OPINION
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2004
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
EDITORIAL BOARD
www.kansan.com
Admission change requires caution
Kansas residents wishing to attend the University in the future may have a harder time getting admitted. Last week, the University announced that it was considering more selective admission rules than those currently used.
Out of state students currently must meet higher requirements for admission.
At this time, KU has the same admission requirements for in-state students as all of the Regents schools in Kansas. In order to be admitted, a student from Kansas must meet one of three requirements: rank in the top third of their high school graduating class, maintain a 2.0 GPA in high school, or score at least a 21 on the ACT.
The University's announcement did not disclose what exactly might change in admission requirements. It is likely that either the minimum test score might increase, or that students might have to meet more than one of the criteria.
Whatever the case, the administration must be cautious when increasing the standards for admission.
It is understandable to want to only admit students who have a reasonable chance of succeeding at the University. Most students at KU can probably think of numerous students who did not belong in their college courses.
Slightly increasing admission requirements is a good idea, as long as it is done carefully. With the current, relatively low admission requirements, many students from across Kansas come to KU seeking what many schools can provide—the opportunity to leave home. By increasing standards slightly, students who might not be ready for a full-blown university atmosphere would be encouraged to attend a
By increasing standards slightly, students who might not be ready for a full-blown university atmosphere would be encouraged to attend a community college or smaller school first.
community college or smaller school first.
However, the University is a public school. KU receives funding from the state, and should be responsible to admit any qualified Kansan to the school. If the standards are increased too high, this might not happen.
Take the Missouri school system for example. Truman State University—a publicly funded school—requires students to score a 27 on the ACT before admission. If this were the standard set at KU, admissions would decrease significantly. While Truman State is able to get away with such a high score requirement, a school as large as KU would not succeed with this requirement. Truman State is a small university serving mostly undergraduate students—making it a very focused university. On the other hand, KU is the largest school in the state and offers a wide variety of academic programs, making its appeal much broader.
In the end, the administration must make sure to not go too far with this measure. Increasing standards for admission could be beneficial to the University if done correctly and in moderation.
Free for All
Call 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansas editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
editor
864-4810 or hjackson@kansan.com
My buddy over here just told me that he just got cotton ear. Is that even possible, cotton ear? I have heard of cotton mouth.
I am completely and utterly lost without Thefacebook.com. It hasn't worked for over five hours.
--editor
864-4810 or hjackson@kansan.com
(speaking in an English accent) And the Academy Award goes to: Lord of the Rings, Return of the King.
editor
864-4810 or hjackson@kansan.com
I'm sick and tired of corporations ruining my soul and my life, especially on campus. Coca-Cola and Nike and all of these different corporations.
You're in college for one reason: our society is so cut-threat and brutal that we spend one-third of our lives trying to understand it.
Why should we all pay for the business students to get the Wall Street Journal? Let the business school buy it for them.
--editor
864-4810 or hjackson@kansan.com
editor
864-4810 or hjackson@kansan.com
Since I have 90 meals left on my meal plan, I'd like them all sent to Bangledseh. Thank you.
Hey, to my best friend: I wasn't that drunk when you dropped me off at the gay bar.
--editor
864-4810 or hjackson@kansan.com
To the girl who likes really short guys: I'm 5-foot-two, so give me a call. I'm pretty single.
Bye.
editor
864-4810 or hjackson@kansan.com
What's the difference between an actor and a baker? An actor has roles and a baker has rolls.
editor
864-4810 or hjackson@kansan.com
How come every time I call *Free for All*, no one picks up?
Malcolm Gibson
general manager and news adviser
864-7697 or mgibson@tansan.com
TALK TO US
Henry C. Jackson
editor
I am an a herione addict, which means I am
addicted to women who save people's lives.
Jennifer Weaver sales and marketing adviser
Living off campus is glorious. But I am starting to fear climbing the hill when we've got ice on the ground. Ouch.
