TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2012
PAGE 5
opinion
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The only tiger I like is one in bed.
Last time the Giants beat the Patriots in the Superbowl, KU Won a national championship. Get ready. Jayhawks!
Knowing that I'll be able to read the UDK in a matter of hours makes going to bed on Sunday night a little easier. Editor's note: That's probably one of the nicest things anyone has said in the FFA submissions.
In no shape or form are Sperry's dress shoes.
Exhausted, hungover, and frozen; I'm breaking down and taking the bus to Wescoe.
Sometimes I like to put my forehead on the mirror and cross my eyes so I look like I have one eye like Mike from Monsters, Inc.
To the leader of Oliver Hall. Better step it up. You're more than a bit outnumbered... And we have Jedi.
If KU hired staff to walk around and ticket people eating lunch in Budig, it would be just as economical and fair as the parking department.
Some guys talk about girls; others talk about sports... These guys were talking about their medication #theawkwardconversationsyouoverhear
Don't worry, KU students. The Men's Rugby Team will avenge you when we play Mizzou in March! Go KIRFC!!
Dear sorority girl in my class, I've NEVER seen you wear real pants.
letsgosthopping
I don't come to the library because they adopt programs like, "We're Going to do Construction While You Study" and "Good Luck Focusing While We Sand This Table."
You would think the football players at this school would be able to move faster than -5 mph.. I know I'm smaller than you but seriously, get out of my
Sometimes I lather myself in gravy and pretend I'm a biscuit.
My roommate likes to hula hoop and read her Western Civ homework at the same time.
All ROTC guys are gentlemen, because an officer IS a gentleman.
The math teacher before my calc class writes "increasing" and "decreasing." At least he's good at math?
Why do Missouri clocks only have 56 mins? Cause they never make it to the Final Four. #boom
They say you are what you eat. That's funny, I don't remember eating a sexy beast this morning...
My psychology professor asked us to write down jokes he could use for the beginning of class. I wrote "Mizzou" on a paper
Assigned reading is a lot easier to get through when the narrator in your head is Reid from "Criminal Minds."
Okay, I said I play video games with my boyfriend, not that I'm good at them
I think occupy chalkers should be required to cite their sources.
College success depends on behavior
LIFESTYLE
Sometimes it feels as if our status as undergrads mirrors something like a parent-child relationship. Sometimes it can be a constant state of comply, comply, comply, grade and repeat. Whether it's the R.A., a professor, or a boss at a part-time job, it's about following the rules, getting your work done and listening to instructions.
Many times as undergrads it's tempting to see this relationship and focus on the more exciting parts of college life (i.e. most people's freshmen year). But through examining the behavior and habits of our undergraduate lives, it's clear that college should be a steppingstone for becoming a motivated and successful adult, not just another student who graduates.
Behavior: We all know the slippery slope of not doing homework, which can be in part explained by negative reinforcement. We typically don't do our homework until the looming due date becomes so pressing that we just want to get it done. Another example is if you miss the first assignment for a class and instead go out with your friends. Here, you are avoiding the unpleasant aspects of doing your homework and simultaneously being positively reinforced for having fun with friends.
This twofold reinforcement (positive and negative) can begin a chain of academic behavior that leads to an unpleasant semester. In most cases, you might feel guilt or a
bit of fear in not doing the second assignment, which also typifies negative reinforcement. This is a pattern that, if continued, will grow in strength as your behavior is reinforced each time you either procrastinate and finish at the last minute or not do at all. With academic behavior, we can either let the homework control our behavior or vice-versa.
What to do about it: At the beginning of the semester, write down your schedule and your anticipated time needed for homework for each class. Start small, allot three hours per course per week and schedule the time you will complete that work. Keep a Microsoft Word file with these times and keep track with how often you keep or don't keep these times. Then find a friend or friends to keep you accountable for completing the time allotted for homework each week. It can also be great to give the group a reward each week whenever you complete your assignments (positive reinforcement).
Behavior: We all know college is a blast. And it should be. But wearing "college" t-shirts from Animal House is only cool for so long. It's great to have fun in college and do some things you might otherwise not do, but if you already are viewing college as the peak of your life, then that is very unfortunate. Having fun in college and simultaneously experiencing great life experiences are not mutually exclusive; it just depends on how you define fun.
