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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 4
THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014
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opinion
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
Imagine a couch in a men's bathroom... Just imagine it... I hope you learned something.
Text your FFA submissions to (785)289-8351 or at kansan.com
Guys, the buses will have special messages next week!!
Thanks to the girls behind me in the computer lab, I now have Girls Just Want to Have Fun stuck in my head.
There should be a shuttle called the struggle bus that goes from the Lied Center parking lot to Daisy Hill.
Housing may stop us once, but not twice! Pearson Deck Pool is back!!
Walking to class late and I see my teacher walking, in no apparent rush, in front of me. Students are apparently not the only ones with end-of-the-year- itis.
I feel a strange, unexplainable connection to the person that eats the other half of my grapefruit at Mrs. E's.
RIP Rieger Beach May 4, 2014-May 6, 2014. Pool may no longer be cold but the babes are still hot.
If you walk on the left side of the sidewalk and continually run into people, chances are I hate you.
I appealed a parking ticket almost three weeks ago and I still don't know anything about it. So signing up for classes is going to be great.
Put me in the FFA!
I'M GRADUATING, BITCHES!!!
Beginning of the semester: pick up a paper to read it. End of the semester: pick up a paper to figure out what day it is.
AllNightersSuck
Went to Watkins with an ear ache and was prescribed nose spray. #solutions
Either the song from "Frozen" is playing at the wheel, or I shouldn't stay up for 36 hours at a time. Probably both.
A ghost buster just walked through Bailey Hall... I'm getting out of here.
You don't dominate conversations.
You have conversations. Yes I'm
grumpy get off my ass.
There's nothing like turning in that last assignment before graduation...
BRING IT ON FINALS!!!!
Senate election process needs examination, reform
For the next year, the student government will be controlled by a group of candidates who, almost universally, received only a minority of the votes cast. How did that happen? How did the election rules allow that to happen? Why were several thousand KU students disenfranchised?
One thing is clear: the rules must be changed.
The Grow KU slate assumed office Wednesday after winning barely 30 percent of the votes. Student Senate only adopted the Election Code that governed the election last fall, and its inadequacies are already evident. The Jayhawkers were found guilty of failing to report paying about $350 for food for a campaign event for about 60 potential voters. As the Elections Commission and the Judicial Board Appeals Panel have told us, the Election Code mandates disqualification — capital punishment — for filing an
inaccurate campaign finance report. No lesser penalty is allowed. What would happen if a report contained a misspelling? Transposed letters? That would make the report inaccurate, wouldn't it?
The Elections Commission disqualified the entire Jayhawker slate on April 8, literally on the eve of the April 9 election. To add to the confusion, the Elections Commission left Jayhawker candidates on the ballot. Voters would think that candidates on the ballot are actually eligible to be elected.
the Elections Commission only allowed each side 15 minutes to present their case, and the Commission failed to record or take minutes of the proceeding. Such an important case justified more effort.
The Elections Commission ruled against the Jayhawkers, even though the Commission was in violation of the rule that the Elections Commission should not have members formerly associated with student government. Two of the five Elections Commission members who decided to disqualify the Jayhawker slate were former student senators. It appears that
The appeal process was similarly confusing. The Student Senate Court of Appeals could not gather a quorum to hear the case, so without a hearing it "punted" the case up to the Judicial Board. The Judicial Board Appeals Panel, which consists of University faculty, refused to allow the press or the public to attend its hearing, in violation of state law that mandates that administrative boards be open to the public, except for the part of the proceeding in which the members deliberate after hearing the parties' arguments. The Judicial Board Appeals Panel "recommended" that the Elections Commission disqualification decision be
upheld.
Recommended to whom? According to the University, that "recommendation" was the last step in the process. And it appears the Judicial Board violated the rules by considering information not presented in the Elections Commission hearing, including a harshlyworded response from the Elections Commission to the Jayhawker appeal. The Judicial Board has summarily refused to reconsider its "recommendation."
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Everyone should follow the process. That didn't happen here. We are left with minority student government. No tanks in the street, no revolt. That's good. But should this be allowed to happen again? No.
We recommend the following:
— Grow KU's slate should demonstrate leadership by treating the actual winners of the vote tabulation, Jayhawkers, as a shadow
government. Consult with the jayhawker slate before taking any momentous actions. Be inclusive. Do the right thing. After all, you lost by a slideside.
Student Senate should expeditiously move to revise the Election Code to allow for measured penalties for campaign violations.
- Student Senate should take advantage of the opportunity presented by this debacle. Show leadership. Expand the tent. Make lemonade out of lemons. We'll be watching.
Johnson is a lawyer and a partner in the Kansas City office of the Dentons US LLP law firm. He has been an adjunct professor in the School of Journalism since 2008 and the School of Law since 2010. He is also the chairman of the Kansan Board of Directors. Election law and campaign finance is one of his areas of expertise.
— Written by Mark Johnson for the Kansan Editorial Board.
Cinco de Mayo event at The Hawk was offensive
Dear Jayhawk Café,
AKA The Hawk,
I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and think the reason why you thought it was appropriate to create and post such an offensively racist photo for your "Cinco de Drinko" event (as well as call the event "Cinco de Drinko") is because you are ignorant. Let me educate you, so I can help you not be so horribly biogotten and offensive.
