By Kim Hachiya, News & Information
The Parking Advisory Committee agreed at its November meeting that the Parking Office should forward to Student Judicial Affairs the names of students who counterfeit, steal or alter parking permits.
Tad McDowell, parking manager, said about 20 tags are counterfeited, stolen or altered each year. He showed a tag that recently was confiscated from a student who had used a color copier to fake the permit, which the student then laminated. The real tag belonged to a staff member who occasionally let students use her car to run errands for her department. The tag was spotted by a Parking Services cadet who noticed the hologram didn't change colors.
McDowell said that the current penalty for counterfeit tags is an immediate tow, a $100 fine and loss of parking privileges for the balance of the year. However, he said, he thought that counterfeiting tags was similar to the crime of "theft of services" and that it fell under the behaviors covered in the Student Code of Conduct.
Joan Konecky, committee chair, said she thought referring violators to Judicial Affairs was appropriate because it would become part of a student's university record. She noted that the current sanctions were punitive in nature.
"This is obviously not an ethical behavior that we would encourage on or off campus," she said. "The large fine means they have been punished, but they have not been educated."
Viann Schroeder, acting assistant to the associate vice chancellor for business and finance, said wording that notified students that counterfeiting permits would be an action subject to review by Student Judicial Affairs should be placed in the parking handbooks.
In other action, the committee approved placement of 30 two-hour meters on the East Campus near the Activities Building. Students at the October meeting had requested more metered parking on the East Campus. McDowell said he studied the situation and felt that there were enough meters near the East Union and C.Y. Thompson Library but did find need for meters near the Activities Building.
"The meters actually are for visitors and not for students, but it's really hard to enforce that sort of thing," McDowell said.
Scott Nickless, Campus Recreation, said meters would ease problems for folks who use the Activities Building.
The group also discussed how the campus will address the growing use of bicycles and in-line skates on campus. Two years ago, the mere mention of a possible bike registration fee and no-ride area at the campus core drew a loud, and generally negative, crowd to a parking meeting. The ideas, which had been floated for discussion only, were dropped.
Nickless said that UNL should be proactive in setting up a plan before bike and skate congestion becomes unmanageable.
"As parking gets more peripheral, I think we are going to see more people parking on the perimeters and biking or skating in," Nickless said. "The campus will need to address the issues of bike and pedestrian interface."
He said some campuses have special "bike only" lanes on sidewalks, no-ride areas, registration fees, secured bike racks and other methods of handling bike traffic.
"If some group on campus doesn't initiate this, there is going to be chaos very soon," Nickless said. "As a person who bikes in every day, I am constantly calling down bad bike behavior when I see it."
McDowell said the Parking Office probably will get more involved because the office's duties also include traffic circulation issues. He said a good bike program could also reduce bike thefts, which have become a problem.
Schroeder suggested that Landscape Services also would need to be
involved as plans progress, especially if sidewalk widening were needed.
About 45 parking spaces designated as Area 10 for faculty and staff were added to the parking mix on Nov. 22, according to Paul Carlson, interim vice chancellor for business and finance.
The spaces are along the Stadium Drive cul de sac created by the closure of old 10th Street between the 501 Building and Brace Lab. The spaces formerly were operated by the city with metered parking.
Carlson said the university settled with the city on Nov. 21 regarding
ownership of the land and the spaces were striped for diagonal parking
Nov. 22.
Almost 80 percent of the problems identified during the two campus safety walks in October have been fixed, according to a report from Jay Schluckebier, assistant director of Landscape Services, and Linda Cowdin, secretary specialist for the vice chancellor of business and finance.
During the walks, 57 problems were noted. They ranged from overgrown trees and shrubs to missing or burned out lights, dark areas and bumpy sidewalks. Some 45 problems have been fixed, the report noted, some as part of routine maintenance to replace bulbs or prune greenery. Others will be addressed as funds become available. Only two areas were judged to not need more attention. Two dark areas were fixed by reminding building custodians to flip on light switches.
The report was sent to all who attended the walk. A copy of the report
is available from Cowdin at 2-4455.
