4A
Tuesday, November 14, 1995
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
THE ISSUE: TEXTBOOKS
Departments should produce their own custom textbooks
More and more University of Kansas departments are writing custom textbooks that are published by large companies. Many of these books cannot be resold, and this is costing students big money.
If departments want to write a book for a certain course, they should publish it themselves. Even if the book can't be resold, eliminating the publishing companies could bring more money into departments and benefit students by lowering prices.
"Publishers have a major war on against used books," said Bill Getz, assistant manager of books at the Kansas and Burge Union bookstores.
It's no wonder. Publishing companies receive about 70 cents from every dollar a textbook makes. Twenty cents goes to the bookstore, and 10 cents goes to the author.
For example, "The Handbook of Speaker- Audience Communication" is a book that is required for all Communication 130 students. About 630 students are enrolled in the course
KU could earn more by discontinuing use of outside publishers that make large profits on required books.
this semester. Every student must buy the book, which costs $11. The book will bring in $6,930. The publishing company's cut will equal around $4,851. This is for one book at one school for one semester.
Mary Lee Hummert, associate professor of communication studies and editor of the required handbook, said the communication studies department only brought in about $3,000 during two semesters for the book.
If the department would have sold a packet of pages that could be inserted into a three-ring binder, more money would have been brought in directly, helping the department and the students it serves.
University departments could bring in more money to update equipment and provide more resources to students by eliminating the middleman.
CHARITY JEFFRIES FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD.
OPINION BRIEF
Students need world exposure
Recent events have touched a lot of the foreign students, as well as local residents.
The University community should be concerned that many students have no knowledge of recent world incidents.
Not only did the Jewish community lose a great leader, but the world did as well. The assassination of Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin has as many world implications as the assassination of President Kennedy.
Now the Middle East is in danger of never reaching a peace agreement.
Many people have become callus to the four-year war in Bosnia callous to the news of scores of people who die every day. It's a shame that events like Kobe, Japan's earthquake, Philippines' Typhoon Angela, and the rash of explosions in France easily are forgotten.
If we're more aware of world events, the Oklahoma City bombing would not have been a total surprise.
All it takes to become more aware of the world outside the KU campus is just a few minutes to watch CNN or read the newspaper.
NATHAN TOHTSONI FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD.
Shawn Trimble /KANSAN
Rabin's assassination shows danger of far right's rhetoric
While thousands of us sat cheering at the KU-Missouri football game on Nov. 4, an incredible tragedy was happening on the other side of the world. When I got home from the game, my housemate told me about the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. I was saddened to hear that a man who had worked so hard to bring peace to his people had been murdered for those efforts. However, unlike many of the world's observers to this tragedy, I was not surprised.
Iran has been ruled for many years by its own radical religious right. Imagine, if you will, what the worldwide perception of our own country might be like if an American religious right extremist, such as Pat Buchanan or Jesse Helms, were to be elected president. You may have a better understanding of the political dynamic in Iran. Almost every religion has its far right adherents; the danger comes about when that fringe seizes power or incites its followers to
I work with a man who is from Iran. Because of the images so many of us remember from the regime of the Ayatollah Khamenei, my coworker is constantly putting up with people who, upon finding out that he is Iranian, immediately assume that he's a wild-eyed, fanatical terrorist. Yet I've learned from him that not everyone from Iran is like the images we've seen so many times in the media.
STAFF COLUMNIST
violence.
Rabin was murdered, not by an Arab, but by another Jew. The assassin, Yigal Amir, is a member of the Israeli radical religious right — a group which has long attempted to justify its hateful, anti-peace rhetoric by quoting obscure and out-of context
portions of the Torah. Now the most extreme of Israel's religious right is celebrating Rabin's murder while many of the same people who were calling Rabin a "traitor" and a "Nazi" a week ago are trying to distance themselves from their hateful, inflammatory rhetoric. Sound familiar? It should.
The extremist Jews who today are saying, "Oh, just because we called Rabin a traitor and chanted 'Death to Rabin' in the streets doesn't mean we were encouraging anyone to kill him" are close cousins to American members of Operation Rescue who say, "Oh, just because we stand outside of women's clinics screaming 'Baby killer' doesn't mean we were encouraging people to murder doctors who perform abortions." They're related to Rush Limbaugh and other right-wing talk radio hosts who say, "Oh, just
because we tell our listeners that our government is holding us hostage, and that something big has to be done to bring about change doesn't mean we were encouraging the Oklahoma City bombing."
They're the blood brothers of fundamentalist ministers who say, "Oh, just because we call homosexuality and bisexuality an 'abomination' and say that queer people should not have rights doesn't mean that we encourage gay-bashing and hate crimes." Hateful speech breeds hateful acts. It's a different verse of the same old song, no matter who's singing it.
When will the mainstream people of the world wake up and smell the coffee? The radical religious right is by far the most dangerous, insidious and threatening human element in the modern world, yet they proclaim that they are the ones who are upholding high-minded values. Maybe I'm just a clueless American gentile, but I can't fathom how anyone living where there has been as much bloodshed and suffering as there has been in the Middle East can rationalize the murder of a man who sought to end the violence endured by the people of that region. Let's hope that Rabin's death brings about the awareness necessary to stop the radical right's worldwide message of self-righteous hate.
