Volume 124 Issue 101
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
the student voice since 1904
TECHNOLOGY
Ebooks on way to campus
HANNAH WISE
hwise@kansan.com
This generation's students are constantly flooded with new technology at home, work and school. Students are receptive to electronic books, in particular, but some are hesitant to trade in the printed word for a screen of e-ink.
Provost Jeffrey Vitter said the University plans to slowly implement ebooks into classrooms across campus, but the process is just in the beginning stages.
"PIZZA, PIZZA"
"We have very high level people who will be making visits to Apple, to Google, Microsoft, IBM and possibly HP and Dell in order to build collaborative projects and get discounts and see how we can leverage what they are doing to improve what we are doing in our educational process," Vitter said.
In January, Apple announced its new interactive textbook interface, iBooks 2. The program allows publishers to create interactive textbooks and publish them directly to iPads. In the same announcement, Apple said it was revamping its iTunes U section to allow more universities to join and publish entire courses through the iTunes store. Vitter said the University has applied for a license to upload content to iTunes U.
Students using their iPads, Kindles or other tablet readers on campus is not uncommon. Taylor Bettle, a sophomore English major from Wichita, frequently reads books for classes on her Kindle Fire, and she said it's all about the convenience tablets can provide.
"I definitely use it a lot for classes," Bettle said. "Some of the textbooks for class I have on here. Some I couldn't get on there I had to get the paper form. But I like using it a lot."
However, some students are skeptical of the online textbooks and classes. Amara Siddiqi, a junior from Wichita, does not think course materials online will work well for her.
"I've had e-book versions of certain books and it is a lot more comforting to the eyes to look at the actual book copy rather than the ebook copy," Siddiqui said.
The KU Bookstore recognizes that some professors and publishing companies are pushing for ebook usage and are trying to do their best to keep up. Kyle Whitley is a supervisor in the textbooks department and said the store is adjusting to the transition to digital.
"Mostly what we are doing is providing anything the instructor adopts and working with the publisher to get that in the store," Whitley said. "We have less control over what it is — a book versus an ebook — that is all dependent on the instructor who adopts it. What we are doing is trying our best to get that product in the store at a competitive price."
Edited by Amanda Gage
Kaitlyn Butco (right), a freshman from Shawnee, and Montana Martin (left), a freshman from Denver, hand out pizza at the SUA sponsored event 'Comedy and Pizza' night. The event, which was held in the fifth floor Union ballroom, gave out free pizza from four different pizza places in Lawrence and had an improv troupe known as 'Baby Wants Candy' come as the entertainment.
TYLER ROSTE/KANSAN
TRANSPORTATION
NO CAR, NO PROBLEM
Hertz and Parking and Transit department team up to introduce a new car sharing program.
Hertz has designated parking spots in lots 16 and 102 on campus for its rental cars. Students, staff and faculty can rent a car for $8 per hour. Cars can be rented for as little as 15 minutes or as long as a day.
KELSEY CIPOLLA
kcipolla@kansan.com
Joey Reames does not have a car in Lawrence. He left the vehicle he shared with his siblings in Dallas so that his brother could get to work everyday. While not having a car in Lawrence has not prevented him from getting around campus, it does make getting around town a challenge.
"As far as going to see my friends who live off campus or getting to Mass Street, I always have to ask my friends for rides," said Reames, a sophomore from Dallas. "I feel bad. They're always spending gas money on me."
The Parking and Transit Department now offers a solution for students without cars like Reames. Last month, it introduced a car sharing program that allows cars to be rented for a minimum of 15 minutes or as long as a day.
Students had been requesting the program for years, said Margretta de Vries, administrative specialist for the department.
Interested drivers register for the Hertz
CHRIS NEAL/KANSAN
De Vries said the car sharing program would be helpful to students, staff and faculty who struggle to arrange rides for appointments or errands and might
is free. Hertz then mails out a membership card that drivers use to unlock the car. The whole process takes about 7 to 10 days, and anybody over the age of 18 with a valid driver's license can use the cars.
Two cars are parked in marked spaces in lot 16 across from the Kansas Union and two are in lot 102, located between Hashinger and Lewis Hall. The rental fee is $8 per hour, which includes gas and insurance. All cars have 24-hour customer service and built in GPS. The keys are inside the car, but it will only start after you confirm your identity with the cars Bluetooth system. Vehicles must be returned to their designated spaces when drivers are done.
on demand program on the company's website and must provide credit card information for future rental use, although registering
IAVON SCHAKELFORD junior from Salina
come as a relief for prospective students as well.
"There are a lot of students who come from far away and only bring a car because they don't think they'll be able
to get to anything," said de Vries. Since the program started, 126 people have signed up for membership. In February, the cars
have been driven for 129 hours. The department goal is for the cars to be driven around 200 hours per month, de Vries said.
Javon Shackelford, $v$ junior from Salina, was interested to hear that the program would be coming to the University right around the time he would need to start applying for internships.
to get to anything," said de Vries.
"I use it to go to interviews in Kansas City, which has been really helpful," Shackelford said.
Index
He tries to use the cars strategically, renting them on weekdays when the prices are lower than the standard $8 per hour. Schakelford also evaluates whether or not he really needs the car to go somewhere or if
driving would simply be easier than walking since the rental fees can add up quickly.
"If you're not careful, you can definitely drive yourself into the poor house," Schakelford said.
Edited by Bre Roach
CLASSIFIEDS 9
CROSSWORD 4
CRYPTOQUIPS 4
OPINION 5
SPORTS 10
SUDOKU 4
Today's Weather
Don't forget
II contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
Brazilian Week is going on now. Brazilian movie night is tonight at Ellsworth at 7 p.m.
Most sunny with west-
erly winds at 10-15 mph
gusting up to 20 mph.
'Sunny day, sweepin' the clouds awav
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B
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