Monday, August 23, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 7
Digital Jayhawk melds media
Kansan, KJHK KUJH available
Todd Halstead
writer @kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The Digital Jayhawk, produced by the School of Journalism, makes vast amounts of information available to students at the University of Kansas while providing an online experience enabling them to learn about media convergence.
about media convergence. The database, created by Christopher Ryan, professional in residence, was structured to store information provided by student media and organizations, among other sources. The information is separated into six sections: news, groups, events, talk, fun and classes.
events, talk, fun and learning. Ryan, the Digital Jayhawk's content and technical adviser, said, "The Digital Jayhawk exposes students to the high end of technology. It serves as a research project for students and has a large database designed to import information from many sources."
The Digital Jayhawk was launched last semester and can be accessed at www.digital Jayhawk.org
The news page updates its articles daily and receives news and information from various media labs on campus. The database enables these media labs to access one another to provide more in-depth news coverage. This makes it possible for The Daily Kansan to use audio
provided by KJHK to enhance a Kansan story. KUJH, in turn, is able to broadcast a story to accompany a Kansan article.
"This is media convergence in action," said Ryan, who helped create a similar site for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. "Boundaries between are breaking down and our goal is to make this work."
goal is to make this work. Boss Bobssell, creative director, said, "its real strength is the experience it gives students on how to work with converging media. It can't give all the skills needed, but it gives a good start. If you understand the concept you'll have no problem adapting."
Group self-publishing enables better communication among groups and classes by allowing student organizations and instructors to create sites on the Digital Jayhawk to convey information. Clubs can use the site to sign waivers needed for activities and to post relevant information. Professors can use the site to discuss assignments and other bulletins for their classes.
bulletins for their class. Ryan said, "We want as many students involved as possible to learn about database management media."
The talk forum enables visitors to discuss topics ranging from sports to the arts. There is also an option for group and class sites to have closed discussions without intrusion from outside users.
outside users. Ryan hopes to mirror the Sun-Sentinel by providing a wide range of games and activities on the fun site. Currently visitors are able to send cards to others from this forum.
as to others from the Internet Visitors can customize the Digital
Jayhawk to provide a more personal experience. By customizing the site, a visitor can decide which information, links and news appear on the first page.
The Digital Jayhawk was first proposed to Jimmy Gentry, dean of the school of journalism, by Hawke in the fall of 1997. Gentry also had thought of a similar project but preferred Hawke's plan.
Hawke said the Digital Jayhawk is available to anybody interested in the University but is specifically for alumni, faculty and students. He also said the Digital Jayhawk could be used by prospective students as a tool to better acquaint themselves with the University.
Gary Hawke, projects executive director, said he hopes to keep banner ads minimal while increasing specialized corporate sponsorship through such companies as Sprint and Gateway Computers.
and Gateway Computer Bossell said he hopes that eventually the Digital Jayhawk would earn money through a pay-per-view site which would feature athletic games available to alumni and others not in the area.
Hawke said, "I hope exposure will help, so lots of people on campus will see what is available to unite the entire campus."
Hawke said the school of journalism has had wonderful cooperation from the administration and academic computing in securing money and equipment to make the Digital Jayhawk a reality.
Edited by Allan Davis
Taiwan delegation visits discuss welfare programs
Lesley Simmons writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
people get off welfare perma-
ture. A four-person delegation from Taipei, Taiwan,
visited Kansas Thursday, Friday and Saturday to learn about programs to help poor people save money and start their own businesses, instead of relying on traditional welfare.
University of Kansas professors in the school of social welfare are involved in two new approaches to help people get off welfare permanently. Taiwan, Taiwan.
The delegates have visited several of the 13 sites in the United States, including sites in Oakland, Calif., and Chicago that are participating in programs encouraging poor people to save. The site in Kansas City, Mo., that Deborah Page-Adams, assistant professor of social professor, is involved with is one of the three most successful sites.
"Providing economic opportunity is more important than providing social services," she said.
Mahasweta Banerjee, associate professor of social welfare, works with a pilot program. Micro-Entrepreneurial Training Program, which helps long-term welfare recipients start their own businesses.
Banerjee said for poverty to end, two things must come together—people must earn money, and then save and invest their money. Banerjee's program focuses on how people earn money.
Ann is one of the three most successful Ann Weick, dean of the school of social welfare, spoke to the delegation Friday afternoon in Twente Hall. Weick talked about the new approach to helping poor people that is starting to become popular in the United States.
program focuses on how people earn money. She said that jobs were available right now, but many of them were minimum-wage jobs with none of the health insurance, life insurance or contributions to retirement plans that often came with higher-paying jobs. Her program encourages people to combine self-employment with another job.
They are encouraged to start businesses they can run out of their own homes, like cleaning services, child-care services, catering services, making clothes or beauty care.
making use of beauty care.
The Micro-Entrepreneural Training Program provides business training and support, and if the participant's business plan is approved, a loan of up to $2,500 at the current prime interest rate.
The program is funded by a grant from the Kansas Department of Human Resources and is in partnership with the Small Business Development Center at the school of business.
Banerjee said that participation in the program would help them build a credit history, so that after the program ended they might be able to expand their businesses using bank loans.
The program is open to anyone who has been on welfare for more than 30 months, but all current participants are women. Banejee said the reason all participants were women was that most long-term welfare recipients were single mothers.
Page Adams leads the University's participation in the Family Asset Building Program, in partnership with the Heart of America Family Services Family Focus Center in Kansas City, Mo. The program sets up savings accounts for 75 participants. The money in these accounts can only be used to pay for school, home ownership or starting a business. Every month each participant can deposit money in the account, and the program will match the amount two to one for any amount up to $30. At the end of the four years the program runs, each participant can build a savings of up to $4,320. The program is funded by the Kauffman Foundation and the Corporation for Enterprise Development.
Page-Adams said that the concept of helping poor people save money for the future was growing rapidly in the United States, and that the delegates from Taiwan were seriously considering starting a similar program in Taipei.
Edited by Kelly Clasen