Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
United States First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2009
Nichols: new goals for a new semester COMING MONDAY
WWW.KANSAN.COM
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FREE FOR ALL
To contribute to Free for All, visit Kansan.com or call (785) 864-0500.
--in editorial, when Kansan's opinion. The Editorial Board consists of six editors on The Kansan staff that decided to write
We need to get people to yell "New Jersey" at basketball games when Tyshawn Taylor gets introduced because he's from Jersey City, New Jersey.
My roommates and I are planning on putting our cheap alcohol in our expensive bottles. Classy, eh?
To the creepy CCO girl who asked me what I was doing for lunch Saturday; hopefully eating with you
Good job on the freshman class, KU admissions. I approve!
--in editorial, when Kansan's opinion. The Editorial Board consists of six editors on The Kansan staff that decided to write
Come on Memphis...cheaters never win!
--in editorial, when Kansan's opinion. The Editorial Board consists of six editors on The Kansan staff that decided to write
I climbed out of the shower, turned on the TV while I was getting dressed, and what's on? Cash Cab, life is good!
--in editorial, when Kansan's opinion. The Editorial Board consists of six editors on The Kansan staff that decided to write
I LIKE BIG BUTTS AND I CAN-
NOT LIE!
--in editorial, when Kansan's opinion. The Editorial Board consists of six editors on The Kansan staff that decided to write
Back to school. Back to school. To prove to daddy that I'm not a fool.
--in editorial, when Kansan's opinion. The Editorial Board consists of six editors on The Kansan staff that decided to write
--in editorial, when Kansan's opinion. The Editorial Board consists of six editors on The Kansan staff that decided to write
The number of jean skirts on campus today is directly correlated to the number of freshman girls.
Freshman: don't raise your hand in a 1,000-person lecture to get a syllabus. Hah!
--in editorial, when Kansan's opinion. The Editorial Board consists of six editors on The Kansan staff that decided to write
My poor lungs had forgotten how much secondhand smoke they inhale on campus.
Unfortunately I haven't seen any decent guys on campus. I'll give it a week then I'm finding myself a hot lesbian!
--in editorial, when Kansan's opinion. The Editorial Board consists of six editors on The Kansan staff that decided to write
Where the hell is Dole buirng/hall?
Ever really wanted something that you thought you could never have? And then BAM, it comes!
--in editorial, when Kansan's opinion. The Editorial Board consists of six editors on The Kansan staff that decided to write
Free for All hat trick my first day back, man I'm good!
--in editorial, when Kansan's opinion. The Editorial Board consists of six editors on The Kansan staff that decided to write
So did/does anyone else see the tall leggy blonde that walked into the Budig computer lab a few minutes ago? One look at her is another great reason why I love this university
--in editorial, when Kansan's opinion. The Editorial Board consists of six editors on The Kansan staff that decided to write
I like two guys in the same frat
First day of classes and I think some freshmen girls have already put on 15 lbs.
Why don't the Bob Billings and Kasold buses have air conditioning? I don't need to have sweat stains before I get to class.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Help the Kansan help you send items
Beginning next week on the opinion page this space will be filled with an editorial, which speaks as The
KANSAN'S
OPINION
about issues that matter the most to students at this university. We try to approach these issues from as unbiased a perspective as possible, and represent this publication's stance on various topics.
ulty to valentine's day and spring break. Anything that affects students and the University is editorial worthy.
We are the voice of The Kansan covering everything from political candidates and university fac
That being said, we would like you to contribute. Any student, professor, faculty or community member is encouraged to send editorial ideas to opinion@kansan. com. Write EDITORIAL IDEA in the subject line. If you think we should be supporting or protesting a particular issue, let us know. You are equally encouraged to tell us what you think about our past editorials. Email letters to the editor to opinion@kansan.com.
We'll be here all semester long so help us help you, and together we can improve the University.
Caitlin Thornbrugh for The Kansan Editorial Board.
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SCIENCE
Well, Mrs. Mapplethorpe, we have several options for someone with your condition: acupuncture, homeopathy, or bloodletting via leeches...
JAMES FARMER
Alternative medicine research fails to deliver
In the midst of healthcare reform and rising medical bills, Americans are looking for second opinions beyond their physician.
Some are perturbed at their vision of the medical elite, promising high prices and uncomfortable side-effects.
Many more simply prefer a kind of medicine better aligned with their own personal philosophy.
The NCCAM has spent $2.5 billion dollars of government money during the last decade to research the claims of a variety of alternative medicines, including acupressure, echinechae, magnet therapy, ginko biloba, energy field manipulation, glucosamine and everything in between.
But regardless of their reasons, Americans spent about $33.9 billion on alternative and complementary medicine in 2007, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). Though many are shunning conventional medicine, these alternative medicines have failed to deliver a true alternative.
After years of research in rigorously controlled studies, nearly all of the alternative medicines showed no benefit over a placebo. Across the board, these therapies showed little or no efficacy.
Why haven't these therapies been shown effective? Although their use may originate in
ancient knowledge and have fervent followers, when put to the scientific test, they have not shown true efficacy. This lack of supporting evidence is primarily due to the intrusion of ideology onto the scientific claims of these treatments.
For example, acupuncture and homeopathy are both based on a philosophical foundation contradictory to modern scientific knowledge. And thus, when these treatments are used, they are done so out of belief of efficacy, rather than proof.
Research institutions compete to gain funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Research grants are awarded based on the merit of the research proposal, not an ideology.
The NCCAM, a national center exclusively funding alternative remedies, rigs the game against most biomedical research.
