet, after the past few months of dealings with the Loan Servicing Corp., Salle Mae, my patience has been stretched to epic proportions. For the most part, I consider myself a-law-binding citizen. I've never killed anyone, never been convicted of terrorist acts, and never made threaten- ing phone calls to CEOs of multi-billion dollar companies. It all began on a sunny day in June. I know it was a sunny day because in Lawrence, last June, there weren't many of them. On this day, I mailed my "summer bridge deferment form," which should have shielded me from annoying letters and phone calls from people requesting money. Then the rains came. This is significant because I'm sure that somehow my letter slipped out of the mailman's bag and was washed into the Kansas River. I can almost see it now, drifting down the Mississippi, a note without a bottle. By mid-August, my forwarded mail caught up with me, and I found a collection of bills from Sallie Mae. "Past due," they said. "Pay immediately." So I gave them a call. "We probably just haven't received it yet." said the android-like voice. How do they find such observant creatures? "We'll send you another form." "I mailed it in June. Do you think it could be lost?" I were ready to join the form. Two weeks later, I received the form. By then, I had already enrolled in classes and sent my school-term deferment forms in. I figured Sallie Mae could figure it out. That's when the calls began. "Hi, I'm from the Loan Servicing Corp. We're showing you seriously delinquent on your loans. To prevent damage to your credit, you need to send us money as soon as possible." "Um, can you send us some money until we process your forms?" My question short-circuited her memory. Her supervisor said I should fax a letter stating I was enrolled last spring and this fall, or default proceedings would begin. Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. But still the calls and letters came. I ran to the fax machine. I called to confirm the receipt of my letter. I put the ball and never touch it. I repeated again. "Didn't you get my letter?" "Yes." "Oh, it looks like your letter wasn't specific enough to be accepted." I tried to stay calm. "What didn't you like about my letter?" "We need exact dates. We must have exact dates for your last day of spring semester and your first day of fall semester." At this point I gave up. Arrest me. Take my second-hand couch, my third-hand microwave and my rusty Chevette. I can't take it any more! Mysteriously, the calls and letters ceased. The last letter stated that my deferment had been granted from May to December. I had triumphed. The moral: Never expect Sallie Mae to figure it out. Val Huber is a Lawrence graduate student in journalism. KC TRAUER Editor JOE HARDER, CHRISTINE LAUE Managing editors TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser BILL SKEET Technology coordinator KANSAN STAFF Assistent to the editor ... J.R. Claimborne News ... Stacy Friedman Editorial ... Terrilyn McCormick Campus ... Ben Grove Sports ... Kristi Fogler Photo ... Kip Chin, Renee Knoeber Features ... Beverly Graphics ... John Paul Fogel Victoria Bode, Alex Bloomhof, Stephen Martino Reporters Assistant Editors Associate editorial ... Colleen McCain Associate campus ... Dan England Assistant campus/planning ... Jess DeLaven Associate sports ... Todd Seffort Copy Editors Elizabeth Beary ... Craig Boxx Kevin Butler ... Lhea Coomillo Jae Danlahun ... Jason England Jack Flacher ... Kevin Greco Matt Hydeman ... Michael Kinnamon Will Lewis ... Stephen Martino Savannah Hewlett ... Mitchell Nugent Barbara Schultz ... Todd Seiffert Reporter Scott J. Anderson ... Sara Bennett Mark Button ... Traci Carl Matt Doyle ... Anne Feistet Gerry Fey ... Christoph Fuhmans Donela Hearne ... Kent Hohfeld Brian James ... LJ Winger Shan Schwartz ... David Stewart Kathleen Stolle ... Carlos Yelda ... JL Watson Allison Lippart ... Tracy Ritchie Alex Bloemhof Valerie Bontrage ..Dan Carver Julia Clarke ..John Gamble Doug Hesec ..Paul Kotz Haley Hayley ..Tom Lalanne Helix McDunleigh ..Susan McSnidden Dave Campbell ... James Frederick Micah Laaker ... Dan Schauer Graphics Artist John Paul Fogel ... Stacy Freidman ... Will Lewis AMI CASEY Business manager Retail sales manager JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser BILL THOMAS Production Business Staff Campus sales manager Ed Schager Regional sales manager Jennifer Perrier National sales manager Jennifer Evanson Co-op sales manager Blythe Focht Production managers Jennifer Blowey Kate Burgess Marketing director Shelly McCommouth Creative director Brian Fuco Crafter Jance Davis Special auctions manager Judith Standley Team sheets manager Jacqueline Pang Retail assistant Tricia Bumpus Creative assistant (photographer) Andrew Amone Zone Managers John Carlton ... Jason Eberly Justin Garbarg ... Josh Hahn Matthew Kneis ... 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