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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2015
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opinion
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
Text your FFA submissions to (785) 289-8351 or at kansan.com
FFA OF THE DAY "I can't do it Thursday because of Obama..." is now a legitimate excuse.
Tea over coffee! Where my tea lovers at?
We should get Obama to come to our football games. Maybe then we'll get a line that big waiting to get into the stadium.
I'M BAAAAAAAACK!!
Defying Gravity is an awesome way to start the day off. "And you can't bring me down!!!"
Victims of sexual assault should be taken seriously, regardless of gender. I wholeheartedly agree with that column!
I got married over winter break! :)
To stay in my night class or to not stay in my night class...that is the question.
Alright, my professors this semester are total babes.
SeeYouEveryDay
NeverSkippingClass
Getting sick right on the first day of class describes my life.
There aren't much positive sides of having morning classes. it's cold and you're tired the rest of the day.
Don't know how many times people have to say it: quit running for the bus.
How is it that I manage to rose brand new socks the moment I get them?
My dog is probably the only dog in the world who hates toys and doesn't care for treats. Like, are you even a dog.
People that are on their phones the whole time during class, syllabus week or not, look like straight up assholes.
Is it summer yet... heh.
Uptown funk you up, uptown funk you up! Love dat song.
People without smartphones are like a foreign species nowadays.
I have a serious obsession with Bath and Body Works. I need counseling.:{
Nothing's better than wearing your boyfriend's clothes when you wanna get comfy!!
In one of my classes we spent the whole hour discussing water bottles and not gonna lie, it was pretty damn interesting.
youhadtobethere
ON-CAMPUS LIVING
On-campus living has better opportunities
A large percentage of students at the University have had the opportunity
have had the opportunity to live on-campus for a certain amount of time in their college career. However, there appears to be nothing but cons with living in small spaces and sharing bathrooms. To appreciate the good things about living on campus, I had to live off campus to realize them.
It's easy to forget how convenient it is to be so close to everything. Long gone are the days when I could roll out of bed 20 minutes before class, conveniently catch a bus on Daisy Hill and ride it down to Jayhawk Boulevard. Now, I have to wake up earlier to commute, and forget the luxury of getting dropped off right in front of Budig.
Another pro of living on campus is that you are planted in a community of other college students, which is beneficial for two reasons. It gives students the chance to branch out and helps meeting people much easier. In addition to
this, since you are in a community of fellow students, you tend to find yourself surrounded by like-minded classmates pursuing the same major as you. This makes studying in groups or asking questions that much easier because classmates live right down the hall or at least close to you.
Lastly, living on campus gives students the opportunity to be in the center of everything. It is easier to be involved in clubs and activities because most groups meet on campus. After driving all the way back to your off-campus living, the last thing you want to do after a long day of class is go back to campus for a club meeting or activity.
Living on campus does have its cons,but in the end living on-campus is more convenient better for your well-being,better for your GPA.
Living on campus is too strict, expensive
Anissa Fritz is a sophomore from Dallas studying journalism and sociology
Choosing a place to live in college starts with one basic question: Do you want to
live on campus or off? Even though both options have their strengths and weaknesses, the best one is for students to live off-campus.
In my two years at the University, I haven't technically lived on campus. Last year, I lived at Naismith Hall and this year I live in an apartment. By living off campus, I've been able to see the benefits of living farther from the University.
When I was trying to decide on a place to live my freshman year, I was only looking at the dormitories. I was slow with my decision, so my options were limited. That's when I started looking for off-campus housing, and I'm really glad I did.
Even though I had to pay for parking at Naismith Hall, a parking pass there was wildly less expensive than buying a Daisy Hill pass. My friends on Daisy Hill paid more than $200 for a parking pass, while I only paid $50. Even better, there were assigned parking spots in Naismith, so we were always sure to get one.
Parking at my apartment complex is free. A nearby bus stop allows students to get to and from campus without having to pay a hefty fee for a University parking pass.
Another benefit of living off campus is the increased independence. On-campus living comes with a long, strict set of rules. In an apartment or house, the rules are more "iax." And, you and your roommates are able to tailor the rules so they fit your specific situation. If you and your roommates don't want quiet hours, for example, you don't need to have them.
The final and probably most important benefit of living off-campus is the cost. Off-campus housing is cheaper than living in the dorms. My rent this year is significantly lower than my friends' who are still living on campus. The University also requires students in the dorms to purchase meal plans, which, according to the University's website, can range from $1,000 to $4,000. Even though cooking takes extra work, making your own food will oftentimes be cheaper than going to Mrs. E's or another dining hall.
In the long run, living off campus is the most affordable option to take — and the most desirable. Students don't have to pay a lot of the fees associated with living in dorms and they will still get a positive experience.
Maddy Mikinski is a sophomore from Linwood studying journalism
Americans should focus on race relations
Animosity between the police and the population is high, and the issue of race relations has become increasingly acute in recent months. Rallying cries of "I can't breathe" and "black lives matter" echo throughout the country in protests against police brutality. Now, police forces and their supporters are responding. Gatherings across the country have been held, marked by the phrase "police lives matter." Instead of rallies and counter-rallies, which only serve to deepen divisions, dialogue and reconciliation need to occur to improve race relations, while increasing trust between the police force and the population. It is time for Americans to recognize that the slogans of both groups are true: black lives and police lives matter equally.
Protesters gather near a makeshift memorial to Michael Brown at the site where the 18-year-old was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson. Mo.
IEFE ROBERSON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Today, race relations and racism are rated as the most important national problem by 13 percent of the population, according to Gallup. This statistic pales in comparison to the 52 percent witnessed in the 1960s, yet is significantly higher than in the past decade, when only 2 percent of the population deemed it important. Gallup reports that while concern over government, the economy and unemployment have decreased over the past few months, racism concerns have increased dramatically since November of last year after a grand jury chose not to indict the police officer that killed Michael Brown.
The Wall Street Journal reported that data concerning the number of killings by police every year is imperfect, and no accurate statistics are maintained. However, it seems that people of color, even 50 years after the end of Jim Crow Laws, face undue discrimination by the police force and justice system. Arguably more important is the lack of trust between communities of color and the police.
Though the issue gained national prominence, people of color are significantly more concerned than the white population about this issue.
According to Gallup, on average, blacks are much more likely than their white counterparts to be distrustful of police and lack confidence in law enforcement. Additionally, more than 50 percent of black adults believe that America needs new civil rights laws, while only 17 percent of the white population agrees. This gulf in trust is concerning, particularly since the majority of police are white, even in areas where the majority of the population is not, according to the New York Times.
Those who choose to work as police officers deserve
respect. It is a dangerous job and the police force work for the good of the American population. However, clear structural problems exist within the American police culture. More needs to be done to increase trust between communities and their police forces. As proposed by the Department of Justice, police departments need to focus more on hiring an ethnically diverse force, adopting an attitude of community service, working as partners with citizens and using problem solving approaches. These suggestions are not a panacea for the
past few months' national woes or for the enduring tendencies of racism in America, but they would increase cooperation between the police and community. Most importantly, police and the general population need to recognize that we are all working toward the same goal of safe communities. All lives matter.
Ike Uri is a sophomore from Concordia studying sociology
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