NSAN
2007
OPINION
Coming Thursday, November 15...
Stewart: A conversation with White Owl offers insight on leading a more fulfilling life.
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
White: Student Union Activities should spend fees on events with wider appeal.
WWW.KANSAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14.2007
EDITORIAL BOARD
PAGE 9A
Sports ticket pick-up turns chaotic
Retrieval of football and basketball tickets soured by long lines, bribes, overlapping dates
The evidence that the Nov.24 football game between Kansas and
between Kansas and Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium will be one for the record books was winding around Allen Fieldhouse Monday. Students sacrificed time and sleep to get prime seats. In hindsight, procedures for ticket dispensation and student seating could have been better thought out.
The first day of ticket pick-up for the football game coincided with the second round of ticket pick-up for men's basketball. Two windows handled the football crowd while the other two did篮球 tickets. This resulted in more traffic and confusion than there would have been if only one program's tickets had been given out Monday.
Had pick-up been scheduled
separately, all windows could have been open for one sport, increasing efficiency. Basketball pick-up should have taken place, say, the latter part of last week.
Standing in line to pick up football tickets meant that many students were unable to attend class Monday. Seeing as the primary objective of going to Kansas is, ideally, to gain a college education, it seems ridiculous to make students choose between class and football by scheduling pick-up on a weekday.
The most unbelievable aspect of Monday's ticket pick-up was the prevalence of bribes—people paying other students to wait in line and get their tickets for them.
Bribery is at the very least
distasteful. Those offering the bribes came off as lazy people who can't be bothered to make sacrifices, while those taking the bribes were basically selling themselves out, as well as the people behind them in line.
Getting good student seats at a KU sporting event should not be based on how much cash someone is willing to fork over. We all pay the same flat fee for auspiciously the same quality of tickets.
The pick-up system for this game, however, invites such behavior by having students line up for the tickets.
The most reasonable solution would be to include the actual ticket in the student sports pack. Students could arrive at Arrowhead to line up for seats
at a reasonable time before the game, and fill in a designated student section accordingly. This works for student seating at home games.
Designating a solid bloc of the stadium for student seating would be a better alternative than having a small section of seating at one endzone with the rest scattered throughout the rest of the stadium. Not only would students have better seats in general, but a consolidated student section would add to the experience of the game.
Should the Jayhawks advance, the Athletics Department is generously giving students free tickets to the Big 12 championship. Hopefully ticket pick-up for that event will go smoother, and a true student section will be fleshed out.
DRAWING BOARD
BURGERTIMES
MAX RINKE
YouTube star provides valuable social commentary Shaye Saint John's videos examine the materialism and self-absorption of modern life
I was reluctant to become a member of YouTube. I am not usually one to relent-
I not usually one to relentlessly sample videos online, and I thought membership would somehow signify this stereotype. Amongst the numerous things that can be found on the Internet, some can be especially funny, poignant or satisfying. When I first saw Shaye Saint John, my experience was none of these things, but that is precisely what provoked me to sign up.
Of the countless series of mini episodes that can be online, it is safe to say Shaye is unlike the rest. Viewers are confronted with a woman who sounds like she's been force-fed helium,
comes off as an airhead and is conspicuously draped in linen. She is sometimes seen in a wheelchair, though not appearing to have any mobile difficulties, and usually involves Kiki, her burnt doll and friend, in her exploits.
One of the first segments I saw was a black and white documentation of Shaye undergoing "wire therapy." This video and others like "Skin Tape" indicate an accident or trauma Shaye has experienced, resulting in her numerous conditions, which she is quite honest about.
Her speech is also telling of her character. It hints at an attention disorder, as she frequently inserts superficial, thoughtless phrases into her dialogue with the viewer and others.
In another video, Shaye is invited to a party and wants to tan before going, but burns her face because Kiki, who has never been known to speak, fails to re; mind how long she has been
under the heat lamp.
NOT SO ANGELIC
Although a self-proclaimed entertainer, model, singer and actor, most of the particulars of Shaye remain a mystery. She has four prosthetic limbs, dons an array of wigs and wears a mask concealing most of her face. Aside from being disturbing (it most certainly is), her appearance can be seen as another expression of what some claim to be a critique on materialism and contemporary culture.
