TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAHV GANSAN
PAGE 4A
opinion
What's the point in getting a coupon in the paper Oct. 28 when it expired Oct. 177
I don't know what kind of a hipster you have to be to want to wear a McDonald's sweatshirt.
Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 or at kansan.com
Sometimes I pretend life is an RPG and pick up everything on the ground, hoping for a quest item.
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
After a 'wonderful' morning of lottery for basketball, I thought I'd leave for class at a decent time. After leaving, I realized I'm still rocking my bright orange flip flops and socks... Don't
Mondays suck more than a tyranno-saurus rex fielding ground balls.
If the public transit buses were more like the Magic School Bus I bet it would be a much happier place on Monday let alone the rest of the week.
judge
That awkward moment when you read your own FFA post and realize there's a grammatical error in it...
The steam whistle in the hunger games sounds like the steam whistle on campus. After class, may the odds ever be in your favor.
Just figured out that the athletic department got a snapchat "jayhawks." Just what I need, selfies from Baby Jay.
ResNet should concentrate on making vacuums because it sucks like none other.
Just spent the last hour listening to my TA tell stories about him getting trippy in the Amazon.
we have an entire article about the Denver Broncos but not our own Kansas City Chiefs in the UDK!?
39 degrees and no shirts at Saturdays game? Heck yeah.
Dear student body: middle of halls and stairs are not for sitting. Thanks!
Don't think I didn't notice you putting Perry Ellis in the crossword, UDK.
Dusk is when the squirrels come out... Beware.
This dude got ejected from an intramural game. Like seriously bro? It's intramural!!
BASKETBALL TIME
Is there anyway that both of the World Series teams could lose?
Please?
MyResNet Internet service is slower than advertised
I've been living at the dorms on Daisy Hill for most of a semester now, and I can't wait to get out.
I live in Lewis Hall, so I'm close to the cafeteria and campus. My roommates are great (especially considering I went four bedroom potluck). I've made a ton of friends, have enough living space, a good view, a nice floor, etc. All of this is at a reasonable price. It seems perfect, so why do I want to leave so badly? Literally only one reason: The Internet speeds are intolerable.
Apogee Inc., the company responsible for 'providing' universities nationwide with resident Internet, is the bane of my existence. Apogee claims their mission is "cultivating an environment where students thrive" and that they want to "foster the potential of every student". Sorry, no.
How am I supposed to create the next Microsoft, Google or Dell (as they so keenly advertise could
happen on their network) when I often can't load websites?
I took some tests to back up my opinion with numbers.
Using Speedtest.net, I found my wireless download speed to be about 5 mbps and my upload speed near 3 mbps, with a ping of 68 ms. I know people may not understand the language of bandwidth, so let me break this down for you. Internet speeds operate in megabits, which are equal to one-eighth of a megabyte that you see on a USB drive or computer. So for every one megabit, I download or upload an eighth of a megabyte per second. At the five megabits per second speed, I could download a 1 gigabyte file (1,024 megabytes) in about 27 minutes. That is, on a Friday night when the dorms are empty and traffic is minimal.
The 5 and 3 mbps connection is near the national average for Internet speed. It's acceptable in the United States, which is internationally ranked No. 32 for
download speed and No. 42 for upload, but the issue is that it's not remotely consistent. I tried to test my speed on a Sunday evening- and the internet wouldn't even load. I was able to find Wi-Fi access in the floor's study room, but it was so slow I couldn't complete my speed test. This happens more often than not during the week, when I cannot play music, search Google or use any basic functions of the Internet. I would use the typically faster Ethernet cable to connect, but my ports do not work. MyResNet Internet actually makes my phone slower - I'm
better off using 3G in most cases. I've called about my speeds and issues but their 24/7 customer service was inept and not remotely helpful.
I'm not going to complain that I'm paying thousands of dollars to attend KU and therefore I deserve the royal treatment, though I do think that as a student, I am entitled to functional internet. I would be content with a consistent '5 down 3 up' connection. Especially because I did pay extra—I chose one of MyResNet's upgrades, which advertised up to 20 mbps download and upload.
I know I'm not the only one in this situation. I searched Twitter for opinions and found only thousands of complaints nationwide. I tweed about it and got numerous retweets and favorites. Encountering someone who gets decent speeds is rare (and in my experience, because they were able to purchase the top option). Roughly 3,200 KU students live
in the dorms, and have to deal with this atrocious Internet that Apogee serves.
their website says that their "primary goal has been to provide colleges and universities with the dynamic solutions they require to meet the needs of today's student while remaining competitive in the modern world."
If that's true, they need to start listening to the students and realizing that we have diverse needs. They need to upgrade to actually competitive service. Either that, or the University needs to drop them. That won't happen unless students vocalize their concerns. If you've been dissatisfied with MyResNet like I have, write MyResNet (support@myresnet.com) and KU T1 (itcsc@ku.edu) to demand change.
Dalton Boehm is a freshman majoring in journalism from Prairie Village.
Involuntary celibacy negatively affects college students
This may not be news to college students, but some people remain sexually inactive through no choice of their own. A desire for sex exists, but no prospects do. There's a term for people who can't get laid: involuntary celibacy, or 'incel'. A longer definition explains: "Involuntary celibacy is chronic near-total or total absence in a person's intimate relationships or sexual intercourse that is occurring for reasons other than voluntary celibacy, asexuality, antisexualism or sexual abstinence." I think we can all remember that person on our floor freshman year that was involuntarily celibate, no matter how hard he or she tried.
