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KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 2010 / BACK TO SCHOOL
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MEN'S BASKETBALL
Kansas freshmen prepare for college life in the spotlight
BY COREY THIBODEAUX
cthibodeaux@kansan.com
The Jayhawks lost three remarkable players from last season, but the fresh and talented faces on this year's team give it an encouraging outlook on the season.
The Jayhaws signed two recruits in the offseason — Rivals.com three-star recruit Royce Woolridge and the top overall 2010 recruit, Josh Selby. Having yet to play in an actual college game, these two don't know what to expect when the spotlight shines on them.
"I'm ready for it," Selby said. "I'm willing to play at the level that I'm supposed to play at, so there's not really any pressure."
But the 6-foot-2 point guard has some large shoes to fill, and did say the idea of replacing the gone-but not-forgotten Sherron Collins carried its own pressure.
Selby started garnering attention when he first arrived in Lawrence in
June. He said he tried to stay low-key, but it was hard not to be recognized with the cast from his broken pinky. Encounters on the street gave him a positive outlook on the fans.
"The community is great." Selby said. "They communicate with you. They say 'hi' to you. They welcome you in."
Woolridge is a different story. Because he's a new face and the season has yet to start, he said he hadn't been recognized that much.
Selby
Woolridge doesn't have the
Woolridge
same expectations as Selby, but he does play basketball at Kansas. Being a Jayhawk is an experience he can comprehend through his teammates.
For both of them, that preparation started this summer coming to Lawrence.
"Hopefully I'm ready, but you don't really know," he said. "I have to get prepared."
--finger. Unlike Selby, Woolridge only had to sit out three days.
Woolridge took a road trip from Phoenix, driving six hours a day for three days. He stopped in Albuquerque, N.M., and Oklahoma City, but it wasn't enough to keep his knees from aching the whole way.
Even though he's in Lawrence, the thought of it is surreal to him. He committed to Kansas as a sophomore in high school, so it was three long years of anticipation.
"That was a long, terrible trip"
Woolridge said.
"It's like I'm not actually here yet," Woolridge said. "It has to sink in, but it's great to be here."
Around the time he came to Lawrence, Woolridge strained his knee just a day before Selby broke his
Listed as a shooting guard, he spent the summer working on passing skills in case the team needed a point guard. He also focused on building muscle to hang with the team.
"I feel like I'm a lot smaller than everybody else," he said when he first arrived in Lawrence.
Woolridge felt immediately like part of the team. From the day that he got here, he said, the team has embraced him, and all the incoming players, with open arms.
"It's not even like a team," he said. "It's like a family."
--drive to the airport.
Selby comes from Baltimore, happy to be separated from the crime and hardships he grew up with. But the day Selby left his home was an emotional one for his family, especially his mother, who cried in the back seat of the car during the entire
He isn't sure how much she will be able to visit Lawrence this season to watch her son play.
But now, Selby said he was focused on Kansas — not looking back on what he left behind and not looking ahead to the NBA. He has no one-and-done aspirations at this point; he's just getting to know his new team.
"They have weapons," he said. "I feel like I can be a key to the puzzle. We can be a national championship team."
It's apparent at this point that Selby will replace Sherron Collins as the starting point guard for one of the top programs in the country. Filling the shoes of the winningest player in Kansas history isn't the easiest job to take on in a player's first year.
"I do feel pressure. Sherron Collins, he left a lot of things here," Selby said. "Hopefully, I don't play like a freshman this year."
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1 PAGE 6A
MONTEMAYOR
M. D. Rezaiekhaligh/KANSAN
smontemayor@kansan.com
For having grown up with the onset of the Internet, our generation may not be all that Web savvy when it comes to researching, a study by the International Journal of Communication suggests.
The study, written and conducted by professors at Northwestern University, found that students often only chose websites that appeared at the top of Google searches to complete tasks or perform research. Eszter Hargittai, associate professor of communication studies at Northwestern and one of the study's authors, said that most mistakes in the Web research process occur before students even click "Search."
