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opinion
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Showed up to pencil with no class, really starting things off well this semester.
"Hawk Week" should really be renamed "Awk Week."
Free coffee would make KU a much greater place to be
End KU parking! Anarchy would be better!
Phatasms got you down? Ghosts getting in the way? You know who to Call! #TheRealGhostbusters
My goal for this year is to get down to one existential crisis per week.
I was going to lay down for 45 minutes, but now I think I need to lay down for an hour. A FULL HOUR.
I fell asleep on a hawk week bus it took so long to get back to my dorm. Still beats walking
KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, AUG. 25, 2016
It's so cute to see the freshmen out and about with the new college friends they'll forget about in 2 months.
I'm always so proud of how good my notes look on the first day of classes. Then by week 2 it's back to half asleep chicken scratch.
If you try to strike up a conversation with me in the Chipotle line, you're signing your own death warrant.
Realizing the night before classes start that you have readings for the first day of class <<<<
Does Ms. E work at Ms. Es?
If I got a dollar for every Shark Shop shirt I had, I'd have enough dollars to buy another Shark shirt.
Renting a textbook is like paying to use the toilet
Nothing more wholesome or more humiliating than falling asleep in the Union mid-day
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Students receive benefit from experiences only if they choose to invest time, energy and attention. That investment should begin now."
Illustration by Jacob Benson
Bertels: Embrace University opportunities
▶ ELLEN BERTELS
@ellenbertels
The first few weeks back to campus bring with them new students, old traditions and dozens of opportunities to get involved. While it is easy to be caught up in the momentum and excitement of a new semester, students must invest early in new opportunities and leadership roles.
For new students, events like those during Hawk Week are great opportunities for new students to
learn about campus resources. In a description of Hawk Week on their website, the Office of First-Year Experience reminds students that "the habits that you create during your first couple of weeks on campus set the stage for your semester."
In order to set a good precedent and get started on the right foot, students need to be responsible for getting involved.
Hawk Week events are an excellent resource for incoming students who are looking to get involved. Events such as UnionFest or Jayhawk Jumpstart grant students immediate access to representatives from any number of campus organizations and resources There, students can speak to and network with peers, faculty and administrators
from all around campus in one central location.
Because of these opportunities, students should consider introductory events like Hawk Week valuable springboards toward leadership and involvement on campus, not merely social gatherings.
At a basic level, involvement on campus and in student groups helps students become more familiar with the campus and allows them to meet new people and gain valuable work experience.
Additionally, many studies of higher education show that students who are invested in their extra-curricular activities are more successful academically. One study performed by John D. Foubert and Lauren U. Grainer of the College of William and Mary
determined that "students who joined or led organizations reported more development [toward independence] than those who just attended a meeting."
In order to benefit from their experiences, students should go the extra step: Go to two or three meetings for an organization. Sign up for weekly volunteering. Visit office hours for each professor. Use the abundant energy and enthusiasm available in August and September to solidify introductions into relationships and opportunities into experiences.
As for everyone else, this strategy does not only apply to first-year students. Returning students who feel detached or who have failed to take advantage of opportunities in past years should utilize the beginning-of-the-semester
momentum to dive into new projects or follow new ideas.
Students should not merely seek out opportunities, but should utilize available resources to make connections and pursue passions, regardless of their age.
In her speech at Convocation this year, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Neeli Bendapudi referred to students as "co-creators" in their education, helping decide the value of their education based on how much they put into it. Students receive benefit from experiences only if they choose to invest time, energy and attention. That investment should begin now.
Ellen Bertels is a senior from Overland Park studying English and Italian.
Downs: Stop taxing Olympians' success
ALEKSANDER DOWNS @sanderdowns
Patriotism and American pride reach an astounding level during Olympic contests. Team USA draws out the patriotism that too often lays dormant in our country, causing us all to stand tall as proud Americans. Our American athletes dedicate their time to performing at the highest athletic level. When these individuals conquer the world they are rewarded with a steep tax.
Athena Cao of USA Today reported that the maximum tax for USA Olympic medalists is 39.6%. This rate breaks down to
a $9,900 tax for gold, a $5,940 tax for silver, and a $3,960 tax for bronze. These are classified as income taxes, as each medal earned comes with a cash reward.
This is an unjust infringement on individual success. U.S. Olympic athletes should not be taxed for their winnings at Olympic contests.
We are all here at the University of Kansas for an education. It does not earn degrees; we do. The University is a vehicle we use to obtain our own, individual education.
Our future successes will not be accomplished by the University; they will be
our own. We must work to ensure that individuals receive all that they are due. The success belongs to the individual, not the institution that is used to obtain success.
These athletes unite America and are rewarded with only a fraction of their deserved winnings. The federal government does not provide for Olympians as a financial investment, but rather as an investment in national pride, unity, and history.The tax is burdensome to an individual,but surely negligible compared to the cost of sponsoring an Olympic team.
Some argue the tax is justified because these
winnings are a significant source of income for our athletes. Thus, collecting a fraction of its value in an income tax would be viewed as just. But this rationalization is not sufficient.
The current tax should not be eliminated because it is financially burdensome, but rather because it is symbolic. Our government did not win these medals, these American representatives did.
On a more abstract level, individuals are responsible for personal successes and failures. Larger establishments exist as a collaboration of individual achievements; they do not obtain greatness on their own.
Our Olympians unite our country, which is a far greater contribution than an income tax.
David Feherty of NBC said that these athletes are only able to compete on their stage once every four years. No other occupation has this restricting factor. The federal government should not tax Olympic rewards because it is a unique and rare source of income for the few individuals gifted and driven enough to earn them.
Aleksander Downs is a junior from Terre Haute, Ind., studying molecular, cellular and developmental biology.
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