Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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shuttle takes international students CLOSER HOME by Cassadie Lock and Lindsay Porter For most K- State students, going home required only a short drive. However, the cities interna- tional students called home were thousands of miles away. Booking a flight to go home for winter break was relatively easy, but the students had to find an affordable way to get to Kansas City International Airport. The International Rides pro- gram was one option international students had for free transporta- tion to and from Kansas City, Mo. I ' ve taken the KCI Road- runner several times, and, one time, I was really close to being late, said Elsa Ariesanti, graduate student in mechanical engineering and international student from Indonesia. This is definitely a good alternative. The International Rides Pro- gram ' s first trip was Dec. 17. Mary Beth Cook, graduate research assistant in the International Pro- grams office, said the late start was accredited to a lack of funds. The idea has been bounced around for years, but the office could not afford to have a ser- vice, Cook said. The Student Senate last year passed the Global Education Initiative. This initia- tive is aimed at providing study abroad scholarships to current Kansas State students and to provide transportation to welcome international students to our university. K- State students drove inter- national students to KCI in vans. Kelly Thacker, Jardine Terrace Apartments assistant coordinator and graduate student in student counseling and personal services, helped Cook drive the shuttle. What appealed to me about the program was the fact that every day I am working with a large portion of the international and non-traditional student population on the K- State campus through my work at Jardine, Thacker said, And often they are the forgotten students. Everyone throughout Jardine, K- State and the international community has shown me so much unconditional love, acceptance and understand- ing that I strive to make their lives just a little bit easier and try to be one more person to advocate for their needs. This is just one more way I can share my times and talents. As an out-of-state student, Thacker said she had a better understanding of the importance of reliable transportation. I understand the issues and problems with driving to the airport, she said. I cannot ev en fathom being from another coun- try and having to find my own transportation for my family to and from an airport that is a two- hour car ride away. Cook said international stu- dents were important to the uni- versity and gave domestic-born students a chance to learn about other ways of life. I believe that international students bring an incredible amount of strength to our uni- versity - academically, financially and most importantly, cultur- ally, Cook said. All Kansas State students can benefit from know- ing people from around the world from people who do things and think differently than they do. international rides r 25

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-r f I u •■ ' r- y fij. : 0 4 . At the K-State Student Union, Bolakumar Knsh- namurthi, graduate student in computer science, loads his bags into the van with Nitu Narula, graduate student in computer science. They were driven to Kansas City International airport with other students to fly home as part of the Interna- tional Rides Program. Kelly Thocker, graduate student in student counseling and personal services, drove the shuttle- The best part for me is knowing that they ' re safe and not having to take Roadrunner and spend their hard-earned money, she said. Photo by Nicole Donnert Waiting for the International Rides shuttle to arrive a t the K-State Student Union, TJitu Narula talks with friends as Darius Draudvila, sopho- more in kinesiology, talks with his roommate Josef Karos, senior in kinesiology. The program initiated its first run to the airport Dec, 17 and continued through finals week. International students were picked up at the Union and Jordine Ter- race Apartments ' Thomas J. Frith Community Center. This program assists in making these students ' lives a little bit eoiser in a very unfamiliar setting, Kelly Thocker said. Photo by Nicole Donnert 24nstudent life

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students search, find best textbook values by Lindsay Porter ways to bargain When students looked for affordable textbooks, they had several available avenues. Most students purchased textbooks through Varney ' s Book Store or the K- State Student Union Bookstore, but others found different venues for buying and selling textbooks. Dave Sattler, sophomore in mechanical engineering, said he purchased half of his books directly from students who previously completed the classes. I prefer getting books from students because it saves everyone money, he said. Usually you can buy books for 60 percent of Varney ' s prices and sell for 50 percent. Sattler also tried to sell textbooks through the Book Exchange wall in the K-State Student Union. Students advertised books for sale or books wanted on colored cards at the exchange wall. Sattler did not receive any responses for the calculus book he posted, but said he thought the wall was beneficial. Kristi Ogorzolka, sophomore in business administration, joined KSUBooks.com to find cheap textbooks. KSUBooks.com was a Web site created fall 2003 by Brett Beam, junior in industrial engineering; Branden Comfort, junior in business administration, and Ross Wilson, sophomore in computer engineering. It ' s something people do at other universities, Wilson said. It was something K- State didn ' t have. Most students are online anyway. If they are online, they might as well buy books. The site was set up as an electronic message board for students to post books for sale and others could post responses. Although access to the site was free, students registered with site administrators to ensure they were K- State students. As of Feb. 3, there were 646 members. Wilson said he thought there were more than 175 books sold through the site in its first year. Ogorzolka joined the site, Nov. 29, and posted two message inquiries about books for sale. I saw a flier and figured I ' d look at it, she said. I found a couple of books that I could use and bought one of them. Ogorzolka spent $15 on her book, and Wilson said most users would sell for half of the bookstores ' prices. They get an equal price selling and buying, he said. It is a win- win situation. 26Qstudent life