4 - THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2002
"We have reasonably good attendance. It's cool in here; it's a cool way to spend an evening in the middle of July."
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to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is only during intersession, starting July 27, that the libraries will shorten their hours.
Watkins Memorial Health Center employees still see patients in the summer months. Bill Smith, interim director for health education, said all services Watkins provided in the fall and spring were available during the summer.
"We still see a lot of students," he said. "The frequency is lower because the number of students on campus is lower."
Recreation Services is open in the summer as well. The Burge Union fitness center will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Robinson Center will open from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. The Robinson pool is open from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Lindsey Whittington, Gardner freshman, said she saw a steady flow of people in the gym so far.
"There are always people waiting in line," she said. "We get quite a bit of traffic."
Whittington said KU Fit was still an option for students who wanted to work out this summer. Only intramural sports are dormant in summer, she said.
The computer labs are open in summer. The two biggest labs, Budig Lab and the Harris Lab in the Kansas Union have different hours. The Budig Lab will be open from 8 a.m. to midnight daily and the Harris Lab will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Students seeking advice can visit Career and Employment Services and Legal Services for students. Both offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
All University offices and buildings will be closed Independence Day, July 4.
Long classes
Most classes taught in the summer are taken at an accelerated pace — the same amount of work as a regular 16-week semester, but in half the time. That's not necessarily a bad thing, said Philip Wedge, assistant professor of English.
"It's an intimate class setting," he said. "Meeting every day, students really get to know each other. It can be very positive."
Brandon Baker, Kansas City, Kan., junior, said he was taking a summer Spanish class. He said the first day was confusing.
"They're harder because they're more condensed," Baker said.
Because the summer session is about six class periods shorter than a regular semester, students might not learn all the same things they would have been taught if they had taken the class during the regular academic year. Wedge said he was only cutting one novel out of his curriculum for Major British Writers after 1800.
"The big difference is there is no finals period," he said. "Finals are usually given on the last day, so if you were taking three summer classes and had all your finals on that last day, it would be pretty tough. I will give a final. Not to do that would be too different from a regular semester class."
STUDENT LIFE AND ACTIVITIES
Sure, fewer students are prowling around Jayhawk Boulevard, but those who do stick around make the most of the relaxed atmosphere on campus.
Danny Kaiser, director of Student Organizations and Leadership, said the number of active student groups was minimal, but organizations like Student Senate and Panhellenic Council were eagerly preparing for next year.
"Things don't get as quiet as they used to, but there it is a significantly different pace," he said. "If someone came by the office, we would still try to plug them into things that are going on."
Student Senate, in addition to planning for next year, is planning a summer cleanup project. Jeff Allmon, Wichita junior and
community affairs director for Senate, said he and others had also been working to get students involved in city government.
"Currently we are very busy meeting with officials from the city to high-level state government, collecting info on potential state office candidates and working to have more city and university interaction."
For students seeking entertainment on campus, the Kansas Summer Theatre will present "Prairie Fire: Parts One and Two" from July 12 to14 and 19 to 21 in Murphy Hall. Charla Jenkins, public information officer for University Theatre said the play was based on Kansas history and was performed and produced by students. He said the summer heat didn't diminish the audience.
"We have reasonably good attendance," Jenkins said. "It's cool in here; it's a cool way to spend an evening in the middle of July."
Heather Meiers, a 2002 graduate of the University, is living in Lawrence during the summer and working at Watson Library. She said even though there are fewer people on campus, student life in the summer isn't so bad.
"It's definitely more relaxed in the summer. People aren't hurrying around to class. It's great. You can recharge your batteries for next fall."
Contact Beatty at ibeatty@kansan.com.