Enough basketball coverage to fill four pages.
The Kansas men's basketball team defeated Texas A&M and the women's basketball team lost at Kansas State on Wednesday night. Read all of the Kansan's coverage on PAGES 6A, 7A, 10A AND 12A.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOL. 116 ISSUE 81
NIGHTLIFE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2006
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Dayd Noffsinger/KANSAN
Replay set for remodel
The Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St., is adding a 20-foot addition to its patio. The smoking ban prompted much of the work although the inside renovations were something the Lounge wanted to do for years.
Ordinance prompts long-planned makeover
BY KRISTEN JARBOE
kjarboe@kansan.com
KANSW STAFF WRITER
The Replay Lounge has decided to revamp its patio, mainly due to the smoking ordinance banning smoking in Lawrence businesses.
The nightclub, 946 Massachusetts St., is adding a 20-foot addition to its patio, which will have an awning that covers
boots outside. The completion date is set for St. Patrick's Day.
It is also adding new picnic tables and booths inside. Nick Carroll, owner, estimated that the renovations would cost 20 percent of the Lounge's value.
Carroll said that although the inside renovations were something the Lounge has wanted to do for a few years, much of
the work was prompted by the smoking ban.
"Patios are really important to businesses now," Carroll said. "Surrounding areas, like Kansas City, are not on the same playing field anymore.
We [Lawrence] have something they don't have, and they're not coming here anymore."
SEE REPLAY ON PAGE 4A
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Attention from e-mail doesn't hinder group
BY ANNE WELTMER
aweltmer@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics has come out of the dispute involving an intelligent design class with high hopes for the spring semester.
The group was caught in the middle of a controversy late last semester when its adviser, Paul Mirecki, professor of religious studies, said in e-mails to the SOMA list server that his proposed class would serve as a "nice slap" in the "big fat face" of religious fundamentalists.
After being criticized by University of Kansas officials and state legislators, Mirecki withdrew the class and resigned as chairman of the department of religious studies.
During the ordeal, Andrew Stangl, SOMA president for two years and Wichita junior, became a regular source for news stories.
"All eyes were on us," he said.
Though dealing with the media was a tax on his own time and resources, he said the group gained from the attention.
SOMA was unified in support of Mirecki, and the group grew in size because the coverage raised awareness and many new people joined its e-mail list server.
Stangl said SOMA was just as diverse as any other secular organization and he didn't want it to be known as a group "opposite of believers," but rather an open-minded group of people who don't necessarily believe in a higher being.
"The KU students of SOMA are a great bunch of students," Mirecki said. "They're all mom and apple pie."
Stangl said the mostly liberal group tried to be accepting of every
Mirecki consults lawyer after controversial class scrapped
BY MELINDA RICKETTS
mrickets@kansan.com
KANSAST WRITER
Paul Mirecki, professor of religious studies, hired a lawyer in December.
In a Lawrence Journal-World story from December, Mirecki criticized both how the University handled a controversy
Mirecki
surrounding an intelligent design class he planned to teach this spring and how the Douglas County Sheriff's Office handled an alleged beating Mirecki suffered at the hands of people he believed to be against the class.
"Yeah, of course I've hired a lawyer," Mirecki said Wednesday. "You have
opinion and didn't censor.
As far as the University accepting the group, Stangl said that SOMA had never felt unwelcome.
He said conservative-minded atheists and agnostics were always welcome, but usually didn't stick around long because they're outnumbered and uncomfortable
SOMA's goal is to be a group for non-religious people to socialize, raise awareness and raise money for charity.
to protect yourself."
Mirecki drew criticism from KU officials and state legislators at the end of last semester after he sent e-mails that said the class would serve as a "nice slap" in the "big fat face" of religious fundamentalists.
Mirecki withdrew the class and resigned as chairman of the department of religious studies.
In response to whether he was planning to sue the University or the Douglas County Sheriff's Department, he said only, "My lawyer is looking into the situation."
Lynn Bretz, director of University Relations, said, "He is a tenured faculty member at the University of Kansas and a distinguished researcher, I don't think there's anything else to say."
