Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 4A
To contribute to Free for All, visit Kansan.com, call (785) 864-0500 or try our Facebook App.
--increasingly worsened as the years have gone by. The maintenance of these houses is the responsibility of both the landlords who own them and the students who occupy them. Both of these groups need to work to maintain the quality of the houses; especially now, when students are looking for houses for next year.
Oh, John Stamos, how I love
I want to marry a celebrity.
--increasingly worsened as the years have gone by. The maintenance of these houses is the responsibility of both the landlords who own them and the students who occupy them. Both of these groups need to work to maintain the quality of the houses; especially now, when students are looking for houses for next year.
This morning, I chased my coffee with water.
--increasingly worsened as the years have gone by. The maintenance of these houses is the responsibility of both the landlords who own them and the students who occupy them. Both of these groups need to work to maintain the quality of the houses; especially now, when students are looking for houses for next year.
I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
--increasingly worsened as the years have gone by. The maintenance of these houses is the responsibility of both the landlords who own them and the students who occupy them. Both of these groups need to work to maintain the quality of the houses; especially now, when students are looking for houses for next year.
Twitter might just get me laid. Win.
--increasingly worsened as the years have gone by. The maintenance of these houses is the responsibility of both the landlords who own them and the students who occupy them. Both of these groups need to work to maintain the quality of the houses; especially now, when students are looking for houses for next year.
Stealth abs: When your ripped six pack is cleverly covered by a thick layer of fat.
Everyone is inclined to be a little more immature when they're drunk. It's not just me.
Asking trivia questions to FFA is quite possibly the least efficient way to find anything out I've ever seen.
I def totes miss when people used leit words.
ESPN, I would pay for Holly Rowe to never announce another KU game. Name the
I'll lick anything if it gets me out of trouble!
--increasingly worsened as the years have gone by. The maintenance of these houses is the responsibility of both the landlords who own them and the students who occupy them. Both of these groups need to work to maintain the quality of the houses; especially now, when students are looking for houses for next year.
I prefer galloping to walking.
You know you're a Jahewk when someone says "camping" and you get excited for the
I'm so tired right now it's not even funny.
--increasingly worsened as the years have gone by. The maintenance of these houses is the responsibility of both the landlords who own them and the students who occupy them. Both of these groups need to work to maintain the quality of the houses; especially now, when students are looking for houses for next year.
I'm about to go Office Space on my printer.
All 55 episodes of "Greek" are on Hulu, Hello, homework alternative!
--increasingly worsened as the years have gone by. The maintenance of these houses is the responsibility of both the landlords who own them and the students who occupy them. Both of these groups need to work to maintain the quality of the houses; especially now, when students are looking for houses for next year.
Cute couples disqust me.
Dear boy who tried hitting on me at lunch. The line, "You look as tasty as that salad" is not a pick up line. Sorry.
--increasingly worsened as the years have gone by. The maintenance of these houses is the responsibility of both the landlords who own them and the students who occupy them. Both of these groups need to work to maintain the quality of the houses; especially now, when students are looking for houses for next year.
I. Only. Speak. In. Turkey.
Clucks.
My roommate thinks the French and Indian War was a war between France and India. Fall
Is it wrong to date my friend's sister?
--increasingly worsened as the years have gone by. The maintenance of these houses is the responsibility of both the landlords who own them and the students who occupy them. Both of these groups need to work to maintain the quality of the houses; especially now, when students are looking for houses for next year.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Responsibility of housing conditions should be shared
The condition of the houses in the student ghetto has increasingly worsened
Most residents of the student ghetto only live there temporarily. This limited time frame generally results in a lack of effort to maintain the quality of the house. It's not uncommon for floors to be left unswept and un-mopped, windowsills un-dusted and refrigerators un-cleaned. While these things may seem small, they add up over time. The people who suffer the most from these inconsiderate actions are students
The appeal of living in the student ghetto, aside from the convenient location, is the social aspect of it. It is a concentrated area of students who choose to live in the area but suffer from the quality of the houses.
Rick Newell, a senior from Mission Hills, has lived at 9th and Tennessee Streets since August. Newell said that location of the student ghetto was an important part of his decision on where he would live.
Newell said that most
improvements to the property have been from his own efforts. His landlord fixed the front porch of the house, but aside from that, Newell has been responsible for all upgrades. Newell said that when he moved in, the basement was filled with broken ceiling tiles and other damages left over from when the house was remodeled. Newell cleaned up the basement and put in new blinds.
