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Friday, September 17. 1993
OPINION
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VIEWPOINT
THE ISSUE
Last week the U.S. Education Department released a literacy study showing that nearly half of all adult Americans possess only the most rudimentary skills in English and mathematics.
THE BACKGROUND
Causing the most public alarm were conclusions stating that more than 40 million of America's 191 million adults scored at the lowest level, meaning they could not find a certain intersection on a street map or calculate the difference in the price of two items. Adults at the second lowest level, about 40 million, could not answer specific questions about facts in a newspaper article.
THE OPINION
Students should join fight against illiteracy
The illiteracy problem in America is in great need of attention. Poor reading and writing skills have been linked to low voting rates, low salaries and billions of dollars in losses for businesses in the United States annually. Solutions to this enormous and complex problem will require the collaborative efforts of governments, businesses and local communities. So now is the time that KU students can address illiteracy in the Lawrence community by getting involved in a campus literacy organization.
There is the Dr. Seuss Club, which promotes literacy by reading books to area schoolchildren.
Partners in Learning, which operates through the English 590 class, "Tutoring for Literacy," is offered each semester.
Students Tutoring for Literacy is a group that sends KU student volunteers to various tutoring sites around town, one being the Adult Learning Center. Through STL, volunteers can work with college, high school and elementary students, as well as with adults working towards their GED. STL representatives will hold a training workshop Oct. 3. For more information call 864-3660.
All they ask is that volunteers agree to tutor two hours a week for a semester. This is a small commitment that can have big effects.
Tutoring for literacy at the local level is a chance for KU students to make a significant difference in the lives of a few people and is an important beginning to solving a nationwide problem.
CHRISTINA CORNISH FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Game-by-game lottery solves ticket dilemma
When are we going to get our basketball tickets? This question buzzing around campus is still unanswered.
According to the University Athletic Ticket Office, nothing yet has been decided. Approximately 7,000 seats, roughly 45 percent of Allen Fieldhouse, are reserved for students. Administrators in the ticket office have said that they are waiting for situations to clear up before making any decisions. A prudent course, but as students eager to plan accordingly, we have come up with a possible solution to the problem.
If too many ticket packages were sold, this solution would be a game-by-game lottery and not a lottery for the entire season. That way every student would have a chance to see some games instead of not being able to see any games. Of course, the best-case scenario would be that enough people would either forfeit or drop out of the running for tickets and a lottery would not be necessary. Hopefully, we will get an answer soon.
MANNY LOPEZ FOR THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Abuse doesn't justify violence in any case
I heard some of Russ Johnson's "Talk Radio" on KJHK last Friday. During the few moments I was able to listen, the discussion was about the former KU student who shot her overprotective father. The question seemed to be whether she was justified in attempting to kill her father.
As it turned out, one caller phoned in and changed the subject to abused women. Actually, she called to defend women who kill their abusive husbands. Women, she claimed, can only handle so much abuse before having to do something about it. The caller said this was enough to justify the murder of an abusive husband.
It seems that in recent court cases, "Battered Woman Syndrome" has become an increasingly successful defense when a woman stands trial for murdering her husband. The basis of the argument is that a woman has been abused to a point that she will take no more. Therefore, killing her husband as a way to escape the abuse is deemed an acceptable option.
In murder trials involving gang members, their criminal behaviors often are attributed to their surroundings, which can include poverty, racism, broken families and failing school systems. Often, gang members who kill do so out of some sort of revenge. In court trials, however, if
For one of the first times, my eyes were opened, and I thought I slightly understood what minorities are concerned about when they claim that they are treated unfairly by the judicial system. After listening to the caller's viewpoints, I found some similarities between inner-city gang situations and domestic abuse.
issues such as economic and familial conditions are considered, they usually aren't enough to earn gang members verdicts of not guilty.
Such observations can lead one to question the difference between their situations. Is it merely a coincidence that women are allowed to kill those who wrong them whereas gang members, who usually are racial minorities, are not? There shouldn't be a double standard. If women are allowed to justify murder with the claim of fear, other minority groups should be allowed the same option.
