Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WILSON: UNUSED MEAL PLANS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF UNNOTICED WASTE COMING WEDNESDAY
TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2009
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FREE FOR ALL
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--require Perkins to remain for a more substantial amount of time at the University.
There is a lake in front of Oliver, and the AC in Oliver is not working. Coincidence? I think not. Party at the lake tomorrow!
Oh, cloudy skies and rainy weather, I can feel the hint of a tan I got last week fading already.
For some reason, my brain refuses to work before midnight.
--require Perkins to remain for a more substantial amount of time at the University.
--require Perkins to remain for a more substantial amount of time at the University.
My roommates just made me drive by Applebee's four times to see Taylor Swift, and it made me feel like a creepy stalker
--require Perkins to remain for a more substantial amount of time at the University.
I just got a rice-paddy tan (or, as you Americans call it, a "farmer's tan").
Adverbs make the world go 'round.
--require Perkins to remain for a more substantial amount of time at the University.
--require Perkins to remain for a more substantial amount of time at the University.
I wish Googling crap was a major.
I want to know who Mr. E is.
My addiction to Facebook is so bad that I had to download a program to block myself from
--require Perkins to remain for a more substantial amount of time at the University.
The question is, what should I eat for dinner?
--require Perkins to remain for a more substantial amount of time at the University.
Taco Bell or Pizza Hut. Do it for me since I'm studying abroad and very far from tasty, unhealthy American food.
Dude ... thunderstorms.
I see all kinds of signs in McCollum saying that the AC is on, but all I get is hot, disappointing air.
--require Perkins to remain for a more substantial amount of time at the University.
I'm losing my friends with benefits to guys who want girlfriends
PAGE 5B
--require Perkins to remain for a more substantial amount of time at the University.
I have yet to come to terms with the fact that I am a horrible test-taker.
I can't decide which is funnier; the Heineken closet commercial or the Spongebob Burger King commercial.
To whoever pulled the alarm at 5:30 this morning, ultimately forcing me to sleep in my car and miss my 8 a.m. class: If I ever find out who you are, you'll never feel safe in McCollum again. Grrr.
I hate texting my friends.
Texting is for flirting. Call my
ass if you want to talk to me
about chit
EDITORIAL BOARD
Perkins' bonus comes with terrible timing
Athletics Director Lew Perkins is set to receive $750,000 more in his retention plan than what was originally agreed upon. After Perkins rejected offers from another university, Chancellor Robert Hemenway agreed to add the bonus, raising Perkins' original $1.3 million paycheck to $2.05 million if he stays in office until June 30, 2009. Come July 1 Perkins could simply walk away with $750,000 more in his pocket
Chancellor Hemenway should not sign off on bonuses such as this so close to his retirement. At the bare minimum, any bonus Perkins receives should
Perkins
KANSAN'S
OPINION
Perkins' bonus stands in stark contrast to the painful budget cuts the University is facing this year. University staff members have lost their jobs, and significant programs for students and University employees have been cut, such as student learning communities and faculty discounts on tickets to sporting events. So far, the University
has left 110 faculty positions vacant that would otherwise have been filled. Students will surely suffer because of these deep cuts in academic resources. It is unseemly, to say the least, that
Kelsey Clark, Lenexa junior, said she thought it seemed weird that the University would give away that much money during a time like this.
our University will be rewarded with threequarters of a million dollars for sticking around for another nine weeks.
Fran Scheurerman, Leawood junior, said that if a bonus was "what it takes to keep a guy like that around then I'm all for it."
"There's always news of something new being cut or losing money because of the economy," Clark said. "It's just strange he would be making that much more money when they make it seem like KU doesn't have any money to spare."
But Scheurerman said she opposed the $750,000 reward for retention over such a short period of time.
Perkins is among the highestpaid athletic directors in the nation, and the original $1.3 million bonus promised in his contract should serve as more than enough incentive for him to remain at the University until the end of June. The costs of the
TO CONTACT THE ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT:
CALL: Jim Marchiony,
Associate Athletics Director
AT:(785)864-3359
bonus more than outweigh the marginal benefit of increasing the incentive by such a conspicuous sum of money. The University has already received criticism for the decision, and Hemenway, by agreeing to the bonus right before he leaves office, is in effect tying the hands of the incoming administration.
The unusually poor timing of the $750,000 bonus raises questions about Hemenway's judgment in the waning days of his administration. Any retention bonus for Perkins should wait until the new chancellor takes office, and it should certainly entail a commitment by Perkins to stay at the University for a period longer than nine weeks. It should be up to next year's University administration to weigh the costs and benefits of retaining the athletics director.
— Amy Johnson for The Kansan Editorial Board
EDITORIAL CARTOON
I'M GOING TO HAVE TO ASK SOME OF YOU TO LEAVE.
NICHOLAS SAMBALUX
ENVIRONMENT
Consumption causes harm whether buying green or not
environmental improvements: alternative energies, new technologies and green products. We were shown all the different things that we, the consumers, can invest in or purchase to reduce our impact on the environment.
During these past couple of weeks, we've learned about a host of new
The truth of the matter, however, is that these innovations all take for granted our current level of consumption; and the current level of consumption is not sustainable. By focusing on what we should buy, we avoid asking whether we are buoying too much.
