Opinion The University Daily Kansan United States First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1.2010 WWW.KANSAN.COM Follow Opinion on Twitter. @kansanopinion PAGE 5A --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics To contribute to Free For All, visit Kansan.com or call (785) 864-0500. --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics To the pianist/singer/organ player in the room above mine, STOP that nonsense!!! Dear slow walkers of the KU campus: If you're going to scoot along the sidewalk, you might as well wiggle and be entertaining. So I spent last night watching Pokemon with my boyfriend. Night well spent? i think so. --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics If you supposed to be best friends with somebody, you should probably behave like --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics Cat food, batteries and sex toys. Amazon must think I'm an insane single crazy cat lady who is afraid of the dark. I took a nap on the first floor of Budig ... pantless. --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics I smell an all-nighter coming! --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics Hey teachers, you will never figure out the sound on the projection so stop trying! --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics I hate winter, because I hate being cold. But I can't wait for winter, because I want hot apple cider! --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics My picture in my new ID looks good. It's a miracle! --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics I've realized every guy sporting Buddy Holly glasses, is a tool. I'm all icky. --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby. --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full. --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics The guy above you is writing awesome songs at night. You: A. Bang him, or B. Bang your ceiling? --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics We both look at each other when we walk by each other When will one of us say hi? Frank Sinatra and frozen yogurt, the real key to my heart --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics A cop yelled at me this weekend for walking with a cup in my hand. For the record, a guy had littered and I was looking to throw it away. Keeping Lawrence clean, one at a time, officer. --their belts and cut programs and jobs. The athletics department is a part of the University and should be more willing to give money to academics. Strong ethics EDITORIAL BOARD Next director must value ethics,openess With Lew Perkins' impending retirement in September 2011, the search for his replacement as athletics director needs to begin The Kansan reported on Aug. 23 that the search has yet to start and the criteria for his replacement has yet to be set. When searching for potential candidates University officials should keep the following in mind: Openness and transparency The athletics department is notorious for not being open to the public with information and the embarrassing ticket scandal that brought negative national attention to the University is a direct result from that. Perkins' replacement should be much more willing to share information with both the press and the public. Willingness to allocate more funds for academics According to associate athletics director Jim Marchiony, the athletics department has a budget of $55 million and gives approximately $12 million each year to academics from ticketing, merchandise and television revenue and NCAA revenue distribution. That may seem like a large sum of money. But a large majority of the people who buy tickets and merchandise are students or alumni, both of whom benefit from strong academics at the University. Severe budget cuts have forced academic departments to tighten Send a letter to the editor at kansanopdesk@gmail.com What qualities do you want in the next athletic director? To avoid another scandal such as the inappropriate distribution of football and basketball tickets by former employees, Perkins' replacement needs to have strong ethics. This should hold the staff of the athletics department to a high moral standards. Charities Contact the Chancellor's office at 230 Strong Hall (785) 864-3131 chancellor@ku.edu Strong ethics Or comment online at Kansan.com The athletics director is essentially the face of the athletics program at the University. He or she needs to be likeable.The director will be dealing with press, boosters, alumni, etc, and needs to be approachable. Ability to raise funds Charisma Perkins is a great fundraiser. According to Marchiony, in Perkins' career he has raised over 150 million for the athletics Ability to raise funds His replacement needs to be an equally good fundraiser and should have a strong background that shows skill in fundraising The search for Perkins replacement should yield candidates who have these qualities. The students and the University need and deserve an athletics director who represents them well and ensures that the program is held to a high ethical standard. program. Fundraising is very important but so is the strength of the Kansas name. The ticket scandal caused the University much embarrassment: Perkins' replacement should ensure that a humiliation like that never happens again. -Kate Larrabee for The Kansan Editorial Board EDITORIAL CARTOON MARIAM SAIFAN HUMOR Silly Bandz fad reaches across age groups with staying power But there is a recent fad so perfectly and bizarre simple, that it stretches across age groups and may have significant staying power. I'm speaking, of course, about Silly Bandz. Last week, in my Television Studies class (that's right), we watched a Frontline documentary about how television markets to kids and teenagers. This made me think about the fleeting nature of popularity, particularly among the youngsters. Sure, at the time it may have seemed like Limp Bizkit would rule the world forever, but they faded into obscurity just as quickly as they entered the spotlight. Same goes with James van der Beek and Furby. The documentary was a decade old, and yet it was still highly relevant; nearly all of the techniques are still used today in order to capitalize on trends and create new ones. I first noticed the proliferation of Silly Bandz at my summer job. I work as a TA for a summer day camp, and it seemed as if every single kindergartener in my class had a wristful of these colorful rubber bands that, when laid flat. What really dated the documentary, however, were the things being marketed. Of all the music, television and film mentioned,the only act still relevant today is, improbably,the Insane Clown Posse. Under Observator I figured it was just a little kid trend until my high school sister told me her classmates loved them, too. She works at a large department store and said people would come in just to buy bags of Silly Bandz. Then, when I came back to Lawrence, I found that even college kids were getting in on the fun. One even had a Jayhawk Silly Band. took a particular shape. Name just about any noun and there's probably a Silly Band of it. BY ALEX NICHOLS Just from an economic standpoint, Silly Bandz are brilliant. A whole store's worth of silly bands probably costs about a dollar to make, and they are sold at what has to be an insane profit. A 24 pack can go for as high as $6. But what is particularly intriguing about Silly Bandz is just how simple the