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OPINION
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KANSAN.COM | MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2015
Text your #FFA submissions to 785-289-UDK1 (8351)
You wouldn't judge someone if they ate half an Oreo cheesecake in a day, would you? Asking for a friend.
Mad about Murphy Hall Hawk stop closing? Try Summerfield's J Cafe next door. #betterthannothing
I feel blessed when there's already money in the parking meter on mass st
Calling out the Jayhawks: Iowa State is just as bad at football as we are and they still average 50k attendance at every game. Show up with your friends and have fun even though you aren't good
we aren't good
disappointed
Why is Cirilla's open at 8 AM? WHO NEEDS PORN AND TOYS THIS EARLY IN THEIR DAY??
When the beat drops and the DJ starts playing the Jayhawk fight song. Is the Cave even real?
Because closing one location of food and water before the other opens makes all the sense in the world...
SarcasmEverywhere
SavePatty
People just need to Netflix and chill the F out amirite
Adulting is hard and want to quit
Does Jeffersons give out free wings for a year every day on twitter or does it just seem like that?
annoying
Without their head coach, is Rutgers now just one Rutger?
It's a miracle cookies exist. Think of the strength it takes to create something as delicious as cookie dough and continue to experiment with it.
This is my first time playing fantasy football and I just beat a guy with "NFL" in his Twitter handle
*when your ex texts you* not today satan not today
Peter dinklage's man sprout tho...
Read more at Kansan.com
Increased lighting in neighborhoods around campus could deter crime
JESSICA GOMEZ
@jessicataylurr
Since the beginning of the semester, email alerts have been sent out about a motorcycle stolen and attempted snatching of a girl's purse in a parking lot. There have also been articles written about two shootings this year in Lawrence and multiple general cases of assault. This has caused many investigations on campus and a not-so-great conversation in our community.
With the amount of theft, assault and shootings occurring recently in Lawrence,the city needs to find a different solution rather than relying on police and campus security. To help us be more aware of our surroundings,a solution that the city could look into is to increase lighting in neighborhoods near campus so students feel safer and more aware.
Coming from a small town, the worry of being abducted, robbed or attacked never came to mind. Because it was so small and the surroundings
were clear from street lights, it felt safer. But before college, no one is worried about walking home from the bar or walking back to their car from a long night of studying.
a long night of studying Jayhawk Boulevard is well lit along with the main roads in Lawrence like Iowa, 23rd and Massachusetts, but when going through neighborhoods or even just streets like Kentucky or Tennessee that many students live on, it's incredibly dark and difficult to see. It creates a vulnerable and dangerous scene if someone is there at the wrong time.
According to a memorandum from the city auditor Michael Eglinski, $600,000 of Lawrence's money goes toward lighting every year. The number is high because the price is set by the Kansas Corporation Commission.
Weststar Energy is in charge of the energy, maintenance and ownership of the lighting not Lawrence. It would be cheaper to light the city by buying lights and maintaining them, but the city still has yet to do so. Since the cost is so expensive and the lights are not owned by the city, it
makes sense why the city has not added new lighting.
Lawrence normally feels safe, but incidents happen everywhere. College shouldn't be a place where students feel scared or in danger. Students should always feel safe in their surroundings.
If the paths students walk are well lit, it could change a few things around here. Solutions need to be made to prevent crime in the Lawrence area.
Jessica Gomez is a senior from Baldwin City studying journalism and global studies.
Delayed emergency alerts jeopardize student safety and add to confusion
MATTHEW CLOUGH
@mcloughsofly
Any student who was on campus last year will undoubtedly remember the masked man parading down Jayhawk Boulevard on Nov. 5 to protest the University's response to sexual assault.
The man entered classrooms in Wescoe Hall and Budig Hall to speak out. He was not armed and was taken into custody within an hour. But what if students had actually been in danger?
All KU students are automatically subscribed to receive emergency alerts from the University unless they opt out. But in this situation, such alerts wouldn't have been beneficial.
The first text alert about the masked man went out at 2:37
p. m., long after he had been taken into custody. So unless students had physically seen the man or had happened to read a post about him on social media, they would have been clueless.
This was a fairly low-threat situation. Although some students felt intimidated or nervous, there was no immediate danger to their well being. But the fact remains that had there been a more pressing issue, the University officials' response was inadequate in ensuring students had updates about what was actually happening.
According to the campus alert system protocol, the Public Safety Office sends out alerts when there is "an immediate threat to the campus community" or in "situations requiring immediate action." But these criteria should be
That is not to suggest that Public Safety should send emergency texts to students for anything slightly out of the ordinary. But when there is an unusual occurrence on campus and the office is aware that many students are concerned about it, there should not be a delay in sending out an alert, even if the case is still developing.
readdressed so students can be better informed of campus situations.
According to Poynter, incorrect information travels faster on Twitter than any
It's also important to consider that the most direct and authentic information will come from Public Safety. Many students who did not observe the man firsthand only learned about the situation through social media apps like Twitter and Vik Yak
subsequent attempts to correct such falsities. Hastily prepared posts or tweets that don't contain the full issue are more likely to instill panic in those exposed to their content. It's essential that students get the most accurate information available in potentially threatening situations, which is why Public Safety should take less time to send alerts.
It's not just extreme situations that need prompt attention either. Public Safety also sends out alerts regarding theft and other crime issues. Last Thursday, Lawrence and Edwards Campus students received a notice at 3:49 p.m. regarding a motorcycle theft on Daisy Hill, despite the fact the vehicle was stolen before 10 a.m.
The longer it takes for information to reach students, the less likely they will be able to
assist in any capacity.
Public Safety needs to redefine its criteria for what constitutes an emergency alert. Even if the available information regarding an event is not complete, students have the right to know the latest and most accurate reports of what is going on around them, particularly if the developing situation may be dangerous.
At the very least, hastened emergency alerts could subside any fear created by misinformation or the complete lack of information.
- Edited by Abby Stuke
not more than 200 words
not less than 400 words
JACOB HOOD/KANSAN
@UNIVERSITY
DAILYKANSAN
/THEKANSAN
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