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KANSAN.COM | MONDAY, OCT. 5, 2015
Boys are hot but pizza is hotter.
Just rode a bus with an open water bottle hidden — my hoodie was wrapped around it. What can I say? I live my life on the edge.
Can't believe I spent 140 McChickens on T-shirts this year.
Oh you're excited for college? I just put pasta sauce on a piece of bread and called it a meal.
Did you see that Sukkah Hut outside the Union all week? Pretty cool stuff.
TBH catching the KU plague sounds more appealing than catching feelings ever again.
sounds like a buncha teeny bopper girls at a sleepover but no — it's a buncha 20 year olds at Limestone #Stfu
"yeah it's fine, everything is fine."
-famous last words
Squirrels are cute and all, but when they throw acorns at me, my patience has limits.
I look like a child when I eat salad. Leaf fall all over my face before it get in me mouth.
The professor who didn't let their students leave their math test while Snow's fire alarms were going off should be fired.
Sometimes I go to the bar and take pics with my ex boyfriend. AKA the trashcan
i panic at a lot of other places besides the disco
This game for KU is like that scene in Hot Rod where he falls down the mountain for like 5 minutes and you just want to know when it ends
Ayyyy girl GOP debate and chill??
The Chiefs scored 21...just how you'd expect...7 field goals
READ MORE AT KANSAN.COM
If we recognize our privileges,we can be more accepting and understanding
VANESSA ASMUSSEN
@VanessaAsmussen
Contrary to some beliefs, certain privileges exist that can put a person ahead of someone else simply based on today's societal standards. These certain advantages or opportunities can shape how a person is treated and the opportunities they have access to throughout their life.
There are several different parts of a person's life that can determine how they got to where they are today. Hard work and sacrifice are a major part, but a lot can also be the circumstances that person
didn't choose.
The topic of privilege can oftentimes cause people to become defensive. It's understandably hard for some people to see the effects of privilege who may be, for example, a straight, white, able-bodied male who grew up in a stable environment and had access to a good education. But this is not the way it is for everyone.
It's not to say that growing up a certain way with certain privileges guarantees that you'll never struggle in your life, or that you'll never face hardships. Everyone has their unique circumstances and
obstacles. It also doesn't mean a person should feel guilty for the privileges that they may have over others. No one is able to choose these things.
What it does mean is that people should be grateful for what they are fortunate enough to have and gain some perspective and understanding for others who have had to live a little differently based on things they couldn't choose.
It means that you may have never been called a racial slur nor have been bullied in school based on the clothes you wore. You may never have to worry about equal pay based on your gender. Your
grades might not slip because you don't have to work 40 hours a week to afford to go to school. You might never have to imagine a time in which marriage wasn't legal for you
The issue of privilege is a difficult one to discuss because many people want to believe that everyone has the same advantages and opportunities. While people in our country are fortunate enough to have many privileges that others around the world don't have, there are parts of our lives that are out of our control and create inequality. Sometimes no amount of hard work can make up for the gap that separates certain individuals.
While hard work and effort is a factor in where we are today, it would be ignorant to believe that part of that didn't have to do with the privileges some people have. Taking into account the privileges you were fortunate enough to have and understanding the circumstances of others will help create understanding and acceptance of people who are less fortunate.
Vanessa Asmussen is a junior from Neodesha studying journalism and sociology.
Edited by Abby Stuke
Video games should not be classified as a sport
MATTHEW CLOUGH
@mcloughsofly
Just as the personal computer started to gain popularity at the turn of the century, the term "eSports" came into existence. It continued to gain notoriety since online multiplayer video game tournaments and competitions have become more common. Yet the term "eSport" assumes something controversial about video games — that it's a sport.
Video game tournaments share many similarities with accepted, conventional sporting events. Video game competitions draw in massive audiences, like the 2013 League of Legends Championship,
which attracted 32 million online viewers. Professional gamers can earn thousands in winnings, not including profits from streaming their practice games or potential sponsorship deals. Competitive online games demand rigorous skill and split-second decision making, much like conventional sports.
But none of these things change the fact that playing video games does not require physical exertion or athletic ability.
Last spring, ESPN broadcast ed college students squaring off against each other in the game "Heroes of the Storm," with tuition winsions on the line. Even before this, the network aired the "DOTA 2"
tournament championship.
This decision was met with a significant amount of criticism from those who feel the network should be reserved for exclusively physical sports competition. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines sport as "a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other." While video games can be highly competitive, no aspect of them requires physical activity.