Furthermore, it isn't enough for each group simply to realize that it is not permissible to commit a crime in order to avenge a crime. Lawmakers and the legal system must realize this, as well. Victims of violence must look for other ways out of their situations before taking them into their own hands.
However, in the interest of justice, society must agree with the way gang members and many others are treated by the judicial system and disagree with the legal advantages granted to abused women.
For example, abused women must make other attempts to bring an end to their situations. Attempts can be
made to leave abusive husbands or boyfriends, and in the case that this doesn't work, other actions within legal limits must be tried until a solution is found. Living with an abusive person until the point of murder is not only stupid but also shouldn't provide the basis for murdering them.
The only acceptable justification for murder in any case is self-defense. Yet killing someone who has beaten you repeatedly, simply because you didn't want to be beaten any longer, does not excuse murder. This does not constitute self-defense and only makes people wonder why a person would stay with an abusive person.
The same rules should apply to those involved in inner-city gang wars. Violent crimes should not be forgiven because of living conditions. Living in poverty or in a broken home should not guarantee the right to commit a violent crime and to not face the responsibilities of such an action. Also, criminals falling into such a category should not be granted special considerations.
Lawmakers should re-examine laws that allow killings to be justified by reasons other than self-defense. They also should reconsider the fairness of laws and make them uniform and fair for every population group. Until those laws are changed, we can blame only ourselves for setting bad examples that increase the crime rate. As long as any person, man or woman, white or African-American, is given certain advantages in the legal system, the war on crime will continue to lose ground.
Scott Gillespie is a Topeka junior majoring in English.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Parents responsible for instilling morality
Once again, a cry is heard from the Kansan. It seemed to tell parents to stop taking responsibility for their children, to stop placing their beliefs on them. However, my cry is this: When do we stop pointing a finger and start taking responsibility?
or even bigoted. The crux of the argument was based on the idea that we should not try to "strive and protect [children] and to nurture them."
Some of the attitudes in the Sept. 8 issue [Patrick Dilley's column, "Kids should be allowed to form their own opinions"] seem to portray the role of parents as obsolete
Is not the parent responsible to nurture a child? As parents, we naturally place our beliefs on our children. If not, movies, TV, or the school playground would be the foundation of children's morals. Where else but from a parent can a child have morals, convictions and the knowledge of right and wrong taught? Certainly society does not
offer it. Society is not the nurturer, the parents are.
I agree, childhood is a "grove of innocence and joy." But let us keep it that way, without placing reasoning, adult problems and claims of self-righteousness on children.
When we, as brothers or sisters or parents, do not take an active and decisive role rearing children, it is not 'society' which corrupts our children. Unfortunately, it is ourselves.
Reagan Thompson
London sophomore
STAFF COLUMNIST
Large cities cannot allow small towns to disappear
Last year I lived in a hell hole that I reluctantly remember as Hashinger Hall. One night I made a desperate attempt to escape the insanity of the dorm by taking a drive. After trekking the half mile to my car — since everyone in Ellsworth parked in the Hashenger parking lot — I finally began my soothing journey out of town, leaving my troubles behind.
But without these crippled towns, the cities would never have been born. Like a child who never learns to respect his elders, the city and its product blindly continue.
I found something deep in the heart of Kansas for which I hadn't been looking. I found America. Late in January, on that cold winter night, my city-girl's point of view was changed forever. This is what I found:
We must not play corporate games and leave the dying towns to fend for themselves. Even though they can no longer compete with the monstrous cities, their worth should not be based on this. So much more can be learned from a town straining to stay alive than can be learned in the false glamour of the city.
America has been lost in a selfish struggle to erase some blemish of the past. As a nation we must move ahead, but this nation cannot evolve until it comes to grips with its past. This country was built on the broken backs of men and women who understood the beauty and life force of the land.
I saw America. A sad and beautiful sight. The Glory of the Midwest, the Heartland of America. A forgotten town aged before its time and devastated by the economy.
I refuse to see this nation fall. But if the grunts fail, the entire operation dies. If the town goes under, the city will soon follow. I have seen the thousand points of light and the ramshackle buildings. And I know that one cannot live without the other.
