Volume 124 Issue 111
kansan.com
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY GANSAI
MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2012
PAGE 7
LIVING SITUATION
Discuss disagreements in a calm way
AVALON COLE
acole@kansan.com
Having roommate problems? Living with other people in college is something we've all had to adjust to. Dealing with dirty dishes or roommates who won't pay bills is not the ideal living situation, so how does one communicate effectively and avoid a fight?
Lauren Gaylor, a sophomore from League City, Texas, said the first thing to do is wait until you're calm before confronting your roommate.
"Every time I get angry with my roommate I decide to wait a day before I confront the situation. That way I have a chance to calm down and talk about what is bothering me," Gaylor said.
Gaylor said to avoid leaving post-it notes, writing on white boards or texting about problems. Communicating through notes can lead to a misunderstanding and cause a fight that could have been avoided. She said that after a problem is addressed the next step is to compromise.
"My roommates used to have a lot of friends over to study when I would need to go to bed. The noise prevented me from sleeping, so I decided to address the issue." Gaynor said. "They agreed to socialize with friends elsewhere at night."
Mary Anderson, a sophomore from Edina, Mimi... said the worst thing you can do is address an issue at the wrong place and time.
"Avoid talking about things under the influence of alcohol. If you know you're going out one night make sure to address the situation before hand so the
argument doesn't get out of control," Anderson said.
It's all about how you approach your roommate.
Make sure they have time to talk, aren't stressed out and are willing to listen. Anderson said.
"Never accuse your roommate of a problem. Calmly address what is bothering you and suggest a reasonable solution," she said.
Also, ask your roommate if anything is bothering them. The key is to be open to change. If you are not willing to change, your roommate most likely won't want to either.
One great word of advice is to compromise when buying household items said Stephanie Loftus, a junior from Chicago.
"My roommate and I switch off buying items like soap and toilet paper, but we agree to buy separate food. The trick is to make a plan and stick to it," Loftus said.
Loftus also said that complimenting your roommate helps keep the peace.
"When my roommate compliments me on cleaning up the kitchen it makes me more forgiving when she leaves a dish or two in the sink," Loftus said. "The trick to getting along successfully with a roommate is all about compromise."
TARA BRYANT/KANSAN
Next time you are upset with your roommate, think twice before throwing all their clothes away or threatening to move out. Being calm, cool and collected is the secret to peaceful roommate survival.
Roommates Matt Watson and Carson Rufledt, freshmen from Wausau, Wis., argue about how clean their room should be.
- Edited by Bre Roach
Egan pointed out that straight people can fairly accurately deter-
Advocates have been optimistic about the trend and the possible reduction of prejudice, but Egan explored several problems with the hypothesis and its conclusion. Data gathered in polls and studies does not fully examine the factors that might make a person more likely to have a relationship with a gay person, which can produce biased data.
that having a friend, co-worker or family member who is gay positively affects a person's views about people who are gay.
But the biggest problem is disclosure. Most research on the contact hypothesis doesn't consider whether or not the gay friend, co-worker or family member actually said they were gay or if it was assumed.
"My guess is that when students first come to college, it's often the first time they encounter a gay or lesbian person who acknowledges their identity." Egan said. "By every indication, that should be a pretty powerful predictor and changer of attitudes."
Jake Longraker, a graduate student in political science from DeSoto, said Egan's research was very current and showed the dramatic attitude shifts regarding gays and lesbians. It's a topic that he explores in his own research of LGBT communities in Latin America.
Research also shows that in the time between freshman and senior year, students generally become more tolerant of gays and lesbians, Egan said.
relate to college students.
CHRIS BRONSON/KANSAN
"Knowing what the attitudes
Patrick J. Egan, Assistant Professor of Politics and Public Policy at New York University, delivers a lecture called, "Frontiers in Research on Attitudes Among and About Gay People," at Watson Library Tuesday afternoon. The lecture was part of the Clifford P. Ketzel Speaker Series for the Expression of Minority Opinions.
are of people, and how you can improve the situation so that you can make those positive changes and you can make changes in laws, is important," Longraker said.
Donald Haider-Markel, chair of the Political Science department, said Egan's presentation was part of a lecture series featuring controversial speakers. Egan's presentation was controversial not only because it discussed gays and lesbians, but also because it challenged the common understanding of how the contact hypothesis applies to the LGBT community. Although the lecture series hasn't been going on in recent years, he hopes to make it an annual event.
Edited by Christine Curtin
public broadcasting network. The Colbert Report also ran a clip about it, according to C. J. Janovy, director of communications at KU Medical Center. "This is obviously a topic of wide interest." Janovy said.
For over a decade, Tash and collaborators developed a compound that blocks sperm production and was originally part of a cancer treatment. The side effects from this included infertility.
The term "infertility" may seem scary, but if men are taking the pill and decide they want to conceive, they just stop taking the pill.
"It's not only 100 percent effective, but 100 percent reversible, which is the holy grail of a contraceptive," Tash said.
The drug has seen effectiveness and safety for testing in mice, rabbits and most recently, primates. The animal testing has also shown the offspring produced by former users
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opment as another form of non- hormonal male contraceptive. While Agbor's work is still preparing for animal testing, Agbor sees the importance of increased options for male contraceptives.
"By producing more male birth control, it's going to help males contribute to family planning." Agbor said.
The development of these drugs could potentially impact the world, said Tash. Tash cited that half of all pregnancies are unplanned and in the US, half of those unplanned pregnancies occurred while under supposed use of contraceptives. Tash recently presented to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation as an expert in contraception.
"The simpler a contraceptive is to use, the more desirable and easy it is to distribute and use." Tash said.
CLASSIFIEDS 7
CROSSWORD 4
CRYPTOQUIPS 4
OPINION 5
Edited by Bre Roach
in contents, unless stated otherwise; © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
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