OPINION
Coming Thursday, October 18...
Muselmann: Donations raised through bars and clubs are still worthy contributions.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 17,2007 PAGEZA
Stewart: Explaining the finer points of urinal etiquette.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2007
NOT SO ANGELIC
Part-time waitress looking for full-time respect
For a waitress trying to do is serve dinner, a little sincerity greatly pads a 15 percent tip
ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON
Would you like any cream with your coffee?"
"We're Swedish, we don't use cream."
Ha, that's a new one, was all I could think after filling up their mugs with the fresh, steaming coffee. I'm a waitress at a steakhouse, and the job is never boring, with the customers keeping me on my toes with condiment requests or complaints of under or overcooked steaks, making my evenings hell sometimes.
Being a waitress is convenient because a majority of employers are sympathetic to students and their flexible scheduling needs. If you're a people person, it's also fun to talk to and meet new people and families every day. Interactions vary from the one above, with my customers having foreign accents, to guys older than my dad hitting on me. However the day
ting on me. However, the day to day interactions aren't always laughable or pleasant and don't always constitute a proper payoff for the flexibility. At times, I just want to scream; I choose to stifle my outbursts by going to the back and venting to my cooks instead, who say I remind them of the waitress on the movie "Waiting," with Ryan Reynolds.
I don't enjoy getting angry at work. As a server, all we are trying to do is serve dinner and keep drinks filled, in a pleasant manner. All the while, hoping you leave us the suggested and
much needed, might I add, 15 percent tip for our services. As a job requirement, I have to approach people in a nice, friendly way, so why some people are rude from our first interaction is beyond me.
A government study found that 7 percent of full-time health and food industry workers, such as those who care for the elderly or children or are food and drink servers, battle with depression. Judging from the gems that I encounter as a part-time waitress, I think anger management might be more plausible. I'm not trying to imply that everyone I've waited on has been rude to me, but I get at least one unhappy customer a night.
I work part-time to pay for bills and my personal expenses, but I'm a full-time student. Although it's not a career preparing job, it helps me be somewhat independent of my parents. It is a job though, and I, as well as
other servers, should receive a reasonable amount of respect. We don't come to your job and disrespect you or question your intelligence, so is it necessary to do it to us? Tough skin is a respected attribute when serving. Keep in mind we are accountable for what the cooks prepare, and I would like to stress cooks prepare (some people are under the impression that we cook and serve), as well as our own responsibilities.
Next time your friends and you opt for an evening out at one of Lawrence's many fine dining restaurants, all I ask is that you think twice before going left on your server for an error in your order. Remember the saying, "treat others as you want to be treated," because we are serving your food, and it is ok to leave more than 15 percent tip. It is even greatly encouraged.
McNaughton is a *Topeka* junior in journalism.
DRAWING BOARD
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
MAX RINKEL
SIX YEARS IN UNDERGRAD
Soccer ball key ingredient in living healthier life
Danish study cites soccer as a more effective means of weight loss and cholesterol reduction than jogging
BETSY MCLEOD
Good news guys. A new study confirms that playing with your balls is better for your health than jogging a mile. You too, ladies. When it comes to balls, the more you juggle, the lower your chances are of getting heart disease.
Don't get confused, because the balls I'm talking about are big, bouncy and black and white. That's right. Soccer balls are the secret weapons for living a healthier lifestyle. With all the convenience of treadmills and ellipticals, soccer balls everywhere have been ignored, gathering dust on the top shelf of a hall closet or slowly deflating in the back of a garage. But now there are more reasons than ever to bust out the balls and ditch
A three-month study in Denmark put together three groups of men of roughly the same size and of the same health backgrounds and told each group to play soccer, jog or do no exercise. After 12 weeks, the soccer players lost 80 percent more weight, experienced a greater reduction in cholesterol, gained more muscle and had more energy than the joggers. Of course the group that did no exercise had no changes.
the repetitive motions of the Stairmaster 3000.
These different results are due to of the amount of physical intensity soccer requires, keeping the player's heart rate close to maximum capacity. Soccer players constantly use different muscles, providing the same workout as using several different weight-lifting machines at once. Because trained muscles contain more fat-burning enzymes than non-trained muscles, soccer players tend to have more muscle and the hottest bods. More fat-burning enzymes also mean lower cholesterol and a lower risk heart disease.
Even if you aren't a fairly-talented foot fairy, never fear—the KU Recreation Center offers dozens of intramural sports from basketball to lacrosse, and the best part is that you don't have to be good at any of them to join.
I was never any good at handeye-foot coordination, but the best part about intramural soccer is that even if you have no idea what you're doing—like I didn't—you can still run around aimlessly on the field and look like you're participating. Bonus points for yelling at the ref when everybody else does.
