OPINION
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7A
THURSDAY. MARCH 6, 2008
COMMENTARY
Poetry still breathing despite archaic sounding rhythm
CAITLIN THORNBURGH
Poems are like drugs—easy to get hooked on and readily available. This is something I have discovered in my first poetry class.
Poetry isn't just for love-sick girls waiting for Lloyd Dobbler to show up with a boom-box outside their window or chain-smoking English majors who think they're the next Shakespeare.
Poetry is change. Poetry is music.
Poetry is "gleaming walls of Orangina bottles." (According to Harryette mullen).
Poetry is something different for every individual, something you should take the opportunity to explore.
Last week, as part of An Actual Kansas Reading Series run by Robert Baumann and Anne Boyer, Tao Lin and faculty member Deb Olin Unferth read at the 6 Gallery downtown. Lin's fictional story of Dakota Fanning and Haley Joel Osmond's suicide partnership and Unferth's vivid description of what happens when you leave a prostitute in your apartment were certainly original ideas which made for one of the more entertaining readings I've been to.
Also, this past week Paul Muldoon gave a lecture called "The Eternity of the Poem" as part of the Humanities Lecture Series. The Times Literary Supplement described him as "the most significant English-language poet born since the second World War." He was described by my poetry professor as quite possibly "one of the highest regarded living poets today".
As I sat between two of my classmates at his lecture, my谊思 thoughts crossed my mind such as "I never knew there were so many poems about snails" and "I wonder if he uses hair products?" (Those of you who have seen his wonderfully unique hair lately will understand that one.)
For those of you who only think you can handle poetry with a little alcohol in your system, try the Jazzhaus's Fresh Ink Spoken Word and Poetry. The next one is April 2.
I know you must be pretty bummed you missed out on hookers, snails and questionable hair product, but not to fear. Today Lyn Hejinian is reading at the Spencer Art Museum at 4 p.m. and then speaking about poetry at 7:30 p.m. in the Kansas Union.
For further opportunities become a frequenter of anactualblogspot.com. Want to actually write a poem and read it to people? Try Aimee's open mic night the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at 8 p.m.
As Muldoon said last week "One of the great things about poetry is that for the most part it doesn't go on for too long." So with that in mind, read a poem. You know you can read since you've made it this far in the column, and that's pretty much all the skill it takes. Walt Whitman said "To have great poets, there must be great audiences." He means you.
Thornburgh is a Leneax sophomore in women's studies and creative writing.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Senate relationship compromises constituents' interests
Student Senate needs to stop accepting gifts from Kansas Athletics Inc. because doing so presents a conflict of interest between the Athletics Department and those whom the Senate is supposed to serve - the student body.
For at least the past five years, the student body president and vice-president have enjoyed unlimited access to a Memorial Stadium suite to watch home football games, courtesy of Kansas Athletics Inc. They have also been flown by the Athletics Department to another university to attend an away KU football game. This past season, President Hannah Love and Vice President Ray Wittlinger accompanied the football team and athletics brass to College Station, Texas to see the jayhawks take on Texas A&M.
Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony said giving students access to the suit gives them valuable exposure to politicians, the media and other KU administrators, broadening their horizons and making them better leaders. As for the trip to college station, Marchiony said it provides the student representatives with chances to see other Big 12 schools and how they works.
Wittlinger wrote in an e-mail response that "this opportunity allows us to better understand the time commitment and experience of student athletes as they balance academics and athletics." He added that they also met with the members of the Texas A&M student Senate to swap various program ideas.
Collaborating with other university Senates is a great idea, which is why there are at least two student governing conferences per year where executive boards of Big 12 schools get together and talk campus politics. Expenses for these events come out of the Senate reserve fund. The fall conference this past semester was at the University of Texas, only one week after Love and Wittlinger visited Texas & M.
Learning about the competitive process and coming home with governing ideas that could've been exchanged just a week later isn't worth creating a future situation where Senate has to choose between those who have hooked them up and the students they are charged with serving.
Love and Wittlinger are entrusted by students with the monumentally
important responsibility of presiding over $18 million paid by students. They, along with their Senate, must allocate this money in a way that best serves the students. The current Senate has failed the students (and Senate's own rules) by not passing a bill that would eliminate the $40 per semester women's and non-revenue Sports fee, which sends $1.8 million annually to fund Athletics Department projects that aren't open to all KU students.
This, along with accepting freebies from Kansas Athletics Inc., invites questions about who Senate
is really answering to.
Kansas Athletics Inc., which is not technically affiliated with the University, receives more of Senate's attention than most University entities. The $40 athletics fee is the second most expensive student fee, second only to the $105.75 Student Health Fee, which provides all students with a number of free medical services.
Some senators agree that the athletics fee is excessive.
"I think it' s vital for student Senate to have a relationship with athletics," said Michael Wade Smith, freshman
senator. "But not a $1.8 million relationship."
Student-athletes deserve to be heard just as much as any other student group. But Senate needs to rethink handing out our money to a third party that generated $100 million in revenue during the 2006-2007 academic year.
To ensure Senate transparency, this discussion with the athletics department needs to come on neutral ground, not on a Boeing 747.
lan Stanford for the Editorial Board
COMMENTARY
Lawrence drivers break for pot holes, honk for better roads
I'm driving down the road bumping Kanye West's Graduation cd and applying lip gloss. "That that don't kill me, can only make me strong..." BAM!
I smear lip gloss on my cheek and my CD player cuts out for about three seconds. Was it because my NASCAR-like driving skills during multi-tasking caused a wreck?
BAM!
It was none of them actually. Rather, it was an all to familiar encounter for me and my car with one of Lawrence's most notorious street characteristics: potholes.
