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opinion
KANSAN.COM | MONDAY, SEPT. 26, 2016
There are 12 weeks until Christmas but I've already turned into the Grinch.
American politics regressed about 150 years in the last 2 years
I really want to get into Von Trapp music this year.
Every day we hurdle towards fifty different finish lines.
82 Days until the last day of finals
I want the Weeknd to write a series of thoughtful acoustic ballads and title them "The Weekdays"
I need to start up my own rogue boy band publication
I've made the lifestyle choice to start openly rolling my eyes and glaring at annoying classmates. 10/10 would recommend.
A test in Comic Sans is a joke right?
When you're driving and have to pee but there aren't any rest stops for 30 miles. This is as close as it gets to hell on earth
With Bernie stepping down and KU searching for a new chancellor, I guess you could say we're in a Little Gray area.
I got 99 problems and misogyny is one
I will buy concert tickets before I buy groceries.
DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE
Vintage memes: if that meme was a wine, it would be worth thousands of dollars
I'm similar to a crock pot in that I, too, can, slowly roast a man.
Grad school applications need to just leave me alone
Les Miles is now available... just saying
Take Care came out five years ago
Only three things are inevitable in life: death, destruction, Bieber fever.
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Sanchez: Finding the true Kansas abroad
▶ SANDRA SANCHEZ
@sssanchez26
This summer I found myself an unwitting ambassador of Kansas. While studying in Beijing, surrounded by peers who hailed from the east and west coasts of the U.S., I was one of three students from Kansas, and only one of two who lived in the state. As such, other students would ask me what Kansas was like and I faced a dilemma.
I'm not from Kansas. I was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and I then moved to Nebraska, and in succeeding years, found myself in various placed across the U.S. Upon moving to Kansas, I lived in Overland Park, Leawood, and now Lawrence. This was my Kansas, and until coming to college, I did not realize how small it was.
I told my Chinese friends about how Kansas is flatter than a pancake. (Quite literally, its flatness ratio was measured at 0.9997 where 1 means perfectly flat. A pancake's flatness is 0.957. A technicality, but still.)
But when I described
the hills on campus — and the constant calf workouts — they asked if I was mistaken, and meant the University was in a different state. It seemed even geography wanted to remind me of how much I am not a Kansan.
But who is a Kansan? For an educational institution claiming to be the premier of Kansas, there is poor geographic representation to be found at the University. The number of new students enrolled on the Lawrence and Edwards campus in Fall 2015 from the Northeast counties of Douglas and Johnson was 8,955 - this was nearly 59% of all newly enrolled students.
To many of my Johnson Country friends, the rest of Kansas is simply known as Western Kansas, which seems to start about 10 miles outside of Topeka. It's a dry, hazy, brown farmland dotted with cows that one sees on the way to more interesting sights like the Rockies.
Until my friends in China repeated this back to me and I became defensive of the oversimplification, I did not think much of this misinterpretation. But now, I am ashamed. Although Kansas is not my homeplace, I have pride in this state, and I want others to recognize its diversity and value — and how much more than simple farmland it is.
that has led to my own oversimplification of the state. Kansas has been my home for years now, and it is providing me with an education and a future for success - why should I turn away from it?
I can blame my perspective on lack of friends from rural counties, or in my unfamiliar upbringing, but I know it is a lack of consideration
In China I wore my Jayhawk t-shirts with pride, and would gladly explain to anyone what the funny little bird was called. I no longer think defining who is a true Kansan is important, because we all are in a way
by simply living here. But I find that defining Kansas will better help me understand its complexity, and as a result, fuel my pride for the great Sunflower state.
Sandra Sanchez is a junior studying history, Chinese, and global and international studies.
- Edited by Christian Hardy
Although Kansas is not my home place, I have pride in this state and I want others to recognize its diversity and value."
Illustration by Jacob Benson
RYAN LISTON
@rliston235
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" "What do you plan on doing with your degree?" "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?"
Liston: College shouldn't just be job training
From the time we were barely able to conceptualize careers to the time we graduate college, we have been and will continue to be asked questions such as these. Yet the framing of these questions puts a great deal of pressure on students to decide on a singular career goal for their post-college life. Rather than focusing on finding a specific job, students should focus on their passions and interests, and colleges should prepare students to be adaptable in the job market.
In today's ever-evolving digital world, new
jobs will continue to be created to adapt to technological advances. Colleges should reflect these societal changes in their curriculum by integrating new, relevant technology into the classroom and teaching students to navigate the job openings in their fields of interest.
Oftentimes, I hear my peers fretting about being uncertain of their career choices. Yet expecting most college students to have a detailed career plan, especially early on in their college career, is unreasonable.
No one can be certain of the future, so students should be prepared to seize opportunities as they present themselves.
Having an ideal career in mind is by no means bad, but flexibility is important even for students who do have specific career aspirations. Without flexibility, students could be caught off-guard by deviations from their plan and struggle to adapt to the situation.
The purpose of college is to equip students with the tools they need to be successful and competitive in the workforce
after graduation. Adaptability is one of the most vital tools that college can provide because it prepares students to handle situations beyond their control. All courses and subject areas should promote adaptability to strengthen the success of graduates, and no student should feel unprepared for the unknown.
Ryan Liston is a sophomore from Lawrence studying journalism.
- Edited By Lexanna Sims
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