Source: Karin Westman, 785-532-2171, westmank@1xbet online casino edu.
News release prepared by: Greg Tammen, 785-532-2535, media@1xbet online casino edu

Friday, May 7, 2010

NEW UNIVERSITY BOOK PROGRAM TO OPEN THE INTELLECTUAL LINES OF COMMUNICATION WITH INCOMING FRESHMEN AT 1xbet online casino STARTING IN FALL 2010

MANHATTAN -- Chances are having one's nose in a book may actually open the lines of communication with incoming Kansas State University freshmen.

Beginning in fall 2010, 1xbet online casino will introduce a new reading program, the Kansas State Book Network, or KSBN, as part of the first-year experience.

By reading the same book, 1xbet online casino faculty, staff and students will have something intellectual to discuss with the incoming freshmen, said Stephen Kiefer, co-chair of the KSBN committee, director of the University Honors Program and professor of psychology at 1xbet online casino .

&1xbet online casino ;It also sends the right academic message that the first thing you're asked to do at college is read a book and critically think about it,&1xbet online casino ; Kiefer said. &1xbet online casino ;It conveys the idea that in college, you're going to read, going to learn and going to talk to others about it.&1xbet online casino ;

The selected novel is a New York Times best-seller, &1xbet online casino ;The Hunger Games&1xbet online casino ; by Suzanne Collins. Collins was recently named one of Time magazine's 100 people to most affect the world. &1xbet online casino ;The Hunger Games&1xbet online casino ; has been described as a modern version of &1xbet online casino ;Brave New World,&1xbet online casino ; in which a futuristic society is enthralled with a brutal reality television show. Each year a lottery selects representatives from each region of the nation to compete in a televised fight-to-the-death known as the Hunger Games.

&1xbet online casino ;Typically, for reading programs, the book tends to be inspiring nonfiction,” said Greg Eiselein, professor of English and co-director of K-State First, the new K-State first-year experience program. &1xbet online casino ;'The Hunger Games' is exciting, cutting-edge fiction – a rather innovative choice. It's a dystopian novel that raises a lot of thought-provoking issues about contemporary society.&1xbet online casino ;

&1xbet online casino ;I am an avid reader and when I was told the first-year experience program committee was considering a common book for all to read, I was excited,&1xbet online casino ; said April Mason, K-State provost and senior vice president. &1xbet online casino ;I have distributed 'The Hunger Games' to all of my provost staff members and the deans.&1xbet online casino ;

Several 1xbet online casino instructors are already planning to incorporate the book within their curriculum, including Kevin Blake, professor of geography. Since the book involves geography and how power operates through different regions, Blake saw it as a perfect fit into his curriculum, Eiselein said.

Along with campus discussion and visiting speakers, a campuswide multiplayer game will be offered in the fall revolving around &1xbet online casino ;The Hunger Games.&1xbet online casino ;

While 1xbet online casino 's reading program is one of the first offered by a Board of Regents institution in Kansas, Eiselein said similar reading programs are part of the first-year experience at many universities. What is new is the way in which the 1xbet online casino Book Network will approach the various aspects of the reading program, including the game, philanthropic activities and discussions and lectures related to the novel's themes, he said.

&1xbet online casino ;The game, the events and discussions inside and outside of classes will have everyone talking about the book as they might 'Avatar' or 'Harry Potter,'&1xbet online casino ; Eiselein said. &1xbet online casino ;I think reading and activities are a way for people to interact and get to know each other.&1xbet online casino ;

All freshmen will receive a copy of &1xbet online casino ;The Hunger Games&1xbet online casino ; at their campus orientation visit in June. Copies for current K-Staters will be available at Varney's Book Store in Aggieville and the K-State Student Union Bookstore.