concept is. There's not really a flashy gimmick to them (other than the funky-fresh use of the plural "z"), which is what most kid trends seem to need to attract consumers. They don't talk. They don't tell you your mood. They don't encourage kids to train clearly sentient creatures to fight each other to the death. They're just bright, colorful rubber bands. It would be like if sticks or rubber balls or cardboard boxes suddenly became all the rage. They can also teach kids lessons. In trading Silly Bandz, kids may learn how to barter, negotiate and avoid being swindled. Also, in my very limited experience with Silly Bandz, I have found that it is incredibly easy for them to simply disappear from your wrist without you noticing them. From this, kids might develop a Buddhist appreciation for the beauty of impermanence and the impermanence of beauty. Or maybe they'll just buy some more. Silly Bandz are just fun enough to get kids interested while at the same time being passive enough to avoid over-exposure. Nobody is going to be annoyed by a few rubber bands resting innocently around your wrist. The only thing that could ruin Silly Bandz' unique shot at longevity is the development of a Silly Bandz media empire. We don't need a Silly Bandz cartoon with an gratingly catchy jingle. That being said, if a television executive feels that we do need such a cartoon, I am definitely available to write it. Nichols is a senior from Stilwell in creative writing. LAWRENCE Homeless shelter shows best and worst of Lawrence residents In June, the U.S. government called for an integration of services to better address homelessness. This has called more attention to homelessness at a national level. But in Lawrence, homelessness has been a highly visible issue for a long time. The Lawrence Community Shelter has been searching for a new building for four years. After a year of debates and delays by the county commission, along with one failed proposal, the commission finally gave approval for relocation at the end of July. The commission had already given permission for the shelter to raise its overnight capacity to 53, an increase from the original cap of 31 (though it was allowed to be raised to 76 during the winter), through September, according to The Lawrence Journal-World. This is still a very low number, considering the increasing numbers of homeless people in Lawrence, which gives clear rea son for a new, larger shelter. I cannot help but see a small amount of symbolism in the new location's proximity to the Douglas County Jail. This observation has been helped by the response I have seen from the community to the shelter seeking a new location. One of the reasons the relocation approval took so long was opposition brought by Lawrence residents. Based on the commentary, it appears to me that many people see homelessness as some sort of crime or wrongdoing. Despite the negative symbolism, I am supportive of the shelter's move. This is the best location the shelter leadership could find on top of all the criticism from the community. Unfortunately, no one wants the shelter in their backyard — or, rather, anywhere remotely near their neighborhood. The concerns are certainly real and understandable. But the numbers of homeless people are rising. The people who condemn homelessness tend to ignore that more and more families are losing their homes. On Aug.22, the Journal- World published an article about homeless children. It said that this year, there are 164 homeless students in Lawrence Public Schools. Imagine having to deal with homelessness in junior high. These are people just like you. Human Rights for All BY KELLY COSBY kcosby@kansap.com The community spent more than a year arguing about the location of the new shelter instead of spending that time and effort trying to alleviate the problem. Those who have served our country deserve utmost respect and the best social services available; instead, many are forced to sleep in the streets. Who are we to judge them? Even the most celebrated citizens are subject to the degradation of homelessness. According to a 2009 article from the Journal-World, "Veterans make up about a quarter of the homeless population even though they only comprise 11 percent of the total population." Why were people so concerned that the problem be kept far away from their homes or businesses? They wanted the problem out of their minds and their lives. These arguments show the hardened hearts of many in the Lawrence community, a problem ram-nt across the country. And cheers to the students who volunteer at the Jubilee Café, do community service and participate in the Greek houses' philanthropy projects. Thankfully, there are still plenty of people who advocate for the homeless. We owe gratitude to those who work at the shelter, at the Salvation Army, at the Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen and at the several other organizations that offer key services. For people who want to help but never quite find the time; donate to the Lawrence Community Shelter. For most of us, it is not a good enough excuse to be a "poor college student" when most of us (though not all) are better off than those forced out of their homes. Forgo your booze money for one weekend and give a few bucks to the shelter. Or, visit the website (lawrenceshelter.org) for a list of needed items. Cosby is a junior from Overland Park in political science and English. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Column on guns ignores facts I write in response to Braden Katz's ignorant piece about gun restrictions, from Aug. 27. The piece seems to endorse stricter gun legislation. What it fails to mention is that the most dangerous states and cities in America are those that have the most restrictive gun laws. Notably; the District of Columbia has extremely severe gun ownership restrictions, but extremely high violence rates. Across the river in Virginia, gun ownership laws are much more relaxed, but it is much safer to live there. The piece also leaves out Columbine High School and Virginia Tech University were both "gun free" zones. If someone wants to commit murder, they'll find a way to do it. The gun restrictions make it much easier for them. —Will Manly is a second year law student from Lakin. HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Send letters to kananspodesk@gmail. com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the e-mail subject line. Length: 300 words The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters. CONTACT US Alex Garrison, editor 864-4810 or agarrison@kansan.com Nick Gerik, managing editor 864.4102 noaa.gov/barney Erin Brown, managing editor 864-4810 or ebrown@kansan.com David Cawthon, kansan.com managing editor 864-4810 or dcawhthon@kansan.com Emily McCoy, Kansan TV assignment editor 864-4810 or emccoy@kansan.com Jonathan Shorman, opinion editor 864-4924 or ishorman@kansas.com Joe Garvey, business manager 864-4358 or garvey@kansan.com Shauna Blackmon, associate opinion editor 864-4924 or sblackmon@kansan.com Amy O'Brien, sales manager 864-4477 or aobrien@kansan.com Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news adviser 864-7667 or malcolm.gibson@nws.com THE EDITORIAL BOARD Jon Schlitl, sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or jschlitl@kansan.com THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Albert Garrison, Nici Gernik, Erin Brown, David Cawksworth, Jonathan Shaun and Shauna Cawksworth.