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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM
SCHNEIDER: The large number of international students at the University offers everybody the chance to learn something about another culture. See kansan.com for more opinions and Free for All comments
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 7A
OPINION
》 OUR VIEW
Ode to the Halloween costume
On Friday night you partied.
On Saturday morning you puked.
On Saturday night you partied once more
Wearing your Halloween suit.
Monday came, was quickly gone,
And Tuesday came a-yelling;
"It's Halloween! Today's the day!"
But it didn't sound compelling.
You don't wanna put your costume on.
It's wrinkled, stained and smelling.
It's ripped down the side, your ass barely hides,
And will it hold? There is no telling.
You've tried to subdue your Halloween you,
"It's just a day!" you're yelling.
Ah, but plug up your nose, and stitch up your hose
And scrape off all of the slime.
It's Halloween! Today's the day!
So throw it on one more time.
Frank Tankard for the editorial board.
COMMENTARY
Engage international students for mutual benefit
Grant Snider/KANSAN
If there existed some sort of crystal ball that lit up in the presence of an extraordinarily brave person, I imagine we would find it glowing quite a bit here at the University of Kansas. Now I don't have any such talisman, but I can predict that in taking it from student to student, we would find it lighting up at least three percent of the time. That's because three percent of our student body here at the University is international.
When I came here as a freshman I feltadrift in a campus I didn'tfit into right away and a University culture I didn't fully understand. And I grew up only half an hour from Lawrence.
International students do not have the cultural ease which I had, yet they immerse themselves in the American university experience just as much. I'm not sure any crystal ball would be glowing around me.
I remember a few dinner table conversations with him. He was very nice and very intent on everything we said. Sometimes his face would cloud and you had to rephrase what you were going to say before suddenly he would smile
BY SAM SCHNEIDER
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
When I was a kid, stranded somewhere back in junior high school, my family invited a student from Costa Rica over to our house a few times.
Pat Buchanan was on *The Daily Show* recently, saying we need to make sure Mexican-Americans learn our cultural heritage and our heroes from history. While it is important to understand any culture one enters, coming into American culture seems particularly difficult. Beneath the surface, American culture gives off a Pat Buchanan sort of vibe: "It's your job to understand us, or else."
I think Buchanan has it wrong. We ought to say, "If you didn't want to understand us, you probably wouldn't be here in the first place. Our real opportunity is getting to know you."
and nod.
My parents talked a lot and asked a lot of questions. I was afraid I wouldn't make sense or wouldn't know what to ask. My understanding of the world still resided in brightly colored GeoSafari maps.
Sometimes I would ask simple questions, such as "What food do you eat at home?" But most of the time I was afraid that, in opening my mouth, I'd say something stupid
After high school, one of my friends left the country for Costa Rica. Again, the only picture of Costa Rica in my head was the shape of its borders from a map. My imagination it seems, ended just south of Dallas.
Schneider is a Topeka Junior in English.
My friend ended up marrying a Costa Rican guy, and last winter she introduced me to her husband, one of the nicest people I've ever met. Once again, I was at the dinner table and afraid that I wouldn't be able to communicate in clear English.
So, I encourage you: When you see someone from another country walk by, think about how much courage they had in order to put away their familiar lives and try living here. Don't be silent because of difference. Be content with knowing nothing about another place. Ask. Find out about their culture. After all, they are trying to find out about yours.
Only this time, I gave it a try. When I would say something he didn't understand, we would both just smile and I'd try a different phrasing.
COMMENTARY
I had a big surprise in my first semester at the University of Kansas. Some of my fellow classmates didn't know what mammals or amphibians were. When I heard that my jaw dropped, Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely no way everyone can know everything, but knowing basic taxonomy should be a requirement for you to graduate from middle school.
Anti-intellectualism an unhealthy trend
This could easily be used as an example of how our education system is inefficient, which it clearly is, but there is something else to it.
》 TALK TO US
Lindsey Shirach, sales manager
864-4462 or lshirach@kansan.com
Dave Rugh, associate opinion editor
864-4924 or dtruigh@kansan.com
Kyle Hoedl, business manager
864-4014 or khoedl@kansan.com
A huge fraction of America, especially in our generation, is developing an aversion to knowledge. It's a dangerous trend that puts some of the great achievements of civilization at serious risk.