Although the city has a reported $5.3 to $5.4 million budget, it may appear to most that not much of that budget is actually going to street repair. According to Dena Mezger, the city assistant for public works, a major part of that money is used on in-house materials and the major contracted projects every year, which include concrete and curb replacement.
We've all taken that corner too sharply not while paying particular
attention until one of our front tires slams into a mini-gorge in the road, then we curse the free world.
Or was it a squirrel?
Growing up in Kansas, I've been well aware of the versatile range of weather we experience here. These past couple years have been colder and harsher than usual.
I believe our cars can testify to the effectiveness of those "replacements"
Potholes work likes this: Ice expands and when moisture gets under the concrete turning into ice, during the freeze-thaw cycle during expansion, it pops the pavement up.
I may be a country girl with little knowledge regarding the concrete and pavement business that big city men are involved in, but I'm just curious why there hasn't been a more effective process implemented to prevent the extreme rise of pot-holes during the winter months.
Areas around campus especially have treacherous potholes littered up and down the streets. I found certain areas in particular that appear to do the most wear and tear on a car. Go south down Mississippi street away from 9th street and there are at least six noticeable chunks of road missing. Jayhawk Boulevard by the Union is screaming to be filled in.
Continue south on Mississippi Street and curve around on Memorial Drive by Potter Lake and it gets even bumper with the road uneven and baby potholes loudly making their presence known.
The Jayhawk Bookstore at the top of the hill was surrounded by a couple of massive potholes on the corner of Naismith Drive. They've been filled, however, for now. Not paying attention going around that corner made me cringe; the loud
thud it made sounded as if it did irreparable damage.
By Allen Fieldhouse and the SRFC, the roads aren't too bad, for on campus. But farther outside of campus, around the student ghetto, the roads almost get worse. I have to go down Ohio between 13th and 14th streets every day, and my car sounds like it's going to pop out on me every time for subjecting it to those painful blows from the potholes.
The city says it seals cracks every year, but my behind is still feeling the bump. It's cold. I know, and we've only had a few warm days in which those wonderful city men can get out and save our cars from the agony, but is there no way end this annual cycle? Perhaps the city could take the millions of dollars that it is asking for to build the Oread Inn and use it to re-pave our streets.
McNaughton is a Topeka junior in journalism.
FREE FOR ALL
To contribute to Free For All, visit Kansan.com and add the Facebook application, or call 785-864-0500. Free For All callers have 20 seconds to talk about anything they choose.
If Hillary gets elected this country is going to suck so bad.
Screw you Clinton supporters!
--where's my Jim Halpert?
OK so I am not a fan of the opinion page. It's just a bunch of people complaining over the same crap every damn day.
He is so cut! I wonder if he wants to fuck me as bad as I want to fuck him?
--where's my Jim Halpert?
Something corporate is not that talented.
--where's my Jim Halpert?
Today I took a career aptitude
Today I took a career aptitude test and it said I'd be most comfortable in a "conventional" job, meaning I'm the next Pam Beasley. What I'm wondering is where's my Jim Halpert?
---
Free For All, I'd really like a boyfriend. Can you make that happen?
Free For All, I think I'm becoming a man whore. Strangely that doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would.
---
---
I'm short enough that when I stand next to Cole I can stand on my own two feet and be able to blow his mind.
---
I'm a liberal, but I'm exhuberant that McCain got the nomination. Why? No more fucking Ron Paul people on Wescoe
---
I'm not crazy, I'm just disgust ing
---
It's only Tuesday, and I'm completely drained.
---
To the boy who ate by himself Tuesday night at King Buffet, please find me.
---
I wish the long-winded princess next to me at Spahr would get off her phone already.
VIDEO FREE FOR ALL
Look for us in The Underground every Wednesday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Check out Kansan.com every Thursday for new Video Free for All.
TALK TO US
Want more? Check out Free For All online.
@KANSAN.COM
Lauren Keith, associate opinion editor 864-4924 or keith@kansan.com
Darla Slipke, editor
864-8108 or dslipke@kansasan.com
Matt Erickson, managing editor
864-8108 or merikson@kansasan.com
Dianne Smith, dsmith@kansasan.com
864-8108 or dsmith@kansasan.com
Bryan Dykman, opinion editor
864-8108 or dykman@kansasan.com
864-4924 or leithk@kansan.com
**Toni Bergquist**, business manager
864-4388 or bergquist@kansan.com
**Katy Pint**, sales manager
864-4147 or kpint@kansan.com
**Malcolm Gibson**, general manager and news adviser
864-7661 or mglossn@kansan.com
**Jon Schitt**, sales and marketing adviser
864-7666 or jschitt@kansan.com
CONTACT US
SUBMISSIONS
SUBMISSIONS
The Kansan welcomes letters to the editors and guest columns submitted by students, faculty and alumni.
The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions.
For questions about submissions, call Bryan Dykman or Lauren Keith at 864-4810 or email dykman@kansan.com.
General questions should be directed to the editor at editor@kansan.com.
LETTER GUIDELINES
Maximum Length: 200 words
The submission must include: Author's name and telephone number; class, home-room (student); position (faculty member/staff); phone number (will not be published)
GUEST COLUMN GUIDELINES
The submission must include: Author's name and telephone number; class, hometown (student); position (faculty member/staff); phone number (will not be published)
The Kansas will not print guest columns or letters that attack a reporter or another columnist.
Maximum Length: 500 words
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansas Editorial Board are Alex Dohrity, Bryan Dykman, Matt Erickson, Kelsey Hayes, Lauren Keith, Darla Silpe, Dianne Smith, Ian Stanford and Zach White.
---