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TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2012
next your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351
I was the first to poop and the first to vomit in the bathrooms of the new Dillons.
I'm not laughing at you, I'm just incapable of having any other emotion right now.
Heard on Daisy Hill. "That's why I love biology. All biologists drink heavily. So do the geologists."
Thank you to the students residing at 13th and Kentucky for not hesitating to help a stranded motorist!
Now that school is starting again I can now switch my random thoughts from twitter to the FFA.
HSES 455: Upper Extremity Evaluation. Is this a class about boobs?
It's not even 8am and I already read the FFA. It's safe to say my addiction has returned.
Who just chains a single wheel to a bike rack?
Saw Campus Cat at 8 a.m. on day one. It's good to be back at KU!
If you need someone to come help you inish a 6 pack of Guinness, that's not torture. That's just sad.
I grabbed the syllabus and was like "I'm not in health science..." Then I got up and left.
Haven't seen this many people going to class since the first day last year Attendance is all downhill from here.
Maybe it's just the beginning of the year, but I don't remember the girls being this pretty!
I really don't want to start complaining about leggings as pants. But c'mon people.
If you need advice consult the three wisemen: Jack, Jonny, and Jim. If you need lots of advice mix them together.
Oh UDK, how I've missed you!!
I'm a straight, senior male and I love to dance to Call Me Maybe. Ladies take it.
Why in the hell did Bill Self not speak at traditions night?!
Is basketball season here yet??
In the Free-For-All the first day of class is the best feeling ever.
Definition: No Shame (phrase) - Walking through campus singing the music you are listening to with no hesitation to sing Pokemon Theme.
STATE ELECTIONS ALSO IMPORTANT
STATE POLITICS
As (hopefully) virtually every University of Kansas student already knows, it's an election season. Discussions of President Barack Obama's and former Massachusetts Governor (R) Mitt Romney's policies, personal lives, and polling data dominate the news, and will continue to do so until the first Tuesday in November. These dialogues are valuable; however, they distract from other, equally important contests that will be decided on Election Day.
It's easy for voters to become apathetic, as demonstrated by data on voting registration and turnout released by the United States Census. Nationally, roughly 65% of voting-age Americans are registered to vote, and 60% vote in typical presidential elections. In between, during the Congressional election cycle, that number falls to about 40%. In Kansas, those statistics seem to follow the national trends—although the percent casting
votes for members of the U.S. House of Representatives has been slightly higher over the past three elections.
Why do we care more about presidential elections than who represents us in either the national or statewide Congress? Exposure to national media coverage may play a factor, as voters who primarily turn to a large network or publication may miss out on the details of their own statewide politics. It's also possible that these national debates hash out the big questions for voters, who decide which party they support and then vote for all of its candidates, regardless of office.
If voters feel their ballot doesn't affect the election, it's unlikely they'll feel a pressing need to vote. Unfortunately, we've chosen to frame our national political identity in terms of the contest in which the most people participate. As the Electoral College system determines who wins the presidency, the race will be decided by how swing states
vote—and I haven't seen a single article, model, or political analyst who describes Kansas as a swing state. Kansas hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson won the presidency in 1964. Nate Silver, the New York Time's polling guru, currently gives Romney a 99.8% chance of winning Kansas's six electoral votes.
This doesn't mean casting your ballot is just a formality. However, we should reevaluate how we approach an election season. Rather than focusing only on the most recent presidential attack ads, we should prepare ourselves for elections closer to home. To
begin, voters have to know what they'll be asked to vote for once they step inside a ballot box. The easiest way to do this is to visit www.voteks.org, a website run by the office of the Kansas Secretary of State. Once you've registered to vote (an online process that takes about five minutes), you'll be able to see every district you belong to and use that information to determine upcoming election questions. If you're not a Kansas resident, you can either register to vote in your home state or in Kansas, using your current address. Voters registering in other states should determine what the deadlines for registration as soon as possible, as they vary.
It can be difficult to find information about localized elections, but an amazing resource is www. ballotpedia.org, a Wikipedia-like website that collects information on local politics to encourage civic engagement. In-state newspapers like The Wichita Eagle or Topeka Capital-Journal also
"Rather than focusing only on the most recent presidential attack ads, we should prepare ourselves for elections closer to home."
cover state politics. Candidates may also have websites, Facebook pages, or Twitter accounts where they share information with prospective voters.
State primaries concluded earlier this month, and The Wichita Eagle reports that less than a quarter of registered Kansas voters participated. As the national debate grows more polarized, voters should take the time to understand the local impact of Election Day.
Gress is a sophomore majoring in political science and economics from Overland Park.
CAMPUS
Set your new goals
The school year is here again. Bring on the homework, the exams, the labs and the endless supply of things to do.
My fellow layhawks, it's time to gear up and get ready. It's game-time. Now is the time to decide just how good of a semester this is going to be.
