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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY GANSAN
opinion
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2011
That awkward moment when it's Peanut Butter Jelly Time and you're allergic to peanut butter.
Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
Now she has a boyfriend, for this we've always laughed, for he received a blow job with a condom on his shaft.
Read all the FFAs as if Morgan Freeman is narrating them. It really makes your day better.
I'm pretty sure the whole "ladies first" thing was created so guys could check out ass.
Usually when you fail at your job, you lose money ... except if you're Turner Gill.
If you're so drunk that you can't remember your own house, that's not my problem.
T-Rob needs to start up a movement Occupy the paint.
Tim Tebow does not give me a Tebowner.
Getting caught masturbating by your roommate gets a little less awkward each time.
I came back to my hometown to give a speech to a small class of seniors. All I could think was 't used to be attracted to you cretins?'
There's always a light at the end of the tunnel. Just hope that it's not a train!
Go to the Breaking Dawn premiere or study for the calculus II exam? Decisions, decisions ...
I hate being small — I don't get girls and I shiver like a hairless chihuahua when it's cold out.
Dear boys, who says we wear scarves to impress you? It's called warmth. Love, women.
Since marrying T-Rob is a little unrealistic, I'll settle for the guy who cuts out pictures of him to hang on his wall.
Matthew McConaughey had it right. The best thing about freshmen is I keep getting older but they stay the same age.
Free T-shirts are pretty much the equivalent to crack on college campuses.
I literally just walked sideways from class.
Why is it called social networking?
Because everytime I don't want to talk to people I get on Twitter on my phone.
I'm okay with this wind because I part my hair in the direction it's blowing — small victories.
If I drank for every time my professor mispronounced something, I would be dead in minutes.
I'm the KU football team of Words with Friends.
I love celebrating holidays with my crotch.
Non-traditional students deserve more recognition
EDITORIAL
While most students attend University of Kansas right out of high school to enjoy the college lifestyle while receiving a lauded career-building education, non-traditional, graduate and researching students should still be included in the policy-making process at the University.
This is exactly what student leaders supported when they voted 46-5 in favor of giving Stouffer Apartment residents proper representation in the Student Senate through the Stouffer Place Association (SPA) at a meeting on Nov.9.
Student Housing dissolved the executive board of the Stouffer Neighborhood Association in March. Previously, the SNA represented the residents on the Senate, but the SPA is now the recognized governing body.
Diana Robertson, the student housing director, said that SNA failed to comply with expectations the department holds for organizations representing students. However, the former president for SNA, Seyool Oh, said that the organization fulfilled all housing requirements except for handing over access to the SNA email account. He said the University's operating procedures didn't require student-governing organizations to provide access to their email accounts.
Student Housing needs to find out if it has the authority to access these email accounts, because
But it wasn't, because both Oh and Student Senate demonstrated maturity that should be followed for issues of politics and representation anywhere.
this issue could have been detrimental to Stouffer residents' right to representation on campus.
By peacefully letting go of his previous leadership title and saying he will focus on what he can do to help Stouffer residents, Oh shows the dedication of a true student leader, and he didn't give up the integral role he can play in making life better for residents.
As Student Senate voted to bend its rules to accommodate SPA's representation, it put students' interests ahead of personal or political flavors. First and foremost, Stouffar Apartments residents need to be represented.
While politics on the national stage usually present bickering and self interests above a greater good for the common and uncommon citizens, Student Senate should continue to take the mindset of the greater good for the traditional and non-traditional student.
Non-traditional students are characterized as students who are at least two years older than the traditional age of their grade level. Often, it's harder for these students to live with younger students.
Places like Stouffer Apartments offer non-traditional students living experiences that are more
suited for their lifestyle. They also provide students with children a greater family-oriented environment.
All facets of the University need to make sure non-traditional students aren't left out of decision-making processes. Academic departments should gather valuable feedback from this important demographic. Housing and student activities should hold more social events for older students. And the administration should strive for the University to be known as non-traditional-friendly.
Vikaas Shanker for the Kansan Editorial Board
POLITICS
Fox News' perception of racism concerning
A lot of racism went down this month. This wasn't your normal run-of-the-mill racial-epithet-drop either. This racism was poorly veiled as non-racism. And who else would pull that shit, but Fox News?
Let's start at the beginning. The funny thing about the relationship between Fox News and Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show" is that Fox News wants to nail him back so badly.
Jon Stewart is constantly calling it out for being ridiculously biased, and all it can do is sit there in padded ivory chairs in probably-smoke-filled board rooms angrily throwing martinis at the wall (martinis are evil, right?). But sometimes, Fox News tries to call him out right back, and it always ends hilariously. This last Monday, Stewart made some jokes about Herman Cain's newly surfaced sexual harassment settlement from the '90s. Nothing about these jokes was
racially charged.
The next day, Jon Stewart's whacky-haired nemesis Donald Trump released a video in which he calls Stewart a racist who can "get away with it."
