shooting down the earth!
Weather
The University Daily Kansan
Today: Partly cloudy with a high of 46 and a low of 28
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy with a high of 52 and a low of 32
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Monday, February 12. 2001
Sports: Eric Chenowith's 17-point, 12-rebound performance lifted Kansas to victory against Oklahoma State Saturday. SEE PAGE 1B
For comments, contact Lori O'Toole or Mindie Miller at 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
Inside: Columnist Molly Irins accepted the William Allen White citation Friday.
( SPS 650-640 ) * VOL. 111 NO. 89
SEE PAGE 3A
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Atheist,agnostic student group hopes to boost campus profile
Students trudge down snowy sidewalks Friday on their way to afternoon classes. Morning classes were canceled Friday because University administrators decided snowy and icy
By Sarah Smersh writer@kansas.com
Kansan staff writer
Some of them don't think so, and some of them don't know — about whether God exists, that is.
The Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics, a student organization founded in November, is preparing to better advertise its existence to the student body with speakers, an outreach program and social events.
Today, SOMA — the acronym refers to a mellowing pill taken in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World — will celebrate Darwin Day with guest speaker Matt Stein, physician and lecturer in humanities and Western civilization. Darwin Day is a national celebration of evolutionist Charles Darwin's birthday. Darwin was born in 1809.
Peter Brabant, Lawrence senior and the group's co-founder and president, said he was happy to provide a forum for "generally questioning" people to "meet, hang out and chat." Brabant, who said he was an atheist, said that many religious groups were available to students, but that the group was the first of its kind on campus.
"When I was a kid and I had five or six people who shared beliefs with me, we thought we were crazy," Box said.
"I had looked for an organization like this since I was a freshman." Brabant said.
The group now has about 50 members, and one of its main goals is to "dispel public misconceptions" that label atheists and agnostics as crazy or amoral, Brabant said. Box said they were "frowned upon" at a recent campus organization fair.
Co-founder and vice president D.J. Box, Kansas City. Mo. senior, said he was agostic. He said he was grateful for the chance to gather with like-minded people.
"Just because I say I don't adhere to the beliefs of someone else, I'm (considered) a bad person," Box said. "If you sit in a room of our association, you'll find a group of very nice, very moral people."
Winter storm cripples campus
Box said nonreligious people developed morals on their own and were stronger because they "accepted responsibility for their own actions" rather than falling back on organized religion.
But Nate Findley, treasurer and Prairie Village senior, said that the group had no intention to recruit others to their beliefs — or lack thereof.
"We're not out to indoctrinate people," said Findley, an agnostic. "We only want you to have an open mind when you come to our group."
Brabant said that the group was evenly
road conditions made driving hazardous. Friday marked only the eighth time since 1972 that the University canceled classes. Photo by Matt Dougherty/KANSAN
SNOWED IN
See GROUP on page 5A
Bv Cássio Furtado
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Snow and ice kept students out of class Friday morning for the first time since 1997.
Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett, associate provost, said she decided to put the inclement weather policy to work because doing so would give students, faculty and staff more daylight time to get to the University.
The inclement weather policy allows faculty and staff to arrive at work later and leave earlier.
McCluskey-Fawcett said she and Jim
Long, assistant provost, made the decision to cancel classes around 6:15 a.m. on Friday.
"This was a public safety issue," she said.
Classes have been canceled for weather-related reasons only eight times since 1972, when University Archives began keeping records of cancellations.
The last time classes had been canceled prior to Friday was Jan. 27, 1997.
Lynn Bretz, interim director of University Relations, said the decision to cancel classes was made after getting reports from the police, highway patrol and University facilities operations.
After that, Bretz said, the University Relations staff started to make a series of phone calls.
They contacted radio and television stations and informed 864-SNOW, the University's weather hotline, of the decision. They also let KU Info and some key University administrators know classes were canceled.
Holly Krebs, campus transportation coordinator, said KU on Wheels received information that classes were canceled soon after the decision was made and then decided to cancel bus service for the morning.
"We decided to run just when needed for classes." Krebs said.
Courtney Crouch, Wichita junior, said she thought classes also should have been canceled in the afternoon.
"I was pretty mad about it," Crouch said. She said she was surprised that the University would rather force students to drive in the snow than cancel the classes for a full day.
Bretz said the University decided to cancel only morning classes based on updated weather information.
