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THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
I'd like to take a moment to look back at all the motivation I had during fall semester. I will remember you as I avoid all my responsibilities in these last weeks
Text your FFA submissions to (785) 289-8351 or at kansan.com
FFA OF THE DAY When a teacher asks, "So, any questions?" and you sit there in silence because you don't even know what you don't know.
Fuzzy's: where "no cheese" means "less cheese."
So hungover right now i would like to be pushed around in a stretcher to food please.
Star Wars does have its own holiday! #maythefourth be with you!
I think I'll watch Netflix instead of doing my homework because I'm #responsible
When people ask what fraternity I'm in I just say, "I ate a moon pie" really fast and they usually just say, "Oh, cool"
McDonalds breakfast is the best breakfast ever, ya'll.
One of the worst things about not living on campus is not having crunchy chicken cheddar wraps everyday.
Guess who's ready for summer?
Everyone.
I'm thinking of obtaining a seeing eye goat.
I do homework the way guys fall in love with me — slowly, then not at all.
Netflix needs a grunt to confirm you're still watching setting because I'm too lazy to click.
There is absolutely no way EVERYBODY was kung-fu fighting!
I hate when someone asks me why I'm wearing so much makeup. It's college. I come in pajamas four days a week. Let me live one day.
I ate five packs of fruit snacks in 10 minutes. I'm a monster.
Have you ever wondered who it was that discovered honey in a beehive?
Don't friend zone guys. Fun zone them instead. Put them in the kiddie park so they can cry with all the other babies when they don't get what they want.
I'll donate to Wikipedia when I'm allowed to use it as a source.
Landen Lucas is bae.
ICYMI: Monogamous relationships are between two people, not three.
Kansas needs to rethink marijuana laws
Victoria Calderon
@WriterVictoriaC
An 11-year-old from Garden City, Kan., was taken away from his mother and put in the care of the state after two ounces of cannabis oil (an amount insufficient for distribution) was found in their home. His mother, who suffers from Crohn's Disease, used the oil to alleviate the symptoms of the disease, which include abdominal pain and cramps. A warrant was obtained to search her house after the child spoke up in school, contradicting claims that were made by anti-drug counselors in class. Mic.com reports.
Calderon argues that laws on medical marijuana should be reconsidered.
However, despite her legitimate use of the oil, Kansas' strict anti-marijuana laws refused the custody of the child to the mother; according to the Washington Post, "possession of marijuana is illegal in Kansas, without exception." Although marijuana still has
not been approved by the Federal Drug Administration, 23 states have recognized that is has valuable uses for easing people of chronic pain, nausea, vomiting, symptoms of glaucoma, and more. The U.S. News and World Report also found that marijuana is especially helpful for cancer and HIV/AIDS patients - and maybe even Crohn's disease, despite minimal research available about that particular ailment.
RJ SANGOSTI/ASSOCIATED PRESS
The child is in protective custody, but his mother refuses to give up on gaining back her son. The child's parents are separated, so he could possibly end up in his father's custody. Another likely alternative would be foster care
the website for Child Protective Services states that the courts typically place children in foster care or the care of a relative after they are removed from their home.
The stigma against marijuana users is rooted in federal policies for child custody. The Huffington Post said, "there are current policies in place that assume neglect based on the mere presence of an illegal substance." Even in states where marijuana is legal, such as Colorado, this policy can
still allow a child to be taken by the state. Without doing an extensive investigation into the family to determine whether a child is neglected, the state can automatically assume the child is neglected or abused.
It is impossible to determine what the private circumstances of this particular family are; however, the child was taken away from his family solely because of the miniscule amount of cannabis oil
found in the home. There was no evidence of neglect, abuse, or failure to meet the safety needs of the child; because of the negative stigmatization of marijuana users, particularly by the Kansas government, the child is likely to be placed in foster care if the courts will not allow him to live with his mother or father.
