FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2012
PAGE 5
opinion
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I may not know my GPA but I know my FFA/day average. It's 1.25, for those of you who need a little more jealousy in life.
I love walking in the heated walkway from Hayworth to Mallott and looking down at all the shivering, oblivious people.
Hipsters becoming main stream is like dividing by zero. It just doesn't work
Add frostbite to the list of health risks of smoking.
Riddle me this: how the hell are we behind Purdue for student section of the year?
Feels good to be back to drinking 4 cups of coffee every morning and being wired until 2 a.m.!
Not only are you two on ellipticals together at the REC but you're wiping each other's sweat off your foreheads. Now that is bromantical!
Hot coffee at the union. Iced coffee by the time I get to Strong Hall. Kansas weather at its finest.
My "it's not that cold, it's only a 15 minute walk" thought lasted only about two minutes.
Coffee and the FFA: breakfast of champions.
Editor's note: Don't forget your Wheaties!
Nothing is better than realizing you actually went to the wrong class the first day of class!
what's worse: the line at Dollar Night or the Underground at lunch?
That awkward moment when the majority of your friends on Facebook are random people you've met at the Hawk.
Hey, bus drivers? If you're gonna constantly pass the Towers, at least say "Sucks to suck" while driving by to give me a laugh as you leave me to freeze.
A student in Budig 120 just asked the professor if he could go to the bathroom.
didthatjusthappen #myhero
Dear frat packs, there is no reason you need to walk shoulder to shoulder on the sidewalk. This is not a scene from a movie, it's the sidewalk in front of Wescose.
Best feeling on first day of class?
Having a class with half the basketball team. Can you say easy A.
Having Dan back on the Daisy Hill bus will be the only thing getting me through this semester .
But when I hear "Fox Lady" I think of Garth in "Wayne's World" dancing towards me.
EDUCATION
Do as the Romans do: the Italian university
During my first lecture at the University of Bologna, I sat in the stairwell, crushed between my bag and another Italian girl who hadn't managed to find a seat. When the professor started talking, all I caught was, "Cose' la letteratura?" (What is literature?)
The next two hours consisted of a lecture conducted in a language I'm supposed to know or at least be learning. The professor ended it with a slam of a book and a swing of his scarf. I turned to the girl next to me, stumbling to ask her in Italian what he had just said.
And so it began. The pile of confusion, incorrect translations, and "Taglish" notes that would characterize my very first semester at this Italian institution.
Bologna, my home for the 2011-2012 academic year, has three nicknames: La Rossa, the red one, for it's red-tinted buildings and communist political history; La Grassa, the fat one, for its world famous cuisine; and La Dotta, the learned one, for what is currently my university and the oldest university in Europe. The University of Bologna.
Since the university was founded in 1088, scholars such as Dante, Petrarch, and Copernicus flocked to study in the same buildings where I have lectures. But the age of an institution doesn't necessarily equal perfection. In fact, after a semester of untangling the Italian education system, I have found that "education" has many different interpretations. And Italians don't necessarily see organization as part of their definition.
By Bernadette Myers bmyers@kansan.com
It is normal for there not to be enough seats in a classroom. I've sat on the floor, and sometimes I share a seat with a friend. I've shown up for lecture only to find my building locked or my professor an hour late.
There is no such thing as an
"Maybe a twenty minute oral exam is a better reflection on the real world tan the piles of busy work and online quizzes found throughout the American
education sys. ...
attendance policy. I could never attend class, enroll for my oral exam, and take it studying completely on my own or maybe not at all. If I fail, exams can be retaken a month, two months, even 10 years after I've completed the course.
And yet, despite its clear lack of order and maybe even functionality, the Italian system excels in other ways. The lack of attendance and enrollment reflect the fact that there is no cap on how many students can attend a lecture. In fact, courses are open to the public. I could sit in on any lecture I wanted to without paying a penny as long as I didn't
enroll for the exam.
Italians pay around $1500 a year to actually receive a degree from the University. But, their cheap education comes at a cost. There's no Student Health Center. No on-campus living. There are no athletic teams or campus newspapers. The students are there to learn, and no one holds their hands through it.
I have come to realize how dependent I am on the rigid semester schedule I have back home: Test 1, Mid-Term, Test 2, Final Essay, Final Exam. I've been trained to expect deadlines and grade breakdowns. Seeing my Italian roommates study for a course they took two years ago because they didn't feel ready for the exam right when the course ended makes me question how much I have retained. Could I pass my final for Calculus I took freshman year? Would I understand the plot of "Canterbury Tales" without the daily comprehension quiz?
After I complete my undergraduate education, I won't be getting a seat assignment and a syllabus with instructions on how to succeed. Maybe a twenty minute oral exam is a better reflection on the real world than the piles of busy work and online quizzes found throughout the American education system.
Then again, maybe I'll change my mind when I see how many times I have to take the oral exam.
Bernadette Myers is a junior majoring in Italian and European studies. from Prairie Village.
CULTURE
Choose a resolution that boosts your self-confidence
With the abundance of media hype about losing some pounds that inevitably comes with every new year, going to the recreation center is in the forefront of my mind. I have been going to the recreation center everyday and recently have been unnerved by the amount of muscle mass I have seen there.