Eric Duncan, Chicago freshman, had all three of his Friday classes canceled.
"After I found out there were no classes, I went right back to bed." Duncan said.
— Edited by Leita Schultes
Tet party a high-tech success
By Danny Philips
writer @kansas.com
Kansas staff writer
Welcome to the 21st century of Tet celebrations.
The Vietnamese Lunar New Year's Gala, presented by the Vietnamese Student Association Saturday night at the Kansas Union ballroom, sported a distinctly modern edge — complete with Say What Karaoke, TV commercial spoofs and multimedia videos.
Brothers Jim and John Nguyen were the masterminds behind the technical operations, including a short film called The Vietster that was obviously inspired by Terminator , Aliens and Predator.
"It btw all the others out of the water," said Vinh Quang Nguyen, Overland Park junior and the group's internal vice president, referring to past Vietnamese New Year's productions at the University of Kansas.
He said it was the most technologically advanced Tet show the group has produced.
The group's Tet celebration had more traditional productions as well. The evening began with the Dragon Dance, performed by four students — two in each dragon costume.
the routine highlighted the acrobatic talents of the performers.
At one point, one of the dragon teams snatched party favors dangling from a wire strung across the upper level of the ballroom.
Linh Trang Cao, Garden City sophomore and the group's president, said it wasn't until the Friday rehearsal before the celebration that an organization member was able to secure a couple of dragon costumes from friends in Topeka.
The smaller of the two students in the costume hoisted himself on top of his partner's shoulders, making the dragon appear to be standing on its hind-legs.
The Dragon Dance is a mainstay of the group's New Year's shows, but this year it almost didn't happen.
Erin Blocher, Colorado Springs, Colo., sophomore, came to see her roommate in the performance. She said that even though she was concerned about traveling on the icy roads, the show was worth the trip. Her favorite routines were the Dragon Dance and the "Runway to 2001" fashion show.
The event organizers were able to incorporate the routine in less than 36 hours because the choreography had already been planned out. Cao said.
See HIGH-TECH on page 5A
Members of the Vietnamese Student Association perform the Light Dance during the group's tet celebration Saturday night at the Kansas Union ballroom. The women danced with glow sticks in front of a black light. Photo by Christina Neff/KANSAN
Valentine's dance benefits local AIDS assistance group
By Livi Regenbaum
By LM kegenbium
Tanya Martin danced the right away at the 10th annual Douglas County AIDS Project Valentine's dance Saturday at Liberty Hall.
Kansan staff writer
Martin, Lancaster, Pa., graduate student, said she was pleased with the high turnout at the dance.
"This dance is awesome," she said. "I had no idea this was such a big community event."
The benefit drew a crowd of about 400 people. The dance featured blues artist Kelley Hunt, who performed her original songs with eclectic influences of blues, jazz and R&B. A silent auction including items donated by community members and local businesses was also held.
Sydney Hardgrave, executive director of DCAP, said the event was a time for the community to come together as well as a way to raise money to provide quality health service for the community.
"We help people find resources to help them with the disease such as physicians, home health care providers and individual support counselors," she said.
Hardgrave said 10 percent of the project's client base was associated with the University of Kansas.
Catherine Bolton, event organizer, said she hoped the event would increase the group's visibility in the community.
"We hope this dance will help support services that DCAP offers to the community," she
To see photos on Saturday's Project Valentine's dance,
More information
Log on to www.kansan.com
Sarah Wilson, Derby sophomore and DCAP volunteer, said AIDS was an important issue.
said.
"It is a problem for college students because they think that they are invincible," Wilson said.
Christopher Penn, a DCAP board member and infectious disease physician for the Internal Medicine Group, 2300 Harvard Rd, said AIDS education needed to be enforced.
"AIDS is a huge problem and certainly is present in Lawrence," he said.
Events organizer Bolton said the public should be more aware of the high number of HIV cases being reported daily.
"People have this public perception about HIV not being serious because of the new medications that have come out," she said. "However, 15,000 new cases of HIV are reported everyday."
Brian Leffter, Leavenworth junior and DCAP volunteer, said he hoped students would avoid risky behavior.
For more information, contact DCAP at 843.0040.
"It is nice to feel invincible for a while, but the sooner you realize you are not, the better," he said.
— Edited by Jennifer Voladuz
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