KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 2010 / BACK TO SCHOOL
57
BASKETBALL
The allure of Allen Fieldhouse
Fans' camping tradition adds to sense of home-court advantage
BY TIM DWYER
tdwyer@kansan.com
The fans at legendary Allen Fieldhouse have almost as much a reputation as the arena itself. The building is always mentioned as one of the hardest places to play in America — in no small part because of the 59 game home win streak the Jayhawks carry into the 2010-11 season — but no great venue is
It's not uncommon, just inside the student entrance at Allen Fieldhouse, to stumble across an air mattress or a couch cushion or sometimes a lawn chair. Don't worry, the people occupying them aren't squatters, and they aren't there to rob the place. They're students. Fans. And diehard ones at that.
nearly as impressive without the fans who fill it to the rafters every game day.
"I want to be there to help provide the best home-court advantage in all of sports" Nick Jackson, a senior from Newton, said.
Jared McPherson, a 2010 graduate from Dallas who camped for a majority of the games during his time at Kansas, said a good way to get started was to just start a group with friends or people from the dorms.
The lowest number drawn becomes that group's spot in line.
"Me and a bunch of other freshmen started a group, The Super Mario Bros., when we were in the dorms," McPherson said. "Then I joined Welcome to Lawrence, Bitch, after a couple years, and a few friends of mine had started that one, too."
Being part of each rafter-rattling crowd, for Jackson and other students, starts with the camping lottery that takes place the morning after the previous game. Students will arrive at Allen Fieldhouse at 6
For each group, at least one person must be present at the Fieldhouse at all times or risk losing your spot at roll call. Any group can call roll at any time, and if no one is pres-
the day after a game — or 8 a.m., if it's a weekend — to start camping for the jayhawks' next home game.
The camping lottery, run by students with no interference
"I want to be there to help provide the best home-court advantage in all of sports."
NICK JACKSON Newton senior
Spencer Walsh/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
ent, that group is simply crossed off and someone can put the group back on the list when its members return. Those fans who don't make it to lottery can simply add their group to the bottom of the roll
"There's no place like Allen Fieldhouse." Kansas junior forward Marcus Morris said. "I
to the rafters with the ruckus that makes it, if you ask the fans' beloved Jayhawks, the best venue in the country.
The students take a recess every evening at 10 p.m. so they can eat, sleep, drink, fornicate — whatever suits their fancy.
don't think there's any other place where you can get that vibe and feel chills before the game. I feel like that, and no other place can give you that."
whenever they show up.
Then at 6 a.m. they're back.
Waiting, ready to fill the Fieldhouse
Hannah Tesston, a sophomore from ST. Louis Park, Minn., camps out with her laptop in November. Camping inside Allen Fieldhouse has become a tradition.
"I don't think there's any other place where you can get that vibe and feel chills before the game."
MARCUS MORRIS Junior forward
from the athletics department, assigns spots for each group that comes out. For every five people in your group that come to the lottery, the group gets to draw one number.
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PAGE 6A
M. D. Rezaiekhaligh/KANSAN
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."
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 navi
"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."
Albin said that students are welcome to bring assignments to the library to review with a librarian and seek the proper avenue for research.
"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."
"Librarians love to find stuff, so we're really good at it," Albin said.
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.
gate 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.
"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.
"We can find ways to access the things they need."
SEE RESEARCH ON PAGE 6A
employees to yet unforeseen posi-
BY MICHAEL HOLTZ mholtz@kansan.com
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.
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.
Two separate policies require students and University of Kansas employees to sign up for direct deposit to receive refunds and paychecks electronically.
"We've been trying for years to encourage staff and employees to utilize direct deposit," said Diane Goddard, vice provost for
"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."
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.
administration and finance. "We ramped it up to the 80 percent level pretty 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.
"I think it's easier that way," Smith said. "You don't have to worry about getting a new check deposited in the bank."
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
policy has been in effect since last November.
Youakum said direct deposited refunds will save the University $10,000 annually.
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.
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."
— Edited by David Cawthon
For more information on refunds, please contact the Bursar's Office.
(785)864-3322
bursar@ku.edu
For more information on paychecks, please contact the Payroll Office.
(785)864-4385
payroll@ku.edu
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