Although students should follow Newell's lead and work to improve their living conditions where they can,they should also hold their landlords accountable for maintaining livable conditions.
Brian Jimenez, code enforcement manager for the City of Lawrence, said that it was required for landlords to provide their tenants with a "code-compliant" building.
Jimenez said that landlords were generally held responsible
TO FIND A MORE DETAILED LIST OF LANDLORD RESPONSIBILITIES:
Visit www.lowrenceks.org. A hard copy of the list can also be found at City Hall located at 6 E. 6th St.
TO REQUEST A HOUSING INSPECTION:
Call the city's Code Enforcement Division at 785-832-3107.
for plumbing, electrical and structural conditions. They are also required to supply tenants with adequate hot and cold water, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. A complete list of landlord responsibilities can be found on the city's website.
According to the Landlord Tenant Act, any time tenants feel that their houses are not in compliance with code they can request an inspection. Jimenez said that an inspection is a free city service. An inspector can be to a house within 24 hours of a request. Students who think their house is not up to code should take advantage of the free service and schedule an inspection.
When students move into a house that has not been treated well, they are left with the unsavory option to clean up the previous tenants' mess or to just leave it as is and make do.
Students should take responsibility for maintaining the quality and cleanliness of houses. They should make sure that their house is up to code and to hold their landlord accountable for their responsibilities. Doing so only ensures the quality of living in a fun and convenient student area.
EDITORIAL CARTOON
-Kate Larrabee for The Kansan Editorial Board
AROOJ KHALID
ETIQUETTE
Crossed wires in phone etiquette
In the ancient days when people could only communicate via snail mail or landlines, there were a few basic rules about telephone etiquette. Today, with cell phones, text messaging and e-mails, the lines get blurred. I'm here to clear up the confusion.
Let's start with answering cell phone calls. As a general rule, don't do it at the dinner table. If it's absolutely necessary, ask to be excused and step away from the table. I always try to consider what I'd do if I were at home eating dinner with my parents. If my phone rang, I'd apologize and silence it.
Answering a phone in the middle of a meal is basically saying. "This call is more important than you" That's definitely not the message I want to send to those I care about. Sometimes it's unavoidable, but more likely than not the caller will leave a voicemail and can be contacted later.
Texting has created an entirely new social issue for our generation. It's so simple. Many of us can even text quietly under the table without breaking eye contact with others. But just because it's possible, doesn't mean it's politic. I'm guilty of responding to a text while I'm out, but I do my best to avoid engaging in long, drawn-out
Manners Made Easy
Fancy smart phones. Blackberries and iPhones have made e-mails available instantly Unlike calls and texting, there's no real reason to e-mail someone if you are with others. An e-mail is probably going to take a while to formulate and thus should be saved for when the appropriate time is available.
text conversations. If it's just a quick response to a question, do it fast and move on.
turn off cell phones in movie theaters, at weddings, funerals or baptisms and while in the car with others. There is nothing worse than being trapped in a confined space with someone chatting away on his cell phone. Avoid talking too loudly and about inappropriate topics in public. In the end, it's all about being considerate of those around us.
BY RICHELLE BUSER
For those living under a rock,
Keep in mind that although it's convenient, text messages and e-mailings are not replacements for phone calls or real life interaction with other people. Relationships and friendships can only flourish so far through texts. If someone is important, give him or her a call and plan to meet up.
DID YOU KNOW?
Buser is a senior from Columbia, Ill. in journalism.
— Half of cell phone users keep their phones on at all times
— Nine-of-10 people find those on cell phones annoying
— Only eight percent of cell phone users consider their own actions rude
— Twenty-six percent of cell phone users can't imagine their lives without cell phones
- AP-AOL-PEW POLL
HUMOR
Recognize 'threat' posed by the elderly
Old people. Since the dawn of man (or, more accurately, 70 to 80
years after the dawn of man), they have provided wisdom, perspective and comfort to younger generations. Weakened by their age, they are generally harmless; the worst they can do is kill a conversation.
Last month, 78-year-old actor Rip Torn broke into a Connecticut bank. Both he and his gun were loaded at the time.
Until now. It seems as though thievery has become a popular misdeed for the septugenarian set.
Earlier this month, a 73-year-old Florida man took $600 from three different banks. He was unarmed, instead convincing tellers to hand it over with a written note and a stare that could pierce the thighbones of an elephant.
