OPINION
Coming Friday, November 16..
McLeod: The conflict and pain of having a loved one serving in Iraq.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievance THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM THURSDAY NOVEMBER 15,2007
Petterson: Technological disadvantages hamper educational opportunities in developing countries.
I LOVE EVERYBODY
SUA events should have broader appeal
Booking acts that have a narrow audience leaves some students wondering what they paid for
You know, last time I checked, when somebody pays for something, it is not unreasonable for that person to expect to receive something useful in return. Which is why I have been so confused recently about the actions of Student Union Activities.
You see, when we pay our student fees and a fraction of that goes to them, we are contracting them to use that money to do things that should be able to please as many of the students at this school as possible. Yet for some reason, they are unable to comprehend this and have repeatedly used it to bring entirely too esoteric events to our school.
I am not some tight-panted, fancy-haired sissy, and neither are the majority of KU's red-blooded good oil' boys. And as a result, I am not interested in listening to the music of those people, live or otherwise. So why is SUA using our money to bring artists like Spoon and Bright Eyes to perform? I don't want to listen to any artist named after a utensil. Except for Foghat. They freakin' rule. If SUA wants to entertain those people, why don't they just have weekly "Donnie Darko" screenings? That should keep them satisfied.
The following are a few suggestions:
No, instead SUA should be using the students' funds to fund entertainment the majority of us would be likely to enjoy.
A demolition derby. Vastly preferable to hearing some ennui-soaked post-adolescents that refuse to grow up croon about their pain for an hour, this would cause some real, tangible and long-lasting pain to a select few of the area's finest, as they incur whip-lash and other accident-related injuries while attempting to ruin the other drivers' rides. Yes, there is the derby at the county fair, but that is only once a year. And that is not nearly enough for our needs.
Professional wrestling. Professional wrestling is one of the most popular American forms of entertainment. How can SUA deny the importance of a commodity that Donald Trump has taken a stake in by purchasing it? He is a shrewd man that knows quality when he sees it. And we would do well to emulate this man's entertainment acumen.
Monster trucks. This may seem a bit like the first proposal in the motorized mayhem, but frankly they are independent art forms, though their similarities do allow a near magical compatibility. On another note, nostalgia has reigned in our culture recently in TV shows and movies. And who doesn't remember watching monster truck legends like Bigfoot and Gravedigger on an early morning Count Chocula fueled rowdy couch jumping festival of youth?
These are just a few of the things the SUA could do to improve their event calendars. Although anything would be preferable to the whiners they keep bringing now.
White is a Colorado Springs,
Colo., junior in journalism.
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For the person who pulled the fire alarm for the Psych 104 test today; Thanks. No, actually, you really wasted our time.
I heard Sherron Collins is going to be replaced by Aqib Talib.
Ooh, I like the way your monkey thinks.
I am Beowulf.
EDITORIAL BOARD
I just thought I should let you know that Chuck Nurris is suing "Law & Order," claiming that those are the trademark names of his left and right leg. (Editor's Note: Please, no. Lets not start this again.)
Studies show that over 400,000 people live in RVs. If this is true, then how do these people get their mail?
Did everybody on campus know that we're 10-0 in football? I had
no clue until I heard White Owl say it, like, 100 times on Wescoe beach today
My friend just got paid to make out with a guy for three hours.
Does that make her a whore?
I thought the girl with triangle breasts was weird, then I saw the guy with the hexagonal ass.
Is it weird that my friend went up to a room to check on a mold problem and came back with hickies?
Why does my biology TA have to be so dang hot?
Happy birthday, grizzly bear, even though you don't deserve it.
Kansas, keeping America safe from Missouri since 1854.
The UCLA Bruins play on a wooden court.
A standardized exit exam is unreasonable
Graduation assessments could provide valuable insight, but must be tailored to different academic disciplines
On Oct. 29, the University Senate announced the pos-
ent things for different purposes, requiring different tests for different concentrations. How to issue these tests will be part of the work and research that the elected task force will conduct and complete.
