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MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2014
PAGE 4
opinion
I take back what I said about socks and sandals. No shoes at all is the strangest thing. Is it fashion? Is it a political statement? The world may never know.
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
Pizza Hut breadsticks totally made my day.
Quit sticking gum on the seats of row I in Budig 110, they're the best seats and now I've been forced to relocate! #Jrowsucks
Text your FFA submissions to (785) 289-8351 or at kansan.com
For more on disproportionate prison sentencing of people of color read Michel Alexander's "The New Jim Crow."
Is it really necessary to target an entire fraternity for one person's actions?
2 exams? I'm entering my 4th week in a row of exams!
Find myself talking to the squirrels — is there such a thing as a squirrel whisperer?
Anyone who intentionally steps on campus snails is a monster.
A monster!
The same percentage of females in my aerospace engineering class is the same as those who passed the first exam. 15 percent.
Yes, thank you and your friends so much for taking up the entire side walk and forcing me off the sidewalk.
To the freshman that jumped on the 29. You will learn to stop jumping on the off-campus buses, they don't stop at Daisy Hill, and you will hitch hike your way home.
The FFA is a campus-wide combo of Yik Yak and Post Secret.
The Royals can go to Hell. I'd rather be able to sleep at 1a.m.
Wow, I forgot how windy it gets here.
I'm not allowed to question the validity of a professor's illness but they're allowed to assume I'm lying about mine. Glad there aren't any double standards there.
Just saw a real life mullet out in the wild that is the KU campus. My reaction was, "Oh, honey, no...
Couldn't decide on whether to wear a Royals or Chief's jersey yesterday ... #TheStruggle
So excited for Halloween! Still need to find a costume though. /
The fact that the weekend is over makes me want to cry.
Fireball by Pitbull is my JAM!
Nothing screams college student quite like "insufficient funds"
'Most diverse' freshman class is not diverse enough
n Sept. 29th.
2014, The
University
Daily Kansan posted an article indicating the 2014 "freshman class is most diverse in school history." The article included quotes from Matt Melvin, vice provost of enrollment management, claiming the University is working very hard to attract a diverse student body. On the surface this appears to be a great success for KU, and more generally the
state of Kansas. The University of Kansas is constantly referred to as the state's flagship institution and by having a more diverse student population, the classroom experience can only benefit. Yes, KU should be proud, but I worry this may be a premature celebration.
The Office of Institutional Research and Planning has yet to release the official racial breakdown of the 2014 freshman class, which most likely won't
happen for a few more months. Until this occurs, I personally, will not celebrate. If current trends continue, which I assume they will, African-American and Hispanic students will make up approximately 12 percent of the freshman class. This means in a typical 29-person class you can expect to have three students who identify as either African American or Hispanic. Are three students enough? Will three students create
the diverse learning community we want from our state's flagship university? The answer to both questions is no. Instead, the homogeneous classrooms we have all grown accustomed to will not change all that much, and tokenism will continue to haunt those minority students who do choose to attend the University of Kansas.
Don't get me wrong, it's great to see the University of Kansas becoming more diverse,
and I will be the first person to admit that, but don't be fooled. Diversity at the University of Kansas takes on a unique title, and I encourage you to hold your celebration until the number of "diverse" students in your classroom is more than just three.
Cateb Bobp is a junior from St. Louis studying political science and African American studies
Pedestrians should look before crossing the streets on campus
I have always wondered why pedestrians think they can just cross a street without a thought. Some don't even pay attention when they are jaywalking and don't have the right of way. Is it because they're so distracted they don't know what they're doing? Or do they just assume they always have the right of way and every car will stop for them? I don't know how a person can assume these things and walk across the street without looking up even once. So many things could go wrong.
By now we all know the dangers of being distracted while driving. We've seen the commercials and have heard the tragic stories of people whose lives have been ruined because they were texting while driving. However, I feel that society has started to blame all accidents on the drivers. While driving distracted is terribly dangerous, walking distracted can be equally dangerous. We're seeing more and more accidents caused by distracted walking than we care to realize.
