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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 9A
OUR OPINION
Chancellor deserves praise for increase
Chancellor Hemenway, you've done it again, old boy. So how'd you do it? What's your secret for changing the University of Kansas from a safety school into a top pick for students who actually did their homework in high school?
We're talking about the University's ranking as 12th among public universities for the number of 2005 freshman National Merit Scholars, up four notches since last year, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Not only that, but the University also ranks 29th among all universities and third in the Big 12.
We know this was your Everest, or at least, perhaps, Kilimanjaro. Ever since you arrived at the University in 1995, you've been angling for these affable geeks to flock to Mt. Oread in droves. And by gum if you didn't manage to wrangle in 116 scholars by 2000, thanks to your Daddy-Warbuck-style scholarships that covered 15 hours of credit and board in a scholarship hall for both in-state and out-of-state geniuses. At that point the University had cracked the top 10 for public universities, enrolling the scholars for three consecutive years.
Then times got tough and your generous scholarships had to go off the table - for out-of-state students at least. In 2003 you stopped offering full rides to nonresident scholars. From then
Issue: The University's National Merit numbers
Stance: Well done, Chancellor; you've improved our standing.
on you have given the non-Kansans packages only worth about $10,000 a year, which is $4,000 less than in previous years.
Immediately this resulted in a dramatic drop in out-of-state scholars. But, like the boyfriend who has recently cheated on his girlfriend — a girlfriend with low self-esteem — you knew they would come back eventually. Oh how you were right.
The kids just couldn't stay away from the temptation to walk up steep hills and reside in the same state as Fred Phelps. Now the University has been restored to its full scholastic glory with 71 freshman Merit Scholars here this year, 55 of which are sponsored by the University.
Sure our National Merit ranking might not beat our ranking as a top 10 party school, according to Playboy, but it's good enough for us. Thanks again for coming to the University all you National Merit Scholars. Don't forget your duty to help the rest of us with our homework.
Malinda Osborne for the editorial board
▼ COMMENTARY
Spencer museum worth another look
Tucked neatly into the hillside between the Campanile and the Kansas Union lies the jewel of the University of Kansas. The Spencer Museum of Art
far exceeds the criteria for your average gem on its surface alone, easily surpassing those lesser criteria for an average art museum.
SCOTT SHORTEN
opinion@kansan.com
On approach to the museum, a grove of carefully placed pines and lanterms in the trees greet you as mysterious chords of delicate music float down to your ears from outdoor speakers. As you pass the flying dragons guarding the entrance, you begin to notice that things feel much more alive than you might generally expect from a museum.
I spoke with Bill Woodard, museum spokesman, about how the museum is able to create and maintain such a feeling of vitality and vibrancy when other museums may have a tendency to grow stale. Woodard said since Saralyn Reece Hardy took the reigns as museum director last March, the impetus toward collaboration, originality and innovation all over the campus have become hallmarks of the Spencer's objectives.
Prime examples of this were Steve Keene's time as resident artist at both the museum and in the Union, with the Indigo Project done by some KU students in the Art and Design Department and with works commissioned last fall in the museum's Central Court
by two of the University's own faculty members. Furthermore, the Spencer Museum of Art's Student Advisory Board, an all-discipline student organization
that seeks to promote students' artistic experiences while at the University, helps to ensure that the museum remains a place where all students can feel welcome to enjoy the many categories of art the Spencer has to offer.
"We're excited about what's happening here and we want students to share that excitement with us," Woodard said. "The hope is for students to look at the Spencer Museum of Art as a place that is truly theirs."
We have an amazing treasure here on our campus, but, this museum will never reveal its fullest potential to you unless you go and experience some of what it has to offer.
As one of the top-10 university art museums in the United States, there is no reason not to drop in every once in a while just to see what changes have taken place since the last time you were there. Or, if you're so inclined, take a more active role as an SMA Student Advisory Board member, work as an always-needed volunteer or just check out the myriad assortment of programs available to you.
♦ Shorten is a Stilwell senior in business administration.
Global warming not likely to disappear
COMMENTARY
The United States' government needs to make big changes. Global warming, once regarded by many as a natural phenomenon or even an exaggeration, is being shown time and again by scientists to be a serious problem.
It's true that the planet Earth naturally goes through cycles of warm and cold. But the planet hasn't been this warm in 120,000 years. The year 1998 was the warmest in more than 100 years. Warmer temperatures might seem appealing during February in Kansas, but the negative effects of global warming are becoming clearer - and more alarming.
In a study published in a recent issue of Science magazine, a group of KU researchers teamed up with NASA and discovered that Greenland's ice caps were melting twice as fast as they were a decade ago. According to a Lawrence Journal-World article,
BECCA EVANHOE
nvision@hansan.com
if all of Greenland were to melt, it would raise the sea level 23 feet. Sixty percent of the world's population lives in coastal areas, and a dramatic rise in sea level would alter the lives of those living along thousands of miles of coastline.