Video games, particularly ones that are online multiplayer, require a tremendous amount of training in skill, strategy and coordination. In many situations, teamwork
is vital to success. But video games are largely an exercise in mental ability and lack any component of bodily exertion.
According to Sports Blog Nation, less than 25 percent of people think competitive video gaming is a sport. Although eSports are becoming an increasingly popular pastime, the general public seems to be hesitant in granting them status among well-known sports.
If the general public perception wasn't enough, John Skipper, the president of ESPN, stated video games are simply a competition. Skipper denied its classification as a sport and suggested he was more "interested in doing real sports" for his network.
There's no doubt that video games require an immense amount of strategy and mental sharpness. Video game professionals should be renowned for their impressive skills and dedication to their practice. But with little physical fitness required, video games should not be elevated to the status of sport and should not be featured on official sports networks.
Matthew Clough is a junior from Wichita studying English and journalism.
- Edited by Abby Stuke
Students should be tested for STIs more frequently
ABBY PETRULIS
@apetrulis
There are nearly 20 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections per year. About half of those occur in young people ages 15-24. That's 10 million cases of STIs about one of every four college students.
But what many people don't realize is that STIs, even the treatable ones like chlamydia, can have pretty devastating effects on your health. It's important to be aware of how many partners you have and remember to get tested every so often.
This isn't meant to scare you — many STI's are treatable, thanks to 21st-century medicine. It's just that more college students are at risk, and this occurs at a time in our lives that is highly variable. We're becoming adults and taking control of our lives. Sometimes we forget that making our own doctors' appointments and watching out for our sexual health is a part of that.
Getting tested
I believe part of the reason that more students don't get tested is because they see it as an unnecessary expense. They aren't experiencing symptoms. Most think when they get an
Unfortunately, that's not true.
STI, theyll immediately know something isn't right down there.
Sometimes, symptoms can take weeks to show up. For example, chlamydia can cause damage to female reproductive organs even while no symptoms are showing. If it continues to be left untreated, it can get even worse.
Fertility problems may not seem like a big deal now. I don't know many women in college who plan to get pregnant while in school, but it can hurt chances of getting pregnant later in life, too. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends every sexually-active woman under age 25 gets tested for chlamydia at least once a year.
It's also important for young women to start getting pap smears once they turn 21. Human papillomavirus is incredibly common. There are many strains of the virus, and some are harmless. Other strains are the known cause of cervical cancer, which is treatable as long as it is caught early with regular pap smears. If you didn't get Gardasil as a child, it is now possible for both males and females to get the shot until age 21 for guys and 26 for women.
Preventing STIs and
Condoms are cheap. They are a small inconvenience if it's someone you don't know too well. It's also important to remember that if you change sexual partners frequently, you should be getting tested more often.
where to get tested There's one simple step that many of us aren't taking to prevent STIs - practicing safe sex. It's all too easy after a night of fun to care less about condoms and more about the moment.
It's not that you shouldn't trust all of your partners, but take initiative to take care of yourself — maybe they aren't experiencing symptoms, but still carry the infection. The more partners you have, the more you're at risk. I'm definitely not saying to have fewer partners — you do you. If it's consensual, go to town. Just be sure to take care of yourself, and that includes STI testing.
Don't assume that every person you sleep with is going to be untrustworthy and is definitely carrying an STI. The point is to begin taking care of yourself, and that starts with sexual health. I think every college student should be tested at least once per year for STIs. If you change partners frequently, there's no harm in getting it done every
"I think once per year is good, maybe more frequently if you aren't with the same person."
six months.
Watkins Clinic offers various STI testing bundles, but you can also do walk-in appointments. Most of the tests rely on urinalysis, so don't pee for about an hour before you are planning to go. It's quick and easy, and they can't release the results of that test to anyone except for you — including your parents. However, if you use your health insurance to help pay for the test and you are still on your parents' plan, they will most likely find out that you had the test done but will not know the results.
Getting tested is a routine part of taking care of your health that is all too easy to forget about. Since many STIs can be taken care of with a course of antibiotics, it's important to know whether or not you have one. Because some can cause damage without any symptoms and
"It depends on how often ... I think they should get tested every time they have a new partner."
- John Rosa, first-year pharmacy student from Olathe
"I think it's important to get tested at least once per year." — Katie Strnad, second-year pharmacy student from Munden.
leaving them untreated can be devastating, it's time that more college students take responsibility for their health and potential partners' health and get tested.
Abby Petrulis is a senior and second-year pharmacy student.
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