THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014
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PAGE 4
opinion
TEXT
FREE FOR ALL
new coalitions, new representatives, new season of chalk all over campus benches, steps, etc.
Would it be weird if 10 years from now I'm still coming to the UG for crunchy chicken cheddar wraps?
Text your FFA submissions to (785) 289-8351 or at kansan.com
The penetration theory of mass transfer gives me the giggles every time.
We're all hoping and praying our lab instructor doesn't show up...
Come onnnnn no lab.
My SOC 104 professor is basing his entire lesson off of Bronies. I love sociology.
You don't know happiness until you walk into Anschutz and see free pizza.
Waking up in the morning and realizing you already need a nap
I'm not looking for a guy right now, but if it was, let's just say he would have to like Kingdom Hearts as much as me.
How sad is it that the highlight of my day was me being given a balloon?
This girl behind me just asked her friend if our class gets out at 2:45 or 2:50. How do you not know the answer to that by now?!
If you're ever lonely just go to the Underground. At least three of your friends are probably already there.
So this guy keeps finishing my sentences, but he's finishing them with things I was never planning to say. Awkward.
I love the basketball players no matter what happens... But they should really try to win.
Have you ever thought about how weird the FFA is? It's like twitter speed dating.
Anyone else think that KU should invest in double decker buses?
My teacher asked for what we'd like to see change in the class.
How about no homework?
I wonder sometimes what life would be like if people came to college to learn.
Two words: KU Basketball
ANIMALS
In the Underground today I heard a guy say we sacrifice the other team's mascot before the games. His friend, who did not know he was joking, looked mortified.
Human social life reflects that of meerkats
If your Facebook news feed looks anything like mine, you may have noticed that personality quizzes are becoming the procrastination method of choice. Two things are true of human nature: We are very social creatures, and we find comfort in classification
All things relate back to animals.I think animals have big personalities and complex roles within their own societies.Meerkats are much like humans in the fact that they are very social and have different social classifications.
Think of your circle of
friends; my bet is that your group of friends may be similar to a mob of meerkats (yes, that is actually what it is called), with the exception that meerkat mobs are usually all related.
Based on research from meerkats.net, I have created profiles that I think can work for both humans and meerkats alike.
Do you often dominate your friend group and coordinate most of the plans? Consider yourself the alpha male or female meerkat.
Are you considered the supportive friend, always willing to help with
anything? Maybe you would relate best to a beta female or male.
Do you give the best advice of your friend group? You are most likely a mentoring meerkat. Usually an elder meerkat takes on this responsibility as it has life experience and valuable advice to offer.
Are you the cautious, over-protective friend of your group? The babysitter meerkat, which in meerkats is usually just the least hungry meerkat that stays back with the pups, may be your spirit meerkat. You may also be a sentry meerkat, responsible for watching over the gang to spot danger.
The study of the social nature of meerkats falls under sociobiology,a concept developed in detail in E.O. Wilson's book "Sociobiology: The New Synthesis." Wilson defines sociobiology as "the extension of
population biology and evolutionary theory to social organization." Wilson faced much criticism for using this theory with human behavior.
HEALTH
Even if it is just a silly personality comparison between meerkats and humans, human sociality is not as different from the rest of the animal kingdom as we like to think.
Jenny Stern is a sophomore from Lawrence studying ecology and evolutionary biology.
'Leveling the playing field' with Adderall
Steroid use forever changed the face of Major League Baseball. What began as an illicit use of performanceenhancing substances to gain a competitive edge has evolved into a more widespread practice as others feel compelled to start using steroids just to "level the playing field." Can something similar be said of Adderall use in school, particularly law school?
Adderall is a prescription remedy for attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. According to Jennifer Schiffner from Santa Clara University School of Law, it works by "(increasing) a person's ability to concentrate by stimulating the production of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain." That's great for people with ADD or ADHD because their thoughts naturally stray all over the place, so a pill that provides a chemical boost to enhance concentration is desirable, if not necessary.
