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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM TUESDAY OCTOBER 2, 2007 PAGE 70
TUESDAY,OCTOBER 2,2007
PAGE7A
EDITORIAL BOARD
Fort Hays State University must keep its name
History combined with popular support give meaning to the university's moniker
We support the faculty and student body of Fort Hays State University in their protest against the "renaming" of their Alma Mater.
Earlier this month, The Fort Hays State University's Committee to Review and Rethink the Structure of the University (FHSUCRRSU) presented a proposal that would in effect change the name of our neighbor to the far west to the "University of Western Kansas," on the grounds that "Fort Hays" hasn't been a U.S. Military fort since 1889 and no one outside the state of Kansas knows where Fort Hays is.
One group of opponents has circulated a petition, gathering the signatures of 250 students who are against renaming the college. Students and staff obviously care a great deal about the name of their school when they put forth effort to maintain the status quo.
Fie on you, FHSUCRRSU. In our opinion this trend of renaming universities smacks of stupidity.
TUESDAY MORNING
Of course, this wouldn't be the first time the college underwent a name change. Since its founding in 1902, the school has had numerous monikers, most of them much to long to put on T-shirts.
At first, it was the Western Branch of the Kansas Normal School of Emporia. Then it became the Fort Hays Kansas Normal School in 1914 and then Kansas State Teachers College of Hays in 1923. When the awarding of liberal arts degrees was approved in 1931, the name was changed to Fort Hays State College. Finally, it was elevated to university status in 1977, thus becoming our beloved FHSU.
A university's name is no small matter. It is an integral part of student identity. To arbitrarily put a point of a compass in a college's name is quite unimaginative and, in this case, it is ungrateful to the history of the locale. Besides being an important setting in the film "Dances With Wolves," Fort Hays was key in the defense of the construction of the transcontinental railway in the late 1860's. Its name should be invoked with pride. The university's title has a history associated with it, and the opinion of its students, faculty and staff should carry considerable weight when it comes to any name changes. It does no good to appeal to outsiders when insiders are dissatisfied. KU students would likely be equally upset if a name change were proposed here.
Nomenclature is an important part of Fort Hays State University's history and identity. Leave it alone.
DRAWING BOARD
FRUIT FOR THOUGHT
MAX RINKET
Sports fans should show more pride in KU's success Even when playing cupcakes,the football team deserves more than the 'golf clap'
The weekend before last, I had the opportunity to attend my first KU football game against Florida International. The weekend prior to my first KU game, I had the unfortunate experience of my first K-State game. Comparison was inevitable with such close proximity in time. After some first impressions and much deliberation afterward, shame on you Jayhawks. Shame on you.
I've never been a diehard fan of the sport in general; I see it more as an occasional form of drunken entertainment rather than a weekend fixture. Both KU and K-State faced off
against veritable high school teams, so the games were not on either side's "games to watch" list. That is no excuse, though, for piss poor fans.
My friends at K-State are all very aware that I go to KU (and trust me, they don't let me forget it). Even though I was a stranger to K-State's some famous friend.
The K-State crowd went crazy at every fumble, interception and touchdown. I've never seen more middle fingers fly up in the air in the course of one event. Their cheers were unoriginal in content but the enthusiasm the crowd put forth made them a K-State chant, not a cliché football chant.
game chants and groans, they taught me every last one until I had them down pat. For a split second, I had a notion of what all the fuss was about.
It could be assumed that the Jayhawks' record at the end of the season is not at the top of most students' priorities. It also could be said, though, that KU's pride is at the top of all students' main concern while attending college. When that pride is expressed through a "golf clap," it not only damages the spirits of
KU's crowd was amused at best. There were some hardcore Jayhawkers in the crowd, but, in
general, indifference seemed the crowd's greatest concern. Most would give an enthused yell when KU would score a touchdown or give a half-hearted boo when something did not go in KU's favor. Some, though, gave the half-assed "golf clap" and checked their phone to see if their other bored friend texted them back yet.
the diehard football fanatics, it damages the spirit of the University.
From an outsider looking in, those Wildcats have got us beat. There was one experience at the K-State game, though, that refutes the previous statement. Near the end of the Wildcats' video montage of the players and the team, there was footage of a pig wearing a K-State jersey with the American flag waving in the background.
Sure, both KU and K-State jingle their keys (for reasons I am still unaware). And I was taken aback when KU chanted their "Rip their effin' heads off" cheer, but that was the most enthusiasm that could be observed throughout the entire game.
Not to say that K-State doesn't lack class, but a pig's a pig in my book. Maybe the Jayhawks need to get drunken before the game or find other forms of stimulation to get more pumped, but on Oct. 6, I do not want to see KU get beat by a bunch of pig-lovin' farm boys.
Hirschfeld is an Augusta ju nior in journalism.
High tuition rates unfair to out-of-state students
Decreasing tuition costs for non-Kansans would draw more applicants and increase revenue
Last year, as a freshman living in the residence halls, I remember being shocked that so many of my fellow hallmates were from out-of-state. After seeing many out-of-state tuition prices, leaving Kansas had barely been an option for me. Yet, even as a Kansan with the much lower instate tuition price, I remember sharing in their outrage about out-of-state tuition.
It seems highly unjust that the Missouri state border can mean a difference of thousands of dollars for the exact same education. In order to help out-ofstate students, a reduced tuition should be granted to nonresident students living within a certain distance of the University.
According to a recent article by Christopher Morfew in the Chronicle of Higher Education, students are finding it "difficult, if not impossible, to attend public colleges and universities outside their states because those institutions are charging skyrocketing tuitions for nonresidents." This statement is certainly representative of KU. According to the KU Web site for this year, instate tuition is about $2,900 per semester, while out-of-state tuition is $7,700, more than double that of in-state. This huge gap between resident and nonresident prices seems slightly ridiculous when some out-of-state students live so close to the University. Sometimes for students the closest university is in fact in another state, and public universities should account for this fact.
State borders are dividing lines, but they are not walls splitting apart our country. We are all one unit. Therefore state borders should not be obstacles for students. Article 4, Section 2 of the Constitution states, "The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States." One of those privileges should be higher education. Universities should not use state borders as a way to exploit students.
Even if a student wanted to try to avoid these outrageous out-of-state tuition prices by establishing residency in a new state, it is very difficult to do so. In fact, it is practically impossible to establish residency for tuition purposes while going to school. Many states, including Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri and Kansas all require that you live in the state for twelve months before attending school. Only after that time can you claim in-state tuition.
If money is the problem (when is money not a problem), giving out-of-state students reduced tuition would not have to create money issues for the University. According to Mike Pitts, director of admissions at East Tennessee State University, when the university first started offering tuition breaks for out-of-state students within various counties of Virginia and North Carolina, the school needed 130 students in order to not lose money. Some 184 new students ended up enrolling, giving the university a much larger profit than in previous years. In this way, KU could in fact benefit from charging certain out-of-state students a reduced tuition rate.
Being so close to the Missouri border, many students at KU are affected by the costly out-state-tuition price. While I am not one of them, I can't help but feel guilty about the injustice of the fact that I am receiving the same education as other students for half the price. After all, these students may not be Kansans, but each one is as much of a Jayhawk as I am.
Hudson is a Wichita sophomore in journalism and business.
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