08 OPINION 5A MONDAY AUGUST 21 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN N G T P P H R. VIGS HEY Change we forget the meaning of Street KS 066 ASSOCIATED PRESS Editor's note: This is an excerpt from a column originally printed in The Daily Illini at the University of Illinois by Jordan Harp. We hear it nonstop when we come to college. Change is a lot of what college is about. In my two years so far, there has been quite a bit of change. Change has become a vogue word. We like change. This mantra of change that Sen. Barack Obama has been running on is why he has appealed so much to people our age. More so than the fact that he is relatively young for a presidential candidate. The word invokes new and exciting thoughts in our heads. It makes us dream of exploring new frontiers and making a difference with people and changing lives. It is also made the main theme of any freshman orientation. "You are going to change in college," we are told, and of course it is true. The question isn't so much a matter of if, because it is impossible not to, or even how much, because the college years are seminal years, so we are all going to change a lot. Rather the question is how or in what way we are going to change, and maybe even more so, why or for what reason are we changing. To me, changing without knowing how is irresponsible, and changing without knowing why is stupid. People don't want to change just for the heck of it. Instead, they need to know why we need to change and how it is going to be done. This is why Obama is doing poorly in recent polls. He has told us all why we need to change, mainly because we don't like President Bush, but he hasn't explained how we are going to do that. It is near impossible to force people in a different direction if they don't know what is in that direction. So it is important for us to examine how we have changed over time, just as it is important for us to examine the change that a candidate might promise. For a lot of people in college, if they examined how they have changed so far during college, it would probably be an increased tolerance to alcohol. Good, but maybe not what they should be going for. In order for the best change to happen while in college, it is important for us to have a good idea of where we are, and probably more importantly, where we want to be in four years. Obama seems like a lot of freshmen: He doesn't really know where he wants to be in four years, besides being the president. Fortunately, for all of you freshmen, you have some time to decide. Unfortunately, for Obama, he doesn't. uwire.com editorials around the nation ASSOCIATED PRESS Larger dead zone in Gulf despite pledge A federal-state task force created to address the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico originally pledged to reduce it to a quarter of its size by 2015. There has been no reduction. It is still growing. Scientists, the fishing industry and the media in this country have reported extensively on the huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2006, it covered almost 6,700 square miles. Last year, it reached nearly 8,000 square miles, one of the largest in history. This year, researchers say it could grow to 10,084 β€” the largest in almost 25 years. The zone is created primarily by soil erosion, fertilizer runoff from farms along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, urban runoff and dumping of sewage into the river. These elements deplete oxygen in the water, killing fish and bottom-feeding marine life. The journal Science reports that more than 400 dead zones occur around the world, double what the United Nations reported two years ago. It is time to take the search for a solution to the dead zone problem worldwide. There could be new information and approaches if a global task force brings together global expertise β€”The (Lafayette, La.) Advertiser Aug.18 editorial ug.18 editorial HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR LETTER GUIDELINES Length: 300-400 words The submission should include the author's name, phone number, grade, hometown. Send letters to opinion@kansan.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the e-mail subject line. CONTACT US Length: 300-400 words Lauren Keith, opinion editor 864-4924 or keith@kansan.com Matt Erickson, editor 864-4810 or merickson@kansan.com Mark Dent, managing editor 864-4810 or mdent@kansan.com Kelsey Hayes, managing editor 364-4810 or khayes@kansan.com Dani Hurst, managing editor 864-4810 or hurst@kansan.com Patrick de Oliveira, associate opinion editor 864-4924 or pdeoliveira@kansan.com Jon Schilt, sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or jschlitt@kansan.com Jordan Herrmann, business manager 864-4358 or jherrmann@kansan.com Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news adviser TYLER DOEHRING 864-7667 or mgibson@kansan.com THE EDITORIAL BOARD Running Trope stands over the slain buffalo, holding its still-bearing heart aloft. Blood runs down his forearms as he jams the spurting, arterial clump into his mouth. Toni Bergquist, sales manager 864 1473 on therquist@theron.com "I am a man now!" he screams through mouthfuls, as John Williams conducts the orchestra into a poignant swelling of brass and winds, lest the spiritual transformation go unnoticed by readers. Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Alex Doherty, John Hortz, Lauren Keith, Patrick de Koehler. The evolution of coming-of-age rituals Toni Bergquist, sales manager 864-4477 or tbergquist@kansan.com That, my friends, is a coming-of-age ritual. Swift and senseless violence followed by the devouring of raw organ meat. But with the near-extinction of buffalo and the prevalence of cheap, personal cooking devices endorsed by George Foreman, our society found a new way to come of age. And that way is college. College is a time of self-discovery, a time for finding oneself, albeit often in a ditch, caked with vomit consisting of foods you've never eaten. Immediately after is the self-discovery of one's car, wallet and phone. We return to Extended Metaphron from the beginning of the column, as he stands over the slain buffalo. Blood runs down his forearms as he shakes his pounding head and swears he will never drink Jager again. Then, he remembers the cryptic words of wisdom the elders told him: "Ramen is better than organ meat, and there's always grad school." Anthropologists marvel at the role that nihilistic drunkenness plays in the moral instruction of America's young adults. In one popular ritual, the initiate ingests a sacred intoxicant laced with a powerful, non-herbal stimulant, while letting out a cry of "lager bombs!" Although the successful completion of this Jager ritual often results in the answering of "yes" to such questionable inquiries as "Wanna go to a rest stop and sleep sleeping truckers?" many still take part. Before you condemn these people with a major in liberal arts and a minor in possession, know it is they who ensure a supply of the office drones necessary for continuing the American bureaucracy. There