Friday, October 20, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 3
1999 on-campus criminal offenses University of Kansas Kansas State University University of Nebraska University of Colorado Oklahoma State University Iowa State University Murder/ Non-negligent manslaughter 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Forcible sex offenses 3 3 1 3 0 6 Nonforcible sex 0 1 2 0 0 0 Robbery 2 0 0 0 0 2 Aggravated assault 4 3 0 7 0 11 Burglary 73 130 24 141 40 72 Motor vehicle theft 3 3 2 3 2 4 Arson 1 1 9 15 1 3 Negligent manslaughter 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Source: U.S. Department of Education
Kyle Ramsey/KANSAN
Web site offers crime stats
By Lauren Brandenburg
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Tuition. Location. Majors. Student life.
Now students can add crime to the list of things to consider when looking for a school.
The U.S. Department of Education has started an online database that people can search to find university crime statistics. The Web site went up late last month with about 3,200 schools and should be finished late this month, with about 6,000 mandated to send in data by Tuesday.
The site includes statistics from the last three years about sex crimes, burglaries, murder and auto theft, among other things. People can search by different categories, such as region, state, type of institution, majors offered and student population. The site also breaks down where on campus the crimes occur — in residence halls, noncampus buildings or public property.
According to the site, crimes such as burglary, rape and assault have decreased for the past three years on the University of
Kansas campus, Kansas State and Iowa State reported increases in each of these categories between 1988 and 1999. Other Big 12 schools did not show consistent patterns.
The Web site is a product of the Clery Act, which requires all campuses that receive federal funding to report crime statistics. The act is named after Jeanne Clery, who was murdered by another student in 1986 while attending school in Pennsylvania.
Chris Keary, assistant director of the KU Public Safety Office, said the University had sent its statistics in last week.
"We have been complying with the requirements of the Clery Act ever since it was put out," Keary said. "This is the first time the Department of Education has ever asked for statistics in this manner."
Statistics for the city are not available on the Web site. Keary said the Lawrence Police Department could not provide the University with the information asked for, which would include crime statistics for streets and sidewalks next to campus, in public property around the University and in fraternity and sorority houses.
CAMPUS CRIME
To see how the KU compares with other schools across the country, go to
www.ope.edu/go/security/ search.asp.
Students also can check out a daily log of crimes, crime alerts and other crime-related information for KU at www.ukans.edu/safety.
Audrey Snyder, Shawnee freshman, said she definitely would have looked at the Web site if it had been available during her college search but was not sure it would have changed her mind.
J. J. Dane, Iowa City, Iowa, freshman, said she would not have changed her decision based solely on crime statistics either. But she said she would have checked it out.
Dane said she might encourage her friends who were looking for schools to take a look at the Web site.
Dane said she felt safe on campus, although she was a little concerned with the rape at the beginning of the year.
— Edited by John Audlehelm
Advisers have in-depth training before working
Bv Jason Kroll
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Bobby Beachy felt overwhelmed at fresh man orientation.
Like many of his classmates, the Prairie Village freshman had questions about enrollment and what classes to take.
His adviser wasn't much help, he said.
"I had so many questions, I had a hard time making decisions on classes," Beachy said. "You'd ask them some questions, and they'd always refer you to someone else."
As freshmen and sophomores examine the spring timetable in preparation for upcoming advising sessions, some have specific questions about courses, major requirements and the enrollment process.
Kathryn Tuttle, director of the Freshmen-Sophomore Advising Center, said the center's advisers were well-versed in KU procedures and course requirements.
Most of the center's advisers are familiar with KU classes from a student perspective as well. The majority of the center's advisers have master's degrees from the University, Tuttle said. New advisers receive training on reading the timetable, advising students about deadlines for adding and dropping classes and other enrollment procedures.
A new adviser's training begins during freshman orientation. New advisers work
in group sessions with incoming freshmen led by experienced advisers, Tuttle said. They don't begin to work with students one-on-one until they have been observed and approved by another adviser, she said.
Lynn Mosteller, academic adviser in the center, organizes programs to educate advisers about student issues. Advisers meet for 90 minutes once a month to hear speakers on the specific concerns of a variety of student groups, including students with disabilities, minority students and student athletes.
Students are always free to request a new adviser, and students occasionally do that. Mosteller said. The requests are always granted, she said.
"It doesn't have any negative repercussions for the student at all," she said.
Tuttle said the center hadn't received more than a couple such requests per semester since its opening two years ago.
The center has seven full-time advisers, seven faculty advisers, two part-time advisers and three part-time graduate student advisers.
Volunteers help educate community about pets
Tuttle said she would encourage students who felt their advisers couldn't answer questions about a particular school or major to talk with advisers or faculty in that area.
"Students should always feel free to go beyond their adviser to look for those answers," she said.
