8A
Wednesday, August 16, 1995
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Using exhausts options to save funds
By Sarah Wiese
Kansan staff writer
When the 23 KU On Wheels buses roll into action Monday, students at the University of Kansas may notice a handful of changes to the routes.
Several of the names have changed, three have been modified and a new route has replaced an old one.
The changes are an effort to streamline the system and serve students' needs more effectively, said Ron Vanderslice, coordinator for KU On Wheels.
The most visible change to riders will be the new route names. All the routes will have a number and name. Campus routes will retain their names, such as Naismith-Oliver and McCollum.
Routes formerly named after apartment complexes now are named after street intersections.
For example, the Meadowbrook route is called 15th and Crestline, and the Malls route is 23rd and Louisiana.
The change is an effort to save money, Vanderslice said. If an apartment complex changes its name, the sign on the front of the bus also has to change. That's an expense KU On Wheels wants to avoid.
Vanderslice said he anticipated that some riders would be frustrated initially.
"It might be a hassle at first because it's new to all the riders," Vander-slice said. "But in the long run, it'll be less confusing."
Dustin Shaffer, Horton sophomore, lives in McCollum Hall and rides the bus to and from Daisy Hill. He said
"I think people will adapt," Shaffer said. "It will be more accessible and easy to understand, and that's important to students."
the changes sounded like a good idea and that most people would recognize the renamed routes.
Though the number of routes will hold steady at 19, KU On Wheels eliminated the West Campus route because of a decreasing number of riders and added the West Sixth Street route.
The new route was something KU On Wheels had been looking into for about a year and a half, Vanderslice said.
A number of calls and requests for a route that would extend beyond Frontier Road to Eldridge Lane in West Lawrence prompted a door-to-door survey in that area to determine
"It took a while to perform the survey," he said. "We wanted to make sure we wouldn't be sending a bus out that wouldn't be efficient."
the number of potential riders, Vandersilce said.
As the geographical reach of KU On Wheels increases, so do the operating costs.
The West Sixth Street route created a ripple of changes in routes around it. The old Trailridge and Meadowbrook routes, as well as the 24th and Ridge Court route, now take a few different turns.
Financial constraints have driven up the price of a semester bus pass from $50 last fall to $60 this fall. Students without a bus pass still can travel for $1 a ride.
Today is the first and only day students can ride the buses free.
New routes
McCollum Hall
Campus-GSP(1)
Campus-GSP(1)
Campus-GSP(2)
CampusUSI {2}
NaismithOliver
Downtown
Naismith-Oliver
24th and Ridge Court
15th and Crestline
6th and Crestline
East Lawrence
22nd and Kasold
23rd and Naismith
2nd and Michigan
23rd and Louisiana West 6th
The Associated Press
MANHATTAN, Kan. — A bomb-shaped gag gift left in the office of a Kansas State University professor prompted authorities to evacuate an academic building and block off a campus street Monday morning.
The fake bomb, consisting of flares tied to an alarm clock, was given several years ago by students to a computer science professor who kept it on a shelf, university representative Leigh Anne Nicholson said.
But in the move from one office to another, the fake bomb was left on a desk, where it was discovered by a janitor just before 8 a.m. Monday. Nicholson said.
Police then evacuated
Nichols Hall and closed off Anderson Avenue, which runs in front of the building. Nichols Hall houses the speech and theater departments, as well as a computer department.
The Fort Riley bomb squad took an X-ray of the device and determined it was not explosive at about 9:45 a.m., Nicholson said.
"The device was determined to be harmless, but we do have to take these things seriously," Nicholson said.
The device was made from a shoe box, some road flares tied together and a large, old-fashioned silver alarm clock with bells on top.
Classes begin next week. Students were expected to begin arriving this week for registration, which starts today.
The Associated Press
Fort Hays introduces debit card
The University Card system is
Students able to use multipurpose card on and off campus
HAYS — Don't leave home without it — your University Card, that is, if you're a Fort Hays State University student.
