Education and communication were two central themes to the discussions that took place Dec. 7 in "A Conversation on Race in Our Community," a meeting of leaders from Lincoln's churches, college campuses and the community.
"Education is the real key," Miguel Carranza, director of Latino and Latin American Studies at the University of Nebraska, told the Lincoln Journal Star. "It means getting in dialogs with people who don't see the world the same way as we do. And most people in the world see things differently."
Participants in the event, which included speeches, a panel discussion and small group discussions, agreed that racism is alive and well in Lincoln, and one of the best ways to fight it is to recognize its existence and talk about it.
"Maybe we have been too timid or too silent at times on the issue of race," said Bishop Joel Martinez of the Nebraska United Methodist Church.
Chancellor James Moeser said dealing with racism "requires all of us to step out of our zones of familiarity."
The past, present and future of Nebraska's native and often unique plant life, landscape and prairie climate will be examined in a series of weekly lectures when the 1998 Water Resources Seminar begins in January at UNL.
The public lecture series will be presented from 3-4 p.m. each Wednesday from Jan. 14 to April 29 (except March 11 and 25) in Room 116, L.W. Chase Hall on the UNL East Campus. It will also be available on video tape for distance learners across the state.
The "Interrelationship of Water, Native Grasslands and Wetlands," will introduce and bring together "Nebraska's historic and unique vegetation, landscape dynamics and prairie climate," said organizer Bob Kuzelka, assistant to the director, UNL Water Center/Environmental Programs.
"Additional sessions will explore riverine grasslands, the ecology of grasslands, the Sandhills and our Nebraska wetlands. I am quite excited about this year's topic and the variety and range of speakers we have to address it," Kuzelka said.
Speakers include NU faculty and graduate students from both Lincoln and Kearney campuses.
Among them are Robert Kaul of UNL's School of Biological Sciences. He will open the lecture series with a look at Nebraska's natural vegetation. Jim Stubbendieck of UNL Department of Agronomy follows with a photographic display of the state's often dynamic landscape features.
In February, Russ Benedict of the NU State Museum will examine the impact of habitat changes on the future of prairie mammals. In mid-March, Ed Harvey of UNL Conservation and Survey Division looks at the hydrology of the Sandhills.
April opens with Jon Kusler of the Association of State Wetland Managers addressing methods of assessing wetlands. On April 15, Ted LaGrange, wetlands program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, explores that agency's state wetlands programs.
Seminars are free to the public or may be taken for one hour of undergraduate or graduate credit in the following UNL departments: Agronomy; Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife; Geography; Geology; and Natural Resources.
Those unable to attend seminars at UNL can take advantage of a distance learning option, where VCR tapes will be made available. For more information on viewing these videotapes for credit and for registration costs, contact UNL Communications and Information Technology at (402) 472-7909 or, outside Lincoln, at 1-800-755-7765.
A weekly schedule of seminar topics and course requirements are available by contacting Steve Ress or Tricia Liedle, UNL Water Center/Environmental Programs, at (402)472-3305 or by writing: Water Resources Seminar, 103 Natural Resources Hall, P.O. Box 830844, University of Nebraska, Lincoln NE 68583-0844.
The seminar series is sponsored by UNL's Center for Grasslands
Studies,
School of Natural Resource Sciences and Water Center/Environmental
Programs,
NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and UNL.
Due to a recarpeting project in Love Library, the current periodicals room will be unavailable for browsing from Dec. 15 through Jan. 5.
Individual issues may be requested for retrieval at the circulation desk of Love Library. The library staff apologizes for the inconvenience.
December monthly mileage logs should be forwarded to Transportation Services before the holiday closedown unless the vehicle will be used during this period.
Early numbers for the university Combined Campaign indicate at least $225,000 was raised during the October/November fund drive, said Joan Giesecke, dean of libraries and campaign chair.
About 39 percent of university employees donated to the campaign this year, she said, which is about the same participation rate as last year, when approximately $217,000 was raised.
Final figures will be announced in January when a formal thank-you event for volunteers will occur.
All the building designs for the remodeled portion of the Nebraska Union and the addition comply with the American with Disabilities Act. Both the new north and west entrances will be fully accessible and some doors will be automatic with power-access capabilities.
A new elevator at the north entrance will provide access to all levels of the Union. The old and the temporary switch back ramp entrances will be removed next summer in order to make room for a new straight ramp entrance on the west side.