UNL commencement exercises will be at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 16 in the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Joan Leitzel, UNL interim chancellor, will preside over the ceremony. Approximately 1,300 students will receive degrees.
Barbara Jordan, a University of Texas at Austin professor and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree, and will give the commencement address. Jordan, who grew up in a segregated neighborhood in Houston, was the first African-American woman from the Deep South to be elected to the U.S. House. She made her first dramatic impression on the American public when she argued for the impeachment of then President Richard Nixon on national television. During her three terms, she served on the judiciary and government operations committees and the steering and policy committee of the Democratic Caucus. She was instrumental in the passage of key amendments to the Voting Rights Act and for detailed, mandatory Civil Rights enforcement procedures for the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration and the Office of Revenue Sharing.
She left office in 1977 to join the faculty of the Lyndon B. Johnson
School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, where she continues
to share her experience and expertise with students. She has received 30
honorary degrees and countless awards, including the Nelson Mandela Award
for Health and Human Rights, the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal and the
National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award. The National Women's Hall of
Fame lists her among the 10 most influential American women of the 20th
century.
In Chadron a group of teachers huddles around a topographic map of Nebraska, coloring in the state's watersheds. Via satellite, they are following instructions given in Lincoln by Sanford Kaplan, UNL geologist.
It's hands-on, and it's high-tech. It's the Satellite Educational and Environmental Research program, a new approach to K-12 science education.
Since August, a team of UNL professors and K-2 teachers has been producing a weekly two-hour television show on water. The show is broadcast live from UNL to downlink sites across the state.
For Karen Gibson, chemistry and physical science teacher at Chadron High School, participation in the project translates into networking, improvement of her lesson plans and a chance to be part of innovative science education.
Every day, 175 students pass through Gibson's classroom, making it a challenge to come up with hands-on activities.
"I'm really committed to hands-on science, but you have to work at it. I take all the support and help I can get," Gibson said.
Gibson is one of about 100 Nebraska K-12 teachers who meet in small groups across the state to down link and take part in the program. From Albion to North Platte to Winnebago High School, the SEER program educates teachers about water and takes them through hands-on activities.
The goal is for each teacher to develop a unit on water that is appropriate for her or his students. About 10,000 students are expected to take part in a statewide research project, which will include test for nitrates and other contaminants in water, next spring.
A four-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation makes the program possible. Marion O'Leary, head of the UNL Department of Biochemistry, oversees the program.
"This is a new way of teaching science. We're expanding the range of people involved in teaching science," he said.
Not only professors and teachers from a variety of disciplines, but water experts from a range of agencies and professions assist in the production of the television show. In Chadron, the manager of the city water department and a homemaker with a master's degree in wildlife biology attend the downlink meetings and work with the teachers. Former Gov. Robert B. Crosby, state Sen. Chris Buetler, and Jack Daniel, head of Drinking Water Division of the State Department of Health, have participated in the show this fall.
"We're also expanding what can be taught in a science lesson," O'Leary said.
Thus, the teachers learn how to sample water for nitrates and bacteria, how to operate a groundwater flow model and how to plant beans. But the purpose of these activities reaches beyond making science more palatable to children.
"It's also about citizenship. This program teaches a part of science that people will ultimately will need to understand in their role as citizens," O'Leary said.
For Bob Volk, director of the Water Center/Environmental Programs unit, the SEER program offers unique opportunity to teach about water.
"This program lets teachers and students experience first-hand why water is important to their lives," said Volk, who helped develop the SEER proposal.
Kaplan is a full-time SEER staff member this year. In addition, two K-12 teachers, Pat Friedrichsen and Kathy Ahern, have been hired full-time for one year to help develop the program. Friedrichsen is on loan from Lincoln High School.
"I see myself as teacher advocate. When we plan our program, I point out when teachers might not have the time or resources to do a particular activity," she said.
Friedrichsen said she enjoys the chance to engage in in-depth lesson planning.
"The pace is different. I now have the time and resources to find experts on a topic, and I get to share that with other teachers," she said.
Ahern, a former chemistry teacher at Pius X High School in Lincoln, worked full-time in the SEER radon project that preceded the water project. In the radon project, a smaller number of teachers and students participated, and the broadcasts took place monthly, not weekly.
