WEONESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2014
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Whoever said they'd judge someone for watching the Xgames...I can almost guarantee you should be getting judged for whatever you're watching. Xgames for life!
As per the paper waste at Mrs E's, the water mane broke, as well as both dish washing machines.
I just went on a date with my boss.
I didn't know it was a date until it
was over.
I guarded a girl in basketball. It was the most action I've had all year...
Send your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 or kansan.com
opinion
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
Did you realize this before or after you woke up this morning in his apartment?
Editor's Note: The last two FFAs were submitted by the same person.
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My greatest insult. I hate you more than I hate winter.
Taylor Swift didn't win any Grammys, so we're all winners.
No wind, no problem.
I'm sorry I called you a bitch. I honestly thought you knew.
I can smell the alcohol on my own breath from across the room. Is that bad?
Currently wearing three layers of clothing and I'm still freezing at the Hawks nest.
Props to the person who submitted "Wicked" lyrics to the FFA. I like your style.
He is, the most interesting college student alive." "I don't text the FFA often, but when I do it gets in the Kansan."
I thought that not farting on a crowded bus was an established rule.
Hey, you. Yeah, you. The entire Market wants you to stop blasting music from your laptop. That's what headphones are for.
Just found out multiple SEC schools are closed today because the temperatures are in the mid 20s.
People who can't load a bus correctly shouldn't be allowed to ride them.
Half of me says "a KU cowboy hat would be cool" but the other half says "how about some jorts too, traitor."
Don't you dare taking Christian Garrett's name in vain
Things I missed most about KU while studying abroad; lottery, freezing wind, and salmon pants. Oh wait, no I didn't.
ADMISSIONS
Lack of diversity not to blame for college rejection
Former high school senior Suzy Lee Weiss caused a firestorm last March when she lambasted the nation's top universities admissions' process for being a reductive oppression Olympics. As the time comes once again for anxious high school seniors to discover their late in the admissions process, I expect another round of querulous teen angst to plague the internet.
Weiss claims that Ivy League admission is based primarily on factors that cannot be controlled, such as race, class, etc. This bias, in her opinion, makes it unfair for rich white people. While she proverbially shakes her fist at some unknown minority who she thinks stole her spot, I'm left to wonder, is this really the
case? I highly doubt it. Weiss does have a point. College admissions at the nation's top schools do emphasize diversity, but her argument assumes that all people from diverse backgrounds gain admission. But that's not how it works. The fact of the matter is that plenty of privileged people gain admission into these universities, while many underprivileged students do not. Herein lies the problem: When a privileged individual doesn't gain admission, it's easy for them to say that they weren't "unique" enough rather than examining their application for deficiencies. But when a disadvantaged person doesn't gain admission? It is assumed by society that they just weren't talented enough. They don't get the
benefit of the doubt like the privileged elite. This is what I take issue with.
You don't have to be a blind dwarf Muslim lesbian woman living in Alaska to gain admission to the nation's elite universities. But let's say our socially disadvantaged Alaskan native had failed to gain admission to an Ivy League school. Who would she have to blame? She lacks the ability to claim that she "wasn't diverse enough" for
the admissions office. This underscores the problem of Weiss' argument. She tries to argue that college admissions are based on these uncontrollable characteristics, thus explaining why she, Weiss, didn't gain admission, but the disadvantaged can't make the same argument when they also get rejected. The truth of the matter is that if you didn't get in, it wasn't because you weren't diverse enough. It was probably because some areas of your application could have been better. It is important to realize that some areas of your application were very likely not perfect and could have used improvement. Remind yourself of that, and later down the road, perhaps for graduate or law school, you have the power to do
things differently.
INTERNATIONAL
It is easy to stew in your feelings of contempt for "diversity" after a bitter rejection from your dream school, but it will rob you of any sense of sense of urgency to better yourself. Once you stop playing the victim and realize that you are largely in control of your future, you will likely improve your performance in class and out. Not to mention that should you gain admission in the future, you will be able to see the bigger picture and thank yourself for the hard work you put in and the people who helped you get there.
Will Ashley is a sophomore from Topeka studying Chinese Language and Literature.
New Year's Eve abroad brings celebration and reflection
"The Chinese don't celebrate this New Year," the motorcycle taxi driver explained to me over his shoulder as we made our way towards the Bund, a historic district of Shanghai characterized by British colonial architecture.
"I realize this." I responed in Chinese over the noise of traffic, "but I am, and I was supposed to meet up with my friends two minutes ago. Can we please go a little faster?" I was desperately late and my phone was blowing up with text messages asking if I would arrive soon.
