4A the university daily kansan
opinion
wednesday, december 10,2003
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I just called the Free For All from my cell phone in a bathroom of JRP. I am not sure if that is really weird or if it is the best thing ever.
perspective
I am sick of these articles about controversial couples. Stop it with this liberal crap.
To the bus driver that skipped my stop when I rung the bell: Thanks for making me walk.
perspective
Obviously, I wouldn't call KU Info if I could go to a computer and go online to look up the information. Maybe they should have thought about that before they put a stupid girl on the phone that told me to go to a computer lab.
--perspective
I find it ironic how the Jayhawk Express is the slowest bus that there is.
I am out like a fat kid in dodge ball.
How is that chick going to go on Average Joe and not pick the average Joe? Man, those people get what they deserve.
Poor average Joe, I will date you. I will have your baby.
I motion that we vote on a Men of KU calendar. I would be happy to be Mr. December because I look damn sexy in a santa hat with red-and-white snowflake boxes.
I hate cows too.
Another campus squirrel is chesing me Damn it.
Today's rules for dating: none
Wayne Stayskal for Knight Ridder
COMMENTARY
Many of our parents followed a strict formula: Meet in college, date for a substantial length of time, marry after graduation. For many generations this prescription went neatly along with social norms, especially when it came to women fulfilling their traditional gender roles.
Now in a time where equal rights are the new societal standard, women are turning the tables and going to college for more than a chance to get married. This major change shakes up the way relationships and dating are viewed, and leaves the issue a blank slate in the hands of a modern generation.
Ashley Smith opinion@kansan.com
Needless to say, times have changed. According the 2003 U.S. census, 56 percent of college students are women. With equal rights between the sexes a norm of modern society, the expectation for conformity has dissolved. The
The new movie Mona Lisa Smile, set in the early '50s, presents a precise depiction of the way women were expected to live for many generations. According to the movie's official Web site, it is "a story of women struggling to define themselves in a world that has already defined them." Even if a woman was an aspiring mind of her time with multitudes of opportunity, once she received an engagement ring, her personal life was expected to cease.
need for education beyond under graduate degrees also breaks up the strict formula, which now extends the duration of college life considerably.
Our dating lives today are incredibly different in comparison with those of our parents and grandparents. Women have thrown out pantyhose in favor of barely-there clothing. Men no longer formally court but go out and "take digits." We've moved from college students dating with serious intentions of marriage to college students who laugh at the thought of marrying anytime soon.
New intentions introduce the need for a new formula. The actions made by our generation will set new norms for future cohorts and can either set a high standard or mark a downfall in societal ethics. A balance must be struck between the classic ways of romantic courting and the modern wavs of open relationships.
Keeping in mind that every relationship is different, each couple must find its own way. However, keep a few things in mind: The games of who should call who and what the "waiting period" should be are completely ridiculous.
Honestly, don't take a number if you have no intentions of doing something with it. Some aspects of chivalry, like opening doors for ladies, will always be considered flattering and will never go out of style. Yet, splitting the check occasionally is now a reasonable expectation. Finally, observe that nearly every case on The Jerry Springer Show would not exist without idiots having casual unprotected sex.
Although it can sometimes be a painful process, recognize that from each relationship you walk away from, positive or negative, you learn something. You may find something you despise and can't stand to have in a potential companion, or you may find something you can't live without.
Most importantly, open communication is essential to any relationship. Dating can serve as such a valuable means of finding what you truly want in the person you want to spend your life with.
Smith is a Tulsa, Okla., sophomore in journalism.
'kansan' report card
Free tickets: The University is giving students tickets to the Dec. 22 Tangerine Bowl. Warm sun instead of sleet? Yes, please.
Pass:
The Kiosk: it rocks this semester. The CD with local music is an extra bonus.
Professor's film at Sundance Film Festival:
CSA, Kevin Willmott's satirical look at what it would be like if the Confederacy had won the civil war, will show at the festival. Wait, so someone from the University will be rubbing elbows with Robert Redford and others? Sigh...
Fail:
county commissioners' indifference: The national committee on geographic names was considering renaming a creek that ran by William Burroughs' house to honor him and wanted a recommendation from the commissioners. But they could only agree on their indifference. How lame is that?
Dude, where's Michael Moore?: Yes, we know he has bigger fish to fry, but it would have been cool. And it's funny, Center for Community Outreach reps didn't say Moore tended to polarize before he declined to come to town...
no one's going: Barely anyone's picked up tickets to the bowl game. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Orlando, Fla., is 1,280 miles away, and it's right around the time when plane ticket prices are jacked up for the holidays?
Louise Stauffer, Kansan
perspective
Community responsible for influencing children
Tomorrow at the Lawrence Public Library, a group of concerned people will come together in attempt to teach the children the importance of conservation, environmental diversity, the effects of deforestation and most importantly, how they can join in and take easy steps to help the earth as well. A puppet show will be the form of this lesson, and the characters are a monkey family, the ooma civilization, a wise old tree and a goofy forest ranger named Travis. The story is of a simple family of monkeys defeating the odds and ceasing the ooma construction to save the jungle.
COMMENTARY
Ali Cullerton opinion@kansan.com
In countries throughout the world, raising a child is the responsibility of the entire community. While the family is still the primary support and provider, children are taught and loved collectively. This allows a more diverse acceptance for the child and an opportunity to experience a variety of realities. As a result, the child is educated on a broad
spectrum of conflicting, yet honest, opinions and vital survival tactics, while allowing the option of forming individual theory and thoughts unique to themselves.
In the United States, however, school teachers are often relied upon to teach our children, possibly more so than parents and family members. With this, it is assumed that children are learning what they need to be. We blindly expect that children are acquiring facts while at the
Through humor, entertainment, creativity and overall fun, we hope to positively influence the children and invite them to live more aware of their natural surroundings. Because the youngest of our audience will be 3 years old, this will be done in a simple and colorful way. The puppets and stage were built from recycled materials by a group of five puppeteers, who will also perform the show. Lawrence residents and students have come together with common goals to make this idea a reality.
same time developing a positive perspective of their surroundings, forming independent thinking skills and embracing their imaginations.
The overall objective of the show is both to give back to the community and educate future generations in a creative and enjoyable manner. We will perform at various schools, story hours and after-school programs throughout Lawrence up until January.
It is often easier to depend on someone else to take care of things than to assume the responsibility for oneself. When children are concerned, however, it is truly a communal obligation to provide adequate information necessary for a progressive future. Much more is captured through the honest eyes of a child than we realize. Most young children have the advantage of being unaffected by societal ideologies, allowing ideas to be unique and embracing a sense of self-discovery. This innocence is something we can all learn from.
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I encourage everyone, at some time, to put daily tasks aside and spend time with a child. Their contagious energy, excitement for life, innocence and honesty are traits we could all benefit from.
For more information on the puppet show dates and locations, e-mail Ali at hello@ku.edu.
Cullerton is a Chicago senior in creative writing.
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