tuesday, september 30, 2003
news
the university daily kansar
5A
University's youngest loves to learn
By Zack Hemenway
zhemenway@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Nathan Mack knew once he introduced himself, he'd instantly draw the attention of every set of eyes in his "Intermediate Russian T" class.
"My name's Nathan, I'm 15, and I'm a junior in high school," he said during the first-day activity.
during the last day Mack, Lawrence resident, is the youngest student enrolled in class at the University of Kansas. His 14 classmates were initially speechless after his first-day revelation but got used to having a 15-year-old in the classroom. Mack said his fellow students provided a network of support.
"They're really nice," he said. "They respect the fact that I'm a junior in high school and I'm up there taking classes."
there taking Mack's Russian class is his second at the University. He took an intensive 10-hour Russian class over the summer. When he decided he wanted to take the class, which was 3 1/2 hours a day for two months, he was required to have parental approval before enrolling. His parents had confidence in their son.
dence in him. "He really is incredibly self-motivated," his father, John, said. "You just point him in the right direction
and he takes care of the rest."
Mack's father has been pointing him in the right direction for quite some time. He began teaching his son Latin at the age of 8 and German two years later. Mack's birthday presents have always included language dictionaries or gift certificates to Borders Books, Music and Cafe—to buy more language dictionaries.
His father has also influenced Mack's interest in Russian, albeit in a more passive way. John Mack is an Orthodox Christian reverend at St. Sophia's, church 846 Illinois St. Orthodox Christianity is closely linked with Russia, where it is the largest national religion. Nathan Mack has spoken Russian with members of his father's congregation, and his father sometimes includes Russian phrases in sermons.
Mack's religion and language studies have contributed to his ultimate goal; a trip to Russia. He wants to study abroad and experience his religion in its mother country. He's already begun saving money for the trip.
Mack's voice rises with excitement when he talks about his desire to visit another country.
"I want to travel more than anyone I've ever met," he said. "I talk about it all the time."
Mack's bedroom exhibits his
"They like it that I'm a little bit ahead and I can help them out."
Nathan Mack Lawrence resident
strong interest in travel. The decor is dominated by his love of languages. His shelves are a linguistic library, filled with language dictionaryes, instructional books, and tapes, which are a mix of birthday gifts, bookstore buys and garage-sale finds. Posters of Russian landmarks, gifts from a friend who has made Mack's dream trip to the country, adorn the walls. A caged pet gerbil running on a fluorescent wheel seems to be the only sign that the room is the quarters of a high school student.
Jared Soares/Kansan
Mack is far from the typical high school student, so it's no surprise that he doesn't attend the typical high school. Mack goes to school at St. Sophia's, in a private school/cooperative learning community. There are only six people in the school. Mack's five classmates are also studying Russian.
"They like it that I'm a little bit ahead and I can help them out," he said.
The University's slavic languages program makes it the early
Nathan Mack, Lawrence resident, sat in his "Intermediate Russian" I class at Wescue. Mack, 15, is the youngest student enrolled at the University of Kansas.
favorite in Mack's college search. He'll probably still get some stares when he introduces himself as a 17-year-old freshman. But Mack's father said his son had no problem being unique.
"How many 15-year-olds choose to go to college?" he said with a laugh.
According to the University Registrar's office, Nathan Mack is the only one.
Edited by Cate Batchelden
Sharing a moment
Lawrence seniors, Ashley Lafond and Julia Harding, got comfortable while sharing stories and makeup before their performance of FeFu & Her Friends at the Inge Theatre in Murphy Hall. Monday night was the opening night for the play, which will run through Saturday. The play features eight women who share their hallucinations of the female experience.
Report says female smokers not receiving help
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON—Two years after the surgeon general issued a report calling smoking a leading killer of women, state governments are failing to adequately address the problem, according to a study by an advocacy group.
However, the report found that just seven state Medicaid programs cover comprehensive smoking cessation efforts.
State Medicaid programs
spend $12 billion annually treating smoking-related diseases, according to the study released Tuesday by the National Women's Law Center.
"Every program that focuses on women's health should definitely make smoking cessation or smoking prevention among the cancer.
Smoking is the primary cause of lung cancer, which kills more women than any other kind of cancer.
the report, who said cessation programs cost states far less than treating sick smokers.
