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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Kansan
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Tuesday September 14, 1999
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Sports today
Vol. 110 · No. 19
Kris Nightengale had a rough night during Kansas' 71-14 win, but he wasn't a Cal State Northridge player. He carried the flag after Kansas scores.
SEE PAGE 1B
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
(USPS 650-640)
Parking permits drop, but spaces still scarce
By Michael Tarry
writer @kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Yellow Blue Oliver Hall Red GSP Daisy Hill Alumni Place Park & Ride 1996 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999 1998 1999 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000
Parking permit sales have dipped this year for Daisy Hill, Alumni Place, and red permit lots. According to students, however, a parking shortage remains.
The problem is compounded by increased Yellow permit sales.
Rachel Kesselman/KANSAN
Parking Permits
Students parking at one of the 30 lots allocated to yellow parking permits have been finding it difficult to find a place to park.
Rick Lange, Leavenworth junior said that he drove to class on Tuesdays and Thursdays and had found it nearly impossible to find a parking space close to his classes if he didn't get to campus by 9:30 a.m.
"Now that they've opened up Lot 15 behind Memorial stadium I haven't had as much trouble finding a space," Lange said. "Tve heard other people say, though, as the day goes on parking just continues to get worse."
As of Sept. 7, the parking department had sold 6,407 yellow parking permits compared to 5,956 all of last year, an increase of 7.6 percent. Overall, the department has sold 11,242 permits so far this year compared to 11,662 last year, 420 less than were sold all of last year.
Donna Hultine, assistant parking director, said the parking department had sold more yellow parking permits than usual, but she said she was not sure why.
"I'm not sure if there are more students on campus than in years past or just more people wanting to drive to class," Hultine said. "We don't have a cap on how many permits we can sell, so this number will continue to grow a little."
Hultine said that some of the early parking problems could be contributed to construction.
"Lots or parts of lots have been lost due to the construction at Memorial stadium and Joseph R. Pearson Hall." Hultine said.
Holly Krebs, transportation coordinator,
said that Park and Ride had sold 420 permits,
out of 500 that the program made available this year. Last year, 300 permits were sold. The Park and Ride program, which costs $120 for the year, began last fall and allows students to park at the Lied Center and take a bus to campus.
Not all lots on campus are experiencing higher than usual numbers of drivers requesting permits. Hutine said that blue permits had only increased by 30 and that red and University housing permits had fallen.
Hultine said that the biggest decrease was on Daisy Hill. This year, 1,387 permits were sold compared with 1,671 last year — a 17 percent drop.
Sam Kearns, Shawne Mission freshman and McCollum Hall resident, said even
See PARKING on page 2A
KU Web site updates look, allows easy access
By Clay McCuistion
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
After seven months in development, an overhailed design for the University of Kansas Web page made its debut at 9 a.m. yesterday.
The site, at www.ukans.edu, combines the previous gateway and KU Facts"pages into an integrated, freshly-designed layout. Until yesterday, visitors to the site needed to click an icon for the Lawrence campus before accessing information at the KU Facts site.
Julie Loats, web administrator for Academic Computing Services, redesigned the site.
"That original page ended up being a stumbling block," Loats said. "There was really no reason for them to be divided in the first place."
Changes to the site include an indexed list of KU web sites, easy access to departmental information and sections directed to specific groups — students, faculty, parents and visitors.
"This brings us much more in line with what other universities are doing." Loats said. "It's an attempt to organize the content in the best way for people to access it."
A prototype of the site was posted in February.
Loats said she received 500-700 feedback messages, commenting on the new
version of the site.
"The project has really evolved since the prototype went up in February." Loats said. "It was absolutely crucial to have that up for a few months."
The opening page of the site features a central image, which changes each time the page is loaded.
"The older version of KU Facts basically showed one picture," Loats said. "But there's so much more going on."
Within the next five days, new versions of the e-mail and address search will be unveiled at the site. In the next seven to 10 days, Loats will incorporate a new general search engine.
"To me, it's a tremendous improvement," said Cathy Smith, director of Academic Computing Services. "The way that page has been structured will allow real flexibility underneath it."
