TODAY'S WEATHER: Clear and warmer with a high of 73.
SPORTS: Dyer caught off guard by Allen's quarterback decision.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
TALK TO US: Contact Kursten Phelps or Leita Schultes at (785) 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
WWW.KANSAN.COM
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26,2001
ISSUE 23 VOLUME 112
KU fights plagiarism with Web database
By Paul Smith Kansan staff writer
Professors can now easily check online for plagiarism in student papers.
The Web site, www.turkin.com,
allows professors to submit entire
student papers to a database search
intended to point out passages that
may not be the student's original work.
But the papers have to be submitted to the site in digital format.
"Ican't do anything with a hard copy," said Michele Eodice, director of the writing center and administrator of the database on campus.
She said that turnitin.com goes beyond conventional search engines such as google.com.
"Google can search a string of words," Eodice said, "butyoucan't submit a whole text in Google."
Web service What
She said turnitin com also searches other academic paper databases, all Web pages and every student paper submitted to the site for possible matches.
happened:
Professors
now have
access to a
plagiarism
defense
database,
which lets
professors
screen
students'
papers for
copyrighted
or copied
material.
What it means:
Some professors may require students to start turning in papers on a disk or via e-mail because the papers can be entered into the database in digital
Provost David Shulenburgersaid he authorized the University's one-yeartrial subscription to the database after reading about it in the Chronicle of Higher Education this summer.
The subscription cost $4.000
What's next:
If faculty determine the site to be useful,
KU will continue its subscription to the site.
"There are many faculty who are legitimately concerned about plagiarism," Shulenburger said. "We wanted to give them a tool to easily determine whether substantial parts of student work had been lifted from other authors."
He emphasized that a database search, regardless of its result, should not automatically result in a formal charge of plagiarism against a student.
"This is not a mechanical process," Shulenburger said. "It's just an aid to faculty."
The University has had access to the database for three days, and Eodice said she is still in the process of educating the faculty about the Web site.
Other institutions that subscribe to turnitin.com include the University of California system. Georgetown University. Rice University and the Citadel.
Shulenburger said that if facultily consider the database useful, the University would continue its subscription.
Contact Smith at 864-4810
The Kansan is participating in a nationwide pilot program that gears the Wall Street Journal to a campus audience. See page 10B.
International enrollment up
National Merit total freshmen numbers down
By Luke Daley Kansan staff writer
Enrollment statistics from the first 20 days of the fall semester show that the number of international freshmen at the University of Kansas rose from 67 to 104—a 64.4 percent increase from last year.
Sandy Gault, associate director of international undergraduate admissions, said the recruitment office had been working hard to bring more international students to the University.
She said she had expected an even greater increase, but was pleased about the overall increase.
"It's really important to keep bringing more freshmen in from other countries," Gault said. "I hope that the increase continues."
She said international students were recruited from countries such as China, Germany, France,the United Kingdom and several countries in the Middle East.
Freshman enrollment for this semester was 4,078 — a 130-student drop from last year.
Fall enrollment statistics also showed a slight decrease in overall freshmen from last year.
James Carothers, interim associate provost, said that fewer part-time students enrolled for the fall semester, which could be a result of the economy.
"Difficult economic times affect students who attend KU, and they sometimes decide to go to community colleges instead," Carothers said.
Other enrollment figures show a decrease in the number of freshman National Merit Scholars from last year's total of 116. This year there are 105.
In addition, there are 14 freshman National Hispanic Scholars, and four freshman National Achievement Scholars, a pro
"It's really important to keep bringing more freshmen in from other countries."
Sandy Gault Associate director of international undergraduate admissions
gram for African Americans.
The freshman class also raised its average ACT score by a tenth of a point from last year from 24.4 to 24.5. The national average for ACT scores is 21.7.
Todd Cohen, assistant director of University Relations, said the raise in the average ACT score was a pleasant surprise.
"It reflects the University's recruitment of the best and the brightest," Cohen said.
Contact Daley at 864-4810
Melissa Carr/KANSAN
CULTURAL DISPLAY
LAURIE SISK/KANSAN
Lisa Raschke, assistant director of KU Hillel, and Phil Gross, Chicago senior, set up a display of Nargilas, a traditional Jewish smoking pipe. The organization is giving away 25 free trips to the Holy Land to Jewish students at the University of Kansas.
KU students not worried by possibility of new draft
By Courtney Craigmile Kansan staff writer
With the possibility of war looming, the chance of being drafted is on the minds of several students.
"If there was one, I would probably go," said Justin Wilk, Overland Park senior. "I wouldn't run to Canada or anything."
He said he had thought about joining the Navy, but he didn't think it was right for him.
Wilk said that, if called, he would be willing to fight to defend his freedom.
His girlfriend, Jenny Fleming, Lawrence senior, supported Wilk's decision to go.
"Just don't die," she told him.
A strong sense of patriotism is common this soon after an attack, said Donald Haider-Markel, assistant professor of political science.
"If you look at the beginning of the Vietnam War, there wasn't much opposition to the draft," he said. "You initially saw the same pattern of patriotism you see now."
Haider-Markel said this was also common at the beginnings of World War II, the Korean War and the Gulf War.
Usually when patriotism runs high, young men enlist in the armed forces to serve their country, Haider-Markel said. But he said there hadn't been a great rush to enlist in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. This lack of men enlisting may increase the necessity of a draft, he said.
But Maj. Brian DeToy, professor of military science, said the United States currently had enough manpower to fight for some time.
SEE WAR PAGE 5A
INSIDETODAY
COMING IN TOMORROW'S KANSAN
WORLD NEWS ...7A
U.S. NEWS ...6A
WEATHER ...8B
CROSSWORD ...8B
NEWS: Karen Swisher, president of Haskell Indian Nations University, talks about new challenges.
NEWS: New downtown parking garage nears completion.
The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
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