THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2011
PAGE 5A
opinion
Free for all
apps.facebook.com/dailykansan I'm as bored as a midget in a theme park.
You have 10 fish, five drown, three come back to life. How many fish do you have? Stop counting smart one. Fish can't drown!
I'm tired of "winning," the same way I'm tired of Chuck Norris jokes. And I'm VERY tired of Chuck Norris jokes.
To add you on Facebook, or not to add you? That is the dilemma.
Never message old friends on Facebook. They will just ignore you.
When it rains, it pours. Asked out on three dates in under 24 hours Seriously?
Haven't been asked out on three dates in 19 years.
Finally got around to making the sex playlist I've been mentally compiling. Tonight should be fun.
3D porn is now available in Hong Kong.
I just finished "500 Days of Summer," and I've decided that I want to meet a guy that I can sit on campus with and yell "PENIS" really loud.
I have no problem saying, "If you wear loafers, I don't like you."
My boyfriend left me alone in Lawrence this weekend for one of his MANY bromatic relationships.
I don't understand people using
`"(:)))))))))))` to mean super smiley
when it just looks like they have a million chins ... if I had that many chins I would not be that happy.
My boyfriend left me alone in lawrence this weekend for one of his MANYromantic relationships.
Holy sheet, 4/20 is next week. Watch the losers come out to play.
She's a WOOTY, a white girl with a booty!
"I hope we can still be friends." Is it bad that I've been told that twice in the past three months?
Is there some unwritten rule that Interstate construction needs to last 30 years?
F. O.E. except for the NBA.
M. oney O.ver E.verything
There are 56 and 1/2 tiles on the ceiling of my English classroom ... sup Add尔等.
3,111 people voted in the campus elections ... One person not included in that number: Josh Selby. (He tried to vote via Twitter because that's how he does everything else.)
I heard KUnited won by a landslide. of sidewalk chalk.
Right after elections finished, it rained. Even the weather wanted elections to be over.
Just found there's a final in my math class ... Goodbye girlfriend ... Hello notes.
How did you "just" find that out?
Finals are a pretty standard process.
"KUnited was also fined $50 for early chalking." Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't slap its wrists too hard!
EDITORIAL
Students deserve kept promises from KUnited after election
The Editorial Board congratulates president-elect Libby Johnson, vice-president-elect Gabe Bliss and the entire KUnited coalition. We look forward to seeing them rise to the challenges of the upcoming year and follow through with their campaign promises.
After being elected on a wide variety of platforms, we expect KUnited to make significant progress towards each one. This year the KUnited administration was unable to start construction on a Student Services Center, as it had promised to do by the end of the semester. We hope the new administration's plans will not find a similar fate.
mind: to help and improve student life at the University of Kansas.
We would also like to see more cooperation within Senate, regardless of coalitions or alliances. It is important to remember that everyone involved in the election ran with the same goal in
KUnited shouldn't penalize members of the opposition for the happenings of campaign season. If anything, the members of Renew KU should also be congratulated. The election saw an increase in voter turnout, a testament to the strong platforms offered by both KUnited and Renew KU.
Together, both coalitions were able to double the voter turnout; both groups got students talking about campus issues.
With cooperation between coalitions, the Editorial Board believes Senate is capable of achieving many great things for the University.
ed senators shouldn't wait until next fall to make positive changes. One way for the new Senate to show its commitment to student outreach would be to upload this year's minutes and bills online. The Editorial Board challenges Senate to have its website updated by the end of the semester.
By considering and incorporating some of Renew KU's platforms into its own, United would demonstrate
maturity and dedication to placing students' interests above politics.
For example, Renew KU's proposal to simplify funding codes for student groups would help eliminate unnecessary red tape that encumbers students from getting involved in campus politics and activities. Renew KU also campaigned with promises of a stronger commitment to international and graduate students, something KUnited should strive for as well.
We expect KUnited to follow through with their promises regarding increased transparency. Reorganizing the Student Senate website should be the first step. Posting the minutes of each Senate meeting in a reasonable amount of time and keeping records current would be the second
Most importantly, senators need to keep talking to students throughout the year. They shouldn't lose touch with them simply because election season is over. Maintain an honest and open discussion with the student body remains a crucial aspect of any student government, regardless of the time of year.
Johnson, Bliss and all the newly elect-
Jessie Blakeborough for the Kansan Editorial Board.
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EDUCATION
Getting an A in the real world means students must get out of the classroom
As much as we love listening to hours of brilliant lectures, there is something to be said for getting out of the classroom.
I'm not talking about when the whistle blows. I'm talking about service learning.
