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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.
SCHNEIDER: The best meals are slow meals. American demands for speed ruin what mealtimes should be: opportunities for conversation. See Kansan.com for more opinions and Free for All comments.
TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2007 WWW.KANSAN.COM
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 5A
》 OUR VIEW
Student Senate partially to blame for low voter turnout
Representative governments, however humble their constituencies, thrive on reciprocity. For a system to function smoothly, both representative and represented must participate in the policy-making process. One side's refusal or reluctance to engage the other can deaden the process and stem the tide of progress. Such a case was lately evident on our campus.
Student Senate was recently forced to pass a bus fee increase after a campus-wide vote failed to
draw a quorum of student voters. Special elections, or even the general elections of Senate members, have never been famous for their overwhelming turnout. But this latest debate, from which the student voice was largely absent, is a troubling development in our campus governance.
As advocated in this space yesterday, it is incumbent upon students to cast their vote on issues that directly affect their tuition bills and campus lifestyles.
However, the Senate also has a responsibility to adequately publicize these elections, and to take steps to ensure that a student voice is indeed heard. Though the election was by no means a secret or surprise, it was not uncommon to see more promotion for that day's drink specials than proclamations of that day's vote.
Endless elections, held again and again until a sufficient student turnout is achieved, is an unappealing
prospect. But we suggest that in the future, the Senate give these important referendums one more chance before the student voters.
before the student voter. Repeat elections are no doubt difficult and daunting in terms of both cost and effort, but such is the price of engaging the distracted student voter. For a representative government to fructify, extra steps are sometimes necessary.
are sometimes a common complaint about young voters is that our apathetic disinterest in politics and policy
renders efforts to connect with us either worthless or wasteful. We are all eager to dispel such notions, but wholly inadequate turnout at the most simple of elections, especially given the range and ease of voting methods, speaks poorly of our true commitment to changing this stereotype.
If we tune out the machinations of politics at an accessible local level, what becomes of our engagement on a national level after graduation?
We are not here to issue a collective apologia for the poor turnout of students, nor to excoriate Senate for taking action in lieu of a student voice. But the Senate should examine options for staging "mulligan elections" when their noble efforts and lackluster promotions fail to attract the already detached student voter.
— McKay Stangler for the editorial board.
COMMENTARY
Dangers await the careless in Lawrence
Lawrence feels safe: A liberal, laid-back college town in the Midwest, with no big cities for miles down Interstate 70. Unfortunately, just because we feel safe, doesn't mean we are.
While studying abroad in Spain, I went to a national celebration called Las Fallas. More than two-million Spaniards and travelers gather in Valencia, a large city on the eastern coast of Spain, for this celebration. Throughout that day my friends and I each had an acute sense of awareness as we were in a new place, experiencing new things, among people we didn't know.
When we propelled ourselves through the overwhelming crowd ed streets, we left our purses safely on the bus. We kept our things in our fleece pockets, which were zipped tightly. We kept our eyes open and were aware of our surroundings. Nothing was stolen.
BY ABBY HUGHES
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
This weekend, in safe, familiar Lawrence, that was not the case. I had friends visit for their last time before my graduation in May. I smiled proudly, showing them all of the traditional sites in Lawrence: The dorms I lived in freshman and
sophomore years; Kokoro's, the Sake-bombing capital of the city; and good-old Allen Fieldhouse, I awoke from this rose-colored tour by an alarm I had not expected: My roommate's purse was stolen at It's Brother's.
It's Brother's is a crowded bar, which is clear to anyone who drives down Massachusetts Street and sees the line outside the door on Friday or Saturday night. We all held onto our jackets and purses at the bar, and never mentioned that we should keep an eye out for our things. My roommate set her purse down for one minute, and when she went to pick it up, she had lost everything except a Dunkin' Donuts punch card and a business card. But more than the items she lost, she felt violated. She was in her hometown. With her friends. Having fun. Her safety and comfort in this place allowed her to let her guard down.
After canceling credit cards, scouring Massachusetts Street for the lost items and buying a new phone, we called it quits, assuming filing a police report would only result in more wasted time. If you have a sense of security from low crime rates in Lawrence, know that my roommate's failure to file a report is the norm. An article from Criminal Justice and Behavior magazine said that although many victims of crime in college discussed these incidents with friends, they rarely filed police reports. Thus, crime statistics are reliable in comparing crime from one city to another as they will have the same ratio of unreported crimes to population, but not to evaluate safety in one city, Lawrence, alone.
Don't let yourself bask in a false sense of security. Always be aware of your surroundings, even in quaint Midwest Lawrence.
Hughes is a St. Louis senior in journalism.
Call 864-0500
FREE FOR ALL
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
To our neighbors who just put up their K-State flag: That's going to get burned down.
this night, our dinner focused on the process of ordering, eating and paying, not on enjoying the experience itself.
To whoever pulled the fire alarm in Budig: Thank you. I was hammered and couldn't take that
Free for All, we were just riding down 6th Street, and there was a 40-year old guy with a pacifier in
Free for All, I'm gassy. I think I ate too much sushi.
