6C SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 1996
PROFILES
LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD
Rec facility offers fun fitness for KU students
- Robinson Center provides a number of ways to stay fit.
BY CARRIE MULLIGAN
SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL-WORLD
If you're interested in staying in shape or just looking for something fun to do, then Robinson Center is the place to be.
Kansas University's recreation center offers indoor and outdoor facilities and programs, including aerobics and clinics.
Recreation Services also offers a number of jobs for student seeking flexible work schedules on campus.
Robinson Center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and it is available for recreation after 5 p.m. and on weekends. Students, faculty and staff may use racquetball courts and gymnasiums when programs and classes are not taking place for free with a valid KU identification. Locker rental is also available.
"The center is a great place for students to work because they can work on their homework and earn extra spending money at the same time," said Louis Woods, safety security supervisor.
The weight training area has a variety of free weights and weight machines, plus stair
climbers, treadmills, rowing machines, stationary bikes, Nordic Tracks, Universal brand equipment and free weights.
Supervisors, who are present during all open hours, are available for information and assistance with weight training. Students may also choose to enroll in a class, such as physical conditioning, to earn one credit hour.
"I like taking physical conditioning because it forced me to set aside a specific time to work out. It's also nice to receive credit while I'm staying in shape," said Stacv Laird, Topeka junior.
Another indoor activity includes the aerobic program. Various classes are offered, including high or low intensity, slide, funk, step and circuit training. Also, for students who like water, there is an aqua-aerobics class. A fee is charged for aerobics classes.
"I think the programs are wonderful, and I wish that more people will take advantage of the facilities," said Leigh Ann McCaskill, member of KU fit team. "The aerobics program is great because for one price, you can go to as many classes as you want."
Other activities provided through Robinson include basketball, volleyball, table tennis, wallyball, rock climbing and clinics for mountain biking and backpacking.
For more information, call Robinson Center at 864-3385 or the Service Center at 864-3491.
RICHARD GWIN/JOURNAL-WORLD PHOTO
Tim Bernier, an instructor in tumbling, gives Geremy Bloom, 6, some help in going over the vault during practice at Robinson Center, which offers indoor and outdoor recreation facilities at Kansas University.
Grad students struggle with extra effort
MALLORRE DILL
SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL-WORLD
Jay Schaefer jokingly describes starting graduate school as a "threat to your sanity."
"It's intimidating," says Schaefer, an Adams, Minn., graduate student. "That was something it took me a long time to get used to."
In the smaller classes of a graduate program Schaefer would look around and think, "These are some great minds!"
Now a third-year graduate student in sociology, Schaefer remembers his first semester in the program.
"The first couple papers you write, you're sweating and you hand it in and you know the faculty member is going to read it and expose you as a fraud," he
Support services
Coping with an intense course load is just one of the many challenges students face as they start out in their postgraduate studies. But don't write off your sanity just yet. There are
Tapping experience
many sources to turn to for information and support.
The Graduate School office, 222 Strong Hall, provides a source of information for funding opportunities for study or research. The Graduate Funding Opportunity Group, a self-directed computer program, provides names and addresses of agencies offering financial aid.
For another source of practical guidance and encouragement, you can turn to experienced graduate students.
Your department is another place to get information about financial aid available. Check bulletin boards or ask in the administrative offices.
Jay Schaefer, KU graduate student
"They were just invaluable because they had very recently been in the same boat as I had," said Andy Theroff, a McLouth graduate student.
If you're going to successfully shift your studies into overdrive, time management becomes essential in graduate school. For some it's strict adherence to a daily calendar, but not everyone can live by the timetables. Have a personal list if priorities and plan to accomplish them.
The "Graduate Student Handbook" is also a great reference. The handbook provides comprehensive information about a variety of graduate students' concerns, from how to get involved on campus to where to get your bicycle license. Handbooks are available at graduate student orientation, or in 400 Kansas Union at the student work stations.
