STILL WARMER
Tomorrow's weather
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Mostly Sunny
Kansan
Inside today
The C. S. Lewis society of Kansas will pay tribute to the British author this weekend at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
SEE PAGE 6A
Thursday
November 4, 1999
Section:
A
Vol. 110 • No. 55
Sports today
Amanda Reeves became Kansas volleyball's all-time kills leader last night in a 3-0 defeat against No. 13 Nebraska.
SEE PAGE 1B
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KU Bookstores join lawsuit challenging online store
By Nathan Willis
By Nathan Willis
writer@kanson.com
Kansas staff write
The KU Bookstores in the Kansas and Burge Unions are taking part in a lawsuit filed last Friday that accused online bookseller VarsityBooks.com of deceptive advertising practices.
Mike Reid, KU Bookstores manager, said VarsityBooks.com has had misleading ads since it was established in December 1997.
"Some people will believe them," he said. "But what they buy may or may not be an actual savings."
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court by the National Association of College Sellers, which represents more than 3,000 higher education retailers including the KU Bookstores, claimed that VarsityBooks.com rarely delivered the 40 percent discount on textbooks promised in many of its advertisements, including ads in the Kansan and ads written in chalk on campus sidewalks at the University of Kansas.
The suit also charged that the suggested price VarsityBooks.com used to contrast its prices was misleading because VarsityBooks.com identified the suggested price as the price publishers suggested that bookstores charge for new textbooks.
Reid agreed.
But in reality, the suit says, publishers don't give suggested prices for textbooks.
"The largest markup we have on any new book is 25 percent," he said. "So it's hard to believe they'd be selling these books below cost."
The petitioners are requesting that VarsityBooks.com stop using the allegedly misleading ads and post a public apology on its Web site.
Reid said VarsityBooks.com's advertising campaigns on campus had hurt the KU Bookstores.
However, Jon Kaplan,
VarsityBooks.com's vice president, said
the company had done nothing wrong.
"This lawsuit is completely without merit." Kaplan said.
Jeff Carlson, Plymouth, Minn., senior and VarsityBooks.com's lead campus representative, agreed with Kaplan and said that because college bookstores rarely had to deal with competition in the past, this might be their reaction to competition.
"Our company is trying to save students like myself money," he said. "The bookstores have been ripping off people for years and aren't used to competition."
Kaplan said the ads weren't misleading because the company's advertising actually used the words "up to 40 percent" discount. The company will fight the lawsuit, he said.
VarsityBooks.com's advertising campaign also generated controversy earlier this semester when it came under criticism from the provost as part of a wave of commercial sidewalk writings.
- Edited by Allan Davis
Edwards Campus to offer B.A., B.S.
By Julie Gumon
Special to the Kansan
The University of Kansas Edwards Campus will accommodate undergraduate students and graduate students in the next millennium.
Future students to the Edwards Campus will have the opportunity to obtain a bachelor's degree from the Overland Park branch of the University.
In Fall 2001, the University will implement the first of several undergraduate degree completions programs at the Edwards Campus.
"The next quantum leap in our enrollment will stem from these bachelor's degree completion programs," said Bob Clark, dean of the Edwards Campus. "We are also planning for a fourth area of study, but it hasn't been decided yet."
The first program will be in English, while degree completions programs in biology and software development will follow. Clark said.
The Edwards Campus only offers graduate instruction now, but the new programs will allow students with two-year degrees or previous undergraduate work to complete their University degree in Johnson County.
Pete Casagrande, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a professor of English, humanities, and Western Civilization, is working with University staff on the English and biology degree completion programs.
"The biology program is scheduled for the fall semester of 2002, but sooner if possible," Casagrande said.
The start date for the software development program still is undetermined. Casagrande said the University chose English and biology because they were strong, popular majors
at the Lawrence campus.
"We don't want to set up competition for the Lawrence campus," Casagrande said. "If these programs have big appeal here, they will there."
In the meantime, the process of implementing the degree completion programs is underway.
"It all starts with the department." Casagrande said. "The faculty must develop the curriculum and provide interested staff willing to teach at the Edwards Campus."
Once a department develops and approves the curriculum, it goes to the Committee on Undergraduate Studies and Advising for review and suggestions. Then the College Assembly gives further review and comments, Casagrande said. The programs also will be reviewed by the Board of Regents.
"These are KU programs that will undergo the same scrutiny as the other campuses,"
Casagrado said. "The quality will be every bit as high as here because we staff them and create them in the same way."
