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OPINION
TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
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EDITORIAL BOARD
Win or lose, fans should treat players with respect
Press
Allen Fieldhouse has a national reputation for being a great venue in which to watch college basketball. ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas once described Allen Fieldhouse as the "Wrigley Field of college basketball" for it's unique setting and passionate fans.
During Kansas's Feb. 19 overtime defeat to Iowa State at Allen Fieldhouse, a small group of fans crossed the line between being passionate and being classless by choosing to boo I.R. Giddens.
Giddens, who shot 3-for-16 from the field, was booed while subbing for fellow teammate Jeff Hawkins late in regulation. The small group of fans who booed obviously did not agree with coach Bill Self's decision to put Giddens back in the game, but that did not give them the right to disrespect Giddens, the Kansas basketball team and the University.
It was embarrassing to hear Kansas fans boo a member of their own team. What was even more embarrassing was the fact that people around the country witnessed this shameless act as well.
ABC televised the Kansas game against Iowa State for viewers in the Big 12 area while broadcasting the North Carolina game against Clemson for viewers in the ACC area. Because North Carolina was blowing out Clemson, ABC decided to switch games and televise the Kansas game in both markets, thus giving viewers who usually do not get to see Kansas basketball an opportunity to watch a game played in Allen Fieldhouse. This unique opportunity to show the nation
Those individuals should realize that as spectators they have little control over the outcome of a game. Fans do not have the ability to make shots, grab rebounds or play defense, but what they can do is support their team. Kansas fans booing Kansas players will not help the Jayhawks win basketball games. In fact, it does just the opposite; it gives opposing teams more confidence.
how special Allen Fieldhouse is was ruined by a few inconsiderate individuals.
No one was more disappointed with Giddens' performance than himself. He is the one who runs the sprints at practice and lifts the weights during team workouts. Giddens knows that his NBA draft status will be based heavily on his performances at the University.
Along with being counterproductive, booing college athletes is wrong. Many fans feel tremendous joy when the Jayhawks win and grief when they lose. But no matter how emotional a fan's ties are with the program, it pales in comparison to the athletes who actually play the games.
If fans cannot appreciate the efforts of Kansas' athletes they should not attend the games.
All college athletes work hard to perform to the best of their abilities. Along with doing the necessary academic work that is required of any student, they also put an incredible amount of time and effort into preparing for athletic competition.
Mike Mostaffa writing for the editorial board.
KAT'S CALL
Semester in France offers look into a moderate-paced lifestyle
Anschutz Library is open all night. It's a good thing, because students' to-do lists need more time than the inadequate period of day the sun allows. But now food is fast and sleeping under tables at the library is socially acceptable. Sometimes a three-credit-hour class amounts to a 30-hour work week, which is precious time that other obligations and classes demand.
PAGE 5A
Recently, school's demands seemed to be too much to handle. After what I thought was a premature stroke turned out to be a panic attack, I found out I had attention deficit disorder. In the frenzy of junior year in the journalism school, I couldn't hack it. Now a magic caplet allows me to complete a day with all the items of my to-do list checked-off. It feels like cheating. While there's nothing more rewarding than a Post-it full of checked boxes, I feel like a sick person, and it's America's speed of life that needs treatment.
We are bombarded with messages demanding things need to be done fast, that we need to find more energy within our over-worked bodies and harvest it for the good of capitalism. We tell ourselves that we are goal-oriented and dedicate our lives to working toward a goal, often career-oriented and money-driven, when we should be experiencing the delight of living each day.
KATHRYN ANDERSON kanderson@kansan.com
Watkins Health Center's Website, www.ku.edu/~shs, says that between 3 and 6 percent of Americans suffer from ADD or ADHD and take medication such as Adderall to be able to conquer a day without the distractibility and low concentration the disorder causes. We have "not enough hours in the day" syndrome, and it's no fault of ours.
Last semester, Paris was my home. While I busied myself learning the ins and outs of the culture and became a pro at choosing the best 1-euro bottles of wine, I discovered how to make "hurry" take a back seat in life.
My experience while studying abroad shed light on a lifestyle that we seem to miss on here in the United States.
I became accustomed to France's extended lunch hours and loved that I had to leave 30 minutes early to arrive anywhere on time.
I bought tennis shoes and managed to sleep nine hours each night.
In Paris, the pace of life slowed down. The French work week was 35 hours until lawmakers upped it to 48 earlier this month. Now the French face the mentality that brought them McDonald's 10 years ago.
Looking back, there is a dramatic dichotomy between my life in France and my life at the University of Kansas. There is definitely something amiss. My M.D. may cry "disorder!" and throw me baby-blue pills, but I say that America has the problem, and unfortunately, there's no pill to treat it.
