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Thursday, September 23,1993
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
THE ISSUE
A hearing to decide if graduate teaching assistants are public employees began Monday and will continue until the middle of next week.
THE BACKGROUND
GTAs' efforts to form a union are awaiting the outcome of the hearing, which has been delayed for more than a year and a half. If they are ruled to be public employees, they may form a union, something the GTAs claim will help them get better pay and health and day care benefits. The University is arguing that GTAs are students and that being a GTA is a learning experience.
THE OPINION
GTAs, University must work to prevent union
GTAs and University officials: keep picket lines, bargaining tables and strikes out of our classrooms. A GTA union would be a bigger charade than the delay of this week's hearing process to determine GTAs' status as employees.
Not that GTAs do not have legitimate concerns worthy of addressing. GTAs teach nearly half of all freshmen and sophomore-level courses. They nearly have all of the responsibilities of professors, and the University should give them comparable compensation.
But a union is not the best way to achieve this goal. It sets up a "us vs. them" mentality that will hinder relations with administrators, not help them. The high turnover in GTAs also makes organizing a union difficult. Forming a union would waste more time than the hearings already have.
The only positive aspect of this year-and-a-half hearing process is that it has raised awareness of the GTAs plight. And the raised awareness has helped. Soon after the hearing process began, a full tuition fee waiver was given to GTAs, which was one of the original reasons they had for forming a union.
GTAs: while you have the University's attention, use it. Administrators: end the stalemate that has halted progress for two years. It is time that the GTAs get the pay and benefits they deserve for their invaluable work. Both parties need to work for negotiations, not isolation.
TERRILYN McCORMICK FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Duck adoption is fun supports a good cause
It is time to adopt your ducks!
The Great American Rubber Duck Race is once again coming to Lawrence. The event sees thousands of yellow rubber ducks floating down the Kansas River racing for prizes for their adoptive parents.
Human participants adopt a duck for $5 with all proceeds going to benefit Cottonwood, a local nonprofit organization providing services to people with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities.
The event will be held Saturday, Sept. 25, at noon. Adoptive parents should gather on the promenade behind the Riverfront Plaza Factory Outlets, Sixth and New Hampshire streets, shortly before noon.
Adoption papers can be picked up at local merchants including Dillons and Mercantile Bank or at Cottonwood, 2801 W. 31st St. More information is available through the duck hotline, 843-DUCK.
Remember, you are benefiting an excellent charity, watching thousands of rubber ducks float down the river and giving yourself the chance to win prizes. Now get out there and adopt your ducks!
DAVID BURGETT FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
KANSAN STAFF
KC TRAUER, Editor
JOE HARDER, CHRISTINE LAUE Managing editors
TOMEBLEN
TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser
BILL SKEET, Systems coordinator
Assistant to the editor ... J.R. Clairborne
News ... Stacy Friedman
Editorial ... Terrilyn McComick
Campus ... Ben Grove
Sports ... Kristi Fogler
Photo ... Klip Chin, Renee Knoebe
Features ... Erra Wolfe
Graphics ... John Paul Fogel
AMY CASEY
Business manager
AMY STUMO
Retail sales manager
JEANNE HINES
Sales and marketing adviser
Business Staff
Campus sales mgr ...Ed Schagar
Regional Sales mgr ..Jennifer Perrier
National sales mgr ..Jennifer Evenson
Co-op sales mgr ..Blythe Focht
Production mgrs ..Jennifer Blowey
Kcite Burgess
Marketing director ..Shelly McConnell
Creative director ..Brian Fuoco
Classified mgr ..Jance Davis
Letters should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 200 words. They must include the writer's signature, name, address and telephone number. Writers affiliated with the University of Kansas must include class and homeetown, or faculty or staff position. Guest columns should be typed, double-spaced and fewer than 700 words. The writer will be
photographer. You can receive the right to reject or edit letters, guest columns and cartoons. They can be mailed or brought to the Kansas newsroom, 111 Stauffer Flint Hall.
"The full weight of American diplomacy."
Car dealers, their tricks make life difficult for human beings
Today we are going to talk about growing up. This is an interesting topic, in that we thought of it exactly two seconds ago.
