Volume 124 Issue 89
kansan.com
Friday, February 3, 2012
CAMPUS & TOWN
The rise of the e-book //KELSEA ECKENROTH
E-books are shaking up the publishing industry but how much are they changing the way students read?
An e-reader is a digital reading device that is lighter and more portable than a regular printed book. It allows you to carry lots of books in your hand and in your backpack because they are all digitally stored on one device.
TIMES ARE CHANGING
I took an English class last semester and I'm pretty sure the book for my class weighed as much as an overweight lap dog. I was required to bring the book to every class meeting, which also happened to be near the end of the day. By the time I got home from school after walking around all day with that thing in my backpack, the only thing I wanted was a 30-minute massage to ease the pain. I never knew I could have so much hatred towards an inanimate object, but it was so much of an inconvenience for me to carry around a heavy book when I only needed 10 pages from it. Needless to say, selling that book at the end of the semester was very satisfying.
In the past, students have been forced to carry around multiple heavy books for classes. Lucky for us, technology has once again made our lives easier by introducing the e-reader.
Dani Costanza, a senior from Overland Park, joined the e-book revolution when she got an Amazon Kindle as a gift from her parents. She uses her Kindle 3-4 times a week for both school and her own reading pleasure. She has 50 to 60 books on her Kindle but only paid for four of them and downloaded the rest for free. "I have one poetry book for my English class that I am reading right now," Costanza says. "I paid half the price of a regular book for my poetry book."
FOR LOVE OF THE PRINTED BOOK
Unlike Costanza, many students can't give up loyalty to the printed book. Lottie Likens, the manager of University Book Shop, says she has had customers tell her that buying e-books makes them feel like they are spending money on nothing. It's like paying a decent amount of money for
a non-tangible object. "You can't beat having the book in your possession," Likens says.
Shannon Thompson, a junior from Overland Park, reads frequently and likes having a tangible book to write and take notes in. "There's something therapeutic about having the book in your hand and turning pages," she says. "You feel like you are going somewhere when you turn the pages and know how much you have read."
Alyson Lippert, a senior from Stilwell usually reads one book every week. She prefers printed books, although she has a Kindle application on her iPad that allows her to download and read e-books.
"Reading books on my iPad is convenient when I travel and when I go to class, but I like to have an actual book in my hand," she says. Lippert has her books displayed on a bookshelf so she can go back and look at her accomplishments.
E-BOOKS AND CLASSES
Likens says it is hard to judge how e-books will affect the future, but the University Book Shop is adjusting its game plan a little bit to try and meet with the growing e-book trend. Likens says that the store is also offering the cheapest textbook prices she has ever seen. "There's a book that was $110 to rent and now it's $10 to rent," she says.
Many textbooks for classes are now offered in both printed and e-book form. E-books for science courses are usually more expensive than for English or history courses. The e-textbook for "College Chemistry" costs $114.74 from Kindle, and the e-textbook for most Shakespeare English courses costs 99 cents in Kindle format. The KU Bookstore price for a used "College Chemistry" textbook is $129.25 and a used Shakespeare book is $75. Despite having the option to choose between the two formats, the majority of students still seem to prefer regular textbooks. E-books can't be sold back after the semester's end, but they will always belong to the person who bought it.
PHOTO BY MORGAN LAFORGE
COMPARING THE FEATURES OF THE AMAZON KINDLE TOUCH AND BARNES AND NOBLE NOOK SIMPLE TOUCH:
BARNES AND NUBLE NOOK SIMPLE TOUCH:
Kindle Touch:
Price: $99 on Amazon.com
Weight: About 7.5 ounces
Battery life can last up to two months depending on use
Wi-Fi
Has 4GB and holds up to 3,000 books plus free Cloud storage for Amazon content
Multi-touch screen with adjustable font size and three font choices
NOOK Simple Touch:
Price: $99 on BN.com
Weight: About 7.48 ounces
Battery life lasts over two months depending on use
Wi-Fi
Has 2GB and holds up to 1,000 books
Touch Screen with adjustable font size and six font choices
NOOK Reading App
Information from amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
"It's important, it's key, it's happening in your world," he said. "You need to do something about it."
