+
TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014
PAGE 4
+
opinion
How does the campanile bell work.
does someone go up there and play some sort of instrument? And if yes, you aren't gonna graduate...
TEXT
FREE FOR ALL
sorry...
Editor's Note: Actually, as long as they exit the same side they enter it's not bad luck. It's only bad luck to walk all the way through.
Text your FFA submissions to (785) 289-8351 or at kansan.com
Nothing like a good sun shiny day to make you feel like anything is possible.
I lost $11 dollars between walking to dinner at Es and coming back from dinner at Es. I doubt I will ever see it again :(
I have a crush on Baby Jay.
you cannot give an Aries horoscope saying to "pop the question today." My partner and I are both Aries and that's confusing.
Also you cannot tell someone to make a huge life decision in a horoscope.
Great, now the secret tunnel isn't secret anymore...stay out of my house.
I'm looking for a nerdy KU girl who plays FPS and/or MMORPG. Ten points to Gryffindor if she's got a decent gamer ID.
Who knew that changing our clocks could change the weather?
science
Let's cut student senate by 50 cents per student next year and see how they like it.
News alert: red hair dye and SPF 100 sunscreen in high demand due to the increased attraction to gingers.
Really? That "secret" tunnel is prime zombie horde territory.
Just, because, you, use, commas,
does not, mean, you, have, good,
grammar.
Not gonna lie, if rolling backpacks weren't so socially frowned upon, I would totally rock one around campus.
'Gonzalez Groupies? Hell yeah, count me in.
Everything feels like its within walking distance when it's actually warm out.
Is it weird that I'm more excited about seeing all of the dogs outside as opposed to the cute girls walking them?
The sun is in a different place than usual and it's freaking me out.
Student senate fund cuts hurt SUA and students
The front page article in the Kansan on March 6 laid out the activities fee funding cut that Student Union Activities will face during the next academic year. This cut was touted by the student senators as a responsible decision that will put money back into students' pockets. This
notion is hilarious.
It is hilarious because the cut will save each student 50 cents while effectively slashing SUA's budget by 10 percent. If we assume that the University's 25,000 or so students pay five dollars each to SUA each year, the cut will take $12,500 out of SUA's hands. Such a reduction in funding could
be the difference in two or three good speakers visiting campus. This cut will only hinder the campus' most popular organization from serving the students. Putting half of a dollar back in the pockets of students is not in the same level of interest as keeping SUA functioning at a high capacity.
it seems reasonable
that a majority of student senators aspire to hold real political office further down the road. The student senators could better serve the students' interests by advocating for cost-saving measures at the state level. A popular example of this is eliminating sales tax for textbooks bought on campus.
Tell a student senator that SUA can keep its 50 cents. Tell a student senator that students are better served when representatives work to find creative and egalitarian cost-saving solutions that aren't punitive for students.
Vincent Jerkovich is a 22-year-old studying political science.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Why you should keep an eye on the Ukrainian crisis
It's very easy to forget the world beyond campus. Often times a college student's mind doesn't stray far from the next class, the next night out or the next tweet. However, it's important to remember that there's a world beyond Lawrence, and right now that world finds itself in a crisis reminiscent of the Cold War. Ukraine's uprising and Russia's subsequent regional occupation threatens to affect every level of society: from gas prices in Lawrence to the renewal of tension between Russia and the West.
The Ukrainian crisis began last year with the refusal of President Viktor Yanukovych to sign a landmark trade agreement with the European Union, opting instead to strengthen ties with traditional ally Russia. This reversal by Yanukovych sparked a massive wave of protests that engulfed the capital Kiev. Attempts at suppression caused the protests to turn deadly, eventually culminating in the ousting of President Yanukovych and the rise of a new, pro-Europe president Oleksandr Turchynov earlier this year. As one may imagine, President Vladimir Putin has responded decisively to this shift in sentiment in Russia's backyard.
Now, Russia has stepped in to assert its dominance over its former Soviet Union counterpart.
Troops have flooded into the Ukrainian region of Crimea, occupying critical cities and surrounding Ukrainian military bases. Despite being admonished by the international community, Russia has stood firm and tensions have continued to rise.
While Russia has veiled its actions with a vague pretext of "protecting Russians," the political motivation behind its occupation is obvious. The overarching goal behind President Putin's reign is to restore Russia's former status as a world superpower. Through every policy he implements and every directive he hands down, he actively seeks a global influence comparable to that of the old Soviet Union. Losing sway over a neighboring former Soviet state to the West would cripple Russia's legitimacy as a global (or even regional) leader. This, Putin cannot allow.