The ADA restrooms include new restrooms in the basement, a new women's restroom on second floor and renovation of the men's restroom on second floor. The new first-floor restrooms are open.
The contractor says the company is on schedule to have the project complete prior to classes in the fall of 1998. Workers are installing metal studs and drywall for the new auditorium on the second floor.
The curving stairway in the rotunda at the north entrance between first and second floor has been poured. And a second smaller stair between the plaza level and first floor.
For more information contact Larry Blake, project manager, Facilities Management and Planning, at 472-4865.
Campus Recreation offers personalized fitness programs for $15. This program includes a nutrition assessment, weight training program and aerobic program designed to meet your goals.
Campus Recreation also offers the option of a personal trainer - someone who will work out with you, give you guidance and encouragement, and keep you working toward your wellness goals. Both programs are available through Campus Recreation's Wellness Services. Contact Ashley Dodge at 472-3467.
Campus Recreation offers gift certificates for massage therapy, personal training and personalized fitness programs. You can give the gift of wellness for 1998. Contact the Campus Recreation office for details at 472-3467.
Campus Recreation has arranged for free skating at the Ice Box for current NU students and Campus Recreation members (be sure to bring your NU I.D). The next free skate night is from 9 to 11 p.m. Jan. 19. Non-members and guests can skate for $5. For more information, call 472-3467.
The university's Year 2000 Task Force will meet at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 17 in the Nebraska Union. Jay Reischl from Double E Computer Systems will speak about his Year 2000 project experience. Call 472-7690 for more information.
The Emeriti Association will meet at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 18 in the East Union. Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Rick Edwards will speak. Members' guests who wish to eat at the union should go through the line and take their trays to the meeting room before 12:30 p.m.
UAAD will hold a brown bag meeting at 11:45 a.m. Dec. 17 in the Great Plains Room of the East Union. The focus of the meeting will be entertainment and fellowship. William Shomos, assistant professor of voice and opera, will direct selections from "Oklahoma." Performing will be F. Michael Zaller, Melissa Wallner, Becky Key and Michael Semrad.
Dec. 19
Dec. 20 & 21
Dec. 22 & 23
Dec. 24, 25 & 26
Dec. 27-30
Dec. 31 & Jan. 1
Jan. 2 to 4
Jan. 5-9
Jan. 10
Jan. 11
The holidays bring an array of special festive programming during December.
Bob Everhart, John Hartford, Peter Ostroushko and others perform bluegrass, gospel and traditional country western versions of Christmas carols on "Old Time Country Christmas" on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 7 a.m. Later that morning, the kids will enjoy "Kidsongs Holiday Special" at 9 a.m. Then Scrooge, Cratchit and Tiny Tim come to life in a one-man show starring the late Harrold Shiffler when "The Christmas Carol" airs at 11 a.m.
The Royal Canadian Air Farce team turns its comedic eye to Christmas and the cold northern climates with seasonal sketches on "Royal Canadian Air Farce Holiday Special," airing Sunday night at 11 p.m.
The Mormon Youth Symphony and Chorus are featured in "Caroling, Caroling," airing Dec. 22, at 3 p.m., followed at 3:30 p.m. by "Scarlet & Cream Christmas" with the UNL's Scarlet & Cream Singers performing holiday favorites.
Monday evening at 9 p.m., tune in for "Cincinnati Pops Holiday with Erich Kunzel and Mel Torme." The hour-long special features Torme, the Indiana University Singing Hoosiers, the Studio for the Creative and Performing Arts Childrenís Chorus and the Studio Cloggers performing seasonal fare.
Dec. 23, begins with "A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert: A Great Performances Special" at 1 p.m., followed at 2:30 p.m. by "A Memory for Tino," a heart-warming program about a young boy's relationship with an elderly neighbor. Then harmonica virtuoso Robert Bonfiglio serves up holiday favorites on "Bonfiglio: Home for the Holidays" at 3 p.m.
Vocalists K.T. Sullivan and Jeff Harnar perform a collection of seasonal favorites, in a program taped in historic Brownville, Nebraska, on Brownville Concert Series, airing Tuesday at 7 p.m. and repeating Dec. 24, at 3 p.m.
