OPINION
THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
5A
TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2008
COMMENTARY
Longer break needed from school, midterms
Spring break flew by in a week, and like that it was gone.
After dealing with such stressful midterms and projects from my majors and minors, I was hoping to catch a moment of relief from all of the work I had done. I planned to get some much-needed break from journalism, the French language and the history of the Second World War.
I honestly felt that myself and the rest of the student body deserved a longer spring break.
Why not start Wednesday or Thursday, after the break, just like the Thursday that starts a new semester. It's a better transition back into school.
Those extra days could be used for rest and preparing for the rest of the semester, much like students do when they move back in town, buy their books and get mentally prepared after the summer ends, and they have to start the new semester.
Monday is too abrupt. Walking up and down Wescoe beach, students are still recovering from jetlag, hangovers or from the stress of trying to keep up with the studies that have been assigned to them.
Monday can be a blaring annoyance when you come back from break.
"Welcome back students, you have a critical book review, a French cultural project, or make-up tests due this Friday," says the professor on Monday when students are still trying to recover. I consider
myself a well-behaved student but when I hear something like that, I want to throw the French book at the teacher.
I restrain myself.
Students leave that prespring break Friday amped-up with excitement to get out of school. They hope to have fun and relax from the stress of school. For those who have to work over the break, they deserve a good rest just as any other student who parties, drinks, mingles and lets go of all their troubles and worries.
I think a week of fun is much deserved for college students, and I think a few days rest after is deserved as well and not too much too ask.
The funny thing is I didn't even do anything this spring break but work and try to relax in the meantime. I worked five days a week, and I would have worked a six if it had not have been for Easter Sunday.
I feel I barely got a break. I feel cheated. Here I did all this hard work for midterms, and I don't even feel an ounce of rejuvenation going into the rest of the spring semester. I'm exhausted but I guess I will have to muster the strength to finish this semester on a high note, because a few days off maybe asking too much.
I didn't even go party that much like many of you college students, and I felt completely unprepared for school starting Monday.
I know my plea will fall on deaf ears but I feel a longer spring break is well deserved.
Brown is a Lee's Summit, Mo., junior in journalism.
》 TALK BACK TO THE KANSAN OPINION DESK
Few lights are reflected on the water after officials shut down the colorful street lights along Roxas Boulevard in Manila, Philippines.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Major cities from Sydney to Rome to Chicago to London participated in Earth Hour, but did residents in Lawrence participate? What about you? Did you flip your lights?
The goal of Earth Hour was to highlight the difference an
individual can make to fight global warming. Did this mes sage reach you?
Send your thoughts to kansanopdesk@gmail.com.
Replies to this week's Talk Back topic will be printed on Friday.
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COMMENTARY
Could grass be greener on the virtual side?
I do love spending time writing goofy messages on my friends' Facebook walls, as opposed to actually calling them and seeing if they want to hang out, or having long conversations on Instant Messenger with people I see all the time. It is fun, and a good way to stay sane while working on 10-page research papers.
Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) once called the internet a "series of tubes," one which one cannot "dump something on." To others, it is "serious business." To a select few others, it is something they invented. For the record, these select few others might be Al Gore.
To me, it is both my favorite research tool and the all-time great distraction. Databases like JStor have saved my life on multiple occasions since I started college, with its endless articles from academic publications that I never knew existed. Of course, I've also found myself devoting unnecessary amounts of time to things like Facebook, fantasy football and animals with funny quotes. Who knew that walruses love buckets so much?
A guest lecturer who spoke to my class insisted that "Second Life" was not a game, but rather an actual world like the one we live in now. He challenged us to explain how this was not true. Even though I held my tongue in class, it was tempting to mention how people in this "First Life" cannot fly, teleport or buy private islands for $50. It didn't help that the lecturer showed us his avatar, which, in case you are a lame First Lifer like me, is a representation of the player. The
What worries me about the Internet is how attached people can get to what it brings them. Last semester, I had a class all about emerging forms of media, which I quickly discovered was code for "popular social networking sites." We had a brief unit on a program called "Second Life." Being at least somewhat familiar with the concept of the MMORPG (massive multi-player role-playing game), I was not all that impressed with what amounted to World of Warcraft with low cave trolls and more CNN clips.
