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OPINION
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FREE-FOR-ALL >> WE HEAR FROM YOU
KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, NOV. 12, 2015
Text your #FFA submissions to 785-289-UDK1 (8351)
A man dressed as a Viking just biked past me and said, "Howdy." I don't understand.
Throwback to Marcus
Smart, whose spirit
animal was a pancake.
FlopMaster
I keep being pelted by leaves. Is Nature trying to tell me something?!
Yes please move your office hours around every single week. I have all the time in the world to hang outside of your office like a homeless person.
I made the genius decision to walk home from night class in shorts and a light jacket. November is finally telling me it's time to give up the shorts.
I saw Jake from the underground today. He is so cute.
I wonder if the FFA person adds in their own FFAs... (Editor's note: I'll never tell.)
I despise eating anything with just my hands. I have to use a fork. Hamburger? Fork. Hot dog? Fork. Pizza? Fork.
I haven't washed my hand since shaking Bill Self's at Late Night of 2011. It still smells like him.
Ah, yes. That lovely time of year when it's 30some degrees at night and we don't have the heat on yet.
Ten lucky students got in ku volleyball - - are getting upset with their administration because they are not listening to them. It is unethical and problematic that racist events happen consecutively on Mizzou's campus and for their administration not to address the situation properly and effectively.
FreeCheck
My roommate just watched the "what are those" vine for the first time. Now he won't stop doing it. Pls send help
I just ordered a pizza and I'm probably going to cry when I see it
The actor who voiced Gohan in dragon Ball Z was a girl. Everything about my life is a lie
I've been looking at gifs of children getting knocked over by dogs all day. Dogs are the best.
READ MORE
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KANSAN.COM
Letter to the editor: KU must listen to and protect marginalized students
JOSHUA ROBINSON
@jrobinson_news
In 1965, black students protested in front of Strong Hall, the building where administration decisions are made, wanting to see change in the environment at the University of Kansas.
Those students were advocating for themselves to see more black faculty and staff, and for the administration to address racism on campus.
Fast forward 50 years — in 2015, the University of Kansas is still fighting the same battle
The recent events at the University of Missouri are an indication that marginalized, unheard communities
The president and chancellor should have resigned because they were not doing enough to accommodate black students at MU. Allowing racist events to happen and to not address it shows that you do not care — because if you cared, you would have taken action.
The accommodation is something marginalized communities have had to do for so long at the University of
Kansas, especially black students. We have had to accommodate racism and ignorance to make our white peers feel good about themselves. We have to accommodate being second-class students at a university we all pay money to attend, and — the worst black students have to accommodate the administration and faculty not advocating for black students in the classroom and the residence halls. It was not until 1972 that the University created the Office of Minority Affairs, which is now known as the Office of Multicultural Affairs, after black students demanded change.
The OMA is the only place
on campus where I feel comfortable to tell my story and be myself. The staff members at the OMA are the only ones who have impacted my life and have helped me grow as a person at the University. When I have had struggles, the OMA was there to help me get through my trials and function in the systematic oppression society at KU. Most importantly, I was able to understand what it means to be culturally competent.
As a graduating senior who is preparing to leave KU. I want the University of Kansas to do more to protect marginalized students.I want the University to make all students take mandatory cultural
competence online workshops.I need departments to make faculty and staff participate in diversity and cultural awareness training.
When students of color report incidents of racism they have suffered, it needs to be addressed effectively, and the people who are committing the offenses need to be held accountable for their actions.
Most importantly, I need the administration to listen and receive the personal stories being told by marginalized communities.
ALEX ROBINSON/KANSAN
Pedestrians ride hoverboards in front of Wescoe Hall earlier this semester.
Hoverboards and other self-balancing scooters should be restricted on the University's campus
MATTHEW CLOUGH
@mcloughsofly
Few people know exactly what they are, and most people probably couldn't say where they came from. But if you've been on campus in the last few weeks, you've likely seen people coasting down Jayhawk Boulevard on something resembling a cross between a skateboard and a Segway.
