Wefald: NSA surveillance: 1984 or necessary precaution?

Wefald: NSA surveillance: 1984 or necessary precaution?

When Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee, revealed to the American public the extent to which the government was watching them, most responded in outrage. The government has had numerous judges to issue search warrants to record telephone conversations and other forms of communication, which means that most of the conversations you thought were private [...]

Barbosa: Spend your summer productively

Barbosa: Spend your summer productively

Whether you had a good year or a bad year, once final exams wrap up next week, it’s time for everyone to pack it in and split off on their separate ways for the summer. Leaving school for the summer can be quite bittersweet. Nothing beats returning to the quiet comforts of home where you [...]

Lysen: Strength in the family starts at the top

Lysen: Strength in the family starts at the top

This is the last column I will ever write for the University Daily Kansan. And it starts like this: My mother is the strongest person on the face of the earth. On April 29 at 7 p.m. my mother’s name lit up my cell phone. I knew what she was going to tell me before [...]

Free For All: May 8, 2013

Free For All: May 8, 2013

Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 or in the Free For All section on Kansan.com. You know how I know you’re serious about getting in shape? You’re not running on campus. It’s a Monday night and I’m already thinking I’ve had a bad week. Yes cars, computers, and phones are all stupid ideas. We never [...]

Brown: Reality television can be really bad, but awfully entertaining too

Brown: Reality television can be really bad, but awfully entertaining too

I have a secret to share. My guilty pleasure? Bad reality TV shows. Wait, what? Emily, I thought you liked to watch meaningful shows with complicated plots, intriguing alternate worlds, brilliant scripts and ridiculously good-looking actors? Well, yes, I do. But when I have to work on an essay, or when I have to pretend [...]

Morelix: US can benefit from foreign-born entrepreneurs

Morelix: US can benefit from foreign-born entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs create jobs and economic prosperity. The U.S. is prime historical evidence of this, as well as arguably the most innovative country in the world. But it does not have as many entrepreneurs as it could use. Initiatives to create more entrepreneurs in the U.S. are growing, and they are very important. However, there is [...]

Bierwirth: Music affects the brain in a positive way

Bierwirth: Music affects the brain in a positive way

As we start to transition into the spring season, despite Kansas’ reluctance to accept it’s spring, two things come to mind: loud music and windows open. My walks on campus are not filled with silence anymore, but with the passing of cars, each with their own sound. Each car is telling a story about the [...]

Free For All: May 7, 2013

Free For All: May 7, 2013

Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 or in the Free For All section on Kansan.com. When you think schol hall, think hot nerd. Brunettes just do it better. And by “it,” I mean sex. Dear KU, Please repair the roads on campus. Sincerely every KU student. Laziness is having the Jimmy Johns delivery guy pass [...]

Wenner: Evaluations brings the best out of teachers

Wenner: Evaluations brings the best out of teachers

It’s that time of year again when professors start sweet-talking their students, and GTAs beg for a little compassion. It’s the time when extra credit is handed out as freely as T-shirts on Wescoe Beach, and when TAs give their most enthusiastic performance of the semester. That’s right, it’s time for instructor evaluations. For those [...]

Webber: People have trouble believing something they don’t experience

Webber: People have trouble believing something they don’t experience

Politicians are often accused of being out of touch with the American people. For instance, Congress failed to pass a measure expanding background checks on firearms despite the fact, according to several news sources, that 91 percent of responding registered voters supported it. In other words, they failed to empathize with the recent victims of [...]

Warren: Sexist revenge or exclusive ingenuity?

Warren: Sexist revenge or exclusive ingenuity?

Ever heard of Lulu? Ladies I expect you have at least downloaded the newest craze app, searched your crush’s profile and left a review or two. Guys, I have to break it to you, you most likely are out of the loop on this one. With the exception of those of you who have borrowed [...]

Schumacher: Brownback discusses education funding

Schumacher: Brownback discusses education funding

Gov. Sam Brownback is fond of describing his economic agenda as a “Roadmap for Kansas.” On April 23, his map brought him to the University to discuss higher education funding. The visit was designed to give the impression that the governor is advocating to preserve higher education against the right-wing agenda of House and Senate [...]

Keith: Reflecting on relationships at the end of the semester

Keith: Reflecting on relationships at the end of the semester

As this year and some of our college careers draw to a close, many students at Kansas may be reflecting on the past year of dating and debauchery. And as we finish another year, we may also be closing whole relationships or deciding whether or not to apologize and make amends for the ones of [...]

Carroll: Summer brings hit movie sequels

Carroll: Summer brings hit movie sequels

The summertime is right around the corner, and that means re-runs of our favorite television series will soon be filling our television sets. But, that is all right because this summer is anticipated to have some of the biggest hits we have seen in a while. To me, movie sequels are the best movies. They [...]

Free For All: May 2, 2013

Free For All: May 2, 2013

Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 or in the Free For All section on Kansan.com. Guess we should all get ready for the “Kansas you’re drunk, go home” tweets. The real definition of classy: having a formal at Abe and Jake’s. C’mon, pharm school. I start to question my choice of school with my extreme [...]

Bartocci: Paranoia leads to over-cautious society

Bartocci: Paranoia leads to over-cautious society

A lot of our new developments and cultural standards are simply outstanding. They reflect an (almost) unified cultural maturity. Yet, as is always the case in the states, the good trends are accompanied by the stupid trends. I feel there is none worse than Health and Safety Paranoia. Coined it myself, do you like it? [...]