Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7. 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
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My butt hurts. Sad face.
Some girls at this school think Germany starts with a J Jay for higher education.
We should sit in the Budig lab on one computer and stalk people on Facebook.
Girl in the Cubs hat at the Rec. I hate the Cubs, but you are beautiful. Unfortunately, I thought it would be awkward to hit on you at the Rec.
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Anybody else at that point in the semester where you just don't know what you're doing anymore?
Some kid is playing on his iPad in class and I think it is the funniest thing I have seen
Getting called on in class makes me a local celebrity.
A lot of fellows these days have a B.A., M.D, or Ph.D.
Unfortunately, they also don't have a JOB.
I am just trying to figure out why Kamikaze pilots wore helmets.
Beer and spicy Cajun food go so well with this weather.
Ready for Sportscenter to be nothing but baseball for the next couple months?
Sushi+ Wine+ Sappy music+
A ladv = All I want.
This is bad, real bad, Michael jackson
By the end of the week I'm either going to die of sleep-deprivation or overdose on Slushies.
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I'm making my schedule for next semester to accommodate my drinking problem
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I'm watching you. Whatever you do, don't look over your left shoulder
I HATE duke. I HATE THEM
SO MUCH I WON'T CAPITALIZE
THEIR NAME
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I saw a girl wearing a UNI shirt in the library today ... Really?
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I'm happy I'm an atheist.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Setting the record straight
There have been numerous national and local news sources, student senators and journalists who all have something to say about the potential fee cut of $83,200 to The University Daily Kansan. Student Senate is scheduled to vote on the issue tonight, and we feel a vote supporting this cut is not only unconstitutional, but a petty motion that is not in the best interest of the student body.
Regardless of the differing viewpoints, we wanted to clarify a few points involving this potential cut before the decision is made tonight.
1. This money will eliminate more than student "salaries."
Exactly how much an $83,200 cut will impede the Kansan's ability to continue to produce the same quality product can not be known at this time. What we do know for sure is that this cut will not only affect student workers, but it will decrease the quality of our content coverage.
In addition to content, it will also hurt student workers. The money given to students who work at the Kansan does not begin to cover the amount of hours they actually spend working at the paper.
The reason editors are paid is because it is such a demanding job; it is virtually impossible to simultaneously maintain another job. Additionally, Student Senate funds other student salaries and
The Kansan is one of the main reasons the School of Journalism can compete nationally with other schools. Journalism students are required to take two advanced media classes to graduate.
2. This will affect an entire school at the University
These are classes such as "newspaper reporting," "newspaper and online editing" and "magazine writing." All of these classes interact directly with The Kansan. Graduating with a journalism degree without experience working at a quality newspaper will hurt students already difficult chances of finding a job post graduation.
We have heard the argument that, "Everyone's had to take cuts." If this was the case there would be a 10 percent cut across all student groups. This isn't even a 10 percent cut across all campus media groups. This cut would be singing out the Kansan specifically.
3. It about the relationship,
not the lack of money.
Student Body President Mason Heilman said in a Kansan article on March 10, "To me, this is one of the most inappropriate relationships Student Senate has with any other outside group."
This potential cut is not about needing the money; it is about some student senators' personal problem with the relationship.
4. Other schools operate with a similar fee.
Heilman didn't respond to calls regarding this editorial before this went to print.
Out of all of the Big 12 universities, the Kansan receives the least amount of monetary support from the student body. Schools that don't have an apparent subscription fee often have endowment funds, which the Kansan has been told by the University it cannot use.
5. It can be illegal to make this cut.
For more information about the legality of this issue read Tuesday's article "Senate to vote on Kansan fee cuts" at Kansan.com
6. The relationship is not a conflict of interest.
The student fee goes through the campus media board which directly allocates the funds to various campus media, including the Kansan. The endorsements of student candidates written by the editorial board are consistent with how national editorial boards operate. The Kansan should be as educational for journalism students as possible, and to have a newspaper board that does not cover topics as pertinent to the study body as Student Senate elections would be pointless.
We hope this has helped to clarify what has become a controversial issue. Tonight, student senators should act in the best interest of the students they represent by voting against this proposal.
- Caitlin Thornbrugh for The Kansan Editorial Board
EDITORIAL CARTOON
NICHOLAS SAMBALUK
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
The distorted concept of marriage
In China, it would seem way too early for someone my age to talk about marriage. However, I'm in America, a country that is accustomed to early marriage.
Recently, people in my hometown were shocked to learn that several purported affairs between famous Hong Kong artists were true. The artists admitted during press conferences that they had secretly married. One couple disclosed they are now in the process of ending their four-year marriage
Part of the controversy surrounding these recent revelations was just how out of place seemingly compulsive marriages are in China. To me, it was no surprise that in America, where quick Las Vegas-style weddings are not only heard of, but often glamorized, divorce is so common. It stands to reason that reckless marriages should die out as quickly as they first emerge.
The artists defended that they kept their relationships secret to protect their careers and the divorcing couple claimed it was an amicable split. Aside from that, not much detail was provided.
According to the Americans for Divorce Reform estimation, 40 to 50 percent of marriages in the U.S. will end in divorce. By comparison, the 33.8 percent divorce rate in Hong Kong is relatively optimistic. And, even then, Hong Kong's rate is at an all-time high, as people are more open to western ideas and
Life in a Kaleidoscope
Experts explain that a main reason of the high break-up rate in the U.S. is the individual freedom Americans so love to pursue. If love and family cannot bring people happiness and safety, some may reason that divorce is their only choice. It seems to me that children and family members are not often taken into consideration in this self-centered objective.
the concept of gender relations has possibly distorted.