These self-balancing scooters may look useful, but they shouldn't be allowed on campus.
Capable of speeds some-
where between six and 10
miles per hour, self-balancing
scooters disrupt the normal pace of those walking down the boulevard. They take up a substantial amount of space, too they're about two feet long which becomes especially problematic in the busy periods between classes. Even if those who are riding them have practiced enough to avoid colliding with other people, students are still inconvenienced by having to step out of their path.
It also doesn't make much sense that people are able to ride self-balancing scooters on campus given the University's stance on similar vehicles of transportation. Skateboards are not allowed on Jayhawk
Boulevard, according to a KU policy statement, nor are other similar devices. Existing legislation seems to suggest that self-balancing scooters should be banned as well.
These scooters certainly shouldn't be allowed in buildings, regardless of whether or not they're used outside. It isn't uncommon to see people riding them down the halls of Wescoe and even in an elevator filled with other people.
enforcement in place to regulate such activity.
These spaces are even smaller than the already cramped sidewalks of the boulevard. Riding these scooters in such places is inconsiderate and irresponsible, and there doesn't seem to be any legislation or
Unless a reasonable decision can be reached as to where self-balancing scooters are allowed, the easiest and most logical response is to restrict their usage campus-wide.
The United Kingdom has already banned the devices on public pavements and roads, according to The Guardian. Legislation states they are too unsafe to ride on roads and too dangerous to others to ride on pavement. As it stands, the scooters are only legal on private property with the landowner's permission.
That is not to suggest that self-balancing scooters should
be banned to such an extent here. Some public places are likely fine for the devices; most public sidewalks are typically empty enough that the boards wouldn't cause much of an issue. But the University should place a ban on the devices throughout the entirety of campus because of the sheer volume of pedestrians during school hours. University officials need to take a stand on their usage before they continue to grow in popularity.
Matthew Clough is a junior from Wichita studying English and journalism.
Women's collegiate sports should get more attention and coverage from local media
RACHEL GONZALES
@KansanNews
Audience turnout for women's sporting events is notoriously lower than that of men's sports. At colleges across the country, including the University, women deserve the same attention as men when it comes to athletics. Show equal support for men's and women's sports because athletics bring individuals together no matter what gender is playing.
Collegiate athletes go through the same routine whether they are men or women. Athletes balance a
Many people attribute this inconsistency of interest to the lack of media coverage for women's sports. Women's college basketball is a good example because attendance of the sport increases with more television visibility.
hectic lifestyle, and both men and women athletes display the same dedication and work ethic. But our country as a whole is consistently more entertained by male-dominant sports, particularly football.
"During the regular season, basketball is the most covered collegiate women's sport, and it is still difficult to find a game being broadcasted."
writes USA Today sports journalist Madison Hartman. "The only chance of catching a game on TV is if both teams are ranked in the top ten, and there is no men's game competing for the time slot."
Without media coverage, it is difficult to generate interest in women's collegiate sports. But just because media coverage of them is sparse does not mean that these events are not worth attending. The problem behind attendance of women's college sporting events has been described as a chicken and the egg problem. While the solution is to give the events more media coverage
Regardless of the gender of the players, sporting events offer a unique opportunity for the KU and Lawrence community to come together. Sports in general are a place where diverse people share and enjoy a common interest.
to encourage attendance more attendance is necessary to warrant more media coverage.
Some may argue that women's sports are less interesting because women are physically inferior to men. Although it is true that men are, averagely speaking, faster, stronger and bigger than women, the physicality of athletic competition
is certainly not its only appeal. Women's sports may be physically less dominant than men, but it is no less strategic or passionate.
Women's sports deserve just as much attention as their male counterparts. The chance to attend a Kansas women's sporting event is just one more opportunity to get the most out of your experience as a Jayhawk.
Rachel Gonzales is a junior from Fort Collins, Colorado, studying journalism and sociology
- Edited by Rebecca Dowd
@KANSANNEWS
/THEKANSAN
@UNIVERSITY DAILYKANSAN
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