Set your goals. Aim for the grades you know you can achieve and put in the work to get them. It'll be hard. That illusive A isn't going to appear on its own, but you can make it work.
Then again, there's the issue of TAs, GTAs and professors you may have heard bad things about or already have an issue with. But don't count them out yet. Give everyone an equal opportunity and learn from them nonetheless. The truth is, working to build a good relationship, even if it doesn't extend past the classroom, can make a difference in your learning experience.
Then there are the projects and exams that are all scheduled within a week of each other. Your stress level may proceed to rise, but it's up to you to keep your cool and work through it.
Do what you've got to do. Go for it. If you need to study that extra hour, do it. What it boils down to is this; your success is
dependent on you.
It's common sense if you think about it. Do you think that the Kansas Basketball team won five championships without working for it? Do you think they waited for it to come to them? I think not. They put in the time and made the tough decisions required of a team determined to be number one.
And that, my friends, is how Jayhawks rise to the top of the pack. We make the tough plays and just get through it.
There's going to be times that the goal seems unattainable. It'll melt into the distance, but in reality, it's still alive. One loss isn't cause for the destruction of dreams. It's up to you to keep it alive.
Work hard, Jayhawks. You can do it if you never lose sight of your goals.
Hawkins is a junior majoring in journalism from Scranton.
Those all-nighters, the days you don't see anything other than the library, and nights that you spend stressed out. They'll pay off when you succeed. Don't quit and don't lose your motivation.
@KUZell13
**OUK Opinion** I like that they adapted Wesco Beach to what is actually used, but the trees and egation should have stayed.
@JermWillard
© UDK Definition it's just not the same. Wesco Beach should always be as ugly as the building.
DATING
Don't let groups rain on your relationship parade
with the beginning of a new school year, we are becoming settled
But to not do so can mean writing off someone great. Status in or out of the Panhellenic community may be a turn-on or off, but it alone shouldn't keep something new from forming.
into life at the university, whether that be Greek life or one outside the community. And when it comes to dating, some students are dead-set on not mixing Greek and non-Greeks.
Four years ago this month, I sat in the Kansas Union's ballroom and quickly tore open an invitation from the sorority I was hoping to be offered a bid to join. My mother and I were thrilled that I got into one of the KU's "top sororities," but once I settled into the reality of being in it, I felt like it was not for me.
this month, I turned my pin and membership certificate into the sorority's headquarters and bid my house and the institution of Panhellenic life good riddle. In the end I was disappointed that Greek life left me unimpressed, but I knew I made the right decision for myself.
When I left my sorority, though, I didn't cut my ties with a cute friend who was fiercely devoted to his own fraternity. We went out a few times when I was Greek and continued to do so even after I left my house and became a "God-damned Independent," a common term for non-Greeks in the Panehillen dictionary.
Dating Michael (name has been changed) was like celebrating Halloween. He and I went out a few times in Octobers 2008, 2009 and 2010. Each year it was fun at first, but when he began
So with that, three years ago
blowing me off for his house, having him in my life again was hardly a holiday. He certainly gave more tricks than treats, so by the first week of every November, I was glad it was over.
Finally in 2010 we were supposed to go another date, but he canceled last minute to do something for his frit. He didn't offer to take a rain check but promised he was still into me. I figured he could save it for someone who would believe it and moved on. I never heard from him again, so I'm glad I didn't wait up. That
As fate would have it though, my current boyfriend would overhear me complaining in class to a friend about being blown off for the date. He then pounced on the opportunity to invite me to his 21st birthday party instead, which was that night.
I said I couldn't make it because I had to work (disclaimer. I wasn't lying. I had to work in the dorms at midnight). But he maintained interest anyway, and I fell for him shortly after, not realizing that he himself was Greek like Michael. I assumed it wouldn't work, but nearly two years later, we talk of getting married.
Whether we are Greek or GDIIs, it is acceptable for us to consider being one or the other a major turn-off, but we shouldn't consider it a deal breaker until it becomes a problem like it did
for Michael and me. While there are negative stereotypes about the Greek community, there are definitely some diamonds in the rough.
There are people on both sides of the line we would consider desirable or not, but we shouldn't necessarily discount them for being one or the other. If we try it and it doesn't work, however, we shouldn't feel pressured to keep it alive. Sometimes relationships just need perish.
Until that point, though,
Greek-GDI pairs can be very
successful, so don't knock it until
you try it. Whether you prefer
an Alpha or a Beta or nothing in
between, never use Panhellenic
status to automatically turn away
someone Nu.
Keith is a graduate student majoring in education from Wichita. Follow her on Twitter @Rachel_UD Keith.
year I swore off Greeks forever.
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ian Cummings, editor editor@kansan.com
Ian Cummings, editor
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CONTACT US
Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news adviser
mgibson@kansan.com
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jschiltt@kansan.com
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of The Kansan Editorial Board are Ian Commingsi
Vikas Shankar, Dylan Lysen, Ross Newton and Elise
Fartington.
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