Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 9A
FREE FOR ALL
--the state legislature in the coming months.
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I painted my girlfriend's toenails tonight.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
To transfer or not to transfer? That is the question!
--the state legislature in the coming months.
Why the debate over whether it's called soda or pop? Personally I just thought it was called a chaser.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
I just found out I've had more sex than my best friend. I never thought this day would
--the state legislature in the coming months.
I predict — nay, I decree — that this weekend shall be the stuff of legend.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
Dude, lots of chicks think that architects are hot.
Think about that, you create something out of nothing.
You're like God. There is no one hotter than God.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
Discouraging premarital sex is against my religion.
I fear the incredible lack of correlation between my good grades and the amount of study time I put in is not conducive to success in the real world.
I'm writing my letter of resignation this weekend!
--the state legislature in the coming months.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
Mmm, I love me some drag queens!
--the state legislature in the coming months.
Whenever I get sad, I just stop being sad and start being awesome instead. True story.
Baseball is so bloody boring (English accent)!
Get these X's off the back of my hands!
--the state legislature in the coming months.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
I have expensive taste, so it sucks when I have no money.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
My horoscope dictates that this is supposed to be my happy day!
--the state legislature in the coming months.
I am reading a book. It's called you.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
I've been alive for 7,071 days.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
Do me a favor and don't ever look at me again.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
A fridge full of Chipotle and beer ... I'm living the dream.
I just saw a Dodge Challenger drift around the Chi Omega fountain in broad daylight. My life is complete.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
--the state legislature in the coming months.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Chancellor's progress report
Sunday's inauguration of Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little, the University's first African-American and first female chancellor, stands as a momentous occasion.
Since beginning her tenure as the 17th chancellor of the University on Aug. 15, 2009, Gray-Little has proven to be a worthy successor to Robert Hemenway. Burdened with $37.3 million in budget cuts and unfunded mandates, her first eight months as chancellor have been far from easy.
Here we assess how the chancellor has dealt with some big challenges and has contributed to some positive new policies.
Budget Cuts. We support Gray-Little in her continued efforts to minimize short- and long-term effects of the budget shortfalls. In working closely with Kansas lawmakers, Gray-Little has shown her commitment to preserving the University's high educational standards.
Her emphasis on maximizing operating efficiency has saved the University more than $3 million through changes in purchasing rules, the consolidation of library purchases and improvements in energy efficiency.
With the chancellor's support, several bills further improving budget efficiency are expected to pass
The University needs Gray-Little's strong leadership and firm commitment to higher education more than ever. We agree with her belief that a strong University can ensure a prosperous Kansas and contribute to economic recovery.
Charting the Future. Though managing budget cuts has dominated the chancellor's agenda since August, she has also taken important strides in three key areas outlined in her strategic initiative, "Charting the Future." These areas include research engagement, student recruitment and student retention and success.
So far, only the Research Engagement Task Force has presented a formal report to the chancellor outlining specific recommendations. We hope to see the report's suggestions implemented soon.
In recognizing the need for improvements in these key areas, the chancellor organized three task forces to develop strategies for each issue. Proactive steps such as this illustrate Gray-Little's dedication to improving the quality of education and research at the University.
— Semester of Service. Gray-Little's inauguration provided students, faculty, staff, alumni and the Lawrence community the perfect opportunity to show their support
through community service.
The KU community has contributed more than 91,000 volunteer hours through the "Semester of Service" program. The program was organized in honor of Gray-Little's inauguration, with the goal of reaching 100,000 hours by the end of the semester.
With five weeks left in the semester, "Semester of Service" looks on track to surpass its initial goal. Though the program has been extremely successful, the real test will be to see if the KU community can sustain its commitment to community service after this semester.
Future Goals. We remain optimistic in Gray-Little's ability to lead. Though she has been chancellor for a mere eight months, we are impressed by her strong commitment to ensuring the success of students and the University.
With strong leadership and proactive solutions, Gray-Little has proven herself capable of handling the difficulties at hand.
Yet given the $37.3 million budget cuts, the chancellor has much left to do in order to ensure the long-term success of the University and its students.
Michael Holtz for The Kansan Editorial Board
EDITORIAL CARTOON
A typical day in an Engineering class...
MARIAM SAIFAM
MEDIA ISSUES
A little discomfort can be good
Hours before the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics were set to begin, Georgian Nodar Kumaritashvili lost control of his luge during a practice trial and slammed into a pillar, killing him. NBC, the American network granted coverage of the Games, captured the grisly footage on video, and viewers originally watched the death of the 21-year-old on television. Later in the day, however, NBC edited the footage to just before Kumaritashvili's impact, preventing the worst of the footage from airing.
Whether or not this video should have been shown is a debate that perhaps will never be resolved, but should certainly be discussed. The fact that the video was later taken down is a reflection of the media's good intentions of protecting viewers' comfort, but others argue that the video's removal was ill-advised and prevented citizens from seeing reality.
It's a basic human response to distance ourselves from situations that make us uncomfortable. But how is a viewer supposed to see just how dangerous that Olympic luge track was if the video can't be shown?
The cliche says that a picture is a worth a thousand words. In the case of these two examples, I believe that statement is correct. I remember that as I watched Kumarishvill's impact with a small group of people, our reaction was gasps and shock. We shared the moment of emotion, and could more closely
That Guy
feel the pain of the event. This is something I believe would have been hard to replicate if a Bob Costas summary took over in place of the video.
BY TRENT BOULTINGHOUSE
toulounghet@kansan.com
For another example, could the widespread public unity in the immediate aftermath of September 11 have occurred if news outlets had elected to censor the footage of the planes striking the buildings? Most everyone can remember where they were when they first heard news of the attacks, even years after the events. This leads one to wonder how much of the emotion generated from that day was a result of the media's willingness to publish the images — albeit disturbing ones.