A study released by the
Ohio State University last year showed more than 1,500 pedestrians were treated in emergency rooms in cell phone-related injuries across the United States in 2010; the study projected the number could double by 2015. Most of the pedestrians involved in distracted walking accidents were between the ages of 16 and 25. The Kansas City area also saw 119 pedestrians killed and 420 seriously injured between 2008 and 2012, with almost half of the fatalities involving distracted walking. And now we're seeing this problem at KU, with two vehicle-pedestrian accidents already this semester. As distracted walking becomes increasingly prevalent, it's time to acknowledge the dangers of distracted walking.
Cars weigh multiple tons while humans do not. Any car driving
down Jayhawk Boulevard could easily cause serious injuries if it made contact with a person. Now, one could say it's the driver's responsibility to stop, but what if the brakes give out or the driver doesn't notice the pedestrian in time? Or what if a pedestrian just walks in front of a driving car because the person was looking down at his or her phone? The car could easily crush the pedestrian, leaving serious injuries or worse.
Distracted walking, like distracted driving, is an easy problem to fix if personal responsibilities are obliged. We are taught the rules for crossing a street when we are young. Look both ways before you cross the street; take the few seconds to look up and observe your surroundings before you risk walking right in front of a moving vehicle. You're not going to win if you get hit, so please, look up for once.
Adam Timmerman is a senior from Sioux Falls, S.D., studying environmental studies
FFA OF THE DAY
Being president of an organization is like being CEO without the paycheck.
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
Should walkers or drivers have the right of way on campus?
Pedestrians always have the right of way
I am not one to debate in public, but when a colleague expressed discontent with the behavior of pedestrians on campus, I sprung into action. Once each party aired its thoughts (one on the side of the driver and the other on the side of the pedestrian) the decision was made to hold a public debate via the Kansan Opinion section. Here is why pedestrians are always right when it comes to the rules of the road.
My first argument is simple. You, the driver, are in a car, while I am on my feet, willing my legs to propel me toward class. For many, including myself, we have trekked up the mountains of 13th and 14th streets and are too distracted by our own gasping to notice your Prius waiting to turn. Since drivers have the comfort of cushioned seats and climate control, they should hold their horses and wait for the bevy of exhausted students trying to make it to class.
My second argument is walkers deal directly with the elements. As a pedestrian I walk to campus no matter the weather, season, the drunkards on the corner of 14th and Tennessee or the underage drunkards at the corner of 14th and Ohio. I am constantly battling rain drops and mists of jungle juice on my way to campus, so don't think I am going
Hannah Barling, digital editor hbarling@kansan.com
to stop for your vehicle equipped with those lovely little things called roofs and windows. If I am soaked with rain, snow or alcohol, I will not voluntarily wait for drivers to cross the intersection.
Madison Schultz, managing editor mschultz@kansan.com
My final argument is we have the law on our side. We have the right of way. Period. The Kansas Department of Transportation's Pedestrian Statutes clearly state, "when traffic-control signals are not in place or not in operation the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way, slowing down or stopping if need be to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway ...
Emma LeGault, editor-in-chief elegauitt@kansan.com
Do all of these reasons mean pedestrians have to be jerks? No, absolutely not. I have stopped for many drivers on campus. These arguments are simply reminders to drivers that pedestrians usually deal with a lot more factors when traveling across campus, so pump the brakes and wait your turn.
Gabrielle Murnan is a junior from Pittsburg studying environmental studies
Follow us on Twitter @KansanOpinion. Tweet us your opinions and we just might publish them.
@soookieee
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KansanOpinion I think both should be aware to stop before running through the street.
@Ben_Samson
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
@KansanOpinion If I'm driving, drivers should have right of way. If I'm walking, pedestrians should have the right of way!
Send letters to opinion@kansan.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the email subject line. Length: 300 words
@Max_Iverson
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor online at kansas.com/letters.
CONTACT US
Cocilia Cho, opinion editor
ccho@kansan.com
Cole Anneberg, art director
canneberg@kansan.com
Christina Carreira, advertising director
caressira@kansan.com
should have the right of way but that doesn't mean they should walk out in front of a bus without looking
Christina Carreira, advertising director ccareira@kansan.com
Tom Wittier, print sales manager twittler@kansan.com
Scott Weidner, digital media manager
sweidner@kansan.com
Jon Schlitt, sales and marketing adviser jschlitt@kansan.com
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THE KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Emma LeGaunt, Madison Schultz, Decilia Cho, Hannah Barling and Christina Carreira.
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