Outside the classroom, it is also important to develop a behavior pattern of maturity and responsibility that will make you thrive postgraduation. My major, specialty area, and what I want to do postgraduation started with one such conversation. When I was junior, I took an Applied Behavior Science introductory course. I was fascinated with a lecture that covered an area of Behavior Analysis that used behavior principles in business settings. I made the decision to talk to the professor in a 100-student lecture hall. Since then, I have V-Lined straight to a major I love, worked two internships, and am exploring a myriad o' exciting post-graduation plans.
What to do about it: A good starting point is to make a point to strike up a conversation with a professor or GTA about your potential or current field of interest once a week. This not only helps you become aware of opportunities for undergrads but prepares you for conversing in a semi-professional context.
Increase your conversations to other professor in your field and occasionally look at potential job opportunities that you can discuss with those professors. Look at opportunities to gain experience through volunteer organizations, on-campus groups or unpaid internships. Don't let the behavior of your fellow students control your behavior, because who wants to be the norm?
As someone who's been in college longer than anticipated, I understand the temptation to not care about college. Unfortunately
though, it's not the 90s and job competition is sky high. Sometimes I tell myself when I'm slacking, "Mike, if you can't finish your work for these classes, how are you supposed to hold a real job?" And like the many students that came before us, we will probably graduate and get some sort of job, eventually. But we must ask ourselves, is that why we came to college, to be one of the many?
Michael Sofs is a senior in applied behavioral science from Pittsburgh, Pa.
POLITICS
ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN BENEDICK
Giving aid to veterans
Whatever rhetoric you've been hearing lately, most know the economy is not where we want it to be. But amidst the public outcry, political bickering, and pure speculation, priorities have been rearranged. On one hand, we must cut some spending and reevaluate programs to find saving measures.
But in the hurry to balance the budget and get back on financial track, we must not allow for progress on significant problems to be lost. We can't allow numbers to trump individuals and the complexities of circumstance. We especially cannot watch the numbers we wish to see (lower expenditures and greater savings) come before the numbers we know.
This is what I know: our men and women in uniform are some of our nation's greatest resources. They do what most of us are unable or unwilling to do. They and their loved ones make sacrifices the rest of us find hard to imagine. And for that, our veterans deserve our respect, our gratitude and most certainly our attention. What I find hard to accept is that, according to the US Department of Veterans' Affairs, one-third of homeless adults are veterans.
In 2006, according to the Congressional Research Service, 196,000 veterans were homeless. New, expanded, and adapted programs (some part of the 2009 stimulus package), brought that number down to 67,000 in 2011. These programs included job training, psychological services and housing assistance. Most notably, success came despite the fact the Department of Veterans' Affairs spent just 0.7 percent of its budget on homeless outreach.
Now these programs, along with hundreds of other federal initiatives, may be on the chopping block when it comes time to set our next budget. To cut or reduce these programs would be a mistake fiscally; the money invested is clearly having the desired impact, as we have seen significant decreases in just a few years. Eliminating or reducing these programs would also likely be politically unwise in most districts, considering the bipartisan nature of support for veterans. The rhetoric so far has been positive, with the Obama Administration setting an admirable goal of ending veteran homelessness by 2015.
Having spent a grand total of three weeks in Washington D.C..
I've learned nothing is guaranteed. Reliable isn't a word that gets thrown out around here often. But having grown up in Kansas, I know this: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And when it works, keep it up. That's what we did when we wrote the Restoring GI Bill Fairness Act into law so vets can continue their education. That's what we should do with the Veterans Opportunity to Work and Helping Our Homeless Veterans Acts.
These pieces of legislation don't just address the problems of joblessness or homelessness with money or vouchers but instead focus on underlying issue, like easier access to services, job trainings, transition classes and more. They provide veterans with the necessary tools to make a successful and productive shift into civil society.
Do these things cost money, in a time when money is scarce? Yes, but these investments will shift some cost burden from response services (shelters, financial assistance, rehabilitative services) to preventative services and create greater stability. The price these men and women paid demands we think in terms greater than just dollars and cents. In a time of pragmatism, we must look beyond in-the-now rhetoric for long term solutions.
Danielle Onions is a junior in political science and women, gender, and sexuality studies from Shawnee.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I was intrigued by Jon Samp's article "Dating gives men contradictory notions" because I felt it didn't take into consideration how the media warps women's expectations of relationships.
