Section A · Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, February 16, 1999
- Williams Communications Presentation
When: Thursday, February 18, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Where: Learned Hall, Room 2002
- All students are invited to attend.
If the idea of working for a Fortune 500 company that's ranked as one of the top 50 places to work in the U.S. appeals to you, then don't miss our presentation on February 8. Williams Communications is poised to be one of the leaders in information and communications technologies and is looking for individuals who are ready to challenge themselves in a benefit driven work environment.
Career opportunities are unlimited. For more information call us at 1-800-WILLIAMS or visit our website at www.twc.com/career.
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Fair targets undecided students
Advisers to help undergraduates choose a major
By Chris Hopkins
Knappon staff writer
Kansan staff writer
About one in 11 University of Kansas students didn't have a major at the beginning of this school year, according to the Office of the Institute for Educational Research and Public Service.
Today at Majors Fair 1999, students looking for majors will be able to talk to representatives from 60 departments, take a career assessment test and hear the advice of other students who have been through the process of choosing or changing majors.
The fair will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Kansas University Ball-
Tammara Durham, assistant director of the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center, said that students who didn't declare a major were less likely to graduate from the University.
"Hopefully this will help with our retention efforts," she said.
Durham said that the center had sent out about 8,000 invitations and that she was hoping at least 500 students would attend.
Richard Hardin, chair of the English department, will represent his program at the fair. Hardin said that his only wish was that the fair could be in a more central location.
"I'm a little bit concerned that some students won't get over to it," he said.
Durham said that the center had taken location into consideration but that the only other place that was big enough, Allen Fieldhouse, was too big.
Despite the location, Hardin said that he still liked the premise of the fair.
"The University's a big place," he said. "We need to make this knowledge available to students who have questions."
For students who aren't sure where to start asking questions, Richard Nelson, assistant director of Counseling and Psychological Services, will give students a quick career assessment test.
Career assessment workshops will be held at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Nelson said that one of his goals in administering the test was to encourage students go to Career Counseling and Planning Service.
"We're trying to hook them to get them to come back in," he said.
Nelson said that although the test he was going to give at the fair only put students in one of
six groups, the analysis administered at Career Counseling gave the students a seven-page printout to work with.
"That assessment is very helpful in exploring career and major options," Nelson said.
Another event at the fair will be a student panel discussion, "Relax! It's Only Your life," which will take place at 11 a.m., noon and 2:30 p.m.
Toyin Adeyunjan, Lawrence junior, will be a member of the 2:30 p.m. panel. She said that she wanted to help students feel less pressure to find out what they wanted to do.
"Take it slow, relax, get a taste of everything," she said.
This is the first year since 1996 that a majors fair has been held. In 1996, the Student Senate University Affairs Committee held a similar event. Attendance was 200 students, which caused some complaint among the participants.
Watson Library to improve research tools
New computer center to aid faculty, students in learning databases
By Karen Lucas
Special to the Kansan
Paulette DIFilippo, reference librarian, was giving a computer demonstration yesterday to 15 students who were huddled around a single terminal in the main area of Watson Library's reference department.
Not everyone could see the computer screen and some eyes wandered off in other directions.
DiFilippo's voice had to compete with the screeching sounds of the dot matrix printers, and at nearby work stations, other students tried to stay focused on their work.
By next fall, a $200,000 center
for library instruction in the reference department will ease DIFlippo's and other librarians' training problems. The center also will increase computer capacity for patrons.
"The staff is pretty excited about this," said Bill Crowe, vice chancellor for information services and dean of libraries. "It will allow them to do their jobs more effectively with students and faculty."
The Clark Instruction Center, which will be located on the third floor, will have 16 computers along the walls, tables in the middle of the room, a laser printer and an instructor's console, said Cindy Pierard, instruction coordinator.
"It's a good space for teaching people how to use both print and electronic sources," she said. "It lets us demonstrate and also provide hands-on activities. We can
reconfigure the furniture to accommodate whatever we're doing in the session."
Deborah Gerner, associate professor of political science, said that she was looking forward to taking her classes to the center.
"People learn best by doing," Gerner said. "Having this library facility will give the students the chance to work with databases themselves rather than watching a reference librarian do it. There is no question my students will benefit from the improvement."
Lisa Bitel, associate professor of history and women's studies, also shared Gerner's enthusiasm.
"It will make the whole process of taking classes over there more efficient and comfortable." Bitel said.
When the library staff does not have classes in the center, patrons will be able to use its computers for research purposes.
Crowe said.
"It's a good idea," said Andrea Slagle, Ness City sophomore. "More people can work at the same time without having to wait for an open terminal."
Crowe said that funding for the center included a $37,500 grant from the Provost's Instructional Technology Fund, a $10,000 contribution from an anonymous donor, a $7,500 donation from the KU Friends of the Library and money from the libraries' operating budget.
He also said that the goal was to have the center done by the fall semester.
The center is named after Marilyn Clark, a retired Watson librarian, Crowe said.
"She was the spark plug for library instruction," he said. "She pushed very hard in the late '80s and early '90s for a revival of library instruction."
The University of Kansas Chancellor's Student Awards Committee is accepting nominations for the following:
The Agnes Wright Strickland Award The Donald K. Alderson Award The Class of 1913 Award The Alexis F. Dillard Student Involvement Award The Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award The Caryl K. Smith Student Leader Award
Nomination forms for these awards are available at the Office of the Dean of Students, 133 Strong Hall, Lawrence, KS 60045.
Nominations must returned to the Office of the Dean of Students by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 19,1999.
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