Opinion
WILSON: TECHNOLOGY TROUNCES ROMANCE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2009
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I guess you know that it's going to be a bad day when getting up for an Organic Chemistry lecture sounds more appealing than sleeping in while your sorority sister snores like a drowning elephant next to you.
I'd rather have KU basketball than a boyfriend. Why is that wrong?
Women, if you expect your guys to do something expensive then you suck. However if you would be OK with something economically friendly and semi-sweet, then you're a keeper.
you're a keeper
I'm hoping to get a pajama
garment this year for Valentine's
Day. Do you think they have
feeding?
--and Sciences should have been elected to the committee. CLAS is comprised of at least 1,400 faculty and graduate teaching assistants, and more than 17,000 students. According to the CLAS Web site, almost half of the University's students earn their bachelor's degrees from this college. Because this college represents such a large portion of the students and faculty, it deserves to be involved in the recruitment of the University's next chancellor.
--and Sciences should have been elected to the committee. CLAS is comprised of at least 1,400 faculty and graduate teaching assistants, and more than 17,000 students. According to the CLAS Web site, almost half of the University's students earn their bachelor's degrees from this college. Because this college represents such a large portion of the students and faculty, it deserves to be involved in the recruitment of the University's next chancellor.
Then I'm a keeper! I'd rather something creative be done than something expensive. Oh, but wait, I'm not a Johnson County girl, so that may be why.
I'm from Johnson County. That must mean that I don't care about anything but money and am completely shallow. Wow, I'm glad my geographic location has offered so much insight into my personality.
--and Sciences should have been elected to the committee. CLAS is comprised of at least 1,400 faculty and graduate teaching assistants, and more than 17,000 students. According to the CLAS Web site, almost half of the University's students earn their bachelor's degrees from this college. Because this college represents such a large portion of the students and faculty, it deserves to be involved in the recruitment of the University's next chancellor.
--and Sciences should have been elected to the committee. CLAS is comprised of at least 1,400 faculty and graduate teaching assistants, and more than 17,000 students. According to the CLAS Web site, almost half of the University's students earn their bachelor's degrees from this college. Because this college represents such a large portion of the students and faculty, it deserves to be involved in the recruitment of the University's next chancellor.
Hey Mizzou, I remember when I had my first beer.
Hey lady — the one who nearly hit the guy on the black motorcycle today — I hope that extra five seconds was worth it to you, because it almost killed me.
--and Sciences should have been elected to the committee. CLAS is comprised of at least 1,400 faculty and graduate teaching assistants, and more than 17,000 students. According to the CLAS Web site, almost half of the University's students earn their bachelor's degrees from this college. Because this college represents such a large portion of the students and faculty, it deserves to be involved in the recruitment of the University's next chancellor.
I just saw the best oxymoron to walk on campus: A girl wearing shorty shorts with Uag boots.
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--and Sciences should have been elected to the committee. CLAS is comprised of at least 1,400 faculty and graduate teaching assistants, and more than 17,000 students. According to the CLAS Web site, almost half of the University's students earn their bachelor's degrees from this college. Because this college represents such a large portion of the students and faculty, it deserves to be involved in the recruitment of the University's next chancellor.
You know how you don't know where all your purple pens are? I do.
--and Sciences should have been elected to the committee. CLAS is comprised of at least 1,400 faculty and graduate teaching assistants, and more than 17,000 students. According to the CLAS Web site, almost half of the University's students earn their bachelor's degrees from this college. Because this college represents such a large portion of the students and faculty, it deserves to be involved in the recruitment of the University's next chancellor.
Yes, I do, and your khaki pants.
People who are more concerned with the K-State game on Saturday than Valentine's Day are sad, pathetic people who will probably die alone.
To my friend who joined the "I hate fat people" Facebook group: I'm gonna knee you in the nuts for this.
I already have a Valentine of three years, but I still wanna speed-date!
Everyone should just enjoy their Valentine's Day however they choose. Why can't we all be friends? Except K-State.
The bus driver should stop hitting on GSP girls.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Chancellor search committee needs more students, faculty
In the process of hiring a new chancellor to replace Robert Hemenway, a chairman and search committee were chosen by the Board of Regents to recruit possible candidates.
