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MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015
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TEXT FREE FOR ALL
Text your FFA submissions to (785) 289-8351 or at kansan.com
The storm from the weekend helped me sleep like a baby.
Zzzz
FFA OF THE DAY Traffic changes a person
Am I the only person that still loves to play The Sims?
The basement of Wescoe likens to a sweaty, dirty armpit. Help.
Flowers are everywhere, and they are lovely. But then of course, my allergies have also arrived...
I too am crying with joy that Perry is returning! My senior night would not be the same without him!
Honestly, I'm OK with my tuition getting more expensive. But crunchy chicken cheddar wraps! Why?
I want to eat healthy. But I also really want powdered donuts.
Dear roasterie at the Underground, thank you for turning me from a mindless zombie to a functioning human. <3
When you're about to graduate,
and your parents are on your butt
24/7 about finding a job. #IGetIt
If you can't imagine dropping the mic after the final sentence of your essay, your conclusion needs to be stronger.
Student Senate should have to unchalk the sidewalk after elections.
My advice? Leave those legs unshaven and live free! Feels good, man...
Dear Missy, I love you
When it's an absolute zoo in the Union because high schools are coming to visit KU. /
I just showed up to my 2-3 class at 3 because somehow I got confused and thought it started at 3. Now I feel completely lost.. Evidently my brain is already on summer break.
When your group project is due in two weeks and you have yet to meet up with your group mates... #itsallgoodthough
I hate it when it looks like you're drunk walking home, but in actuality these brick side walks are just not cutting it.
One of my classes is canceled for the whole week! This is the definition of a dream come true!
I came in with an open mind, but after #TEDKU, I do not disagree with the Koch Brothers donating to KU.
Help the planet every day,not just Earth Day
Former Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day in 1970. Earth Day is April 22.
MARK HUF/MAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gabrielle Murnan
@GabrielleKansan
MARK HOFFMAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Each month of the year has its own characteristics. For July it's fireworks and cherry pie. December is snow and holiday celebrations, and April is rain. But this month is about a lot more than just raindrops. Among other things, April marks the first Earth Day, which took place April 22, 1970, in cities across the nation. Today, most Americans are hard-pressed to tell you the date of Earth Day. Events still take place on April 22, but the holiday lacks its inaugural spirit and support. Earth Day needs a face lift.
The widespread awareness campaign is considered the catalyst for numerous environmental regulations such as the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act and, eventually, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. In participation and
Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin created Earth Day in reaction to the Santa Barbara oil spill and growing concern over the consequences of pollution. An estimated 20 million people participated in the event through rallies and service activities in communities and on campuses.
tangible outcomes, the first Earth Day hit the nail on the head.
Although Earth Day has gone global and witnessed revitalization efforts every decade or so, the event no longer inspires political change. The first Earth Day was just the right combination of media attention,
The first Earth Day gave birth to the modern environmental movement - a movement focused on justice for communities through sound environmental policy. However, the initial success and political fervor of Earth Day has fizzled.
grassroots effort and political alignment.
In order to recreate the initial political success of Earth Day, the ideas behind Earth Day must infiltrate the rest of the year. We can never recreate the inspirational newness of a holiday like Earth Day, but we can certainly adopt the principles on which it is built. Social movements are a two-way street.
We must have both policy change to inspire behavioral change and behavioral change that pushes for policy change. Somewhere along the way, environmental policies and individual behaviors must join forces for widespread social change.
For the case of environmentalism, we must support our current policies and take responsibility through behavioral change. Earth Day can apply every day when we take simple measures like modifying our energy consumption patterns or paying attention to where our food comes from.
Being environmentally minded goes much further than recycling and riding your bike. It certainly goes further than celebrating the environment one day out of the year. Put on your biodegradable party hats and live it up on the 22nd, but don't forget to make Earth Day every day.
5 WAYS TO CELEBRATE
1. Pack a trash-free lunch Instead of throwing your sandwich and chips in a plastic bag, grab a reusable container. Challenge yourself to buy fewer individually wrapped items at the grocery store.
2. Hit up a garage sale
2. Hit up a garage sale instead of running to lkea the next time you need a side table, scavenge local junk shops and garage sales for a one-of-a-kind piece.
3. Surround yourself with plants Several years ago, NASA proved that houseplants remove harmful toxins from the air inside our homes. So load up on ferns and rhodendrons.
4. Be more energy efficient The next time one of your lights goes out, reach for CFL or LED lights. Try line-drying your clothes occasionally rather than using a dryer.
5. Enjoy outside
Take time to breathe in some fresh air and explore at Clinton and Lone Star lakes.
Better yet, ride your bike to your destination.
