4a
Opinion
Monday, August, 24, 2000
For comments, contact Ben Embry or Emily Hughey at 864-4924 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com
Perspective
Kansan closes the gap
Welcome to a new semester of the Kansan. For those of you new to campus, the staff and Ivy now Ube.
staff and I hope you'll be impressed with what you see. For those of you returning, we hope you'll be surprised.
This semester, the Kansan will introduce several new features—the changes begin on this page. If you look down the page, you'll see the Free for All opinion line (864-0500), which you can use to voice your opinion on any topic anonymously.
You'll also see other new features on the opinion page, such as a column every Wednesday from
Erin H. Barcomb, the Kansan's first readers' representative.
Her job is to represent readers' interests, find out what readers do and don't like about the paper and work with groups that have been traditionally undercovered
Nathan
Willis
editor
editor@kansan.com
to improve coverage. Tell her what you like, what you don't and what you want to see. That's what she's here for.
We created her position for the same reason we are making other changes in the Kansan this semester: We want you, our readers, to be more involved in the newspaper.
To be sure, the Kansan is a good student newspaper. It has a rich tradition and is relatively well-read among college newspapers. But somewhere along the way, we have alienated some students on campus, largely by not covering stories important to their lives.
Our goal this semester is to close the gap between the newspaper and its readers. We've done extensive research on readers' interests in the past few years, and now we're trying to respond to what you told us.
You said you wanted entertainment. We started Jayplay, our weekly entertainment section, and now have a comic and crossword every day on the page before classifieds.
You said you wanted more news about the state, the nation and the world. So we're devoting more pages to that kind of news.
You said Student Senate coverage bored you. We're refocusing our coverage so we can help you understand the impact Student Senate decisions have on you rather than boring you with details of the process involved in creating legislation.
You said you don't read long stories. So we're making our writing shorter and crisper.
I'm sure that you have even more suggestions about how we can keep you informed. That's why we're putting greater priority on opportunities for you to express your views.
The Free for All phone line and readers' representative are two examples. You'll also be able to express your opinion via polls, message boards and live chats on kansan.com. We've also added more contact information throughout the paper — such as the line at the top of this page and others throughout the paper — so it's easier for you to talk to us.
We hope you do. The Kansan can be as good as you make it. After all, the Kansan isn't my paper or the staff's paper; it's yours.
Willie is a Sterling senior in journalism.
Clay McCuistion / KANSAN
Free for All is the telephone public forum for the University Daily Kansan. Callers have 20 seconds to speak anonymously about any topic they wish. The Kansan reserves the right to edit submissions, and not all of them will be published. Slanderous statements will not be printed.
I don't think the show should really be called Survivor unless some people actually die.
--iowa Street repaved Lane markers are finally visible near intersection with Clinton Parkway. Your trip to Cork & Barrel will be just a tad safer.
I don't see what all the flap is about these boy bands. Johnny Cash will always be the king in my book.
Kansan report card
Fail
Tutition Increase — For the third time in a year, Board of Regents hikes tuition. Funny how each one happened while the Kansan wasn't publishing.
Pass
Renovations Murphy Joseph R. Pearson halls get serious face-lifts for schools of fine arts, education. Wescoe, however, still is an abomination.
Sorority rush — Prospective recruits wear T-shirts, not dresses, on first day of rush. Now it takes a little less perspiration to get in a house.
Bloody chalupa? — Lawrence woman claims there was blood on her chalupa; Taco Bell says it was hot sauce. Either way, avoid the refried beans.
15th & Engel median "Pedestrian refuge" makes right turns difficult for buses in that they have to run over the median. Might as well distribute "road kill" T-shirts to Daisy Hill residents now.
Perspective
Don't let college pass you by
Every year at college graduations across America, you will find them. Wistful, they think college slipped by in the blink of an eye. They sigh to themselves, wondering, "Wow, these four (or five or six) years went by fast." These are the students that let opportunity pass them by. How could they let this happen?
Notice: Underachievers and lazy animals need not read any further. Interested in success at the University of Kansas? Read on.
By the end of September, you'll develop a daily routine. Will you maxi-
size opportunity and free time or squander your prime non-employed years lying on your back? Consider these possibilities:
1. The Lazy Animal Program (LAP). Too much sleeping goes on around campus.
Given that the average adult needs seven to eight hours of sleep, healthy, productive people
Scott
Kaiser
columnist
opinion@kanaan.com
will spend about one-third of their day sleeping. But I guarantee that if you inspect a residence hall, greek house, library or any place with a modicum of space to stretch out, you'll find sleeping humans everywhere. In fact, you'd think there's a narcosephy epidemic with the amount of napping and otherwise unnecessary resting go on.
If you witness a human exhibiting this type of lethargy, then you have found a candidate for the Lazy Animal Program (LAP). Don't give them your pity, but perhaps a pillow.