I walked into the weight room and found a spot to look at myself in the mirror; I began lifting my 15 pounders with might. After a couple of moments, my eyes wandered like anyone else's, and I couldn't help but glance at the monster of a man lifting eighty pound dumbbells next to me.
As I gritted my teeth upon every repetition he lifted his weights with ease. Subtly comparing myself to him in the mirror, I realized that I would never become some- "rinsed"
one desired as or "huge" like would. I am fairly convinced that he put couch pillows under his shirt, or the mirror was modified in some way to make him look like Hercules.
This encounter made me think about why I even make New Year's resolutions. It is an opportunity to look at myself, see what is wrong, and vainly try to make myself a better person. The recreation center provides a mirror for me to look at myself, but other than a non-matching outfit, I
didn't see much wrong.
Losing my jelly-like belly has nothing to do with making me a better person. I was under the assumption that losing ten pounds was going to make me climb the numbers in attractiveness as if losing ten pounds would result in gaining a hundred pounds in the form of a significant other.
Obviously, I was doing this for the wrong reasons, and that is why my resolution to get trim
never shaped
look like something that someone could wash their clothes on, but I was only doing it because I thought other people would like it.
The hulk of a man in the gym, on the other hand, was trying to make himself the best at lifting heavy things, like really big rocks or small cars. The difference is that he is doing something to better himself while I am hopelessly trying to impress other people. The point is that I don't need to lift anything, other than my self-esteem perhaps.
Resolutions must be something that you do for yourself if you are going to accomplish them. Honestly, losing weight is a silly resolution. I need to resolve to do things that will make me a happier person and a better student, like watching more romantic comedies and not using Facebook as much in class.
In fact, we all need to look at ourselves in the mirror. That's what resolutions are really about; looking at
g. at yourself in critical w a y and making small changes to better
yourself. Losing a little weight is not the cure to your loneliness. You're just adding to the cacophony of people waiting in line at the recreation center. Instead, do something for yourself like playing fewer video games, flossing more often and talking to people face to face. That is self-respect.
Jon Samp is a senior in human biology from Lawrence.
FOOD
Eating Seasonally In-season fruits and vegetables are both delicious and nutritious
It's winter, and even though we're lacking the snow and negative temperatures that are usually present this time of year, we're still far, far away from the warmth of summer and all the great food that comes with it.
If you have ever enjoyed a fresh, red, homegrown tomato in the summer, then you know what I'm talking about. Those tomatoes are a dream compared to the flavorless, mealy things that line the shelves of Dillon's this time of the year.
But there's no need to settle for the bland versions of your favorite fruits and veggies shipped half-way around the world in the winter; there are plenty of delicious and under appreciated ingredients that are actually at their peak right now! Produce like Brussel's sprouts, cauliflower, celery, leeks, apples, and potatoes are at their best in the winter.
When an item is in season, it's not only at its best flavor, but also nutritional level. Dark, green veggies like kale are perfect right now and contain high doses of beta-carotene, a super-vitamin with lots of health benefits including building immune systems, which is perfect during cold and flu season.
So how exactly does one incorporate seasonal produce into their diet? I recommend printing off a food season chart, which can easily be found on the internet, and putting it on your fridge, so that you're more mindful of what to put on your grocery list.
Here are a few quick and easy ideas for winter ingredients. I love to take any sort of root vegetable, especially Brussel's sprouts but any medley will do, and lightly toss
Moreover, ingredients are often cheaper when they are in season. When an item is abundant after a harvest and doesn't have to be shipped from Brazil, it drastically lowers the cost and carbon footprint of a meal.
them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I then bake them in the oven at 425 degrees until slightly brown and crispy. Another favorite of mine is to sauté kale on the stove over medium heat in a pan with olive oil, fresh garlic, and a little salt until slightly wilted. A classic crowd pleasing dish is a baked sweet potato. Not only do they taste great, but they're also great for you. Either place them in the oven at 375 degrees for an hour or in the microwave for 7 minutes then let it sit for a few more; don't forget to take a fork and poke some holes in the potato before you cook it in the oven or microwave to avoid an explosion. When it's done and soft just add a little butter, salt, and maybe some brown sugar or whatever fixings you like and you've got a warming, delicious, winter meal.
And if you absolutely can't stand the thought of going without your spring and summertime favorites for a few months, try preserving your treats when they are at their freshest. Put some berries in the freezer in the summer and pull them out in the winter for great cereal toppings or smoothie ingredients. Or try some more traditional methods like canning and pickling. So try something new and don't avoid produce just because its winter.
Gabby Pred is a junior in political science and peace and conflict studies from Kansas City.
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
NotKUCompliance @UDOK_Opinion The only "woo'ing" going on should be Withey woo'ing coeds after the game.
ModerateRisk
ModerateRisk
@UOK_Opinion Yes! The only acceptable
whooing is from the steam whistle.
KUtraditions
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Harrison_Drake
@UDK_Opinion There's famine and death occurring everyday around the world, BUT WHO CARES?! This "Whooing" is out of control. #1stworldprobs
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