"We hope states will do more," said Judy Waxman, a co-author of
The new report recommends that states shape cessation programs to meet women's needs.
highest priorities," said Virginia Ernster, an adviser to the law center and an editor of the 2001 surgeon general's report on women and smoking.
Nationally, about 20 percent of women smoke, compared to roughly 25 percent of men.
KU First continues without T-shirts
By Maggie Newcomer
nnewcomer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The KU First: Invest in Excellence campaign is marching on, though without its signature T-shirts.
saints.
The lack of apparel hasn't hurt the program, though, which pushed its total to $469 million this semester. John Scarffe, director of communications at KU Endowment, said KU First is looking for a new niche this year.
For the past two years students could pick up a free KU First T-shirt early in the football season. The shirts gave their wearers free entry to a football game and a chance to win one of 25 $1,000 scholarships.
"They were very popular," Scarfe said. "We still see people wearing them around."
Kelly Lupton, Overland Park senior, said she liked last year's blue T-shirts with a red "KU First" better than 2001's white with blue letters.
No one volunteered the $25,000 for the scholarships this year, Scarfe said, which meant no free shirts.
"They got into the design a little more last year," Lupton said. "It was simple, but everybody loves a good KU shirt."
Last year 19,000 students sported their blue T-shirts to the Kansas-Southwest Missouri State football game.
KU First is looking into other
With the campaign quickly gaining on its $500 million goal and the football team repeatedly slamming opponents, Scarffe said T-shirts to encourage attendance might not be necessary.
promotional possibilities,but no decisions have been made.
"We're looking for a different venue than football." Scarfe said.
"That's my own private goal," he said.
The campaign's success has also inspired a new slogan, "5 by 4," which means $500 million by the start of 2004. The majority of KU First funds will go to putting students first. About $116 million will pay for undergraduate, law and medical scholarships, two new scholarship halls and graduate fellowships.
The campaign has already paid for the Dole Institute of Politics and the Eaton Hall engineering building.
With one year remaining in the five-year campaign, Forrest Hogul, KU First chairman, said $600 million might be a possibility.
Holting.
Hoglund, a KU alumnus who now lives in Dallas, said when the campaign started four years ago it had tremendous initial success.
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and an economic downturn slowed donations, but donations have picked up.
picked up.
"It all came roaring back," Hoglund said. "We knew we'd make it."
— Edited by Shane Mettlen
New advising system fouls up ARTS forms
By Maggie Newcomer
nnewcomer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Students who have noticed errors on their Academic Record Tracking System forms can relax. The forms do not have the last say in who graduates when.
ARTS forms are just the more user-friendly version of students' official transcripts used in advising.
Dan Consolver oversees the adjustments to the University of Kansas' new academic advising system, PeopleSoft. The system is partly responsible for the errors.
Consolver said when the University switched from its old advising system, some of the records were not properly converted. He said just because records don't show up on the ARTS form doesn't mean the records are lost.
The Office of the Registrar still has access to the old system and students' official transcripts, which track graduation requirements.
Linda Davis, associate dean of journalism, said 40 of her students were not credited for a spring 2003 course.
Consolver said when advisers started noticing errors, schools and departments checked their students' ARTS forms by hand and reported any problems to the Academic Technology Services.
Those students have since been credited and their ARTS forms fixed, but not all of PeopleSoft's turrents have been quelled.
The last problem Davis had heard of was courses showing up where others should be.
"It's inconvenient," Consolver said. "I really feel for the students."
"Bowling was showing up for Western Civ or something," Davis said.
"English lit one year and then English literature the next," Consolver said.
Problems arose because in the old system courses were recorded with inconsistent names.
Just those few extra letters changed the course's entire code, Consolver said. That meant the ARTS form system couldn't translate the course correctly.
"The data is bad, not ARTS." Consoler said.
Students with ARTS form misprints should go to the Office of the Registrar to check their records.
Universities across the country have adopted PeopleSoft as their advising system. But Consoler said because ARTS forms are a "unique, homegrown" system, no universities are having similar problems with the program.
Consolver said with the thousands of students and millions of records at the University, there had been relatively few problems.
"If someone is missing a course, we need to know," said Lynne Tidwell, journalism advising coordinator.
Edited by Joey Berlin