First, Cinco de Mayo was created to commemorate the astonishing victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle of Puebla in 1862 (Some have described this battle as a "David and Goliath" battle, if this gives you some perspective). It's mostly celebrated in the Mexican state of Puebla, with some very limited recognition in other parts of Mexico. It's not, as many people think, Mexico's Independence Day, which is actually September 16. Cinco de Mayo in the United States is celebrated by Mexican-Americans as a way to foster Mexican pride.
It would appear however that cultural appropriation has struck again and non-Mexican-Americans have observed this holiday, said "Oh, that looks fun!" while
strapping on a sombrero, and thought that with enough tequila shots, they too might identify with a culture completely separate from their own. To be clear, cultural appropriation is different than cultural exchange. Some Americans are used to pressing their own culture onto others, taking what they want in return and using someone else's cultural symbols to satisfy a personal need for self-expression. This is not a mutual exchange. This is appropriating the parts of my culture you like while leaving the rest. (Got privilege?)
belittling/etc. the holiday i.e.
undermining/degrading/
belittling/etc. Mexican
culture.
Now that I have informed you what Cinco de Mayo commemorates, who celebrates it (or rather, who should be celebrating it), and what cultural appropriation is, I feel I can begin to dissect how horribly racist and offensive The Hawk's event and photo are toward Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.
Hawk Facebook photo artist, did you Google "drunk Mexican"? How you thought this photo would be better with a photoshopped sombrero is beyond me, but to go even further by giving your event the title of "Cinco de Drinko" is just undermining/degrading/
America has commercialized Cinco de Mayo and made it a holiday in which drinking unreasonable amounts of booze is acceptable. This deeply saddens me because there is so much more to Mexican culture, which I think Mexicans and Mexican-Americans would gladly exchange with other Americans. What The Hawk's photo/event says to me is the same message I receive when I walk by any Hispanic/Latino restaurant on May 5th - the majority of Americans have no interest in learning about Mexican culture and couldn't care less, unless we're taking "their" jobs, making above minimum wage or want to live in the United States. If any of these occur, then all somerobers off bro.
My advice? Next time you create a Facebook event, ask at least three other people if they think it could be offensive. I feel like this might save both you and I time.
Jess Harman is from Topeka and graduated from KU with a BGS in women's studies.
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MOURNING
Animals show grief similarly to humans
Grief is a difficult emotion. Pain, frustration and dejection all intertwine to create a throbbing sense of loss. I have recently experienced this feeling of desolation and, as anyone who has ever lost someone can agree, it is one of the most unpleasant feelings of the human experience.
Paula Moore, an author at PETA, outlines some of the most touching aspects of this book. Grief can be expressed through honoring those who have passed, much like humans do at funerals. Horses share this practice and will silently stand in circles around graves of passed horses. Grief can also be expressed through forms of desperation and disbelief. Moore describes, "A grieving dolphin mother desperately tries to revive her dead calf by repeatedly lifting the small body above the surface of the water and pushing it under again."
Barbara J. King, author of "How Animals Grieve," has examined the coping methods of animals through stories and science. She has come to the conclusion that animals, beyond the expected primates and elephants, do in fact grieve.
But what about when it comes to the non-human experience? What about every other animal in the animal kingdom?
Grief is not limited to the large animals. Colorado House Rabbit Society describes rabbit behavior after its companion has passed, "Typically a rabbit will grieve for the loss of a partner for several weeks. They will be quieter than usual and may seem moderately depressed." Experienced birder Melissa Mayntz describes grief in birds: "Birds have been documented as obviously looking for a lost mate or chick, however, and listless behaviors and drooped postures are common indicators of grieving birds."
Allison Kohn, managing editor akohn@kansan.com
Katie Kutsko, editor-in-chief kkutsko@kansan.com
Solace comes in different forms for different people. Whether you deal with grief by turning to family, friends and/or religion, animals and the overall unity of life may be a helpful addition in a hard time. It certainly has been for me.
Lauren armendariz, managing editor
larmendariz@kansan.com
Grief is not limited to feelings towards the same species. Just as humans grieve for lost pets, it is apparent that animals grieve for their passed human companions. There are countless anecdotes of dejected dogs and cats in crisis because they no longer have their loved one.
King closes her book with the statement, "It won't ease our deepest grief to know that animals love and grieve too. But when our mourning becomes a little less raw... may it bring genuine comfort to know how much we share with other animals? I find hope and solace in [these] stories. May you find hope and solace in them as well."
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As shown by the desperate mother dolphin, grief is not just a terrestrial practice. Growing up, I had owned two cichlids: Ernie and Jasmine. Ernie lived for 10 years but Jasmine, sadly, only lived for four years. Ever since that day, Ernie was aggressive and would jump to "bite" my fingers whenever I would try to feed him. I purchased another cichid of the same type and Ernie did nothing but look at her in disdain. Despite no scientific evidence, drastic behavior changes coinciding with pivotal events such as a companion dying do suggest some grieving may have occurred.
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Jenny Stern is a sophomore from Lawrence studying ecology and evolutionary biology.
Sean Powers business manager spowers@kansan.com
FFA OF THE DAY
Anna Wenner, opinion editor awenner@kansan.com
Kolby Botts, sales manager kbotts@kansan.com
Just drank orange juice out of a bowl because there were no clean cups left.
CONTACT US
Brett Akagi, media director and content
strategist
bakagi@kansan.com
CONTACT US
Jon Schlitt, sales and marketing adviser jschlitt@kansan.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
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Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Katie Kutsok, Allison Klown, Lauren Armendariz, Anna Wenner, Sean Powers and Kolby Bots.
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