Cirie Hampton is a Lawrence graduate student in education.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I was saddened to hear about the planned destruction of the continuing education building north of the Kansas Union. I thought that the days of tearing down beautiful and historic buildings to make way for concrete eyesores were finished in the 1970s. Building space is at a premium on campus these days, and it's astounding to me that the chancellor and the University would consider tearing down a piece of KU history. This campus is known for its fine old buildings and beautiful landscape. Sadly, during the 1960s grand old buildings such as
old Fraser, old Blake and old Haworth were demolished to make way for the poorly designed and extremely bland Fraser, Blake and, worst of all, Wescoe. Concrete has replaced the carved limestone and plastic has replaced wood, but luckily the warmth of KU hasn't been replaced yet. If more of the original buildings are torn down, this campus will become just as cold and bland as Wescoe in December Many uses spring to mind for the old sorority. The proximity to the Adams Alumni Center, the Kansas Union, and the proposed new parking garage would make the building perfect for a University history center devoted to KU history. Each department displays its own contribution to history in small display cases throughout the University where they are rarely seen or noticed. A single site showcasing the outstanding contributions in the arts, sports and the sciences by KU alumni, faculty and students would be the crown jewel in the University's museum treasures. People talk about the rich history and traditions at KU. Now when we can protect a part of our history and at the same time preserve and display our traditions for future students. Write to the administration and tell them how you feel about our campus.
Mike Pisani
Lawrence senior
Government might as well regulate TV viewing, too
I think it is time for the government to regulate television. It is too dangerous for me to handle by myself
I've kicked smoking, cut back my alcohol consumption, avoided iller-idal addictions.
STAFF COLUMNIST
guar gum, and I only rely on caffeine in extreme emergencies. But TV has been the bane of my existence.
My TV addiction is a product of my environment. The TV was on in my home from the moment someone came home until the last person went to sleep.
Of course, it corrupted our
ability to form a functional family. My family never played games or talked to each other. We just sat around in the living room glued to the boob tube.
It also interfered with my education. I always did my homework during commercials, even if I had to stay up with the TV on until 3 in the morning.
Later on it hurt my contribution to the all-important American economy. Too many times I would watch TV until the sun came up and then try to go to work on an hour of sleep. My productivity was greatly inhibited.
TV has all the classic signs of addiction. Once I thought I had the habit kicked. For several years I did not watch TV out of necessity. But like a recovering alcoholic taking a drink, one small dose and I fell back into my old ways. I don't freebase prime time anymore but I still inhale late night.
Worst of all, TV is being targeted at kids. Network executives are creating generations of junikes to insure their fortunes. Children need to be protected from the corrosive influences of TV until at least 18, when they have the power of reason to make decisions for themselves. Parents simply are not capable of watching over their own kids anymore and instilling them with a foundation of beliefs for making good decisions.
Therefore I think the government needs to step in and protect us.
As a righteous liberal, I firmly believe it is my sworn duty to watch out for and uplift everyone else. Because I am so busy making the world a better place for all living organisms, I also believe everyone else must take care of me so that I am absolved of all responsibility for my life and actions.
Big government is the best and most efficient method of making the world a better place.
Seat belts and helmets save lives.
Pass a law. Smoking kills. Pass a law. Alcohol wrecks lives. Pass a law. Drugs destroy. Pass a law. Regulate. regulate. regulate.
Never mind that smoking, drinking, drugging or flying through a windshield have little to do with the basic functions of the state. I might do something bad if I drink before I am 21, so better to just outlaw the whole thing.
We have for the most part separated church and state, but health is another matter.
Thou shalt not eat fat. Honor thy exercise machine. Thus will be the mandates of our ever evolving, over protective Big Brother.
Life has too many important, life altering decisions for me to make on my own.
Help me to health and safe living, O benign bureaucracy.
Jake Arnold is a Lawrence senior in Jour nallam.
KANSAN STAFF
COLLEEN MCCAIN
Editor
DAVID WILSON
Managing editor, news
ASHLEY MILLER
Managing editor, planning & design
TOM EBLEN
General manager, news adviser
News & Special Sections...Debra Allison
Editor...Heather Lawrence
Associate Editorial...Borah Morton
Campus...Virginia Marghelim
Associate Campus...Teresa Vesayne
Associate Campus...Paul Todd
Sports...John O'Reilly
Associate Sports...Tom Erickson
Wire...Robert Allen
On-line coordinator...Thomas Passey
STEPHANIE UTLEY
Business manager
MATT SHAW
Retail sales manager
JAY STEINER
Sales and marketing adviser
JUSTIN KNUPP
Technology coordinator
Campus mgr ... Meredith Henington
Regional mgr ... Tom Daleo
Senior mgr ... Brian F. Porter
Special Boardings mgr ... Heather Niemann
Production mgr ... Nancy Easonston
Mining director ... Karen Hanning
Public Relations director ... Betsy Cahill
Creative director ... Benjamin McLean
Internship/oo-op mgr ... Kelly Gommety
Business Staff
HUBIE
By Greg Hardin