MONDAY,MAY 5,2003
GRADUATION
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 5B
Local businesses prepare for weekend
As graduation looms ahead, hotels fill up early. The Eldridge Hotel, 701 Massachusetts St., is one of many hotels in the Lawrence area that will temporarily house friends and relatives for graduation festivities.
Photo Illustration by Jared Soares/Kansan
By Erica Brittain correspondence@kansan.com Kansan correspondent
As graduation approaches, Lawrence businesses are gearing up for the social aspects that come along with it. From hotels to liquor stores, almost every business imaginable is preparing for the rush of people who will hit the area the weekend of May 16-18.
Because so many people will be in Lawrence, many of the area hotels are filled. Of the 17 hotels and motels in Lawrence, the only ones with rooms remaining are the Baymont Inn, 740 Iowa St., Ramada Inn, 2222 W. Sixth St., Airport Motel, 1493 Highway 40, and Bismarck Inn, 1130 N. Third St. The Jayhawk Motel, 1004 N. Third St., also has rooms available, but does not take reservations.
"We have been sold out for a while," said Mark Luther, employee at the Days Inn, 2309 Iowa St. "I think that we were out of rooms by December."
The Holiday Inn Holidome, 200 McDonald Drive, and The Eldridge Hotel, 701 Massachusetts St., offer special events for their guests during graduation weekend.
Ryan Randolph, Holiday Inn Holidome front office manager, said that the hotel decorated the lobby with KU spirit items and has banquet facilities and catering space for students to rent to throw parties for their families and friends who are attending the graduation ceremony.
Ginger Ray, Eldridge Hotel employee, said the hotel offered a special day and evening buffet for hotel guests and the public for $26.95 each.
Hotel rooms are not the only items that run low close to the graduation ceremony. Liquor
stores also prepare for a run on kegs and other items students buy to add to the celebration of graduation.
Joe Schmidthberger, owner of Alvin's Wines and Spirits, 905 Iowa St., said that during a normal week, the store had about 100 kegs on hand, but during graduation week, it had about 225 available for purchase.
"The week of graduation is one of our best sales times during the year," he said.
The increased demand for kegs doesn't necessarily mean increased prices. Kegs can cost anywhere from $49.99 to $115, depending on the type of beer.
Cody Shaffer, Horton senior and employee at Myers Retail Liquor, 902 W. 23rd St., said prices at Myers stayed the same, regardless of special events.
Seniors have different options when it comes to venues where they can celebrate. Some students choose to have parties at their homes for friends and family.
"My parents are throwing me a graduation party," said Jessica Julich, Overland Park senior. "I'm going to mark the occasion with them, but I also plan on going out to the bars with all of my friends to celebrate."
While some students may choose that option, others can go all out and choose a rental space to celebrate the occasion. The Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St., is one option.
James Radina, co-owner of The Granada, said one group had rented out the bar for May 17, but it was still available for rent on May 18. The cost for renting out the whole building for the night is $500.
Radina said the rental fee covers bartenders, bouncers, chairs and tables, and the only extra cost was for drinks.
"It is great for anyone who wants to throw a big party and invite all of their friends," he said.
Liquor stores still offering kegs for graduation weekend and their price range.
- Edited by Julie Jantzer
Alvin's Wine and Spirits
905 Iowa St.
$49.99 to $115.00
Dodson Liquor & Keg
846 Illinois St.
$49.99 to $14.99
Myers Retail Liquor
902 W. 23rd St.
$49.99 to $103.95
Hotels with rooms remaining for graduation weekend as of May 1:
Baymont Inn
740 Iowa St.
838-4242
$135 plus tax
Ramada Inn
2222 W. 6th St.
842-7030
$95 to $103 plus tax
Airport Motel
1493 Highway 40
749-335
$30 to 40 plus tax
Bismarck Inn 1130 N. 3rd St.
749-4040
$64 plus tax
After the diplomas are distributed and the confetti has settled, recent graduates may be wondering, what next?
No longer bound by classes and exams, they must now become slaves to a new entity future employers.
Finding the ideal work environment can be easier for the computer-savvy individual. Online job searches give job-hungry graduates the opportunity to put the Web to work for them. Posting where it counts
The most well-known online job search service is monster.com, a company that allows users to search job openings and post résumés. But posting on a popular sites such as monster.com can make a job search more difficult, said Mary Andrade Carlson, assistant director for University Career and Employment Services.
The place where students will have the most success, she said, is with more specific sites.
"Because of its popularity, my competition pool is much greater than if I did a more specified search," Andrade Carlson said.
For example, an individual interested in advertising would have more luck with The American Association of Advertising Agencies, or www.aaaa.org, which pinpoints local agencies.
Quintcareers.com provides an alphabetized list of the top 300 industry-specific job sites from aviation to janitorial positions.
Know your kev words
In today's tough job market, employers already have countless paper résumés to sift through, Andrade Carlson said. The only time these employers search online is when they are
Nicole Roche
nroche@kansan.com
looking for a specific skill, which is where key words come in.
If you have excellent typing skills or speak fluent Spanish, then those skills make excellent search terms. Andrade Carlson said.
Highly specific key words will ensure a job seeker is querying the best results.
Formatting tips
Before posting, students should make sure their résumé is Internet-friendly.
This means taking out all the formatting trademarks we have grown so fond of — templates, bullets, bolding, underlining, italicizing and fancy script fonts.
Capital letters and spacing are the only way to bold points of emphasis online. Final upgrade of web site
Final words of wisdom
Andrade Carlson suggests that résumé posters open a new email account to list on-job sites.
That's because I larger online job Web sites will sell your name and e-mail address to advertisers, resulting in a ton of junk mail.
Finally, an online job-hunting guide on www.employmentguide.com warns not to expect the Internet to be "the magic elixir" that gets you a new job. According to this site, only an estimated five percent of job-seekers find a job solely through the Internet.
Nicole Roché is a Wichita senior in journalism.
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Welcome Back.
Just like you, the Kansas Union has changed a lot. After 75 years,the union still maintains old traditions in a newly renovated, modern facility, featuring Starbucks Coffee,Pizza Hut, Burger King, even a convenience store.And check out the new Jaybowl,sporting a new late-nite lounge dubbed the Hawks Nest. We've changed almost everything (the KU Bookstore is still the best place to find Jayhawk merchandise).Come see what's new at
the Kansas Union or visit us online at Jayhawks.com.
left: Kansas Union Renovation. Right: Students, 1950's Kansas Union. Photo courtesy www.kohistory.com