THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
opinion
This is awkward ... "Baby Got Back" musical versions to start my Budig class.
I'm wondering if it would be acceptable to put the # of times I've made it into FFA in my résumé. It will go right next to extensive knowledge of Harry Potter.
FREE FOR ALL
Female bus driver is reading the bus route schedule at the Wheel #shouldawalked.
Send your FFA submissions to freeforall@kansan.com
Yes, I believe in a spaghetti monster. So can you PLEASE stop using South Park logic for your argument and get over it?
To the person making angry birds in ceramics: You are awesome.
It's sad that the first question your mom asks you over the weekend is, "Have you met a girl yet?"
Cigarettes and chocolate are my substitutes for men right now. I need to bang bang choo choo train.
Yup. Just ripped a loud one off in class. Thought I could sneak it out stealthily and blame the smell on the weird girl next to me but no, loud as a gun. Worst college class ever.
That awkward moment when your stomach is grumbling louder than the professor's lecture.
I'm pretty sure the girl next to me had half her butt cheek on my leg.
My textbook just explained to me why marijuana is baked into brownies.
The amount of sexual tension steaming out of our texting conversations is enough to make Danielle Steele melt.
Sometimes when I'm not looking for boobies, I stand on the upper balcony of Budig and look for boobies.
I broke down and played Angry Birds in class today. Sorry American Lit, but you'll just have to wait
Yes, a female always calls them self a slut in the FFA. Have you been to the Hawk?
I'm still pissed at whoever made classes start on a Monday. I don't think I have recovered from that.
TEXT IN FREE FOR ALLS
Just saw the back of my head on the front page of the UDK. Scheduling haircut now.
Want a conversation icebreaker?
Buy some five-finger shoes, totally works.
Who needs a shrink when you've got the FFA!
Degrees don't guarantee jobs
The unemployment rate for recent college graduates is still below the national average, hovering between four and five percent. But as a report by Rutgers University's John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development reveals, only 53 percent of recent college graduates are employed full time. Also, salaries for those fortunate graduates have fallen 10 percent since pre-recession 2007. Graduates are defaulting on loans now more than ever because they can't find a
If you think you can land a high salary job and pay off your student loans comfortably just by cruising through classes and earning a degree, you're wrong.
Along with internships and extracurricular clubs, students should also take advantage of volunteer opportunities and consider adding another major or minor to their undergraduate profile.
job or the job doesn't pay well enough. You don't want to fall into that group.
Students need more than a degree to compete in today's tough job market. The University's academic departments have resources that can help guide the resume-building process, but becoming a more well-rounded candidate for employers after graduation boils down to two main opportunities for students: internships and extra-curricular activities.
If you don't know where to go, start at the University's main career center located in room 110 of the Burge Union. This is a diverse world that craves more from you. Be ready before you hit the workforce by applying to internships and taking active roles in clubs and organizations across campus.
Career experts from all corners of the University also believe that just getting your bachelor's degree isn't good enough. Dave Byrd-Stadler, the coordinator for business
administration said internships are essential for students. The Rutgers report found that recent graduates with a previous internship receive $6,680 more in median salary than graduates who didn't. Byrd-Stadler also stressed that extracurricular clubs and organizations can complement a student's major.
"Employers often value experience from professional clubs," he said.
From English to engineering internship opportunities are available for any major. Students should take advantage of the University's career centers, which are tailored for many of the major academic departments.
The career development coordinator for the School of Journalism, Patty Noland, echoed Byrd-Stadler's emphasis on internships and clubs. Without an internship, graduates" chances of being hired are slim." Noland said.
Although participating in internships is key to building experience in a discipline, extracurricular clubs give forums for networking with upperclassmen, professionals and employers. Many professional trade organizations have official student chapters. If applying for internships doesn't work for you, then take a leadership role in a national organization at the University.
— Vikaas Shanker for The Kansan Editorial Board
ENTERTAINMENT
Lysen: Clichéd television dramas meet their match
Television is full of clichés, and it always will be. I used to make fun of all the clichéd drama shows with my previous roommate. We wanted to start our own show called "Cop Drama" which would consist of only making fun of all the ridiculous events on shows like "CSI: (Some Large American City)." "Criminal Minds" and "Law & Order."
Since network television producers make their money solely from advertisement, they have to attract the largest audience possible, therefore hindering their ability to be artistic or different. Thus, they produce many clichés. The less risk the networks take, the larger the audience will be.
The best way for networks to take less risk is to copy shows that are popular and hope to attract those same viewers. America seems to love cop dramas, so every major network and even some cable networks have jumped on the bandwagon. Every cop-drama episode seems to have the same storyline; mysterious murder, catch a suspicious person to interrogate, that person ends up being innocent, find more clues, catch the real bad guy because of a twist
that came out of nowhere, bad guy tells us why he did it.