It's pretty harmless to debate on the topic when one is devoid of a direct connection to any of images discussed. But, how would you feel if it was someone close to you whose moment of vulnerability was broadcast for millions? This is why it's difficult to know where to draw the line in the battle of the rights to see reality versus the ethics of showing violent acts.
The Associated Press ran into this problem last year when it chose
to publish a photo of a dying U.S. soldier who had been ambushed in Afghanistan, against his family's wishes. Although the photo wasn't nearly as bad as other images of war on the Internet, it did show the final moments of the soldier's life.
Even though the Associated Press received harsh criticism for its publication of the photo, it did help remind viewers that, yes, there are still soldiers dying and that, yes, the situation on the front can be deadly.
Removing publication of graphic photos allows the public to be spared from disturbing images, but such an action refuses to tell the complete story. Therefore, NBC and the Associated Press were just in their publication of the respective images — after all, isn't the complete truth what we demand in our news?
It's very possible that most of the criticism directed against the Associated Press wasn't about the soldier's death. Instead, it may have been a reflection of viewer's unwillingness to place Afghanistan back in the dominant role of public discourse, much like Olympic fans who didn't want the dangers of winter sports to interfere with their eager, but safe roles as viewers. The public needs to confront reality.
Boultinghouse is a sophomore from Girard in history and journalism.
HUMOR
'Doubling down' may be ticket to reality TV
My mother will watch any TV show involving obesity or dwarfism. If it includes a big person trying to get smaller or a small person trying to reach a light switch, she will find herself compelled by the stories of their real-life struggles. I would imagine her ideal show would be a combination of the two — something along the lines of, "The Littlest Biggest Loser."
The bounty of dwarfism programs can mostly be attributed to TLC, whose lineup seems to consist exclusively of reality shows about average-sized families of little people or extremely large families of average-sized people. But shows about obesity are virtually everywhere. The national epidemic is reflected in TV Guide — Discovery Channel, NBC and even VH1 all have shows about losing weight.
The latest, "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" on ABC, is about getting to the root of the obesity problem by changing America's eating habits. That will be pretty hard to do, especially since KFC has started a revolution of its own with the Double Down sandwich.
The Double Down, debuting nationwide this week, is a grotesque masterpiece. If Michelangelo worked in grease, this is what he would create. The Double Down consists of bacon, melted cheese and something terrifying called "Colonel's Sauce." Where is the chicken, you ask? Well, forget everything you ever thought you knew about buns because they have been replaced by two hulking fried chunks of bird.
KFC seems to have abandoned Kentucky Grilled Chicken, its weak attempt at following the healthier fast food trend led by restaurants such as McDonald's, in favor of the only sandwich on the market that could accurately be described as Kafkaesque. Indeed, they are moving in the complete opposite direction and into bizarre, nightmarish realms never before explored by the American food industry.
BY ALEX NICHOLS
Now, I usually have no qualms about junk food. I only go to fast food joints a few times a month, but when I do partake, I don't away from the dark depths of the menu. On more than one occasion, I have ordered six KFC Buffalo Snackers to eat in one sitting. When you eat that much crap, the meal is divided into stages.
The first two snackers go down fairly easily, but you're just getting started. Halfway through the third one, you look at the remaining three and start to panic. On the fourth one, you feel your body starting to weaken and promise yourself never to do this again. By the fifth one, you're angry at yourself, at KFC and at the world. When you finally get to the sixth one, you're just depressed. You force it down and then cry yourself into a food coma.
When somebody who has done that multiple times is frightened of your sandwich, you've either failed or accomplished something magnificent. Or both.
If the sandwich is successful, KFC could turn the already-feared freshman 15 into the freshman 50. And that may just be the start — if other places follow suit, we could see salads where the lettuce is replaced with beef jerky or cream cheese bagels where the bagels are replaced with more cream cheese. I have seen the future, and it is fat.
If you are brave enough to try the Double Down, please be careful. I don't want my mother to see your story on the next episode of "I Nearly Died of Shame."
Nichols is a junior from Stilwell in creative writing.
Think before you eat
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I was pleased to read the review of Tenth St. Vegetarian Bistro in Jayplay. In light of the cruelty inherent in the livestock industry, providing students with information on cruelty-free dining is more important than ever.
Ammonia from trapped urine burns the animals' lungs, and they are continually given antibiotics in order to keep them alive
Ever wonder why slices of meat are cheaper than fresh produce? Well, aside from the billions of dollars in annual subsidies that meat producers receive, factory farmers keep meat cheap by boxing up animals in filthy warehouses in extreme confinement for their entire lives. Chickens are kept in cages so small that they can't stretch a single wing, and pigs are confined to crates so tiny that they can't even turn around and are forced to stand on slated floors in their own excrement.
in these filthy conditions.
This extreme confinement frequently drives animals insane, they are mutilated (without being given any painkillers) so they don't kill each other: Chickens have their beaks cut off with hot blades and pigs are castrated and have their tails cut off.
In order to produce the amount of meat that's consumed in America today, factory farmers have to keep animals in extreme confinement and disregard animal welfare.
Fortunately, thanks to establishments such as Tenth St. Vegetarian Bistro (not to mention your local grocery store) that offer cruelty-free dining options, it's never been easier to avoid meat, milk and eggs. Please remember, every time you sit down to eat, you can choose not to support companies that abuse animals.
- Drew Winter is a college campaigns assistant for peta2.
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Stephen Montemeyer, Braanne Plennettel, Jennifer Torrine, Lauuren Cunningham, Vicky Lu, Michael Schwartz, Stephanie Penna, James Castle, Michael Holtz, Caitlin Thornberg and Andrew Hammond.