Multimedia Reporting (Bradford)

With job competition increasing each year for graduating seniors, the University of Kansas’ School of Business is taking steps to better equip students academically as they make the transition between college life and the “real world.”

The school is upon completion in its attempt to phase out the general business administration degree in order to better prepare students for job competition by adding new, specific majors to the degree program. The new majors are designed to better outfit all students for potential careers through more focused degrees and creating more options for students in upcoming semesters.

The change came at the request of students in the school of business who were seeking a more tailored program to benefit their job opportunities and employment appeal, Jason O’Connor, director of KU’s School of Business Student & Academic Services, said.

“We found our students had one big problem. Employers east of Missouri or west of Colorado didn’t know what a degree in just business administration was,” O’Connor said. “Business administration was just a general degree and you can’t just have a general degree in something.”

Starting three years ago all business students were required to pick specific area of study within the business administration degree program, giving graduating students a greater advantage in the job market. Recently the school added a supply chain management degree to the list of new majors beginning fall 2007.

“This idea came from the students,” O’Connor said. “We surveyed business students and this is what they said they wanted.”

With the addition of the five new majors, plus the supply chain management major to be added in the fall, along with four concentrations, the specifically-tailored majors were developed to in order to condition students’ skills in one certain area, better preparing them for job competition.

“Students from other universities were making $4,000-$5,000 more than KU graduates,” O’Connor said. “Students wanted more earning potential and that is what the specific fields of study now allow.”

Finance was the first major to be added three years ago. In previous years, marketing and accounting were the only available degree options in the school.

However, not all students are convinced regarding the new changes.

“It makes sense to me,” John Gilliland, junior, who planned to major in business administration until the new changes were implemented, said. “You are getting a more focused advantage, but I’m not sure I agree with the whole ‘phasing out’ idea. Some people don’t know what kind of particular degree they want or which area to concentrate on.”

Students who were already seeking a degree in business administration and enrolled in the school of business at the time were allowed to complete their general degree but new admittance to the school requires students to pick a specific field of study to focus on.

“I just wanted a general business administration degree,” Gilliland said. “I think the degree could have covered a little bit of every aspect of business.”

However, for those who do not want to major in business, the school recently added minors in business administration available to all students in the fall of 2006 and will continue in fall 2007.

Non-business students are required to take 18 hours of business classes but do not have to be admitted into the school of business to complete the minor. Only six general business courses are required and can be finished within a year.

“I wanted to make myself more marketable and I thought a minor in business would be a good way to go,” Rebecca Watts, senior, said. “The classes are general enough to get a basic understanding of concepts without having to all out and major in the subject.”

Watts added a business minor to her plans to major in journalism in the fall of 2006 by taking Accounting 205. “It’s a great idea to add minors like these,” Watts said. “Basic areas of general study offered by the school of business can really help out in everyday life.”

Liz Stuewe eats out with friends while managing her health, all at the same time. Click the above image for a slide show of how a Type One diabetic handles life at KU.

The Freshman Summer Institute has pushed back its camp date and combined the usual two sessions into one four-week course which will be held between the months of June and July for the first time.

The institute is a summer camp offered to incoming freshman who will be attending the University in the fall. Students earned five KU credit hours and gained a head-start on college life. Participants are required to take the PRE 101, a two-credit, general orientation based seminar class that introduces students to campus resources, procedures and faculty.

Students submitted their choice of a general education class to complete their required five-credit hour schedule. This summer SOC 104, POLS 110, COMS 130 and ENG 101 were offered.

Associate director of advising and FSI coordinator Diana Burright said that the camp’s schedule changed into a one-session camp after coordinators determined that holding only one session would better accommodate students with later high school graduation dates and provide a greater mix of in-and out-of-state students. In prior years, the camp was divided into two sessions, one held in June and another in July.

The goal for the change of format was to attract a greater number of students with different interests and backgrounds. Burright said that the combination allowed students to be able to meet all camp participants rather than separating the students by monthly sessions.

Fifty-two students attended the camp this summer. In 2006, the camp’s combined attendance between the two-month sessions was 80. In 2005, the total attendance was 76.

Although this year’s attendance is lower than previous years, Burright believed that the attendance was reasonable given the first year for the new format.

“I anticipate the number to remain somewhat stable, if not grow a little for next year,” Burright said.

Although the camp is optional, it allows students to get accustomed to KU during the quiet time of summer, according to the institute’s Web site.

““This gives them added confidence and a chance at early success,” Burright said. “It puts them more at ease and lets them focus on academics earlier in the fall semester, instead of juggling the normal freshman adjustments at the same time as their new academic commitments.”

Adjustments students made included being away from home for the first time for some, eating at Ekdahl Dinning Commons, or “Mrs. E’s” and tackling the hill.

“I couldn’t believe how much walking there was,” Truitt said. “You see your building from your dorm room and you think ‘I have no chance,’ but after a while it’s not bad.”

