Monks Bring Healing Powers of Mandala to the Lentz Center

Tibetan Monks (clockwise from left) Sonam Tenzin, Thinley Choeden, Dawa Sonam and Lobsang Kunga work on the mandala sand painting Feb. 13 in the Lentz Center for Asian Culture. The monks, from the Drepung Loseling Monastery created "The Eight Auspicious Symbols" in the mandala. The monks sketched the outline of the mandala on the work surface on Feb. 11, then placed the colored sands using chak-purs, traditional metal funnels. On Feb. 15, the sand mandala was destroyed, as a metaphor for the impermanence of life. Photo by Richard Wright.

Chalabi lecture delayed

Ahmad Chalabi, (shown at right), who was scheduled to speak March 6 at the Lied Center as part of the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues, has postponed his appearance.

Chalabi, president of the Iraqi National Congress, cited the possibility of war in Iraq as the reason for delaying his lecture. The lecture may be rescheduled or another speaker may be planned, said Annette Wetzel, facilitator of the Thompson Forum.

The INC is one of the largest organizations working to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power.

Weaver

Morrison

Hathaway

Thone

Nelson

Law College to Honor Alumni Governors

University Communications

The University of Nebraska College of Law on Feb. 22 will honor its five graduates who went on to become state governors.

The 1 p.m. program in the auditorium of the Law College's Ross McCollum Hall, East Campus Loop and Fair Street, includes an unveiling of sculptures of the men as well as remarks by several of the former governors themselves. It is free and open to the public, and parking is provided in the lot south of the building.

The program will honor the late Arthur J. Weaver, an 1896 NU law graduate and governor of Nebraska from 1929 to 1931; Frank Brenner Morrison' ('31), governor of Nebraska, 1961-67; Stanley Knapp Hathaway ('50), governor of Wyoming, 1967-75; Charles Thone ('50), governor of Nebraska, 1979-83; and U.S. Sen. E. Benjamin Nelson ('70), governor of Nebraska, 1991-99.

The program will include remarks by Morrison, Thone and Nelson. Nebraska artist Fred Hoppe will assist in unveiling busts he was commissioned to create in honor of each former governor. These sculptures will be bronzed and placed in the new "Governors Seminar Room." James Exon, former Nebraska governor and U.S. senator, is also expected to attend.

The event is the work of a small group of fellow alumni and friends who raised more than $200,000 to honor the former governors and help fund the $9 million expansion and renovation of the Marvin and Virginia Schmid Law Library.

"We are very proud to count among our graduates five former governors," said Steven Willborn, dean of the college. "And we're very lucky to have alumni and friends like these. They just saw this as a great way to help us bring needed improvements to the building, and pay a lasting tribute to their friends at the same time."

Willborn also pointed out that the event will offer an opportunity for people to walk through the new Law College building before its official grand opening April 11.

Rebecca Hoffman, a lead chef at the Nebraska East Union, decorates a cake at the Dining Services open house Jan. 23 at the Nebraska Union. The open house featured two tables of desserts, including wedding cakes, to show the campus community the many options available for catering. Photo by Kathy Smith.

UNL Dining Services adapts to changes

By Rachael Seravalli, Special to the Scarlet

Food was the center of attention at a January event when about 400 UNL staff and faculty members dropped by the Nebraska Union to taste offerings from UNL Dining Services. The open house gave the department a chance to show off its many choices, from free samples from the Nebraska Union Bakery, to free samples from the new catering menu, such as hors d'oeuvres, main courses and desserts.

But the event also allowed UNL Dining Services, a relatively new entity, to reintroduce itself to campus. Last July, UNL Dining Services took over the Nebraska Union Food Service, a move that consolidated food service at UNL under one department. The move was at least partly financially motivated, after Nebraska Union Food Service experienced declining revenues.

"The merger creates an economy of scale, and we're able to utilize a larger pool of personnel and resources, while still being able to reduce some staff and other costs," said Ron Burke, executive director of UNL Dining Services. "Our business is one of feast or famine. We either have 100 events or none. This will allow us to pull support staff from residence hall dining centers, for example, to help with a catering job."

"We took over in poor economic times, when budgets were under great scrutiny. So we hope to provide great service at a good price," he said.

Doug Zatechka, director of housing at UNL, said the staff worked hard to select products for the Jan. 23 open house that they thought the university community would enjoy and to make sure the items showcased were available for future catering events.

"Now that UNL Dining Services is operating as one food service for the entire campus," Zatechka said, "we're hoping that it attracts a lot of interest and attention."

Finances, of course, are not far from his mind.

"Food service has to sustain a level of business activity in order to stay financially viable," he said. "That means we want to grow our business. We want to become an integral part of university activities."

The big picture was further from people's minds at the open house, however, than how good the food looked, he said.

"It's important to recognize that a good deal of the time, we eat as much with our eyes as with our mouths," he said.

The catering service offers menu items that represent different ethnicities and are appropriate for members of different religious groups, he said. Kosher, vegetarian, diabetic and low-fat foods are also available.

Toni Penton and Janelle Bird, both geosciences staff members who attended the event, said they thought the quality of the food had gone up.

"I'm hoping maybe we could get the various clubs we work with to go through UNL Dining Services, get them to order something besides pizza. We grabbed a bunch of extra menus," Penton said, laughing.

This is the attitude Zatechka is hoping for.

"We didn't throw all this together just as something to look nice," he said. "Food service is a tough business. You're only as good as your last meal. It may be our 100th meal, but it's that department's first. It has to be right all the time, and I think we can do a really good job."

Menu To receive a new catering menu from UNL Dining Services, call 472-8097. To see a menu online, visit <www.unl.edu/neunion/ Catering/>.