BY JOSIE HO
jho@kakao.com
On the contrary, China is a nation that stresses family ties and family responsibility. To many of us, the belief that marriage is a matter of only two people doesn't always apply. Instead, we realize that more people are influenced and affected by the success or failure of a relationship than the two
Despite the cultural differences, the ever-changing social climate and the concept of relationships play a role in the maintenance of a marriage. Consider new obstacles to today's relationships: Economically independent women
feel more confident of their abilities to support themselves. Long working hours threaten the ability to spend time with significant others. Add to that childlessness, separate bank accounts and threats of infidelity, and it is easy to see just how challenging any relationship can be.
Generations of our past have frowned on divorce, but this generation seems to embrace it.
However, the developments are not only for the worst. Could it be that people aren't losing faith in love, but rather we are just becoming more open-minded toward gender relations?
To some, divorce doesn't mean a loss of faith in love. Instead it just gives them a new hope for marriages of higher quality.
To me, marriage is a solemn decision for two people to enter another critical life stage together. Along with the ring, responsibilities are also slipped onto the hand. Although the mutual ties will be gone after the signature on the divorce agreement, a permanent scar will never be washed away
So, think precisely before making any life-changing promises to your beloved; otherwise, what may now seems to be a rosy romance could turn out to be a heart-breaker.
Ho is a junior from Macua, China in journalism.
POLITICS
Drilling doesn't solve real energy problems
Three words defined a certain somebody's cam
plagin in 2008. They were chanted so and became such a cultural touchstone that it is hard to look at that person without hearing them now. If you don't believe me, just think about where those words take you. Close your eyes and say it with me: "Drill, baby, drill."
Wait ... Is that what I was going for? Right now, it seems so. What was recently one of Sarah Palin's catchphrases seems to be regaining popularity on Capitol Hill, though it doesn't apply to ANWR this time. As a part of recent plans for energy policy, President Obama has begun to advocate an expansion of offshore drilling in certain locations, mainly off of the east coast.
The idea behind expanding drilling is, as it has always been, to increase job opportunities and decrease dependence on foreign oil. The President reiterated these points when announcing the plan to increase oil exploration off the coast. Obama said during a speech on energy security at Andrews Air Force Base that the country was "going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel" while developing newer energy sources.
Liberal Loudmouth
Regardless, this is a move that would have been more expected during the Bush Administration, when environmental concerns tended to be treated as obstacles to corporate ventures and little else. The positive sides of the expansion of drilling are that it does not include exploration in ANWR or the west coast. Past concerns that were expressed in that part of the country were over the possibility of drilling as close as three miles to the coastline. The announcement that drilling would only be permitted at a minimum 100 miles from shore means less damage to coastal environments.
Not so concerned with that
BY BEN COHEN
Both support for and opposition to this most recent round of deregulations have been bipartisan, so we don't have the excuse of saying "Wait until the Democrats get to whip out their plan" at the moment. I cringed during the last campaign cycle whenever "Drill, baby, drill" was pulled out as an answer to "Yes we can," but I also had that reaction when the Democratic candidates mentioned clean coal (the mythology of which I don't have room to write about today) as an alternative source of energy.
That said, drilling is drilling. It will be invasive wherever it happens, and will still carry risks of disrupting ocean ecosystems and spilling oil. One has to wonder when we will finally stop opening new sites, and really move forward on developing new fuel technologies.
In the time we have spent waiting for advances on real alternative fuel sources, many environmentalists have grudgingly tolerated existing drilling operations. It just would be nice to have a respite from needing to worry about more drilling sites being opened.
GUEST BLOG
Cohen is a senior from Topeka in political science.
is House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH). Boehner is quoted criticizing Obama for "delaying American energy production off our shores." It a bit odd that expanding offshore drilling is a delaying tactic, but some people are just never satisfied.
Steve Latter, an economics professor at Texas Tech, said he never failed a single student before but he had, once, failed an entire class.
A simple analogy of socialism versus free-market capitalism
That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich. It is a great equalizer. The professor decided to hold an experiment with the class on socialism: all grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade — no single person would fail and no single person would receive an A.
After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.
But, as the second test rolled around, the students who studied little for the first test studied even less. The ones who studied hard for the first test decided they wanted a free ride, too, so they studied little. The second test
average was a D, and no one was happy. When the third test rolled around the average was dropped even lower to an E.
The scores never increased throughout the semester as bickering, blame and name calling all resulted in hard feelings. It appeared that no one was willing to study any longer for the benefit of anyone else. Not surprisingly, they all failed.
At the end of the course, Professor Latter told the class that socialism would also ultimately fail. Capitalism is successful because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great. But, when the government levels the playing field and takes more of reward away, no one will try or want to succeed as much as before.
It seems to me that it could not be any simpler than that.
As posted by "cybercorrespondent" on Kansan.com on April 1.
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kaanan Editorial Board are
Stephen Montenegar, Branne Plannetelli,
Jane Luurning, Laurin Cunningham, Vicky
McYl, Emily McCoy, Stephanie Penn
James Castle, Michael Hohl, Caitlin Thoreau
and Andrew Hammond.
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