J
Volume 124 Issue 106
kansan.com
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
CAMPUS
100 YEARS
AND HIS BETTER 1/2
Words by Rachel Salyer Photo by Travis Young
Hating the chubby, feathery ball of crimson and blue that is Baby Jay would be like throwing a puppy in the street or tanning more than the cast of "Jersey Shore."
It just can't be done
Baby Jay is probably the only 40-year-old anything that is still considered a baby, but nevertheless, one who has earned a special place in our hearts. Under all the baby fat, Baby Jay has a childlike, but strong, personality.
"I am ornery and rambunctious," Baby says. "Mischief is my favorite, and I am in love with anyone who will take a picture with me."
Baby Jay is often seen with its counterpart, Big Jay, but they have their differences, sometimes leading to disagreements.
"Big Jay is more intimidating than I am," Baby says. "I am more of a lover than a fighter, but occasionally Jay and I will fight for attention and over who is the better Jayhawk."
Baby Jay trains and plays hard in its third floor nest in Allen Fieldhouse.
"In the nest I have a giant ear of corn, the baby doll from 'The Hangover,' an excellent pumpkin costume, a Snooki wig, lots of suspenders — really all of my necessities for school spirit and fun," Baby says.
When Baby Jay isn't working hard on game day, encouraging school spirit, or helping the community out, it can be found doing things both toddlers and college students enjoy.
"I fly kites and draw with chalk, I like to practice my bubble blowing," Baby
says, "but my favorite thing to do is to mock Big Jay."
Both Big Jay and Baby Jay are orphans, so it's no surprise that Baby looks to Big Jay for all the guidance a bird could need.
"Well, there's not that many Jayhawks to chose from," Baby says, "so, my role model would have ato be Big Jay."
Keeping up with Big Jay is no easy job, and neither is keeping a campus of Kansas' size full of school spirit. Occasionally Baby Jay needs a pick-me-up.
"I fill up on pixie sticks a lot," Baby says. "Those help me bring my A-game when I need to. I'm a giddy bird, so the crowd and being in the facilities themselves give energy too."
Even though being in the University's spotlight can be stressful, Baby Jay is proud to have a fuller look than other stick-figured birds in the magazines.
"I like to eat," Baby says. "I stay in shape enough to stay ahead of the football team not to get trampled. I like my baby fat though, so it's not going anywhere."
While being the University's biggest fan and supporter will always be most important for Baby, it has recently been stepping out to do another important job.
"I train Victor Ortiz," Baby says. "I taught him everything he knows, and even though I am too scared to fight myself, I instilled the fighting Jayhawk spirit it takes to beat your competitors."
nfuse estrians
CHRIS BRONSON/KANSAN
HAWK signals have created confu-
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place to cross." Woosley said. er times it's pedestrian res, but we look at the number vehicles on the road to see if it's ile."
ntucky and Tennessee streets between 7,000 and 10,000 day, a number not surprising by Benson, a nearby resident former University student. we were excited when we saw were putting them in at first see there are so many cars, they just fly by" Benson said. I guess I don't understand they couldn't put up a sign what each signal means."ough puzzling at first, Gaines would rather the signals be going then useless.
lo like having them there just se it does slow down traffic, see so many people using walking to campus," Gaines "It's definitely better than g someone get run over or thing."
- Edited by Max Lush
Changes to MCAT will affect incoming students
MARSHALL SCHMIDT
mschmidt@kansan.com
Freshmen pursuing pre-medical education at the University of Kansas will face a significantly different MCAT on their road to medical school this fall. Although recently announced changes to the MCAT will not affect current pre-medical or medical students, they do reflect a shift in the medical community to emphasize a more holistic approach to treating patients.
"Doctors need to be effectively trained in working with real people and the complex factors they face," said Dr. Jeff Koetje, the Kaplan national director for pre-health programs. "Historically, doctors have been criticized with dealing with patients as organ systems or diseases."
Changes to the MCAT will include more upper-level biology and chemistry to the biosciences, elimination of the writing portion and a new section covering behavior and social sciences. Koetje said. The added section intends to convey the complexity of factors affecting patients' health, including language, culture, economics, value systems and ethics.
While Keetie cited that 73 percent of surveyed medical school admission officers approve of the change, only 50 percent believe that undergraduate programs will have enough time to make the necessary curriculum changes.
Paul Crosby, pre-medical advisor for the University, is asked for the coming changes but is concerned about the changes to pre-medical
All sections will be longer, lengthening the test from five-and-a-half to seven hours.
"Having custom courses sounds great," Crosby said. "However, it's very expensive, and this would place a great burden on small colleges. Overly specialized courses would not prepare students as well for further learning and other career possibilities."
course work.
The MCAT has been part of the medical school admission process for 73 years, and this is the fifth revision of the test. The last changes were made in 1991.
Heidi Chumley, senior associate dean for medical education at KU Medical Center, sees the changes as long awaited. While medical school admissions will have to recalibrate the weight MCAT scores have on admission standards, Chumley sees other aspects of admission, such as grades, the in-person interview and written answers, as continuing
Last year, 173 KU students applied for medical school. Koetje encourages pre-medical students to keep up to date with changes, which are slated to go into effect in 2015.
Koetje said students can find additional information at kaplam-cat.com, or by following @kaplan on twitter and "liking" Kaplan on facebook.
"I would encourage students at the University of Kansas to stay tuned and follow along." Koetje said.
Edited by Taylor Lewis
"I hope the changes in the MCAT is an opportunity for all institutions to look at more holistic measures for admissions." Chumlev said.
to be relevant.
The Kaplan Test Prep surveyed admissions officers at 69 universities with Association of American Medical Colleges accreditation about how the new MCAT format will affect test and medical school preparation. Some of the highlighted results to questions of the survey are given below.
Based on what you know, do you support the recommended changes to the MCAT set for 2015?
— Completely yes: 18%
— Generally yes: 52%
— Generally no: 3%
— Completely no: 0%
— Not sure: 27%
Do you think the changes to the test will better prepare students for medical school?
— Completely yes: 11%
— Generally yes: 62%
Should pre-med programs revise their curricula in order to sufficiently prepare students for the new MCAT?
— Yes: 67%
— No: 5%
— Not sure: 29%
— Refused to answer: 8%
CRYPTOQUIPS 4 SPORTS 12
OPINION 5 SUDOKU 4
Don't forget
- Generally no: 9%
- Completely no: 0%
- Not sure: 17%
CLASSIFIEDS 11
CROSSWORD 4
Which would you say is the most important admissions factor?
— MCAT score: 43%
— Undergraduate GPA: 28%
— Relevant experience: 19%
— Interview: 9%
— Letters of recommendation: 2%
— Personal statement: 0%
Today is National Pancake Day. Indulge in a few pancake stacks. (On stacks, on stacks, on stacks...)
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Dally Kansan
Today's Weather
Source: Kaptan Test Prep's 2011 Survey of Medical School Admissions Officers
Overcast skies, 70% chance of showers. South winds 10-15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.
Don't rain on our parade
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