From two of the world's leading clay animation artists comes the holiday special "Johann's Gift to Christmas." Airing Dec. 24, at 2:30 p.m. and repeating Christmas Day at 7 p.m., this special tells the tale of two mice who set the stage for the creation of the Christmas carol "Silent Night."
Special programming continues on Christmas Eve at 7 p.m. with "Christmas at St. Olaf (1997)," an all-new holiday special featuring the 450-voice massed choir and 100-member orchestra of Minnesota's St. Olaf College performing classic Christmas compositions and Scandinavian songs.
Following at 8 p.m. is "Denyce Graves' A Cathedral Christmas," with the acclaimed mezzo-soprano performing amid the majesty of the Washington National Cathedral in this new holiday special. An inspiring program of diverse musical offerings performed by the Morgan State University Choir is featured on "The Morgan Choice: A Silver Celebration" at 9 p.m.
On Christmas Day, "Tots TV Winter Holiday Special" offers holiday entertainment for the kids at 10 a.m. And, can there be such a thing as too much Christmas? Find out when "Elmo Saves Christmas" airs at 11:30 a.m. Seasonal specials continue on Christmas Day with "Family Carols for Christmas" at 1 p.m., capturing the festive beauty and majesty of Britainís most famous carol concert featuring the 200-member Royal Choral Society at Royal Albert Hall. In "A Celebration of Christmas" at 2 p.m., Brigham Young University's four internationally acclaimed choirs perform traditional holiday favorites, then the renowned choirs and orchestra of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, are featured in "The 1997 Concordia College Christmas Concert: Let Heaven and Nature Sing" at 3 p.m.
"Harambee!," a moving family drama set during the Kwanzaa holiday period, airs Dec. 26, at 3 p.m. The hour-long special starring the late Howard Rollins is set in an urban housing project during the seven days of Kwanzaa. In "Merry Christmas, George Bailey," airing Dec. 27, at 8:30 p.m., an all-star cast performs the radio version of It's a Wonderful Life using a Lux Radio Theater script originally broadcast on the CBS radio network in 1947. The cast for the 60-minute special includes Bill Pullman, Nathan Lane, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Richard Dreyfus, Alfre Woodard, Rebecca DeMornay, Charles Durning, Martin Landau and Joe Mantegna. Following at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday is "James Stewart: It's a Wonderful Life," a documentary on the life and career of actor James Stewart who starred in the film version of the holiday favorite, It's a Wonderful Life.
This week's episode of Outdoor Nebraska features an old fashioned deer hunt and revisits two special events. Outdoor Nebraska airs on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network on December 18, at 7:30 p.m. and repeatsn Saturday morning at 8 a.m.
In the first feature, viewers will travel to the heart of the Sandhills to follow two hunters who attempt to hunt the way their ancestors did, using replica firearms of the 1800s. The second feature recaps two special events that took place this year, the dedications of the Cowboy Trail and Smith Falls State Park.
In the "Wilderness Workshop" segment, veteran outdoorsman Dick Turpin shows how to collect pine sap and process it into rosin for turkey calls, while the "Nature Walk" segment opens a door into the world of prairie dogs. And this week's "Nebraskaland Moment" offers viewers the chance to take part in the old holiday tradition of roasting chestnuts.
Outdoor Nebraska is produced by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in association with the Nebraska ETV Network. The series is co-hosted by Mark Nelsen and Ralph Wall, producers for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
Tag along when author, naturalist and UNL professor John Janovy goes on a field trip to the Sandhills that was recorded for a "Perspectives" segment airing at 8 p.m. Dec. 19 on Statewide, the Nebraska ETV Network's magazine series.
The program, which repeats at 7 p.m. Dec. 20, and at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 21, also provides up-to-the-minute news reports from across the state.
Statewide correspondent Bill Kelly accompanies Janovy and students on a research trip to Dunwoody Pond near Ogallala. It's a site often used by biology students from UNL's Cedar Point Biological Station and was the subject of Janovy's l 994 book by the same name. Janovy, an advocate of science education and research, talks about the need for talented young people to explore science in school and as a career.
Janovy is also known for his highly regarded 1978 book, Keith County Journal, and its 1981 sequel, Back in Keith County. His latest work, The Ten Minute Ecologist, has just been published.
Statewide, which is underwritten by Aliant Cellular, is a production of the UNL Television Public Affairs Unit for broadcast on the Nebraska ETV Network. The series is closed captioned for hearing-impaired viewers.
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