4A
Thursday, December 7, 1995
OPINION UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
THE ISSUE: SOUTH LAWRENCE TRAFFICWAY
Best trafficway route ignored
How long are we going to allow the debate over the South Lawrence Trafficway to plague our community? All sides have spoken, and the evidence has been presented for all to see, yet the obvious solution is being ignored by the county. Even though plans to construct the trafficway through any portion of the Wetlands southeast of Lawrence have been met with strong public opposition, the county is intent on implementing such a plan.
For more than a year, Douglas County officials, representatives from various government agencies, officials from Haskell Indian Nations University, Baker University and members of the Lawrence community have argued over the route of the trafficway. The county says it only will consider three possible routes for the road. All three cut through wetlands, but the county no longer is considering the route south of the Wakarusa River, claiming that it is too expensive, though it would best serve the future needs of Lawrence.
THE COUNTY
Proponents of the trafficway have criticized project opponents for causing unnecessary expensive delays. The question is: Why did Douglas County initially fail to conduct an environmental impact statement on the wetlands when they planned to construct a road through them? The answer: irresponsible planning which obviously gave no consideration to the effect that a slab of asphalt would have on the surrounding environment. If the county planners had done their jobs to begin with, the added expense and unnecessary delays would not have occurred, and the community would not be embroiled in this protracted controversy.
PROJECT GOALS
The U.S. Department of Transportation has identified three goals of this project in its Final Environmental Impact Statement. They are: relieve traffic on 23rd Street, improve access to the University by relieving congestion on 23rd and Iowa streets and minimize
A route south of the Wakarusa River is the best solution,but Douglas County officials choose to disregard it.
intrusion into the Wakarusa flood plain.
THE SOLUTION
First, synchronizing the traffic signals on 23rd Street would alleviate traffic congestion. Second, anything short of a bridge extending onto Jayhawk Boulevard would do nothing to improve access to campus. Finally, building the highway south of the Wakarusa River would place the road on higher ground and off the flood plain, which neatly solves the third goal. For reasons that never have been satisfactorily explained, there has not been an environmental impact statement or any other effort by the county to explore the possibility of this route. Since the location of this proposed highway never has been clearly stated, and no compelling evidence exists to suggest that a new road would accomplish the two traffic-related goals that are outlined in the Transportation Department's statement, then why is the county pursuing a policy that is so plainly unsupported by the facts?
If the picture of bulldozers destroying this ecosystem and wildlife habitat or the fact that the area has religious significance to Native Americans doesn't make you outraged, the recent public disclosure that a burial site exists behind Haskell should seal the fate of this project in most people's minds and stimulate the debate about an alignment south of the Wakarusa River. It is tragic that Native Americans have to justify their beliefs or be forced to translate them into terms that white county commissioners can understand, in order to avoid having sacred land compromised.
Now is the time for the community to express its support for relocation of this roadway south of the Wakarusa River. To express your opinion directly to the county, write to: Douglas County Public Works Department, 1424 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, KS 66044.
BRIAN RUNK FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Marko Fields / KANSAP
Free speech victory could save teen-agers
The recent ruling in the case involving the Olathe School District's unconstitutional banning of the lesbian-themed youth book "Annie on My Mind" is being hailed as a big step forward in lesbian, gay and bisexual rights. While the excitement in civil libertarian circles is certainly justified over this ruling, it's misplaced. This is much more a matter of free speech than of queer rights. However, free speech can save the lives of LesBilGay youth, making this a much weightier issue than just who gets to read what.
Queer teen-agers are three times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers. The reason should be obvious. So many youth are being told constantly by their parents, their friends, and their teachers that they're sick, they're depraved, they don't deserve to live. Imagine being a 14-year-old gay, lesbian, or bisexual kid and sitting through church services with your family every week listening to the minister rail against homosexuality and blame you for every bad thing happening in society today. These kids are terrified of coming out of the closet because they fear that everyone and everything they've ever known and felt safe will reject them. Yet peo-
KANSAN STAFF
positive. When he was an adolescent beginning to deal with his sexual orientation, he had no place to turn to find information about being gay, and certainly no information about safer sex. The only way he was able to find any sort of affirmation was by sneaking into bars. When older men took advantage of his youth and naivete, he had no idea what sort of risk he was taking. He was just happy to be able to talk to other people who were like him. By the time he was a freshman at the University of Kansas, where there was information about safer sex made available to him, it was too late.
In October, PFLAG (Parents.