One of the first places to go is the graduate student orientation, sponsored jointly by the Graduate School and the Graduate and Professional Assn. The orientation provides information about financial aid, health care, library and computer center hours, buying books and the like.
"The first couple papers you write, you're sweating and you hand it in and you know the faculty member is going to read it and expose you as a fraud. To me, the most comforting thing is to know other people are going through the same thing. It's OK. Expect it."
Schaefer said you can't rely on your old estimates of how long it will take to complete a project. He recommends taking any estimates leftover from undergraduate school and multiplying that time by 10.
In addition, your department can provide ways to get involved in your new program. Almost all the departments have a graduate student organization. These organizations are a good way to meet other students and professors. Many of these organizations bring in guest speakers, host symposiums, or just provide a place for students to voice concerns about their program.
Julie Mach, a graduate student in pharmacology and toxicology
from Minot, N.D. has frequently gone into the molecular biology lab at 5:30 in the morning to have bacteria samples ready for the afternoon.
"You do what you need to do like a real job," she said
But you can't live by work alone. YoI Fintshenko, Dallas, said, "Have some kind of schedule in mind. You start out thinking dedication is working 24 hours a day. If you could do that, your professors would be ecstatic. But you can work all the time for only a short period of time. It's important to remember to plan time to eat, sleep and relax. I really try to take care of myself first."
Balancing studies with a social life is one way to keep from working yourself into a zombie. But as you get settled in a new place, just meeting people can be the first challenge. Graduates may find the process quite different from that of undergraduate school.
"The person who sold me the furniture was so friendly." Fintschenko said. "She gave me her name and phone number and said to call. I was really suspicious. I've always lived in big cities. I've thought, 'No one is that friendly without an ulterior motive.' But then I thought, 'Well, what's the worst that could happen?' So I called her. She's still one of my good friends."
Fintschenko went shopping for furniture on her second day in town. She not only found a new sofa and chair, she found a friend.
Banding together
While some people meet people by what Fintschenko calls "random acts of friendship," most of the first social contacts students make are in their department. Fintschenko had a party after the four placement exams given in the chemistry department. She included every single student there, and others students followed suit by including everyone in other social events.
Some students are surprised by the extent to which their lives begin to revolve around the department. It is, however one of the fastest ways to find your niche.
A job in your department can help you establish yourself in a new school and pay the bills at the same time. There are opportunities as teaching assistants, research assistants, or as a graduate assistants. A graduate assistant job can consist of answering the phone or putting out newsletters. Check in your department for openings.
"Although the department is the quickest way to get involved, don't limit yourself." warns Sara Martin, assistant dean of the graduate school. "A program for a master's degree, and especially a Ph.D., is about specialization. But if you do that all the time, all your friends are there, and all your waking hours are spent there, you really feel your world shrink."
Working in a different department of the university is a good way to get involved and provide variety in a life that can become departmentalized. Check the job board at the University Placement Center in the Burge Union or the classifieds in the University Daily Kansan or Lawrence Journal-World.
"Students need to be proactive," Martin said. "Natural forces at work in graduate school will act to keep you focused in your department. So students should create opportunities to meet people beyond their department, to go to lectures, whatever. Join student organizations or community organizations. Get to know your neighbors."
Amy Lerman, a graduate student from Miami Beach, Fla., knows the benefits of being involved on campus. She and her husband, Mike Mader, received a fellowship through the chancellor's office that allows them to live in and maintain the chancellor's guest house.
The house is a free service for guests that different departments bring to the university. Lerman
and Mader act as innkeepers and guides for guests. Some of the most famous guests recently have included Ellen Goodman and Greg Louganis.
Lerman said diverse involvement on campus contributed to receiving the fellowship. She encourages students to look for things to do around campus.
"They pay off in the end," she said.
Despite all the hard work, full schedules and occasional loose grip on their sanity, graduate students save the effort is worth it.
"I love what I'm doing," said Susan Klarlund, a Liberty, Mo., graduate student. "That's what's great about a graduate program. That's 'my hook.' When you feel passionate about something, you're willing to put in extra effort. It's worth it."
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