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EDITORIAL: The beginning of the semester brings textbook-buying anxiety. Professors and students need to work to keep costs down.
MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2007 WWW.KANSAN.COM
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
PAGE 5A
》 OUR VIEW
Students require textbook solutions
Of all of the hassles involved in beginning a new semester, buying books is the worst.
Many students simply find it challenging to afford the average cost of a semester's books, and, while some professors seem to understand the financial strain that book-buying places on students, others do not appear to be too concerned Obliging students often buy books that are under-used in class, unnecessarily new or freely available through online reserves.
Students with any sort of monetary concern loathe the book buying time of year.
There are ways that professors can help:
This is that dreaded time of year when students go to the bookstore with heavy hearts and credit cards or checkbooks in hand. It is not only costly, it is tedious. If some necessary books are unavailable, students must go to another bookstore. A few grueling hours in the purchase line and several hundred dollars later, the process is finished, unless, of course, students decide to switch classes.
Eliminate unnecessary books If a few paragraphs are all that is necessary from a book, it's not worthwhile for students. Place a copy in the library, but please don't make students buy
it.
If it's not necessary to buy a new edition, continue with the old.
If there are any way possible, get copyright permission for a book. Copied materials can be bundled in a package and sold for a flat fee or put online.
Shop around. If the difference between a $60 book and an $80 book is a nice map, students would rather buy the cheap book and Google a map.
Bargain and bid. KU Professor Craig Martin did this for his biology classes to ensure that his students obtained the best deal possible on their biology books. He is adored by biology students for his efforts.
If more professors used these tactics, they would significantly help students. Certain strategies might even help the professor by removing the middle man: the bookstore. As students know, no bookstore means less pay and less hassle.
Professors can teach efficiently without burdening students with unnecessary expenses. Consider this a plea to professors: We, the students with dwindling bank accounts and wallets, would greatly appreciate your help.
Alison Kieler for the editorial board.
Call 864-0500
FREE FOR ALL
Jesus wears Uqq boots.
Those Ugg shoes are U-G L-Y!
Why are so many people staring at the ground when walking on campus? Just curious.
Jessica Hey it's Friday morning and I danced with you all night at The Ranch. Give me a call back, please?
The Parking Department is a bunch of insecure mama's boys with a sick fetish for power.
Why is there a condom stuck inside the carousel in front of the antique mall on Mass Street? That's really all I want to know.
The Student Recreation Center should be called "The Babe Lair"
What did Dr. Seuss and Hannibal Lector have for breakfast? Soylent green eggs and ham.
To the guys who sat next to me in my Roman history class today, I'm so sorry for knocking over my Nalgene and spraying you with water. Feel free to get me back at any time.
If you were a guy wearing Uggs,you might as well be wearing assless pants.
Okay, so I read the Beta thing the other day in the newspaper, and all I want to say to my Beta-boys: Thanks for being gentleman, and not trying to get me drunk and trying to take advantage of me. PS. The party was awesome.
Did anyone else notice the $5 off coupon for Planned Parenthood in the College Coupons book?
Natalie Johnson associate opinion editor 864-4924 or njohnson@kansan.edu
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Courtney Hagen, opinion editor
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5. You're named after an astrological sign. Why link your name etymologically to something as unreliable as a horoscope. Outlook for Taurus today: 1 of 5 stars. Mars and Mercury in line. Stay inside.
8. When you "ford" the river in Oregon Trail, most of the time your oxen drown.
>> COMMENTARY
6. Ford owns seven other major auto brand names. They're sneaky.
Is your car a Ford in disguise?
7. According to fordemon.com,
Ford built tanks for the Third Reich.
I couldn't tell if the claims of Henry
Ford's fascism were facetious.
9. Model T? Yeah, T for tremendously terrible. Uh-trocious. Or maybe treasonous if reason number seven is true.
Ervin: Ode to a Ford Taurus
10. Taurus I do hate you sometimes. All the same, I love you. I need you. I miss our late nights on Lawrence streets with no destination. Please come back to me.
This is the last time. Ford Motor Company, that you will best me.
My family bought Ford products almost exclusively during my youth. All of those automobiles experienced odd problems and came to untimely ends. I should have known better than to settle for a used Taurus six months ago. Between the mysterious, untraceable oil leaks, the two inches of water that pool on the passenger side floor when it rains and now an unwillingness to start or take a jump, I'm close to writing a strongly worded letter.
But I've thought better of it. Instead I'm getting Elizabethan on thine arses.
Oh Taurus, importune me no further with thy pitiful sputtering. A shrew you are to protest my jumper cables. But, gentlemen, pay heed. For how I firmly am resolvd to disallow the privilege of transport to any before ignition has been found for my elder Taurus.
That's right. I'm pulling a Baptista on all you Gremios and Hortensios, courting younger, sleeker, more reliable automobiles. In protest of my Ford Taurus' futility, I won't allow anyone I know to drive until I can. Just like in Shakespeare's 16th Century blockbuster hit "The Taming of the Shrew," when Baptista forbids Bianca's suitors from marrying her
until his eldest daughter, the shrew
ish Katherine, weds.