First of all, we must say that we are going to talk about growing up from a human perspective. This is important because we are not going to talk about growing up from, say, a mayfly's perspective. Which is even more interesting because mayflies live by the saying "one day at a time." This is quite a literal translation because mayflies are notorious for living for exactly one day. Really. Mayflies are born, graduate from college, marry a mayflyette, get a job, have kids, retire to Florida and die - all within 24 hours. And we thought we had rough days.
STAFF COLUMNIST
So let us move on to growing up, the human way. There are a number of important stages that a human must pass through to become "grown up." One is to drink as many as 21 shots of pure-grain alcohol at a local bar and then wake up the next afternoon with a Whopper, an apple pie and a burrito
displayed artistically and digested on one's clothing.
But there are other stages that are not so pretty. One stage in particular is downright nasty. It is so terrible, in fact, that if we weren't human, we would opted to skip this stage and move right along to death. You know what stage we are talking about: buying a new car.
Nothing can strike fire into the hearts of humans like car dealers. Even hardened humans have a tough time dealing with them. And this can be directly attributed to the fact that car dealers smell like black licorice.
Last week, we had the distinct pleasure of passing through this developmental stage. Let us relate our very interesting and horrifying car-dealer anecdote:
CAR DEALER: Hi. This is a very nice car you are looking at. (PAUSE) Do you know what high balling is? Low balling? Can you pick up on the physical signs of someone lying to you?
AUTHOR: Huh?
CAR DEALER; Good. Now, see this car? I could give it to you for a couple thousand less than what the sticker says. But since you seem like a nice-kind-of-guy-going-through-a-developmental-stage-who-wants-his-mommy person, I will let you have it for exactly $2,189.61 more because, frankly, I can do that, you wouldn't know the difference, and I smell like black licorice.
AUTHOR: Huh?
CAR DEALER: Good. Now, your total bill comes to three jillion dollars, which includes a small fee for my yacht in the Ozarks and a few thousand bucks for servicing the nation's
debt. Any questions? Well, we sincerely thank you for being a sucker and letting us fulfill our motto, which is "Milk the customer for all he's worth — and then some." See you later, and remember not to report us to any federal or state regulatory agencies.
AUTHOR: Huh?
This is a very typical scene. Car dealers stun their victims through the sheer force of bad breath. This happens all over the country because normal humans cannot withstand such power. People do not know what they are doing once they are under a car dealer's spell. That is evident by the large numbers of Pintos and Pacers on our roads today.
However, do not be ashamed for fitting under the category "You Are A Sucker." It is just part of a normal developmental step that culminates with being a "Grown-Up Sucker."
Mayflies have it easy.
Todd Puntney is a Manhattan senior major ing in Journalism
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Lewis column offensive to half of readership
In regards to Will Lewis' column "Male seeks an activist a mother could love" (Sept. 15), I have only this to say to him—are you on drugs or are you just naturally deficient?
It's bad enough that the Kansan gives Fred Phelps so much coverage, but now it's actually publishing bublerings from any little hick that sends in a column full of half-wit, inconsiderate trash that offends at least half of the world's population. Why don't you set up a weekly neo-Nazi skinhead corner you you're at it? Perhaps you've forgotten that half your readers just happen to be female? Are you that desperate for articles? Have some self respect! And get real while you're at it!
Isabel Villalon New Orleans law student
Laws, rules of Kansas and KU not the same
In a Sept. 14 editorial, the University Daily Kansaw drew our attention to the sodomy laws in Kansas that prohibit certain kinds of sexual behavior. According to the Kansaan, "It is ludicrous that in the late twentieth century there are puritanical laws in Kansas still in effect, and utilized, to dictate morality between consenting adults."