The issue of marijuana legalization should not just be focused on "individual liberty" to engage in certain
recreational or medical activities; the movement for legalization should be concerned with accurate drug education in elementary schools, as well as the rights of parents and children. The laws in place should be altered to reflect a better understanding of medical marijuana and the people who use it.
Victoria Calderon is a sophomore from Liberal studying english and political science
Plus/minus scale is not an accurate grade reflection
It has happened to me, and I am sure it has happened to someone else. I am referring to the plus-minus system certain classes have implemented, and all the times it has plummeted GPAs. A 91 percent is no longer an A, but an A minus - haunting any other A's you may have earned that semester.
Advocates for the plus-minus system may suggest that even though minuses on letter grades can harm a GPA, pluses can be added to letter grades as well, therefore balancing the system. However, that implies all students can and will get a plus letter grade to balance out the minus, which is not always the case.
The plus-minus system does give a clearer depiction of a student's efforts and understanding of the material, but the amount of damage a minus can do to a student's GPA outweighs the pros of this scale. An article from the Lawrence Journal-World gives the statistics of the harms of this grading system chosen by certain professors: "[an] 80 percent score that earns a B grade on the rest of campus often ends up a B-
consider. If this were false, employers would ask for your GPA and nothing more
in [some] schools. And the difference shows at the end of the semester: A student who gets an overall grade of B- gets a 2.7 [GPA]; a B grade earns a 3.0 GPA."
would ask for your GPA and nothing more. If students earn grades in the B range, they should get credit for a simple B. Earning a letter grade and then having that grade impacted negatively because it was in the lower end of the B range will affect students both during school and while finding employment. This is
Some may think a college GPA has little to no effect on a young adult's life once they graduate, but while in college, a student's GPA determines many large aspects of life. One's GPA determines
"EARNING A LETTER GRADE AND THEN HAVING THAT GRADE IMPACTED NEGATIVELY BECAUSE IT WAS IN THE LOWER END OF THE B RANGE WILL AFFECT STUDENTS BOTH DURING SCHOOL AND WHILE FINDING EMPLOYMENT."
whether a student gets accepted into a study abroad program or whether they can keep their scholarship at the University.
But it doesn't end there. An article from Forbes mentions a 2013 study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers that reveals 67 percent of companies said they screened candidates by their GPA.
With the importance of GPA and the pressure to be exceptional, people may argue there must be a plus-minus scale in grading or else it becomes difficult to tell which student is more apt for a job. Employers value one's GPA, as Forbes has discussed, but this is not the only thing employers will
FORBES
An article by Forbes mentions a 2013 study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers that reveals 67 percent of companies said they screened candidates by their GPA.
a very high price to pay just so professors and students can have a better idea of how well they did in a course. Give students the letter grade they earned. Let the extracurricular activities and leadership skills differentiate students for hiring instead of a.1 difference on a GPA.
Anissa Fritz is a sophomore from Dallas studying journalism and sociology
WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?
SEND YOUR FFA SUBMISSIONS TO 785-289-8351
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JAYHAWKS ON THE BOULEVARD SHOULD THE STATE GET INVOLVED WITH CHILD CUSTODY, LIKE THE CASE OF THE FAMILY IN GARDEN CITY, IF MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS FOUND IN THE POSSESSION OF A PARENT?
Cailin Ten Bensel Freshman Lincoln, Neb.
"I don't think children should be taken away from their parents, no matter what, on a first offense for something like that. But I'm not really a supporter of marijuana, so I can't be completely OK with it either. But I do think there should be a little bit more of a relaxation of laws when it involves kids, because they're the most important things."
OKANSANNEWS
Belen Maluenda
Freshman
Santiago, Chile
"I think absolutely not, it [marijuana] should be decriminalized for things like that, especially when it's not going to affect the child at all. Obviously, if it's something where its abuse, then obviously that, or if it's some sort of other addiction that the mother may have, but if it's used medically, and especially if it's not affecting the child at all, then no, definitely not, especially if it's causing more stress to the child for his mom to get in trouble
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