Gov. Sam Brownback shares his experiences of witnessing human trafficking in multiple countries from Uganda to North Korea during a lecture Thursday night in the Kansas Union Ballroom. Brownback encouraged students and local residences to take action by working with redemption programs and going to countries to see first hand the affects of human trafficking.
Brownback started to explore the issue of human trafficking when he
Brownback shared why he thought human trafficking was an important issue to a crowd of more than 200 people at the event hosted by the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center.
Dean, 31, researched trafficking in Kansas and worked in a shelter for trafficking victims in Latvia. "Right now they go to half-way houses," she said. "But there are no shelters dedicated specifically to trafficking victims."
VIKAAS SHANKER
vshanker@kansan.com
NEAL/KANSAN's world.
ward women.
global level.
"We're missing lots of things like victim service protection," Dean said. "Many victims suffer STDs or are pregnant when they come in"
He also said he talked to Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little, who was in attendance, about raising money for a center of human trafficking on campus where students can earn degrees that would help them eliminate trafficking.
After the event, Dean said she was glad a large crowd showed up and that Brownback had some good points. "I think he showed his knowledge on the subject," she said. "It was a great opportunity to share his experiences."
Brownback said he hopes law-
ver
ent
Brownback hopes his talk raised awareness of trafficking.
"I hope they get the scope of what's happening," he said. "And I hope some of them were motivated."
"Pick an area and focus on it," he said. "...give (victims) a name and a face"
Edited by Nadia Imafidon
Brownback was an original co-sponsor of the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, a bill
"The University police have as much authority by state law as any other police officer in the state of Kansas within their jurisdiction," said Chris Keary, University assistant chief of police.
Gov. Sam Brownback stressed the importance of community involvement while giving a talk and answering questions at the Kansas Union Ballroom about human trafficking Thursday night.
police hold.
The only tickets issued on campus handled exclusively by the University are parking tickets. All other tickets issued are the same as any citation given by Lawrence police officers. Keary gave the example of a speeding ticket, saying that one issued by University police will be handled at the Douglas County Courthouse and the fine will be the same as if issued by city police.
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and emer-
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police cars,
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Campus police jurisdiction extends to all property owned or operated by the University, board of trustees, the endowment association, athletic associations, student groups associated with the university and fraternities and sorories, though Keary said the University generally lets the LPD handle calls
However, Kansas is specifically considered a state with weaker laws, according to political science graduate student Laura Dean, who played an integral role in getting Brownback to speak on campus.
The U.S. Department of Justice defines human trafficking crimes as actions that "focus on the act of compelling or coercing a person's labor, services, or commercial sex acts."
heard about occurrences in Sudan. He visited in 2004 and listened to anecdotal stories. Since then he has visited shelters in different countries with trafficking problems including Uganda, North Korea and Myanmar.
that sparked reform of trafficking laws. The act was renewed in 2008.
Brownback wanted to give the audience an idea of how trafficking affects the people in these countries. "It's the worst you can imagine," he said.
unity.
isas statutes,
also extends
and highways
to campus.
university and
al agreement
in 1993 that RC police may enter and make stops in the others' jurisdiction if a crime is observed by an on-duty officer. Both LPD and the University can also enter others' jurisdiction while in pursuit, or if there is reason to believe a person who committed a violation is in other jurisdictions.
"We can also enter other jurisdictions when asked to do so by the governing police department," Keary said. "Years ago we used to go to Manhattan to help with the KU and K-State games, because they asked us to, and when we were there, we had the same powers they did."
Index
Pierce thinks if he had known that information beforehand, he might have behaved differently.
"I was polite," Pierce said. "But if I would have known to take it as serious as if anyone were else were stopping me, I probably would have done things a little different."
CLASSIFIEDS 11
CROSSWORD 4
CRYPTOQUP 4
OPINION 5
SPORTS 12
SUDOKU 4
Edited by Nadia Imafidon
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
Today's Weather
Don't forget
SUA's Spring Campus Series is featuring the film "Immortals" tonight. Go see an inexpensive movie with your friends.
*Xwaters and a chance of hurdernstorms.
Winds gusty from the east.
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"it's raining men, halleluja!"