5. Enjoy outside
Gabrielle Murnan is a junior from Pittsburg studying environmental studies and political science
How do you motivate friends to go to the gym?
Anissa Fritz
@anissafritz
When making the decision to hit the gym, it can be difficult to choose the gym, sweaty clothes and water over Netflix, pajamas and pizza. Motivating yourself to go to the gym is a struggle, but motivating your friends to join you can be a whole different uphill battle.
I follow several workout accounts on Instagram and Twitter. Besides making me jealous about the fact that I don't have an eight pack or biceps that look like rocks, these accounts motivate me. When lying on my couch wanting to take a nap and scrolling through social media, I see a picture of a fit 21-year-old woman and suddenly find myself wanting to go to the gym. Tell your friends who you want to get more active to follow fitness accounts for this same reason. Proof that someone in this world can be this fit gives the mindset of, "If they can look like that, then I can, too."
minimum efforts will lead to equally minimum results. But if you put more effort into your workout, the results can be astounding.
If that doesn't work, go to the gym on your own and be proof that working out regularly can and will yield results. One of the things I have found most rewarding and most cruel is that the gym gives back whatever you put into it.
One of the reasons I feel like many people don't go to the gym is because it seems like results are so hard to gain. Having your friends see results on social media is one type of motivation. However, being a real-life example of how going to the gym can benefit your body can give them that extra drive to hit the gym.
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The best way to get your friends to go to the gym is not through diet plans or by trying to talk them into it. Show your friends what going to the gym can do for them physically and mentally. Seeing other people on Instagram look amazing in swimsuits and having your friends see your personal gym results will hopefully spark a fire under their glutes to get up and achieve the same results as well.
Anissa Fritz is a sophomore from Dallas studying journalism and sociology
Comparing majors is a 'temporary ego boost'
Jenny Stern
@jenlikeswhales
4-62. gUA) 0gYV
Comparing majors seems to be a favorite conversation of University students. Sometimes a certain set of coursework is deemed "easy" or the job prospects between two different paths are criticized. By drawing comparisons, people feel better about their own path; but, despite the temporary ego boost from putting other majors down, comparing majors is unfair.
Coursework comparisons are made from one's experience, and for most of us, the only introduction we get to the so-called "easy" major is through a general education requirement, usually at the lowest and most introductory level. We do not experience the upper level classes or the capstone projects that, from my understanding, are difficult for almost all majors.
College majors might not have that much to do with career success anyway. New York Times opinion contributor Zac Bissonnette quotes the conclusion of economist Dan
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Equating one's job prospects can also be deceptive. Yes, some majors lend themselves to higher chances of getting a job, but involvement in extracurricular activities or jobs also contribute to career success.
By comparing majors, most people use coursework as their main basis. While your 300-level class may be more difficult than another major's 300-level class, extracurricular commitments that supplement their major may be just as time-consuming. Even though coursework requirements for majors may be predetermined, your college experience is as challenging and time-consuming as you make it.
Equating job prospects and incomes between majors can be deceptive. Stern says
iel Hamermesh's study at the University of Texas at Austin: "Perceptions of the variations in economic success among graduates in different majors are exaggerated. Our results imply that given a student's ability, achievement and effort, his or her earnings do not vary all that greatly with the choice of undergraduate major."
Comparing majors also makes artificial distinctions between academic disciplines, which can interfere with important interdisciplinary discoveries. My favorite example of this is the recent "rediscovery" of a remedy for MRSA (staph infection) from "Bald's Leechbook," a medical text from the 10th century comprised of head-to toe internal and external disorders of the body. CNN reports that Christina Lee, an expert on Anglo-Saxon society, translated the ancient manuscript of this early medical textbook. Partnering an expert in the humanities with experts in the sciences may be the remedy to one of the most deadly infections facing humans today.
Even your iPhone is a product of interdisciplinary work. When introducing the iPad 2, Steve Jobs said, "It's in Apple's DNA that technology alone is not enough — its technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing."
According to The Washington Post, Jobs audited calligraphy classes despite having dropped out of college. There is a reason our University requires a sampling of both the humanities and sciences; there is a value to each discipline, and having experts in each field is strategic and necessary for the future.
Every student's major has the potential to require challenging content, inside and outside of the classroom. Whether you are in the sciences, arts or humanities, earning a college degree is a large accomplishment and regardless of your major, your work is valued and appreciated.
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Jenny Stern is a junior from Lawrence studying ecology and evolutionary biology
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THE KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan
Editorial Board are Brian
Hillix, Paige Lyle, Cecilia
Cha, Stephan Bickel and
Sharlene Xu.
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