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KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, SEPT. 22, 2016
Bertels: In defense of my Italian major
Don't post pictures of your grades, don't post your airline confirmation, don't post your freakin pregnant stomach
May your coffee be strong, and your Monday survival skills stronger
There's an event in my calendar titled "zika show" and I have no recollection of putting it there and I'm afraid it's important
I really want to get into trap music this year.
Fish don't love you back. They're like plants,you keep them alive just cuz
So where exactly is "BYE" located and how much should I bet on their football team beating us?
Overheard in Wescoe:
"I'm in this class where we learn how to massage horses..."
Maybe my encyclopedic knowledge of celebrity relationships is a reason why I'm not currently dating anyone.
I DIDN'T OPEN MY GODDAMN EYES THIS MORNING TO SEE BRANGELINA DIVORCING
Have a great day Tyrone!
Whenever I see a broken bathroom stall, I always assume it's the handiwork of Ryan Lochte
I never learned how to nae nae and now I'm afraid it's too late for me
I'm more scared of being killed by a drunk driver than a guy with a gun
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One Direction's No Control is the song of our generation. Wild sex, bad hygiene, gun violence. It has everything.
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Just apologized to a parked car for pulling in front of them, so I'm doing really well.
I'm the asshole who takes the display copy of the NYT when there aren't any others left
Real news is depressing
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Illustration by Gracie Williams
▶ ELLEN BERTELS
@ellenbertels
When I introduce myself to someone new,I usually say something along the lines of, "Hi, I'm Ellen Bertels. I'm a senior.I study English and Italian,but I'm also pre-law."
That's what I say, but often it isn't what people hear. Many, I worry, hear this: "I study English and Italian, but I'm also pre-law, so don't worry, I have chosen to do something practical in order to ensure financial security for my future. Good news, right?"
But I don't say that, and I don't mean that. My classes as an English major have made me sharper and better at written and oral communication than any other single experience I have had in college. My study of Italian has broadened my perspective of global culture, informs my understanding of policy both foreign and domestic, and allows me to think and interact in entirely new ways. I would not be able to get into law schools if it were not for the experiences I have had in both of these subjects.
So why do I feel the need to defend my area of study?
cludes that people with liberal arts degrees are often as financially successful in the long term as their counterparts. While starting salary might not be as high, liberal arts majors eventually enter graduate school, or integrate their skills into a workforce that demands excellent communication skills, global awareness and creative thinking.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal details the career of Andy Anderegg, a KU English major and MFA graduate who is now the executive editor of Soda Media. The article, which is pragmatically titled "Good News Liberal-Arts Majors: Your Peers Probably Won't Outearn You Forever," con-
This is not to say that "practical" majors aren't worth pursuing, or that they don't offer specialized skills necessary to compete in their respective fields. It is
true that you are statistically more likely to get a high-paying job right out of college with an engineering degree than an English degree. The world would not run without highly qualified engineers or well-trained accountants.
But the world also needs storytellers and editors, polyglots and politicians. While they might not be "career-ready degrees," as US News explains, students with liberal arts degrees learn necessary skills such as critical thinking, written and oral communication, and cultural competency. These are almost universally marketable and useful skills.
But the world also needs storytellers and editors, polyglots and politicians."
If I have learned anything from the incredible mentorship I have experienced in college, it is this: Passionate students who actively pursue subjects and careers that inspire them have every opportunity for success, regardless
of how "practical" their area of study is. We should not underestimate the value of a well-rounded education.
I'll say it as clearly is I can: Hello. My name is Ellen Bertels. I am an English and Italian major. I feel confident and prepared to enter the work force, not in spite of the things I have chosen to study, but because of them.
Ellen Bertels is a senior from Overland Park studying English and Italian.
-Edited by Missy Minear
Foster: Donations from corporate groups to the University present conflict of interest
▶ KAITLYN FOSTER
@qreocity
These cuts have shifted costs to students, as evidenced by a five percent increase in tuition for the 2016- 2017 school year. Though the tuition increase recoups more than was cut in state aid, the University continues to struggle to balance its desire for growth and increased
In May, Governor Sam Brownback approved a $7 million cut in the University's state funding, $3.95 million of which was cut from the Lawrence campus.
As a result of decreased government funding, an unprecedented period of tuition rate hikes and increased involvement from corporate sources, the University and other public colleges like it have increasingly privatized higher education.
retention rates without placing an undue burden on students.
creasingly involved in university funding. How can foundations run by the incredibly rich and powerful Koch brothers donate to public education without a conflict of interest? The Koch brothers' strong ties to Republican campaigns indicate a strong bias. This could easily translate into a promotion within the business school of conservative economic principles like deregulation and privatization.
Some colleges have responded to this struggle by seeking out funding from private sources, like Capitol Federal, or foundations headed by the Koch brothers, a duo known for their generous donations to Republican candidates via super PACs.
I have to ask about the ramifications of private corporations becoming inthe University to establish the KU Center for Applied Economics, which is housed within the business school. It was also found that this center hired Art Hall, a former economist at Koch Industries, Inc., as its director. Furthermore, released documents indicate that performance evaluations are based on how well the center disseminates its research rather than the standard peer review process.
Capitol Federal recently donated $20 million to the University to fund the new building that holds the school of business.
In fact, it already has.
The University and other public colleges like it have increasingly privatized higher education."
A lawsuit settlement revealed that the Koch Foundation donated money to
As former graduate students David Cook and Ruth Stamper phrase it in an opinion column for the Wichita Eagle, the Center attempts to, "warp public opinion and public policy toward unfettered free-market capitalism and an erosion of state services - all of which is done under the legitimizing facade of the university."
Corporate funding has influenced the University to
involve itself in possibly disreputable research and has endangered its standing as a prominent research institution.
In order to preserve the University's integrity, students, faculty and administrators must rally for a reversal in state funding trends. The solution for funding shortfall problems must come from the source — the state government that created the problem when it decided to slash college financing — not corporations seeking to advance their interests through a public medium.
Kaitlyn Foster is a sophomore from Lawrence studying political science.
- Edited by Cody Schmitz
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