While watching Disney movies as a child, I fantasized about how my Prince Charming would one day sweep me off my feet. Now that I'm older, it's the romantic "chick flicks" that give me those same butterflies.
I watch as Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis become "Friends With Benefits," fall in love, break up, and then JT does this huge romantic gesture to win her back.
sure. But the heart-fluttering, Grand Central Station flash mob? What about in "Kate & Leopold" where he treats her as a true gentleman should - opening doors, walking her home, pulling her seat out for her at dinner, helping her put on or take off her jacket.
These movies give women expectations that most men find to be "dead" yet we still hold out and hope for them. Men, they're not dead. Sure, spending $50 on flowers that are just going to die at the end of next week may seem silly to you, but you can't begin to imagine how it makes us feel. These things make us feel like we're on top of the world, like opening the car door for us or actually coming to the door instead
Let's take a step back — does that ever really happen? I mean, the f-buddies and break up,
of texting to let us know you're there, or even worse — honking.
The way we feel after watching a "chick flick" is how we expect to feel after a date. We've come to expect the occasional feeling of being swept off our feet, or the more frequent feeling of butterflies that come when we see a sticky note on our desk that says, "Just thinking of you..."
These aren't unrealistic expectations - they're just higher standards. Need some tips? Watch a romance movie before your next date.
Aly Boyer is a graduate student in bioengineering from Memphis, Tenn.
SOCIETY
Students demand gender equality
On February 4, 1972, a group of women now known as the February Sisters took a stand for gender equality at the University of Kansas. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the February Sisters occupying Wescoe to demand better conditions for women on campus, students have been reevaluating gender-related rights at the University.
In order to raise awareness and increase involvement, students "occupied" Wescoe again this week and encouraged participation in the discussion on what the university needs today. The students involved have created a set of "modern" demands for gender equality.
A short outline of the demands is as follows:
1. A better education program about consent and healthy relationships for all students
2. Same sex partner benefits for faculty and staff
3. Paid maternity and paternity leave for faculty and staff
4. The inclusion of a gender-neutral restroom in all constructions or renovations on campus
5. More funding for the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center and the LGBT Resource Center
6. A firm commitment to funding domestic violence and sexual assault services for students
The most important thing to realize now is that the issues surrounding gender equality are not just about being a woman anymore. Many of these demands recognize 'the importance of providing rights on a level that is about more than strictly "women's" issues.
Men and women need to be afforded equal opportunity and need to be protected from discrimination no matter their gender, gender identity, sexuality, or their idea of masculinity, femininity, or anything in between. This is why it is vital, for example, that same sex partner benefits be made available instead of just certain spousal benefits, or that paternity leave also be available if maternity leave is available (as it should be).
Making these changes would
KU has a great opportunity to also provide a safer environment for all students with an education program on consent. It can be easy to assume we know what consensual sex is and what is "right" or "wrong" in a dating relationship, but some aspects of an unhealthy relationship or a nonconsensual sexual encounter can be subtle and less recognizable.
The university could positively impact a large portion of the student community by providing context and information about safer dating relationships for all. That coupled with a commitment to funding domestic violence and sexual assault services, not just for heterosexual women but for any gender identity and any sexuality, would make our campus significantly safer. Such dedication to safety in this area also allows for greater equality among genders.
I hope these demands are acted upon. Instead of simply saying we support gender equality and passively listing ways the University could make this happen, we should engage in conversations with University administration and show them how important these ideas are to our community.
It will take more than just a few active students to push these demands through. In order to make sure these conditions happen to make The University an even better place to be, all students must support these demands. Voicing your support will help ensure that we take the necessary steps to further gender equality.
Cosby is a senior in political science and English from Overland Park.
create an environment focused on gender equality and equality on other levels.
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Length: 300 words
Ian Cummings, editor
864-4810 or editor@kasan.com
Lisa Curran, managing editor
864-4810 or curator@kasan.com
Alexis Knutsen, opinion editor
864-4924 or akin@kasan.edu
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864-4358 or garratt@kanan.com
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CONTACT US
Malcolm Gibson, general manager and new-
adviser
864-7667 or mgbisson@kansas.com
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864-7666 or schlit@kansas.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Ian Cummings Lisa Curran, Alex Knutsen, Angela Hawkins and Ryan Schlesinger.
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