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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015
PAGE 4A
opinion
FFA OF THE DAY
Nothing ruins the phrase
'Free pie' like putting the word
'gluten' in front of it.
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
I'm four, five seconds from giving up on college completely.
Text your FFA submissions to (785) 289-8351 or at kansan.com
Am I ready for this Chem test?
NaBro
So can Laura Bush declare "white girls rock" or nah.
Remind me to never go
to the casino again ...
500dlousdownthedrain
Don't worry, I am smiling into my phone because I am crazy.
Anyone wanna have a Harry Potter movie marathon with me?
Girl who hates pet names — tell him to stop. If he gives a crap about you he will listen. If he doesn't, kick him. Easy.
Average GPA for chem majors is 2.78? Sounds like there should be fewer chem majors.
There's nothing manier than walking through campus eating a rare chunk of meat with your hands.
Grad school expenses are really wigging me out ... Why must you cost so much money!?
I think I saw the main character from Brink! on campus.
why does breaking in shoes have to be such a pain in the ass? My heels are dead. :(
Can KU just give me back the money I pay for printing if I don't even use their printers? That'd be great...
It's bicycle riding season! Share the road!
Facebook birthday notifications are basically just a reminder of people I should unfriend.
Job apps be like: Must have a college degree. Must have 5 years experience. Must have volunteered as tribute and won the 74th Hunger Games.
Brain: Why did you just eat seven donuts? Rest of me: Why didn't you stop me from eating seven donuts?!
Favorite hobby: holding doors open for people that are far away.
Nothing is more frustrating than spreading hard, unmelted butter on toast.
I remembered scholarships should be coming in for next year, OH WAIT LOL BROWNBACK IS OUT FOR VENGEANCE AGAINST YOUR WAILLET.
Unnecessary classes have steep costs
We all want the biggest bang for our buck. When it comes to a college education, this may be even truer. Many of us will have student loan debts of roughly $30,000 by the time we graduate, according to the Institute for College Access and Success. We want each of our willfully spent dollars to achieve our goals in an efficient and fair manner, with maximum return on our investment. Unfortunately with the University's degree requirements, this is hardly the case.
When the KU Core was implemented in Fall 2013, the purpose was to build "a broad background of knowledge," according to the University. Despite notions of increased flexibility, many students are required to take a broad assortment of classes
as a result. Courses ranging from the arts and humanities to mathematical sciences are necessary to achieve the six goals of the Core and to obtain a degree. This comes with a bite, as each of these classes cost nearly $1,000, according to Financial Aid and Scholarships. It may seem like six simple targets, but the reality is that these goals cost thousands of dollars to achieve.
60 percent in the past two decades despite improvements in computer technology, according to political scientist Jay Greene.
is a worthy and legitimate interest. The problem is that many degree requirements may not even "well-round" us. For example, many students are required to take
Unfortunately, the costs do
The problem goes beyond individual electives. Goal 6, known as "integration and Creativity," encourages students to earn an extra major or minor, which can cost thousands more. By encouraging, and in many cases forcing, students to take these classes, the University seems to not trust us with our own money and is grabbing for as much of it as it can get.
This all amounts to increased administrative costs to implement, enforce and advise students, which is no doubt accounted for in the costly price tag of classes. With this, the University is scarcely bucking the nationwide trend of ballooning administrative budgets, which have increased by more than
STUDENTS SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED TO TAKE CLASSES THAT ARE NOT PERTINENT TO THEIR MAJOR. IF POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS PREFER MORE "WELL-ROUNDED" GRADUATES, THEN INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS SHOULD TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT.
western civilization classes. As participants in western society, these classes explore the history of what many of us live each day. If we truly want to broaden our minds, should we not move beyond our own history? Besides, the classes tread a well-worn path of material many of us covered in high school history courses. Such a requirement hardly gives us
not end there. As more classes are required for students to earn their degrees, additional teaching staff must be hired and housed in more classrooms. With massive budget cuts currently gutting higher education, the University may very well be extending its reach beyond what it can handle.
new perspectives.
There is no doubt that creat ing a well-rounded student
To me, the solution for taming the expensive and exhaustive list of requirements is simple: Students should not be required to take classes that are not pertinent to their major. If potential employers prefer more "well-rounded" graduates, then individual students should take that into account. Rather than the University forcing the entire student body to take certain classes, students should be free to opt out of ones they know future employers may see no value in. Let students take charge of their own future. In the process, we each could save thousands of dollars.
Students should be allowed and encouraged to explore knowledge for themselves. Coercing students into specific classes or areas of study may lead to rooms full of disinterested, nodding-off peers, rather than the worthwhile pursuit of individual passions. The buck should stop with us, the students, rather than the University.
John Olson is a sophomore from Wichita studying economics
Modern feminism receives support from men
Kanika Kshirsagar @sneakykaniky
There is no doubt that the American society has made progress
in terms of women's rights in the past two centuries. According to the National Women's History Museum, women have been granted the right to vote, serve in the U.S. military and attend college. However, more social progress needs to be made in order to break down the barrier that continues to divide men and women. Everyone should be a feminist.
From my personal experience, when someone claims he or she is a feminist, people tend to feel like they are in the presence of someone who is angry and thinks women are better than men. Although the feminist movement is geared toward equality between the sexes, there are still those who are more extreme, but this does
not define all who identify as a feminist.
When individuals identify themselves as a feminist, they believe women should have equal opportunity in all realms, with respect to men. By acknowledging that a woman should not be judged on her gender, but on her merit, is the type of forward-thinking feminists want to push. This can also be applied to men. They, too, should be judged based off of their merit. Gender should not give anyone an advantage or disadvantage.
The Second Shift Arlie Hochschild
According to Arlte Hochschild, author of "The Second Shift," there are generally three different gender ideologies couples tend to practice in the realm of parenting and marriage: egalitarian, traditional and transitional. An egalitarian couple distributes the spheres of work and home equally. Traditional couples represent a woman spending most of her time at
THE SECOND SHIFT
According to Arlie Hochschild, author of "The Second Shift," in the realm of parenting and marriage, there are generally three different gender ideologies couples tend to practice in the realm of parenting and marriagee galtarian, traditional and transitional.
home, while the male brings in the income. The transitional couple lies somewhere in between the woman working but still spending most of her time at home, while the male does household chores but his main focus is at the workplace.
According to sociologist Suzanne Bianchi, the gap between the workload of the home between women and men has been gradually getting smaller. In an August 2011 Time article titled "Chore Wars," Bianchi stated that "Men are doing a lot of child care too — an average of 53 minutes a day in 2010 for children under 18, which is almost three times as much as they did in 1965. Working women are doing an average of one hour and 10 minutes a day, which is only 17 more minutes." This is a step in the right direction.
Males and females are both a part of the modern feminist movement. Some notable
male figures are Daniel Radcliffe, John Legend, Andy Samberg and Will Smith. Recently, Ashton Kutcher began a petition on change.org advocating for changing stations in men's restrooms. These men identify themselves as feminists, yet the extremist stereotype would never be tied with their names.
If I ever have children, I do not want them to feel that they could not accomplish their goals and dreams because of their sex. My parents had those dreams for me, and I ended up studying chemical engineering, despite the lack of women in this field. It is important to acknowledge and respect the importance of equal rights, regardless of your gender.
Kanika Kshirsagar is a junior from Overland Park studying chemical engineering
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