Program to be Nation's
Only
New Grazing Livestock System Major Launches in Fall
By Cheryl Alberts, IANR news writer
A new grazing livestock systems major will be offered at the
University
of Nebraska-Lincoln this fall.
The major is the only one of its kind known in the United States, said
Lowell Moser, NU forage and range professor. Moser, chair of the faculty
coordinating committee for the program, said the major was 18 months in
planning.
The major was initiated because more than half of Nebraska is in
grasslands
and because ruminant livestock, such as beef cattle, are so important to
the state's economy. No single major fully prepared students for managing
grazing livestock and grasslands, he said. The new major integrates the
areas of animal science, agricultural economics, and forage and range
management.
The course will be offered through the College of Agricultural
Sciences
and Natural Resources. The Center of Grassland Studies, in NU's Institute
of Agriculture and Natural Resources, will administer the program.
"The overall goal of the major is to prepare students for
productive
careers in various phases of ruminant livestock agriculture and grassland
management, and to be responsible stewards of our natural
resources,"
said Martin Massengale, Center for Grassland Studies director.
The curriculum focuses on the interrelationships of ruminant livestock
production, grazing land ecology and management, forages and economic
decision
making. The major includes traditional courses, seminars, and a specially
designed internship. Graduates of the new major will be well prepared to
manage ruminant livestock production operations, consult with and educate
grazing land managers in the public or private sector, work in the
agricultural
industry associated with ruminant livestock, or enter a graduate program
in an associated field.
Existing or incoming UNL students who would like more information on
the grazing livestock systems major should contact the Center for
Grassland
Studies, 221 Keim Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb.,
68583-0953,
phone (402)472-4101.
Details on the new major soon will be available on the center's web
site
at http://ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/cgs.
New Home For J.D. Edwards Program
Kauffman Residential Center Groundbreaking Is July 9
By Annette Wetzel, Public Relations
The Esther L. Kauffman Academic Residential Center will "Break
New
Ground" at 11 a.m. July 9 in a tent north of the Nebraska Union.
The new 82,500 square foot living and learning center, due for
completion
in 2001, was made possible by software development pioneer, C. Edward Mc
Vaney and his wife Carole. The center will house the J.D. Edwards Honors
Program in Computer Science and Management, an innovative program that
prepares
graduates to use computing foundations, information technology and
business
principles.
Kauffman, the mother of Carole McVaney, will be among dignitaries
present
at the groundbreaking ceremony, which is free and open to the public.
When completed, the residential center will have suite housing for 116
students, quarters for four residence assistants; a suite for a
housing/placement
director; a suite for a residence director; and an apartment for a
visiting
senior fellow.
The learning environment will have five state-of-the-art classrooms;
three breakout rooms for teamwork; a presentation and speech lab; two
computer
laboratories; space for program staff; a great hall for special events;
a recreation area; and a building network equipment room.
The Breaking New Ground ceremony will include recognition of the
graduates
of the first Summer Enterprise Camp convened the J.D. Edwards program.
This
four-week camp involves 50 of the region's most promising high school
students
who will attend two college-level courses and conduct a business-related
computer project for a nonprofit agency.
The students will contribute to a time capsule that will be part of
the
groundbreaking ceremony presenting their visions of how business and
technology
will be incorporated in the new century.
MESA Is Leadership and Learning in College Atmosphere
By Connie Walter, College of Engineering and Technology
For Tom Sires, MESA isn't just about helping kids improve their math
and science skills. It's about leadership.
For the past 12 years, the University of Nebraska College of
Engineering
and Technology has sponsored two one-week sessions on the Lincoln campus
that are geared toward middle- and high-school age children. The sessions
are June 6-11 and 13-18. High school students attend only the first week.
Children are recruited from across the state, with as many as 120
participating
in the two sessions. They live in Neihardt Hall and eat at the Selleck
dining
hall during their session. "They get a real college experience that
way," said Sires, a professor of construction systems technology on
the Omaha campus and director of NU's MESA program.
MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) is a national
program
that targets minorities, but is not only for minority children. "We
also include kids whose peer groups are minorities," Sires said.
Seventh- and eighth-graders make working AM-FM radios from scratch,
tear
down and rebuild small engines and learn about computers. High school
students
take a one-week course in TI-86 calculator (Texas Instrument) and
industrial
engineering and tour the Cushman plant.