Stephanie Graham
retail sales manager
864-4358 or advertisement@tansan.com
Justin Roberts
*business manager
864-4358 or advertising@tansan.com
but it is surprising how many times minor offenses are overlooked or dismissed, often if the person committing these offenses is in a position of power, like an employer or a professor, and especially if it is an ongoing occurrence to which people have grown accustomed. It is easy to think that situations like these are unsolvable, but they are not.
Louise Stauffer and Stephanie Lovett opinion editors 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
GILMORE'S VIEW
Donovan Attkinson and Andrew Vaupel
managing editors
884-4810 or datkinson@kansan.com and
avaulpel@kansan.com
864-7666 or jweaver@kansan.com
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Laura Rose Barr, Ty Beaver, Ryan Good, Anna Gregory, Jack Hanny-Rhoads, Kelly Hollowell, Nate Karlin, Jay Kimmel,Taylor Price, Noel Rasor, Ryan Scarrow, John Tran, Anne Weltman and Michel Wood
The Kansen welcomes letters to the editors and guest columns submitted by students, faculty and alumni.
The Kansas reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 200 words and guest columns should not exceed 500 words. To submit a letter to the editor or a column, e-mail the document to opinion@kansas.com with your name, hometown, year in school or position and phone number.
GUEST COLUMN GUIDELINES
Maximum Length: 650 word limit
Includes: Author's name
Claes, hometown (student)
Position (faculty member)
Also: The Kansen will not print guest columns that
attack another columnist.
When injustices are visible, be proactive to fix situation
One of the most difficult things to do is stand up for what you believe is right. It might not seem so difficult at first, but in reality, having the courage to speak out and try to right the wrongs that you see is not easy. In a corporate or university setting, it is nice to think that due process and fairness are the rule. However, as with any human enterprise, this is not the case. Far too often people's personal motivations, perspectives, shortsightedness, prejudices, and other factors play a large role in how decisions are made, affecting all involved.
Austin Gilmore/ KANSAN
It is easy to see where objectiveness and fairness are lacking. Flippant comments and behaviors alluding to gender, race, religion, sexual preference, and anything meant to exclude a particular group are all too common.
COMMENTARY
This is inevitable however, and most people have gotten used to it over the years, be it in the university atmosphere, workplace, or classroom. This might seem disheartening, but you can fight these ingrained injustices.
There are several avenues already available. Students at this university have the opportunity to evaluate their teachers anonymously. This is one of the best opportunities students have to voice concerns, and should be taken seriously. Many employers allow a similar evaluations process. If this is not an option, or it might be too late by the time evaluations are distributed, then consider what else you can do.
SARAH ZAFAR
opinion@kansan.com
The first step is to simply recognize that there is a problem that needs to be dealt with. That might seem obvious,
Decide how to approach the problem in a way that will not offend anyone else or cause other problems. It is often a good idea to confront the offensive person or group directly, to avoid too much confusion with middlemen, but sometimes the direct approach is too intimidating or ineffective. Find out who to talk to and where to go if things get out of hand.
Be rational, because irrational actions are rarely taken seriously when they come under examination. Find the best avenues for discussion. Try to find others who understand your problem, and might be facing the same problem. Unfortunately, one voice is not usually as effective as several voices together.
Organize the facts available, and document everything that you have seen and done. This provides a record
It is easy to overlook these "small" issues in lieu of more timely or important ones, but if people get in the habit of not speaking out when they see or hear wrong ideas or actions, then a problem is more likely to escalate into something more difficult to suppress.
This might all seem a bit too extreme for most cases of minor offenses that do not, in the long run, affect an entire classroom or office, but the sad fact of the matter is that without intervention and discussion, these offenses are allowed to continue indefinitely. Often the "offenders" do not even realize their behavior is making others uncomfortable. Making them aware of the problem might be enough to stop the actions from continuing.
of what you have done and when you did it. This record is helpful in presenting a case to an authority figure if necessary.
It is easy to overlook these "small" issues in lieu of more timely or important ones, but if people get in the habit of not speaking out when they see or hear wrong ideas or actions, then a problem is more likely to escalate into something more difficult to suppress.
Zafer is a Wichita senior in history.
4