February 14, 1997



Not Long for This World

The snow that covers this meteor sedum outside of Love Library probably isn't the most welcome sight to those pining for spring. Take heart, Spring Break is just five weeks away, beginning March 23. (Photo by Richard Wright)



University Libraries Offer 'Britannica Online'

The University Libraries now offer Britannica Online, which provides fast electronic access to text and illustrations from Encyclopedia Britannica's 44-million-word database. It also features thousands of direct hypertext links from Britannica articles to related sources of information on the Internet.

Britannica Online allows users to find information easily. By typing in requests, users receive lists of articles ranked according to relevance.

Access is available from computers on campus that are directly connected, or from computers with modem access through a UNL computer account.

Britannica Online is on the web at http://www.eb.com

Post-Season Party to Honor Soccer Team

The Center Circle Booster Club will host a post-season celebration party honoring the 1996 Husker Women's Soccer Team beginning at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Capital Indoor Soccer Complex, 7600 N. 70th St.

Activities include an informal pizza dinner from 3:30 to 4 p.m.; a program and HuskerVision highlight film from 4 to 4:30 p.m.; meet the team from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.; door prizes and skill games for children.

Special guest speakers include Mayor Mike Johanns and Coach John Walker, who was named National Coach of the Year.

There will also be opportunities to learn about the University of Nebraska soccer scholarships, join the Center Circle Booster Club and purchase Husker Soccer merchandise.

Tickets are available at the door at a cost of $4 per person and $3 for children 12 and under if they wear their soccer uniforms. For reservations, call Kevin McCarville at 423-7310.

Gateway Is Site for UNL Science Day

Scientific displays, demonstrations and opportunities for hands-on science experiences will be available Feb. 22 at the second annual "Science Day at the Mall."

The program will be presented from noon to 6 p.m. at Lincoln's Gateway Mall and will include shows on temperature, pressure and electrostatics.

The program is free and open to the public and is presented by the ScienceWorks program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

ScienceWorks is supported by the National Science Foundation and various UNL science centers. It presents a wide range of science to the general public in an interesting, fun and educational manner. It is composed of UNL science graduate students.

Symposium Examines African American Great Plains Experience

The role that African Americans have played and continue to play in the development of the Great Plains will be the subject of a Feb. 20-22 symposium, "African Americans and Their Great Plains Experience," a symposium sponsored by the African American and African studies program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Keith Parker, director of African American and African studies and associate professor of sociology, said the purpose of the second annual symposium is threefold: "To provide an intellectual atmosphere whereby contributions made by African Americans in the Great Plains region can be discussed by men and women in a scholarly and intellectual manner; to provide a forum for individuals to convene and share these ideas; and to provide continuity of experience with the previous conference."

The interdisciplinary symposium will be conducted at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center, 9th and P streets. Its opening session at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 20 will include a dinner and a keynote address by Bill Gwaltney, superintendent of Fort Laramie National Historical Site and curator of "Buffalo Soldiers West," a gallery exhibit at the Museum of Nebraska History. The evening will conclude with a reception at the museum from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.

The Feb. 21 schedule for the symposium will be highlighted by two keynote addresses on the life and work of the late Aaron Douglas, a 1922 NU graduate. At 1 p.m., Amy Kirschke, senior lecturer in the fine arts department at Vanderbilt University, will deliver "Aaron Douglas: From Heartland to Harlem?" At 4 p.m., David Driskell, professor of art at the University of Maryland at College Park, will deliver, "Aaron Douglas: Singing a New Song of Heritage."

The schedule of other sessions is:

Feb. 21 Feb. 22 The advance registration fee of $40 includes the Feb. 20 dinner, lunch Feb. 21, all program sessions, including the Feb. 21 entertainment, and refreshments (registration at the door is $50). Student registration is free with a current valid ID, but does not include meals. The cost of meals for students is $22 for dinner, $18 for lunch.

To register, send a check (payable to African American and African Studies) to African and American and African Studies, 730 Oldfather Hall (0320). For more information, call 472-2099.

