OPINION
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2004
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
EDITORIAL
www.kansan.com
During semester campus gridlock should ease
Get a tight grip on your bag, hold your breath and prepare to be jostled. You are not walking down a street in New York City - you are trying to get through Jayhawk Boulevard in a state known for its wide open prairies.
We all heard last semester that enrollment was up but thought we would not notice the effects. A glance to Wescoe Beach on any given day proves this wrong.
Additional students are everywhere, all the time. There is no longer a "safe hour" as there once was after about 2:30 p.m. when you could walk down the boulevard in peace and without twisting your body into a pretzel to navigate the after-class crowds. Add that to continuing construction by the Kansas Union, and you get a recipe for contortion and gridlock.
Jayhawk Boulevard is not the only place on campus where the influx of new students can be experienced. Parking anywhere relatively near your classes is now an unreachable dream. In fact, you are lucky if you can even park between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at all. Granted, this is a problem we experience every year, but somehow it seems worse this time.
Not all aspects of having additional students are negative. The more the merrier. There are more of
us to fill the stadium, more of us paying tuition and more, eventually, walking down the hill with diplomas. With more people around, there is an opportunity for greater diversity and even a larger social circle. It just would be nice to be a little more comfortable on campus in the process.
campus in the process There are some changes happening that should help the congestion. When the Underground opens in the former Wescoe Terrace, the crowd on Wescoe Beach should lessen.
lessen. As long as the University is aware of the additional students and the wear and tear this creates on the buildings and facilities and adapts to accommodate, there won't be a problem. However, if the University is hoping to get by with what we have currently, we are in for some trouble.
Not all of us are New Yorkers, and sharing so much personal space with others can be intimidating for those of us from the roomy and open Midwest. But times are changing on campus, and we, just as the University must adapt.
Facing the jostling of the boulevard is something we can deal with at the moment. But being up close and personal with everyone all the time is bound to bring people closer than they are comfortable without changes in the future.
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What are you doing after dark?
Get in my belly!
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I just stole a KU Parking blockade and it's awesome.
Can anyone else hear the marching band that is playing outside Park 25 apartments at 1:30 in the morning? Because I can, and I know that I'm not stoned.
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Seriously, why is there a live marching band playing at 1:30 in the morning? Why?
You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friends' nose.
Yeah, I'm walking down Mississippi Street at 2:00 in the morning and I'd just like to warn everybody about the crazy hairnet man at Mrs. E's. He seeks world domination and you all oughta be careful, OK?
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length, or reject all submissions. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 200 words and guest columns should not exceed 650 words. To submit a letter to the editor or a column, e-mail the document to opinion@kansan.com with your name, hometown, year in school or position and phone number.
The C.S.I. marathon took over my life last week and it was awesome.
Is it just wrong or cruel that sororities are making a Men of KU calendar to benefit the blind?
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I don't know about you guys, but everytime I hear toot-toot go off after class, I just want to scream, "Yabba-Dabba-Doo!
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My roommate just googled Google
Damn, I've been missing out on going to the library. With the Kansan's Sex on the Hill, I think I might start going more often, huh?
I just read an article about my roommate and her underwear. How cool is that?
Back in '82 I could throw the pigskin a quarter of a mile.
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Dole Institute exceeds expectations
Call me cynical, but when I first learned the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics was to open at the University of Kansas in the summer of 2003, I hardly cared enough to shrug. "That's nice," I thought. "So Bob Dole is getting a monument on campus that we're going to call an institute." Even as a political science major, I didn't buy the idea that the Dole Institute would be a place I would want to go.
GUEST COMMENTARY
And as a member of the Kansan Editorial Board in Fall 2003 after the Dole Institute's summer opening, I was still unmoved. On the board we often questioned how the Dole Institute would benefit us, the students. What was its real purpose? To promote citizenship? Yeah, OK.
But now, just more than a year later, I am willing to withdraw my skepticism. In its first year, the Dole Institute has had two high-profile politicians speak, and I, for one, am grateful.
STEPHANIE LOVETT
opinion@kansan.com
speak, and 1, for only one. Most of us remember and many of us were in attendance at former President Bill Clinton's speech at Allen Fieldhouse last May. And just this week, the Dole Institute brought former Sen. George McGovern (D-S.D.) to the Lied Center where he received the Dole Leadership Prize and gave a speech. Both of these events were free and open to the public.
