WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012
PAGE 5
opinion
Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351
FREE FOR ALL
Just saw somebody get legitimately attacked by a squirrel! ... IT HAS BEGUN.
Dear guy whom I just stared at for an inappropriate amount of time, You look eerily similar to somebody that I used to know. Not trying to creep ...
Whoever folded my jeans in the Jayhawker Towers laundry room: You're awesome.
That awkward moment when you walk fast a couple dramatically said goodbye, then they say: See you in an hour!
Fake Patty's = typical weekend in Lawrence.
Thomas Robinson is on a strict diet of no weak sauce.
I like to imagine that when Self calls a timeout, he and the players actually discuss getting ice cream after the game.
Mizzou acts like it won a national championship after getting a No. 2 seed. That's as close as they'll ever get.
Probably should have studied more for my midterms than work on my bracket last night ... psh, whatever, my bracket is awesome.
There is absolutely not a difference between a troll and a dumb jackass.
Learn that.
I was forced to wear a uniform for 13 years. I can wear black leggings every day if i want to; lay off my back!
That moment when your professor says go out and enjoy the weather, and you leave without your jacket.
I made a couple of questionable decisions this morning. First, not to shave, then, second, to wear shorts ...
"Man, the ending to 'Mass Effect 3' was really satisfying!" — Nobody
Can we submit emoticons to the FFA?
Editor's Note: Sure.
To the person complaining about paying for "alcoholics" to use SafeBus: Shut up, nerd.
Has anyone else noticed that The New York Times here on campus is printed in Columbia, Mo.? That must be why my hands itch after reading it.
just heard a girl say, "So we went back to his house, like, blackout drunk, and I threw up twice. But it wasn't like a bad throw up, you know?"
I wish my professors would stop saying "Cheers" at the end of their emails. It makes me want to drink.
The pastel shorts have returned. How I have missed them.
Does anybody else feel vulnerable in sweatpants?
INTERNATIONAL
Foreign assistance worth the challenges
Kissing butt has its risks. You get what you want most of the time. But every once in a while, you end up with a mouth full of poop instead.
The United States government will send more than $51 billion in foreign aid to countries around the world in the next fiscal year, according to the Department of State, and thousands of U.S. citizens will take part in humanitarian projects abroad.
Some question whether those efforts make a positive difference, and there are good reasons to do so.
This week, a team of KU undergraduates and medical students traveled to Panajachel, Guatemala, to deliver medical aid and perform water quality improvements. They will directly benefit more than
1,000 people in Guatemala. Their efforts follow a sustainable-aid model designed to empower people to help themselves, with the hope of eventually elim need for outside aide
But despite all of the good that development work can do, there is a potential dark side that must be addressed.
My first experience with international development work occurred in early 2011 on a water-engineering development trip to northwestern Honduras. Our team collected water samples from a number of rural villages that otherwise had no access to clean drinking water.
Criticisms of development work often go like this: If there are still problems in the United States, then there is no reason to be sending resources abroad that could be helpful on the homefront. Some extend the argument further, saying that it borders on arrogance to think
In one village, seven children had died of an unknown diarrheal infection in the previous month, but we were barred from sampling the water source by a stubborn landowner who threatened to shoot anyone who approached the well on his property. The nearby border town's police force was effectively paid off by gun-toting narcotraffickers and unwilling to intervene. I began to understand the incredible frustration that can be associated with international aid work. That story is typical in international development work. If improving the conditions in the developing world were easy, then it would already be done.
If improving the conditions in the developing world were easy, then it would already be done.
very real logistical challenges associated with operating in foreign environments. As my experience in Honduras showed me, basic security expectations in the U.S. are by no means a certainty abroad. Without strong legal institu-
that we can simply swoop into a foreign country and "save them from their barbaric ways." There are also
tions, the rule of law itself may not exist. In such conditions, it becomes increasingly difficult to help people. Put
but, despite all of
Second, to those who argue that international aid is the
despite all of these criticisms and problems, I think that the benefits of international aid far outweigh the costs.
realm of naive youngsters looking to boost their résumé. I would present the decision of hiring someone who spent their spring break volunteering abroad versus someone who stayed in Lawrence to frequent The Hawk. Even if this is in some way self-serving, the aid is delivered and people in need benefit. It's OK for everyone to be better off, including the aid worker.
Third, one of the most important results of international development work is an exchange of cultures and ideas. As the world becomes a smaller place because of economic and technological forces, it benefits all of us to learn a little about how our lives are interconnected. That Starbucks coffee you bought before class probably links you to a poor farmer in rural Guatemala.
