One plane takes off with all of the administrators of a K-12 school or university. Another plane leaves with all of the secretaries and technicians. In which case does the school come to a stop? And in which case does the school run even better? Okay, you are smiling. You know the answers.

It is easy to slip into bureaucratic arrogance and assign a value to staff according to their pay. This can lead us into ignoring their presence and dismissing their contributions. Some even consider staff to be nearly irrelevant to their institution. Custodians, secretaries and even teachers are easily replaced. Unfortunately, we have this operational relationship backwards; it is the skilled worker who is often critical and the boss who is replaceable.

No one would dispute that a surgeon holds a critical responsibility at a hospital. But it takes skilled nurses to prepare and hand the surgeon the proper equipment. Backup equipment, from monitors to oxygen supplies, have to be maintained and kept accurate by a technician. Custodians must thoroughly disinfect the operating room to prevent infections. And the hospital administrator is there to coordinate these services and make sure all staff have the supplies to do their jobs. So yes, institutions need good administrators.

When an electrical device goes out in a hospital, a whole chain of command may gather around to assess the problem. But it is the electrical technician, not the hospital administrator or surgeon, who is the expert-of-the-moment and the only one in that group to be listened to.
Janitors are also important. I was a janitor twice in my life. As a high school senior, I spent three hours after school each day cleaning the rooms in an elementary school next door. As a student, I showed teachers the vomit absorbent in the janitor closet and how to use it. Students can’t learn and teachers can’t teach when the odor of vomit fills a room.

Decades later, after completing my doctorate and beginning my search for a job in academia, I was again a daytime janitor for a short time. I was selected because I could slip in and out of formal meetings to clean up spills without disturbing the decorum of the moment. I arrived one mid-morning to have the front secretary hand me a plumbers helper and urgently point upward: “Women’s bathroom. Third floor!” This was a floor I normally did not work. On my way up, every secretary awaited my arrival and frantically pointed the way. An overcrowded party the previous night had, shall we say, clogged the system. I was, without doubt, the man of the hour, outranking even the executive director.

In 2000, I took a photo of a Shanghai high school on the one day each month when students stopped classes and all participated in mopping floors and washing school windows. It taught group responsibility to students: “we all made this mess; we all clean it up.” Today’s Chinese schools have changed. They have hired staff to “clean it up.” Now, their students are more cavalier about their trash. And more are prone to look down on what they perceive to be a lower class in a formerly class-less society. –Just like us.

Unfortunately, our supposedly class-less society remains loaded with class prejudice. There are administrators and even teachers and professors who do not know the name of their custodians and support staff. They may even rant about an overlooked smudge although their school facility is kept cleaner than the complainants’ homes.

Whether in schools or hospitals or our daily life, we are all working through this life together. Being paid more does not make a person a better human. Nor does education give us a right to treat others worse. They fix our cars. Plumb our houses. Remove our garbage. Clean our schools and houses.

If they are within our homes, our workplaces, our lives, they deserve to be known by name.

And they deserve our respect and our thanks.

Using a cheerleading theme during the October Membership Lunch, we at the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce shared our reasons as to how we aid our local community.

Just like the cheerleaders rooting the home team on the sidelines, we are often behind the scenes supporting various community ventures, encouraging businesses and celebrating area successes.

As “community cheerleaders,” we are in the business of building enthusiasm, creating energy and sharing community spirit.

Our community has much to cheer about. The momentum of being named finalist for National Chamber of the Year helped kick off our year, and we have been jumping ever since.

Our mission is to work for the business prosperity of Hays and its neighbors. We do this in three primary manners: by connecting business, creating commerce and offering opportunities.
We continue to strengthen the “town and gown” ties with Fort Hays State University by partnering with TailGreat and serving on the Selection Committee, as well as the Inauguration Planning Committee for President Mirta Martin. We are excited to build upon this relationship by working towards ways to strengthen student mentor and internship programs.

Our advocacy efforts remain strong as we balance representing members’ voices with educational efforts, through forums and Eggs & Issues. We strongly believe in the power of information, empowering those who cannot attend events with our various communication tools.

This year, we offered two new events with our Healthcare Reception, showing appreciation to those working within the medical industry, as well as our Hays Area Konza Club, to continue serving our Leadership Hays alumni.