Everything the students do, everything they learn is designed to teach
them leadership skills, Sires said. "Every morning, every afternoon,
every evening we teach leadership. We are looking for leaders." The
students learn those skills through workshops, classes and competitions.
Professors, students, college personnel and special guests participate
throughout
the week, helping students on projects, teaching classes and leading
workshops.
"It's a mentoring thing," Sires said.
But it's not all work and no play. All students go on a tour of the
campus,
the Haymarket area, Morrill Hall and Memorial Stadium and during each
session
there is a family picnic with activities that involve parents and
siblings.
But the real highlight for many of the students are the games played
nightly.
There they meet and work with members of the Husker football team.
Changes in Statewide Governance
Suggested
Legislative Session Friendly to NU Interests
By Michelle Waite,Assistant to the Chancellor for Community
Relations
The 1999 legislative session has come to a close with approval of the
largest state appropriation increase for the University of Nebraska since
the 1989-1991 biennium. Even though the university system's initial
request
was not fully funded, there was a definite recognition that faculty and
staff were not being appropriately compensated for their expertise. This
important recognition resulted in a 4.57 percent increase in the first
fiscal
year (1999/2000) and a 4.16 percent increase in the 2000/2001 fiscal
year,
primarily for faculty and staff salaries.
The university systemss increase in the general fund appropriation for
the first year of the biennium is greater than the increase in state
general
fund operations, aid, and the capital construction budget.
Another subject that took the form of several pieces of legislation
dealt
with reforms in the governance of higher education. Sens. Ardyce Bohlke,
Pam Brown and Doug Kristensen introduced different versions of
legislation
and constitutional amendments intended to streamline and consolidate
educational
and administrative services at the postsecondary level.
Brown and Kristensen's versions were similar; they supported expanding
our elected Board of Regents, allowing for appointed regents and
integration
of the state colleges into the university system. These suggested changes
would have eliminated the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary
Education
and the Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State Colleges. Neither of
these
two pieces of legislation was advanced from the Education Committee,
although
they provided an important venue for discussion.
Bohlke, chair of the Legislature's Education Committee, introduced
LB816
which was eventually passed and signed into law by Gov. Mike Johanns.
This
bill requires the post-secondary commission to redraft the Comprehensive
Statewide Plan by Jan. 1, 2001 and submit that plan for a public hearing
of the Education Committee. Another point in the legislation provides a
more simplified means for the different educational sectors to respond to
the commission's requests. And finally, the bill makes a number of
changes
that restrict the commission's powers to more of a coordinating function
rather than a state oversight board.
Other less-notable pieces of legislation that passed affecting the
university
include LB61 and LB271. LB61 places in statute a more timely process by
which checks received must be deposited within certain thresholds.
Because
of these new time lines, Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance Melvin
Jones has instituted new cash handling policies, which include forwarding
all checks to the Bursar's office within 24 or 48 hours of receipt,
depending
on the amount of the check. In the past, interest earnings could have
been
lost if, checks were held by departments for long periods of time.
LB271 was introduced pursuant to a constitutional amendment, which was
passed by the voters in last November. This legislation allows for leased
property owned by governmental entities to be assessed property tax if it
is not used for a public purpose. The Revenue Committee of the
Legislature
has proposed an interim study to study the impact of this legislation
before
the next legislative session. We will be actively monitoring this area
providing
necessary input on what the tax consequences would be for those service
areas that we offer to our students and that are in existence to meet our
educational mission.
Senators and legislative council staff along with members of the
Governor's
office and Budget Division should be congratulated for their hard work in
getting many contentious issues resolved, along with the state's biennium
budget, without using precious debate time. Their work resulted in the
Legislature
adjourning a day earlier than was scheduled. The university and its
supporters
also received several compliments from senators for their efforts in
effectively
communicating the needs of the university.
Thank you to all university faculty, staff, administrators and
university
supporters for your assistance in making this a successful legislative
session.
Americans Grade Courts as Average
Policy Center Completes National Survey
By Dave Fitzgibbon, Public Relations
Americans give the courts system an average grade but members of
minority
groups grade the courts system lower, says a national survey developed by
the University of Nebraska's Public Policy Center and the National Center
for State Courts.