First, despite how inefficient or ineffective development work can sometimes be, the practice undeniably delivers help to those who would not receive it otherwise. This improves the quality of life in disadvantaged regions and can build goodwill abroad.
Finally, as long as development initiatives are designed to be sustainable and preclude arrogant notions such as "we know better," foreign aid can be effective. The KU team in Guatemala traveled with Heart to Heart International, an nongovernmental organization (NGO) based out of Olathe that promotes sustainable development models. This organization understands that while there
"Our efforts might not save the world, but that doesn't mean we should stop trying."
MICHAEL TETWILER First-year medical student
are certainly downsides to providing aid abroad, trying to help and understand is better than doing nothing. As first-year medical
student Michael Tetwiler said,
"Our efforts might not save the world, but that doesn't mean we should stop trying."
Loving is a senior in chemical engineering and economics from McPherson.
For more information on Heart to Heart International, visit www.hearttoheart.org
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
What's your favorite part about spring? Follow us on Twitter @UDK_Opinion. Tweet us our opinions, and we just might publish them.
shmalerie_p
@UDK_Opinion Helloooo sunglasses
and sundresses.
graciediane
@UDK_Opinion Hot dogs, Cracker Jacks,
home runs and the seventh-inning stretch.
baseballseason
@UDK_Opinion The tourney,
the tennis, the golf and
the pastel. Next question.
gtankfesho
LizDarsh
@UDK_Opinion All of the shirtless running.
Campus squirrels inspire humorous Twitter account
An interview with @SquirrelsOfKU
The squirrels are tweeting. As social media rises as a form of entertainment,
SOCIAL MEDIA
several Twitter accounts have appeared on campus that parody local public figures and find humor in KU culture.
Most students have observed the alarming proportions of the campus squirrel population. The squirrels inspired one student to open a Twitter account to speak for them: @SquirrelsofKU.
Kansan: Why Twitter as your outlet?
@SquirrelsofKU: Twitter provides a to-the-point style of comedy that other social networks can't compete with. Also, the ability to "follow" or "unfollow" is as simple as a click or a poke of the finger. It allows people to connect who have never met, but is not as invasive as Facebook.
Kansan: What prompted you to start @SquirrelsofKU?
@SquirrelsofKU: I had seen @ Fake]effWithey getting #Withey-
WithIt and thought it might be fun do to something similar. But I wanted it to be original and a character that the majority of KU students could relate to.
Kansan: Where do you draw inspiration, material as the voice of the campus squirrels?
@SquirrelsofKU: The material used can range from keeping up the drunk, mischievous or food-loving character or any random occurrence seen on campus. I try to make fun of a few stereotypes here and there, but I hope not to offend anyone. We don't want any dead squirrels on campus.
Kansan: What goes in to running a "campus-known" twitter?
@SquirrelsofKU: Running the account isn't as easy at it may seem. The majority of my followers are people whom I've never met. There's many times where I think I should tweet something, but then realize it's not part of the character I'm trying to portray. Also, along with No. 3 — I really would like to not make people angry. Our generation's idea of comedy is sometimes very offensive and degrading. I need to put
myself in that mindset sometimes and hope when I press 'send' I don't have bad responses.
Kansan: What do you hope to do with your account?
@SquirrelsofKU: I don't expect much out of the account, honestly. When I received the first tweet relating actual squirrels on campus to myself, it was pretty cool. I hope to make people laugh; it's as simple as that. I know I won't see everyone reach my goal. But, if people keep following me and 'retweeting' me, it means they're enjoying what I'm writing and it makes my day.
@SquirrelsOfKU
TWITTER BIO
Kansan: Lastly, is there any final message you would like to say to the people around campus?
@SquirrelsofKU: In no way am I a "squirrel leader" or in any power above the squirrels. If you are to get chased on the day I happened to say someone would be chased — I didn't do it.
"I'm here to bring you the eyes and ears within the trees, the dirty little secrets, odd behavior, and sarcasm that is KU. Oh yeah, I love nuts and alcohol."
The student behind the account requested to remain anonymous in spirit of good fun and will continue to publish humorous, squirrel-related tweets as long as the people keep following and "#gettingnutty."
Dillingham is a freshman in film and media studies from Houston.
OTHER UNIVERSITY CULTURE AND PARODY ACCOUNTS
@FakeJeffWithey
@fakeKUParking
@FakeJoeDooley
@FakeCharlesWeis
@NotKUCompliance
@AllenFieldhaus
@WescoeBeach
@KU_Campanile
@UDKatastrophe
@SlumberHawks
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Nexan Editorial Board are Ian Cummings,
Lisa Cunningh, Neox Knouts, Angela Hawkins and Ryan Schlesen.
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