Another recent study, published in the March edition of Scientific American, showed that the ocean has absorbed about one-third of the carbon dioxide released in the last 150 years of industrialization. When the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, it becomes more acidic, and this acidity seems to harm the living creatures of coral reefs.
Alarm bells are going off, but what can the government do? The problem is complex, and seems nearly impossible to stop. Obviously, we can't halt the use of cars and factories. But we can reduce our emissions through government-issued regulations.
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change stresses the importance of starting now to reduce emissions. The center suggests changing industry, manufacturing and transportation; putting more research into renewable energy; reducing energy use and preparing to deal with the inevitable consequences of a warmer climate. As written in its February 2006 Agenda for Climate Action, "Further delay will only make the challenge before us more daunting and costly."
♦ Evanhoe is a Derby senior in chemistry.
Free All for
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slaindon and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
So the KU Parking Department can pretty much kiss my KU sitting department if
ie counter is really, really hot. I would love to get fresh with you Smoothie Man.
I just wanted to say that the guy that just checked me out at this Freshens Smooth-
Blonde hair does not a hottie make.
Free-for-All, is it bad that I seriously stress out about who to put in my top eight on Myspace, afraid of people getting mad at me?
Patrick Rose, associate opinion editor
864-4924 or prosa@kansan.com
Ari Ben, business manager
864-4424 or adddirector@kansan.com
Sarah Connelly, sales manager
864-4424 or adales@kansan.com
Makolm Gibbon, general manager, news adviser
864-7687 or mgibson@kansan.com
you know what I mean.
The hating of Missouri
A-Z ought to win a Pulitzer
Prize.
I've skipped classes. I've not done homework. Just to play World of Warcraft. And now I've got to wait 20 minutes just
to sign on? I'm in hell.
Has anyone else noticed that the dumbasses at the paper have been spelling "Torina TUJL LAN?"
(Editor's Note: Turin is the American-English translation of Torino. If the Olympics were in Rome, we wouldn't call it Roma.)
This isn't really for Freefor-All. This is more for the all-knowing editor. 92.9 has been playing "We Will Rock You" for like the last almost 24 hours and I'd like to know why. So if you could help me
+
Torino, T-U-R-I-N?
out with one of your little parentheses editor's notes, that is.
+
that would be great. Bye.
(Editor's Note: Sometimes radio stations do that if they are changing formats.)
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser
864-7666 or jweaver@kansan.com
Free-For-All, oh how I hate that there's only Flamin' Hot Cheetos in every single vending machine on campus. Where's the old crunchy sort?
George W. Bush cares about your education, and the education of future generations. Being quite the scholar himself, the president has gone to great lengths to ensure the successful academic future of America by instating the No Child Left Behind act, which set a standard for all public schools in order to give children from all backgrounds the same guarantee at an equal education. He's also set about reforming the federal budget for education, ensuring a more effective use of the taxpayers' hard-earned money.
BETSY McLEOD
opinion@kansan.com
In reality, our education program is falling to pieces. Harvard University took an in-depth look at how the NCLB act has affected American schools, and proclaimed that the act benefits white middle-class children more than other groups.
Good job, Mr. President. I think your country feels smarter already. But what about the $3.2 million cut in education funding? Next year, the U.S. Department of Education would receive $54.4 billion if lawmakers back the cuts. The President insists that the cuts are necessary in order to reduce the national deficit, which had ballooned to $412.6 billion in 2004. Sure, $54.4 billion sounds like a lot of money, until you compare it with the $455.5 billion budget for national defense.
Under the act, schools are required to show annual improvement in standardized math and English tests. It sets a bar, and schools whose overall test scores fail to meet that bar are sanctioned and sometimes closed. But according to a report by CNN, "instead of uniform standards, the policy has allowed various states to negotiate treaties and bargains to reduce the number of schools and districts identified as failing."
But when the president was questioned about this funding cut when he spoke at Kansas State University, he seemed flabbergasted, and after asking the student to repeat the question three times, said, "we're not taking people off of student loans, we're saving money in the student loan program because its inefficient." You're right, George, the student loan programs are inefficient, just ask any college student that will spend the next fifty years paying off four years of college. The president closed the question with, "I think I'm right on this. I'll check when I get back to Washington." I wonder if he ever got back to that student with the right answer.
So don't worry, fellow colleagues, George W. Bush cares about your education, but just to be safe, maybe you should drop out quick and join the military.
- McLeod is an Overland Park sophomore in journalism.
Jonathan Kealing, editor
864-4854 or jealong@kansan.com
Joshua Bickel, managing editor
864-4854 or jbicke@kansan.com
Nate Karlin, managing editor
864-4854 or nklerin@kansan.com
Jason Shad, comico editor
864-4924 or jeahad@kansan.com
TALK TO US
Question Bush's school policy
▼ COMMENTARY
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Jordan, Malinda Daleino
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