WEDNESDAY,JUNE4,2003
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 11
TECHNOLOGY
New KUIDs provide unexpected benefits
By Richard Gintowt
rgintowt@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Students who returned to school and found that the smart chips on their KUIDs no longer had any value may have a way to recoup their losses.
Campus libraries will be offering free copies until they find a vendor to take charge of campus copying.
Students can thank the KU Card Center for the unexpected freebies. The center implemented a new campus card system over spring break and erased all smart chip accounts Friday, May 30, leaving the libraries without a functioning system to charge for copies.
The new stripe system - awarded to ATM supplier Diebold in December marks a major effort of the KU card center to expand and streamline the functions of the KUID.
"KU has lagged behind other schools in finding an effective card system," said David Johnston, marketing director for the KU Memorial Unions. "The smart chip just never caught on."
Johnston attributed the ineffectiveness of the smart chip to inconvenience and a lack of promotion.
Under the new system, students will be able to add "Beak Em Bucks" to their card online and use that money to do laundry, make copies and eat. Their purchases will be deducted from their accounts immediately via an online system that connects all Diebold card readers.
Johnston said the biggest benefit of the new system will be a meal plan that allows students to eat at the Kansas Union as well as dining halls. Students may even be able to eat off campus within a year if local businesses agree to accept Beak 'Em Bucks.
"We're trying to give the people who go off-campus for lunch a reason to stay on campus," Johnston said.
One thing students may not be able to do with their Beak 'Em Bucks, however, is buy sodas. Coke has no plans at this time to install new card readers, said Patrick Rupe, Coke's sales manager to the University.
"It'd be suicidal for Coke to do that,"
said Johnston, who said the card readers cost $2,000 apiece. "A lot of people may criticize Coke, but it was really KU's decision."
Kent Miller, libraries facilities officer, said the change to Diebold was a factor in the libraries' decision to outsource copying services. Miller said handing over responsibility to a vendor will allow the library to invest in other things and should translate into better-functioning copy machines.
"We know about running libraries but copying is a whole 'nother line," Miller said. "We think a vendor will be more efficient because it's their business."
EMPLOYMENT
— Edited by Kevin Wiggs
Recent graduates face difficult job search
By Jennifer Wellington
jwellington@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
As Megan Hogan walked down the hill last Sunday with more than 4,000 other KU graduates, her emotions were a mixture of excitement and fear.
The Hutchinson journalism graduate was excited to finally be done with school, she said, but fearful because she didn't have a job lined up for after graduation.
"I'm moving to Oregon in a couple of months, but I don't have a job or anything, so I'm really scared," Hogan said. "It's so hard right now to find a job, and I don't know what I want to do with my degree."
Like Hogan, many 2003 graduates will have difficulty finding employment, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The group predicts job prospects will be no worse than last year's. The class of 2003 is still contending with a market that is weaker than when its members left high school.
U. S. companies reported that employers are expected to hire 42 percent fewer new college graduates this year than last year. Only 21 percent said they would supply the same number of new graduates, according to NACE's Job Outlook 2003 Spring Update, which included a survey of 353 American companies.
"Employers are really looking at a
variety of things from applicants this year," said Camille Luckenbaugh, Employment Information Manager for NACE. "Communication skills, interpersonal and teamwork skills, as well as relevant work experience, are vital in new graduates."
Even though enrollment in graduate school increased by 5 percent in 2002 and is expected to rise even higher this fall, Andrad said students choosing to get their master's degree instead of joining the work force could end up hurting themselves in the long run.
Luckenbaugh also said it was extremely important for graduates to research the company's background and the position they are applying for before accepting any interviews.
Mary Andrad, assistant director for the University Career and Employment Services, said the job market was more difficult for students without experience in their field.
"What we're seeing now is that because of layoffs, more and more people with experience are joining the job pool with these new graduates," she said.
"They could end up being overqualified or not have enough work experience," Andrad said. "So during their summers while in grad school, they need to have work experience."
- Edited by Ehren Meditz
Photo illustration by Zach Straus/Kansan
After graduation, students are facing a bare job market. The lack of opportunities for employment has left recent graduates wondering what the monetary future holds in store for them.
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