The Kansan is, of course, quite correct. Laws that forbid certain kinds of sexual contact between consenting adults are ludicrous. However, you failed to point out the positive features of these Kansas laws. After all, at KU there are also rules, recently put into effect, which prohibit romantic and sexual relationships between consenting adults when those individuals are faculty and their students. These rules were simply issued from some throne in Strong Hall, with no attempt at consultation or discussion with those who
would be affected by those rules. The sodomy laws of the state of Kansas, on the contrary, were passed by a democratically elected legislature. Somehow it seems excessively harsh for the Kansan to criticize the state of Kansas for laws whose manner of promulgation is distinctly superior to the establishment of the very same kind of rules at the institution at which the Kansan is located.
Fairness of laws can't be based on precedence
Don Marquis Professor of philosophy
It is interesting to note that in Mr. Hamby's assessment of the "philosophical pillars" of our country, homosexuals have no human rights. Hamby writes, "In both Judeo-Christian and Western thought, the practice of homosexuality is considered to be a deviant practice."
First of all, "Western" thought is often believed to originate with ancient Greek men, who themselves engaged in homosexual acts. It also is important to note that 200 years ago, under a Judeo-Christian understanding of democracy, Africans were subhuman and women had no civil rights.
Both of these realities often were supported by the Bible. I wonder if Mr. Hamby would support the re-enactment of that kind of democracy since, like discrimination against homosexuals, it can be supported with a few verses from the Bible.
An existing law is not necessarily just. History has shown that precedents and traditions are not always the means by which we determine what is right and wrong. It is time for antiquated sodomy laws to be revoked. I sincerely hope that our country is far beyond the "Because the Bible Tells Me So" method of determining justice.
Sarah Deer
Wichita junior
Column misrepresent Western society originis
I would never have expected a college student to insist that, according to the history of Western thought, homosexuality is deviant. I imagine that Lance Hamby's recent editorial caused quite a few spins in the graves of the early thinkers. Plato and Socrates, the very founders of Western culture, used homosexual love as a starting point from which to develop metaphysical theory in their teachings. Other celebrated Westerners who were openly homosexual or bisexual include Alexander the Great, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Edward II, James I, Christopher Marlowe and at least six popes. I am not trying to deny the fact that history has been plagued with homophobia, but to say that heterosexuals have always held a monopoly on Western thought, Christianity and democracy itself is to assert a tremendous lie.
David Webb Roswell, Ga., senior
Extreme right's ideas hinder liberal education
I do not usually take the time to reproach such ignorant slander against the University as appeared on the back page of Monday's Kansan. I do not have a problem with Christians, I do not have a problem with Christian student organizations. I do not have a problem with you running the advertisement. Those are things we must allow in the name of liberty.
I do have a problem with the extreme right's attempt to establish an agenda at the University that seeks to take the liberation of our minds from a liberal arts education. In fact, it is a near faux pas in today's climate to require only Western Civilization courses, which ignore the wealth of other world cultures. The non-western culture course requirement only half-heartedly addresses this question.
Exploring Christianity outside of the Biblical literalists' perspective is not a "subtle attack on Christianity." It is a fortright attack that can create an even greater faith in the true believer or can liberate the individual to question just what exactly the truth is.
Faith, based on a set of "truths" gained by fear, indoctrination and ignorance is no faith for the truly righteous. And indeed, the subjectivity of truth as revealed through questioning and study tends to drive one mad at times. But it is in no way contradictory to the teachings of a man called Joshua ben Joseph (later given the Greek name of Christ), whose questioning of the religious elite was the center of his existence.
Please live as you will. But do not seek to make me and this University subject to your "truth."
Lane Jorgensen
Syracuse, N.Y., junior
Headquarters Center lauds student support
This is to clarify information about Headquarters Counseling Center that appeared in a fine front page article on Sept. 13 and in a very supportive editorial on Sept. 16.
HQ offers its services not only for KU students, but to the entire Douglas County community. I also think Director Marcia Epstein was misinterpreted as indicating that training required 300 hours in two months. Training requires 100 hours in two months. After six months of volunteering eight hours a week, more than 300 hours have been put in.
HQ tremendously appreciates not only the funding from the Student Activity Fee, administered by the KU Student Senate, but also the volunteers that have come from the University of Kansas over the years. Without either, it would be very difficult to continue our services, which HQ has done without missing a beat for almost 24 years.
Steve Nash, President Headquarters' Board of Directors
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