One of our most winning benefits continues to be our professional development along with business exposure, many times going hand-in-hand. Our Leadership Hays program, and the Konza Club for alumni, as well as our team.

of Ambassadors and Hays Area Young Professionals allow opportunity for many professionals to get involved, network with peers and gain stronger knowledge all while promoting their own place of employment.

On behalf of the Chamber staff and board of directors, please know that your Chamber is committing much time and energy to help you prosper. We have our members’ best interest in mind with every decision we make and what impact that decision can have on the businesses to help the community thrive and grow.

Tammy Wellbrock is executive director of the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.

Eliminate meat from my diet?

No way. Just the thought of it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Be honest, have you ever thrown a couple of pounds of linguine on the grill and watched it cook while you sipped a fine burgundy or single-malt scotch?

Don’t get me wrong, I love vegetables. I eat them with every meal, however I consider them a side dish – essential but for me the main course is meat, whether it is beef, pork, lamb or chicken. I love fresh fish too.

When it comes to eating, the truth is, nothing compares to the smell, sound and taste of a steak sizzling over an open fire.

Kansas City Strip. T-Bone. Porterhouse. Rib Eye.

Thick. Juicy. Delicious.

Fist-sized pork chops aren’t bad either. And don’t forget a grilled leg of lamb. Superb dining.

Unfortunately, a widespread general consensus on red meat can be summed up in two words, “Eat less.” This has triggered a decline in the consumption of red meat and a drop in income for livestock producers.

Meatless Monday is an international campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays to improve their health and that of our planet. It was founded in 2003 by marketing professional Sid Lerner.

When it comes to making decisions about the food I eat, I prefer to consider the findings of someone who has conducted scientific research on what makes a healthy diet. The question here becomes whether the concerns about red meat are scientifically sound.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests eating two to three servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts each day. The key is to choose lean cuts of meat and trim the fat from the meat before or after cooking.

No matter how you cut it, all lean meats are high in nutritional quality. Beef, pork and lamb have been recognized as healthy sources of top quality protein, as well as thiamin, pantothenic acid, niacin and vitamins B-6 and B-12.

Red meats are also excellent sources of iron, copper, zinc and manganese – minerals not easily obtained in sufficient amounts in diets without meats, according to food guidelines by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Lean meats eaten in moderation as part of a varied diet, including lots of fruits and vegetables, are not only healthy but also essential. Just as important, beef-steak, pork roast and lamb chops taste good.

Fire up the grill. Writing this column has made me hungry.

John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.

Deciding who gets Grandma’s pie plate or Dad’s collection of fishing gear may seem minor and easy as family decisions go. In reality, decisions about personal belongings can be extremely difficult and become major challenges for families to face.

These belongings may or may not have financial value, but they often have a great deal of sentimental or emotional value. Decisions about personal property involve dealing with the emotions connected to objects accumulated over a lifetime or across generations. It is often the emotional value attached to personal belongings that makes talking about them so challenging.

Paring down and transferring personal property is inevitable when owners move or die. While many people have a will or estate plan to deal with their titled property, few people plan ahead regarding what should happen to the items in their household.

Personal belongings such as holiday decorations, jewelry, stamp collections, furniture, photo albums, quilts or sports equipment are referred to as non-titled property. This means there is no legal document (such as a title) to indicate who officially owns the item.

Decisions about non-titled property are not often made during ideal circumstances. Frequently these decisions are made in times of transition, such as remarriage or down-sizing, or during a family crisis such as when a death has occurred or when an elderly family member is moving to a health care facility.            Decision-making becomes more challenging and sensitive when family members are in the process of grieving a death, selling the home they grew up in, and/or facing the increasing dependence of an elder. While not easy, decisions about the transfer of personal property can be a time to reminisce, share memories or work through the grieving process together.

There is no magic formula or solution available for transferring personal property because each family and their possessions are different. However, the Extension program “Who Get’s Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate?” suggests that there are some factors for every family to consider whether planning for the transfer an individual’s own personal property or working together to plan the transfer of items belonging to a family member. Critical factors to consider at this time are to:

* Understand the sensitivity of the issue for both owner and heirs.

* Determine what you want to accomplish in the transfer process.

* Decide what is “fair” in your family.