But incel is not something to be taken lightly. Newscaster Christine Chubbock committed suicide live on air in 1974, and it was believed that incel was a root reason. As a 30-year-old virgin, shed suffered unrequited crushes and severe depression.
Chubbock's case is rare because most people don't take their own lives, and inceldom usually afflicts men more than women. Just searching the web returns many forums and blogs dedicated to the incel man's plight. After scouring a few, these men range from misogynistic to clueless. A few showed a sense of entitlement; they felt they expected all women to say yes. Others I pitied for the way women had allegedly treated them. Being excessively rude during a rejection just makes it worse. But the most interesting article regarding inceldom was from the Huffington Post. One man pleaded for a governmental program aiding
incel men. Completely implausible and ludicrous, right?
This man suggested the government facilitate a program where women are paid monetarily to date incel men. "Women would freely apply for such program, as would incel men. Every woman would have a limit of 30 dates," the blog explains. "If she doesn't find a suitable partner during those 30 days she will be fired to prevent scammers — however, she would be paid the full sum, as would a woman who finds a partner during one of these 30 dates."
Whether you think this is an excellent or unfathomable idea, it has major flaws. What about gay men or women? It will inevitably attract some women with only financial motivation. How do men feel knowing women are being paid to date them? Would that not lower self-esteem even more? It objectifies women, and forces the government to foot the bill. An outcry over how tax dollars are being spent on partial hookers would ensue. Knowing the government struggles to pay for the current entitlement programs guarantees this won't take shape anytime soon, or ever.
for those of you who would never need the government to pay your date, you might ask,
what causes someone to be incel? Well, posters on the forums say lack of a job, unattractiveness, shyness and/or constant rejection stunts their sex life. Mayo Clinic asserts being incel can be caused by, and contribute to, low self-esteem and severe depression. Victims may also suffer from the inability to approach potential partners and build relationships. When people consistently fail to enter into a relationship, disregarding sex, it can cause some heavy blows to the ego. Unfortunately, society depicts the happy life as one we share intimately with another person. It fails to capitalize how being single can also bring enjoyment.
Luckily, there's a solution to being incel. People CAN reach happiness without sex. Dennis Sugrue, PhD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School, asserts that people can actually reach the biochemical effects of sex through masturbation. Reaching orgasm, even through self-stimulation, gives a natural high, can boost your immune system and even help you cope with pain (the pain of being incel).
So, whether you are celibate voluntarily or involuntarily, you still can lead a fulfilling life. Do not act as irrationally as Christine Chubbock did. While it can feel like everyone around us is hooking up, there are plenty who find contentment in other facets of life. Don't get hung up on sex, whether you're having it or not.
Harrenee Reasor is a junior studying Economics and EALC from Thayer.
Take care of sickness for yourself and others
As I sit in class wiping slimy phlegm off the back of my neck for the fifth time, I can't help but curse my luck. It always seems that no matter where I choose to sit, I always end up in front of the person who has contracted the bubonic plague and proceeds to periodically spray me with a mist of pestilent sludge. Maybe it's because I'm socially awkward, but I try to not do anything that could potentially piss someone off. Cold and flu season is coming, so if we could take care of each other by doing common-courtesy type things, that would be great.
According to the Center for Disease Control, each year, there are more than 1 billion cases of the common cold in the United States. Their most important pieces of advice for dealing with a cold are to stay at home while you are sick, avoid close contact with others and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. You would think all of those things would be common sense, but apparently not.
Now, I appreciate the fact that people want to be martyrs. I heard someone the other day gloating about how they had pneumonia and had made it anyway. Cool bro, but draw the line somewhere. Take a day off, clearly you need it. Missing one irrelevant lecture is not a big deal. Don't bring other people down with you.
All of that having been said, I'm also sympathetic. I remember when I moved away from home for the first time. It was terrible. Since I was a wee lad I'd always had mommy there to tuck me in, cook me my favorite foods, sing me lullabies and make sure I had my favorite teddy, but when I turned 18 that was all gone. All I had was a roommate and he only tucked me in sometimes, and that was only because I'd passed out drunk (still sweet though). How could I possibly take care of myself? The mere concept was mind-boggling.
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
By Nick Jackson
njackson@kansan.com
The CDC gives some great, albeit well known advice for how to take care of thyself during a cold or flu. They recommend lots of fluids. For a fever, a washcloth on the head helps, and acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help bring it down. For a dry, hacking cough, cough drops should relieve the agony. Ice chips or gargling salt water is sure to help a sore throat. For congestion, it may help to have a humidifier in your room. It keeps moisture in the air to keep things flowing. Make sure that you don't let yourself get dehydrated. I'm pretty sure zinc lozenges can cure the common cold. Of course, there are more extreme cases — I've had times where I could absolutely not stop throwing up and I would just throw up whatever liquids I tried to get down. At that point it's time to go to the hospital. It isn't that bad. You get an IV and a nausea shot and feel better in 5 minutes. It's way better than throwing up 30 times in a night.
Bottom line is, please just take a second to put yourself in the shoes of people who might be affected by your actions. Nobody wants to touch your disease-ridden mitts when you consciously neglect to wash your hands, and I don't know of a single person that enjoys cough juice on their face. Life and class is hard enough this time of year. Take care of yourself and those around you by not getting everyone sick. Stay home and get better. While it may not be as good as mom rubbing your tummy, you can make it through. I believe in you.
The KU student body has never looked more unattractive than at early morning lottery.
Nick Jackson is a junior majoring in chemical engineering from Lawrence.
@m2marcus
My service has been ter-404
NETWORK ERROR
@Gagehawk
Resnet is the spawn of Satan. I can't procrastinate on YouTube as easily.
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