THE UNIVERSITY DAHY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
PAGE 4A
Guy in the Underground about my Lock&Lock food container: "those are really good weed storage containers"
Me: "...thanks?"
Definitely putting "made the FFA everyday for a week" on med school applications. Thanks for the résumé builder, FFA editor!
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
We should have a moment of silence for all the perfectly good pie wasted for sorority fundraisers.
Today I about got hit by a KU van.
Next time I'll make sure to jump in front so my tuition will be paid for!
(Is that even true?)
FOOTBALL
Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 or at kansan.com
Pokemon X and Y come out the first day of fall break. If you haven't beat them by Wed you have no right to call yourself a trainer.
To all the people excited about what the new iphone 5s will have, remember it won't have ifunny.
wino cares about the old Underground Chinese food when we have Panda Express coming to the Union?
I am too punk rock for this
Oobligatory, inane message about some stupid camp the campus squirrels aren't actually doing.
Highlight of my day. Watching sorority girls and frat guys trying to gauge when to run past a sprinkler that was spraying across the sidewalk.
I was depantsed on the stair master.
How's my donk looking?
I am seriously the only person in my group of friends that is pumped for the new pokemon games.
Apparently "The Colbert Report" and "Anthony Bourdain: No reservations" is a viable study option for my Spanish class. This class isn't that bad.
Congress should be more like NASCAR and wear the logos of their sponsor's on their jackets.
In my engineering classes, we have to fight for the front row.
I don't know who you were looking at I'm living my dream at IRP.
I've been sick all week and I sound like Roz from Monster's inc.
Alright, what's everyone's favorite Pop-Tart flavor?
My cooking has improved from terrible to edible.
43 days until the PS411
In the event of rain, this issue of the University Kansan can function as an umbrella. Use wisely.
How to survive football season without losing friends
Nationwide queso sales are rising, watch-checking during Sunday church services is commonplace and conversation on every level of interaction seems to be permeated by mentions of "Harbaugh," "Broncos" and "Kaepernick." However, lost in this surge of feel-good, friendly (to an extent) competition among fantasy football leagues and a collective spike in dad-moods, is a dark, forgotten fraction of American society lost in the shuffle—the football-impaired.
Not to be generalized to a single gender or age group, the existence of an ashamed, confused group of citizens needs to be addressed, and as a member myself, it is my humble hope to aid my peers. My purpose isn't to explain the rules, distinguish the teams or attempt to explain the mass hype surrounding football, because that lies far outside the boundaries of my knowledge. My goal is instead to provide a survival guide for getting through the season without making a total and complete fool of yourself. Because as an FIC (football-impaired-citizen), you have two options: be the obnoxious one loudly proclaiming your distaste for the game while simultaneously annoying the majority and alienating yourself, or play it cool and collected, armed with a few secret weapons at your disposal.
1. Eavesdrop. This isn't a Red Robin, you're not five and your mom isn't kicking you under the table: it's time to forget the rule of, "it's impolite to stare." One of the easiest, most accessible ways to soak up a little football knowledge is through a healthy dose of good, old-fashioned eavesdropping. If you want to fully commit to surviving football season despite your status as an FIC, but think reading long Wikipedia articles about downs and yards sounds like as much fun as brushing your gums with steel wool, then all you have to do is switch your habits in public. Take a page out of the creep-handbook—throw
By Erin Calhoun
ecalhoun@kansan.com
the sunglasses on, headphones in and music off. The two camo-clad guys sitting next to you on the bus will have no clue that you're soaking up all of their nuggets of wisdom about Alex Smith and Drew Brees. Best of all—you don't need to change your daily routine in the slightest, all you need to do is store a few key phrases in the back of your mind for use in later conversations. Focus on general information; who won what game, and opinion-based-phrases such as: "I can't believe Cutler missed that throw," or "If the Lions' offense keeps this up, I see a bowl in our future." PRO TIP. Eavesdropping is especially advantageous on mornings after game days (Mondays and Tuesdays).