* Recognize that belongings have different meanings for different people.

* Explore distribution options and consequences.

* Agree to manage conflicts if they arise.

Property owners have the legal right to decide when and how to transfer their non-titled property. When decisions are made prior to death, it allows the owner to consider the wishes of recipients and watch family members enjoy the items. Special memories and family stories may be shared with the recipients at the time the item is given.

When decisions must be made after a death, they may not accurately reflect the wishes of the owner. Additionally, very often more than one person wants, feels entitled to, or feels they have been promised the same item.

Decisions about the transfer of personal property are often frustrating because of different values and perceptions of what is “fair.” For some families, this can create real conflict. Disputes over inheritance may be the “last straw” that causes siblings to break off relationships with each other.

Transferring non-titled personal property, such as Grandma’s yellow pie plate and Uncle Harry’s gold watch, will take time as well as physical and emotional energy. Making these kinds of decisions is never easy. There are sure to be different assumptions, questions, and opinions on how the process should be handled. The holiday season may be a good time to begin conversations about family belongings. More communication among the people involved will make arrangements smoother with less conflict.

For more information about the Extension program “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate?” or to schedule a presentation for your group of club, contact the Ellis County Extension Office at 785-628-9430.

Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I’d write something a bit different today, in lieu of the usual book review. Each of us can find much for which to be grateful, and this is the time of year to remember those things. I’ve shared some of my own personal moments of gratitude, along with a few resources that may help you as you make your own list.

I am thankful for my ability to run. Many people are blessed with this ability; however, there are many who are not. Without regular running, I become less happy and more stressed. As I take every step, I count myself lucky to be outside, on my own two feet. (Learn more with “Build Your Running Body.”)

I am infinitely grateful to be mother to a super-sweet daughter. Being a parent comes with its own trials, as well as its own blessings. I’m so thankful that I get to teach her so many things, and also that I learn so much from her on a daily basis. (Want a few tips for your own kiddos? Try “Toddler Rules.”)

I am thankful for our two cats, and also the 10 years I spent with our dog and our calico cat, both of whom died this year. Sometimes it can be difficult to look past that last sadness, but remembering so many fun walks along the creek and running in the backyard brings forth so much joy. (If you are coping with the loss of a pet, check out “Going Home.”)

I am grateful for my (mostly) stable family. In spite of occasional sibling spats and some chaotic commotion, we all still love each other and work together to have a wonderful holiday season and a wonderful year. (If you’d like to read about a fictional family who may be more dysfunctional than your own, try “Sharp Objects.”)

Finally, I am ever so thankful for the world we live in. While there is much darkness, there is even more light to be found. (Get a new perspective with “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth.”)

As we enter the holiday season and the year draws to a close, I hope you find more light than darkness — and if you need some help finding that light, we at the Hays Public Library can help. Thank you!

The school board in Montgomery County, Maryland ignited a national debate earlier this month by voting to eliminate the names of Christian and Jewish religious holidays on the school calendar — while still planning to close schools on those days.

The board’s action was in response to the local Muslim community’s longstanding request to add at least one Muslim holiday to the list of days when the district’s schools would close.

Not surprisingly, the “compromise” — closing on Christian and Jewish holidays, but labeling these days something else — is having the unfortunate effect of making people on all sides mad.

Many Christians and Jews aren’t happy to see all recognition of their traditions removed from the calendar. And Muslims aren’t satisfied because they still want one of their holy days to be a school holiday.

In other words, the school board achieved little by scrubbing the calendar of religious references. Yom Kippur, Christmas, Passover and Good Friday are still Yom Kippur, Christmas, Passover and Good Friday by any other name. And Muslims continue to feel ignored.

In fairness to school boards facing this issue, there’s no solution that will satisfy everyone. And that’s because “everyone” now includes people of a growing variety of faiths and beliefs in every region of the country. As religious diversity expands, so will the school calendar dilemma.

The starting point for deciding if and when public schools should close on a religious holiday is the First Amendment. Under the Establishment clause, schools may not close for religious reasons or to accommodate the religious requirements of any faith.

Public schools may only add a religious holiday as a “day off” if, and only if, there is a legitimate secular purpose for doing so — a purpose that is consistent with the educational mission of public schools.

