WEDNESDAY,OCT.10,2001
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5A
Student still at one with his fraternity
Sole member works to attract recruits to Iota Phi Theta
By J.R. Mendoza Kansan staff writer
When Dion Jones decided to join a fraternity at the University of Kansas, he said he realized something was missing.
The St. Croix, Virgin Islands senior said he researched online possibilities for fraternities and found out about Iota Phi Theta Jones said he contacted representatives from the historically African-American fraternity and decided to create a chapter at KU in 1997.
"It just appealed to me," Jones said. "I thought it was a good idea to bring another organization to campus so students have more choices."
Jones, who is the only active member of the chapter, said forming the chapter was time-consuming. He said he traveled to the Nebraska and Missouri chapters to learn the process.
jones said he had volunteered with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club and Jubilee Cafe.
"Once you join a fraternity, by whatever form, you are almost put into a mentor-type
role," Jones said. "Just going to school is not enough because there is so much you can do. It makes a big difference to give back to the community."
Jones said the recruitment process for other potential fraternity members was ongoing.
"We don't have a legacy like the other fraternities on campus, but I am not discouraged by that," Jones said. "I just got to keep out."
Jones said his fraternity also worked with the Iota Hearts. Erika Hanson, Malta, Mont., sophomore and Hearts member said the group provided support for the fraternity but was not an actual sorority.
"Anything he does, I do," Hanson said. "We're pretty equal."
For more information about Iota Phi Theta, contact Jones at jonedi@ncs.com or visit www.geocities.com/kuiota.
Hanson said she got involved with the Hearts because she didn't want to join a traditional sorority. She said she was the only active Heart.
For more information about the Hearts, contact Hanson at 760-1885.
Contact Mendoza at 864-4810
CHRIS BURKET/KANSAN
Dion Jones, founding member of lota Phi Theta and Erika Hanson, an lota Heart, help each other with campus and community service activities. Jones founded a chapter of lota Phi Theta at KU in 1997 and is the only active member, though he says the recruitment for new members is an ongoing process.
Students picking up on newspaper readership program
Increase in newspapers left on campus creates burden on recycling
By Luke Daley Kansan staff writer
The interest in the two-month old Student Newspaper Readership Program remains high among students news that Student Senate is encouraged to hear.
Branden Bell, a member of the Student Newspaper Readership Program committee, said the only problem had
been an increase in newspaper litter and more newspapers to be recycled.
"Aside from the recycling concerns, I haven't heard anything bad about the program," Bell said.
Bell, a holdover senator, said the committee had done no official studies to gauge the student response to the program.
However, he said students were participating in the program, based on the lack of newspapers he saw in the boxes.
Joel Goldstetsky, Minneapolis, Mi.. junior, picked up a copy of USA Today from the readership box in front of Wescoe Hall yesterday.
He said he got a newspaper three or four times a week, and he tried to get his copy early.
"They're usually empty at the end of the day," Goldetsky said of the newspaper boxes.
Anne Coemen, Omaha, Neb. freshman, said she picked up a newspaper every other day.
She said having the newspapers was helpful to students and that without the readership program, she probably wouldn't be reading newspapers.
Katie Bartlett, a member of the readership program committee, said the committee would meet Oct. 17 to discuss ways to further publicize the readership program.
ership program. Bartlett, a liberal arts and sciences senator, representing juniors and seniors, said The New York Times was the most popular newspaper, based on the it's availability at the end of the day.
She said the committee would brainstorm ways to collect data on the program's efficacy during the meeting.
gain his advantage "I think the most important thing is that people know it's for them," she said.
Contact Daley at 864-4810
Mayor asks City Commission to liven up city streets
By Courtney Craigmile Kansan staff writer
Mayor Mike Rundle asked the Director of Public Works, George Williams, to find a way to prolong the lives of Lawrence streets last night.
Rundle asked Williams to look into "spending as much money as possible to expand the lives of our streets."
Williams addressed the City Commission, proposing a preventative maintenance plan. Such a plan would allow the city to repair damaged streets as usual.
But it would also allow the city to repair more potholes and cracks in other streets, thereby extending their lives and preventing constant repaving.
Street lives may be extended up to five years, instead of two or three, with a preventive maintenance plan, Rundle said.
But preventative maintenance takes money, money that the city doesn't have in this year's budget.
