The University Daily Kansan
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Today: Partly cloudy with a high of 84 and a low of 69.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a high of 88 and a low of 67.
Sunday: Scattered thunder-
with a high of 89 and a low of 67.
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Friday, September 8, 2000
Sports: The Kansas volleyball team is hosting the Jayhawk classic today and Saturday.
SEE PAGE 1B
Inside: A police chase ends with a Lawrence man charged with nine felonies.
SEE PAGE 3A
(USPS 650-640) • VOL. 111 NO. 12 For comments, contact Nathan Willis or Chris Borniger at 864-4810 or e-mail editor@kansan.com
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Scholar designation differs at schools
University entices finalists by offering scholarship packages
By Kursten Phelps
Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas ranks among the premier universities in the nation when it comes to enrolling National Merit Scholars.
But the comparison between the number of KU merit scholars and those at schools such as Yale, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton isn't so simple.
In order to compete with other schools for scholars, the University, unlike some, sponsors a scholarship package for National Merit Finalists. But that means many of the merit scholars at KU would not be merit scholars at schools such as Yale, MIT and Princeton, which do not sponsor a scholarship package.
Students become finalists after scoring
well on the PSAT in high school and submitting applications, essays and references. Finalists compete for merit scholarships that give them the merit scholar status, said Gloria Ladendorf, assistant director of public information for the National Merit Corp.
Nationwide, about half of the finalists become merit scholars — except at KU and other schools that sponsor National Merit scholarship packages.
scholarship package.
Finalists who pick KU as their first-choice school and who do not win a scholarship from either the National Merit Corp. or a participating private corporation receive a scholarship package from the University that makes them merit scholars. So any finalist who tells the National Merit Corp. that KU is his or her first-choice school is guaranteed merit scholar status.
Of the 101 merit scholars at KU in Fall 1999, 84 did not receive scholarships from the National Merit Corp. or private corporations and were made merit scholars by the University, according to University records. This fall, 116 new merit scholars enrolled at KU, but the number that received KU merit scholarship packages was not available.
1. Take the PSAT in the fall of junior year in high school.
Steps to becoming a National Merit Scholar
2. Semifinalists are announced the following September based on test scores.
3. Finalists are determined based on semifinalists' applications, essays, and references.
4. Finalists rank top university and college choices.
5. National Merit Corp. scholarships are awarded first.
6. Finalists who don't receive National
Merit Corp. scholarships apply for private corporate scholarships, if eligible.
Finalists who are not awarded either of the above can accept a college sponsored merit scholarship from their first choice university, if the university offers such packages. 84 of the 101 National Merit Scholars last year were this type.
See SCHOLARSHIP on page 2A
On the other hand, schools such as Harvard, which ranked first in number of new merit scholars enrolled in 1999, do not sponsor National Merit scholarships. That means the 394 merit scholars Harvard recruited last fall would have been merit scholars at any school they attended.
Jason Elliott / KANSAN
In the Fall 1999, KU ranked ninth among public universities and 21st overall. The University was ranked fifth among Big 12 Conference universities.
MERIT SCHOLARS
MERIT SCHOLARS
Number of 1999 first-time merit scholars who are not sponsored by their universities:
- Harvard — 394
- Stanford — 229
- Yale — 170
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology — 133
- Princeton — 111
- University of Kansas — 17
Source: National Merit Scholarship Corp.
Closing one door, opening another
J. Hood Booksellers moving store online
By Luke Wetzel
Special to the Kansan
Chances are Lawrence residents know John Hood not as a carpenter, but as a bookseller.
But right now. Hood and his wife, Gloria, are closing shop and building a barn on their property near Baldwin to house books they'll sell online.
John Hood, owner of J. Hood Booksellers, 1401 Massachusetts St., is closing the store after 26 years of business. Hood will pursue his online book-selling business. Photo by Carrie Julian/KANSAN
After 26 years, J. Hood Booksellers, 1401 Massachusetts St., will be closing its doors. Come Thanksgiving, customers will still be able to browse and purchase from the J. Hood catalog from their computers.
Hood has been making shelves for the barn as part of the transition to selling books online.
Hood began selling books on the Internet five years ago.
in getting pretty darn good at making shelves," Hood said, as J. Hood employees removed books from the Massachusetts Street store.
"We sell to Borders, Barnes and Noble. Amazon.com and to customers all over the world," he said.
Hood said he saw the Internet as a new direction for his business.
"We'll miss the interaction with students," Hood said. "It just seems like it's time to simplify things."
Mario Garitta, graduate teaching assistant in philosophy, said that although he would miss the shop itself, he would continue to buy books online.
"I was in there last May, and they indicated that traffic was slow but that they would probably stay open," Garitta said. "It's sad because it's been there for so long. Sometimes you just browse and see things that you're not necessarily looking for."
Since the store began business in August 1974, the number of books has increased from 1,000 to 85,000. The shelves contain books about everything from ethics to quantum mechanics. The Roadside Geology of Colorado sits one narrow alley.
away from The Handbook to Christian
Atheism.
"We buy books from every source we can think of." Hood said.
That includes book-buying trips along the east coast.
Hood attended the University of Kansas, where he studied philosophy and English, worked as a mail deliverer and janitor and met his wife. They first discussed the idea of opening a bookstore while Gloria was studying at Yale.
