THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY,FEBRUARY 8,2011
BASKETBALL | 10A
Jayhawks deliver Border Beatdown
Markieff and Marcus Morris combined 17 shots for 38 points while Brady Morningstar had seven assists against zero turnovers, helping Kansas to its biggest victory over Missouri since 2002.
Emeritus faculty art exhibition
ART | 3A
The Visual Arts Department presents artwork from 10 different Emeritus Faculty. Blown glass, bronze, enamel and acrylic on canvas are several of the different mediums featured. The gallery will be open to the public until Feb. 18 at the Art and Design Building.
INDEX
Classifieds. .9A
Crossword. .4A
Cryptoquips. .4A
Opinion. .5A
Sports. .10A
Sudoku. .4A
WEATHER
TODAY
10 1
Snow Showers
WEDNESDAY 15-3
Mostly Cloudy
THURSDAY 22 11
Partly Cloudy
National Weather Service
All contents, unless stated otherwise,
© 2011 The University Daily Kansan
VOLUME 123 ISSUE 89
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Facilities Operations has a different perspective on the snow
Snow rest for the weary
BY ADAM STRUNK astrunk@kansan.com
astrunk@kansan.com
It took about 24 hours for the Feb. 1 blizzard to cover campus in snow and an additional 1,200 man-hours for Facilities Operations to clean it up.
During the past week, about 120 of the University's Facilities Operations employees worked around the clock to keep students safe, said Larry Rawlings, assistant director of Facilities Operations. They recorded 120 hours of overtime and used about 1,200 gallons of gas to clear the roads, stairs, parking lots and miles of snow-packed sidewalks.
"It seemed like it took more work than normal, just because of the nature of the storm," said Rawlings.
But the process is a little more
complex than pushing snow around.
With 3-5 more inches of snow expected today. Rawlings explained the process of dealing with a snowstorm from start to finish.
NOT SO CALM BEFORE THE STORM
FO usually gets notification from the University that a snowstorm is on its way and will have a few days to prepare.
The department first checks over its equipment to make sure it is running and then makes any necessary repairs.
FO has more than 27 pieces of equipment including backhoes, skid steers, sand trucks and tractors with snow plow blades attached.
After maintenance on the equipment,
FO pre-treats sidewalks and roads if necessary.
"If it's a heavy snow we don't necessarily go full hog in treating it if we have to shovel a lot of it off." Rawlings said.
Pre-treatment can include sand or a liquid treatment of magnesium chloride on sidewalks that prevents water from freezing.
After the pre-treating, the vehicles are refueled and employees wait for the snow to fall so they can start clearing it.
DURING THE SNOWSTORM
When the snow hits, employees often work long hours to keep up with the storm.
Rawlings said that during the latest
SEE SNOW ON PAGE 3A
MORE SNOW EXPECTED
Today: High near 10 degrees with new snow accumulation around an inch.
Tonight: Low around 1 degree. Another 1 to 2 inches of snow possible. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Wind chill values between -3 and -8 degrees.
Wednesday: High
near 15 degrees
and partly sunny. Source: The National Weather Service
What do you think?
"What do you think of the job Facilities Operations did clearing the sidewalks after the blizzard last week?
BY MAX LUSH
AUBRIE DIEHL
sophomore, Wichita, Kan.
"I think it's necessary and definitely appreciated. I would hate to have to do that."
JORDAN GILL junior, Buffalo, N.Y
"They do a great job of clearing off the sidewalk, but they need to salt the Campanile Hill better, I've slipped like three times."
DAN LIERZ junior, Topeka, Ka
junior, Topeka, Kan.
"They did a good job this last storm, but I did really like having two snow days."
JOHN MILLSAP junior, Wichita, Kan. "I wouldn't want to be out there in the cold. I applaud their effort."
Darwin Day a fitting forward move for atheists
SCIENCE
BY IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
When Ioey Ralph and Conrad Hudson learned that no one had planned a public event on campus to celebrate Darwin Day this year, they decided to organize it themselves.
"We know the Natural History Museum has put on Darwin events in the past," Hudson said. "But this year the closest Darwin events were in other cities."
Ralph and Hudson are the president and vice president, respectively, of the Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics (SOMA), a student organization. The group has arranged for a guest speaker and a petition drive for this year's Darwin Day.
Darwin Day celebrates the birthday of the famous naturalist, Charles Darwin, and his role in the foundation of the theory of evolution. Since Darwin's birthday on Feb. 12 falls on a Saturday this year, the organizers chose to hold their
event on Tuesday. SOMA invited Michael Blanford, director of educational programs for the James Randi Educational Foundation, to be a guest speaker. His talk, entitled "Actual Events: Teaching Critical Thinking and Awing Awe by
Examining What's Real," will address how people can find meaning in the history of evolution.
"I think evolution is sometimes thought of as a bleak worldview, and I want to talk
its "Ask an Atheist" table, usually located in front of Wescoe Hall. There, SOMA invites students to question members about atheist philosophy.
"I want to talk about how it is actually kind of inspiring."
This will be the first Darwin Day sponsored by SOMA, but it is not
MICHAEL BLANFORD
James Randi Educational
Foundation
about how it is actually kind of inspiring", Blanford said.
SOMA
Hudson said SOMA has been on campus since 1999 and is growing strongly with nearly 200 members, which is up from 60 members in 2010. One of the groups primary public activities in the past has been
their only new initiative this year. Hudson said SOMA has reached out to other student organizations, including religious groups, to propose working together in interfaith activities and charity
efforts.
As another new initiative, SOMA will circulate a petition to urge President Obama to declare a national Darwin Day. Members of SOMA will be gathering signatures at their table on the fourth floor of the Kansas Union from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday. The petition is similar
to one circulated in 2010 by the American Humanists Association. Hudson said SOMA's petition has already gathered about 12,000 signatures.
EVOLUTION IN AMERICA
"The ball is most certainly rolling right now," Hudson said.
Hudson said the petition is important because it promotes the role of science in American society. A study by Jon D. Miller, Michigan State University professor of integrative studies, found that more adults rejected the concept of evolution in the United States than in almost any other country. Of the nations surveyed, only adults in Turkey were less likely to accept evolution. Miller's research, published in the Aug. 11, 2006 issue of the journal "Science" found that 1 in 3 Americans do not accept the theory of evolution. Hudson said the resistance to evolution in our society was one reason why a national Darwin Day was a good idea.
SEE DARWIN ON PAGE 3A
Foundation
星
Sponsored by the Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics (SOMA) and the James Randi Educational Foundation
DARWIN DAY
Title of Talk: "Actual Events: Teaching Critical Thinking and Inspiring Awe by Examining What's Real"
Guest Speaker: Michael Blanford, biologist, director of educational programs at the JREF
Location: Relays Room,
Burge Union
Time: 7 p.m. tonight
Admission: Free to students and public