— Edited by Cynthia Hernandez
Among other activities, SOMA holds a "soul auction" in which members auction their souls for charity.
The group will host a guest speaker on Darwin Day, Feb. 14.
With a full calendar of events ahead, the group is looking forward to a promising semester of raising awareness and accomplishing its goals.
— Edited by Cynthia Hernandez
PROFILE
Research leads to accolades
BY ALISSA BAUER
abauer@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITTER
Walking through the dimly lit room on Malott's sixth floor, he passed a tiny chalkboard to his left and a plaid couch on his right. His path led the way to his office, and it became clear that this setting was exactly what you would imagine a physicist's lair to look like.
A brief handshake and a genuine smile later, Danny Marafatia, assistant professor of physics, settled into his desk chair ready to discuss the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award to which he had just been named. The bare white walls and bright lights of his office contrasted the first room greatly.
He pointed to a calendar, the only artwork on any of the four walls.
"Do you put a lot of posters up?"
The quiet, reserved physicist image quickly melted away, and
On November 23 of last year, Marfatia and his colleagues in the department of physics and astronomy learned of his winning the CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. According to Marfatia, every willing, non-tenured assistant professor at four-year research universities in the United States submits proposals to compete for this award.
Marfatia was more than happy to explain the nature of his complicated work. While he spoke, the assistant professor of physics and astronomy never once acted insulted at the fact that his craft is overlooked by most and under-appreciated by just as many.
Maratia works for Mariana.
"I don't really care," he said of the quietness of his success.
"I'm happy that I found it, and that's all that matters. I do it for me. If it benefits the world, that's fine."
On January 13, the University of Kansas released that information to everyone else.
Marfatia works for Marfatia.
"There was so much preamble that it wasn't a surprise." Marfatia said of his anti-climatic reaction after receiving the official word on the award. "They were sending me e-mails asking me about funding. I was expecting it by the time it actually came."
Although there is no lavish banquet or gigantic plaque to show for his effort, Marfatia will cash in on a five-year, $400,000 grant. The money from the CAREER award will be dispersed in chunks of $80,000 per-year over the next five years.
"Summer salary," he laughed.
"I'm being facetious, I mean it's true, but hiring a post-doctorate researcher to work with me is important."
He is dedicated to his study of neutrinos, a little known fundamental particle, but already has plans for the first part of his grant.
Probably because conducting post-doctorate research at Boston University was Marfatia's previous stop before being hired
at the University just four semesters ago.
"We had more than 50 candidates for the position. We picked Danny because he was the best theorist with the best fit," said John Ralston, professor of physics and colleague of Marfatia
If questioned, many would reply that it is his uncanny understanding of physics and neutrino particles that Marfatia has and others lack. However, a closer look reveals that it's not his prestigious work that sets him apart, but rather the extent to which he loves his job.
"We're all quite busy and tend to work too much. We all enjoy every part of our jobs. Teaching is great because in teaching all the equations really work out. I tell people I'm a physic-holic." Ralston said.
Without ever obtaining a bachelor's degree, Marfatia obtained his master's degree of mathematics in India and went
SEE RESEARCH ON PAGE 4A
Rachel Sevmour/KANSAN
Danny Marfatia, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, stands in front of a graphic that shows the influence of neutrino fundamental particles. He has studied the particles for approximately five years now.
Student Senate funds trip to conference The Student Senate gave the Black Student Union money to cover the registration fees of the Big 12 Black Student Government Conference. PAGEZA
Youth is no excuse
Columnist Brian Wacker says that the problem with the men's basketball team isn't its youth, but rather the ineptitude of its older players, and last night's performance is a perfect example. PAGE 12A
Javplay
Read this semester's first edition of Jayplay and learn more about life for a Muslim KU student, how to Feng Shui your way into a better love life and experience Japan's unique New Year's Eve tradition.
Index
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Comics...8A
Classifieds...9A
Crossword...8A
Horoscopes...8A
Opinion...5A
Sports...12A
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2006 The University Daily Kansan
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