6A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY ANSAN
MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2009
CAMPUS
University hiring admissions counselor
Job includes traveling and working to bring prospective students to the University
Libby Napoli/KANSAN
Jessia Walters, an admissions counselor for the University, serves as the first line of contact for many prospective students. The 2005 graduate has been working with incoming freshmen since 2006.
BY RACHEL BURCHFIELD
rburchfield@kan.san.com
Jayhawks who are passionate about their alma mater could consider applying to work as an admissions counselor for the University. The Office of Admissions and Scholarships is currently hiring for the one open admissions counselor position.
Ten alumni of the University work day in and day out to promote the University to prospective undergraduate students all across Kansas and in eight other states across the country. These admissions counselors make their living representing the University, said Heidi Simon, associate director of the Office of Admissions and Scholarships.
"Admissions counselors are the face of the University and, in many cases, are perceived as the University," Simon said. "To many people they are KU — they are the athletics teams, they are the debate team, they are the pre-med program, they are housing, they are the chancellor, they are the Greek system, they are Lawrence."
Even before Nick Lush began working as an admissions counselor last August, he had already recruited students to come to the University.
Lush, Sacramento, Calif., 2008 graduate, recruited his younger brother and five friends from California to attend the University long before he was paid to do it. He now calls himself and the other admissions counselors "brand representatives" of the University.
"We are the people that prospective students, families and counselors go to for information about KU." Lush said. "We are the first contact for them."
Something that admissions counselors call "the KU difference" sells the University, said Elisa Krapcha, senior admissions counselor and Littleton, Colo., 2005 graduate.
ing for and also be challenged to find and do things they never thought they could do." Krapcha said. "It's a place where you have opportunities in an amazing city surrounded by amazing people. That just makes KU second to none in the country."
Duties of admissions counselors include presenting to large or small groups, meeting with families, or counseling over the phone or e-mail, which vary day to day. Admissions counselors work junior days and senior days when they are in Lawrence and not traveling across Kansas or out of state.
"The KU difference is when a student comes to KU. They can find exactly what they're look
A year in the life of an admissions counselor
"If we didn't have admissions counselors going out and visiting high schools, some people wouldn't even know what KU is all about," Krapcha said.
Elisa Krapcha breaks down admissions counselors' duties season-by-season.
Admissions counselors are dedicated, passionate, creative, and enthusiastic, Simon said. She called working with the admissions counselors the absolute best part of her job.
**Spring:** The admissions counselors are back on the road. "It's the same message — tell them about KU," Krapa said.
Winter: The team reviews the applications of thousands of students who applied for scholarships.
**Fall:** The admissions counselors visit the high schools in their respective territories, both in Kansas and out of state. "We get the nickname of being 'road warriors'; during this time of year," Krapcha said.
Summer: The team freshens up and gets updated information so that their presentations can be as current as possible.
"It's the best job anyone can have on campus, maybe besides Bill Self's job," Krapcha said.
"They are the most fun group of people to work with," Simon said.
PHILANTHROPY
The application is available at jobs.ku.edu until April 22.
Edited by Realle Roth
Mud Fest, to be held this month, is first of its kind' at University
Students play in mud to help fund scholarship
BY BETSY CUTCLIFF bcutcliff@kansan.com
Students have the opportunity to help other students by playing volleyball in the mud, but only until Wednesday when registration for Hawk Wud Fest '09 ends.
The event is sponsored by Students for KU, and is being held to raise funds for a new scholarship dedicated to exceptional student leaders.
Students for KU is the student philanthropy committee for the Kansas University Endowment Association, and was created to increase student awareness about alumni and donor support. Mud Fest '09 was intended to encourage students to start giving back to the University.
The mud volleyball tournament is the first of its kind, said Sarah Phillips, assistant director of annual giving for the Endowment Association. All funds collected from registration fees will be put into a new scholarship for Fall 2009 to recognize student leaders who have significantly given back to the University. Phillips said the amount given and number of recipients would be determined by how many teams signed up to play.
The importance of donations struck Kathleen Armistad, St. Louis sophomore, this year when her scholarship from the School of Engineering was delayed because a donor couldn't provide the expected funds. Armistad said students didn't understand the role the economy played when students relied on alumni and outside donations.
"There are so many students from so many financial backgrounds, and especially right now it's important to realize how much scholarships can help," Armistad said.
Laura Wolfe, Lenexa senior and member of Students for KU, said
Hawk Mud Fest '09
What:
A mud volleyball tournament designed to encourage students to start giving back to the University.
When:
When:
Saturday, April 25
Registration ends this
Wednesday.
Where: Field located west of (behind) Library Annex (1880 Westbrook Dr.)
For more information or for registration forms, visit www2.
ku.edu/~hawkmudfest/info-
shim1 or contact the Hawk
MudFest Information Line at 785-832-7420.
she thought it was important for students to understand how much the University depended on donor support for scholarships and campus upkeep. Wolfe said reliance was one reason students should get in the habit of giving back, and she liked the idea of being able to contribute in a small way by participating in events that raise funds for more scholarships.
"It's a cool thought to know students can help other students," Wolfe said.
During the 2008 fiscal year, the KU Office of Institutional Research and Planning reported that the Endowment Association gave more than $1.9 million to students through loans, grants and scholarships. Endowment scholarships accounted for 24.5 percent of all scholarships and grants given to students at the Lawrence campus, athletic scholarships were the next highest, accounting for about 13 percent of the total.
Hawk Mud Fest '09 starts at 10 am, on April 25.
— Edited by Sam Speer
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ENVIRONMENT Officials to dedicate plant to purify water supply
This comes after nearly 30 years of searching for a solution for contaminated groundwater.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson officials plan to dedicate a long-awaited reverse-osmosis water treatment plant this week.
The new plant will take water extracted from contaminated well sites near the Fourth Avenue and Carey Boulevard area and purify it. It will use water pressure and semipermeable membranes to filter out contaminants.
The plant dedication is Thursday. Construction began in 2005.
City officials learned in the 1980s that volatile organic compounds contaminated a public water supply well.
Associated Press
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