Jamattan Keeling, editor
864-854 or jekailn@kanankan.com
Erick R. Schmidt, managing editor
864-854 or schmidt@kanankan.com
Gabriela Serova, Editor
864-854 or goosaa@kanankan.com
Frank Tunkul opinion editor
864-854 or franktunkul@kanankan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager, news adviser
864-7667 or mgibbon@kansan.com
The first thing one has to do is look at the coming elections and our current president. It seems like people don't want intelligent people running for office, and ultimately don't elect them. As soon as a politician is branded an intellectual he automatically becomes unpopular. "He doesn't connect with the common American," is a frequent characterization.
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser
864-7666 or jweaver@kansan.com
The most disturbing thing is that the trend is clearly seen in colleges. Classes are seen as a hassle and as the negative part of going to college; the main reason we are here is relegated to a mere inconvenience.
It's common to see students trying to shortcut their way to a good grade and not caring if they achieve the most important thing — knowledge. SparkNotes substitute reading the books, homework is copied, and Wikipedia, instead of a starting point, becomes the No. 1 source for research.
If you leave college the same way you came in, without doubting the things that you once thought to be most sacred, you wasted your money.
A great number of students see Western Civilization as the worst thing they will go through in college. A class that is supposed to expose you to the construction, great achievements and ideas of our civilization is avoided at all costs. No wonder outdated medieval concepts such as "intelligent design" are weaving their way back into our society.
Sullivan De Oliveira is Belo Horizonte, Brazil, sophomore in history and journalism.
Some students ridicule non-American history as if it were completely unrelated to America. That lack of interest leaves them vulnerable to accepting comments by pundits such as Bill O'Reilly, who calls the French cowards because of WWII and their unwillingness to go to Iraq. Never mind the French Resistance. I guess we can forget the fact that the birth of this country would not have been impossible without their cooperation.
It's not only European history.
As soon as we start school, we enter a culture in which students glorify those who can get by without studying and ridicule those who immerse themselves in a subject. The "slacker" is seen as a hero while the "nerd" is made fun of.
And look at President Bush. I
How many Americans know that the CIA supported terrible dictatorships in South America, or have a basic knowledge of conflicts in the Middle East? Perhaps if Americans showed more interest in world history, in general, the rest of the world would have a less negative view of them. And maybe we would realize that we have made some horrendous mistakes.
Truth be told, the problem with learning is that it challenges your beliefs, and that is not a comfortable feeling. But it is a necessary experience if we want to grow as individuals and contribute to society. Whenever our beliefs are challenged we realize that there is a multitude of view points that are all shaped by different experiences, and you cannot have a rational exchange of ideas if you do not know where the other side is coming from.
am not going to discuss his political stance, but the man isn't particularly bright. Not only that, he is proud of it. Stephen Colbert put it well during the White House correspondent's dinner: For Bush, the truth lies in his gut, not in the facts. He believes in faith, not reason. I wonder if he has ever heard of the Enlightenment; after all, he has a degree in history.
BY PATRICK SULLIVAN DE
OLIVEIRA
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
Call 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
FREE FOR ALL
I think a Jayhawk just pooped on my head.
All quiet on the Wescoe front.
I just saw a girl literally stop and smell the roses.
To the guy that drives the "pimped out" Contour: No matter what you do to it, it will still be a
Mangino, will you go get a McRib with me?
Contour
The Cardinals won the World Series.
I just fell down and broke my ankle. Also my friend is dumb and has the biggest head in Kansas.
Would you rather punch your
--mom in the ear or cut your own ear off and mail it to your mom?
mom in the ear or cut your own ear off and mail it to your mom?
My boyfriend has man boobs and I love playing with them.
--your car. It is not nice, or legal.
Are you there God? It is me, Kansas. Thanks.
To all bicyclists; You have to follow the rules of the roads just like everyone else. This means riding on the right side of the road.
I just saw a three-year-old kid down a liter of Coke in The Underground.
--your car. It is not nice, or legal.
Please don't hit pedestrians with
An ice cream truck just drove by my apartment. I think it is a little
To the girl singing on Wescoe with the guitar; I thank you for promoting Christianity as a good teacher.
How am I supposed to pass college when I can't even work a clicker?
To the guy in the stall next to me: That fart you just let out was the longest I have ever heard. You are a god to me.
cold
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Jonathan Kealing, Erick R. Schmidt, Gabrielle Souza, Frank Tankard, Dava Ruig, Steve Lynn, McKay Stangler and Louis Mora
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