2. Fake it till you make it. As a college student, chances are you have mastered the language of baloney and realize the enormous power of faking it. Now, without
even having to type ESPN into your browser, you've accrued some general knowledge not only of who won the previous night's game, but stored some stranger's opinions you can now modestly claim as your own. If someone directs a football-based-comment your way, you can simply laugh or snarl (given the phrases you stored on the bus), and repeat back the camo-hat-guy's conversation, with a reasonable amount of gusto. You may be feeling overly confident, but caution is crucial. These guidelines will work only in helping you out of a football-based-conversation with minimal damage, not in starting one.
3. Change the subject. When the going gets tough, and the opposite football-proficient party begins pressing you too hard about fouls and flags, forget about fight-or-flight and simply fly. You chugged a water bottle and really need to excuse yourself, right? Oh, how could you have forgotten, you desperately need to print
out your paper before the next hour. Is that your chemistry TA across the street? You definitely need to ask him a question before lab tomorrow. Unfortunately, your cultural handicap doesn't allow for a fully sustained conversation about the Jets, so you'll have to settle for minimal embarrassment and a good blending-in. Life on the run isn't easy, but so goes the existence of us FIC's.
With these guidelines as your mantra, I wish you luck in maneuvering the public sphere during this trying fall season. Remember, you aren't alone, and it could be worse—you could not understand football and not watch Breaking Bad (it's been a rough month). Now for the love of corn-mazes, go to Starbucks where you belong, and sip your pumpkin spice latte in football-ignorant bliss.
Erin Cathoun is a junior pre-med student from Naperville, Ill.
POLITICS
Wendy Davis' campaign in Texas forecasts change for Midwest
Back in June, an unheard of state senator in Texas took to the floor of the state
to the floor of the state house to filibuster a bill that would cripple abortion rights in her state. She stood and spoke for 11 hours, gaining attention on social media and applause from liberals around the country for her efforts. While her fight against the bill ultimately failed, activists and spectators around the country became aware of Wendy Davis. More recently, she is said to have informed leading Democrats that she intends to run for governor in 2014.
As of now, the odds are against her. Texas has elected Republican governors by overwhelming margins in the past five gubernatorial elections. Other prominent Democrats in the state, like San Antonio mayor Julian Castro, have already ruled out a 2014 run. In spite of these hurdles, Davis' candidacy should not be taken lightly. In fact, it's easy to see her notoriety and imminent campaign as reflections of a greater movement toward progressive values.
Davis is best known as a staunch proponent of access to reproductive health care — a Supreme Court-guaranteed right that has come under assault in a handful of red states, including Kansas. Republican-led legislatures and governors have enacted laws that restrict the time window for getting an abortion, place unreasonable standards on close medical facilities that offer birth control services and
By Eric Schumacher
eschumacher@kansan.com
in some cases make it harder for women (or men) to obtain contraceptives. With her willingness to challenge this trend in such a Republican state, Davis sent a strong message: women's rights proponents are ready to fight tooth-and-nail, even on heavily conservative turf.
But reproductive rights aren't the only area where Davis boasts strong common-sense credentials. In 2011, she also filibustered a bill that would cut $4 billion from Texas public schools, and has been critical of recent cuts to education and health care funding. Environment Texas, a group that rates lawmakers' positions on renewable energy, climate change and conservation efforts, gave her a 100 percent rating in 2011. On the flip side of this, the far-right National Rifle Association has awarded her a lifetime grade of F.
Conservative leaders across the country are also seeing significant blowback for a plethora of unpopular policies, which include the defunding of public education, decreasing access to health care services and so-called voter ID laws that unfairly target minorities and the young. Here in Kansas, Governor Sam Brownback and the Republican legislature face high disapproval numbers, due in part to the decision to cut education funding while extending tax breaks for
large corporations. Republican governors in Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania, to name only a few states, face similar resistance. Citizens across the country are beginning to voice their distaste and outrage over the Tea Party conservative agenda, and this is where Wendy Davis and other progressives have a great opportunity.
