OPINION
Coming Thursday, August 30...
Editorial: When faculty become too focused on research and other pursuits, student-teacher relations suffer.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Williams: Stereotyping people based on race, religion, gender and other factors only distorts reality.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2007
PAGE7A
DRAWING BOARD
THE LIBRARIAN YOUR PARENTS WARNED YOU ABOUT
Misconceptions of campus library employees abound Library work is short on reading and long on fielding complaints and inquiries
Anun, while waving a two-foot crucifix over me, called me an immodest and sinful dresser. A strange man of questionable intentions and even more questionable body odor proposed marriage to me. A ten-year-old berated me for refusing to page his brother over the PA system and ask where his Playstation memory card was. A father insisted I harshly scold his five-year-old son for breaking the binding on a book to "teach him a lesson."
And yet, people constantly remark how easy it must be to work at the library. They envision the circulation desk staff sitting at expansive desks, flipping through literary journals or thick leather-bound novels and
pausing only to exchange intelligent conversation with academics who have decided to check out something along the lines of "War and Peace."
Not so much.
Maybe I do occasionally get the intelligent conversation. Much, much more often, though, I get complaints: about the limit on how many movies can be checked out, about late fees, about books that were most definitely, 100-percent-positive turned in at least a week ago, but are actually under the bed or car seat. There are others, who admittedly are just trying to make polite conversation, who say "witty" things like, "You should get paid by the book!" or "Wow, you're fast. You must have had some practice." Yes, it's clever. And yes, I have heard it thousands of times before.
Instead of calmly relaxing with a book, I am most likely scurrying around from one task to the next. I field phone calls regarding renewals or fine problems, frantically check in materials, get the books on carts ready to be shelved. I have to be polite
as people verbally berate me, and then run to stack check-ins as soon as they leave. It's physically and mentally exhausting. I realize that when you just read that it was "physically exhausting," you scoffed aloud. It's okay, I understand. I wouldn't believe it either. But try lifting giant stacks of books, endless stacks of heavy books, for hours at a time. It might not make me Arnold Schwarzenegger, but I do have a mildly developed bicep. Also add to that the fact that a majority of the desk staff is KU students. Not only are we all having to focus on patrons' problems, but we are also worrying about the homework that's currently not getting done or exams that are coming up.
Working at the library does have its fun moments, and I do love my job. But it falls into the category of those jobs that are demanding or tedious, yet look like fun from the outside. For example, I have a friend who works at a retail store. It seems the employee discount would be enough to make it a dream job to her and me, at first. Of course, actually working there is, as she puts it, "mind-numbing." Just
folding t-shirts for hours on end "like a mindless robot." People fixate on the benefits of jobs like that, and don't think about how much you have to schlep around to earn them. It only makes it worse when you're in the middle of your worst day, doing three things at once and contemplating quitting on the spot, and at that exact moment in time someone remarks how stress-free your job must be. Those comments take my bad day to a whole other level. It's then that fantasies of anvils falling from the sky, Wile E. Coyote-style, start to dance through my head.
We librarians—or rather merely library employees and/or peons—like it when you're chatty. We like those who read, and watch foreign films and yet occasionally enjoy a J Lo. movie without being embarrassed about it. We like when you have your books stacked with the barcodes facing up and your library card in hand. Oh, and a smile is always appreciated.
Gentry is a Kansas City sophomore in English and premedicine.
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(Sung) Someday, when my life has passed me by, I'll sit around and wonder when the construction on campus will end.
This message is for all the people who are complaining about pedestrians walking in front of their car. Here's a hint. Don't drive on campus, morons.
Let me be the first to say that KU Drumline kicks major ass.
Why can't all ATMs offer denominations of ten dollars, instead of twenty dollars.
mer if you live in a trailer park?
Really, what's the point of driving a brand new BMW or a Hum-
Wow, I suddenly feel compelled to buy a "Kansas: As bigoted as you think" bumper sticker.
To the guy who puked in our bathroom Saturday night: We have your shoes, and maybe your inhaler.
ResNet brought flies into my dorm room and didn't fix shit.
To the girl that peed on the side of Hash! I totally saw you.
Oh my God, I just saw Santa Clause ride a bike down the hill.
You'll never defeat Andross!