We think the search committee should have included an additional student member and an additional faculty member, specifically from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Currently, the search committee does not accurately represent academics as a priority.
There were three students on
There were three studies the 1994 search committee that brought Robert Hemenway to the University: the student body president, the 1994 Truman scholar, and a second-year medical student. Since then, enrollment has increased and is now at a record high, yet this year's committee includes only one student.
Pittsburg State University and Kansas State University are both currently searching for presidential candidates and have similar search committees acting as recruiters. Pittsburg State's committee includes two students, and Kansas State's has three student members.
KANSAN'S OPINION
We also think a representative from the College of Liberal Arts
In an article in the Lawrence Journal World on Dec. 30,2008, it was clear the chairman was not selected for his academic qualifica tions.
selected by Regents Chairwoman Donna Shank, Regents Vice Chairwoman Jill Docking, Regents CEO and President
Reggie Robinson and Search Committee Chairman Duc Jennings. The Board of Regents then approved it.
"His previous business, volunteer and leadership experience is such an invaluable asset," said Shank. "As a former CEO, Drue has a wealth of business and executive experience."
CONTACT THE BOARD OF REGENTS AT:
(785) 296-3421
OR
www.kansasregents.or
This kind of business experience is necessary in the search for the next chancellor, however the committee members should make up for what the chairman is lacking in academic experience. It is essential to have both business and academic interests represented in the committee in order to maintain balance and ensure a priority on education is not forgotten. Unfortunately, the 18-member committee does not meet these standards.
The current search committee is a reflection of giving precedence to athletic, business and economic gain. Along with these, the first priority of the University should always be education and academic excellence. The search committee, as well as the next chancellor should reflect that.
— Caitlin Thornbrugh for The Kansan Editorial Board
STUDENT LIFE
JAMESFARMER
More than 'study' abroad
Students miss opportunities by avoiding interaction with locals
I remember feeling uncomfortable when my Taiwanese friend brought up Japan's military conquests in Asia before World War II. She said her grandmother still didn't like the Japanese because of Japan's occupation of Taiwan from 1895 to 1945.
I didn't know how to respond at first. We then talked about what we learned in our history classes. She said her Taiwanese history textbook described Japan's colonization of Taiwan for pages. My Japanese history textbook, however, referred to the event only for a few paragraphs.
I found the conversation interesting. This was one of the moments I took advantage of being abroad and interacting with non-Japanese people.
The Institute of International Education recently reported that 27.5 percent of KU undergraduate students completed study abroad programs before their graduation. According to the Office of Study Abroad, 1,365 KU students studied abroad for the 2006-2007 academic year. This was a 47 percent increase, compared with the number of students who studied abroad five years ago. The increase is partly due to a variety of programs that the University offers, said Sue Lorenz, interim director of the Office of Study Abroad. Students can choose programs that fit their schedules, budgets and interests. Some programs allow students to study overseas during winter break,
For example, before coming to the U.S., I thought many Americans were overly patriotic, believing America was the best and forcing the rest of the world to follow American ways of life. I based my perception about the U.S. from the Japanese mass media. Later, I realized it was a misconception after talking to American students and observing different types of activism on campus.
Though this flexibility makes study abroad programs more accessible, it is hard to benefit from overseas experiences if one doesn't speak the language or stay longer than a few weeks. While planning to study abroad, students should be aware of their constraints and maximize their opportunities. As an international student, I encourage students to interact with local people and other foreign exchange students as much as possible. One can't learn deeply about a different country and culture without observing that country's people and actually talking to them.
or take classes in English without requiring them to know another language.
My experience studying abroad also helped me understand how
Americans and other people from different countries think about Japan. When I was in Japan, I heard a lot of news about U.S. Japanese diplomatic and economic relations. In the major American media, however, I find very little news about Japan every day. I was surprised when some American students once asked me if I spoke Chinese in Japan or if we had our own language. Experiences like these made me realize that Japan was not the center of the world affairs. This broadened my world view, and study-abroad students from America and other countries will benefit from learning that their own nations are not the end-all of international affairs.