Cohen to Demonstrate Computer Teaching Methods

Paul Cohen, an active advocate of teaching with computers, will demonstrate in two public presentations how he uses new technologies to teach literature. He will lecture during a visit to campus on Feb. 20 and 21.

"Paul Cohen is recognized as one of the most innovative and compelling teachers of literature and cultural study in the nation today," said Harriet Turner, chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.

Cohen, the National Endowment for the Humanities Distinguished Professor of English at Southwest Texas State University, "dramatically employs multimedia in his many courses on literature and culture," said Turner. His presentations include maps, photographs of writers and places and examples of art and music from various cultures, all of which are interwoven with passages from works in their original languages.

"The interdisciplinary nature of his classes and his applied use of technology lend both immediacy and depth to his students' understanding of the material they are studying," said Turner. "His visit will allow local teachers at all levels to see, first-hand, how Cohen creatively applies multimedia technology to teaching."

Cohen's first demonstration is titled "Teaching Literature with Multimedia: Exploring Postmodernism." Within the context of Postmodernism, Paul Cohen will demonstrate how new instructional technologies can enlarge students' perceptions of the text they are studying as well as related philosophical, literary, cultural or social phenomena. He will also show through multimedia how the printed word shifts its message in different contexts and how to engage students creatively in this discovery.

His second lecture, titled "Teaching Literature with Multimedia: Exploring World Literature," is in the form of a demonstration class. Cohen will engage the audience in reading, thinking about and evaluating words, texts and contexts of contemporary Nigerian poets. The demonstration will show how teaching with multumedia can achieve, in a large class, the intensity of focus in analysis and discussion that usually occurs only in small classes.

Both demonstrations will be presented at 8 p.m. in room 104 of Love Library at UNL. They are free and open to the public.

Cohen's visit is sponsored by Textual Studies and Applications in the College of Arts and Sciences at UNL. Textual Studies and Applications is proposed as an "area of strength" in the College of Arts and Sciences. Areas of strength represent clusters of distinguished faculty engaged in research and teaching that cross traditional departmental and college lines.

Open Forums to Examine Post-tenure Review

Two sessions for faculty discussion of post-tenure review policies have been scheduled. All faculty interested in discussing this issue are invited, said Peter Bleed, president of UNL's Academic Senate.

The first open forum is scheduled from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Feb. 18 in the Nebraska Union. The second is scheduled from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in the East Union. Check union kiosks for room assignments.

The meetings are sponsored jointly by the Academic Rights and Responsibilities Committee and the Executive Committee of the UNL Academic Senate.

The sessions are being conducted to inform faculty members about the policy that is under discussion for the periodic review of fully promoted faculty and to gather information and opinions about ways the policy might be improved.

Hyde Lecture Examines 'Healing Environments'

"Creating Healing Environments: A New Perspective for Healthcare Design," will be the subject of the next Hyde Lecture presented by Jain Malkin, Hyde Chair for Excellence, at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 18 in 127 Architecture Hall.

Malkin is president of Jain Malkin, Inc., a San Diego Interior Architecture firm that specializes in health care facilities. Her pioneering efforts to create life-enhancing hospital environments have won her international acclaim and several first place design awards.

Malkin teaches health care design at Harvard University in the Graduate School of Design and is the author of two principal reference books: Medical and Dental Space Planning for the 1990s and Hospital Interior Architecture, published by Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. Through her books and lectures, she is recognized internationally for her research-based approach to the design of healing environments.

The lecture and exhibit are made possible by the Leicester A. Hyde Memorial Fund.

Seminar Examines Gays and Lesbians in Plains Mythology

The next Paul A. Olson Seminar in Great Plains Studies will be "Reality and Illusion in Great Plains Lesbian, Gay and Transgendered History," presented by Peter G. Boag, associate professor of history at Idaho State University.

Boag's presentation will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Feb. 26 in the Great Plains Art Collection on the second floor of Love Library. The seminar and a 3 p.m. reception at the art collection are free and open to the public.

