KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / THURSDAY, APRIL 15.2010 / NEWS
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SHOWCASE (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
locked, and in the middle of the country," Sharma said. "Events like this allow us to learn to be receptive of other cultures."
The goal of ISA is not just to give attendees a glimpse of a variety of cultures,but to create an authentic, educational and interactive experience.
Today is what will probably be the group's biggest event the World Expo. During this event, participants will be able to visit booths from more than 30 different countries. These booths allow students to experience different aspects of the cultures.
"At the World Expo, you can see not only the clothing, but also the games, culture and music of many different cultures," said Alexandra Avila, a senior from Wichita and president of ISA.
Avila got involved with the group because of her older brother's involvement with ISA when he was a KU student. She said that the group not only gave international students the opportunity to embrace their own heritage, but also to learn about other cultures from all over the world.
- Edited by Ashley Montgomery
Tanner Grubbs/KANSAN
Alexandra Avila, a senior from Wichita and president of the international Student Association, displays a traditional Mexican dress Wednesday night in front of a crowd at the Hawks Nest inside the Kansas Union. ISA held a fashion show to promote ISA week and introduced customary garb from various cultures around the globe.
Mind your manners
Deborah Fraser/KANSAN
Students learn how to properly use cating utensils during the Spring Etiquette Dinner in the Kansas Union Wednesday evening. The event was hosted by the University Career Center and instructed students on professional dining etiquette.
TECHNOLOGY
Txt lingo creeping n2 formal writing
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
College professors are anything but LOL-ing at their students' recent writing habits.
Not only are instructors not laughing out loud — shortened to LOL in text messages and online chats — at the technology-oriented shorthand that has seeped into academic papers, many of them also sternly telling students to stop using the new language even in less formal writing.
The shorthand often consist of shortened variations of common words — "u" instead of you, or "ur" for your. Text speak may be appropriate for a quick note to a friend, but professors are increasingly stymied by how casually students are using the terms.
Faculty members increasingly have expressed irritation about reading acronyms and abbreviations they often do not understand, said Sally Murphy, a Cal State East Bay professor and director of the university's general-education program. One e-mail to a professor started with, "Yo, teach," she said.
"It has a real effect on the tone of professionalism," said Murphy, who also has seen younger instructors use the shorthand. "We tell them very specifically how this is going to affect in life. It's kind of like wearing their jeans below their butt. They're going to lose all credibility."
Text-speak has been moving through the educational pipeline toward colleges for a few years. A 2008 survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found
that two-thirds of middle- and high-school students had accidentally used instant-messaging-style words in their work, while a quarter admitted using emoticons in assignments.
Many students communicate constantly via text and instant messaging, so it can be difficult to leave the tech lingo behind in class, said Mohammed Shahid Beig, a senior and student-body president at Cal State East Bay.
"When we sit down to do something formal, it's hard to switch to
that way of thinking," said Shahid Beig, who grew up in India speaking to teachers in the most formal tones. "We don't even recognize it. I'm pretty sure that it has never happened to me, but I might have done it without knowing."
The phenomenon appears to be widespread. Instructors at Sonoma State, Holy Names and San Francisco State universities have grumbled about text-speak showing up in assignments.
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