Opinion
United States First Amendment
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.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1,2009
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--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
Iceland houses all that is good in this world.
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
I'm personally hoping for the Mentos and Diet Coke effect.
I'm so annoyed with myself.
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
If you are crazy enough to take seven birth control pills at once, I think I may have found the reason why your boyfriend doesn't put out.
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
Did you know "ghoti" can be pronounced as "fish?"
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
Having assignments due right after break is a sick joke. I hate school
I'm sick and tired of hearing you tools say "fail" or any other variation such as "epic fail."
Besides my mom, what should I watch on Hulu?
Why do I procrastinate? Why?
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
I just want to fast forward to my birthday, pause, and then fast forward to Dec. 17.
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
I don't know what I'm talking about, but the professors don't know that I don't know what I am talking about. Now that's next level.
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
Slow and steady wins the race, unless you're being chased by zombies
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
I'm not going to class tomorrow. I'm just gonna smoke weed and watch all the "Home Alone" movies.
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
If I can see "Ho, ho, ho" on your roof from an airplane, you need to just chill out on the staircase.
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
At least we got KU basketball and weed.
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
Is my mom posting on FFA?
Just because your leggings are black doesn't mean I can't see your undies through them. Please put some pants on. Thanks
--men in the SAT verbal section,but the test makers added traditionally male topics,such as sports,to "balance" it out.
POLITICALLY CORRECT State budget cuts
Last week, Gov. Mark Parkinson announced the fifth round of state budget cuts adding up to $259 million. This includes a $2 million cut from the Board of Regents' budget, which affects the state universities. Here's what three of our political columnists think Kansas lawmakers should consider as the state copes with the massive budget shortfalls.
There's nothing fun about trimming a budget. Unfortunately, that can't excuse major cuts to education. There are certain aspects of state infrastructure that should always be prioritized, and education on every level is one of those.
The recent round of budget cuts was, as a whole, necessary. That we are in a recession and can't burn through as much money as we could a few years ago is not exactly news. And if it is, Hi, I'm Ben, and this is a newspaper.
Regardless of the necessity to trim the budget, education should not have taken such a hit. If Parkinson wants to stabilize the economy, he needs to be just as concerned with the long term as the short. Putting a strain on an already financially-strapped education system only exacerbates the problem. It makes it difficult for schools to maintain facilities, as well as sustain an efficient faculty. The University is going to experience furloughs next year thanks to these cuts, which may save money, but will not benefit anyone's education.
Because Kansas cannot borrow money by law, the state must make deep, difficult cuts in government spending. This eliminates many social services when they are most needed, drains funding for K-12 and higher education and ultimately hinders economic recovery.
Cohen is a Topeka senior in political science.
The best solution would be to have the federal government offset the state government's budget shortfall with deficit spending so these cuts would not have to be made. But without that option, the state needs to find sustainable solutions to prevent similar budget crises in future recessions. Our legislators must have the fiscal discipline to maintain a budget surplus during times of economic expansion and use that rainy-day fund in the lean years — basic Keynesian economics.
Even with more cuts to higher education, students can take some comfort in the fact that they don't go to school in California, where budget cuts forced state universities to increase undergraduate tuition by 32 percent.
— Thompson is a Topeka senior in economics.
It is the responsibility of governors to balance the budget. Facing historic dips in state revenue, Parkinson has a job nobody envises. The necessity of these budget cuts makes them hard to argue against. But what will we learn from this?
The budget crisis that is already happening in Kansas (and many other states as well, i.e. California) is a predictor of what will happen to the U.S. as a whole if even half of President Barack Obama's policies are put into practice.
The state budget crises should be an alarm for our federal government. We find ourselves in a struggling economy with a tax and spend Congress and a narcissistic president who has blind faith in government as the solution to all problems. This is not a good combination.
Our experience suggests that we need to pare back government's future commitments to avoid a similar fate on a national level.
- Compton is a Wichita senior in political science.
WHO DO YOU THINK IS POLITICALLY CORRECT?
Go to Kansan.com to vote and listen to the podcast. Send your topic ideas to pc@kansan.com
EDITORIAL CARTOON
OBAMA
READY TO LEAD ON DAY 301
UM, ACTUALLY,
DAY 301
WAS BACK
LAST MONTH
I KNOW.
I WAS BEING
GENEROUS.
NICHOLAS SAMBALUK
DIVERSITY
Time to fix test taking
Finals week is almost here. Some students will struggle through studying while others will have no problems at all. But why should that be the case?
"Roughly half of the nation's students are taking tests under NCLB [No Child Left Behind] that are completely free of open-ended questions," said Thomas Toch, co-director of Education Sector, an independent education think tank.
The big three learning types are visual, auditory and kinesthetic (learning by doing). The differences are vast, and yet all of these types are evaluated by the same testing style.
Speed-based tests and tests such as the SAT that employ a guessing penalty consistently favor men. Multiple choice questions are also inherently biased toward men. On all other types of questions, such as short answer and essay, the gender gap was virtually non-existent. For a few years women out-performed
This means that 50 percent of students are taking tests that jam them into a one-size-fits all, rote memory mold that may not accurately reflect their intelligence.
Gender differences add more complexity. Studies show that women are more hesitant to guess than men and take time to examine a problem from all angles before proceeding, according to FairTest.
The bias isn't only gender-based. On the SAT I, African Americans average 203 points fewer (combined verbal and math) than Caucasian Americans, and Mexican Americans average 157 points fewer than Caucasians.