"Because I had this money come out of the blue, I figured easy-come, easy-go." John said. "Let's give it a shot, rent a place and see what happens. It just took off."
Moving back to Lawrence from their home in Connecticut and receiving a small inheritance allowed John and Gloria to take the first steps.
Hood said loyal customers and low rent have kept him in business. The Hoods paid a monthly rent of only $100 when they began business.
"There were many years when we really needed the low overhead," he said. "But it was here. We lament the passing of that for college kids who might come off the Hill and want to start a business. Lawrence is in our blood."
But Hood isn't planning on taking up a career as a carpenter.
"I think the book's going to be around for a long time," he said.
- Edited by John Audlehelm
Online forum aids students in classroom
By Jason Krall writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Students now can step up to the Blackboard, a new Internet tool with the potential to replace hard copies of reserve readings, syllabi and handouts.
The professors of more than 200 courses already have posted documents, announcements and links to the Internet resource. They have set up message boards with discussion questions. The service also includes real-time chat capabilities that allow professors to conduct online help sessions.
Claire Mannion, St. Louis sophomore, has used the course outline posted for Elements of Sociology. She said she liked being able to access information for that class and her English class from the same Web site.
"You enter your password, and all your classes are listed right there," she said.
While some faculty have been posting course information on Web sites for years, Blackboard centralizes online course supplements for students. After logging in with a single password, students can access information from each of their classes for which their professor has set up a site from one location, http://courseware.kans.edu. There is no cost for students to access Blackboard there.
Many students are familiar with the service's predecessor, Web Course in a Box, which prefers some of the same features, though some complained it was too complex to use.
"I spent more time trying to explain how to use the software than talking about content," said John Hoopes, associate professor of anthropology.
Hopeps uploads handouts, poses discussion questions on the message board and even provides reserve readings using the service.
"It replaces the reserve reading in the library," he said.
He also has posted pictures from a trip to Nepal earlier this year, and said he was excited about the opportunity to post MP3 and video files.
The cost seems minimal. The University paid a $5,000 annual fee, which included initial software and installation, to the Internet software company Blackboard Inc. This yearly fee allows all professors access to the system.
The Blackboard system provides many of the same services of the Microsoft Exchange server, which wont online last spring and also provides an arena for class message boards, free student Web-site hosting and file-sharing folders for distributing handouts and collecting homework.
There are subtle differences. Exchange is integrated with students' e-mail accounts, although it does not offer real-time chat.
But support staff don't mind that the two online services overlap. They said it gave faculty the choice of which better suited their needs.
"We wanted to provide a wide variety of Internet options and let them choose the tool that makes the most sense," said Susan Zvacek, director of instructional development and support.
Edited by J. R. Mendoza
Hare Krishnas bring message of self-improvement to campus
Bv Chris Wristen
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The message is simple: It says to forget about materialistic things and focus on the soul. It encourages people to focus on their inner spirits, realize their dharma — their calling in life — and then achieve that calling, regardless of the benefits the individual will receive in return.
The truth lies within.
That is what the Hare Krishnas have attempted to share with University of Kansas students during their week-long visit.
"I wanted to hear what he had to say so I can understand where different groups of people are coming from," said Doug Smit, Denver graduate student.
And that message, for the most part, has gone over well with students.
The Krihasna said they had been accepted by most students.
"Mostly our experience is that people are very favorable, and if they're not interested, they're respectable about it," said
Maharaja, a Krishna, whose name is one word.
Hare Krishnas are monks who spread the message of the Bhagavad-Gita, a book with the teachings of the Supreme Lord Krishna that also contains sacred scriptures from ancient India. The scriptures encourage self-improvement in spirituality and lifestyle.
"It's not actually a religion," Maharaja said. "It teaches different forms of yoga, so it's more of a technology, like a science, a culture, a practice, a way of living to raise our consciousness from the central animal platform where most people live to the human rational platform and on to the spiritual platform because we're actually spiritual beings."
While the Bhagavad-Gita is a significant piece of Hindu literature and culture, the Krishnas do not identify themselves as Hindu — or any religion for that matter.
The lack of direct association with a religion does not interfere with Christian principles, said the Rev. Vince Krische, director of St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center.
"The (the) concept of self-betterment would be very similar to Christianity." Krische said.
"But Christianity would believe that (self betterment is achieved) through community outreach and support. I couldn't do what I do without the support of the monastic community around me."
Krische said it could be healthy for students to listen to what the Krishnas have to say, as long as they have a clear understanding of their own faiths first.
The yoga taught in the Bhagavad-Gita is designed to help people focus on their individual spirituality through meditations.
"It's teaching the principle underlying all religions, which is called dharma, which is kind of like the stamp, or the brand, on the soul." Maharaja said. "The real nature of the soul cannot be changed. It has to be discovered."
He said that discovery was achieved through a simpler lifestyle, rather than projecting a false image. Two-hour morning meditations help people live this lifestyle.
"(The meditations) get the right focus and consciousness, and then the whole day everything you do can actually be a meditation." Maharaja said.
—Edited by Erin McDaniel
Bhakta Jeremiah, a member of the Hare Krishnas, speaks to Danielle Wood, Topeka freshman, about the teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita. Photo by Nick Krug/KANSAN
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