While abroad, it's good to step out of your group of American friends and immerse yourself in the local environment. Don't worry about your language proficiency (or lack thereof), but be a good observer, pay attention to what people talk about, care about and laugh about. Ask questions that you're interested in. Politics, religion, sex — some issues can be taboo, but people are usually willing to share their opinions, as long as you approach the subject with the right attitude and don't force your view. Plan ahead to step out of your comfort zone and make your trip meaningful.
Miyakawa is a Tokyo, Japan, senior in journalism.
SCIENCE
Darwin day recognizes evolution's importance
Today marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and
Darwin birth, and despite mountains of evidence, many Americans still do not accept the biological theory of evolution. Kansans have had a particularly bad relationship with evolution ever since the school board tried to remove it from the curriculum nearly 10 years ago. Most of those who object to the theory may do so on ideological grounds, but many more seem disinterested in how the theory of evolution could have any importance in our modern society. Do Darwin's evolving finches of the past really affect the world of the future? Doctors, scientists and others need to understand the importance of evolution, because the next generation of major medical challenges will require an understanding of Darwin's controversial theory.
Because evolution is such an all-encompassing theory, sometimes it is easy to overlook its peripheral effects. Such is the case with many of our drugs. Aspirin was first extracted from the bark of willow trees, paclitaxel (an anti-cancer drug) was discovered in Pacific yew trees, and Botox is derived from the bacteria that cause botulism. Although these drugs may differ in many ways, they are all natural products of evolution. Developing new drugs for any illness, from cancer to viral infection, relies very heavily on natural products, the availability of which is due to the diversifying effect of evolution on all earthly life. Evolution is providing the raw resources in our fight against a wide variety of illnesses.
A prime example is our reliance on and overuse of antibiotics, which has bottle-necked many species of deadly bacteria into resistance. In the early days of antibiotics, infections from bacteria could be treated with simple penicillin without complications. Today, bacteria have quickly evolved to have a resistance to these drugs, forcing us to develop novel antibiotics at an alarming rate. There are already cases of lethal bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotics. The most famous is MRSA. The Center for Disease Control has reported that, in 2005, this bacterium was responsible for more deaths per year than AIDS. And even as we implement one of our newest antibiotic drugs, Vancomycin, cases of resistant strains are already being reported.
Evolution is propagating this resistance as natural selection works to weed out weaker, less-resistant strains of bacteria. The only way to begin combating this growth of antibacterial-resistance is for scientists and doctors to understand the mechanisms and processes of evolution.
Our knowledge and treatment of viruses is also heavily dependent on our knowledge of evolution. The most infamous virus capable of potent evolution is HIV. This virus can mutate so quickly that there is diversity among strains within a single individual with HIV. The reason so many HIV drugs need to be given to patients is that the virus can quickly adapt resistance to them via evolution. Understanding the subtleties of evolution was absolutely essential in the development of these drugs.
From bacteria to drugs, evolution is inseparable from the practice of medicine. Clearly, when it comes to combating this next generation of medical challenges, everyone will need a solid understanding of the unifying principle of life: evolution.
Folmsbee is a Topeka junior in neurobiology.
Grammys neglected musical legend Moore
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The Grammys aired Sunday night. They had their usual lineup of pop icons and current flavors of the month. Time was taken to let Blink-182 to announce a reunion and for Green Day to announce a new album. And as always, there was the memorial piece, a look back at the musicians and artists who passed away in the last year.
Among those mentioned were Isaac Hayes, Bo Diddley and Danny Federici, the organ player for Bruce Springsteen's band. But not included among these esteemed artists was one of the founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, LeRoi Moore.
Apparently there was not enough time to include Moore in the televised segment. This is atrocious, and a statement on the severe wrong turn music
CONTACT THE GRAMMYS AT:
grammyfoundation@
grammy.com
integrity has taken in the last few years. Not only is Moore a legend and a Grammy-winning artist, but he changed the way a sax player was viewed in a band and he led a humble, tabloid-free life.
If you are as outraged as I am, whether you are a fan of DMB's music or not, contact the Recording Academy. Let your voice be heard, and maybe they will appropriately recognize Moore for all his musical accomplishments. As Neil Young once sang. "The king is gone, but he's not forgot." R.I.P., LeRoi Moore.
Brian Clausen is a junior from Overland Park
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