You may ask, "Why not just
I don't know if Ford is really an evil, Nazi-supporting corporate conglomerate per se, but the expensive, non-moving hunk of metal in my driveway speaks for itself. Remember my challenge; until my car is fixed. Until then, I'll be cleaning my battery terminals with a paste of baking soda and water.
Taurus I do hate you sometimes. All the same, I love you. I need you.I miss our late nights on Lawrence streets with no destination.
grill on "Saved by the Bell."
ask for a ride?" Because friend, Shakespeare never wrote a play about that.
2. You're long and big, thus making you hard to park in Lawrence
4. You for some reason had chrome wheels when I inherited you. This is the equivalent of Dustin Diamond wearing gold chains and a
Hollywood adapted "The Taming Of The Shrew" into the 1999 film "10 Things I hate About You." The tagline of the film read, "How do I loathe thee, let me count the ways." By that model, I presenteth thee, Ford Taurus—10 things I hate about you:
3. I seldom get the 21 miles per gallon advertised by *fueconomy*,gov. I have my gas receipts. I've tracked the mileage.
1. My bank account was empty after buying you.
Grant Snider/KANSAR
Ervin is a junior in theatre and film and psychology.
Mangino parts the Crimson and Blue sea leads KU's biggest rivalry out of Lawrence
》 LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Roe v. Wade is rooted in legal precedent
In a recent Letter to the Editor, Stephen Johnson commented that Roe v. Wade was a bad law and that it "complicates medical ethics," but the truth is that Roe is a great piece of legislation because it is based upon volumes of legal precedent.
Using the Constitutional protections against slavery to invoke rights for an unborn child that is not viable outside of the womb is not a sound argument. This would be insinatu-
ing that the rights of something that exists symbiotically somehow take priority over those of its host.
》SUBMISSIONS
The Kansan welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns submitted by students, faculty and alumni. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions.
In addition, he is making the argument that abortion is a states' rights issue, but if that were true then the only people who wouldn't have abortions would be the poor, because the rich would still be able to afford to go to states where it was legal. Not to mention that overturning Roe would pave the way down
For any questions, call Courtney Hagen or Natalie
Johnson at 84-681-40 or e-mail nikaiann.kanam.
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at editor.ikaiann.kanam.
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the slippery slope to a federal ban on abortions, totally confounding the states' rights argument. You can't have it both ways.
Also, fake boobs and botulism-filled faces still abound, despite this so-called code of "medical ethics". Please, spare me this tired rhetoric.
Steve Nichols Overland Park senior
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>> COMMENTARY
Remove feminist stigma
BY LIZ STUEWE
BY LIZ STWELE
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
Patriarchy is the belief in the superiority of men over women, and it is a problem both at the University of Kansas and in our country. Patriarchy is subtle and hard to pick out. In my physics class the other day my professor asked a question about gravity involving an astronaut and a pen. "What," he asked, "will happen if she drops the pen on the moon?" He followed it with an explanation about basic physics that I'm sure was important, but honestly I don't remember. It was a surprise — even for me — to hear the professor refer to the astronaut as a "she." Patriarchy has taught us that tough, dangerous jobs are the domain of men, not women.
There are a number of students on this campus who believe in gender equality but wouldn't call themself a feminist. Try it sometime; ask the person sitting next to you in class if he or she is a feminist. You will likely hear, "Hell no!", "Yes!" or the frustrating "No, but I believe women and men should be equals."
Why do men and women fear being labeled a feminist? It would be easy to put the blame for the demonization of feminism on conservatives such as Rush Limbaugh who brought the term "feminazi" into popular dialog. Limbaugh might have one of the biggest soap boxes around, but it is still the responsibility of true feminists to raise awareness, to properly articulate their message of equality and to proclaim that America still needs feminists in order to overcome patriarchy.
The first step to understanding feminism is to admit we live in a patriarchal society. Judith Lorber wrote in "The Social Construction of Gender," that talking about gender in our society is "the equivalent of fish talking about water." We are so entrenched in a society that places the accomplishments and needs of men above those of women that thinking about patriarchy is "like thinking about whether the sun will come up"
It is important for people to think about, discuss and explore gender roles in their everyday lives. If you spend the time to think about sexism and how it plays out in everyday life, you will begin to understand feminists. It is the job of feminists at the University to continue to spread knowledge and support all members of campus. Patriarchy damages the ability of women to participate fully in society. By recognizing and confronting gender issues in our daily lives we can work toward a truly egalitarian society. We can destroy patriarchy by proudly proclaiming to everyone that we are feminists.
Stuewe is a Lawrence junior in political science and American studies.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Gabriella Souza, Nicole Kelley, Patrick Ross, Courtney Hagen
Natalie Johnson, Alison Keler, Tasha Riggins and McKay
Stangler
2.