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2A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
TUESDAY. AUGUST 23. 2005
HEALTH
Change in policy makes doctor's notes elusive
BY TRAVIS ROBINETT
trobinett@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Student Health Services changed its policy on notes excusing illness or injury. The new policy took effect at the beginning of this semester.
Denning said the University of Kansas was the only school in the Big 12 with an illness or injury note policy, but the part of the policy requiring three or more consecutive absences followed federal guidelines.
According to a flier sent out last spring by Student Health Services, students would receive only notes verifying their infirmity if two conditions were met.
Denning said the change was made to lower the amount of appointments so students who needed actual medical attention would receive care in a timely manner.
First, the patient must have received treatment by Student Health Services or provide documentation of treatment by another health care provider. Second, the patient must have been absent for three or more consecutive days.
Patricia Denning, chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that in the past, a large number of appointments had been made by students who wanted only a class note for an illness the Health Center never treated them for.
According to the flier, students who were treated at Watkins, but were absent fewer than three days could complete an authorization for use/disclosure form. The form allows students to receive a copy of their medical record proving they received treatment. Processing the request could take up to 10 days.
"They may well have been sick,but I didn't see them,which made it hard to validate."she said.
Students throughout campus had mixed reactions to the change.
"I hate it," Cody McCullough, Wichita junior, said. "I think it's unfair because if you are sick, it can be for less than three days and still be legitimate."
Class notes will be given when the following conditions are met:
Patients have received care/treatment by Student Health Services or have documentation of treatment provided by another health care provider.
*Patients miss three or more consecutive days because of extended illness or injury.
Patients who are not eligible for a class note but would like documentation of visits at Student Health Services may obtain a copy of their medical records by completing an AUTHORIZATION FOR USE/DISCLOSURE form. This request could take up to 10 days to process.
Source: Student Health Services
Cassie Fernandez, Olathe sophomore, said she thought the change was a good idea.
"I guess it will make it harder for students to skin" she said.
Bradley Carter, professor of humanities and western civilization, said the new policy would not make a difference in his classes, because he allowed his students only three absences, no matter the cause.
Allan Hanson, professor of Anthropology, said that if a student could not produce a note because they were absent fewer than three days, he would work it out on a case-by-case basis.
"I've tried to avoid adjudication whether an absence is excused or not," he said. "Overall, I think it's a good policy change for those teaching staff who do excuse absences."
"I think that when a student visits the health center, they should be excused," he said.
— Edited by Theresa Montano
Kansas City teen charged with mother's murder
tried as an adult.
STATE
OLATHE - A 16-year-old suburban Kansas City girl was charged Monday with the stabbing death of her mother.
EsmieTseng faces one count of first-degree murder in the death of Shu Yi Zhang. 55.
Police said Tseng stabbed her mother Friday in their Overland Park home after an argument.
Though the charge was filed in the juvenile division of Johnson County District Court, prosecutors filed a motion seeking to have her
Zhang called her husband after the attack and asked him to come home, but she was dead by the time emergency workers arrived.
Tseng, meanwhile, was taken to a hospital where she was treated for a wound to her hand.
The teenager was ordered to remain in detention until her next court appearance, Sept. 13
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HAWK Link helps ease sophomore slump
Freshmen members of the 2005 - 2006 HAWK Link program attend HAWK Link's Block Party last week. The party was one of the program's events during Hawk Week to recruit new members
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BY MALINDA OSBORNE
mosborne@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Izaguirre said HAWK Link advisers began considering expansion of the program to include sophomores when more freshmen began asking what to do for their next year. The advisers came up with Transitions, which will follow the same format as the HAWK Link freshmen program.
The program focuses on the needs of sophomores, emphasizing heavily on academic resources, choosing a major, applying to their school or program, searching for internships, and working with the other departments to attain those resources. About 30 students are currently enrolled in the new program.
According to the HAWK Link Web site, the program works with several on-campus offices and departments to facilitate student's knowledge of services offered by the University. Throughout their freshman year, students can also go to monthly Academic Success Workshops that deal with topics such as advising, financial aid, living and learning communities and student involvement.
Like many incoming freshmen, Antwan Winkfield worried about making the transition from high school to a large university. During Hawk Week, volunteers recruited Winkfield to join HAWK Link, a free, academic-based retention program aimed at freshmen students of color. He then got the help he needed, but his optimism soon turned to fear once the school year was finished.
Alicia Lopez, St. Louis junior, said she could sense a perceptible difference between those in the HAWK Link program and those who weren't.
"The friends I had who didn't do HAWK Link didn't know about a lot of helpful things like the student educational office or how to fill out a FAFSA form. I think everyone in the program definitely felt more prepared for sophomore year too." Lopez said.
Another component of HAWK Link is the stEp Program, which is designed to motivate students in adjusting and succeeding at the University. The HAWK Link Web site said participants met weekly with their mentors to have their homework reviewed, papers proofread and questions answered about life at the University.
"After freshmen year, I thought to myself, 'What am I gonna do next year?'." Winkfield, Kansas City, Mio., junior, said.
Winkfield is just one student who found himself faced with the same problem: they received help freshmen year but didn't know where to go for help sophomore year. To fill the void, the Office of Multicultural Affairs created Transitions, a similar program geared toward sophomores. According to Juan Izaguirre, assistant director of Office of Multicultural Affairs, this year will be the first time Transitions is offered and will serve as the pilot program for future classes.
Alicia Lopez
St. Louis junior
Thirty-six students were enrolled in the program that year and had a 78 percent retention rate, Izagirre said. The percentage was higher than the overall rate of students of color.
"My mentor was really good. She'd get on me about making my goals each week and I would even be scared to meet with her when I hadn't met my goals but I needed
"The friends I had who didn't do HAWK Link didn't know about a lot of helpful things like the student educational office or how to fill out a FAFSA form."
Before Transitions was offered, students who graduated from the program would stay involved by recruiting new students, serving as mentors to those freshmen in the program and sitting on panels where they provided personal feedback to their success from HAWK Link.
The retention rate increased from 78 percent in its first year to the current 87 percent. The retention rate has increased steadily throughout the years and has maintained a percentage between 84 and 88 percent.
that discipline. Winkfield said. The HAWK Link advisory board first met in 1999 as a reaction to the low retention rates of minority students from freshmen year to sophomore year. The board began to address different issues in increasing the retention rate and finding a way to keep students at the University. The HAWK Link program is a group of people within the OMA and led by its director, Robert N. Page, Ir.
that discipline." Winkfield said.
"We can truly say that the program works." Izaguire said.
"Once students graduate from the program, they become vested in its mission and often come back to help," Garcia said.
Despite the success of the HAWK Link program, Aida Garcia, a graduate student assistant for the OMA, said it's obvious that a follow-up program would be beneficial. Garcia said she noticed more freshmen coming to the office not knowing what to do once they graduated from the program.
"It's easy to get lost in the shuffle because sophomore year is a transitional one. Lots of people change their majors or still need some guidance," Garcia said.
Edited by Erick R. Schmidt
ET CETERA The University Daily Kansan is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 25 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at the Kansan business office, 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall, 1435 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045. The University Daily Kansan (ISSN 0746-4962) is published daily during the school year except Saturday, Sunday, fall break, spring break and exams. Weekly during the summer session excluding holidays. Periodical postage is paid in Lawrence, KS 66044. Annual subscriptions by mail are $120 plus tax. Student subscriptions of are paid through the student activity fee. Postmaster: Send address changes to The University Daily Kansan, 119 StauFFER-Flint Hall, 1435 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045
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