Our economy, and those who seek profit within it, is leading us over the cliff of Earth's carrying capacity. Instead of thinking about how to extract more profit from consumers, the great creativity of the human mind would be better put toward developing new power structures where people, not profit, are put first.
We used to assume that we had an endless supply of natural resources and an unending
waste-basket capacity on Earth. Now, however, we are beginning to recognize that we indeed live in a world of finite resources. Oil and metal supplies are stressed. Drinking water and arable land are scarce. We'll never produce energy clean enough, a car efficient enough or a Clorox that's green enough to maintain our extravagant level of consumption.
The disconnect between our levels of consumption and the world's limited resources can be seen on campus. Last week, Lauren Keith, Wichita junior, writing as a guest columnist expressed her dismay about how environmentalists have become stuck in a rut of consumption by tapping into a growing consumer movement.
But the unfortunate fact
of the matter is that reducing consumption is not profitable. Thus, the invisible hand cannot point us in the right direction. The underlying forces that perpetuate our ecological problems are our capitalistic economic system and our culture of individualism. By channeling the money into the hands of the few and inducing high levels of consumption, we have laid the groundwork for most of the environmental degradation that we see today.
To move forward, we have to break from the status quo and put our creativity toward developing new systems of organization, which democratize our resources and put the modes of production and planning in the hands of the majority instead of the minority. Focusing on the underlying causes of our environmental problems, and not which "green" products to buy, is what environmentalism is really about.
Kenny is a Leavenworth senior in civil and environmental engineering.
RELATIONSHIPS
Society often ignores stereotypes about men
Stereotypes about the differences between men and women abound in our society. Some are so prevalent that it's easy to forget how wrong they may be and how they can affect our relationships.Often while fighting to reduce female stereotypes, we overlook those about men.
Stereotype No. 1: Guys don't cry They have just as many feelings as girls. Sure, there are guys who are truly lacking in the emotional realm, but some girls are like that too. Guys are born with the same fears as girls, but as they develop, guys are told from a variety of sources that they aren't supposed to have — or at least show — emotion. If magazine ads full of skinny girls can take the blame for the rise of anorexia, then surely the media can be said to affect the psychology of males.
But assuming men are less sensitive is one of the more dangerous beliefs to hold. I've seen girls who are rather abusive to their partners, teasing and putting them down constantly because the girls simply don't realize they're doing anything wrong. After all, if a guy doesn't have feelings, then why bother not hurting them?
Stereotype No. 2: Guys always forget anniversaries. We see this stereotype as the plot of run-of-the-mill sitcoms practically every day. But guys are not idiots. They can remember that the Porsche 911 was first produced in1963; that Apollo 13 launched on April 11, 1970; and that "Wrath of the Lich King" was released on November 13, 2008. I've often wondered why this stereotype exists, whether it's true, and, if so, why guys are so forgetful when it comes to the romantic stuff. I know I'm as forgetful of dates as my boyfriend (OK, a little more forgetful). After a conversation with my boyfriend, I wasn't
Stereotype No. 3: Sex is the most important thing to guys. One of the most surprising things my boyfriend admitted to me when we first starting going out was that he had feared that I would end up as a one-night stand. Girls have an often unfounded idea of how guys view sex. Just because a guy is interested, it does not mean he is interested only in sex, despite what your mother told you. Guys care just as much about the emotional side of a relationship. I've learned that they are not universally selfish; that their personal pleasure and satisfaction does not always take priority over everything else.
It's not exactly a revelation to realize the falsity behind these stereotypes. But sometimes stereotypes can be so prevalent that it's hard to escape from them. These lingering preconceptions can affect your relationship, whether you've been with the person for years or have just started dating.
much closer to figuring it out. But I did realize a few things. It's not because guys don't think it's important. It's not because they don't understand why it's important. It seems to be that it has something to do with the way men and women prioritize. For example, when I asked my boyfriend for a random fact, he admitted that he remembers his mother's birthday because it's the same month and day Apollo 13 launched.
Clossin is a Wichita sophomore in secondary English education.
FROM PENNSYLVANIA
BY ROBERT SALOME
Drexel U.
The Triangle
2
Videogames unfairly restricted
Video games have seen a huge rise in popularity in the past few years. The industry's broadening of its audience deserves part of the credit for the recent success. Games are no longer just for little kids.
If a seller wants to cater to a market of family-friendly consumers, that is perfectly fine. The problem arises when the government tries to control the content sold or the content created.
According to The New York Times, the average age of a video game player is 30, and that number may increase in the future. But despite the mature age of average gamers, games are constantly being monitored for fear that they may corrupt young people.
A Japanese game publisher has announced its plans to release "Six Days in Fallujah," based on the Second Battle of Fallujah from the current Iraq War. A
public outcry has formed, and many are trying to ban the game before it is released. Although it may be controversial to make a game based on an ongoing event, it certainly should not merit a punishment. Creating controversial media is allowed through the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The government took the right course by declining to act.
The content that juveniles view should be monitored by their parents. Gaming organizations have given parents the tools needed to make wise decisions about what games and movies to allow or restrict for their children. Although laws prohibiting the sale of restricted content to adolescents will not hurt the situation, they may be more trouble than they are worth. Laws that will hurt, however, are the ones that restrict game content in general. If that gets restricted, then what is next?
— UWire
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