Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
GOOD LUCK IN CLASSES IN THE FALL SEMESTER
CLASSES BEGIN AUGUST 20
United States First Amendment
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2009
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
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I was attacked by a squirrel outside the Underground. He stole my bun from my sandwich. I think I'd rather have rabies and get my bun back.
Dear guy doing an intense ab workout at the rec: Please stop grunting while I am stretching with my legs spread right beside you. It makes me feel like we're having sex.
With Iron Man and The Sims, this evening can't get better!
I wish I could skip the part where I'm looking for a job and just go to the part where I have one.
Taco Bell, will you marry me?
--the Midwest to be accepted to.
I'll be in college/law school for 7 years. Like Hogwarts!
Making things awkward is my specialty.
FFA, I think I'm addicted to bubbles.
Who knew chicks dig Eagle Scouts?
I wish I could read minds.
I want to be Baby Jay,I'm small enough!!
--the Midwest to be accepted to.
EDITORIAL BOARD
University should raise admission standards
As summer months come to an end and a new cancellor readies to take over at the University of Kansas, it seems like a perfect opportunity to make some positive changes.
The University of Kansas has long been on the verge of greatness. And, while the University has made great strides in some areas, such as research and athletics, there is still one thing keeping it from becoming a top-notch institution.
The current admission standards at the University are a constant flock of unprepared students who are unequipped to succeed here and who will ultimately fail or drop out.
KU currently accepts 92 percent of applicants — a greater percentage than any other school in the Big 12 Conference, making it one of the easiest major public universities in
"We are required to admit students to KU whom we know will likely fail," said a July 2008 report by the Kansas Board of Regents State University Admissions Task Force.
in admission standards, noting that the current standards were proposed more than a decade ago.
The task force asked for a change
"There is a disconnect between what it
takes to be academically successful in college and what our admission standards indicate," the report stated.
The University has asked to increase the admission standards, but Regents, who must decide, have made no action. If the University has been able to identify its own weaknesses, why haven't Regents let it fix them?
KANSAN'S
OPINION
Incoming Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little has identified increasing the quality of KU academics as one of her central goals. What better way to improve academics than to improve
the quality of students?
Sure, it may cost a little more. The number of students would likely decrease as the University started to deny entry to some. But, with
better-prepared students come more research grants, scholarships and awards. And successful students ensure top-rate faculty, exponentially increasing the quality of education across the University. Making the University more desirable would increase the number of applicants,
eventually making up for any dips in enrollment.
Scraping through high school with a 2.0 GPA shouldnt be enough to gain admittance.And being in the top-third of one's class is an outdated and unrealistic tool of measuring success.
It should be a privilege to attend the University of Kansas. We should become a place that students from all over the world aspire to attend. Students, faculty and staff shouldn't be satisfied with merely being a safety or back-up school for thousands of students. We should take the highly marketed term "best value" college as an insult. The University shouldn't strive to be the best bang for one's buck. It should strive to be the best.
— Kevin Hardy for the Kansan Editorial Board
NOTES FROM ABROAD
Irish 101: Learning to talk as a true Irishman
I don't want to be the person who writes about my personal struggles and triumphs I've encountered abroad. I especially don't want to be the person
concludes such a story with some sort of self-affirming sentimental realization.
It's just not my style.
We all have a friend or an acquaintance who spent a few months in another country and returned to the U.S. with some obnoxious trait they didn't have before leaving. Maybe it's a mild accent. Maybe they like to throw in the occasional slang word they picked up abroad during conversation.
I have already been guilty of all three. Family and friends have
called me out on it, and I'm desperate to cut it out before I get back.
I won't pretend that I've found some sort of enlightenment here I couldn't find in the U.S., or that I'm any smarter than before I left.
I will say though, that I'm very glad I came here and I'll miss Ireland tremendously I've met great people, work for a cause I believe in, learned about my heritage and had an unforgettable time.
Oh yeah, I also learned some slang too.
So, to prevent myself from coming off as too much of a prick when I return to Larryville, U.S.A., here are some Kansan friendly Irish slang words for all to enjoy.
Slainte — (pronounced slawnsha) Gaelic for Cheers
Cheers — Used for anything from thank you to goodbye to the typical drinking salute.
Cráic — (pronounced crack) Fun or party plans. i.e. "We had a load of cráic" or "What's the cráic?"
Your man — referring to anyone you know or can be connected to while in conversation, i.e. "Your man Barack Obama is in the news"
or "your man started a fight in the pub last night"
Knackered — tired
Pissed — very drunk
Jacks/Toilets — bathroom
Fag - cigarette
Hen party — bachelorette party
Stag party — bachelor party
Snog — make out
Lift — ride in an automobile i.e.
"Thanks for the lift"
Ride — sexual act "Thanks for the ride"
Queue — (pronounced like the letter q) line
Session - very intense night of drinking
Crisps - chips
Chips - fries
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