I have a friend who, at 18, found out he was HIV-
Friends, and Families of Lesbians and Gays) sponsored a youth conference in Wichita. The idea behind the conference was to give queer youth a chance to meet one another and hook them up with counseling and support resources so that, for a single day, they might not feel so isolated and afraid. Unfortunately, PFLAG found that most of the materials they provided to school counselors and guidance offices were never posted. The counselors feared that posting information about the conference would be seen as "promoting" LesBiGay behavior. Consequently, few of the kids who really could have benefited from the conference even knew it was happening.
ple, such as the members of the Olathe School Board, want to keep these kids from having access to any information that might bolster their self-esteem and let them know they aren't utterly alone in the world.
Providing information to queer youth isn't going to make anyone "turn" gay, lesbian, or bisexual. But telling them about safer sex, letting them read books like "Annie on My Mind" to realize that there are other people like them out there, and providing them with a chance to meet other kids like themselves in a supportive environment may just save lives. I guess that for people who tout "family values", a queer kid's life just isn't worth the effort.
STAFF COLUMNIST
Chris Hampton is a Lawrence graduate student in education.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Wetlands enhance quality of life for all
As citizens of Douglas County, we face an important decision concerning the fate of the Baker Wetlands. Currently, three proposed alignments for the eastern portion of the South Lawrence Trafficway are being presented. None of the proposed routes, however, allows for the preservation of this surviving parcel of Wakarusa River Wetlands. Will we citizens voice an opinion to preserve this natural tract in its integrity?
Whether we live here by choice or by birth, our quality of life is enhanced by that area. Paving the wetlands would erode that quality.
The joys of knowing nature are not found in any book. To have the
STEPHIANE UTLEY
Business manager
MATT SHAW
Retail sales manager
JAY STEINER
Sales and marketing adviser
JUSTIN KNUPP
Technology coordinator
Business Staff
The potential for these wetlands to serve as a natural solace may one day outweigh the role it now plays as an outdoor educational facility. Introducing the noise and vibration of automobiles will disturb its sanctity.
Finding alternatives to paving the wetlands may not be fiscally prudent for the completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway, but the benefits appear evident.
Campus mgr ... Meredith Hanning
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Do we believe that our grandchildren would like to examine this piece of our natural heritage? That is the question we must answer. The wetlands' assets can serve us best if we protect their integrity.
Richard Bean Baldwin resident
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wetlands adjacent to a pleasant city is a rare blessing.
Undoubtedly, racial hate speech and homophobic comments are not good for society. They are offensive, but they must be tolerated so that legitimate commentary is still allowed to flourish.
In an effort to rid the campus of politically incorrect and offensive speech, University of Maryland at Amherst officials are drafting a new policy against speech that could be
I am sadly disappointed that an institution of higher learning would even consider drafting a policy of this nature. If implemented, it will represent a major step backward in the quest for tolerance and the battle against ignorance in this country.
Editors
News & Special Sections...Doequid Allison
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Associate Editorial...Sarah Morrison
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Associate Campus...Paul Todd
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threat that the First Amendment could be violated.
Women may never have gained the right to vote, the entire Civil Rights movement may never have taken place, and countless other counterrevolutionary movements that resulted in increased social tolerance may have been squeaked had policies such as this one been tolerated.
PC codes have once again gone too far.
Hate speech codes historically have been struck down by courts as unconstitutional, but officials still are drafting the policy, despite a real
STAFF COLUMNIST
This policy is concerned with one thing and it isn't promoting a tolerant society, but rather the appearance of tolerance. If offensive comments are banned, then the campus will appear tolerant.
Nicole Kennedy in an Overland Park
Junior in Journalism
considered offensive.
For example,
comments that may be
construed as racist or
anti-homosexual will not be
tolerated.
No relevant public debate about serious social issues such as racism and homophobia will occur under this politically correct code and public debate will be hampered.
The founding fathers of America wrote the First Amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing the right to free speech for a reason. Free speech allows the free flow of information and ideas. Anything that stands in the way of this free flow of ideas hampers intellectual growth, and therefore, inhibits our ability to make real social progress.
This policy is nothing more than a strange paradox, inhibiting the very social tolerance that it attempts to promote.
While I always applaud any efforts to resolve social conflicts and make society more tolerant, this is not an appropriate method.
According to a report on the National Public Radio's Morning Edition news show yesterday, students in at least one social science class at the university were unwilling to discuss racism in the classroom.
The professor explained to the class before he began, that if anyone said anything offensive during the discussion, he should be informed so that proper actions could be taken.
The professor then asked a question about racism, eliciting a response from students, and silence befell the classroom. Perhaps the students were asleep or too lazy to participate, but my guess is that they were afraid — afraid of offending someone and the repercussions.
PC codes might create more problems than they solve
HUBIE
By Greg Hardin
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