Students are also expected to attend class regularly, complete homework assignments on time and handle added responsibility of dorm-life in Templin residence hall.

“They really did make us work,” Pace Porter, incoming freshman, said. “But they also treated us like college students. Quizzes, papers, tests, but no curfew.”

Students met for class twice a day with fellow campers in various building around campus. Participants also took place in a career exploration workshop, a challenge course activity off campus designed to promote self-confidence and teamwork and a community service project.

“I really did want to learn more and meet new students,” Erica Truitt, incoming freshman, said. “I came all the way from St. Louis and I totally think this it was worth it.”

In comparison, the University of Missouri offers incoming freshman assorted summer classes but Missouri students must be recommended by their counselors and admission is based on academic standing.

MU also offers a Summer Transition program. According to the Academic Retention Services’ Web site, this is an eight-week program for first year ethnic minority students to gain college credit and receive a scholarship before starting the fall semester. Attendance for both camps was unavailable.

The KU institute estimated total cost for in-state residents is $2,500, which includes tuition and fees, room and board, and program fees. Out-of-state students total cost is $3,900. Totals do not include books and personal expenses.

Burright said that although the program has changed its format, the original premise of the institute has always been the same since its official start in 1996. Burright said that the institute simply provides incoming students with an opportunity to become acclimated and adjusted to KU by giving them a taste of college life prior to their fall start.

“I really love the campus,” Truitt said. “I’m going to step on to the campus in the fall feeling like a sophomore.”

Recent high school graduates come to campus early to learn the ropes of college life

Click here to view the Freshman Summer Institute sound slide.

The summer months mean an increase in downtown shoppers on Massachusetts Street. With the escalating number of pedestrians and motorists downtown, Lawrence Law Enforcement has also increased the number of bicycle officers patrolling the downtown district and surrounding neighborhoods to enhance public safety.

Although the Lawrence Police Department first initiated bicycle patrols in May of 1989, officers are more noticeable in the months when pedestrian traffic is heavy. In 2005, an estimated 752,446 people visited downtown, according to the Lawrence Kansas Visitors Bureau. Such traffic has created the need for more officers downtown, especially in the summer.

Technical Service Manager Kim Murphree said that with the added traffic downtown, bicycle officers keep the public safer because of the increased accessibility a bike allows an officer over a patrol car.

According to Murphree, officers on bicycles offer a closer personal contact with citizens and increased mobility. An officer on a bicycle can move through alleys, parking lots, and even wooded areas of parks, if necessary.

“Bicycle officers are utilized in times and places where personal interaction between law enforcement and the public is an effective tool for public safety,” Murphree said. “They get places cars can’t go which is sometimes where an officer needs to be.”

The bicycles are also used an environment-friendly means of transportation for the police department. Bicycles emit no fumes and keep the air cleaner for downtown residents.

Bicycle patrols are utilized on any given shift, day or night, and during any season. However, patrols are generally not used during the colder winter months because of the decrease in downtown visitors.

“There are just so many people around town that we want to protect,” Murphree. “It [seeing a bicycle officer] is also a psychological safety factor.”

Bicycle patrol officers must complete eight hours of training. They are taught how to start, stop, ride and quickly dismount on any type of terrain and in any type of situation.

Bicycle officers have the same abilities as those who patrol in cars. Most citations that bicycle officers issue with are traffic and parking violations. Although the city does not keep a record of separate citations handled out between bicycle patrol and vehicle patrol, bicycle police often deal with battery calls, public intoxication and pedestrian traffic control. During the days with heavy volumes of customers, the bike patrol offers their help to businesses with problems as shoplifting and theft.

Bicycles are equipped with lights and officers can use whistles to signal an individual or individuals that they need to stop. Officers always wear helmets and are equipped with basic tire kits in case of emergency. Trek Bikes are currently used by the Department.

Not all residents see the benefit in the increase in bicycle officers. Lawrence resident Kathrine Bogart was recently ticketed for failing to yield to a pedestrian and questioned the city’s decision to use bicycle police over patrol cars.

“I was really surprised with I got pulled over,” Bogart said. “I don’t think this is an effective means of law enforcement because the officer was too hard to hear and see. What if I hadn’t seen her, kept driving and got into more trouble?”

Derek Branham, a Lawrence resident who also was cited with a failure to yield violation, said that it is strange to be pulled over by a bike when someone is driving a car.

“I understand that they have a job to do,” Branham said. “I just can’t believe that they can issue tickets like that.”

At any given time, 20 to 25 officers are designated as bicycle patrol officers. Officers are deployed by a shift supervisor. The maximum sent out on patrol at one time is four, and the officers generally patrol in pairs.

Muprhree said most of the bicycle patrol officers really enjoy the patrol and will volunteer to be on bicycle patrol.

“Officers have reported citizens thanking them for patrolling on bicycles,” Murphree said. It’s all about people and making them feel safe.”

Bicycle Officers increase downtown public safety