It is dishouterning that motivation can be sold in an extended-release capsule. The conflict I face lies in a desire to somehow outfox the system so that synthetically generated motivation is not required to succeed in my life.
Building that dam would be as infeasible as extending a New minute. Instead, I will keep to my own pace and not even blink as the hurried pass me by.
But in a country where success means a bachelor's degree, and a nine-to-five job is essential to make loose ends unite, outfoxing the system brings the wrong results.
The answer cannot be to halt the flow of America's rapid current.
Anderson s an Omaha, Neb., junior in journalism.
HIGGINS' PERSPECTIVE
Paige Higgins/KANSAN
PRATHER SPEAKS
Television not worth price of missing human interaction
Your eyesight is fuzzy, your head hurts slightly and when you stand up, you may find you are a bit wobbly. No, my friend, you are not getting over the flu; you have just wasted three hours of your life in front of the television, and your body is adjusting back to what I call "reality."
Perhaps the most disturbing observation is that 40-hour work weeks are the norm for employed adults. So, the average adult American female spends almost an entire work week in front of the TV.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, males spend 29 hours and females spend 34 hours per week in front of the television. The same institution states that "adults should watch less than 10 hours of television per week."
ERICA PRATHER
eprather@kansan.com
The above statement should lead you to stop and think about how much time you are spending in front of the television. X-Box or chatting on AIM.
This has made the transition into adult life easy and fun for me.
Now, perhaps I am biased because I grew up in a home without video games, cable TV or walkmats. Some may call this a sheltered childhood, but I call it smart parenting. I spent much of my childhood outdoors, climbing trees, making pies out of sand using Frisbees as a pie plate, building forts and most importantly spending quality time with my siblings, parents and the neighborhood kids.
Modern technologies have made home entertainment both cheap and easy to obtain. In fact, you don't even have to interact with the guy at Hastings, because you can rent a movie from the TV.
The need to be creative and personable in my childhood has made social situations pleasant and creativity something I appreciate.
My personal sentiments aside, www.webmd.com cited research done by Robert J. Hancox, MD, with the Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Hancox monitored television habits of youths born in 1972 or 1973. The children and their parents reported the subject's viewing habits until the study concluded when each subject turned 26.
The researchers found that those who watched the most TV between ages 5 and 15 were "more likely to be overweight, have heart and respiratory problems, have higher cholesterol and smoke by age 21."
While television is a great way for someone to unwind mindlessly, there are other alternatives that are just as relaxing but that require some brain activity. Granted, as you grow older, you gain more responsibility, leaving less free time. There are so many wonderful things going on outside of your home that both relax and stimulate.
It is clear that health is directly affected by factors such as these, because sitting in front of the television takes away from time otherwise spent doing physical activity.
interesting things going on. Jayplay lists shows at local venues where you can listen to great live music and drink cheap beer.
Lawrence has a plethora of
There are tons of organizations and common interest clubs on campus that allow students to find a place to start and a place to belong. The possibilities are endless.
Stroll down Massachusetts Street and walk into the one of the cool, locally-owned stores, pop into a restaurant or coffee shop or take in the sounds of the street musicians.
Cook a meal with friends and share the reward together. Start your walk to class 5 minutes early and take in the beauty of campus. You may run into someone you know or haven't seen in awhile.
Human interaction is more rewarding than sitting at home glued to the boob toob. Your social network will expand, you will learn new things, and this could lead to anything from a new best friend, to a future spouse, to a career move.
It is the people and the experiences that make college the unique adventure it is. When else in your life will you have more than 20,000 people around your age in a 10-mile radius?
So, the next time you are tempted to turn on the "idiot box" — be it your computer or television — stop yourself and opt for life entertainment instead.
And the best part about human interaction is it can be free. People usually don't think back to college with fond memories of a great game of "Halo 2."
There are so many people who you have the opportunity to meet and get to know.
- Prather is a Wichita sophomore in English.
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Cheesecake on a stick? What's next? Corndog on my plate?
To the girl in the bathroom at Budig Hall, thanks for the tissues!
Why doesn't McDonald's sell funnel cakes?
I can't believe it. We just snuck a keg into my dorm room. This is why McCollum rocks.
To whoever said girls should wear Ugg boots so they can stay warm, why do they pair them with such short skirts?
Oklahoma State must have some thing against America.
just played Keith Urban after "Walk Like an Egyptian."
I have bronchitis and I'm sitting outside smoking right now. Is that a bad thing?
We love you anyway, Giddens.
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