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MEN'S BASKETBALL
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
By the numbers
MATT GALLOWAY
mgalloway@kansan.com
2
13
December 10,2011
SCHOOL
Getting involved:
KU Habitat for Humanity developing communities with people in need. // ALLISON B
7ach Lee and Dakota Henke secure an inside wall with a good, old-fashioned hammer and nails.
experience necessary to volunteer," says Brittany Krutty, a junior from Olathe and president of the KU Habitat for Humanity. "Anybody can do it."
The KU chapter of Habitat for Humanity works with Lawrence Habitat, and together the groups work to build houses
Standing on a roof, I'm holding basic nails and a hammer. I have no experience building a house but here I am, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, putting a roo on a house. I know I'm out of my element, but I feel good and useful building a house for a family in need. "There is no
for low-income families in the greater Lawrence and Kansas City area. At their monthly meetings, this KU club focuses on learning about the Habitat mission, hears from Habitat homeowners, finds out about upcoming volunteer opportunities and plans events such as the fall semester Crunchy Chicken Challenge fundraiser.
Helping out with Habitat for Humanity since fall 2009, Krutty says that while getting to build houses is why she started to volunteer, today her favorite part is getting to know the people that will eventually live in the house and hear their stories. "Working with the people that will eventually live there is the best part of the experience," Krutty says.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
One recipient of a Habitat house, Phyllis Bia, helped Krutty realize that there was more you can do with Habitat than building houses. You can build relationships with the people you are helping. "Phyllis helped me realize that these people work hard and they just need a helping hand at that point in their life,"
Left side, from top to bottom. Dakota Henke, Lauren
Ferris, Brittany Krutty
Right side, from top to bottom: Katrina Rivera, Julia Martinez, Caitlin Perry, Ellen Frizzell, Loryn Goebel, Sammy Forbes
Posing behind the fence and gate they just built from recycled materials.
Krutty says.
To get involved with KU Habitat for Humanity or learn more about the organization, email Brittany Krutty at kuhabitat@gmail.com or visit their website at www.kuhabitatforhumanity.org.
Better Options:
Cursing-It's pretty common,but not always acceptable. // MEGAN HINMAN
You might call it cussing, cursing, or swearing. If you're my mom, you call it "using toilet-tooth, potty-mouth words." No matter what you call it, other people may perceive your foul language negatively, depending on your social context and your intent, says Wes Crenshaw, psychologist at Family Therapy Institute Midwest in Lawrence.
"What is acceptable among friends is not with family, and may meet with consequences," Crenshaw says. "Cursing at a bar is seen as part of the conversation. Cursing at a nice dinner date, even just with a partner, would not be seen as acceptable."
Hear no evil. Dirty words should be reserved for appropriate situations.
For Greg Pach, sophomore from Athens, Ohio, cursing comes naturally. He says it is habitual for him. "I just do it a lot at inappropriate times," Pach says, like while watching the KU basketball game
against Missouri in the presence of young children, or in class. "I don't think it's a bad thing. I think I just need to choose appropriate times wisely."
He's right. It's not a bad thing. Several studies have found that cursing can literally relieve pain. One 2009 NeuroReport study showed that when two groups of college students held their hands in freezing water, the ones who were allowed to repeat a curse word reported less physical pain than the group who could only repeat a normal word. However, the more often you use a curse word, the weaker its effect becomes.
To lower your usage of offensive language, try replacing curse words with G-rated words. Nocursuring.com offers a filter for swear words. Just type in the word you need to replace and an equal, more socially acceptable word will appear.
If that doesn't do the trick, try cursing in another language if you know it, or just make up a word. Or, try replacing curse words with similar sounding words, like "shoot" instead of "shit."
PHOTO BY MEGAN HINMAN
Actively trying to change your language can make you more aware of how often you use these words, and could better prepare you for a time when cursing is unacceptable.