The seminar will address how Great Plains myths have variously excluded, included and victimized homosexuals, and will cover Great Plains history from the first plains people to modern times.

Boag is an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow at the Huntington Library and the recipient of numerous research grants. He is the author of "Environment and Experience: Settlement Culture in Nineteenth-Century Oregon."

The Olson seminars are sponsored by the Center for Great Plains Studies. Boag's appearance is co-sponsored by the UNL departments of history and English, the Committee for Gay and Lesbian Concerns and the Visiting Scholar Research Council.

New Quarterly Business Survey Available

Nebraska's business community and public sector have a new tool available with the January issue of Business in Nebraska - the Quarterly Business Survey.

Nearly 800 businesses and organizations in the state responded to the first survey, covering the third quarter of 1996, and reported that while the state enjoys healthy job growth, many positions go unfilled due to a lack of qualified applicants.

For example, respondents reported the creation of 3,000 new nonfarm, private-sector hires and 6,500 replacement hires in the third quarter.

Employment activity was underrepresented in some sectors in the first survey, but if those numbers are representative of the state as a whole, they would extrapolate to more than 70,000 new and replacement hires in the state in the quarter. For every 1,000 existing jobs, there were 31 new full-time and 21 new part-time jobs.

On the other hand, slightly more than 1,100 open full-time positions went unfilled in the third quarter, mostly in the professional, specialist, service and administrative support occupational categories. Respondents reported that 81 percent of those positions remained unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates. Some 82 percent of part-time jobs went unfilled for the same reason.

Again, if survey respondents were representative of the state as a whole, nearly 10,000 full-time positions went unfilled from July to September last year because of a lack of qualified applicants.

The survey is a joint venture between the Nebraska departments of Economic Development and Labor and the Bureau of Business Research at the College of Business Administration.

The survey has four major objectives: to continuously monitor business conditions throughout the Nebraska economy and detect early indications of emerging trends; to assess job creation and turnover by occupation and industry; to track wage levels by occupation and industry; and to identify unfilled demand for labor by occupation and industry.

The survey partners said the information in the surveys should help the state's secondary schools and postsecondary institutions enhance and expand occupation-specific education and training to meet the evolving demands of the labor market. The results are also expected to be useful in formulating statewide work force and labor availability policies and programs.

Major funding for the survey was provided by the federally financed Nebraska School-to-Work Initiative. The survey will be conducted in January, April, July and October of each year. Its sponsors hope to expand survey participation to at least 50 percent of the state's nonfarm employment base in order to provide as accurate a picture as possible of the state's economy.

ARDC Teams Up With Mead Public Schools

The faculty from Mead Public Schools recently met at the University of Nebraska Agricultural Research and Development Center (ARDC) for an inservice focusing on enhancing curriculum through cooperative relationships. The group explored ways the university, local residents, businesses and schools could work together.

The intent of this partnership is to develop cost-effective, collaborative curriculum ideas that capitalize on shared resources and skills. The project aims at developing innovative, quality educational programs using a hands-on approach.

The Mead faculty explored methods for incorporating biotechnology into their current curriculum and also explored other links to the University of Nebraska. Due to the close proximity to Mead schools, it was determined that the ARDC and Saunders County Cooperative Extension could provide instrumental links to the university for educational information and other resources. Likewise, community members and businesses could provide insight and hands-on learning opportunities.

To learn more about the project or becoming a partner, please contact Deloris Harder at (402) 624-8022.

Teach in Europe Spring Semester 1998 or 1999

Applications are being sought from UNL faculty members interested in serving as directors of the Nebraska Semester Abroad Program in 1998 or 1999. First offered in 1992, this program enables 20 to 25 Nebraska students to study in the Czech Republic and northern Greece for 10 weeks every spring. Two faculty members from the public four-year colleges and universities in Nebraska are selected to direct this 12 credit program.

Those who are chosen will coordinate existing on-site instruction and improvise independent study during the 10-week semester (March to May). Instructional faculty should forward descriptions of a four-hour course to be offered and a statement explaining how these European venues can be used to enhance learning. In addition, applicants should send a short c.v., including courses taught.