I hate when a girl will eat an M&M off the floor, but she won't give me a blowjob.
Free for All Gumby's wouldn't answer, so we called you. Can we get a Big Ass?
this night, our dinner focused on the process of ordering, eating and paying, not on enjoying the experience itself.
this night, our dinner focused on the process of ordering, eating and paying, not on enjoying the experience itself.
I'm pretty sure my roommate just peed for two minutes straight.
this night, our dinner focused on the process of ordering, eating and paying, not on enjoying the experience itself.
Hey Free for All, I just proved that violence is the answer! My iPod was broken. The tech guys couldn't even fix it. I hit a couple of times, and now it works again!
Yay!
Dude, I saw you pick that up and eat it, and I can't believe you did it! It wasn't a candy bar. I was walking my dog! Oh man.
Yeah. I just came.
I think we'll get Spangles to go away when they open up a Whataburger in Lawrence, and they really need to open a Whataburger in Lawrence. If we have ads for Whataburger, we need a
Why can't Mrs. E's just have the catfish strips every night?
I want to see a tarantula rock out! That sounds awesome.
I am a man, and I have a vagina.
How do you get the scissors out of the package?
Whataburger.
this night, our dinner focused on the process of ordering, eating and paying, not on enjoying the experience itself.
this night, our dinner focused on the process of ordering, eating and paying, not on enjoying the experience itself.
I just went to the Lied Center to pick my car up, and I found a whole case of Boulevard Wheat just sitting there, waiting for me! Merry Christmas to me.
That's it, I'm going zebra hunting.
Merry Christmas to me
I demand a Florida-style recount why K-State isn't in the NCAA Tournament.
Robinson. He'll save the children, but not the Longhorn
mare
I just saw Bill Self dancing in the Boom Boom Room.
Thanks for a heart attack, KU basketball.
this night, our dinner focused on the process of ordering, eating and paying, not on enjoying the experience itself.
Most celebrities walk on red carpet, but Brandon Rush walks on toilet paper, because he's the
this night, our dinner focused on the process of ordering, eating and paying, not on enjoying the experience itself.
I definitely flashed some strang-
ers while I was drunk the other
night at Lewis. Sorry.
My now-ex boyfriend is a cheating whore, and he deserves to get a messy, sloppy, goopy STD.
shit.
this night, our dinner focused on the process of ordering, eating and paying, not on enjoying the experience itself.
Grant Snider/KANSAN
COMMENTARY
Speedy restaurant service ruins meals
A few weeks ago a major dining chain dashed my hopes for a pleasant dinner conversation.
We had just sat down and begun to talk when suddenly our waitress was beside us asking if we were ready to order. We picked items from the menu, but almost before we had remembered what we came to discuss, the food was coming off a tray and being dropped on the table
A friend who has worked at this restaurant told me that they have 10 to 14 minutes to get food out to the table. Anything beyond that, and the manager has to come out and talk to the waiting customers.
BY SAM SCHNEIDER
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
True, some people want to eat fast. Drive by Taco Bell at midnight and you'll see a line of cars wrapped around its drive-through.
while there are times to eat
quickly, I'm against the entire concept of eating only to check off the next thing on a to-do list.
Even fast food doesn't have to be about speed. Consider McDonald's at 7 on a weekday morning. You'll find a crowd of retirees with cups of coffee steaming silently on the tables. They laugh slowly and talk of Chevy truck engines and their days in Korea. You couldn't hurry these people out of the building if it were on fire.
In the United States, we seem to expect food served to us minutes after we order, and we force today's
People will always need a place that allows them to eat and exit, but I urge all of you who enjoy talking to your friends to seek out and support those restaurants which pride themselves in the experience of eating rather than the speed of service
I've found this atmosphere most often in local places like Mad Greek, WheatFields Bakery and Cafe and A.B.S. Coffee and Crepes. The next time you go out to eat, look for the most leisurely service you can find. When you find a place that lets you stay and talk for hours without a single dirty look, you've found a place to frequent.
》 TALK TO US
Schneider is Topeka junior in English.
Gabriela Sosaiza editor
864-1455 or go on gosunzaica.com
Nicole Kelly, managing editor
864-1455 or go on gosunzaica.com
restaurants to respond to this pressure. They succeed in getting food out quickly, but in the attempt, they make it possible to eat an entire dinner without having a real conversation.
Patrick Ross, managing editor
864-4854 or prossakansan.com
Courtney Hagen, opinion editor
864-4924 or chagen@kansan.com
Lindsey Shirac business manager
864-4014 or ishirack@kansan.com
Natalie Johnson. associate opinion editor
864-4924 or njohnson@kamsan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager, news adviser
864-7667 or malgbison@kansan.com
Jackie Schaffer, sales manager
864-4462 or jschaffer@kansan.com
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or jweaver@kansan.com
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General questions should be directed to the editor at editor@kansan.com
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Gailreille Souza, Nocie Kerley, Patricia Ross, Courtney Hagen, Natalie Johnson, Alison Kieler, Tasha Riggins and Mckay Stangler
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