is no one way to come of age in college, but if you leave college with immediate employment prospects, you have failed. There is even a special term for people like that: engineers. The rest of us take our coming of age much too seriously to ever let it happen. Reichert is an Oberlin graduate student in law. Students will hurt if Lawrence loses the 'T' "It's quite convenient," he said. "I don't know what I'd do without it." When I climbed aboard the Number 8 bus at 31st and Iowa, I had a hard time finding a seat. The bus was crowded with returning students, mostly international students, who carried bags of food, clothing and electronics and chatted with each other in Spanish, Urdu and Putonghua. I struck up a conversation with a marketing major from Chengdu, China, and asked him what he thought about the "T", Lawrence's bus system. But he may be to do without the T" if Lawrence voters do not approve a proposed sales tax increase this November, which would be genuinely unfortunate. Traffic congestion will decrease, especially around campus, more parking, and, of course, taking the bus is much better for the environment. A sales tax β€” a fairly regressive form of taxation β€” is not an ideal way to fund public transportation, but this is certainly better than the alternative of not having the system. two questions on the Nov. 4 ballot, a 0.2 percent increase in the city's sales tax, which would supplement the T's 2009 operating budget, and a 0.05 percent increase, which would provide funds for the eventual replacement of aging buses. Next year, the T will face a million dollar operating deficit. The city commission voted to place As voters consider the T's value, they should keep in mind the benefits of its proposed merger with KU's bus system, which will result in a more efficient service. The city and the University have tentatively agreed to combine their operations by July 2009, and as a first step, all KU students can now ride free of charge on all city buses. Thompson is a Topeka senior in economics and political science. To put that into perspective, if these measures are approved, the cost of your Big Mac would increase less than a cent. The T will be forced to shut down without this funding. But this merger is contingent on whether the T can secure funding. For the plan to move forward, voters must approve the first ballot question, and perhaps the second. When you vote in November, keep the T alive. The T is an invaluable asset to our community, especially to those who depend upon it as their only viable means of transportation. like many foreign students at KU. As is the case with most public transit systems, the market itself does not support the T. It is a good idea to subsidize public transportation because it does not only benefit those who purchase its services but confers tremendous advantages to the whole community. A 2007 on-board passenger survey found that 78 percent of riders said they currently did not have an alternative vehicle available. As driving becomes more expensive, the number of people who cannot afford cars will certainly increase. BLOG BITS@KANSAN.COM A couple weeks ago, I took a walk with my 3-year-old daughter through campus. Before too long we happened upon a large group of men playing football in their new practice facility. "What are they doing?" asked my daughter. If you build it, they will... not use it? "That's called football," I said. "Want to watch?" I took her out of her stroller and put her on my shoulders so she could get a better view. Soon, we were approached by a man wearing too many articles of clothing with little Jayhawks on them. He informed us that this was a "closed" practice and that we would have to leave. If we wanted, we could return in a week to watch an "open" practice As I care very little about football (yes, people like me exist), I decided not to mention to the man that I was on a public street, and that there was nothing that he could legally do to remove me from it, and I moved on. As I walked, I craned my neck up at the parking garage, and wondered how in the world they were going to keep people from watching them develop their top secret football skills. After reading the Kansan, I learned that the geniuses in the Athletics Department have decided to go ahead and not practice on their $31 million practice field. Brilliant Apparently, according to the Kansan article, everyone "was aware" of the situation, and so nobody should be "surprised" at the current situation. In other words: the Athletics Department knew they were going to spend $31 million for nothing, so why is everyone complaining? Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director, has essentially said that spending $31 million for nothing isn't "keeping anybody awake at night." These folks must have a lot of cash floating around if they don't bat an eyelash at 31 mil. I'm starting to wonder: Is KU a school with a sports program attached to it, or a bloated Sports Corporation with a languishing academic program in its shadow? Joshua Anderson To contribute to Free for All, visit Kansan.com or call 785-864-0500. It should be illegal for 8 a.m. classes to require at- tendance --people? Is your mama a llama? --people? --people? I wish my roommate would buy some toilet paper so I could quit using a towel. The National American University commercial is back --people? If it ain't on Facebook, it ain't official. Sorry to break the news to you. To people who take Facebook relationship statuses seriously: Get off the computer, and face reality for a change. --people? When will voters remind the presidential candidates that they're running for a job that can't change half of the things they've promised to change without the help of the majority of 535 other --the benefits. Thanks! It's worthless complainers, like most of you, who make it so easy for me to be successful. Please, continue to sit on your asses and whine while I make a difference and reap --to the games If people knew what "spending within their means" meant and actually did it, then the Democratic party would not exist. --to the games To protest this awesomely unused and expensive football practice field KU Football is too cool for, don't show up to the games --box It seems so hard for a freshman to get laid around here. I miss home already. --box --box Bring back the whistle, so my teacher will know when to shut up. Maybe instead of trying to win over students by telling them how the bus is better for their wallet, you should make sure the buses show up according to the schedule, not whenever they feel like it. --box How many people are going to get texted Obama's veep choice and then realize they just wasted money to hear information two minutes earlier than everyone else? --box I was an idiot today and thought it was Tuesday instead of Friday, which meant that classes started on the half hour instead of the hour. --box For the football facilities, it's just like when collectors buy action figures. They don't even take them out of the Want more? Check out Free for All online.