As a prime example, in the segments "24/7" and "Tubing." Shaye is at the computer, obsessively involved in trivial online comments and self-absorbed in promoting herself online. Sound familiar? That might be the most unsettling part of it all.
critique I mentioned or rather are just the next installment in viral online videos, I am not sure.
I looked at some online comments myself, and found that Shaye has been received in a variety of ways. Some found her funny, others were horrified and there were also some full-fledged fans. Whether the variety of comments stem from the
She has a Web site, a MySpace and a LiveJournal.
Muselmann is a Tulsa, Okla.
junior in journalism.
Shave Saint John is namely the work of Eric Fournier. Regarded as performance art, a psycho-thriller, dark, twisted and containing undertones that speak to criminal insanity, none of the films have an ending, but still seem to tell a story. The Triggers Compilation provides a meaningful, albeit cryptic lens through which to understand sensationalism and superficiality in America, and sort of feels like one's psyche is picked over with a dentist's tool; jarring, painful process of removing a plaque to make what has been there all along feel foreign, distinct and sore.
Explore culture beyond the bars
Lawrence and Kansas City offer unique opportunities to experience homegrown art, music and theatre
ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON
With work,classes, homework and trying to get the occasional few hours of sleep, that rare free time we as students are allotted should not be taken for granted. That is assuming of course that we are all responsible with our time and studious enough, to the point that procrastination never found its way into our vocabulary and free time is rare.
As we get older our tastes change in music, food and how we spend our time. They go from Barbie Dolls and G. I. Joes to beer and textbooks. As much as we all justify our late nights out as a reward for a week spent working hard and studying, every once in a while it's nice to put the shot glasses aside and experience the other things Lawrence and surrounding cities have to offer on the weekends.
Whatever your taste in music, the various bars and venues around Lawrence provide a diverse scene where your chances of finding an artist or group that fits your preferences are high. The Bottleneck and The Granada host various local and mainstream artists. But also in Lawrence, you are able to experience the other end of the music spectrum if you so please.
The Lied Center's event calendar always contains some form of music, be it the upcoming opera or symphonic band. I myself went to my first opera at the Lawrence Arts Center a few weeks ago. Honestly, it wasn't the best two and a half hours spent on a Friday night, but it's good to experience different genres of music.
If you're just looking for some good grub, there are more than 150 restaurants or fast food places around town. Massachusetts Street contains a wide array of eateries, with five new restaurants added since the summer. From Greek and Latin American to Southern and Thai, something is bound to wet your palate. Instead of the typical Pita
A couple months ago, USA Today did a feature on Kansas City's Power and Light District. Within a nine-block radius, restaurants, shopping and entertainment venues are being developed. The recently completed Sprint Center is also in this area. The first restaurant opened recently.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which recently underwent a $200 million expansion, hosted the Kansas City Symphony, which I attended this past weekend. It was better than the opera, might I add, and I even knew one of the songs. Granted, only because it was from "Father of the Bride." I was still excited to hear something familiar. I even appreciated my art history class for the first time, when we walked around the museum and I recognized pieces and various artists.
I'm sure this sounds like a visitors' guide or an excerpt from The Pitch, but I promise you it's not. With our busy schedules and desires to put the work week behind us, sometimes we all take for granted the finer things in life. Whether they be art, music, food, family, friends or even yourself.
When was the last time you were walking around campus and looked around and appreciated the colors and natural beauty that the fall leaves bring? As we are expanding our minds, we must not to forget to do those things that are just good for the soul.
If art or history's your thing, instead of waiting in line at the Underground then looking for a table for 20 minutes, grab an early lunch and instead take your break at the Spencer Museum of Art or Dyche Hall. Attend a lecture around campus or go swim at Robinson instead of your usual two-mile run at the rec. As important as all of our papers and tests, or for some, football games and beer are, don't take for granted the many things there are to experience and possibly become a part of in and around Lawrence and Kansas City during your time here at KU.
McNaughton is a *Prioka* junior in journalism.
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I just got my KU-MU tickets, and I get to go see the game because I cut in front of everyone in the line and got my ticket early.
Dear guy in line with 110 IDs at today's KU vs. MU ticket pickup, I hate you. Sincerely, everyone behind you.
So when the Athletics
So when the Athletics Department says, "Ten student ID limit," how can 190 people give one person an ID? That is so not fair to everyone else.
Why did I just camp all night so that I could be on the upper deck of Arrowhead? I don't get it.
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