Fort Hays State, which touts its "high-tech, high-touch" philosophy and commitment to technological innovation, is the first college in the state to implement a student ID that also works as a cash card, library card, copy card, long-distance calling card and bank card for shopping and other services on and off campus.
University President Ed Hammond calls the card "the first step toward a redesigned, re-engineered, high-tech college experience."
based on one at Florida State University. A committee from Fort Hays State visited Florida State and other campuses about a year ago, learned how their systems worked and developed the University Card.
The Fort Hays State University Card was established through partnerships with Commerce Bank, which coordinates the banking-services portion of the card, and AT&T, which handles the long-distance telephone service. The university solicited proposals for an all-purpose card system in January, and Commerce and AT&T were the successful bidders.
Fort Hays also joined with about 20 Hays-area merchants — pharmacies, record stores, restaurants and more — that have agreed to accept the University Card along with cash, checks and credit cards.
It cost the university almost nothing to set up, Hammond said. Commerce Bank and AT&T agreed to pay for equipment and certain setup costs, and vending machine
businesses paid to upgrade their machines. Maintenance will be financed with user fees.
"Our main concern was saving students time," said John Ross, director of the University Card Center at Fort Hays State. "Having all the services on one card can be very convenient."
At registration, students are issued University Cards with their names and pictures on the front. If they don't want the plethora of services associated with the card, they can put it in their wallets and stop there. The cards still are required to check out library materials and to enter sporting events.
However, students must remember the University Card is a debit
But if students want to use their cards as a cash card or to buy things from off-campus merchants, they open an account with Commerce Bank and are issued a four-digit PIN number. After that, they make deposits — even transferring financial aid money directly — and spend away.
card, not a credit card, letting them withdraw cash or make purchases only if there is enough money in their accounts.
To use the card for photocopies, candy bars or loads of laundry, students must load cash into their cards at a cash-to-card machine on campus. Swipe the card, insert a $ bill and a student can do $5 of laundry. This account operates separately from the bank account.
The process may seem confusing and frightening at first, Ross acknowledged.
Some students may be having visions of computer espionage and thinking, "This card is my life! What happens if I lose it?"
"We've heard some of that," Ross said. The answer: Report it lost, pay $10 and get a new card.
Other Kansas universities may make such all-purpose student IDs as much a part of college life as pizza and beer. Wichita State University officials are reviewing proposals for a card system they hope to have in place by spring.
risti Pruitt is just 21, but when it comes to emergencies, she knows what she's talking about. That's because in addition to the 18 hours she's carrying at KU, she also carries a
pacemaker—a pacemaker which has caused her friends to rush her to the emergency department more than once during her college years.
So, Kristi knows expert emergency care when she sees it—medical professionals who have the knowledge and experience to move quickly and decisively. People who listen to her concerns. And this year, Kristi discovered those professionals-at the new LMH emergency department.
"I've been to the LMH emergency department a lot over the past 2 or 3 years, and it's different now," says Kristi. "The new doctors were right on top of things, asking me questions, running tests, investigating every possibility. And, they didn't blow me off or treat me like I was stupid. They really listened to me."
There is, indeed, a new group of emergency physicians at LMH. These are young, energetic career specialists who are trained in emergency medicine, trauma care and critical care. What's more, they understand what it's like to be hurting and afraid.
"I'm 21. I HAVE A PACEMAKER. I KNOW ABOUT EMERGENCIES."
"I went in crying and scared. I didn't know if I was having a heart attack or what, and they told me, 'We're going to take care of you, and you're going to feel better when you leave.' There's a whole new attitude there."
All of which demonstrates one thing. For professional, compassionate care, LMH's emergency department is keeping pace with the best of hospitals. Take it from Kristi.
Community Care—Community Pride
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ALL OF THE LMH SERVICES, CALL
749-5800
(OUTSIDE LAWRENCE 1-800-749-2226)
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