"It's a matter of robbing Peter to pay Paul." Williams said. "Something would have to take a back seat to put that into effect."
He said enacting a preventative maintenance plan would require the city to hire a full-time engineer to track the condition of every street in the city and determine which streets needed
City Manager Mike Wildgen said most of the money would be needed for staff positions.
repair.
"You can't send out a civil-engineering intern to make those kind of assessments." Wildgen told the Commission.
Rundle said his main concern was catching up with road maintenance to provide Lawrence citizens the best possible roads.
Amanda Blue, Olathe senior, said she would like to see more roads repaired. Blue, who lives near Mary's Lake, travels on 23rd Street several times a day.
Wildgen said the city would look at preventative maintenance plans in other cities and present a report to the
She said the road was often in poor condition, and that she often had to swerve to miss the potholes big enough to "swallow my tire."
Commission at a later date.
In other Commission news, Wildgen told the Commissioners that the city's new parking garage, 933 New Hampshire St., would open this weekend.
"The list of things to do is very short," he said. "We hope to have the garage open by the weekend. It could be Friday; it could be Thursday."
Two lanes of New Hampshire Street also will open at the same time.
The parking garage is part of the Downtown 2000 project that also includes a new Lawrence Arts Center, office space and a possible hotel.
Contact Craigmile at 864-4810
Resumé doctors seeing patients until tomorrow
By Matt Norton Kansan staff writer
Tomorrow is the last day students can drop by the Resume Doctors booth on the fourth floor of the Kansas Union for a career check-up.
Resumé
Doctors:
Doctors.
■ When: 10 a.m to 3 p.m. today and tomorrow
■ Where: The fourth floor lobby of the Kansas Union
Ten students signed in and talked with advisers about their resumes in the first hour yesterday.
Staff members of the University of Kansas Career and Employment Services office began evaluating students' resumes yesterday
Others stopped by and took pamphlets on academic path tips, cover letter and reference list ideas, and lists of action verbs.
Resumé doctors will be at the Union today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Bonnie Sheriff, Lawrence junior, said she was working toward a degree in chemistry and wanted to go to graduate school and teach at the university level.
Sheriff said she hadn't planned on visiting the resumé doctors, but happened to have her resumé as she walked through the Union.
She said she thought her resumé was in pretty good shape.
in pretty good shape.
"It was a bit long, and it still is," Sheriff said. "There were some visual issues that he helped me with."
Kent McAnally, assistant director of Career and Employment Services and the resumé doctor on call yesterday morning, said his office accepted drop-in appointments three days a week to discuss students' resumes. Having the booth in the Union was a good way to meet students away from his office, McAnally said.
McMahay said she also received information on how to convert her curriculum vita, which is a complete history of academic and professional work, into a resume.
"I present research all the time at meetings," she said. "That's the first thing other people ask for from other universities and the industry."
Sheriff said if resumés didn't look good, employers wouldn't call.
McAnally said he rarely saw a resume for which he didn't have some suggestions.
He said he wanted to see how students described their academic and professional experiences. He said students should be aware of the "nuts and bolts" of their resumes.
He said employers do not have much of time to read resumés, so they should be as concise and attractive as possible.
"One of the things we like to say is 'A resume doesn't get you a job. A resume will get you an interview,'" he said.
"The interview is really where the candidate will sell himself or herself to the employer. The resume is the ticket to the interview."
Contact Norton at 864-4810
How It Feels to Land A KU Scholarship
Some think that KU Endowment makes the decision Actually, donors decide. When setting up scholarship funds at KU Endowment, donors want to help certain people - students from their hometown, say, or those in a certain major or school. Scholarships are awarded based on their criteria.
"Can you say s-c-h-w-e-e-e-t, boys and girls?" There's no feeling quite like the one that makes you feel all dweeby on learning you've received a KU scholarship.
KU Endowment manages the accounts and writes the checks.
INVEST IN EXCELLEMCE
Ahh, the checks. $25 million worth of scholarships, fellowships and loans helped more than 9,000 students just this year. For expenses like tuition,pizza and ... new pocket protectors. You know - life's necessities.
KU's campaign, KU First, intends to raise $500 million by 2004, $116 million of which will benefit KU students. With two new schol-halls and even more scholarships and fellowships.
Because there are still a lot of students who deserve to get that dweeby feeling.