The clichéd format is a lot like "Scooby Doo." There is always a twist, and the mystery is always solved. And they would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling forensic investigation team.
Even if this is clichéd, it may be the reason America loves these shows so much. Americans want to believe that their police force can catch any bad guy. And no bad guy is getting away in "24."
Enter: Paul Scheer.
Paul Scheer is a comedian most recognizable for the large gap between his two front teeth. He can be seen on the television show "The League," and has guest starred on "Parks and Recreation."
Scheer somehow heard my ideas as if they were prayers and started his own show on
Adult Swim named "National Terrorism Strike Force: San Diego: Sport Utility Vehicle" (or "NTSF: SD: SUV" for short). NTSF is a 15-minute comedy show that focuses on all the clichés of network cop dramas while also making fun of pop-culture events. In the first episode of the series, the NTSF gang has to team up with the Food and Drug Administration to stop students of the local college from drinking an alcoholic beverage that causes the drinkers to become so drunk they combust (alluding to the Four Loko controversy).
It seems as if NTSF's main goal is to be as ridiculous as possible — even adding Sports Utility Vehicle to the title because the main character drives one — much like movies that make fun of cliched film genres such as the "Scary Movie" series and "Not Another Teen Movie."
As long as there are cliches, (removes sunglasses and looks at the camera for dramatic affect) there will always be someone there to make fun of them.
Dylan Lysen is a junior in journalism from Andover.
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
What do you think of the new KUPD Dodge Chargers?
Follow us on Twitter @UDK_Opinion.
Tweet us your opinions, and we just might publish them.
bgunter7
**beginner**
@DUK_Opinion they look cool but were chargers really necessary? #overkill
@UOK_Opinion Sometimes I think Robocop is going to jump out of them and take some brob
hanson377
zhareefer
zindexer
@UDK Opinion KU should be providing more student parkings with the money for the Chargers, and the absurd price of parking tags and tickets.
TheRealKingCole
MakeWritingGoals
@UDK_Dpinton why do they need dodge chargers for campus where the speed limit is like 20 MPH? give them mini coopers.
TECHNOLOGY
Phone application connects gay men
Grindr is a location-based social media application for gay men used on Apple, Android and Blackberry phones. The app uses GPS technology to detect where other Grindr users are in the area, making it the most tech-savvy way of hooking up since Facebook chat. The company just announced its plans to create a version for straights.
But is it cool or creepy?
YOU SHOULD TOTALLY GRIND
Do you have a Grindr? Do you Grind? Wanna get Grounded? Every gay guy I know has an account on Grindr (I don't have one, but only because I'm not fancy enough to own an iPhone).
It sounds really creepy, the fact that complete strangers can find out exactly how close they are to each other and possibly meet up for coffee and exchange dialogue or bodily fluids (cue awful techno remix). But it doesn't have to be, as long you remember to respect boundaries.
Most people don't wear their sexual identities on their sleeves, and a lot of people don't have the desire or time to mingle at clubs and bars, so Grindr can be a great way to meet friends who are in close proximity. You can also make fun of peoples' penis pictures and send them to all your friends in a mass text.
But be sure to approach people respectfully and to be aware of the implicit messages you are sending. Starting conversations off with sexual advances may be off-putting to a lot of people, and if you try to attract people with pictures of your naked body, you will probably get other naked bodies. If you use nice photos, you are more likely to attract nice people. Even when you're hiding behind your phone, your actions still count.
Castle is a senior in political science from Stilwell.
DON'T GRIND
I have heard about Grindr these past few months almost more than I have heard about Facebook. That's saying something. Most gay guys who use it, from what I hear, love it. I am quite opposed to it, though.
My friend and I were out to eat on Massachusetts Street a while ago and some guy message him on Grindr. He was only yards away. I find it incredibly creepy that you can see how far away people are from you. I kept looking around to see if some pirat or robber was going to come grab us or hold us up. Maybe it's just because I'm paranoid, but come on, it could happen.
It's not just because of my paranoidia that I don't like it. It's just another way for people to meet other people online. And I hate that. I might be old-fashioned, but I think people should meet and face talk-to-face. Yes, sometimes texts or emails are the best way to communicate, but that's with people you already know.
People can be so fake online. My friend was talking to a guy on Grindr and his picture only showed his abs. Not going to lie, it was a hot six-pack. But, then I started thinking, what if that was just to get guys to talk to him? He wanted people to think he was hot and all that, but maybe he was actually the exact opposite.
People can be anyone they want to be online, including on Grindr. So the girl you may be talking to on Grindr who seems hot and awesome could be anyone: a stalker, a nerd or even a girl. "Sayin'."
— Rachel Schwartz is a senior in journalism from Leawood.
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