UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, April 9, 1997
7A
Computer use can be a pain
By Emily Vrabac
Kansan staff writer
Writing papers really is a pain in the neck.
Students can easily spend long hours sitting at computers, working on papers, doing research on the Internet or even using e-mail. Often, that time spent at the computer can lead to pain or injury as a result of sitting in the same position and performing the same motions.
Problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive use injuries have become more common because of the advent of personal computers. Students can perform all facets of research papers without leaving their computer, and that leads directly to pain if they are not positioned correctly, said Sandy Bowman, physical therapist at Watkins Memorial Health Center.
"Previously, women did more of the typing and clerical skills," Bowman said. "Now, men and women equally use the computer terminal."
Bowman said she saw an increasing number of students with injuries resulting from time spent at the computer. She said the most common injuries were in the neck and upper back because of students' sitting position at the computer.
The second most common computer-related injury is pain in the hand or wrist, Bowman said.
She said the physical therapists did an evaluation of students complaining of these types of problems.
"We look at them posturally and biomechanically," Bowman said. "We have to go back to the source of the problem."
She said the physical therapists at Watkins were aware that most students could not control their work environments.
"We assume that people have a setup that they have to use in a library or dorm," Bowman said. "We just correct them posturally. They've got to change it, or they're going to continue to have problems."
Bowman said students should maintain good posture while sitting at the computer. She said they should keep their heads positioned directly over their shoulders instead of letting their heads lean forward as many people tend to do. She said that students should keep their shoulders pulled down and slightly back.
"Envision the ears being lined up with the shoulder." Rowman said.
Karen McGaughy, sales and design associate at Strong's Office Systems, 919 Iowa St., said there were a variety of options for keyboards.
Bowman said the Watkins physical therapists occasionally recommended that a student invest in an ergonomic keyboard.
Ergonomic keyboards have features such as built-in wrist rests, height adjustment and tilt adjustment. Some keyboards have mouse attachments over the keyboard so the mouse is directly in front of the user instead of off to the side, McGaughy said.
"Everything today really needs to be adjustable unless there's only going to be one user," McGaughy said.
"If you're going to spend a lot of time working at a computer, it would be worth your time to invest in what they have out there." Bowman said.
Phil Rankin, assistant director of human resources at the University, said he often did workstation evaluations for University employees. He said he didn't usually receive requests for ergonomic keyboards, but he would recommend chairs and wrist rests to improve posture and reduce repetitive-use pain.
"I particularly look for very inexpensive ways of making corrections," Rankin said. "To my knowledge, there's not a rush to go out and buy curved, two- or three-piece keyboards."
When sitting at a computer, keep your head positioned directly over your shoulders. Your ears should be lined up with your shoulders.
Avoiding injury
Keep your shoulders down and slightly back.
Keep your wrists in the "neutral" position, not dropped down.
The keyboard should be close to your body; you shouldn't have to reach for it.
Use a copy clip that will put your reading material at eye level.
The top of the computer screen should be at a 30-degree angle from your eyes. Your head should be tipping slightly downward.
Your chair should make your legs parallel to the ground, with no greater than a 90-degree bend at the hips. Your feet should rest squarely on the ground, unless you set them on books or a foot stool.
You should be able to sit all the way back in the chair, have feet on the ground and us the back of the chair to support your back.
To move your mouse, use your entire arm, not just your wrist.
By Umut Bayramoglu
Kansan staff writer
Study Abroad Club to hold olympiad
International and American students will have a prime opportunity to interact outside the classroom later this month.
The Study Abroad Club will present the International Olympiad on Saturday, April 26, outside Robinson Center. The club plans to hold the olympiad annually.
The registration deadline for the event, which will be from 1 to 5 p.m., is April 22.
Ted Noravong, president of the Study Abroad Club and Shawnee senior, said that the olympiad was a competitive and athletic celebration of internationalism.
"We hope to create a cultural interaction between exchange students and American students," he said.
Noravong said that teams representing different countries would be competing in different games such as tug-of-war, mock soccer and sumo wrestling.
The winners of each competition and teams with the best costumes and best international cheers will be awarded prizes, he said.
"We are hoping to get 10 teams of five players," he said.
France, Japan, Brazil, Australia and China are the international teams that have signed up so far, Noravong said.
Zach Feris, activities officer of the Study Abroad Club and Olathe senior, said that there would not be an all-American team competing at the Olympiad but that U.S. students still could join the teams of other countries.
"We thought that it would be unfair to have, for example, our basketball team competing against non-professional students," he said.
Feris said students would benefit from participating in the olympiad.
"They might meet new people and start new friendships with someone with a completely different world view," he said.
Brad Nelson, Haven senior,
said he joined the French team
because his roommate was
French.
"It's going to be interesting to see all the different cultures, because sometimes when you walk around on campus you can't really tell who is international and who isn't," he said.
Faculty artwork donated to benefit auction
Show's proceeds will benefit the Lawrence Arts Center
By Sean Demory Kansan staff reporter
Several faculty artists are contributing their work to the 17th annual Lawrence Art Auction, to be held at 7:45 p.m. tomorrow at Lawrence Arts Center, 200 W. Ninth St.
The artwork has been on display at the center
Approximately 150 works, donated by area artists and crafters, will be sold to benefit the Lawrence Arts Center, said Rick Mitchell, gallery director.
Two-thirds of the proceeds from each sale will be used as a core part of the center's operating budget.
since March 17, and a silent bidding, in which the bidder writes his or her name, phone number and bid on a card by the artwork, has been going on since the exhibit started, Mitchell said.
Robert Zerwekh, associate vice chancellor of research and graduate studies, has donated work to all but one or two of the sales since they began. He has had pieces shown in various galleries through the years and has donated one of his paintings to the center's auction.
"I think that the auction is a very significant part of the Art Center. Historically, it's done very well over the years," he said.
"I get eight or 10 requests a year from auctions, and I usually donate to them once every two
Roger Shimomura, professor of art, has donated an untitled print to the auction. Despite his success in the art world, he said that he feels an affinity for the center.
years or so," Shimomura said. "I've donated every year to the Lawrence auction since its inception. I donate as a gesture of good will to the Arts Center, which I feel is highly important to the community." Shimomura said.
Mitchell said that, in the past, attendance at the auction had filled the center. Membership is open to the public. Tickets to the auction are $20. For more information, call the Arts Center at 843-2787.
Mitchell said that three paintings and one drawing by Raymond Eastwood, one of the first art professors at the University, are up for sale, valued from $550 to $1700. A piece has also been donated by the family of Michael Ott, former chairman of the art department.
"It promises to be a big crowd," Mitchell said. "Lots of people come to offer their support and watch the bidding. It's a good party."
The Associated Press
SEATTLE — Taco Bell violated state wage laws by pressuring workers to pick up trash and perform other tasks without pay before or after their regular shifts, a jury ruled yesterday.
The 12-member King County Superior Court jury — which required a 10-vote majority to reach a verdict — was unanimous about the two most critical questions, finding that the violations showed a pattern of failing to pay overtime and were committed willfully with an intent to deprive employees of pay.
damages to be awarded will be set in a separate hearing.
Taco Bell, a Mexican fast-food chain that is unit of PepsiCo Inc., said it would appeal.
The amount of back pay and
Company vice president Jonathan Blum said that company officials believed any violations were isolated, not a system-wide problem and that they would appeal the jury's finding that the problems were systemic.
Because of that finding, everybody who worked at 62 company-owned restaurants in the last five years becomes eligible for damages, not just the seven who brought the original lawsuit.
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