Service learning projects allow us to participate in real life organizations related to our field of study. Service learning is extremely effective because it provides a multi-sensory context for internalizing new concepts. You don't just read it; you smell it, see it, feel it, talk it, walk it and do it! By engaging multiple senses and cognitive functions, experiential learning provides rich and vivid memories that anchor new material. It also allows us to try out our chosen field before we invest five years and thousands of dollars.
In addition to figuring out if you're actually going to like your future job, service learning allows you to observe the most important skills involved and focus on developing the those skills.
It also allows you to network with relevant professionals who could become career mentors and references for your job search. Additionally, service learning introduces you to causes that you might care about for the rest of your life. Even if you decide not to become a teacher, you might fall in love with tutoring kids after school. This could lead to a volunteer position that fulfills you and impacts hundreds of students in your community.
Service learning allows us to connect with non-profit organizations, small businesses and local politics to experience the satisfaction of sharing our talents with our community. This community involvement is another huge benefit of service learning. Through programs that provide valuable learning opportunities for its students, the University can also contribute hundreds of high quality service hours to the Lawrence community. This improves our home and reinforces the University's commitment to the community. It also shows prospective students, staff, faculty and financial donors that KU is a compassionate, intelligent and devoted member of its hometown.
BY RAEANE HANDSHY
rhandshy@kansan.com
The most important benefit of service learning is that the experience doesn't just teach us about the subject matter, it teaches us about ourselves. Through personal interaction, we realize that our educational goals are really about relating to other people. What we are learning in school is valuable because we are going to use it to teach kids, or treat patients, or hire employees. How we relate to those people is just as important as the knowledge we share with them. We should be practicing how to use our knowledge. It's silly to store it away and hope that we can remember it five years down the road when it's time to "apply" what we've learned.
We need to learn how to break the rules of the classroom and make new rules to provide meaningful work, efficient housing and affordable education for everyone. The concepts we learn in books are the starting point but mastering human interaction and hands on experimentation are the test. Will we have the creativity, courage and compassion to ace it? To make sure, I think we need to practice.
The problems we will tackle do not have solutions found in books or scholarly journals. Our generation's problems are going to demand creative collaboration and out-of-the-box innovation.
Handshy is a first-year MBA student from Lawrence.
COMMENTARY
Environmental consciousness isn't only about hugging smelly trees
An off-leash Labrador retriever is not optional. He is your "blading buddy." If he attacks—make sure that he does—scoop up your victim and ask her out to coffee. If she is unconscious, strap her to the Lab and prepare to be the hero of the day. She will thank you by letting you get to first base with her over lattes.
The weather outside is beautiful. If you dismiss the particular stench given off by the trees on the University's campus, you may notice the lovely warmth of the sun, the feel of a tan on your shoulders and a buzz in your legs that says, 'It's time to get out of the car.' Driving is so winter 2010-2011. Not only is it boring, but it is also bad for the ozone layer and local wildlife that roam the streets of Lawrence. There are other ways to get around without sitting in hot metal.
"Ghost Riding the Whip" is a cornerstone in any environmentally aware mind. To Ghost Ride, put the car in neutral, open the driver's side door, step out and strut. May I suggest Gucci Mane's "Lemonade" to guide you on Massachusetts Street? I do.
I suggest John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" to be the soundtrack as you glide through campus? I do.
You're thinking now, 'Doesn't the car moving beside me run on gas?' Yes. But it's the precedent of the matter. You are taming the car with hip-hop and gaining
The first and most stylish mode of alternative transportation that I suggest is rollerblading. Breezing on down the lumps and bumps of Jayhawk Boulevard with the rancid tree air blowing past you is stuff with which dreams are made.
BY LIZ STEPHENS
lstephens@kansan.com
street cred with every fearful-for-yourlife step. Also, you're not technically in your car, so it doesn't count.
Remember the girl who was throttled by your Labrador retriever? After you've taken her out for a latte and a quick stop at first base, ask her for a piggyback ride.
She will say yes.
CARTOON
Rollerblading, Ghost Riding, piggybacks. It's never been so easy to get fresh air and lessen the burden of the slowly crumbling environment. If you've tried all of these modes and none seems appropriate for your lifestyle, may I suggest simply walking? I do.
Piggyback rides were invented decades ago during the great gasoline shortage of 1986 and their usefulness remains decades later. No props needed, but I recommend a minimum of two participants because hunching over and walking slowly is distasteful (exclusion: vomit-strolling, another respectable mode in itself). For the sake of interhuman relationships, you must reciprocate the piggyback ride.
Stephens is a junior from Dodge City studying English.
Nicholas Sambaluk
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kansai Editorial Board are Nick Gerik, Michael Holtz, Kelly Stroda, D.M. Scott and Mandy Matney.
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