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opinion
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KANSAN.COM | MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2016
Text your #FFA submissions to 785-289-UDK1 (8351)
FFA of the Day: Pro Tip: Tennessee and Kentucky are one-way streets
KUnstruction...
amirite?
Harambe lives on in all of us
Anschutz got headphones from this century! #blessed
where's the snow hall sign?
Crazy Trump tweets help get me through the day. Bad! Sad!
don't tell the freshmen about the panda express
At least the business school is done
Some rockin' Dad bods last week during move in
finally moving in #here
Jayhawks jaywalk
paper or plastic? both
MAKE CHINGY
RELEVANT AGAIN
KU has been feeling the Bern since BGL became chancellor
bring back the soulja boy dance
daisy hill's new stoop can't beat the true stoop
chicken strips at E's?
lit
Football: this is our year!
what if we just didn't elect a president this year? everyone just promise to be good for four years
READ MORE AT KANSAN.COM
dang I hope they got those ghosts out of Lindley. i'm broke after those 4 exorcisms I had to have last year.
@KANSANNEWS
/THEKANSAN
KANSAN.NEWS
Liston: Lawrence Police Department sets good example in improving race relations
@UNIVERSITY
DAILYKANSAN
Illustration by Jacob Benson
► RYAN LISTON
@RListon235
Over the past few years, I have logged onto Twitter and too often seen hashtags with the names of black people who have been shot and/or killed by
law enforcement. The rise of social media has brought greater attention to issues of racial profiling and targeting by law enforcement, and is also ushering in a higher standard of accountability for those law enforcement officials.
Recently, the Lawrence Police Department decided to work with the Black Lives Matter movement in addressing and alleviating issues of racial profiling on the local level. In a report last Tuesday, Police Chief Tarik Khatib addressed Campaign Zero, an initiative created by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Khatib said many of the Campaign Zero proposals were reasonable and ought to be considered by the department.
By acknowledging the Black Lives Matter movement and the problem of racial profiling by law enforcement, Khatib has opened up a path for meaningful change and open discussion of these issues.
Additionally, the Lawrence Police Department has been working toward improving issues between minorities and law enforcement for years. For example, the department created a Citizens' Advisory Board
for Fair and Impartial Policing in 2006 to assess and seek out potential solutions for racial profiling and bias within the local police department.
Police departments across the country could benefit from following the example set by the Lawrence Police Department in handling tensions between minorities and law enforcement.
Engaging the community in conversation, admitting there are problems in policing and working to solve those problems are all keys to successfully improving relations between
minority communities and law enforcement.
From July 2015 to June 2016, there were only two complaints of racial profiling filed against the Lawrence Police Department, one of which was dismissed after further investigation. Hopefully, the actions taken by the Lawrence Police Department will continue to lower the number of complaints and incidences of racial profiling and inspire other police departments to follow suit.
Ryan Liston is a soph-
more from Lawrence
studying journalism
Foster: Consider passion when choosing your academic path, not just finances
KAITLYN FOSTER @qrecocity
How do you want to change the world? For many students, the answer lies within a hospital or courtroom. They dream of winning a landmark case that takes America in a new direction or of developing a cure for some unbeatable disease. The University of Kansas is merely a stepping stone for them, a rung on
the ladder to success, a box to check. They have spent so long dreaming of one specific career, they fail to see other, more fitting paths to reaching their goals.
As a Peer Advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Center, I saw freshmen enter orientation with an uncompromising idea of what they want to accomplish here. In their fervor to get into a good school, they tend to stick to conventional majors that often do not correspond to their real interests because they (wrongly) think that's what graduate schools prefer.
In a failure to assess and craft realistic goals, these freshmen deny themselves the opportunity
According to Academic Advisor Paul Crosby, 661 freshmen list pre-medicine as an interest. That number drops by two thirds to 222 in the senior class. This decline results from students gradually realizing medical school isn't the right choice for them, but that can take a while. In the meantime, students lose time to find the right fit in major and career.
to learn more about their capabilities and what the University can offer them.
To determine whetherlaw school is right for them, pre-law advisor Mattie Lee recommends students "Visit the Douglas County Courthouse, sit in on cases... work in areas related to [your interest]."
In 2015, The New York Times reported that average indebtedness for law students was a staggering $140,000. Medical students have even more debt, an average $172,000 according to the
Association of American Medical Colleges. Getting an education at either medical or law school represents a staggering commitment of time and money.
in your desired field. Do all this as soon as possible so you can take advantage of each opportunity that comes. Don't be afraid to change your mind.
Students interested in professional schools should meet with the Career Center as well as a pre-professional advisor. Assess how much you're willing to take out in loans and learn about how to change the world in a way you can personalize to your skills. Shadow professionals
At the risk of sounding cliché, the path less traveled can be just as prestigious and rewarding as the conventional, well-traveled one. There are many ways to change the world. Don't sell yourself short and assume you can only do so at a $150,000 price tag.
Kaitlyn Foster is a sophomore from Lawrence studying political science
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