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What do you think? BY VICTORIA PITCHER What's the best theme for a house party?
VANESSA DALBERG
Senior from Basehor
"I think the best party that I've been to is a toga party. Can't go wrong with togas."
ABBIE MANSEL Junior from Hutchison "A 90's party, that's the best."
IGNACIO CARVAJAL
Senior from Jose, Costa Rica
"FUN-themed parties."
PATRICK KEMMERLY Junior from Baton Rouge, La. "Cinco de Mayo, for the tequila."
MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Travis Young/KANSAN
With its $18.4 million in research funding, the School of Pharmacy ranks fourth in the nation.
Pharmacy school awarded millions
BY SHAUNA BLACKMON
sblackmon@kansan.com
Travis Young/KANSAN
For the 10th year in a row, the School of Pharmacy ranks among the top five schools to receive funding from the National Institute of Health with more than $18.4 million. Money granted by the NIH goes to professors to further cancer and Alzheimer's research, along with other issues of drug formulation and disease cures and prevention.
"Our faculty is on the cutting edge of research technology," Ken Audus, dean of the School of Pharmacy said. "The creativity of our faculty helps us retain some of the best scientists in the world."
The amount of grant money a school receives is generally an indication of the school's national reputation. This year Kansas ranks fourth in research funding and is the only
Edited by Erin Wilbert
school in the Big 12 to make the top 10 list.
"This money is driving the training of graduate students," Audus said. "We are generating the next generation of new drugs."
The School of Pharmacy also ranks in the top 10 percent of faculty members who receive NIH grant funding. Of the University's 40 pharmacy professors, 18 of them each received $489,000 for research in his or her field.
All of the research money the school uses comes from various grants, none of which are associated with the University. Other contributors include the Department of Defense and the state government. However, most of the money comes from the NIH.
they had no idea how to even develop a business plan. But now, two University students are entrepreneurs making a name for themselves in the local business world, in the form of a hot dog stand.
But running a hot dog stand isn't quite as simple as one would think. Mandel and Sharkan, both juniors from Chicago, had to develop a business plan, present their plan to the Lawrence business community and wait from approval by local officials. Initially there was some opposition to the idea of a hot dog stand downtown — there was the worry that foot traffic would lead
Justin Sharkan and Jason Mandel officially started The Last Stop Snack Shop in September. Now, six months later, Sharkan and Mandel's business is beginning to thrive — and the stand is becoming a staple in downtown Lawrence nightlife. The stand is located on the corner of 10th and Massachusetts Streets, in front of the Masonic Temple. There, Mandel and Sharkan sell everything from hot dogs to walking tacos, feeding late-night bar-goers and Massachusetts Street regulars.
"We've got it down to a science," Mandel said. "We've learned to work well together when it gets crazy. Somehow, it works."
"It's been incredibly lucrative, but it's been worth our time," he said.
The two have faced challenges, especially in light of weather changes and winter break. The stand closed down before finals during the winter semester, and was re-opened about a month ago. The two spend every weekend at the stand, and have seen an effect on their social lives.
Justin Shaink and Jason Mandel opened the Last Stop Shop downtown last September. The stand sell items such as hot dogs and walking tacos to late-night customers.
"People don't understand that this is a challenging business to set up in this particular way," Katz said. "It's not just setting up a lemonade stand in your dad's front yard."
Katz said the two were relentless — they worked hard, showed a lot of business savvy and set strong goals for themselves.
Mandel said that while the two were developing a business plan, some forecasting was done to analyze the financial aspects of starting the stand. While the initial start-up costs of the stand have not yet been met, Mandel said the monetary benefits are similar to what they predicted.
"It's been interesting learning how to run a business from the ground up," Sharkan said. "I think I will be able to apply it in the future."
But now, with warmer weather on the way, the two hope the business will continue to grow and be successful. They hope to hire employees in the future, in the hopes that they'll be able to free up some more personal time for themselves.
After they graduate from the University, the two hope to
pass the business on to Mandel's younger brother, or sell the business to another entrepreneur. The two said they can see this project as a learning process, and would be interested in starting other businesses in the future.
Edited by Danielle Packer
Will Katz, director of the Small Business Development Center, worked with Mandel and Sharkan, assisting them in creating a business plan. Katz said that he thinks the two have done an incredible job in running and maintaining a business, especially with minimal prior knowledge.
THE LAST STOP SNACK SHOP
Open from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
INDEX
Classifieds... 9A Opinion... 5A
Crossword... 4A Sports...
*nouns*... 4A 10A
WEDNESDAY
Clear skies/Windy
Mostly Sunny
78 47
Mostly Sunny
Forecasts by University students. For a complete detailed forecast for the week, see page 2A
Chance of rain
7355
THURSDAY
All contents, unless stated otherwise; © 2011. The University Daily Kansan
Suspicious chemical found on campus
CAMPUS | 3A
A half-full container labeled as containing biodiesel and heptane was found in the Allen Fieldhouse parking garage on Monday morning.
JAPAN | 6A
X.