- Edited by Kathryn Moore
By Amber Huntzinger Special to the Kansan
Playful dogs and lazy cats keep Amy Tramill and her volunteers company throughout the day.
About 550 animals fill the pawpainted Lawrence Humane Society building, 1805 E. 19th St., said Tramill, humane society volunteer coordinator. The humane society takes care of animals from rabbits and gerbils to dogs and cats until they are adopted
Volunteers do more than just play with the animals. Tramill said.
Suzy Kujawa, Atchison sophomore,
recently became a volunteer.
"Some animals eventually retreat to their cage," she said. "Volunteers can sit in a chair and brush them, walk them, bathe them or whatever they want to do."
"I have always liked animals," she said. "I want to help make them more comfortable while they are waiting for a home."
"They bring animals to Hastings book readings, nursing homes, Borders or to any of the many places we have open invitations," she said.
The humane society also provides pet facilitators to make it known to the community there are pets available for adoption. The facilitators also answer questions about adopting pets.
Kujawa said that of all the jobs offered to volunteers, she was most interested in taking animals into the community.
"It is important because it gets the word out," Kujawa said. "If people are informed, then they will be more likely to adopt one of the animals."
Tramill said education and raising money were also important jobs for volunteers.
The humane society has numerous fund-raisers, Tramill said. They include the Pawsible Dream Auction, The Mutt and Strutt Walk and Santa Paws Pet Pics, plus other smaller events to raise money throughout the year.
For those who enjoy speaking in the community, there is a position Humane Educators, Tramill said.
The position entails representing the shelter in schools, area outreach programs, information booths, satellite adoption programs and other areas around the community, she said.
Tramill recommended that students become volunteers.
"We are like their little refuge," she said. "It makes them feel good that they made an animal's day."
It is also a great way for students to get involved in community service, Kujawa said. Volunteers are not required to work a set number of hours each week. Tramill said volunteers could come in anytime they wanted.
Kujawa said she was amazed at the variety of jobs offered to the volunteers.
"We have people that come in once a month, a couple of times a year or sometimes four or five times a week," Tramill said. "It is really up to the volunteer."
"I don't see animals anymore that are homeless," she said. "I see animals that are going to get a home."
Volunteering can put things into perspective, Tramill said.
Practice can help conquer fear
Edited by J. R. Mendoza
By Melissa Davis writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
When Matt Bloom speaks in front of a crowd, he doesn't feel well. His heart beats fast, his hands sweat and he can barely talk
Bloom. Middletown, N.J. senior, like many, is afraid of speaking in public.
"I was giving a speech about the effects of Ritalin and I couldn't talk," he said. "The teacher had to turn off the camera three times, I said 'I need to go outside to breathe' and I barbed—everywhere."
Ryan Spaulding, graduate teaching assistant in communications studies, said the fear of speaking in public was stronger than the fear of death. He said people could overcome the fear in various ways like listening to relaxing music, not stressing about it and saying the speech out loud beforehand. The latter line is practice.
"The bottom line is practice, practice, practice," Spaulding said.
Paulding also tried to ease students' minds by putting a chair near the podium in case a
He said he saw a lot of students the first day of class who were nervous to speak, so Spaulding did various things to try to help.
"I try to make it an easy environment to speak in by getting students to talk to each other," he said.
CALMING THE NERVES
Tips to overcome fear of public speaking:
■ Listen to relaxing music.
■ Try to stay relaxed.
■ Practice the speech out loud beforehand.
student felt sick, wanted to sit down or was feeling faint.
"There is no perfect situation,
but I try to help." he said.
But a chair wouldn't help Bloom and neither would-practicing, so he made the commute to Johnson County Community College just to take a speech class hoping it would help his fear—but it didn't.
Bloom said last year during his speech on Ritalin he had to leave the room because he felt physically sick to his stomach.
"I did a few speeches earlier in the semester and I was pretty good," Bloom said. "The class even laughed. But when I did a serious subject, I got sick."
He said he got sick because his speech was personal and he wanted to do well.
Brenden Yeager, Blue Springs, Mo., sophomore, said
Spaulding said he hadn't seen anyone vomit in his class but thought students shared a fear of speaking for a number of reasons. He said students often dreaded speaking because of lack of experience or they might feel nervous standing in front of their peers, fearing they are being judged.
Students can get tongue-tied and shaky when trying to give a speech. Communications graduate teaching assistant Ryan Spaulding recommends practice as a way to overcome anxiety. Photo illustration by Craig Bennett and Nick KANSAN
he was pretty laid back, although when he had to give speeches he got nervous. But he said he knew he wasn't alone.
"If you look at it as everyone has to give speech it lowers the intensity," Yeager said.
— Edited by J. R. Mendoza
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