I just saw the KU police pull over a KU Park & Ride bus. Can they do that?
For all who are interested, I have a van. It has candy and puppies and Zanex in it. Eighteen and over only, please.
This morning, I woke up and there was some sand in my anus. I really don't want to talk about it, but is that okay? Am I gonna die?
I hate you, Park & Ride. Now I'm late for class. I hate you Park & Ride.
Why do delivery drivers not understand the concept of showing up to Jayhawker Towers on time?
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
How the hell does traffic come to a stop on campus at eight o'clock in the morning on Tuesday?
Guys, I would never reject you. Well, okay, chances are I might.
My organic chem teacher sounds like Vince Vaughn.
You guys can't sleep here! This is a box office!
Hash brownies!
A word from Mark Mangino Support the football team Saturday
Dear Students.
Your Kansas Jayhawks will open another exciting football season this Saturday on Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium. We have great expectations for this fall, as I'm sure you do too! Once again, our team needs your help in keeping our student section the loudest in the Big 12 Conference. You have helped make Memorial Stadium an exceptional game-day atmosphere. Let's keep it going!
On behalf of our players and coaching staff, thank you tor your loyal support of the 'Hawks. Get to the stadium early, cheer loud, and do it with class!
Your Coach Mark Mangino
COMMENTARY
In defense of taking vacations
PATRICK DE OLIVEIRA
Never feel bad about doing absolutely nothing on your days off
I admit it.
I had an unproductive summer. When I talk to my friends they mention how they advanced their graduation by six credit hours, made a bundle during the summer, or how they snagged that great resume boosting internship. I got nothing of that. Instead I visited desert beaches, spent my nights in bars, my days in bed, and read Ivan Ilich and George Orwell.
And I don't regret it one bit.
Isn't that what summer vacation is all about? Engaging in leisurely activities, relaxing and sometimes just doing absolutely nothing? When was this spirit corrupted and summer became a few months to cram a bunch of things together and get them done? I cringe just imagining such a scenario.
Students taking summer classes justify it by saying that they will graduate quicker. They work harder now so they can start working in the real world sooner. What a horrible feeling it must be once you graduate, get a real job and realize that because of the great labor laws in this country you will probably never get a decent vacation again. Yes, if there is a time to enjoy summer it is now, before you sacrifice your body and your mind to the dreadful work ethic of western society.
When again will you have three months to do whatever you want? It's not a big deal if you take a little longer to graduate, increase in debt a few thousand dollars, or take longer to climb the job ladder; you can work that out. Now, ask someone who
has a steady job to get a threemonth vacation and see what that person says. It is virtually impossible to have a decent vacation once you start working in the United States. According to a recent study by the Center for Economic Policy Research, the United States is the only country in the industrialized world that doesn't require paid annual leave or paid public holidays. France on the other hand mandates employers to give at least 30 days of paid annual leave and one paid holiday.
Until this aberration is changed and the American government starts giving leisure the value it deserves, college students will need to take advantage of the time off they have. Instead of working all summer so they can pay for summer classes, students should abdicate both and do something less useful.
Because of the deficiencies of our education system, some students do have to work during the summer to afford their college education. However—and this is purely anecdotal evidence—I have found that generally not to be the case. Most students end up working more than they need to buy superfluous items like iPods, DVDs, video games and cable subscriptions. Instead of wasting your money with those, why not invest in time off?
We have the rest of our lives to be enslaved by work. In the end most of us will succumb and work harder and harder so that we can accumulate more and more stuff, and if we don't work as hard as we can, everything—the government, newspapers, our parents—will conspire to make us feel guilty. So, before we lose our innocence and convert to the 9-to-5 religion, why don't we take advantage of the little time we have and, whenever the opportunity presents itself, not do much.
De Oliveira is a Belo Horizonte, Brazil junior in journalism, history and peace and conflict studies.
TALK TO US
Erick R. Schmidt, editor
864-4810 or eschmidt@kansan.com
Eric Jorgensen, managing editor 864-4810 or ejorgensen@kansan.com
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The Editorial Board
Erick R. Schmidt, Eric Jorgensen,
Darla Skipp, Kelsey Hayes, Bryan
Dykman, Brandon T. Minister, Angelique
McNaughton and Benjamin R. Smith