As President Putin plays his games, however, he risks an economic catastrophe in both the local and global community. Should the European Union or the United States impose sanctions upon Russia, a
trade war of unthinkable proportions is liable to be unleashed. Russian news network RT reports that half of the Russian economy relies on trade with Europe. Conversely, 40 percent of European and 5 percent of American fuel imports come from Russia, according to East European Gas Analysis and the U.S. Energy Information Administration, respectively. Such strong financial interdependence between nations at odds with one another holds the potential for global calamity. Gas prices in Lawrence and around the world would rocket to new heights while political stability would plummet, leading to increased costs that would reverberate throughout the global economy.
WFLL-BEING
This political brinksmanship serves only to heighten international hostility and entrench nations in old suspicions
Putin must withdraw his troops, but must be allowed to do so with dignity. He will not accept humiliation. The EU and the United States, meanwhile, must keep level heads. Military and major economic action is out of the question as a response to the situation. Diplomacy is the only option here.
Jesse Burbank is a freshman from Quinter studying political science and history.
Life motto eases midterm stress
lately, I've been pretty stressed. As I sit here and listen to my
and listen to my roommate talk about how difficult her test will be tomorrow. I dream of spring break. Don't we all? It's that time of the semester where everything just seems to be piling up and there is no end in sight. No end except for a tiny little hole at the end of a long tunnel that displays the most beautiful beach I've ever seen. Man, I can feel the sand between my toes.
I haven't found anything that can distract me from my craving for spring break. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Seriously.
My friend Rachel recently taught me her life motto: "it'll all buff out." Since I have three of my six classes with her, I hear her say it a lot. She says it to me when I get stressed about having too much to do and not enough time. These tiny panic attacks happen to me frequently, so that's why I hear it so often.
One of my most recent panic attacks involved me having an outburst in one of the study rooms of my dorm. I wrote a very opinionated paper for one of my journalism classes and then Rachel erased most of it because the paper wasn't supposed to have my opinion in it. Was the outburst necessary? Probably not. Did it make me feel much better about myself when it was all over? Absolutely. Getting all my anger out was the greatest thing I could have ever done. I was so relieved when it was all over and I was able to get my act together.
Rachel's motto puts me at ease. Somehow, everything always does "buff" out. Rachel, along with every other
By Rebeka Luttinger
opinion@kansan.com
student at this university, understands what I'm going through. Spring break is just so close!
This stressful time will soon be over. If midterms go accordingly, spring break will be the perfect way to forget about school for a while and focus on relaxing. Such a great reward for all the hard work everyone has put in.
Although it's so close, I feel as though all professors know that students are pretty stressed this time of year and the fact that midterms fall directly around spring break doesn't make it any better. The consequence of the break and midterms being so close together is more homework from all classes. How does that make anything better? More homework equals more stress. Math majors: is that a difficult equation? I didn't think so either.
All of this talk of homework reminds me that I have a report to go write that's due tomorrow. No worries folks, spring break is right around the corner and it will be a pretty great one if you ask me. Honestly though, any break from school would be a great one. Maybe if more people dream about the beach, it will come faster? I can still feel the sand between my toes. It'll all buff out. Thanks, Rachel.
Rebeka Luttinger is a freshman from Dallas studying journalism.
FFA OF THE DAY
The carilloneers should set up a website or google voice number for requests.
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
Follow us on Twitter @KansonPaunson. Tweet us your opinions, and we just might publish them.
What is the best food to eat while studying?
@GracePearsonKU
@KansanOpinion delicious breakfast
food at our cereal night!!
@SpencerJones12 @KansanOpinion is there any reasonable answer other than Oreos?
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
**TEXT TO THE EDITOR**
**Length:** 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, grade and homeowner. Find our full letter to the editor online at kansas.com/letters.
Send letters to opiator@kansan.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the email subject line.
Katie Kutsko, editor-in-chief
kkutsko@kansan.com
Allison Kohn, managing editor akohn@kansan.com
Lauren Armendariz, managing editor larmendariz@kansan.com
Anna Wenner, opinion editor awenner@kansan.com
@seanelliott
@KansanOpinion everything in your
refrigerator.
Sean Powers, business manager spowers@kansan.com
Kolly Botts, sales manager kbotts@kansan.com
CONTACT US
Brett Akagi, media director and content strategist
bakagi@kansan.com
Jon Schiltt, sales and marketing adviser
jschiltt@kansan.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
.
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Katie Kutiek, Allison Koone, Lauren Armendariz, Anna Wenner, Sean Powers and Kolby Botts.
+