This disturbing trend has heretofore gone unnoticed and unreported in the mainstream media, but thankfully I am here to alert the public about the recent rash of wrinkly robbers. I believe it is my journalistic duty to whip the citizens of this great nation into a panicked frenzy over what appears to be the greatest emerging threat to the very fabric of our society.
I think it's safe to say that Grandpa can no longer be trusted.
These robberies, which I have dubbed "Crimewave 2010: The Elderly Menace", mean that we need to exercise caution where we once practiced nonchalance and to be vigilant where we once looked the other way.
Under Observation
Old people are everywhere. What's worse is that they blend in so perfectly; they look just like you or me, only several decades older.
I urge policemen to be on the lookout for old people driving on our nations streets and highways. Pull each and every one of them over, because the odds are they have a Glock and a
BY ALEX NICHOLS
couple of empty burlap sacks in the trunk.
They'll almost certainly play innocent, saying things such as, "I'm just going to the pharmacy to have my arthritis medicine refilled" or "I'm visiting my grandchildren" or "Where am I?"
Don't believe them! Excuses are like cat nip for old people. Rip Torn blamed it on the alcohol. The Florida man said he would pay the banks back. Nice try, gentleman, but we've already caught on to your little schemes.
Those of us who don't have a badge need to do our part, as well. See an old man loitering on a park bench? He's not feeding pigeons. He's plotting his next bank job. Report him. Grandma trying to get you to come to Bingo night? You're liable to end up as a hostage, mere collateral in her ruthless bid for wealth. Report her. It's bid for our own good.
But consider the source:
Benjamin Franklin. He lived to
the age of 84. Whose side do you
think he was on?
My detractors will say that these measures are rash, overblown and irrational. Undoubtedly, they'll dig up that old quote, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor安全"
Until old people stop robbing banks, we need to do whatever is necessary to ensure our survival Even if it takes us 70 years.
Nichols is a junior from Stilwell in creative writing.
Respect Rock Chalk chant
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I've been listening to the Rock Chalk chant at the end of our basketball games this year and have been growing more and more frustrated.
I would like to suggest to the KU student section members who insist on whooping and hollering between each Rock Chalk chant, that they watch some of our away games on television. KU alums often manage to fill those arenas with enough fans we can reliably hear the "Rock Chalk" chant at the ends of those games. Even at those away games, the chant clearly fills the arena — those who are uncertain how the chant should sound, should listen to the alums who have traveled to those away games to represent KU.
If KU didn't have such a long, proud basketball tradition, it would be fine to tinker with
cheers. But the Rock Chalk chant has been passed down from student to student for literally generations. My children sing it at the ends of games at our own home. The Rock Chalk chant is a nationally known marker for our program. It is unique.
Please, students, cheer the chant the way it's supposed to be cheered. I can tell that there are students in the student section who are resisting the "Wooo!" pressure during the chant. I encourage them to continue resisting, and to remind the KU "fans" around them who are whooping between Rock Chalk chants, that this is KU, not KSU or some other school with less tradition.
Rock Chalk Jayhawks!
— Donna Birkholz is a 1998 KU graduate.
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
LETTER GUIDELINES
Send letters to *opinionkanan.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
Stephen Montemayor, editor
864-4810 or smontemayor@kansan.com
Brianne Pfannenstiel, managing editor 864-4810 or bfattarensteilikannan.com
Jennifer Torline, managing editor
864.4810 or jtorline@hawaii.com
Lauren Cunningham, kansan.com managing
664-8148 or kiuminghan.kansan.com
Vicky Lu, KUJH-TV managing editor
Vicky Luk, KUH-TV managing editor
864-4810 8140 via kuusan.com
Emily McCoy, opinion editor
864294 892430 cvpkuusan.com
Cassie Gerken, business manager 864-435B or cgerken@kansan.com
Carolyn Battle, sales manager
864-4477 or chattle@kangan.com
Kate Larrabee, editorial editor 864-4924 or klrarabeei kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news adviser
Jon Schilt, sales and marketing adviser
664-7666 or jonschiltkianan.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Stephen Montemayer, John Plam垦曼, Jennifer Toller, Lauren Cunningham, Vicky Schmidt, Michael Jamson, James Castle, Andrew Hammond, Michael Holtz, Stefanie Hann and Catlin Thornburgh.