Eventually someone figured out that if you don't have ADD or ADHD, and you do take Adderall, your concentration is super-enhanced. Your ability to focus is greatly increased for long periods of time, even when studying
By Preston Bukaty opinion@kansan.com
mundane topics like international banking law (no offense to professors). Combine this with the fact that law school finals are usually 100 percent of your grade, and well, naturally Adderall has become the drug of choice for students looking to gain a competitive edge when cramming for finals.
On some level, this probably isn't new. Students will always latch on to any chemical that increases their ability to study. Cocaine was probably a big hit in libraries in the '80s. The fact is studying is boring, and most of us would rather be doing other things, so popping a pill to speed up that process is an easy concept to swallow. Side effects be damned, I can type a term paper or read an entire textbook in a single night.
The real issue though, is when such use becomes widespread, or even commonplace. Both prescriptions and pills seem easy to get (just ask someone at the next house party you attend). Procurement is no impediment. As more students use Adderall to study, those that normally wouldn't experiment with prescription drugs may be
pressured to take it just to "level the playing field." According to an online study on abovethelaw. com, 30 percent of law school students have tried Adderall. And the problem isn't limited to law schools I've seen Adderall used in undergraduate studies too.
Do we want to foster this type of environment in schools? Hyper-competitive, drug-fueled frenzies of studying? Surely not, and admittedly the administration is in a tough place. It's not school administrators' jobs to step in like the MLB Players Association and ensure that we're all taking tests with a clean system.
RELATIONSHIPS
Perhaps the solution then lies with the doctors, who should tighten prescription regulations and ensure that only those people who really need Adderall get access to it. This may not solve the problem entirely, as those with prescriptions can always illicit sell any pills they don't want, but tighter control will decrease the amount of pills floating around, so fewer students will be able to (or feel pressured to) pop an Adderall just to get through finals week.
Preston Bukaty is a J.D. candidate in the School of Law from Overland Park.
FFA OF THE DAY
The awesome moment when you realize you have homework due in an hour and blackboard stops working.
People shouldn't judge young love
Every now and then I come across smug posts on Facebook about how people have made it to age "insert here" without having a baby or getting married. Some people see this as an accomplishment, so they like to brag. Whenever I see these statuses, I wonder if the posters realize that their Facebook friends who do have kids, or who are married, at a younger age can see exactly what they said. If they do post these comments so their "friends" can see them, I think that's extremely rude and disrespectful.
People have their reasons for getting married or having kids at a young age. Just because you may disagree with how people live their lives does not mean you should publicly announce that you think you are better than them. I'm not glorifying young pregnancies, but I also do not think that many people between the ages of 16 and 23 plan on having kids at those ages.
Every time people have sex, there is a possibility that women can get pregnant, even if the man uses a condom and the woman takes birth control. Women who get pregnant make a decision whether to get an abortion, a decision which can come with a lot of guilt. Having a child at a younger age may be looked down upon by some, but there are reasons why people make the decisions they do. Eventually, most of you will have kids, whether it is sooner or later in life. Whenever you make that decision, I won't be judging.
Couples that get engaged, or married. at a young age are getting belittled as well.
I know many young couples that are currently engaged or married, and many of these people have been together for years. Even for some that haven't been, who am I to judge them for tying the knot? If a couple has enough love for each other that they think taking the next step is the right decision, then that's fine by me. If you think that young marriages will not last, or that they should wait, keep that opinion to yourself, or at least off of your social media. If anything, these criticisms are fuel for young married couples to prove doubters wrong.
People having kids or getting married young does not affect my life or yours. People have their personal reasons as to why they make these choices. Why is it that some make it seem as if these people are doing something wrong? Life was never made to be easy; some people have more bumps in the road than others. Those who get over those bumps should be applauded, not the butt of some cruel joke. Who knows, one day you might be asking these younger (and experienced) couples advice about kids, or marriage, when you decide the time is right.
Decilia Cho is a junior from Overland Park studying journalism.
@hallucenijenna
@KansanOpinion Tearing the #UDK page into confetti when the #Jayhawk starting roster is announced! #payheed #kubball
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