We must not forget the importance of the city and the small town it evolved from. The two must learn to coexist. There is no reason one should be destroyed because of the other.
This country is entering a dangerous stage in its life, and the town and city cannot ignore each other if the nation is to stay alive. We must respect this land and never take it for granted.
The small town and the city must once again strive together if this nation is going to continue to succeed. The struggle of the small town is a reflection of America's fight to survive, and the whole of the country needs to learn from this forgotten piece.
Anne Ballie is a Denver sophomore major ing in psychology.
Where has the respect for the farmer and the small-town way gone? It is lost in the cities that reflect an idea of imperialism and whose inhabitants hide behind skyscrapers, lose themselves in traffic, and have forgotten what this nation is built on; the desire for a family to make a better life for their children and grandchildren.
KANSANSTAFF
KC TRAUER
Editor
JOE HARDER, CHRISTINE LAUE
Managing editors
TOM EBLEN
General manager, news adviser
BILL SKEET
Technology coordinator
Editors
Assistant to the editor...J.R. Clairborne
News...Stacey Friedman
Editorial...Terrlyn McCormick
Campus...Ben Grove
Sports...Kristi Fogler
Photo...Kip Chin, Renate Knopf
Features...Erra Wolfe
Graphics...John Paul Fogel
Wire...Vicid Bode
Assistant Editors
Associate editorial...Colleen McCain
Associate campus...Danane England
Assistant campus/planning...Jeas DeHaven
Associate sports...Todd Selfert
Associate features...Almee Estrada
Copy Chiefs
Allison Lippert...Tracy Ritchle
...Corey Shoup
Reporters
Copy Editors
Elizabeth Beary...Craig Boxx
Kevin Butler...Lisa Coamillo
Jess DeHaven...Dan England
Jack Fisher...Matt Hydeman
Stephen Mardino...Stacey Mortford
Sarah Nagl...Marianne Nussbaum
Schulz Barbara...Todd Selfert
Scott Anderson ... Sara Bennett
Mark Button ... Tracel Carl
Matt Doyle ... Anne Felstet
Gerry Fey ... Christoph Fuhmans
Douglas Heame ... Kent Hohlfeld
Brian James ... Liz Klinger
Shan Schwartz ... David Shawner
Kathieen Stelle ... Carlos Tejada
Chesley Dohl ... JL Watson
Photographers
Graphics Artists
Bougfords John Paul Fogel Stacy Feldman Will Levine
Stewart McMurphy Artist
Dave Campbell James Frederick
Micah Lanker Dan Behauser
Valorie Bontrager ... Julia Clarke
John Gamble ... Doug Hesse
Paul Kotz ... Melissa Lacey
Tom Leininger ... Holly McQueen
Marcus Johnson
AMY CASEY Business manager
AMYSTUMBO Retail sales manager
JEANNE HINES
Sales and marketing adviser
PAT ROYLE
Buisness coordinator
BILL THOMAS
Production
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 McConnell
Creative director Brian Punco
Classified manager Janice Davis
Independent manger Jennifer Nunez
Tearheads manager Jacquelyn杨
Retail assistant Trielle Bumpus
Creative assistant (photographer) Andrew Amone
Zone Managers
John Carlton ... Jason Eberly
Justin Garberg ... Josh Hahn
... Robin Kring
Retail Account Executives
Mindy Blum ... Chris Bulgren
Chris Butler ... Kelly Caffrey
Jennifer Carr ... Jenni Goerke
Laura Guth ... Jill Hogan
Allison Kaplan ... Jason Kort
Syanda Kunto ... Mark Mastro
Chris Morrissey ... Frank Muller
Paula Getrowald ... Heather Richetto
Jenny Schwab ... Andrew Shriver
Dave Smith ... Stacey Stricklin
Campus Account Executives
Kerl Klimmal ... Beth Pole
Shannon Reilly ... Troy Tarwater
... Jeanne Toohey
Regional Account Executive
Alex Kolb ... Frederick Jewsome
Brian Platt ... Paulus Probomo
Interns
Shelley Palevits ... Bradley Feinberg
Dean Houind ... Lyna Hul
... Matt Spett
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