KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 2010 / BACK TO SCHOOL / 43
CAMPUS
Hilltop offers convenience for students with children
BY LUYAN WANG
lwang@kansan.com
Students with children may find it easier to send their kids to daycare on campus this year. Hilltop Child Development Center, which has been on campus since 1972, enlarged its site last year and now has spaces for more children.
Hilltop executive director Pat Pisani said the center now had a capacity of 290, compared with 250 last year. About 270 children enrolled this summer. Pisani said there might be some spots available for school-aged children this fall.
Hilltop provides full-day care for children older than one year by Aug. 1. It also has two full-day kindergarten programs, two after-school programs at Hilltop and two at Lawrence public schools.
Class size ranges from 10 to 30,
depending on children's ages, with younger children in smaller classes
Tuition and fees for children's daycare are based on families' incomes. The average family pays $400 to $600 per month to place one child to Hilltop.
Parents with low incomes may apply for scholarships. Scholarship funds are provided by the University Student Senate and Douglas County Child Development Association. The youngest children have first priority when receiving scholarships because their fees are higher. Pisani said scholarship money would be tight this year because Hilltop would not receive federal funding that it has used in the past.
Hui Meng, a graduate student from China, enrolled her son in Hilltop recently. Meng said her friends and neighbors told her Hilltop provided high-quality daycare for children.
She was also told Hilltop has a long waitlist and is not easy to get in.
"I feel so lucky it didn't take so long to get the spot." Meng said.
Meng lives in the Stouffer Place Apartment on campus. She said it's convenient to have her son enrolled in an on-campus daycare because she didn't have to drive to pick up her son every day.
Students who are interested in enrolling their children can apply at the Hilltop office, 1605 Irving Hill Road, or print them out from its website, www.hilltop.ku.edu. There is a $50 application fee. Children of students have first priority for enrollment, followed by children of faculty and staff members. When space is available, Hilltop also accepts children whose families are not affiliated with the University.
Children play outside the Hilltop Child Development Center, 1605 Irving Hill Rd, last week. In an effort to keep its enrollment up, the center offers all-day programs during the summer to offset the many professors and students who leave town and do not send their children to Hilltop as they would during the school year.
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
BODYboutique women's fitness health spa
women's fitness health spa
749. 2424 * www.bodybofitness.com * 9th & Iowa f
Available at the following locations: The Market,The Underground,Crimson Cafe The Studio,and KU Bookstore at Kansas Union
**on/KANSAN**
*ttlab*
wrence-
iscience
E 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."
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.
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.
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."
Albin said that students are welcome to bring assignments to the library to review with a librarian and seek the proper avenue for research.
"We can find ways to access the things they need."
"I 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.
SEE RESEARCH ON PAGE 6A
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.
"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
employees to get direct 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.
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
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."
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.
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 Opinion...5A
Crossword...4A Sports...1B
Cryptoquips...4A Sudoku...4A
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2010 The University Daily Kansan
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
weather
TODAY 95 69
Mostly Sunn
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Scattered T-Storms
Mostly Sunny
weather.com