"I think part of it is not so much necessarily what else they can be using" Hargittai said. "I think a big part of it is being more critical and careful about what they are already using."
University of Kansas students have nearly 400 databases at their fingertips, with information on every subject at the University that is not usually found through Google searches.
Hargittai said that search results aren't necessarily ranked in terms of credibility. More sophisticated queries are also needed to glean credible sources from popular search engines.
Tami Albin, undergraduate instruction and outreach librarian often helps students interested in improving their ability to navigate the library's extensive online resources. She said that whether a student is using Google or a library database, a level of skill is needed to effectively complete a desired task online.
"The research process, you know, it's like anything else," Albin said. "You learn how to do something well over time. With new technologies, you have to learn how to do research different ways. A student who jumps online and pulls three articles off of the Internet and then writes a paper on it and hands it in the next day is not going to get really, really good grades."
SEE RESEARCH ON PAGE 6A
Albin said that students are welcome to bring assignments to the library to review with a librarian and seek the proper avenue for research.
Rothman said he most often uses the library's databases or news sources such as The New York Times when working on a project. Rothman analyzes the assignment and considers what research will be necessary before logging on. He said that these skills were instilled during a freshman English course.
"Libarians love to find stuff, so we're really good at it," Albin said.
"We can find ways to access the things they need."
"My English teacher last year actually looked at our bibliographies before he read our papers to see how valid our sources were," Rothman said. "And once he saw
While Alec Rothman, a sophomore from Boston, is an exception to the rule. Thea Glassman, a sophomore from New York City, affirms the study's results.
employees to yet unclever pos
BY MICHAEL HOLTZ
mholtz@kansan.com
Two separate policies require students and University of Kansas employees to sign up for direct deposit to receive refunds and paychecks electronically.
According to an announcement that the Bursar's Office posted online, the new refund policy allows students to receive refunds faster and more safely than they would if the University distributed them as checks.
"We've been trying for years to encourage staff and employees to utilize direct deposit," said Diane Goddard, vice provost for
Though the state's deadline for direct deposit enrollment is Oct. 1, the goal of the Bursars Office is to have 100 percent enrollment by the beginning of September. Yoakum said more than 95 percent of University employees have already signed up.
The second policy is a state mandate requiring direct deposited paychecks for all state employees, which includes University employees. The employees have until Oct. 1 to comply with the new policy.
"The advantage to the University is better business efficiencies," said Katrina Yoakum, comptroller for the University. "We spend a lot of time following up with checks that are not picked up."
administration and finance. "We ramped it up to the 80 percent level prettily quickly. Getting from 80 to 95 percent has been more difficult."
Employees who do not have an account at a financial institution will receive a Skylight Financial account, an ATM-based bank, and a Skylight pay card. Employees must sign up for this service at the Payroll Office.
Kelsey Smith, a junior from Council Grove, signed up for direct deposit when she started work for KU Libraries three years ago. She said shed recommend other students to sign up for it as well.
Though University officials have recommended refund direct deposit for at least five years, they was unable to mandate the policy until a federal law changed. The
"I think it's easier that way." Smith said. "You don't have to worry about getting a new check deposited in the bank."
policy has been in effect since last November.
Yoakum said direct deposited refunds will save the University $10,000 annually.
The Bursar's Office most recently notified students of the refund policy in an e-mail sent Aug. 2. The e-mail included instructions explaining how to set up direct deposit online or by completing a direct deposit authorization form.
"Having everyone on direct deposit means there are fewer people who handle that transaction," Goddard said. "It's just more efficient and much more accurate."
It's also much quicker. Goddard said students signed up for direct deposit will receive refunds at least a day faster than they would otherwise.
Edited by David Cawthon
For more information on refunds, please contact the Bursar's Office. (785)864-3322
(785)864-3322
bursar@ku.edu
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