Johnson County Community College will partner with the University on the degree programs. Casagrande said the University had spoken with Kansas City Kansas Community College to create a similar partnership.
Dan Radakovich, vice president of academic affairs at Johnson County Community College, said the programs would benefit the county and the entire metro area.
"It's an exciting thing for us and our students," Radakovich said. "Our counseling staff can work with students right from the start so they can have a long-term goal in mind and take the appropriate courses to meet that goal."
Hitting the books behind bars
Edited by Katrina Hull
Exceptions can be made to accommodate school for students facing jail
By Katie Hollar writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
When Greg Lewis was arrested last September, his first concern was not his schoolwork.
"It sucked," he said. "You miss class. You miss labs. It's pretty hard for any of that to be a positive experience."
But the Norfolk, Va., junior soon accumulated a number of class absences after bond arrangements, court appearances and meetings with his attorney.
Lewis was arrested for aggravated assault after he drove his car into an anti-abortion display on Daisy Hill. He later was formally charged with criminal damage and sentenced to one year of probation.
Student suspects such as Lewis can find themselves dealing not only with attorneys and bail, but also with professors and missed tests. In many cases, arrangements are made to balance the classroom and the jail cell.
"Students come through our office, unfortunately quite often," said Douglas County District Attorney Christine Tonkovich.
Tonkovich said most offenses involving students were punishable by diversion or probation, but special accommodations could be made for students who were sentenced to jail time. Courts can schedule jail time for weekends or vacations, and in some cases, house arrest is an option.
Tonkovich said adjustments such as these were not automatic just because a person was a student.
Depending on the nature of the offense, the court system may work around a student's class schedule. Courts can arrange for
"It depends on the nature of the crime and whether they have any priors," she said. "But arguably, staying in school would make someone more productive."
Tonkovich said another consideration was that many students were not from this community, so courts would attempt to arrange a jail stay for when the individual would be in town.
"It's easier to work around employers than school," she said. "Individuals don't leave the community when they get done with work. They might go back to
She said the same arrangements could be made for individuals with full-time employment.
Lawrence or Kansas City, but they don't go back to Texas."
Lewis said his professors were willing to let him make up work, and they were more flexible than the court system.
jail time to be served during weekends and vacations. Photo illustration by Lucas Krump/KANSAN
Barry Shank, associate professor of American studies.
said he had never been approached by a student who missed class for jail.
"I guess I'd ask them what they were in jail for," Shank said. "I'd probably let them make it up."
— Edited by Chris Hutchison
More apartments may keep more dollars in student pockets
The Eastview Apartments in the 1000 block of Mississippi Street are just one of many area apartment complexes with a "For Rent" sign in the front. Photo by Eric Sahmann KANSAN
By Lari O'Toole writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Apartment-for-rent signs are visible nearly everywhere in Lawrence — taped to front porches, displayed at apartment complexes and pegged into front lawns.
Area realtors and apartment owners agree that more rental space is available this semester than in the past five years, creating more vacancies, making it more difficult for some landlords to attract tenants and, in some cases, lowering prices to be more competitive.
The apartment market has struggled to adjust to recent additions, including the 13-building Jefferson Commons, 1410 Kasold Drive.
Although some say the apartment market is saturated and overbuilt, builders still have more rental units in store for Lawrence.
A second developer, MAC Investment LLC, plans to construct Freedom Creek, a 54-unit duplex complex, north of Overland Apartments.
Developer James P. Koehlen plans to open Overland Apartments, a 104-unit complex with duplexes and apartments, in the fall of 2000. The apartments' proposed location is at Overland Drive and Folks Road near Free State High School.
"We're overgrown in rentals here," she said. "We have more rentals here than people that want to rent."
Lynch said prices could continue to get more competitive.
Marilyn Lynch, realtor at Hedges Realty Executives, 1037 Vermont St., said landlords took longer to fill vacancies because more options were available.
"The students are going to get the most for their buck," she said.
Some students say they too have to
Marilyn Lynch realtor at Hedges Realty Executives
"The students are going to get the most for their buck."
compete with battling landlords in the soft market.
Renee Padgett, Lawrence senior, tried for more than a month to find another roommate for her duplex.
She talked to friends and purchased classified ads in newspapers but found no interested bidders.
She said she could not compete with the vacancies available in Lawrence apartment complexes.
See LAWRENCE on page 5A
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