The motorcyclist tilted his head back a little as we turned off a bike lane and back into regular traffic: "doesn't seem safe." After a few more complaints I felt as if we weren't quite speaking the same language. I wasn't able to fully convey my sense of urgency. Finally, I tried explaining to him that "many gorgeous women were waiting for me." Instantly afterward, in an action that confirmed the man's life priorities, he revved the throttle and accelerated the motorcycle far past the speed I was suggesting. Hold on.
Traffic is an aspect of China totally dissimilar from the United States; what is considered wild traffic for the United States even on television often fails to compare with the reality of everyday
By Scott Rainen
opinion@kansan.com
life in China. For example, in the movie Independence Day a scene depicts the highway with people frantically evacuating Washington D.C. Still, the in-bound lane of the highway is almost completely empty. Even in this apocalyptic alien encounter movie very few people were breaking the law against driving in the wrong lane. In real-life China this is not the case. Thus, I found myself sitting on the backseat of a motorcycle as we drove full speed down the wrong way of a one-way street. It didn't feel odd at all. I was only 10 minutes late.
My friends met up about three blocks away from the Bund. From there, we made our way toward the waterfront Bund that looks across the Hangpu River to the impressive glittering lights of Shanghai's famous skyline. It was not easy.
Between the stone architectural remnants of England's banner days we found ourselves wedged in a mass of people. Everyone was going to the Bund, but the crowd was so large that no one individual had control over the rate of their progress. Everyone pushed. Sometimes we moved quickly and sometimes we moved slowly.
Once we had emerged on
the Bund itself the sides of colonial buildings no longer obstructed our view and we could see the entirety of the skyline in all its glory. There was a light show conducted in the final 10 minutes of the year, and then the countdown began in Chinese.I felt a jittery tinge of anticipation before the fireworks,and Shanghai certainly delivered. As soon as the crowd began shouting "xinianian kuai!" a massive fireworks display began that I consider both the most impressive and least sophisticated fireworks show I have seen in my life.With the sophistication of a child,the Shanghai government sent off as my fireworks as possible for seven minutes straight.I couldn't have asked for any more.
As I looked at the explosions across the Hangpu River, I reflected over the previous New Years' Eves I had spent in Kansas. The ones at home and those at crowded house parties in Lawrence. The Chinese certainly provided the most expensive New Year's evening I had ever witnessed, but I couldn't stop thinking this: they forgot the keg.
Scott Rainen is a senior studying East Asian Language and Culture and Geography
CHIRPS BACK
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CAMPUS
If today were a song what song would it be?
FFA OF THE DAY I wonder if the KU buses look like giant caterpillars from an aerial view.
Campus needs its own smoking areas
Many students smoke cigarettes on the Univer-
on the University's campus. But with no enforcement of smoking rules, students are free to smoke as long as they are at least 20 feet away from any building's entrance. Many smoke while on the way to class, or while waiting for the bus, but this can pose an issue for people who do not want to be around cigarette smoke and increases the littering of cigarette butts on campus.
Katie Kutsko, editor-in-chief kkutsko@kansan.com
Allison Kohn, managing editor akohn@kansan.com
Lauren Armendariz, managing editor
larmendariz@kansan.com
As a cigarette smoker myself, the thought of getting out of class and freely smoking a cigarette would be nice option to have. However, I choose to not smoke on campus due to the fact that it is annoying for others to have smoke blown in their face, or even be around the smell. No one wants to smell like an ashtray when they're going to their next destination. Aside from the annoyance, health factors come into play when people with mild or severe allergies to cigarette smoke are at a risk of exposure with smokers on campus.
Another benefit that comes with designated smoking areas is the reduction of cigarette butts on campus. I don't think I've walked more than three feet without coming across a litter of cigarettes on the ground. I've only seen a few smoking posts on campus, so in the areas where they are not around, most people just throw their cigarettes and walk away. Designated smoking areas would have the smoker's posts needed for groups of people to throw away their cigarettes, instead of
having them thrown all over campus.
Cecilia Cho is a junior from Overland Park studying Journalism.
Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.
Getting rid of smoking completely wouldn't be a fair solution for the students and staff that do smoke, because after a long and hard day of classes, smoking can be a way for them to relieve their stress. For those that are addicted, taking away smoking on campus could cause addicts to experience high stress levels, anxiety, and withdrawal symptoms. Designated smoking areas on campus provide a middle ground for the people that do smoke and the people that do not smoke. It's much less annoying for others to walk by a designated smoking area, than walk behind, or beside, someone that is smoking. Smoking should still be allowed, but only in certain areas where there isn't a large amount of student traffic coming through.
Like anything new, getting used to designated smoking areas would take some time, but I firmly believe that the littering of cigarette butts would greatly decrease and everyone would be much happier with designated smoking areas.
@hannahwv92
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Katie Kaukite, Allison Kohn, Lauren Armendariz, Anna Wenner, Sean Powers and Kolby Bots.
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