36 THE INTERNATIONAL KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM BACK TO SCHOOL MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2007
1
FINANCES
Insurance uncommon
BY SUSAN SCHWARZ
sschwarz@kansan.com
For students on their parents' insurance, graduating may come with the unwelcome surprise that they no longer have health coverage.
Rebecca Goldberg, Dallas graduate, currently finds herself in this the situation. Over the summer, she faced two surgeries and a gap in her health insurance.
Her job does not insure her until she has been employed there for a month. However, her parents' insurance drops her after the first day of employment.
Goldberg said she thought she was safe because she had employment lined up after graduation. Goldberg said she could not afford complications from her surgeries this summer, as the financial burden would be too much. Fortunately, she has not faced any so far, but she still has a month to endure.
Bob Tomlinson, deputy commissioner for the Kansas Department of Insurance, said insurance companies drop students from their parents' policies anywhere between the ages of 22 and 24, but some as low as 21.
Mike Davis , senior vice president of the Alumni Association, said the main reason the Alumni Association provides health insurance to graduates is because many graduates are going off of their parents insurance.
Tomlinson said he would like to see graduates taking interest in both their health insurance and their health.
"They think nothing is going to happen," Davis said, "then something does and they are out ten or 12,000 dollars."
Many students' lack of insurance may be caused by what Tomlinson
called "underemployment".
Students facing a lack of immediate employment are not able to find their ideal jobs after graduation. These students often face a lack of health coverage, Tomlinson said.
Though Tomlinson said the department would like to have incentive programs for these employers to provide health care, he said he was unable to mandate employers to provide health care because the mandate would cause employers to simply eliminate jobs without provided health care.
Mai Do, marketing coordinator for Student Health Services, said that health insurance is not high on the list of priorities for KU graduates.
"Most students are covered under their parents' insurance so not a lot of people have to think about it," Do said.
Do said that recent graduates should think ahead about their insurance coverage.
"It should be something they look ahead for," Do said. "Not something they look for on an 'as needed' basis."
Jessica Studin, Alabama graduate, will attend the University of Georgia in the fall for her graduate degree. Studin said she thought she was still covered as a full-time student under her parents' policy but she said she was unsure of her coverage because her parents handled her insurance.
University of Kansas students have the option of receiving health insurance through the University for the duration of their time spent at school. The health coverage, underwritten by MEGA Life and Health Insurance Company, is available through Watkins Memorial Health Center, east of Robinson Center.
Edited by Ben Smith
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CAMPUS
Dining options abound between classes
BY BEN SMITH
bsmith@kansan.com
find themselves suffering from a rumbling tummy while walking from one end of campus to the other, there a cacophony of cafeterias and cafes on campus to help you stave off the hunger.
For those new students who
The Market on the third floor
Lewis Hall where different stations offer a variety of pasta, salads, sandwiches, pizza, and grilled items. Students can choose, from
of the Kansas Memorial Union features nine restaurants in its food court including Boulevard Grill, Brellas, Corner Bakery, Fresco! Cuisine, Garden Gourmet, Pizza Hut, Quesarito, Hot Breakfast, and Tsunami Sushi. The market opens every week day at 8 a.m. and closes at 3:30 p.m.
Also in the Kansas Union are Impromptu Cafe - also on the Third floor, Milton's Coffee - on the ground floor, and Pulse Coffeehouse - on the fourth floor.
items. Students can choose from
The Market on the third floor of the Kansas Memorial Union features nine restaurants in its food court.
For something a little closer to the Daisy Hill residence halls there is Ekdahl Dinning Commons in
pus."
Likewise, The Studio in Hashinger Hall offers a "Euro-style"
dining island, a Grab 'n go convenience area and an outdoor deck for seating and socializing. Additionally the Studio offers a live performance space featured in the Pulse Coffeehouse. The Pulse Coffeehouse wil
8-10 entrees at each meal
The dining commons provides 700 seats on three levels, according to its Web site, with wrap-around windows and a "spectacular view of cammorning at 7 a.m. and the Eurodining area will open at 11 a.m.
They close daily at 5 p.m. for two and a half hours only to re-open for the evening hours from 7:30 p.m. to midnight.
Just down Daisy Hill at the Burge Union you'll find the Crimson Cafe, home of the Kansas Athletics Training Table. The Crimson Cafe food court serves the southwest portion of the main Lawrence campus. Open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Other campus dining options include The Underground on the ground floor of Wescoe Hall, open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and closed by 2 p.m. Friday. Also spread across
Other campus dining options include The Underground on the ground floor of Wescoe Hall, open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and closed by 2 p.m. Friday.
campus are numerous snack bars in Watson Library, Spahr Library, MurphyHall, Anschutz Library, the Art and Design building.
open every Strong Hall, and JRP Hall.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
The Market in the Kansas Memorial Union offers nine restaurants to choose from. Students looking for places to eat while on campus have several options in types of food as well as locations.