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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NUMEROLOGY
11-11-11 date not significant mathematically
JOHN GARFIELD
editor@kansan.com
When you woke up this morning you might have felt proud to be a veteran, tired from staying up all night playing videogames or excited to go see the latest blockbuster. However, you most likely did not experience the obliteration of all life on Earth or the dawn of a new era pulsing through every living creature.
Despite the predictions of many numerologists, the recurrence of the number 11 in today's date produced no observable effects. To some University faculty, this comes as no surprise.
"When you have a date like Nov. 11, 2011 there are some people who are going to try to find meaning in it," said Paul Mirecki, professor of religious
John Hoopes,
a professor of
anthropology
and prominent
doomsday theory
scholar, said
numerology was
a superstitious
information
numbers, "If we want to know, for example, the position of one of the moons of Jupiter 50,000 years in the future, it's not a real problem if you have enough computational horsepower."
"Superstition and the way that it modifies human behavior provide a sense of understanding and control when in fact there is anxiety about lack of understanding and absence of control," Hoopes said.
David Lerner, professor of mathematics, explained the tangible value of prediction with
Notions of superstition are married to the early history of scientific observation. People will continue to experience self-fulfilling prophecies, perform selective analyses and bend their perceptions to find meaning in the arbitrary; according to Hoopes, behavior that he suggests is akin to finding the face of Jesus on a grilled cheese sandwich.
Mirecki said the number 11 carries with it a devious connotation in mysticism, as do the numbers six and 13 because some consider them to be "unnatural."
"Numbers have always been of interest in religions because numbers are a system of symbols that can be given meaning by the people interested in them," Mirecki said.
However, Lerner said, today's date is not mathematically significant.
Numerology arose, according to Mirecki, as a means of divination for early priests, using what they were able to observe from
"When you have a date like Nov 11,2011 there are some people who are going to try to find meaning in it."
the heavens.
PAUL MIRECKI professor of religious studies
The same heavens observed during ancient times inspired the calendar we use today. The product of thousands of
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011
years of human observation, it has undergone countless revisions throughout that time, with its current point of origin based on a religious event.
The first day of January marks the birth of Jesus Christ, and the label anno domini (or A.D.) denotes the length of time since the life of Jesus.
Edited by Jason Bennett
Eve Levin, professor of history, said the numbering of days, months and years is arbitrary, and there is really nothing significant, in the scientific sense, about today.
"I think that people are attracted to numerology as a means of dealing with the uncertainties in their lives," Levin said.
GOVERNMENT
What goes online, stays online
LUKE RANKER
lranker@kansan.com
Student senators are addressing concerns over whether social media profiles could pose problems for students, especially those the University employs. A senate subcommittee met Nov. 1 to discuss the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities to ensure students' rights are protected online
Senator Aaron Harris, a senior from Kansas City, Kan., said the code currently does not provide adequate protection for students electronically. He said an all-student committee brainstormed about what changes should be made.
Harris said the amendment should focus on protecting students when using the campus network, University servers such as the Hawk Drive and social media.
"We don't want the University to take a back door to find students' information," Harris said. He said the group was looking into whether it would be appropriate for students
to be disciplined or terminated from campus employment for online postings.
Harris said another major focus of the amendment would be defining terms like social media.
"Our definitions for social media, now, can be used 10 or 15 years down the road." Harris said. "We want this to be long lasting."
The committee is looking into ways to protect the University as a whole also, not just the students.
Assistant vice provost for student success Jane Tuttle said she couldn't fully comment because faculty had not been invited to the initial committee meetings, but she wasn't sure what the issue is with the current code.
"One of the ideas was about posting of intellectual property," Harris said. He said the group is talking about whether students should be banned from posting class presentations and other material online to share with classmates.
said. She said she looks forward to attending committee meetings once they are open to administration.
"If policies are well written, they should cover social media," Tuttle
While the Senate reviews the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities every two years, Harris thought the lack of online protection in the code needed to be addressed this year.
"I don't want to pass this on to another group," Harris said. Harris he says to have an amendment through full Senate by March.
The subcommittee will have one more student only meeting on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Governor's Room of the Kansas Union. The meeting will be open to any students interested in changing the code. Harris said students are allowed to vote after attending one committee meeting and encourages students to get involved in Senate committees.
"Not a lot of people realize that students can change things," Harris said.
Edited by Jason Bennett
WILL YOU MARRY ME?
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Ann Deever portrayed by Maggie Parker talks to her brother George portrayed by Darwin Lujan in Kansas' production of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons." The show runs Saturday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 13, 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, November 20, 2:30 p.m. in the Crafton-Preacher Theatre.
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