The most obvious secular reason for shutting schools on a religious holiday is absenteeism. If a large number of students and teachers aren’t in school, the district can probably justify adding that day to the list of days when schools are closed.

What constitutes a “large number,” of course, is a matter of some debate in Montgomery County and in many other school districts. Because schools don’t ask students about religious affiliation (and they shouldn’t), numbers are hard to come by. The only solid evidence would be a history of high absenteeism on holy days that makes the case for closing schools.

At least one New Jersey school district is currently using 15% or higher of anticipated student absences on a particular day as the threshold for considering whether to add a religious holiday to the list of days the schools will close. It’s hard to draw a bright line absent more direction from the courts, but 15% or higher is likely pass constitutional muster.

But for many minority religious communities, focusing solely on numbers seems a bit unfair. After all, Christians — and in many districts Jews — have long been accommodated usually without much gathering of data or counting of heads.

Christian holidays, of course, were baked into the school calendar from the founding of public schools — including Sunday, a day of worship for most Christian groups. More recently, Jewish holidays have made the list for school closings, especially in communities with significant Jewish populations.

But in America today, expanding religious diversity makes it impractical to keep adding religious holidays to the school calendar without strong evidence that classes can’t function well on those days. And even with such evidence, schools can’t keep adding days off without seriously undermining their educational mission.

All public schools can, however, accommodate students of all faiths by having a clear policy allowing every student a reasonable number of excused absences for religious observance — without penalty. And schools can level the playing somewhat by trying to avoid scheduling major tests and events on religious holidays that are celebrated widely in their community.

There is no do-over when it comes to some aspects of our history. Christmas Day, for example, is now a national — and therefore secular — holiday. And Sunday may be designated at a secular “day of rest” by government, according to the Supreme Court.

That’s all the more reason for local public school officials to do what they can to meet the religious needs and requirements of religious minorities in their communities.

Schools can’t close for every religious holy day, but they can find ways to make sure that students of all faiths and none are treated with fairness and respect.

Charles C. Haynes is director of the Religious Freedom Center of the Washington-based Newseum Institute. [email protected]

The current immigration hissy fit reminds me of two seventh-grade boys arguing, red-faced, nose-to-nose over some dispute on a ball field. I taught seventh-graders once. Their level of maturity was actually greater than what we are seeing in the Halls of Congress. Similar to kids on a ball field, politicians on both sides are taking a short view, arguing about the immediate moment and failing to look way down the road. This petty gridlock of the past decade threatens to become perpetual gridlock unless we make a major change in our system or our representatives.

No one is looking at any possible long-term actions that could be taken. One might be to set a long-term target: perhaps in 50 years, all individuals could cross borders with virtually no restrictions, similar to the European Union. If a country started from allowing none, entry level would increase two percent a year until at the end of the 50 years there was total free flow. Visa policies and income-leveling would allow for reasoned and gradual adjustment in citizenship requirements. This looks far down the road, far beyond the time our politicians are in office.

Another advancement the U.S. will never have is high-speed electric trains. France, China and Japan long ago took the long view and made the commitment to build a successful system that is paying back over 30 years. We are unwilling to look beyond a few year’s investment return, just as our politicians cannot look beyond the next election cycle.

The distinguished conservative diplomat George Kennan—who kept the Cold War from becoming a hot war—described the problem bluntly. Under our two-party system and short election cycles, politicians were forced into “vulgarity.” By this he meant that more-and-more, elected officials had to do what appealed to the masses in order to be re-elected.

Kennan clearly saw that the United States was a republic, not a pure democracy.  Many great acts, such as Eisenhower’s interstate system, were funded and built by votes of intelligent representatives who could take that long view when their constituencies could not. Some southern senators voted for the Civil Rights Act even though they knew the majority of their citizens opposed it. With fewer media networks and news cycles, they could survive. Now politicians focus on garnering votes with various constituencies rather than providing long-term legislation.

Every winning party declares that “the people have spoken” after every election. But the majority of people did not speak at all—they stayed away from the polls. America has an abysmal election turnout. No party can ever claim to speak for the majority. At best, they are a majority of the minority.

But anyone who thinks that everyone who voted Republican is of one mind ignores the major split between Tea Party and moderate Republicans. And the same can be said between the liberal wing and moderates of the Democrat Party.