2. The Sleep Denrived Futility (SDF).
dent is so concerned with his academic discipline that he forgets to sleep and more importantly — neglects extracurricular involvement. Often the SDF student overexerts himself to the point that his productivity plummet, falling to match the output of the lowest LAP candidate. Putting off assignments until the last minute or overstudying both cause the SDF to give up out-of-class interests or activities.
2. The Sleep Deprive Futility (SDF).
This is the LAP's opposite. The SDF stu-
3. The Balanced Marathon (BM). This routine embraces the if you-want-something done then-give-it-to-a-busy-person philosophy. Balancing school, social and extracurricular is the essence of BM.
The successful BM student acknowledges that it is possible to attend all classes and complete all homework by 8 p.m. With academic and other obligations satisfied, the BM candidate relaxes and parties from 10 p.m. to 1:45 a.m. with a clear conscious, his thoughts unharmed by tasks and to-do lists.
The BM student has more free time because he plans on having free time. Remember, every job has a fixed amount of time that is required for superior results. With BM time management, you get free time and superior results. If you fail to plan, you will (a) sacrifice your valuable free time by stretching a three-day project into a two-week project, or (b) cramp your style and sacrifice work quality by starting too late.
The BM student plans for the inevitable day of graduation as well.
Book knowledge and perfect attendance do not usher him to the front of the line, but letters of recommendation do.
Develop and maintain relationships with faculty and staff. The time will come soon
— sooner than you think — when you will need to have two or three high-caliber letters of recommendation for an internship, job or professional school (law, medicine, etc.). It won't require
kneepads; it just takes an extra minute after class to talk to your professor and ask a question or make an insightful comment.
Consider the alternatives to being a AP poster child:
LAP poster-child:
Exercise. Studies show that regular exercise heightens your mental awareness, making you a more successful, attractive student.
Reading.
Student Senate. Have an idea that you think needs to be implemented at the University? Become a member of a Senate committee or board and get involved in the governing of this University. Stop by the Senate office at room 410 in the Kansas Union, or visit www.ukans.edu/~senate.
- Center for Community Outreach.
More than 5,000 students find challenges and fulfillment by volunteering with 12 student-run volunteer programs or being referred to 40 local agencies. Contact co-directors Julia Gilmore or Michelle Black at 864-4073.
- Start your own club. KU has more than 400 student organizations, but there's always room for new interests and ideas. You can start up a club, meet other similarly interested students, and organize events. To start a club, go to the Organizations and Leadership Center at room 400 in the Kansas Union.
- Hang out in the Kansas Union.
Grab a Coke and bowl in the Jaybowl.
Think of the Kansas Union as the campus living room. It has food, video games, lounge space, art, movies, banking services and a bowling alley.
There you have it: A routine for success. No parents. No rules. But no oversleeping! Not unless you want to be a LAP knave. If you follow the honorable ways of the BM, your performance will be sterling.
Kaiser is an Overland Park first-year law student.
Editorial
Zoning ordinance unfair to students
Limit on number of unrelated tenants restricts students' housing options.
Many University of Kansas students choose to live off-campus in houses, apartments, townhomes and condominiums with friends. Often, they do this in groups of four or more to save money on living expenses.
The Lawrence City Commission is considering this change because of several concerns voiced by some residents about the partying and noise from the college students who reside there, and the decreasing number of children attending schools in some of these neighborhoods.
The city of Lawrence is trying to lower that number in zones labeled as single-family neighborhoods, such as Centennial neighborhood, which surrounds the Centennial School, 2145 Louisiana St.
If this ordinance were passed, no more than four unrelated individuals would be allowed to live in houses in the areas the city has designated for single families. This isn't the right answer to the problem.
But college students are everywhere in this town. Lowering the number of individuals allowed to share a home is not going to decrease the noise level or the amount of partying students do.
Thanks to more students moving into those areas, fewer families are choosing those neighborhoods. Granted, an environment in which many of the homes are virtually open saloons is not an environment ideal for children.
Lowering the number will cause some anguish among students because they are as much a part of the Lawrence community as anyone else. Moreover, many of the houses in the "student ghetto" can hold many more than just four occupants; the housing ordinance, to some extent, would limit students' housing options and punish landlords, who wouldn't be able to market their properties to students.
Maybe city commissioners should consider investing more in revitalizing these neighborhoods. That would increase their value and attract a higher caliber of inhabitants — both students and families. It also would improve some parts of town that are basically decrepit and crime-ridden. Unfortunately, it seems the city — amid rapid growth and development — is concerned more with the skyrocketing popularity of the city's outskirts.
This ordinance is in the discussion phase at City Hall. And it shouldn't go any further than that.
Katie Hackett for the editorial board
How to submit letters and guest columns
Letters: Should be double-spaced typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's signature, name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
Guest columns: Should be double-spaced typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer must be willing to be photographed for the column to run.
All letters and guest columns should be e-mailed to opinion@kansan.com or submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Fint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length or reject all submissions. For any questions, call opinion editors Ben Embry or Emily Hughey at 864-492,4or email them at opinion@kansan.com.
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