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KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 2010 / BACK TO SCHOOL
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KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Chris Stock, a law student from Westford, Mass. plays intramural basketball at the Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center last spring.
Highland Park, Ill., first became involved as a freshman when he played intramural basketball with friends from his dorm.
"Intramural sports was something I would look forward to throughout the week," he said. "It helps take the edge off of a full college course load."
He said playing the sports with his friends helped him forget about the stress of midterms or presentations for a least a little while.
"I was able to feel like a little kid again," he said.
Fall team sports include flag football. indoor soccer, sand volleyball,
dodgeball, floor hockey and volleyball. Fall individual sports include tennis singles, racquetball singles, table tennis singles, golf singles and bowling singles.
New sports for last year included a quickball tournament, a campus 5K and a video game night.
Students can find out more information about schedules for the fall semester, how to join and prices on the recreation center's website at: www.recreation.ku.edu or www.ku.atleague.com or by calling 785-864-0787.
Richardson/KANSAN art wet lab
de Lawrence Bioscience
PAGE 6A
smontemayor@kansan.com
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."
"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.
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.
"Librarians love to find stuff, so we're really good at it," Albin said.
"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."
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.
"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."
employees to yet until deposit
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.
"We've been trying for years to encourage staff and employees to utilize direct deposit," said Diane Goddard, vice provost for
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.
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 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 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.
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
bursar@ku.edu
For more information on paychecks, please contact the Payroll Office.
(785)864-4385
payroll@ku.edu
index
Classifieds... 6B
Crossword... 4A
Cryptoquips... 4A
Opinion. ... 5A
Sports. ... 1B
Sudoku. ... 4A
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Student Senate rebrand led by website redesign
Student Senate undergoes $4,000 makeover designed to improve its reputation with students on the Kansas campus. GOVERNMENT | 2A
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