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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FEELING THE BEAT
TYLER ROSTE/KANSAN
Students involved in the Lied Center Student Association perform a flash mob dance routine at the beginning of Chuck Marsh's journalism 101 class located in 3139 Wescoe. This is the second of three flash mob routines taking place throughout campus this week.
SENATE
Gay marriage legalization debated in Washington state
ASSOCIATED PRESS
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington state Senate debated a bill Wednesday evening that would legalize same-sex marriage, with some legislators saying they were concerned about the potential impact to religious groups.
Both public galleries in the Senate were packed with supporters of gay marriage, many who gave bill sponsor Sen. Ed Murray a standing ovation when he stopped in the galleries to visit them about an hour before debate started.
Nearly a dozen amendments have been introduced, including
several that strengthen legal protections for religious groups and organizations and another calling for a referendum.
"There is a real tension in this redefinition of marriage bill between religious liberties and the underlying bill," said Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley.
The bill has narrow support in the Senate, but is expected to pass because supporters have secured 26 "yes" votes — one more than the 25 required for approval. Four senators, one Democrat and three Republicans, have not committed their votes.
If passed by the Senate, the
measure moves to the House, which has enough votes to pass the bill by a more comfortable margin. Also, Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire supports the measure and said she will sign it into law, which would make Washington state the seventh state to approve gay marriage.
As the vote loomed, conservative Democratic Sen. Brian Hatfield committed his support to the measure — becoming the 26th senator to back it. Hatfield said in a statement to The Associated Press that it has been one of the most difficult issues he has ever been associated with.
EDUCATION
TARA BRYANT/KANSAN
The use of computers in the classroom may be challenged in the future and become a thing of the past.
Laptops distracting use is controversial
AVALON COLE
acole@kansan.com
Laptops used to be considered a powerful tool for learning, but they are now becoming a huge distraction in the classroom, leading to professors banning them from their classrooms, according to The Washington Post.
Jon Earl, a professor of US history, is an advocate for banning computers in the classroom.
Earl decided to ban computers after working as a teaching mentor for the history department. Earl said he would sit in the back of the lecture classes, and every single student who had a computer was on their Facebook or e-mail.
"I work hard to create my lesson plans, and it's just disrespectful for students to be on Facebook during my class." Earl said. "Overall, I think writing things down is a better way to absorb the information. If students feel the need to transfer their notes to a computer later, that's completely fine."
Earl provides note-taking tips at the beginning of the semester in order to help students understand that they aren't required to jot down everything he says verbatim.
"As faculty in the modern age, we should figure out how to leverage these new tools to enhance student learning," Basham said. "Moreover, the students we educate are going to be asked to use these tools as they move onto their careers, so it's critical we prepare students to work and live in the interconnected world of both today and tomorrow."
Some think it should be the student's choice. Celia Byrne, freshman from St. Paul, Minn., believes college students are old enough to make their own decisions. If students choose to waste their class time on Facebook, then it's their loss.
"If the student attempts to write down everything I say, they are missing the point of note taking," Earl said. "I want my students to be engaged in my lectures instead of just copying down what's on the slides."
"The students that don't pay attention are wasting their own money," Byrne said. "It's unfair for students like me who rely on computers to be penalized for their decisions."
Basham strongly encourages the use of technology because it is a part of who we are as a society.
Byrne prefers her computer for various reasons. Byrne said textbooks purchased online are cheaper, the weight of a laptop is significantly lighter than her books and it is faster for her to take notes by typing.
Paul Kelton, associate professor and chair of department of history, has a different take on banning laptops. He allows computers in his classroom but only on certain conditions. They must get permission
While both Earl and Kelton choose to restrict or limit electronics, James Basham, professor in the department of special education, feels computers are helpful to the learning experience in class.
from him and also agree to sit in a certain section of the lecture hall.
"I used to allow computers, but then I discovered that not only were students who had them off task, but the students sitting around them also became distracted by the screen," Kelton said. "That is why I chose to change my policy."
Kelton believes the new policy has eliminated the problem.
- Edited by Bre Roach
CRIME
Woman robs bank searching for dentures
WAYNESBURG, Pa. — A woman who appeared to not have any teeth in surveillance photos from a bank robbery last month has confessed, apologized and told police she planned the heist because she needed the money for dentures.
Evelyn Marie Fuller, 49, remained in a jail Wednesday unable to post bond on bank robbery and other charges filed a day earlier by police in Waynesburg, in western Pennsylvania, where she's accused of robbing the First National Bank
on Jan. 20.
"During her confession, she stated she wanted to use the money to pay for dentures she was unable to get through welfare until next year," Ankrom said.
Arresting Officer Tom Ankrom said Fuller, of Carmichaels, about 10 miles east, explained her motives when she confessed to the crime.
Police distributed a surveillance photo of the robber, who appeared to be toothless, and an unnamed witness went to police and told them he had loaned Fuller the coat the robber was seen wearing in the picture. The man told police Fuller returned the coat because
Fuller, at her arraignment Tuesday, told a district judge she has mental health problems and lives on disability benefits, the Observer-Reporter newspaper, of Washington, said Wednesday.
the zipper didn't work, and police said it matched one the robber is wearing in the picture.
After her arraignment, she told a reporter, "I'm very sorry for what I did, and I know God is going to punish me for it," before explaining that her pastor told her to tell the truth about what she did.
Associated Press
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