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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
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Kansan
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Wednesday
August 26,1998
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Vol. 109 • No. 06
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SEE PAGE 1B
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
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KUIDs receive false codes
(USPS 650-640)
Same number given to 80 cards
By Kelli Rayborn
Kansan staff writer
The KU Public Safety Office has terminated an investigation of KUIDs issued with duplicate library numbers.
According to a KU police report, Paul Shearer, Leawood sophomore, told a co-worker and his supervisor that he had issued about 500 KUIDs with the same librav account numbers.
Shearer said that the duplication was unintentional and that the scale of the problem was much smaller than 500 KUIDs.
"That number is completely inaccurate." Shearer said.
The duplicated number was entered on no more than 80 cards, he said.
Nancy Miles, KUID administrator for the University, explained that a student's library number is the same as
the ID number, but is preceded by an x. If a library number did not match a student's ID number on the face of the card, library personnel would not check out materials on that card. Miles said.
"There was a situation where the library number was duplicated on some cards," Miles said.
She said that the students affected had been contacted and that the card center was processing new cards for them.
Miles said nothing else had gone wrong with the cards in relation to this incident.
"This was the only thing that occurred," she said. "Students don't have anything to be concerned about."
Miles said the error was made
Shearer said the duplications were an error resulting from insufficient training.
"The supervisor gave me a 90-second crash course in data entry," he said. "She didn't supervise me at all; she fed me to the lions."
"I entered in same number. I thought it was a generic number."
when employees had to manually enter library numbers on the cards of freshmen whose records were not yet on the office's computers.
Mary Ann Graham, KU card center manager, told police the following:
On August 19, she found a number taped to Shearer's computer while Shearer was at lunch. Graham asked employee Heather Woodward about the number.
Woodward told her the number was a student's KUID number, and that Shearer had told Woodward he'd issued 500 cards with that number on the library accounts.
Shearer told Woodward it would be funny if the newspapers found out about the incident and warned Woodward to keep her mouth shut about it.
When Shearer returned to the center from lunch, Graham confronted Shearer with Woodward's story and fired him. According to Graham's comments in the report, Shearer admitted to issuing the cards and did not argue about being fired.
Miles said yesterday that Shearer was not fired in connection with the incident but for other reasons that she would not disclose.
In the police report, Graham said employees of the KU Card Center completed a report of their records and determined that Shearer only had issued the duplicated number on three KUIDs.
University Police Sgt. Troy Mailen said no charges would be filed against Shearer.
"It has run its full course," Mailen said. "The case didn't warrant investigating it any longer."
PARTYTIME!
By Jason Pearco Kansan staff writer
For the second consecutive year, a survey confirmed that University of Kansas students know how to party.
Kansas never had made the top 10 before last year's ranking.
The University remained eighth on the list of party schools in the nation, according to a survey by The Princeton Review.
The State University of New York at Albany jumped two spots from last year's survey to become the best party school in the land, while Big 12 rival Colorado was ranked fifth in the survey.
Nicole Kirby, Kansas City, Kan. junior, said that she had noticed an influx of parties and busy bars recently.
"When you walk past the bars on Massachusetts street, people are just pouring in and out of them," she said. "I also walked down Ohio Street last weekend and saw four parties in one block."
Kirby said that she did not choose to attend the University because of the social atmosphere, but that it did help her enjoy college more.
"I did not know KU had such a big reputation for being a party school until I got here," she said.
The Princeton Review publishes a book called "The Best 311 Colleges"
It ranks the top 20 colleges in 61 categories on aspects of campus life ranging from the strongest academic programs to the nicest dorm rooms.
Each year, 56,000 students are surveyed about the college or university they attend but do not compare their school to others.
Bill Guerry, Shawnee sophomore, said that although the number of parties in Lawrence had remained constant during the last year, he still was skeptical of the ranking.
"There could be some smaller schools that party as much or more," Guerry said. "But since the people here already know this is a party school, they may over exaggerate the survey."
Danner Evans, an orientation assistant at the University, participated in a session during summer orientation that encouraged new students to make smart choices with parties and alcohol.
"The Watkins staff told us that only one-third of students drink and party," she said. "So there are a few students who don't go out and party all the time."
The survey also ranked Kansas sixth in schools that pack the stadiums at sporting events and 12th in schools where the college newspaper is read.
Evans said she did not think students chose to come to the University based on the survey's outcome.
Top 10 Party Schools:
1. State University of New York, Albany
2. University of
3. University of Florida
Wisconsin, Madison
4. University of Georgia
5 University of Colorado*
5. University of Colorado*
6. Florida State University
7. Ohio University
8. University of Kansas*
9. University of Vermont
10. Seton Hall University
Source: Princeton Angie Kuhn/KANSAN Review
*Denotes Big 12 schools
Back to the books already
Sonja Schonberg, Lawrence sophomore, studies outside the Anschutz Science Library. The 90-degree weather yesterday did not keep everyone locked indoors. Photo by Lizz Weber / KANSAN
KU smartcard creates problems for residence halls
By Sarah Hale
Kansan staff writer
The new University of Kansas smart card has many capabilities, but another form of identification is needed in at least one other campus area — the residence halls.
The University's answer to hassle-free banking, campus purchases and updated technology has caused problems in the residence halls when students need to check out equipment or check in their friends between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
In past years, residents would leave their KUID with the front desk or the evening security while they borrowed a vacuum cleaner or brought someone to visit.
Because the KUIDs have ATM access and
"The residence halls have made a policy internally because of the perceived liability," said Lindy Eakin, associate provost of support services. "If you have money on the chip, then the person you leave it with would be able to use it."
can be used for vending machine purchases, the residence halls decided not to keep them as collateral.
Eakin pointed out that the ATM money could not be accessed or charged as a check card without the pin number.
In place of the KUID, residence halls are accepting any other form of picture identification, including a driver's license, military ID or passport. This applies to both the KU students who want to enter a hall during security hours and the resident
SMARTCARD UPDATE
Residence halls are not accepting the new KUID as collateral to check out equipment or check in a quest.
Students need another form of identification, such as a driver's license, military ID or passport.
who is checking them in.
James Fritzshall, Kansas City, Mo., senior and Templin Hall front desk employee, said that some residents had grumbled about the inconvenience. He said that Monday night he had a student complain about having to get a different form of identification.
"I haven't heard that many complaints,
"We just tell them that they are leaving the card with us at their own risk," he said. "Then we have to explain why."
but obviously that student wasn't too happy," Fritzshall said. "He and his friend decided to go some place else."
Fritzshall said that even though the front desk employees ask for alternate forms of ID, they will accept the smart card if the student does not have anything else.
The University has the technology avail.
able to place the same type of scanners in the residence halls, but there is not the demand at this point, said Mary Ann Graham, KU card center manager. There are scanners in the residence halls that are used to check in the hall's residents during security hours, but they do not have the same type of capabilities.
Robinson Center initially had similar problems when students wanted to leave their KUIDs in order to check out towels. New scanners were installed at Robinson to allow students to check out a towel and then return it without having to leave their card.
"Depending on how big of an issue this becomes, then they could consider other options," Graham said. "Then there are the expenses of wiring and machines."
The KUID has other capabilities within the residence halls, such as entering the cafeteria, making long distance phone calls and eventually using washers and dryers. The residence halls' vending machines will also be equipped to accept KUIDs.
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