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/ NEWS / FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
Karaoke provides extra entertainment downtown
Kathleen Powers, DeKalb, IL., senior, performs "Hey Jude" in the Burger Stand at the Casbah, 803 Massachusetts St. Wednesday night. The Burger Stand hosts karaoke every Wednesday night starting at 10:30 p.m. Karaoke night is free to attend and participate in.
BY SARA SNEATH
ssneath@kansan.com
As you open the Massachusetts Street door to the Jazhhaus, the melody of the Red Hot Chili Peppers "Suck My Kiss" meets you on the stairs, but it isn't singer Anthony Kiedis' voice you hear. Rounding the corner into the room, you find a small-framed woman in a polka-dotted dress rocking the stage. Not only does she know all the words, but she's added some dance moves.
Every Monday night, singers, drinkers and multitasker file into the lazzahaus to take the stage. Who needs to go through all the hassle of forming a band when Minixa and Tanya, the lazzahaus karaoke DJs, will lay down some serious background tracks and display the words on a television screen? It's the audio equivalent of bumper lanes.
have to be so adoring,
"singing is uplifting to me. That
why I own the Jazzhaus," MeNeel
said.
Though the Jazzhaus is wellknown for its talented local performers, with more than three thousand songs available, Mondays are a free-for-all.
Whether you're a karaoke virgin or American Idol material, there is a
audio equipment of course.
Tanya McNeely — AKA Tanya
McNaughty — owns the lazzehus.
Two years ago, she bought kara-
equipment and started hosting
Monday night karaoke as an alter-
ative to Monday night open mic.
stage, microphone and audience for you. And Jazzhaus isn't your only option; the Jackpot, Casbah, VFW, Set 'em Up Jacks and Bottleneck also host karake nights.
Jackpot Music Hall hosts Karaoke Time with Sam and Dan every Tuesday. Sam Gunnerson is an employee of the Jackpot and one of the karaoke DJs there. He says they have an extensive music library, which they continue to add to and mentions that there is no cover on Tuesdays as an incentive to come out.
Wednesdays are karaoke night at the Casbah.
"I think it would be bigger if people knew about it because we don't have a cover. Wednesdays we have $1 off bottled beers and $2 off kamikaze caps." Caschb employee
Rachel Mzhickten said.
Casbah karaoke is also hosted internally; the manager there provides all of the music and equipment.
If you've been singing in your car and shower for years and feel it is now time to take that talent to the stage, there are plenty of venues available, each hosting karaoke on a different night. Perhaps you'll start out in a club you never go to and will never return to afterward or maybe you're ready to face the crowd at your usual spot and look that bartender in the eyes — the one you've had a crush on for months now — and tell him or her: "Don't stop believing."
Edited by Corey Thibodeaux
School of Engineering provides option for interdisciplinary computing degree
BY WESTON PLETCHER
wpletcher@kansan.com
A new degree program from the School of Engineering will expand opportunities for students seeking more specialized instruction in computer science.
Next fall, students will be able to major in computer science with a focus in one of five fields of study: astronomy, biology, chemistry, geography or physics. Kansas is
the first university in the Big 12, and one of just a handful of others in the nation, to offer a degree in interdisciplinary computing.
interdisciplinary computing Arvin Agah, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, said the main objective of the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Computing program was to provide students with the opportunity to study computing within the context of another discipline. A deeprooted understanding of another
discipline enables future graduates of the program to more efficiently and economically develop new applications and technologies for their fields of specialization.
The proposal for this new degree began during the summer of 2009 and went through revisions in collaboration with the Office of the Provost. The Kansas Board of Regents formally approved the program last month.
Agah said there were many positives to come with this new program.
degree.
degree.
"The program will better prepare the students to fill an urgent industry need-fluency in computer science and another discipline," Agah said. "The graduates can assist other disciplines to solve problems and address real challenges we face in the world today. Numerous reports indicate the very good career prospects for graduates of this program."
Agah said the only negative that might come with this degree is if the program becomes too popular, class sizes may grow too large.
Students who complete this program will be able to pursue careers in a wide range of fields. Science industries, business, government and military sectors are making it a priority to hire people with expertise in computing, Agah said. He also said that relatively few computer scientists practiced the traditional roles of programming-coding, with most applying their computing skills to advance businesses, science, policies and more.
tists are in high demand. A study from the Kansas Department of Labor shows computer software engineering is one of the 10 fastest growing occupations in the 2006 $ ^{a} $ 16 Kansas Occupational Outlook But Agah said companies encountered a common hurdle when seeking graduates with the specific expertise that's needed to perform at the highest level as they enter the workforce.
the workforce "Through this program, a student studying chemistry who has to come up with some models has the computing capabilities to build and run these models — and the chemistry background as well," he said.