monday, October 20, 2003
the university daily kansan 5A
news
Twin students assist in Senate,compete in games
By Paul Kramer
pkramer@kansan.com
staff writer
Just like any other pair of siblings, sophomores Arthur and Marynell Jones know how to push each others buttons.
plus even cakes.
"Arthur loves to play with stuff,
and he can't sit still," Marynell said.
"And that drives me nuts."
Sitting to Marynell's left, her twin brother and fellow student senator, Arthur, divides his attention between talking, turning in his chair and fidgeting with one of Marynell's hair clips.
Marynell said, "I twirl my pen," Arthur said. "And he taps his foot," Marynell said, glaring at Arthur as his foot repeatedly hit the trash can next to her desk.
For those who know the Dallas twins it's common to see them side by side or hear their finishing each other's sentences.
"They are really good at that," mother Mary Lou Reece said. "I think its because each is vying to have the last word."
While they often compete for the last word among each other, the duo usually team up to tackle Senate issues. Arthur is a freshman/sophomore CLAS senator concerned with writing legislation that can help student groups.
Whether the legislation is based on funding or policy, Arthur said he used Marynell's comments as a soundboard for his wide array of ideas.
"I like to debate,"Arthur said. "And Marynell will think about what she wants to say before she says it."
says it. Marynell is also a senator for freshman/sophomore CLAS but also acts as the executive secretary in charge of attendance, meeting minutes and piles of paperwork. She uses Arthur to help her when her work load get too full.
"He knows my system, and where I keep things." Marynell said.
Although the twins team up to make Senate meetings run smoother and legislation more effective, they are competitive outside the Senate office.
In fact, most of their friends will not play board games if more than one lones is in the game.
Appropriately, the duo paired up in a high-school talent show for a rendition of, *Anything you can Do*, I can Do Better. A performance Marynell said was Arthur's idea.
However, as competition drives them to do the best they can, an equally strong bond keeps them close, a closeness magnified by the way their personalities complement each other.
Reece described Arthur as scatter-brained and likely to engage in long debate, while Marynell is more organized and practical.
From her executive secretary seat at the front of Senate meetings, Marynell often looks up to Arthur in the crowd to signal she needs something.
"If I am up there and I need something, I know I can call on him," Marynell said.
Most people aren't even able to decipher the signal as it is just usually a quick glance.
"I know he will be looking up there," she said. "And he knows if I look at him I need something."
As much as Arthur helps Marvell, he equally relies on her.
Marynell and Arthur Jones, Dallas sophomores, are twin freshman/sophomore CLAS senators. Though Marynell is the executive secretary for Student Senate, a position of higher responsibility, she and Arthur work closely together, assisting each other with their respective duties as senators.
"Marynell reminds him of things." Reece said about Marynell's organization.
After graduation, Marynell wants to get her master's degree in business administration and work
for her mom's construction company. Arthur, an American studies major, plans on becoming a
Edited by Erin Riffey
Methodist minister, like his father.
Engineering students prepare for regional competition
By Amber Bylaray
abylaray@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas' engineering students are competing again after a nine-year hiatus.
The University's chapter of the Association of Computing Machinery held an award ceremony Friday night. At the ceremony, the winning team that may represent the University at the organization's regional competition on Nov. 10 was announced.
more, was the only team member who was sure he wanted to compete at the regional contest that will involve students from schools throughout the United States. The team's other two members were undecided.
"I want to go because I think it's a great opportunity to get involved in this computer programming contest, especially at the national level," said Xiaobang Yue, member of the winning team. "It looks good to represent KU at this contest; I consider it a great honor."
"Maybe, maybe not," said Pha Le, team member and Garden City junior. "I'm not sure yet because my schedule is really busy this semester."
eight questions that involved real-life situations, such as programming a vending machine to give the correct change to a customer
Yue, Chenigdu, China, sopho
The winning team's members will be trained in computer programming before the regional contest, said Ankit Agarwal, chairman of ACM's event committee.
The University's competition was held on Sept. 30 in Eaton Hall. Six teams competed, and each team had three members. The event was open to students from all engineering fields, Agarwal said. Competitors were given
Team members then decided what computer programming language would be best to solve the problem and they used that language to write a computer code that would solve the question. Competitors had three hours to solve as many of the eight questions as possible and had a choice among three computer languages. They were allowed to have reference guides for the competition.
The winning team which answered four questions was determined by the competition's judges, who graded the solutions by how well they worked and what language was chosen.
The competition allowed students to practice programming
which is commonly used in engineering professions and to build relationships with other engineering students, Agarwal said.
Contributed photo
Bonding and career assistance were not the only reasons students participated.
Xiaobang Yue, Chenigdu, China, sophomore; Pha Le, Garden City junior; and Seak Fei Lei, Macau, China, junior, competed in the Association of Computing Machinery computer programming contest Sept. 30 in Eaton Hall.
been put together.
"Most of us just did it for fun," said Nick Bakk, Lawrence junior.
"It's cool to see where you stand with people in our classes."
Agarwal said the University would send a team to the regional competition even if all three members of the winning team couldn't attend. Engineering students interested in competing would need to contact Jerry James, competition judge and assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science. If the team qualifies at the regional competition, it can compete at the international competition. The competition will be
held in Prague from March 28 to April1, 2004. —Edited by Ashley Marriott
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