All in all, playing soccer got my lazy butt into shape a lot quicker than plodding along on a treadmill had ever before, and I noticed other changes I hadn't experienced from just jogging; my smoker's cough eased up, my abs became visible and I noticed an extra kick in the bedroom.
If not for the washboard abs, lower risk of heart disease and extra stamina in the sack, get out there and play soccer just to relieve some stress. Something about kicking something the size of someone's head makes it a great replacement for anger management. Balls are in, ladies and gentlemen, so let's not keep them hanging.
McLeod is an Overland Park senior in journalism and Middle Eastern Studies.
Contrary to the recent printed opinion portraying an archaic system, KU on Wheels not only accepts student suggestions, but thrives on student input. As Transportation Coordinator of the system, I always welcome suggestions and there are entire committees, commissions, and advisory boards designated to do just that, make suggestions to improve the system. The Transit Commission meets the first and third Wednesday of the month at 1:30 p.m. You are strongly encouraged to attend!
I would additionally like to emphasize that KU on Wheels is not a static entity, driven by tradition and blind stupidity, with stern refusal to improve. There is more than meets the eye to the constant growth and improvement of this dominantly student-run organization.
For years, students have lodged complaints of the look and age of the buses and the enormous clouds of black smog bursting from the exhaust. In response to those demands, we took the following actions: purchasing buses that are newer, cleaner, more environmentally friendly, better-looking, more spacious and air-conditioned. Also, they can travel up hills without the passengers having to get out and wait for the bus to slowly chug up the hill. However, this change has not come without a few bumps in the road. Our optimistic endeavor with bio-diesel is more of a headache than a savior right now, as bio-diesel acts as a solvent and "cleans-out" gas tanks, leaving deposits in fuel filters, and causes bus delays. This problem is already solving itself, and if you were late to class due to a bus, we at KU on Wheels apologize for all those times, and the problems are becoming fewer and fewer all the time. It is the cost of having a cleaner campus environment. Thanks for bearing with us!
Other improvements? Routes. 15th and Crestline started out the year on a resounding bad note. Within a couple weeks, it was improved to such a standard that it has never previously reached. The buses are in and out of Meadowbrook and Orchard Corners every 20 minutes with a newly designed route. Naismith/Oliver now has more service during peak hours than it did when school first started. 31st and Iowa is now on time
due to a route change, and 23rd and Louisiana has an extra bus added to the route. These are all changes demanded by students, and created by KU on Wheels. We listen to your comments and have always made changes based on your feedback. This bus system is created by students, for students.
However, it has been argued that it is unfair that the buses run to McCollum more often than the Reserve. Both pay $140 for a bus pass and so logically both should have equal service, right? In real estate, the top three important things to remember are location, location, location. In choosing a residence, one must consider if living on campus will provide you with faster access to campus than living three miles away. It most certainly does. Cost-wise, people living in the Reserve are getting more (italicize 'more') service than those living in McCollum. The distance to the Reserve costs way more per dollar fare than does a short ride down Daisy Hill. Not only that, all students fund the bus system, meaning students are paying for the buses to go to places where most students are not, meaning private apartment complexes rather than campus. You are lucky that students are taxing themselves to take you, Mr. or Ms. Far Away Apartment, to school. The buses could quite easily serve as campus circulators or parking lot circulators, but instead venture to many Lawrence locations for the sole purpose of helping the off-campus students. Our routes are designed with the input of students; each spring, route hearings are held to collect student input on how best to serve students.
I know it's easy to criticize. The buses have probably made everyone on campus a little irritated at one point or another, and that's understood and expected. But, to make real change or improvement, it is not okay to simply lament your misfortunes to an audience unable to do anything about it. E-mail KU on Wheels. Call KU on Wheels. Come to the Transit Commission meetings. Show up to route hearings. Do something by making your voice heard.
May Davis
May Davis
Transportation Coordinator
KU on Wheels
kuonwheels@ku.edu
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Daytrippin' is my favorite song by the Beetles.
I just drowned a moth in my piss.
If she's on top, she can't get pregnant. It's just gravity.
fifteen minutes, you do, in fact,
owe me a tip. A dollar, fifty cents,
Jesus Christ, something.
I like how the hill looks. Not.
It's 9:30 and I'm still drunk dialing.
Whoever buys toilet paper for the university: Can you get some that's not see-through?
Hey frat boys, guess what? If I drive a sandwich through game traffic and bring it to you in under
Ha ha ha! Wizard of Oz references are so funny, jackass.
Did I miss National Coming Out Day?
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