But for all this, there is one aspect of the Davis candidacy that stands above all the rest: location. As the nation's second-largest and among the fastest growing states, Texas's political importance can't be overstated. The deeply Republican state also has a huge incarceration rate and high numbers of uninsured residents, but is considered a haven for businesses seeking low taxes and little regulation. If a Democrat won the governor's mansion 13 months from now, there's no telling how big the impact on the country's political future would be. Republicans nationwide would be mortified while Democrats would be galvanized. There's little doubt that ramifications would be felt here in Kansas. But that's getting ahead of the moment. Wendy Davis faces a grueling path to winning next year, and to say her chances are good would be dubious. But the message is clear; win or lose, progressives are ready to fight.
Eric Schumacher is a senior majoring in political science and English from Topeka.
RESOLUTIONS
Social media detracts from real experiences
I am something of an idealist when it comes to New Year's resolutions. I love the promise that comes with a fresh start and a list of things we vow to accomplish.
This summer my dad and I took our family's black-lab mix to the neighborhood dog park. It was barely raining when we left the house, but by the time we got there a beautiful double rainbow had formed over the park.
Instead of enjoying the view, my next several minutes were spent trying (and failing) to get a decent picture of the scene, and consequently becoming frustrated when I couldn't quite put the setting into words, either. By the time I was done with my online dilemma, the moment had passed, and I had barely taken the time to enjoy it.
Just before New Year's, someone sent me a link to a New Year's Resolution Generator. The click of a button reveals more and more ideas for self-betterment, but the one that really stuck with me was simple: "Talk more, tweet less." Just four words, but they can have such a big impact.
Great resolutions, however, can come at any time of the year. I'm a believer that every day provides a new opportunity to change whatever aspect of life you've been neglecting, whether it be schoolwork, finances, relationships or fitness.
Sound familiar? How many times have you seen something cool and immediately thought about which Instagram filter to use? Or you've been having an amazing time with friends, but taken time to agonize over the exact words to use in a Tweet about it?
With the Huffington Post reporting that 73 percent of college students are regularly active on social media sites, it's no surprise we are consumed with perfecting our online identities. And believe me, I'm no stranger to spending 15 minutes finding that perfect profile picture or status update.
Trevor Graff, editor-in-chief editor@kansan.com
Allison Kohn, managing editor akohn@kansan.com
There's no need (or likelihood) of college students cutting social media from their lives completely. I'll still be tweeting, and I know you will, too. But there's no harm in taking a look at our last few posts and wondering what was going on around us while we drafted those 140 characters.
Let's see what we've been missing while our eyes were fixed on phones, laptops and tablets. It might just be that the actual experience is even better than the tweet you're formulating in your head.
Lindsay Mayfield is a senior from Overland Park studying journalism, public policy and leadership.
Dylan Lysen, managing editor
dlysen@kansan.com
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Try spending today taking in what's around you, rather than the buzzing electronics in your bag. Start by talking to people in class, getting together with the friend you haven't seen in awhile and (God forbid) actually saying hi to people on campus.
Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.
Maybe it's time for us to unplug. If you're experiencing that feeling of anxiety having to sit through class without checking your Facebook notifications, or frustration that your Pinterest isn't as eclectic as those of others you follow, adopt a new resolution with me.
LETTER GUIDELINES
Send letters to kansanopdesk@gmail.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the e-mail subject line.
At the same time, however, excessive social media use among young people has been linked to depression, narcissism and poor grades. It's in times like these that our online personas can jeopardize our real lives.
Will Webber, opinion editor
wwebber@kansan.com
Research even shows that Facebook use can boost self-esteem, improve friendship bonds and increase feelings of connectedness.
@KansanOpinion Anytime Jeff Withey has danced. Best moves, hands down.
@Baldwin023
Mollie Pointer, business manager
mopointer@kansan.com
Sean Powers, sales manager spowers@kansan.com
@SieARose
ekansanOpinion Always the "Dream On" video but the reveal of the Final Four banner last year gave me chills.
CONTACT US
Brett Akagi, media director & content strategist bakagi@kansan.com
Jon Schitt, sales and marketing advise
jschitt@kansan.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Trevor Graff, Allison Kohn, Dylan Lysen, W Webber, Mollie Point and Sean Powers.