The addition of online admissions and enrollment also will be incorporated into the site within the next few years.
"I would hope that this thing changes within a year's time," Loats said.
Melissa Kelley, network administrator for University Relations, said she was glad the site had finally changed. The previous design had been in place since 1997.
"The old site was a little bit disorganized." Kelley said. "Things change so often in other departments it's hard to keep up."
Edited by Matt James
A laundry of love
The Clothesline Project on the lawn on Stauffer-Flint Hall is one of many events held during sexual awareness week. The T-shirts were designed individually by victims of abuse or a victim's friend. The events are sponsored by the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center, Working Against Violence Everywhere, Counseling and Psychological Services, the KU Public Safety Office and others. Photo by Melissa Thornton/KANSAN
Student technology fee pays off in high-tech campus upgrades
By Nathan Willis
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Instead of sitting in front of a live human, she sits in front of a computer screen that displays a virtual person.
displays a VH1 interview. "You can practice testing on those subjects," said Schlesener, Herlinger graduate student in said Schlesener. "They're just like real people."
Dena Schlesener spends a lot of time testing people's hearing — but not in the conventional sense.
introduction.
The software and computer that Schlesener and other students use to practice testing people for hearing loss are new this year — one of several technological additions to the University of Kansas that were funded through a student technology fee of $1 per credit hour; implemented last year.
The technology fund generated about $600,000 from the student body in its first year, said Rich Givens, assistant provost. The Kansas Legislature provided additional funds on a two-to-one matching basis, bringing the total amount of funding to $1.8 million.
credit hour, impulse
Schlesener said it was money well spent,
and that she was happy to pay the $14 the fee cost her this semester.
"Fourteen dollars so I can practice on this computer is a very good investment for me, and I'm not the only one who uses it," she said.
That $1.8 million was then split into thirds, Givens said. One-third went directly to the different schools — divided up based on how much money each school's students contributed to the fund, he said. Because the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has the largest enrollment, it received the highest portion of funding.
Givens and other administrators determined the fate of the second portion, which is being used for such projects as wiring buildings for Internet 2 access, he said.
Internet 2 is an upgrade of the Internet.
The final portion of the money was distributed on a project-by-project basis. A committee accepted applications last fall and decided to fund 31 projects across campus. Givens said some projects were completed before the beginning of the school year, some were in progress and some will be completed after remodeling.
One already completed is a microscope upgrade for the division of biological sciences.
Dean Stetler, director of undergraduate biological sciences, said the hundreds of students enrolled in undergraduate biology courses often were forced to use microscopes more than 60 years old.
"We were using scopes from the '30s and '40s." Stetler said. "We were constantly having to repair them and round up parts."
The division of biological sciences purchased about 50 new microscopes with the $60,000 grant it received from the technology
Technology Zone
Warning :
Ended By Student Fees
The department of geology received $12,000 for converting 103 Linden into a media classroom with a video projector and computer interface.
The department of sociology received $10,000 for the purchase of up-to-date video tapes, fims and other media for Instructional Development and Services.
The division of biological sciences received $17,450 for the purchase of electrophoresis equipment to help students study forensics, gene cloning and genetic disorder diagnosis.
He will request more money this year to finish the upgrade, he said.
fund. Coupled with other sources of funding, the grant has allowed the division to upgrade most of the old microscopes, Stetler said.
The department of economics received $25,000 for a media classroom in Summerfield Hall.
The department of music and dance received $11,000 for equipment that allows students to record, manipulate and play back sound. It also received money for video equipment to teach conductors.
Stetler's request will be among a new
The department of mathematics received $30,400 for converting computer flashcards programs into a Web site and purchasing 12 Macs.
The libraries received $37,500 for the purchase of 16 new computers that search databases, electronic journals and texts, and the Internet.
Rachel Kesselman/KANSAN
round of proposals due in December that are competing for funds raised by this year's fee, Givens said. He said he expected the amount of funding available to remain the same as last year.
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Edited by Mike Loader