Faculty who are chosen will provide all expenses for the semester. Faculty departments will be provided a small stipend to help defray the costs of the release fo the faculty member.

Anyone interested in applying for the Nebraska Semester Abroad should contact Associate Dean Peter Levitov or Assistant Dean Joseph Stimpfl at 472-5358. Letters of application (endorsed by the department chair/head), including descriptions of courses taught, c.v. and teaching testimonials, should be submitted by March 17 to International Affairs, 1237 R St. (0221).

Visiting Professor to Discuss European Security Feb. 19

Maurizio Cremasco, a visiting Fulbright professor from Rome, will give a talk on "The Future of European Security" at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 19 in room 538 Oldfather.

Bhatnagar to Discuss Infanticide in India

The 1997 Women's Studies International Colloquium Series will feature Rashmi Bhatnagar, assistant professor of English, at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Nebraska Union. Bhatnagar's topic is "A Personal Journey: Female Infanticide and the Women's Movement in the '70s and '80s in Modern India."

The colloquium, sponsored by a grant from UNL International Affairs, is free and open to the public. For more information, call 472-9392.

Rape Awareness Week Is Feb. 24-28

The following activities are planned in observance of Rape Awareness Week Feb. 24-28: All events are free to UNL students, faculty and staff. For more information, call Judith Kriss at the Women's Center 472-2598.

Emeriti Association to Meet Feb. 20

The UNL Emeriti Association will meet at noon Feb. 20 in the East Union. Delivee Wright, director of the Teaching and Learning Center, will speak at 12:30 p.m. Members are to go through the cafeteria prior to that time.

Summer Day Camps at Campus Recreation

Priority registration for UNL faculty, staff and students has begun for the Summer Recreational Day Camps.

The Youth Recreation Camp is for youth entering 6th through 8th grades and provides unique opportunities to develop responsible attitudes through recreational sports. Husker Kids is for youths entering 2nd through 5th grades and promotes life-long recreation through fun and diverse activities.

Campus Recreation also will offer children's swimming lessons from 6 to 6:45 p.m. Feb. 18 to March 20 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For an informational brochure on the youth camps, or to register for swimming lessons, call 472-3467.

Price Reduced on TimeQuest Seminar

A Franklin TimeQuest Seminar will be offered at a reduced rate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 19 at the East Union. The cost for the all-day seminar is $149 and includes everything necessary to start using the Franklin system. The seminar is $85 for those already using the system.

For more information or to register, call Gina Matkin, a Franklin certified trainer, at 472-4454.

Business & Finance News

Purchasing Card Program Training

Orientation/training sessions for the University of Nebraska Purchasing Card Program will be from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Feb. 20 and 27at the Business Services Complex, 1700 Y St.

Registration is required and space is limited. Contact Darla Huff at Purchasing's Customer Service Hotline, 472-5050, for reservations to one of the above sessions.

Biosafety Training Feb. 26-27

Environmental Health & Safety will offer a Biosafety Training Seminar. This seminar is for principle investigators and research technicians conducting microbiological and recombinant DNA projects at BL1, BL2 and BL3 safety levels.

The seminar will meet the training requirements as designated by NIH and the Biosafety Guidelines. Information will be provided on how to reduce exposure, and how to operate within the UNL and NIH Biosafety Guidelines. Current engineering controls and containment will be discussed. Questions related to personal projects are encouraged.

The training is scheduled for 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 26 in the Beadle Center, Room #E228; and 1:30 to 3:30 Feb. 27 in the East Campus Union (room will be posted).
Registration is necessary. Call Environmental Health and Safety at 472-4925 for a registration form.

Electronic Orders Remain Good Value

As a result of the substantial savings that continue to be realized by both the university and Boise Cascade, the 5 percent discount on all orders for office supplies placed electronically will remain in effect through July, at which time it will be reviewed.