Donald "King Birther" Trump obviously had no room to talk, so it wasn't hard for Stewart to quip him back in the following show. The issue at hand here is that so many conservatives are incredibly racist. Did Stewart use Cain's race to deride him in any of the jokes? No. He didn't even make a reference to Cain being black until the "black walnut" joke at the end of the segment, but that wasn't necessarily racist. Trump was the one being racis — using Cain's race as a means to try and discredit Stewart.
Looking at a person who is being insulted and actively believing that he must be getting attacked because he is black is racist. Even if Trump doesn't really believe that — to bring it up, and then follow the accusation up by saying he has a "great relationship with the blacks" is so absolutely, incredibly, terrifyingly racist it's not even funny. It's almost like racial-racism.
that conservative "blacks" have it harder. You know, treating somebody differently, putting them in their own separate-but-equal group because of their race is racism. Race was a huge issue in Obama's campaign, because the right constantly tried to de-Americanize him due to the color of his skin, his racist preacher, and his father's religion and heritage. But we proved that it has — somewhat — become a nonissue by ultimately electing him president. Granted, I will concede that race was an issue for those who voted for Obama, but I highly doubt anyone voted for the guy solely because he's black.
A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook about a school in the south that decided to serve fried chicken and watermelon on Martin Luther King Day. His sister said that she didn't think it was a big deal, and others commented that it was harmless and that southern people of color often do partake
in these delightful foods. But this kind of racism does de-humanize these people. Most people in the south love fried chicken, and sure, maybe a lot of African Americans enjoy the food, but serving the food in celebration of a man who set out to prove that people of color are just as much people as white people isn't right. It takes them, says that they must think and be this way because of their race, and strips them of their individuality. Acting like being black is the only reason Herman Cain could be insulted is racist even though it doesn't immediately seem to be. It also aims to discredit the sexual harassment suit he has been lying about since it surfaced. But, y'know, Fox Newsies — what are you gonna do?
Carmichael is a junior in creative writing from Mulvane. Follow him on Twitter @ChanceComical.
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CARTOON
Nick Sambaluk
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Culture reduces severity of sexual assault
In my article during Domestic Violence Awareness Week, I highlighted the importance of being aware of domestic violence at college. There is another significant piece of the puzzle: sexual assault. Like domestic violence, sexual assault is particularly dangerous on college campuses.
We often think of rape or sexual assault as something that happens in an isolated area, with a stranger, and to someone else — a faceless woman we do not know. But the reality of most sexual assaults is very different from this picture.
enced rape or attempted rape since age 14, says a U.S. Department of Justice report from 2002. Not only that, but the report also states that women ages 16 to 24 are at higher risk of sexual assault than women of other age groups.
Sexual assaults are more common than many realize, especially in college.
Sexual assaults aren't all the same. It is a misconception that most sexual assault involves rape perpetrated by a stranger in a dark alley.
One in four is a scary statistic, one so scary it almost seems unreal. But it is about one in four women in college who have experi-
According to a research report by
the U.S. Department of Justice in 2005, most sexual assaults on campuses are committed by someone the victim knows. That fact alone requires us to reevaluate how we think about sexual assault and how we go about preventing and remedying abuse.
Most importantly, sexual assault is something we can address. Though we may not be
able to eradicate it completely (but don't give up hope on that just yet), we can at least take steps to create a safer environment for others and ourselves.
As sad as it sounds, the kind of culture we live in can sometimes make sexual assault seem almost "OK." Sometimes the language we use exacerbates this culture. Most people don't mean any harm when they say they "raped" that chemistry test or when they call their
friend a slut in a joking manner, but even these jokes have ramifications. They perpetuate an atmosphere that blurs the lines of what is OK and what isn't OK, making identifying sexual assault more complicated and decreasing the likelihood that it will be reported.
By using "rape" in a less serious context, for example, the severity of the word is diminished, which in turn can make the action seem less grotesque and less proximal. It may seem like a stretch, but the long chain of effects on our culture is what makes issues like sexual assault so complicated. We can all check ourselves every now and then; in a setting where sexual assault is so common, it's worth being a little more careful.
Our university and the Lawrence community provide some important resources for victims of sexual assault and for anyone who wants
to take precautions. The Jayhawk Buddy System and the SafeBar Alliance are useful ways to stay safe for evenings and weekends out, and the GaDuGi SafeCenter provides immediate assistance for victims. There are also counseling services on campus, and for preventative measures, the University also offers free self defense classes at the rec center.
If something comes to your attention, don't be afraid to help a friend out of a bad situation. Contact an expert if you aren't sure how you can help, but the important thing is letting your friend know you are there to help and looking out for each other.
— Kelly Cosby is senior in English and political science from Overland Park. Follow her on Twitter @KellyCosby.
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CONTACT US
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kanahan Editorial Board are Kelly Strode, Joel Peterson, Jonathan Shorman, Vikas Shanker, Mandy Matten and Steria Penn.
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