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NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY. FEBRUARY 9. 2009
CAMPUS
Passport Acceptance Center to open in Strong Hall
BY MICOLE ARONOWITZ
maronowitz@kansan.com
details
The post office is no longer the only place to apply for a passport. The Passport Acceptance Center, which will provide a full range of services to obtain a passport, will open on Feb. 16 at the University of Kansas. The center is located in 300 Strong Hall and is operated by International Programs. It is open to students, faculty, staff and the public. The center is one of 9,000 passport acceptance centers in the United States and the University is the only college in Kansas to offer this service.
Opening: Feb.16 Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. by appointment To make an appointment: E-mail oip@ku.edu Visit International Programs, 300 Strong Hall Call International Programs, (785) 864-6161
"We thought that it would be a great service for KU to offer," Watkins said.
Alison Watkins, communications director for International Programs, said the idea for the center came about when one of the international staff program members visited Texas Tech University and learned that it had a Passport Acceptance Center on campus.
After a year of working with the U.S. State Department, the center is making its final preparations in anticipation of its opening. The center will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments can be made by phone or online through the International Program Web site. Watkins said she hoped this will
Photo Illustration by Caleb Sommerville/KANSAN
Fees (must be paid by cash, check or money order)
Passport book — $75
Passport card — $20
Expediting fee — $60
Processing fee — $25
Photos — $15 for two
Students at the University of Kansas will be able to obtain passports in Strong Hall starting on Feb. 16. "We thought it would be a great service for KU to offer," said Ailson Watkins, communications director for International Programs.
make the process of obtaining a passport easier for students, faculty and staff.
"More than 900 students usually study abroad in the summer and a lot of those students don't have passports," Watkins said. "This means that they don't have to go downtown to the post office. They don't have to stand in line. They can simply come to Strong Hall in between classes or make an appointment and take care of it."
Sue Lorenz, interim director for the Office of Study Abroad, said that previously students were faced with the possibility of not even getting a passport because of the long lines that were present at the post office. She said with the addition of this service on campus, not only would the task of obtaining a passport be easier to accomplish, but it would also broaden students' horizons of studying abroad.
"As a university, one of our goals is to encourage international knowledge and experience for our students," Lorenz said. "When you make getting a passport a more visible and regular part of what you might do in your life it actually fits in with encouraging students overall to consider studying or traveling abroad."
Victoria Faulkner, Junction City senior, studied abroad for two weeks in Ghana. She said that she would take advantage of the on-campus convenience of the center.
"There would be no question in my mind," Faulkner said. "It would make it a lot easier."
Faulkner said that normally obtaining a passport requires a lot of time. She said this would make it less of a hassle.
"When I was getting my passport there was a lot of back and forth," Faulkner said. "This makes
it more accessible to me. I can go in between classes and get it taken care of. I wouldn't wait until the last minute to get things done."
Susan Gronbeck-Tedesco, associate vice provost for International Programs, said it was necessary to expand some of the services
available to give students and faculty who study or conduct research abroad the opportunity to travel overseas.
"I've been really excited about this operation coming to campus," Gronbeck-Tedesco said.
additional costs to the University to have the Passport Center.
Watkins said there were no maior
"In the big picture it is a small expenditure for something we think is a valuable service for the campus," Watkins said.
— Edited by Sam Speer
POLITICS
Stimulus plan to provide more financial aid to students
BY JUSTIN POPE Associated Press
DURHAM, N.C. — The stimulus plan emerging in Washington could offer an unprecedented, multibillion-dollar boost in financial help for college students trying to pursue a degree while they ride out the recession.
It could also hand out billions
to the states to kick-start idled campus construction projects and help prevent tuition increases at a time when families can least afford them.
But cuts of $40 billion for state and local governments in the Senate version were a big disappointment for college leaders.
Both the House and Senate bills call for the largest ever funding
increase for Pell Grants, the government's chief college aid program for low-income students.
The package would also increase next year's maximum award by up to $500, to $5,350, starting July 1. That's the biggest increase in history and would cover three-quarters of the cost of the average public four-year college.
Most Pell recipients come from
families earning less than $40,000.
"Long-term, if we want a better economy, we need more people going to college," Education Arne Duncan told The Associated Press last week.
College leaders meeting in Washington this week for the American Council on Education's annual meeting will be grateful for the student aid boost. But they'll
be closely watching how Congress bridges the huge gaps between how much the House and Senate versions propose spending to bail out state budgets and prevent drastic education cuts.
Colleges are hoping Congress will agree restarting idled building projects is an efficient short- and long-term investment. As they lose revenues from state support,
endowments and tuition, hundreds of projects are on hold nationwide, from a library extension at Fresno State to new dorms at Washington University in St. Louis and a biology lab at Yale.
One other benefit notable for families: The Senate bill would also allow families to spend money from 529 college savings plans on computers.
visit www.ecc.ku.edu for a list of employers