KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 2010 / BACK TO SCHOOL
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beverages containing liquor, was originally passed to allow residents to buy liquor by the drink at public establishments. In theory, the law is supposed to deter people from purchasing larger drinks or binge drinking. But some students say the law would only affect how often they can afford to drink at bars.
"One of best parts about being in a college town are the low drink prices," Matt Mendelson, a senior from Shawnee, said. "If everything is going to double or come close to doubling, I don't know that students are going to be able to afford to go as often."
The law does not take into account how much an employee will be compensated for the increase in price. Since bar owners set the drink prices to a specific amount to assure each employee will receive compensation, owners must re-visit how much employees will be paid if the drink prices do in fact double.
Zack Muskin, a bartender at The Ranch, said he was happy the law would not be enforced for now, but that he believed it should be revisited.
"I feel like there a lot of things wrong with the law," Muskin said. "It only addresses the liquor quantity, not some of the other issues involved, and I feel as though it is a hard law to monitor."
What do you think?
BY SARAH HENRY
What do you think of charging for liquor by volume?
JONATHAN FULLER
Topeka senior
"There's better ways for the state to come up with more revenue than putting more taxes on alcohol. I think the state should stop repairing roads that are perfectly fine, like I-70, and not increase taxes on alcohol."
IAN MAATTA
Manhattan junior
JOSE VILLA Mesa, Ariz., sophomore
"It seems like it's just more revenue for the state of Kansas, which isn't bad in and of itself, but people are going to have to pay more if they want to get drunk, which I guess could lead to some stress for college students."
"It seems a little excessive that they're charging by volume, 'cause people that buy a lot to stock up to make it last longer are going to end up paying more in the long run anyway, so it's kind of unfortunate."
CHLOE ALEXANDER Shawnee senior
"I think it's a fairly harmless thing to put more of a tax on, because obviously no one's going to stop buying alcohol, and if they're using the revenue for a good reason, then what's the problem? At least they're not taking food or a commodity that people actually need."
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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 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 th. at 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.
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.
"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.
SEE RESEARCH ON PAGE 6A
employees to you until acpous
BY MICHAEL HOLTZ mholtz@kansan.com
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.
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.
"We've been trying for years to encourage staff and employees to utilize direct deposit," said Diane Goddard, vice provost for
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
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For more information on paychecks, please contact the Payroll Office. (785)864-4385 payroll@ku.edu
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