With another 2.5 billion people on earth by 2050, we cannot live and consume resources at our current rate. Our policies on food supply, banking, travel, housing, and immigration will have to be altered dramatically and intelligently.

George Kennan advocated for professionalism in politics. We need statesmen of proven ability and judgement who can avoid the whims and pressures of public opinion and the “vulgar” requirements of seeking and maintaining elected office. Kennan felt that liberty “possessed a value only in a well-ordered society. Otherwise, it degenerated into license.”

Yes, our election cycle is too short to solve long-term problems. And our two-party system reduces every complex problem into simple-minded polarized alternatives.

Kennan realized that if he publicly discussed these shortcomings of our democratic system during the Cold War, he would be charged with supporting tyranny. With gridlock now the order of the day, and no Cold War afoot, it is perhaps time to question the two-party system and begin sending representatives into government who take the long view, and worry less about being re-elected.

A couple years ago after catching my last bobcat of the trapping season, I laid it on the pickup tailgate and marveled at the magnificent creature it was.

First the eyes, eyes that could probably spot a scurrying mouse at 100 yards. Then the ears, each tipped with a tiny tuft of fur, they’re wondrous little organs that would probably have heard the same mouse even farther away. I stroked its plush fur and wondered aloud how its creamy-white spotted belly could be so beautiful. I took one of its paws in my hand, paws that seemed much too big for its lanky body.

I cradled the paw upside down in my palm, and with my thumb pressed down on the underside of one toe. Out came a curved, talon-shaped claw sharp as a fishhook. When I released the toe it immediately covered itself again with a sheath of skin as if it was not even there. “How does this all work?” I wondered.

This week’s column is a bit of a departure from my norm. I’m going to make a rather bold statement here, but stick with me… I believe in evolution. Yes, you read correctly, I believe in evolution…  I believe in evolution as a process by which all wildlife adapts over years, generations or decades to changes in their environment, but I refuse to believe in anything other than God’s Creation as the vehicle by which the creature that lay on the pickup gate before me came to exist!

No matter how mundane or uneventful an outdoor adventure seems, I absolutely never leave nature’s presence without being fascinated by something. Maybe it just doesn’t take much to fascinate me anymore, but my wonderment with Creation starts pretty simply.

For example, how does putting a kernel of corn into this stuff we call “soil” with a little water and sunshine cause a plant to grow? And furthermore, how does that seed know to grow a stalk of corn and not a soybean plant, a pigweed or a maple tree for that matter? And then there’s the part where it produces a big ol’ cob full of the exact seeds we started with, covered by several layers of heavy leaves to protect those seed till they ripen. Or how about the vibrant colors around a rooster pheasants face, the shimmering green of a mallard drakes head, the stunning red hues of a male cardinals body or even the amazing palate of colors found on a pesky peacocks tail?

Then inversely, how do all the females of those same species end up totally dull and drab so they blend in with their surroundings as they sit on a nest filled with peculiar looking vessels called “eggs” that will hatch, and just like the corn plant, produce young that are exactly like their parents?

How do geese navigate to spots hundreds or even thousands of miles away, and yet find their way back home to nest? How do salmon end up where they were hatched to lay eggs of their own, which – you guessed it – will hatch into little salmon looking just like mom and dad. How do ducklings know how to swim when they are barely dry after hatching and how do hoards of baby turtles know to head straight for the ocean mere minutes after digging themselves free from their sand covered nests?

I’ve barely scratched the surface here, but I’ll tell you how I believe this all happens; it’s all Divinely designed to happen that way! Oh I’ve heard all the other explanations; how we began as monkeys and “evolved” into humans. I have no doubt our ancestors looked nothing like us, (some people I still wonder about today) but trust me, we still began as humans. Then there’s the theory that life began as some sort of “stew” or “soup” and over a gazillion years “just happened” to develop into all we see today.

As my wife would say, “It takes way more faith to believe that than it does to believe in Creation.”

Anyway, I’ve ranted enough for now, but the bottom line is that I believe deeply in evolution as the process by which all life adapts to its changing surroundings, but I believe deeply that all nature was created by God for us to enjoy and manage, and the day I stop believing that way, I’ll sell all my traps, fishing rods and guns and take up knitting, because I won’t deserve to Explore Kansas Outdoors anymore!

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].