Tests would provide the University with the answer of whether graduates are prepared to venture out into the workforce and adulthood.
sibility of learner outcome assessments as a requirement for future graduates. The Senate elected a task force that will conduct research regarding the variety of learner outcome programs.
The research will last until the task force will make their recommendation back to the University Senate in December 2008. Learner outcome assessments would require outgoing students to complete either an interview or test that would provide information regarding the skills that have been developed as undergraduates.
However, for this test to be beneficial to all those involved, it needs to be done correctly. In order to give all students a fair assessment, no one test should be issued to every undergraduate and different majors should entail different outcome assessments.
For example, it seems unreasonable that an engineering major and a history major should be expected to take the same test, given that their courses are different. They each learn differ-
Not only could the tests be beneficial to the University on assessing students knowledge and skills developed, they could also provide faculty and staff with a way to assess their own methods. Our skills development directly correlates to the information we are receiving.
Upon exit assessment, if a student does not fit the profile of a capable adult, according the University, along with the
student and their studying habits, perhaps one will begin to look to other areas that might need improvement to help future students reach that profile. We as students will succeed to the standard in which we set for ourselves. However without the tools and the resources to reach those standards, our success could be halted.
The possibility of such tests is still years off, but beginning the process now, which is in part practiced by various departments, allows the University that much more of an advantage in perfecting the process.
DRAWING BOARD
MAX BINKE
BURRITO-MADE EPIPHANIES
A conversation with White Owl provokes thought The Wescoe Beach mainstay offers advice to everyone on living and self-actualization
We sit. We laugh. We look jovial. We share a quiet moment. He tears up a bit. I do as well. "I'm one-third this man's age," I think to myself. "Yet he's livelier than I am."
People pass, and give us strange looks. We continue to talk; his voice makes everything he says sound quote-worthy. More people pass. Some roll their eyes, while others smile at the man whose beard rivals that of Santa Claus and whose wardrobe makes one feel pity toward those who are color blind. He just takes it all in stride and keeps coming back to the message of the Little Engine That
Could—I think I can, I think I can. I call him a societal transistor; he seems to like that.
I'm speaking with White Owl, or Jimmy Neil Tucker, or Saul (as he's known in Kansas City). Whatever you call him, it doesn't matter. It still is him.
I consider White Owl a societal transistor. You may see White Owl and strike up a conversation with a stranger about him. He makes people meet other people just by existing. He makes connections; there's something important to that.
We spoke for two hours, shifting from place to place as buildings and rooms closed. This man is no jive turkey. He's seen a lot. A previous student at KU and a Vietnam War veteran, he now does research on Agent Orange for a book he's writing, in-between going to classes for free as an elderly person. Most individuals know White Owl as the man who hangs out on Wescoe Beach yelling, "Wake Up!"
"I hope I create that in people; the ability to think for themselves, not for me. I am not a leader. I am just a messenger to wake them up. That's what my wake up is about," White Owl said.
I had always thought it was to get people in motion to go to class; I seemed to have this man all wrong.
Contrary to what some students believe, he's not homeless. He's well read, well versed in biblical texts, he's not a pusher of drugs or ideals and he loves those who dislike him.
"I don't care what they believe. I just want them to believe in themselves," White Owl said.
He's a staple of the University as much as say the Campanile. He represents what higher education is supposed to be about: thinking, learning, acceptance and ideas that stretch outside of the box.
He told me several stories, ranging from beating prostate and brain cancer with frankincense, myrhr and prayer, to Russian double agents threatening his life, to attaining doctoral degrees in music at Oxford—whether the stories are apocryphal or true is not what matters. What matters is the message he sent me. I left my meeting with this man feeling sure that I could do anything I damn well pleased.
I felt inspired.
Here's a class of 2009 gift idea: a statue of White Owl on Wescoe Beach with this quote from White Owl etched below: "It's not about me, because then where's the hope if I'm gone? Find it in yourself, realize that you have more power than you ever knew."
Stewart is a Wichita junior in journalism.
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