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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2005
VOL. 116 ISSUE 6
TRANSPORTATION
University, city buses may work together
KU on Wheels considers adopting similar bus system to those that exist in other college towns
BY JOHN JORDAN
jjordan@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
An ongoing study conducted by the University of Kansas is examining how possibly coordinating KU on Wheels with the Lawrence bus system could improve campus transit.
A University task force, charged with improving transit, will give its report to Provost David Shulenburger and the parking commission at the end of the month. The task force is comprised of students, faculty, staff and city representatives.
Cliff Galante, Lawrence public transit administrator, said the city has discussed how KU on Wheels and the Lawrence bus system could work together to make bus systems better.
Galante said the possibility of the two systems merging now was a bit premature, but he said having the systems working together would make sense.
"I would like to see one transit system for the city," Galante said. "It makes sense to have a coordinated transportation system for a city of this size."
Now, KU students with a University bus pass can get a year-long "tee" Lawrence bus pass at a discounted, one-time fee of $25, Galante said. Residents and students without a University bus pass have to pay $17 per month.
To develop ideas on improving campus transit, the task force visited Midwest campuses to see how other schools worked with city buses.
Danny Kaiser, assistant dean of students who also led the committee, said Iowa State University's CyRide bus system, in Ames, Iowa, was a good match with how the University could merge with the Lawrence bus system.
CyRide coordinates all buses under the same system, Kaiser said. Some routes only serve campus, some city routes have stops on the edge of campus and some routes pass through the city and through campus.
Bob Bourne, CyRide director, said the system was started 24 years ago because the university thought the city bus system wasn't fulfilling the needs of students.
The system is governed by students, the university and city officials. Bourne said.
"Partnership is the key element," Bourne said "There is a level of trust between the three parties."
The CyRide system is free for students with an ISU student card.
Luke Thompson, Lawrence junior, sat on the University task force as a student representative. He was appointed by the student body president, and said this task force could start immense changes.
"I foresee the frequency of buses to apartment complexes, to downtown, to major shopping facilities, improving." Thompson said.
Thompson said he would like to see Daisy Hill students be able to go outside the city on buses that come to the residence halls.
Although the task force is only the first step to changing transit, Thompson said he believed it was possible to have fluidity between the city bus routes and KU on Wheels bus routes.
The findings will also have recommendations on redesigning KU on Wheels bus routes to better move students and KU employees across campus.
- Staff writer Gaby Souza contributed to this story. Edited by Kellis Robinett
"There's going to be more workers that need to get back and forth on campus," Kaiser said. "Often they try to drive, and that's just terrible."
Because the campus can't facilitate adequate parking for everyone, driving back and forth between West Campus and the main campus wasn't viable, Kaiser said.
Kaiser said with Park and Ride expanding and more employees working in West Campus, improving transit from there to main campus was a priority for the task force.
Irving Hill Rd.
Sources: KU on Wheels www.ku.edu
Existing bus stop
Josh Bickel/KANSAN
Jayhawk Express bus route canceled
BY GABY SOUZA
gouza@kansan.com
KANSA STAFF WRITER
KU on Wheels is no longer giving students a free ride.
The Jayhawk Express, the free campus bus route, was eliminated at the beginning of the fall semester.
The KU Public Safety Office also moved a bus stop on 15th Street.
The Jayhawk Express bus was canceled because of low ridership, said Jessica Mortinger, transportation director of KU on Wheels.
The Transportation Board members decided to quit running the Jayhawk Express after having meetings about each individual route, Mortinger said. The board found that the Jay-
hawk Express was not in high demand.
Matt Davis, Lawrence senior, agreed with the board's decision that the Jayhawk Express bus was unnecessary.
Davis said he thought students wouldn't use a bus that took them from class to class, even if they had to rush to make it.
"I think people can budget their time to make it," Davis said.
New bus stop
Officials at the KU Public Safety Office have also moved a bus stop on 15th Street farther east.
Buses on the McCollum, Park and Ride, and 15th and Crestline routes stopped in front of the fraternity Phi
Kappa Psi. Phi Kappa Psi,
1602 W. 15th St., is across
from Jayhawker Towers.
Now the bus pulls off to the side of 15th Street in front of Learned Hall.
The 15th Street bus stop was moved as a safety precaution, Chief of Police Ralph Oliver said.
Officers were concerned about pedestrians crossing the heavy traffic on 15th Street, Oliver said.
They also worried about buses holding up the flow of traffic because some buses dropped off passengers in the middle of the street.
"The stop was moved to prevent something from happening," Oliver said.
The Jayhawk Towers administrators have no problem
with the stop being moved, said Eric Grospitch, assistant director of the Department of Student Housing.
"It makes it safer for students crossing the street," Grospitch said.
KU on Wheels plans on making further changes to the campus bus system, Mortinger said.
A task force is investigating different bus systems that the university could adopt, said Peg Livingood, a landscape architect at Design and Construction Management. The task force is also comparing how cost-effective the different systems are. A deadline for choosing a system has not been set.
BUSINESS
- Edited by Katie Lohrenz
Textbook prices keep rising
Added materials increase costs
BY TRAVIS ROBINETT
trobinett@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Taylor Miller/KANSAN
Jacob Mitchell, Newton fifth-year senior, said he would spend up to $500 on textbooks this semester for his four classes.
Chris Cakill, Olathe freshman, finishes buying books last week at the KU Bookstores in the Kansas Union. To promote sales KU Bookstores gave away eight packs of Coca-Cola.
"It's definitely hard enough as it is," he said. "Knowing I will only be able to sell back one of them is disappointing."
Students at the University of Kansas aren't the only ones stretching their budgets for books. Textbook prices have increased 186 percent since December 1986, according to a study released Aug. 16 by the Government Accountability Office. Comparatively, the overall rate of inflation was 72 percent.
According to www.gao.gov, the agency conducted the study to
determine what has changed in textbook prices and what factors contributed to that change.
caused mainly by publishers investing in supplements, such as online courseware and CD-ROMs, rather
The study found that the 6-per-cent-per-year increase in price was
A dollar doesn't go as far as it used to
SEE TEXTBOOKS ON PAGE 3A
Sources: National Association of College Stores,
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
PPI percent increase for economy
PPI percent increase for textbooks
Note: PPI = Producer Price Index
Today's weather
Jonathan Kealing/KANSAN
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2005 The University Daily Kansan
From small town to Ko Kansas Connections, a new group on campus, is helping students at the University of Kansas who came from small towns adjust to living in a bigger town.The group also helps the transition to college life. PAGE 2A
Tourist attractions off the beaten path For travelers who want to check out a genuine six-legged cow or the world's largest hand-dug well, there's no place like small-town Kansas. PAGE 6A
The multi-talented Flash Gordon
The multi-talented Flash Gordon Junior cornerback Charles Gordon is everywhere, from defensive awards lists to video games. Kansas football coach Mark Mangino talks about why Gordon got game. PAGE 18
Index
OPINION 5A
SPORTS 1B
CROSSWORD 4B
CLASSIFIEDS 5B
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