Only the best projects, based on the best evidence and potential benefit, are given taxpayer money. The NCCAM gives funding to projects with little scientific plausibility.
Scientific research only exists because it improves upon the foundation of knowledge
The conventional scientific treatments are not perfect, and no one is claiming that they are. They exist by controlling dosages, patient usage and constantly researching to improve their ability to treat patients. Giving chemotherapy to cancer patients is a brutal process, but it can bring huge benefits to those who need it. Just because modern medicine has flaws does not mean that alternative medicine is flawless.
supported by past scientists and their discoveries. We test new cancer drugs on human subjects only after using animal models and before that we do studies in test tubes.
Complementary and alternative treatments should compete with the rest of the scientific community for government money.
Only by this process can biomedical research advance. We take what we have already tested and work to improve our knowledge.
If they have good evidence for safety and efficacy, then they should be able to fund clinical trials just like the rest of the researchers in America.
But creating an entity that only funds complementary and alternative medicine has ended only in a waste of scientific inquiry and taxpayer money.
Folmsbe is a Topeka senior in Neurobiology.
STUDENT LIFE
Cigarette butts litter streets; inconsiderate to nonsmokers
I have a real bone to pick with all you smokers out there. It really gets on my nerves and I'm sure the vast majority of the nonsmoking community here at the University of Kansas, in Lawrence and all over agrees — when you put your cigarette butts out on the ground when there is an ashtray within 100 feet of you
Allow me to give you a couple of examples of what I'm talking about.
I was sitting at the Baney hall bus stop, just east of Strong Hall, in mid-February when I looked over and saw a woman sitting on one of the benches taking the last few drags of her cigarette as the Park and Ride bus pulled up. Now for those who don't know about the Bailey Hall bus stop, there is an ashtray right next to both benches. She was sitting right next to one of them and instead of taking the butt in her hand and putting it out very nicely in the ashtray, she decided to put it out on the ground right at her feet. This infuriated me, but I swallowed my anger and got on the bus.
Another incident happened just a few weeks ago. I was downtown on Massachusetts Street to get a fresh trim when an incident almost identical to the Bailey Hall Experience occurred. A man who looked to be in his late 40s or early 50s was finishing his cigarette outside the antique mall. He was standing within 15 feet of an ashtray when he not only put it out on the ground, but then decided to drag it along the
For those of you who know me, you know that I never take action like this, so you can imagine just how much this pissed me off.
Just think of the people around you for one second. They may not say anything to you about what you are doing, but I guarantee it ammows them, too. So for those around you, put your butts out where they're supposed to be.
My point of this rant is this.
Please smokers, put your cigarette butts in abstrains or trash cans.
It's really not that hard, and you have no idea how much better our city would be. I'm not one of those "protect our Mother Earth" flower children; it just gets increasingly annoying to see cigarette butts lying on the ground.
Phillippee is a Fort Worth sophomore in creative writing.
cement, thus spreading tobacco stains on one of downtowns mostly clean sidewalks.
It was at this moment that I could not hold in or contain my anger. After he started to walk away, I went and picked up his butt, threw it and gave him a glare that he won't soon forget.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
GTA POSITION
CUTS CAUSE MORE
HARM THAN GOOD
Thank you for reporting on graduate teaching assistant position cuts. There are additional aspects to this issue that should be addressed.
No figures for the number of GTA positions that have been effectively eliminated by hiring undergraduate teaching assistants have been published. By replacing GTAs with undergraduate teacher's assistants, the University of Kansas saves money as the UGTAs do not receive a tuition stipend, nor does the University pay 75 percent of the student's health insurance fee every semester. A GTA with a 50 percent appointment could be paid as much as $8,000 per semester in some departments, but a UGTA will earn $3,000 for the exact same teaching assignment. This savings amounts to $5,000 per semester, per GTA position replaced with an UGTA. The savings is doubled when tuition waivers and health insurance assistance are included.
Thus, the University can enroll the same, number of students, in the same number of sections, but save as much as $20,000 per year, per position, by replacing GTAs with UGTAs. The ramifications of this mistake are grave and pervasive.
Fewer GTA positions further strain the research coffers as professors desperately try to keep their students in the lab, field, hall and library so their important research will continue. Fewer
materials, tools, instruments and consumables must be purchased as we scale our projects to the funding levels that are available. We go into survival mode instead of research mode.
The article also mentioned graduate research assistant positions, but I am compelled to offer a significant correction.
Melinda L. Toumi is a Ph.D. candidate from Tonganoxie.
THIS LETTER WAS WRITTEN IN
RESPONSE TO A JUILY 12, 2009
ARTICLE TITLED "BUDGET CUTS
DECREASE NUMBER OF GTAS,
INCREASES CLASS SIZE" THE FULL
ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE ON
KANSAN.COM
GRAs do not receive the same benefits as GTAs. They often earn less money, are not represented by the Graduate Teaching Assistants Coalition and have no guarantees regarding health insurance, tuition or pay.
Graduate students are the workhorses at the University and can be found working on campus at 1:00 a.m. on a Saturday. I implore any decision maker at the University to show their dedication to research by striving to save any additional GTA or GRA positions on the table at this time, and make plans to restore positions currently lost to graduate students. I welcome Dr. Gray-Little to our University and hope that under her leadership, the University will once again show its dedication to research and academic excellence.
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
members of the Kansan Editorial Board are
Henley, Hewsey, Jain-Saib-Bard, Jennifer
Torline, Tiffany, Thornburg, Thortchings,
Molart Holtz.
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