Ahern says she finds the pace of the SEER project exciting.
"I think it works for teachers from the point of view that we are helping to provide a forum for teaching science. We're exploring technology. Television as an entertainment medium is here to stay. So the question is, how can one use television as a medium for educational purposes?" Ahern said.
Frequent contact and feedback are an important part of the SEER program. SEER staff visits the downlink sites, respond to teacher's electronic journals and communicate with them by phone, mail and fax. Students and teachers are connected through listserv, an electronic mailing list, and access to a World Wide Web site.
"It helps make long-distance learning more effective and connective," Friedrichsen said.
NU Cooperative Extension helps with that connection. Across the state, extension educators sit in at sites and help with aspects of the lessons. DeLynn Hay, UNL water quality specialist, helps develop the program.
The SEER program is sponsored by the UNL Department of Biochemistry
and the Center for Curriculum and Instruction with assistance from the
Water Center/Environmental Programs unit in the Institute of Agriculture
and Natural Resources.
The past and future of the Missouri River will be explored by a wide range of speakers at the 25th annual Nebraska Water Conference set for March 11-13 in Omaha at the Red Lion Inn.
"The discussions surrounding the Missouri River and its future are challenging and of interest to many people," said Robert D. Kuzelka, assistant to the director in the Water Center/Environmental Programs at UNL, which co-sponsors the conference.
Speakers will include navigators, environmentalists, Native American rights experts, landowners and policy-makers. Historical perspectives, current solutions and future challenges involving the Missouri River will be addressed.
The conference is co-sponsored by the Nebraska Water Conference
Council, the Conservation and Survey Division and the Institute of
Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL, and the Nebraska Department of
Water Resources. For more information, contact Water Center/Environmental
Programs, 103 Natural Resources Hall, 2-3305.
By Anna Ewald, International Affairs
The Advisory Committee on Study Abroad was formed less than two years ago to advise the International Affairs Office regarding study abroad programs. The Committee was convened by the associate dean of International Affairs, Peter Levitov.
Levitov said the 20-year success of the Advisory Committee on International Student Affairs spurred the idea to create a similar committee for study abroad. Faculty members on the Advisory Committee represent a wide range of colleges and departments at UNL. Levitov and Christa Joy, program coordinator for International Affairs, represent the International Affairs Office.
Levitov invited the faculty at large to a general informational meeting about study abroad issues in November 1993, and from this group Levitov assembled a committee of approximately 18 members.
One of the first projects undertaken was an investigation into the perceptions of study abroad programs by students. UNL marketing professor and committee member Dwayne Ball made the project an assignment for a 1994 summer marketing class. His students interviewed other students from different backgrounds and departments across campus.
"If we're going to give advice, we need to give advice on priorities," Ball said. The study made those priorities clear. Most students thought the cost was the biggest barrier keeping them from a study abroad program, when in fact many study abroad programs cost about the same amount as UNL's tuition.
Students also tended to think they needed to know the language of the country, or that their financial aid would not cover education at a foreign university. Students also felt they would be on their own when studying in another country.
Levitov said some of the misperceptions may have stemmed in part from Nebraska's location. Being in the center of the U.S. places UNL students about as far from foreign countries as they can possibly be. Consequently, students may be more reluctant to study internationally than they would be if their home environment had a greater international mix of population or if it were easier and cheaper to travel to another country.
The committee proposed an increase for the International Affairs marketing budget and a rethinking of the traditional brochures and information that had usually been provided to students. The aim of their suggestion was to dispel those misperceptions by educating students.
Levitov described his role on the committee not only as the administrative head, but also as a resource. His longtime professional role in international education helps him put complicated subjects, such as financial aid and academic credit, into perspective for the other committee members.
Levitov said he is very happy with the progress made by the Advisory
Committee on Study Abroad. Last year 287 UNL students studied abroad.
That number almost doubled the amount of students who chose to study
abroad five years ago. With the help of the committee, Levitov hopes that
more students seize the opportunity to enrich their education by studying
internationally.
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