The discount is reflected only on the UNL charge ticket. This program has been so successful since its introduction that now more than 60 percent of office supply orders are being placed electronically. In 1996, more than 6,000 office supply orders were placed electronically. This translates into approximately $30,000 in savings passed on to various campus departments.

For more information or to request electronic order training, call Roger Spiehs at 472-5741.

Settling Purchasing Card Disputes

In the last couple of weeks, several card holders or their reconcilers have contacted purchasing requesting help to dispute card transactions. The first point of contact should be with First Chicago Customer Service at (800) 316-6056. First Chicago will request information from the caller to ensure proper identification.

For example, First Chicago will ask for your name, card number, expiration date of card, date of birth or your mother's maiden name to authenticate the identity of the caller. If a formal dispute is necessary, complete the Statement of Questioned Item form provided in your User Guide and send to UNL Purchasing, 1700 "Y" St., Lincoln, NE 68588-0645 within 30 days of the monthly cycle date. Your request will be sent directly to First Chicago for review. For more assistance, call Darla Huff, 472-5050, or Bill Bode, 472-3609.

If a purchasing card is lost or stolen, the cardholder must contact First Chicago at (800) 848-2813. First Chicago representatives are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for reporting lost or stolen cards. After reporting the lost or stolen card to First Chicago, call Huff or Bode.

On Public Television

Roger Welsch Talks with Poet Kloefkorn

William Kloefkorn, Nebraska State Poet and professor in the English Department at Nebraska Wesleyan University, is this week's guest on Roger Welsch &, when the interview series airs at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 21 on the Nebraska ETV Network.

The weekly television series features humorist and author Welsch in discussion with a variety of Nebraskans-from authors and educators to historians and prominent citizens-whose contributions to Nebraska make for interesting conversation.

'Outdoor Nebraska' Looks at Ice Fishing

This week's episode of Outdoor Nebraska features ice fishing and an annual bowhunters' reunion.Outdoor Nebraska airs on the Nebraska ETV Network at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20 and repeats Saturday morning at 8 a.m.

The first feature involves ice fishing in north-central Nebraska near Valentine. Viewers will join three generations of ice anglers for a typical day of "hard water" fishing. The second feature visits the yearly reunion of the Buffalo Bowmen of Kearney, held at the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey.

In the "Wilderness Workshop," veteran outdoorsman Dick Turpin shows viewers how to make their own camp box for cooking. In the "Nature Walk" segment, outdoor educator Carl Wolfe talks about winter bird feeding. And in the "Nebraskaland Moment," Outdoor Nebraska visits a prairie dog town. Also included are the weekly "Outdoor Report" and "Outdoor News" segments.

'Statewide' Examines School Lands Sell-Off

Millions of acres of land once set aside to support public schools may soon be sold off by the state of Nebraska, according to the "Perspective" report to air at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 21, on Statewide, the Nebraska ETV Network's weekly magazine.

The program, which repeats at 7 p.m Feb. 22, also provides up-to-the-minute news reports from across the state and other features of interest.

Correspondent Bill Kelly reports on plans to sell off millions of dollars worth of land originally set aside for educational purposes when Nebraska was made a state more than 100 years ago. The Legislature ordered that much of the land be sold, a decision that could affect everything from local taxes to who your neighbor could be.

Experts Offer Tax Tips on 'Nebraskans Ask'

Nebraskans Ask will answer tax questions in two special "Tax Tips" episodes airing at 7 p.m. Feb. 20, and March 6 on the Nebraska ETV Network.

Certified public accountants will be on hand to answer any questions about state or federal income tax forms.

Nebraskans Ask is a weekly call-in series featuring public figures and experts familiar with issues that are important to Nebraskans. The program is hosted by veteran journalist Ed Howard.

The Nebraska ETV Network is a service of Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET). The complete program schedule for Nebraska ETV is available on NET's World Wide Web site, http://net.unl.edu.

Back to menu

For questions regarding these Scarlet pages, contact:
dtaurins@unlinfo.unl.edu
(402) 472-8518, Fax: (402) 472-7825