OPINION + + FREE-FOR-ALL ยป WE HEAR FROM YOU Text your #FFA submissions to 785-289-UDK1 (8351) Once you have found her, never let her goooo! SouthPacific Oh, hello townies = summer in Lawrence That "Broad City" friendship has me jealous Can I be Abbi and where's my Ilana at? Always Sunny = always funny Frank is bad at knifethrowing One of these days the FFAs are gonna text me back and my life will never be the same This heat wave is Mother Nature's way of saying "you need a little blow-dry effect" 05 I miss the Bravo channel only for the crazy "Housewives" shows. Netflix needs to stream those ASAP I've been asked if I'm here for orientation twice this week... I'm a senior Read more at kansan.com KANSAN.COM Young voters need to educate themselves and vote With little more than a year until the 2016 presidential elections, Republican, Democratic and Independent candidates alike have announced their intentions to run. Between studies, work and other responsibilities, it can sometimes be difficult for college students to find time to engage with local and national politics or even find time to vote. However, in an age when voter turnout for older demographics is much higher than that of younger demographics, it's important for college-aged voters to exercise their right to representation. According to an analysis from civicyouth.org, only 21.5 percent of eligible voters aged 18 to 29 cast a ballot in the 2014 midterm elections. Although voter turnout as a whole decreases during primaries and local elections, the outcomes of these elections can affect young students and citizens just as much as national government. In February, Gov. Sam Brownback cut education funding to help balance the state budget. Those cuts were felt by both K-12 and state universities because they had to cope with the lost funding immediately. Those cuts have also resulted in a 3.6 percent increase in tuition for University students. The legislature recently voted to increase the sales tax from 6.15 percent to 6.55 percent, which is the largest in Kansas history. This is precisely why the upcoming year is going to be an important one for our voting demographic. Both the presidential and local elections will happen next November so we have a huge chance to let our voices be heard and vote in politicians who will represent the issues and stances that matter most to us. If you aren't registered to vote or if you want to find information on currently elected officials, usa.gov has all that info in one convenient place. If young eligible voters educate themselves on the issues and the candidates running for elections and vote, our demographic will be more fairly represented and issues that affect us directly might not be ignored. Ross Lubratovic is a senior from Overland Park studying creative writing. Norm of catcalling women should no longer be tolerated If you are a woman, odds are it's been done to you. If you're a man, it is very likely that you have either seen it or done it yourself. "Catcalling" is well known and common, but this degrading act toward women that has become the norm needs to stop. show how disrespectful it is to do this to a woman, or any human being. By catcalling, men are taking the humanity from these women. The men who yell phrases such as "nice breasts" across empty parking lots view women as animals, as the name "catcalling" implies. Like summoning a dog, these men are summoning women. The term "catcalling" alone should The major injustice of catcalling is the disrespect and discomfort that these catcallers are placing on their victims. These men do not have the decent respect to walk up to a woman and address her, as though she is not even worth the 15 steps it would take to look her in the eye and introduce themselves. Catcalling is nothing short of cowardly. I can recount a few times when a man has yelled "charming" things to me from across streets, parking lots or even as I walked by. The first few times, I said nothing. I was so in shock that a complete stranger, in broad daylight would have the audacity to say the words "you're looking good, baby" to me. I did not say anything, and neither did anyone around me. If and when I do summon the courage to make a remark letting the catcaller know that what he did was not OK, I am immediately overcome with fear. Thoughts such as "Will he follow me? Will he yell at me again?" echo in my mind as I find myself walking faster in the opposite direction. For those who may want to argue that I was in a tight dress and 8-inch heels while these incidents have happened, I was not. Athletic shorts and a T-shirt are usually my outfit of choice. Regardless of what you wear, where you are or if you are alone, no one should have to fear being disrespected and dehumanized. And for those who partake in the activity of catcalling, your words and glares that you mean as fun and games, strike fear and guilt into the women whom you call "sexy." Anissa Fritz is a junior from Dallas studying journalism and sociology. @KANSANNEWS /THEKANSAN @UNIVERSITY DAILYKANSAN HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR LETTER GUIDELINES: Send letters to editor@kansan.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the email subject line. Length 300 words The submission should include the author's name, year, major and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/site/letters.html. CONTACT US Mackenzie Clark Editor-in-chief macclark@kansan.com 785-864-4552 Eric Bowman business manager ebowman@kansan.com 785-864-4358 THE KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Mackenzie Clark, Kate Miller, Eric Bowman and Anissa Fritz. +