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THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011
COMMENTARY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Film school dean doubles as 'Smurfs' director
PATRICK GOLDSTEIN
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
LOS ANGELES — Veteran movie producer Jordan Kerner spent nearly 10 years finding a way to make "The Smurfs," which earned $35.6 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. But it's not his long track record in Hollywood, which includes producing everything f
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UNCSA are getting an education not just in theory and production but in the often less-than-glamorous aspects of life in the trenches of Hollywood.
Kerner has recruited a host of faculty members who still have their day jobs, which helps give students a grounding in the kind of problem-solving necessary to survive on a film set. Through a
up to talk to an actor, our kids would be right there with him. They also got to spend time with our editors, visual effects supervisor, sound designers and other crew members. Sometimes the discussions were difficult, but that was the whole point — it's a way to learn the whys and why notes of filmmaking." (With it being 2011, students had to sign release forms promising not to blast about what
"Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip Wrecked," which will hit theaters this Christmas. He also has his students listen in on his conversations with his agent so they can develop an understanding of the demands of the marketplace.
Kerner never imagined himself being a film school dean — in fact, he never went to film school himself. But after surviving a freak stash infiation and enduring the
their experiences. But Kerner felt the school needed more outside professionals on the faculty, so he recruited a host of industry pros, including producer Bob Gosse and Peter Bogdanovich, who teaches a freshman film class.
My biggest concern with today's film schools is that they tend to offer students far more instruction in technique than in actual ideas.
But the student films I watched
Immersion project, where students gain a deeper understanding of character and story by spending several weeks at places like the Veterans Artificial Limb Hospital in Philadelphia and Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans.
"They can't take cameras or recording devices — just a pad and pen," he says. "The whole idea is to go out and get to know people, hear their stories and not use."
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011
PAGE 44
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
CAMPUS
Avoid lame excuses if you do mess up
HANNAH DAVIS editor@kansan.com
Deadlines plague the college experience. Before taking your first class, attending your first keger or moving into your first closet they call a dorm room, you must have already met several deadlines; the application deadline, the FAFSA deadline, filing your immunization and the list goes on.
To err is human, to make excuses is collegiate. Before embarking on a college education every freshman should be armed with the following simple guidelines to avoid missing deadlines and if all else fails a list of over-used excuses to avoid.
Getting into college is only the beginning. Over the span of a college career a student will be asked to meet thousands of deadlines, the majority of which are set by professors.
COMMUNICATE IN ADVANCE
If you know you are going to miss a class, whatever the reason is for your absence, inform your professor as soon as possible. They will appreciate the courtesy, recognize your responsibility and most likely help find a mutually acceptable solution.
HONESTY REALLY IS THE BEST POLICY. REALLY
Believe it or not the men and women standing at the front of the classroom droning on about 18th century French poetry or molecular biology were young once, too. If you indulged in dollar night at the Hawk and slept through Thursday morning's alarm they'll probably understand. Nobody, is perfect but every one appreciates honesty and respect. Tell the truth, acknowledge your immature lapse in judgement, apologize and don't let it happen again.
Crafting a fictional plot about your car being towed takes way too much energy, especially with a hangover.
KNOW THE FINAL DAY TO DROP CLASSES
It's never too late until it's too late. Although you won't get your money back, you can still salvage your GPA by dropping a course that is beyond salvation. Who knows, maybe the second time is the charm?
If you're going to lie at least be original. Avoid these over used explanations.
THESE EXCUSES ARE SO LAST
SEMESTER
PETS
Man's best friend also happens to be man's best scapegoat. Excuses involving a pet immediately raise a red flag for professors. When your
professor asks you for an update on Scruffy later in the semester and you give them a bewildered look, they may grade that final with greater scrutiny.
Car accidents, dead batteries, tire blow-outs and towed cars are some of the most popular explanations for a missed class or late assignment. Chances are you really will experience car trouble. No one wants to be the girl who cried 'dead battery'.
CAR TROUBLE
DEATH OF A RELATIVE
Besides the fact that lying about the death of a relative is morbid, this excuse loses its luster fast. Grammy can only die once, a professor won't excuse you for her fictitious death and then again for the real funeral.
BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND
TROUBLE
You may get away with this excuse once, but its generally a one trick pony. In theory college is preparation for "the real world." "Real world bosses" couldn't care less about a tiff you had with your significant o'er.
OTHER POINTERS
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Avoid lies and tall tales that can be verified. A simple request for a doctor's note, a funeral notice or a vet's bill and the gig is up.
LAY LOW
CAMPUS
If you miss a class because you're "sick" don't let your TA run into you on Mass St. later that night.
Talk before moving in together
BRITTANY NELSON editor@kansan.com
Living without parents or siblings can be both liberating and stressful for many college students. Numerous students opt to live with their best friends so they have a support system and someone to hang out with. However, if living routines and personalities don't match up, it could ruin a friendship.
John Robertson, Lawrence psychologist, said that roommates need to talk to the person they plan on living with prior to moving in to discuss everyday living habits such as sleep, study and cleaning habits to see if the roommate will be a good match.
"A planned conversation is best, right before you move in," Robertson said. "You need to talk about how you are going to live together. Clarity, kindness and consistency are the three key things."
Uzma Fareed, a graduate from Lenexa, said that when she lived with a good friend, the friendship turned sour.
"What she thought was clean I thought was messy," Fareed said. "We didn't set any rules or discuss anything in the beginning, which was a mistake."
Fareed regrets not having better communication with the person who was once one of her best friends and now an acquaintance.
"The secret is if people can talk to each other openly about things," Robertson said. "Sometimes, if you live with a close friend, confrontation may be more difficult."
Chris Leber, a previous KU student from Overland Park, said he lived with a best friend his senior year of high school.
Leber said that after his roommate received a DUI and suffered a car wreck, his roommate stopped drinking altogether and became very religious.
"We ended up avoiding each other," Leber said. We got to a point where we finally wanted to sort out our problems but it was hard because I literally wanted to hit him. We recently got into a fight and are not speaking."
"Before, he would start arguments with people about believing in God, and after the accident he didn't party anymore and was a completely different person," Leber said.
Leber and Fareed are not the
Leber said he also didn't help with dishes and would frequently use his computer.
only ones with roommate problems. Although they had their fair share of friendship issues under the same roof they also had good experiences as well.
Fareed said this last school year, she lived with a good friend but they decided to talk about rules and compromise living habits prior to moving in. Leber said that he lived with two of his best friends and conflict wasn't an issue.
"If we had a fight, we'd get our boxing gloves and headgear and duke it out," Leber said. "I advise every guy to buy that."
Robertson said he doesn't advise against living with a good friend, but people have to communicate rules, living habits and how they can compromise so living together isn't a burden.
"I've had a lot of students come to me depressed because of this issue," Robertson said. "Students need to look at this situation as a roommate problem, not a friendship problem. As long as the communication lines are open and you can live with each other's habits and personalities, there should not be a problem, enjoy it."
CAMPUS
MEG LOWRY
editor@kansan.com
Going potluck when selecting a roommate for freshman year may be a popular option, but randomly selected roommates don't always end up the best of friends.
Random roomates can be too risky
Every year, hundreds of incoming freshman are randomly matched with roommates to live with through Student Housing Services and apartment complex-
S t e p h Waugh, a recent graduate from Topeka, knows that going potluck doesn't always make for the easiest living situations.
unique problems.
"We had a lot of problems with cleaning and people taking each other's food," said Waugh. "But I didn't know how to bring it up because I didn't really know these girls."
Allison Golub, who worked as a Resident Assistant at Corbin Hall during the fall of 2010, said the majority of roommate disagreements are regarding visitors, alcohol or noise.
"I decided to go potluck because I thought it would be a good way to make new friends," said Waugh, who lived in a four-person suite at Lewis Hall.
"Living with someone you don't know can be tough."
ALLISON GOLUB resident assistant in Corbin Hall, 2010
Waugh soon found, though, that living with strangers presents
The KU Student Housing Handbook has multiple guidelines listed for visitation policies, including limitations on how many nights in a row guests can be present and hours during which they are al-
lowed at student housing facilities.
"Living with someone you don't know can be tough," said Golub. "Roommates should be honest on their living contracts about what they are and aren't ok with in terms of their space and who is in it."
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