Still, First Life aka "the real world," or that scary place on the other side of the foyer" offers things that aren't worth skipping out on for pixels and a fake life. Like the sun, for instance. Or better yet, real people. They may not be talking foxes, but they still tend to be pretty interesting. On a side note, if you are starting to hear foxes talk to you in real life, please seek help. Or turn off the computer, because it's starting to take over you.
avatar was well dressed and had good posture, but it also happened to be an anthropomorphized fox. Call me old-fashioned, but I have a hard time calling a program that only exists in glowing boxes where people can transform into well-groomed forest animals a "real" world.
He also told the class that Second Life has its own economy, and you can spend real First Life money. By this logic, any Web site that uses PayPal is taking the first step toward being its own reality.
I don't have anything against the existence of sites and programs like Second Life. What's disturbing is the idea that some people see them as a replacement for real life. On the Internet people tend to portray themselves as better looking, more intelligent and, evidently, fox-like, but all of that can easily be ruined by a power outage or your cat walking across the keyboard.
Cohen is a Topela junior in English and political science.
》 LETTER TO THE EDITOR
In midst of celebration, trash still goes in trash cans
As an alumnus of the University of Kansas, I was very happy to see KU advance to the Final Four. The last time it happened (2003) I was still in school, and I remember it all to well.
In 2003, we headed down to Massachusetts Street after the game to see cars bumper to bumper up and down the street. People young and old were hanging out of sun roofs screaming "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" as well as honking their horns. It was an amazing sight seeing all the people come together to celebrate the victory. I'm sure the same thing
occurred Sunday night after this year's team clinched a spot in the Final Four and that's great!
This morning, though, I was down on Massachusetts Street and saw the aftermath of last night's celebrations. The street was littered with cups from seventh all the way up to eleventh. It was a trashy site to say the least. It's a shame that some feel entitled to leave their trash for others to pick up because of the outcome of a basketball game. This is the University of Kansas folks, and we've been successful at basketball for a long time let's act like it! We
can still celebrate and have a good time,
just pick up your mess.
Rock Chalk Jayhawk, Go KU!!!
I'm looking forward to the game on Saturday as well as going down to Mass. to see the turnout. It'll be a sight. Let's do better next time and throw stuff in the trash cans when we are done with it, not on the sidewalks, or in the streets or in the gutters. As Ron Burgundy would say..."You stay classy, Lawrence."
Jeremy Struemph KU Alumni 2003 Grant Specialist
editorials around the nation
Even before he made what might become a career-defining speech in Philadelphia, Sen. Barack Obama was ahead of his Democratic primary rival, Hillary Clinton, in party delegates and the popular vote.
Speech highlights 'unusual' campaign
With a tough primary ahead on April 22 in Pennsylvania, the Illinois senator addressed the controversy in a speech that drew upon the best traditions of American oratory.
But that lead was threatened by the specter of race, in recent comments made.
As an example of contemporary oratory, it was
ASSOCIATED PRESS
stunning. As political rhetoric, it was designed to do far more than damage control and, in the end, distilled the essence of his candidacy.
If Barack Obama wins the Democratic nomination in
the most unlikely campaign in American history, chances are good that his Philadelphia speech will have been a watershed moment.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette March 19 editorial
To contribute to Free For All, visit Kansan.com or call 785-864-0500. Free For All callers have 20 seconds to talk about anything they choose.
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Why is it hard to concentrate today?
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Not only did we win Sunday, but I got laid too!
I do have my early morning quiz. Stop yelling!
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To the jerk who kicked the can all the way across the Oliver parking lot at 2 a.m.: I hope you don't sleep tonight
Stop honking at 1:20 am. The game finished more than 7 hours ago. I have a test in the
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Chuck Norris does not get sick. He allows certain viruses to temporarily inhabit his person
Sorry about the whole women getting glossed over in history thing. But when was the last time you heard anything about the Stonewall Riots in a history class?
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B be wary of Tryyaki when you use your card. They put a tip on it to charge you more.
Crimson and Blue are better than Powder Blue and White. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
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For Hawk fans everywhere, this is the game we've been waiting for and the same game Roy's been dreading, for five years. There's no way we're going to let this opportunity slip.
May Tyler Hansbrough come down with hemorrhoids this week
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Thank you, Jayhawks, for beating my best friend's snobby school. Daddy can't pay $30,000 a semester to get to the Final Four!
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All of the coalitions are fighting again. Time to vote for Students of Liberty.
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Reminder: Install frat filter on Free For All.
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Student Senators need to stop bashing each other on the message boards. It further degrades the already bad reputation of the Student Senate.
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