An analysis of the SAT by Jay Rosner, Princeton Review Foundation executive director, found that "every single question carefully preselected to appear on the test favors whites over blacks." He's quick to note that test developers aren't trying to be racist — but the results are the same.
"The majority of today's state level standardized tests are multiple-choice measures of mostly low-level skills." Toch said. "They largely
Biases aside, do these types of tests even work for the students they target? Toch doesn't think so.
sidestep higher-level skills and the open-ended questions that are best suited to measuring such skills"
Regurgitating facts only tests memorization, not the deep understanding of a concept that will actually aid the student in the future.
It's obvious we need some way to measure student progress, and I'm actually in favor of exit exams. Too many people are let loose unprepared. But if tests are so biased and ineffective, what options do we have?
Standardized tests need a major overhaul. They need more openended, deep-thinking questions such as essays and comparisons. Data on cultural and gender differences needs to be incorporated. There needs to be more balance. Individual teachers can toss out those all-multiple-choice tests that are so easy to grade but mean nothing the next year.
After all, I may not have memorized Hamlet's entire "to be or not to be" speech, but I remember what it taught me about existentialism and the power of choice. If I need to know the specific lines, I'll look them up.
Lytton is a Kodak, Ala., senior in creative writing.
CULTURE
A reason to love coffee
No one could agree more than my roommate that it's always
tough to persuade a person to try new things.
"If you can make losie try new food, you are the most legit lobbist," she always says.
Most of the time, I see no reason to rashly make changes simply to conform. But actually, it's not really that difficult to make someone change. All you need is the right person and right timing.
Last week, I listened to a Hong Kong radio program about sharing anecdotal stories. A man's story put me in deep thought. The theme of the night was "a magical moment."
For example, I hate the bitter and sour taste of coffee, but I wish I could enjoy it because of the artistic conception it brings. A handful of love stories blossom in coffee shops, and a cup of hot coffee can always be the medium. (I can't stop my fantasies again.)
A man, let's name him Kyle, was a heavy coffee drinker. One day, he went down to the subway station, talking on his phone with a cup of hot coffee. He went into the compartment and sat down next to a child.
Kyle was not fond of children, and the little boy became too much to bear as he continued to make loud noises. Kyle soon moved to the empty seat across from his.
The boy's mother apologized to him for her child's tantrum. Kyle smiled and noticed that the mother was his ex-girlfriend from years ago.
He had been very much in love with her, but for some reason, they lost contact with each other after seeing a movie. Under her influence, he started to drink coffee.
Kyle was so shocked as he began to feel butterflies in his stomach. Old pictures flashed
The boy kept yelling and people began to stare. Kyle was stunned and embarrassed.
"Why do you drink? No drink in the carriage; "the boy yelled at him as he pointed at the "No drink" sign on the wall.
At this moment, the mother stopped the child and said, "No honey, see the sign, the drink that is not allowed has a straw in it, but his hot coffee has no straw. It's different."
The mother and her child got off the train at the next stop.
The same person made Kyle start and stop drinking coffee without urges. Drinking coffee had served as a reminder of his love for his ex-girlfriend and quickly grew into a daily habit. Despite this, coffee eventually turned out to be meaningless.
Kyle grew sad. He had told his ex-girlfriend exactly the same joke the only time they had gone out. Not only did she recognize him, but she also remembered what he said years ago. He was in a daze and sat through all the stops. He sipped the coffee again and felt it tasted exceptionally disgusting. Since then, he quit drinking coffee.
It's unnecessary to force yourself into changing or accepting new things. When the time is right, you will notice the reason to change. I'm waiting for a reason to love coffee.
Ho is a Macau, China, junior in journalism.
CONTRIBUTED COLUMN
The other Chalmers
Former KU Chancellor E. Laurence Chalmers died Nov. 24 — 40 years after he was hired. Though it's safe to say not many students have ever heard of Chancellor Chalmers — the only Chalmers they are aware of is the basketball hero — he was one of the most charismatic chancellors this University has ever had.
Larry, as he was kindly referred to by students, was hired to head the University during a period of immense tensions. The Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement had inspired the American youth to become politically active. Protests, sometimes marked by violence, were taking place across the country.
Things were no different in Lawrence. In his first year at the University, Chalmers faced several protests against the ROTC program, the burning of the Kansas Union and an impending student strike. On May 1970, the National Guard came to campus to end a protest that had turned violent. Chalmers intervened before the National Guard was able to confront the students. One only has to remember Kent State to imagine what the outcome might have been without such an intervention.
Without Chalmers, things would have been much worse. His calm demeanor and understanding approach toward students helped prevent a
University Archive/Spencer Research Library
further escalation of violence. The Board of Regents didn't always agree with Chalmers. He resigned on Aug. 8, 1971, after a period in office plagued by controversy.
It's now 40 years later, and Chalmers still hasn't received the recognition he deserves. He is the only chancellor without a building named after him (Robert Hemenway is getting one at the KU Medical Center and Bernadette Gray-Little is fresh in the pond).
Maybe Chalmers' death and the 40th anniversary of his arrival at the University will put some sense in the heads of those in charge. If not, I hope he would have at least been happy just to know that there are still students who are familiar with the contributions he made to this institution.
Patrick De Oliveira is a Belo Horizonte, Brazil, senior in journalism and history. He writes for Jayplay.
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Brenna Hawley, Jessica Sain-Bajor, Jennifer Torline, Haley Jones, Caitlin Thornbaugh and Michael Holtz.
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