Moreover, the Dole Institute
In a time when the rhetoric of U.S. politics is anything but moderate, the Dole Institute's commitment to bipartisanship is not only respectable, but rare.
arranged for McGovern, the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee who lost to incumbent Richard Nixon, to speak with students Tuesday in a classroom setting. I was one of those lucky students. Being able to interact with someone I read about in my eighth grade textbook was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I only wish more students could have been there.
Sould have been there. Beyond that, I am most impressed that these eminent speakers have both
been Democrats when the Dole Institute's namesake is one of Kansas' most famous Republicans. In a time when the rhetoric of U.S. politics is anything but moderate, the Dole Institute's commitment to bipartisanship is not only respectable, but rare.
According to its Web site, www.dole institute.org, the Dole Institute was established "to encourage both historical scholarship and fresh thinking about public policy issues; and to promote greater student and citizen involvement in the democratic process." From my perspective, the Dole Institute is living up to that mission.
Bringing in prominent politicians for the people of the Lawrence and University communities does more than elevate the University's image. It fosters discussion, learning and, most importantly, thinking. Having the opportunity to see our nation's leaders in person is one that everyone should seize, regardless of whether you agree with them politically.
So, thank you Dole Institute, for proving me wrong. Your presence on the University campus has enhanced my education. Keep up the good work.
Lovett is a Kansas City, Mo., senior in journalism and political science.
Road to success requires effort
To me, there are two types of success in college, in and outside of the classroom. In the classroom, we have several responsibilities: sit in the front of the class, take notes, and listen attentively to the woes of the professor, GTA or whomever is sharing their knowledge with the class. However, this ain't high school, so tack on reading, studying and writing term papers on a regular basis and we find ourselves flying down the interstate at 80 miles per hour, barely keeping up.
SUSAN HENRY opinion@kansan.com
In any journey, there are highways and byways, turnpikes and private drives. The path that we take in college is up to each individual. I wish that I could say that there is a one-way strip to academic success with no possibility of taking a wrong turn or getting lost. Instead, I'll try to give a few suggestions to avoid the detours to academic success.
To keep up with the hustle and bustle, I have found a few activities that work well for me when studying. No one likes to study, especially not for hours at a time. So pace yourself
GUEST COMMENTARY
hours at a time. So place your I hope that this is not the first time that someone has recommended that you study every night. And you should. Take 15 minutes in the evening or before class to go over your notes from the previous lecture. When preparing for exams, study for 20 minutes and take a 10-minute break, rinse and repeat until you have reviewed all of the material.
FRIDAY
I understand that some classes are like driving across Western Kansas, flat and boring. So put away your crosswords and try to find something in the class that interests you.
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Once notes and readings are highlighted, I go through them again and make a study guide with the most important components, terms, people, and concepts. Active learning is the best way to guarantee retention for the mass quantities of material covered in many lectures.
tures.
In addition, if you don't want to learn, you won't. I understand that some classes are like driving across Western Kansas, flat and boring. So put away your crosswords and try to find something in the class that interests you.
In first last anch have
"Tl them ative they begin Grim profe poli"
The acknowledgement of port used at the
ing in the class that makes Outside of the classroom is where the
road divides. The best advice that I was given as a new student was to get involved; join a club, get a job, play a sport, start an organization, volunteer, join a fraternity/sorority. Do something that you enjoy. We are all here for an education; don't get me wrong. An organization, club, team or job can add so much to your KU experience. The majority of things that I have learned while in college, I did not learn in a classroom. Textbooks and handouts will never successfully teach how different people interact together or communicate.
Life experiences are what make individuals unique. Yes, school is the most important component of college. But don't forget to live a little between study sessions.
Either by highway or byway, turnpike or private drive, academic success is a journey that all KU students take together. Some will make the trip quickly, while others may take the scenic route. The University of Kansas offers many different opportunities to ensure success in and out of the classroom. I hope you took advantage of Academic Success Week and continue to take advantage of your time at the University to work hard and find something fun, too. Pack your bags for next semester. It doesn't have to be a bumpy road: you decide.
Henry is a Ft. Scott senior in communication studies.
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