Tuesday, March 7, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 3
Students buddy-up with teens
Volunteers help disabled youths
By Erián R. Barcomb
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
When Molly Smith volunteers, she goes shopping. Sometimes it's downtown, sometimes at SuperTarget. Other times she eats at Applebee's or Carlos O'Kellv's.
But Smith, Great Bend freshman, brings along Megan Patrick, a Free State High School student.
Both are participants in the Best Buddies program, which matches mentally disabled teenagers with University of Kansas students.
"We both like to go out to eat a lot." Smith said. "That's an easy thing to do together, and we like to shop together."
The addition of Best Buddies to the Center for Community Outreach this semester has increased participation in the program, said Kelly Brown, Baldwin sophomore and Best Buddies coordinator.
The program has been at the University for 10 years, but it only recently joined the Center for Community Outreach.
Best Buddies has 32 students and matches, an increase of 40 percent
since joining CCO, Brown said.
"Whenever students at KU want community service, they go to CCO." Brown said. "It's been kind of hard to handle because I wasn't ready for it."
The teens have disabilities that range from Down syndrome to Tourette syndrome, which is characterized by involuntary verbal and physical tics. Brown said.
"You need to make contact once a week," Brown said. "Every two weeks, they need to see each other, like getting ice cream."
Smith said that when she couldn't go shopping or out to eat with Patrick, she would give her a call.
The program also arranges group activities, such as movie nights and bowling.
The organization will ask Student Senate committees tomorrow to grant funding for a KU baseball game and a laser tag and bowling excursion as a group activity for all participants.
Brown said that the organization was intended to serve high school students, but the KU chapter has included people up to 20 years old. Lawrence and Free State high schools did not have a lot of students for the program, she said.
Brown said it had been hard to find another high school in the area, so she had started to look to other
"Whenever students at KU want community service, they go to CCO."
Kelly Brown Best Buddies Coordinator
organizations.
Brown said Community Transitional Systems had brought students to the program, and that she was talking with representatives at Cottonwood Inc., 2801 W. 31st St. to expand the program even further. Cottonwood Inc. is a service provider for developmentally disabled adults.
Christina Harms, CCO co-director, said that Best Buddies was one of two CCC groups that involved people with disabilities. But Best Buddies places participants with individual volunteers rather than with groups.
By getting to know each other one-on-one, Smith and Patrick discovered they had birthdays two days apart. Smith said she bought Patrick dinner as a present.
"I'm in the Chi Omega sorority, and someone brought it up at a pledge meeting." Smith said. "I thought it would be a good thing for me to do."
Toll-free dialing links campuses
Ryan Devlin
Kansan staff writer
Students, faculty and staff wishing to call either the University of Kansas Medical Center or the Wichita School of Medicine from the Lawrence campus now may do so toll-free using a five-digit number.
"There are no per-minute costs for the five digit-dialed calls because the Lawrence and Medical Center campuses are linked by a dedicated trunking facility, called a T-1, between the two campuses," said Anna Hines, assistant director of Networking and Telecommunications Services.
Hines said the T-1 was a complicated technological device owned by Southwestern Bell Communications and leased by the University. She said that she wasn't certain how much the University paid for the T-1, but that the cost was relatively small compared to the combined long-
distance charges incurred by departments.
Hines said the change marked the first time all four KU campuses had been linked together via the same telephone system.
“五digit dialing has been used on the Lawrence campus for many years and at the Edwards campus since its opening in 1993.” Hines said. “The Med Center and the Wichita School of Medicine have also been networked for years to allow for calls between those locations using four digits. This change to five digits for the KUMC/WSM network allows the existing networks at both locations to be linked together.”
James Orr, chairman of biological sciences, said that his department welcomed the change. He said students and faculty in his department often called both campuses.
"We talk with other faculty members on those campuses frequently to get their opinions concerning research and data," Orr said. "Often, those calls are
charged to the department or to the faculty member based on the nature of the call. I think this will be helpful for rather obvious reasons."
Mary Burg, executive assistant to the chancellor, said the link was part of the chancellor's initiative to create a unified campus.
"The five-digit plan was the result of the chancellor's One University Task Force, which met to discuss how to bring the University's various campuses closer together," Burg said. "One of the recommendations of that committee was that it would feel more like one University if everyone had five-digit dialing linking them together."
Hines said the five-digit calling plan would directly benefit students.
"With increased ease of communication between faculty at these campuses, students may receive information quicker, or they may get information they might not have otherwise received," Hines said.
Pregnant students find local services
By Warisa Chulindra
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
By Warisa Chulindra
When Andrea Van Dyk became pregnant nearly two years ago, she struggled with how to juggle school and a baby.
She didn't want to leave the University of Kansas, but she also wanted to have the child. With the support of her family and friends, she was able to do both — though she enrolled part time the semester before and took a semester off after her son was born.
Van Dyke, Atchison junior,
said making a decision about an
unplanned pregnancy was difficult.
Those without the kind of
support she received from her
family and friends should know
that the University offers support,
as well, she said.
"It's really tempting to make rash decisions because you don't really know what resources are available," she said. "You need to take the time to search out the people who can help and think of the best possible outcome."
Among the resources offered by the University are pregnancy tests at Watkins Memorial Health Center. The test costs $10, and the results take 10 to 15 minutes. If a woman is pregnant, staff members discuss options and concerns.
Mary Cink, registered nurse at Watkins, said that occasionally she saw students who had not thought about what they would do if the pregnancy test came back positive and that sometimes the news was a shock to them. She said it was up to the students to decide what to do about their pregnancy.
'Oftentimes, we'll walk them down the hall to the counseling center so they can get started right away.' Cink said.
Joyce Davidson, staff psychologist at Counseling and Psychological Services, said it offered an objective outlet for students to discuss their options.
Watkins staff refers those who choose to have the baby to the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department. It has a prenatal access program and offers financial assistance to those who meet income guidelines.
Women who choose to terminate the pregnancy are referred to Planned Parenthood in
Watkins Memorial Health Center: 864.9500 Pregnancy tests and referrals
RESOURCES AVAILABLE
Pregnancy tests and referrals Counseling and
Counseling and Psychological Services:
Watkins; 864-2277.
Counseling for individuals or counsels.
KU Psychological Clinic:
315 Fraser Hall; 864-4121
Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center: 115 Strong Hall; 864-3552. Discusses concerns and refers students
Services for Students with Disabilities: 135 Strong Hall; 864-2805 Financial assistance
Birthright of Lawrence Inc.: 204 W. 13th St.; 843-4821. Free pregnancy tests, referrals, maternity and children's clothes
Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department: 336 Missouri St., Suite 201; 843-0721. Offers a Bachelors Access Program and financial assistance to those who meet income guidelines
Catholic Community Services of Lawrence:
320 Maine St.; 841-0301.
Adoption services.
Social and Rehabilitation Services:
1901 Delaware St.; 832-3700. Provides a Medicaid card to lower income applicants or applicants with inadequate insurance. Monthly income is considered.
Sources: Watkins Memorial Health Center and Birthright
Overland Park. If women are struggling with their decision, the staff at Planned Parenthood can help them, said Kathy Guth, nurse practitioner at Watkins.
Kathy Rose-Mockry, program coordinator at the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center, said she spoke to students who had various concerns ranging from feeling uncomfortable in class to not being able to fit into the desks.
"It's a very challenging situation to balance," she said. "There's a lot out there, and oftentimes you aren't aware the resources exist until you need them."
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