tuesday, march 2, 2004
news
the university daily kansan 3A
Senator pushes for more wireless Internet access
By Steve Vockrodt svockrodt@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Students could be surfing the Internet on Wescoe Beach soon.
Student Senator Arthur Jones will attend a Planning and Resource Committee meeting today to push for an expanded budget for wireless Internet access areas where many students assemble.
Jones said he eventually wants wireless Internet all over campus.
"It's my dream that in two-and-a-half years, when I get out of here, to have every classroom hooked up," Jones said.
A $50,000 fund is already in place to have wireless units installed in six to 10 locations.
Locations being considered are Wesco Beach and Wescoe Terrace, Jones said.
race. The criteria for choosing locations include primarily major common areas with high student traffic and use. The Kansas Union is already equipped with wireless Internet, and Watson and Anschutz libraries are compatible with their own computers that students can check out.
Part of the $50,000 fund is being allocated towards revamping the library system so students can use their own laptops instead of having to borrow library laptops.
tops. The switch-over to a public server in the libraries is currently in the works and should be completed soon, said Tom Roderick, coordinator of information services.
Jones said he would push further for a budget to get classrooms equipped with wireless Internet accessibility. The lecture rooms in Budig Hall are areas under consideration.
The expenses of wireless Internet installation will be a major obstacle for the project. Each wireless hub, the unit that routes the Internet traffic, costs $800 each. An individual hub provides a 300 foot radius for Internet access. Wesco Beach could require two to three separate units, Jones said.
units, jonies said.
Maintaining each unit would cost $282 a year. Other costs include initial start-up costs as
project.
Students with laptops must get a wireless Internet card installed in their computers to be compatible with the public server.
well as installation expenses that could all add up to an expensive project.
The computers then must be configured to access the server. The configuration is a simple process, Roderick said. The J-Tech booth on the fourth floor of the Kansas Union will configure student's computers for free.
Student Senate is currently deciding which areas on campus can benefit from wireless installation. Once a budget is decided, Facilities Operations will begin work on getting electricity to the facilities and installing the wireless hardware. The installation
will take several months to complete.
"I would think on the safe side, the end of the semester or the beginning of summer is plausible." Roderick said.
American University in Washington, D.C., has wireless Internet throughout its campus and in all of its classrooms.
Installing wireless Internet in all of the classrooms was still a goal that Jones said he wanted to fulfill.
an Orrish College Jennifer Oetzel, assistant professor of international business at American University, said that having such access helped teaching and learning.
"It's a big advantage in that you can easily show students things on the Internet in class," Oetzel
Oetzel also said that it reduced long-term costs for American University, in that students would provide their own computers instead of the University having to purchase and maintain computers of its own.
Kansas State University has a similar wireless Internet set up like the University of Kansas, with services in its student union, libraries and business school.
University of Missouri is ahead of its regional rivals with wireless access set up in most academic buildings, all administrative buildings, its library, union and one residence hall.
—Edited by Collin LaJoie
Walk this way
Mustapha Zater, geology graduate student, walked behind Lindley Hall yesterday. Zater said yesterday's weather was crazy.
University hires director for career services program
By Anna Clovis
aclovers@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
University Career and Employment Services has filled its own "help wanted" request
David Gaston, formerly the assistant director of recruitment at the University of Mississippi Career Center, will become the new director of the program on March 8. He replaces Gail Rooney who left the position in August 2003.
University Career and Employment Services connects students to jobs and internships. Other services include mock job interviews, resume assistance and career fairs.
Gaston said the opportunity to take a leadership position lured him to the University of Kansas.
He will also be closer to home. Gaston, who grew up in northwest Arkansas, said Lawrence put him closer to his family than he had been in Oxford, Miss.
Kathryn Nemeth-Tuttle, associate vice provost and member of the search committee for the new director, said approximately 60 candidates applied for the position.
Verbihe
"He has tremendous experience
Nemeth-Tuttle said Gaston stood out from the crowd because of his experience at a large public university.
"He has tremendous experience in recruiting, and we feel that working with employers is important for the development of the University Career and Employment Services."
Kathryn Nemeth-Tuttle Associate vice provost
in recruiting, and we feel that working with employers is important for the development of the University Career and Employment Services," Nemeth-Tuttle said.
A geographic move won't be the only change Gaston will experience. The program will be in the beginning stages of a major reorganization when he takes over.
Career Counseling and Placement Services, a part of the program, will be moving from Watkins Memorial Health Center to the Burge Union where the other program offices are located.
Dick Nelson, director of the services, said the move to the Burge Union would be more than just a physical move and would
probably involve a name change.
This will make the program much more convenient for students because everything will be in the same area, Nelson said.
"CCPS helps students decide majors and careers," Nelson said. "The next step is to look at resumes and employment which you can get at UCES."
The absence of a director has given more responsibilities to the program's three assistant directors. Ann Hartley, the interim director of University Career and Employment Services, said the added responsibilities on top of her other duties made it harder to move forward with the plans for the program.
Hartley said other changes to the program would be a name change that would unite all the offices and the addition of full time positions that will be provided with tuition enhancement money.
Gaston said he looked forward to coming to the University. He said his first step would be to assess the situation of the program and see what direction it should take.
should take. "My hope is that students will get the information they need in a student friendly manner," Gaston said.
-Edited by Michelle Rodich
By Matt Rodriguez
mrodriguez@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
FDA mandates bar codes on medications to reduce errors
In an attempt to reduce the amount of medication errors in hospitals, the Food and Drug Administration implemented a rule requiring bar codes on most medications.
The FDA finalized the standardization of bar codes on medication to help ensure patient safety last week. The rule is aimed
at helping hospitals to properly administer the right medication to the right patient at the correct time and dosage. The system will allow hospital staff to match bar codes on patients' identification bracelets with bar codes on medication they receive.
lation they record. As of December, approximately 125 of 5,000 hospitals in the nation were using bar code systems, according to Bridge Medical Inc., a manufacturer of bar code scanners.
The FDA is implementing the bar code system to encourage adoption of scanning systems in order to reduce hospital errors across America. According to the FDA, this system has already reduced error rates by as much as 85 percent in some hospitals, and it estimates that the rule will help prevent nearly 500,000 mistakes and transfusion errors and save $93 billion in health costs in the next 20 years.
Patrick Parker, director of
pharmacy at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, 325 Main St., said he wanted to see the FDA mandate the expiration date and lot numbers, which identify the batch or time the medication was made, in order to provide to best information. The problem with mandating this is that it is difficult to provide such a large amount of information on such a small bar code. Some manufacturers have the ability to provide expiration dates and lot numbers.
The FDA requires that the bar codes include at minimum the National Drug Code number. This 11-digit number identifies the strength, name and administration of the medication.
Manufacturers will be required to put bar codes on most medications, but hospitals will not be not required to use the bar codes because of the cost of the scanners.
According to Bridge Medical Inc., the cost of the scanners can
range from $200,000 to more than $1 million, depending on the system's complexity and size.
Lawrence Memorial Hospital already uses medications with bar codes, and it is in the process of implementing the scanner system.
"We have all the pieces in place. We just need to build it one piece at a time." Parker said.
—Edited by Cindy Yeo