The center polled 1,826 adults nationwide to determine their opinions
of the courts in their community.
The findings were released recently at the National Conference on
Public
Trust and Confidence in the Justice System in Washington, D.C.
NU's Public Policy Center was created in 1998 to coordinate public
policy
research and analysis on issues important to Nebraskans. It was chosen to
do the survey because of its ability to respond quickly to the needs of
the national state courts group, said Alan Tompkins, center director.
"The National Center for State Courts was particularly interested
in working with the University of Nebraska because we were able to
quickly
convene a group of people with diverse experiences and opinions about the
judicial system," Tomkins said.
The NU group talked to Nebraska judges, court personnel, government
officials,
lawyers, researchers and consumers to develop appropriate questions for
the survey.
"Nebraska has a unique context in which many sectors of the
community
interact with one another on a very regular basis," Tomkins
said.
The resulting survey consisted of nationwide telephone interviews. The
results show the American public gives an average grade to the
performance
of the courts in their communities.
Those polled feel the courts do a good job of upholding the
constitutional
rights of defendants. The vast majority of Americans view judges as
honest
and fair. Yet, nearly 80 percent feel the courts are too slow and about
two-thirds say it's unaffordable to take a case to court.
Hispanic respondents express the greatest satisfaction with the
court's
performance. Whites/non-Hispanics have a somewhat lower assessment. The
opinions of African-Americans were consistently the most negative. Almost
70 percent of African-American respondents think that African-Americans,
get "somewhat worse" or "far worse" treatment from
the
courts.
"It is striking that not only do African-Americans believe they
are not well served by the judicial system, but also that over 40 percent
of other ethnic groups believe that African-Americans receive worse
treatment,"
Tomkins said.
In her address at the National Conference, Supreme Court Justice
Sandra
Day O'Connor pointed to the findings and called on conferees to take
"concrete
action" to erase racial bias.
Complete survey results and summaries can be found at http://www.ncsc.dni.us
/ptc/results/nms4.htm.
The NU Public Policy Web Site is http://ppc.unl.edu.
Credit Union Drive-Through Completed
The University of Nebraska Federal Credit Union announces the new
downtown
drive-through location is open for business. The new facility offers the
convenience of three drive-through lanes, a drive-up ATM, and extended
hours.
The drive-through is open Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on
Saturdays
8:30 a.m. to noon.
Quisenberry Farewell Reception Is June 14
A farewell reception for Sharron Quisenberry, head of the Department
of Entomology, will be from 2:30- 4 p.m. June 14 in the Cottonwood Room
of the Nebraska East Union. Quisenberry is leaving Nebraska to become
dean
of the College of Agriculture and director of the Agricultural Experiment
Station at Montana State University. She has been in her present position
at Nebraska for about four years. Friends and colleagues are invited to
wish her well and share remembrances.
Scarlet Next Publishes July 15
In an effort to keep the campus informed on current issues, the
Chancellor's
Cabinet has approved publishing monthly editions of the Scarlet in June
and July. Effective immediately, the Scarlet will publish on Thursdays
instead
of Fridays.
The next publication dates is Thursday, July 15. The deadline is 5
p.m.
Thursday, July 8.
Submissions can be sent via email to: scarlet@unlinfo.unl.edu
or dtaurins1@unl.edu or
khachiya@unlinfo.unl.edu.
Fax submissions to 472-7825 or mail to Scarlet Editor, 321 Canfield,
0424.
The Scarlet resumes weekly publication on Thursday, Aug. 19.
Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting June 27-29
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Plant Pathologists of Nebraska
will host the annual meeting of the North Central Division of American
Phytopathological
Society on June 27 and 28 at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln, and on June
29 at the ARDC-Ithaca.
The program, Bridging the Gap, will be a symposium on comparative
pathobiology
that focuses on common mechanisms that pathogens use to infect diverse
hosts.
There is growing evidence that at the molecular level, similar mechanisms
exist by which animal and plant hosts respond to infectious agents and in
the way pathogens manipulate the host. Meeting attendees will obtain the
latest information on this fast-growing research area. Opportunities to
hear, observe, and present the latest information in plant pathology
continue
to be the basic framework of the North Central Division of the American
Phytopathological Society meetings.
An additional part of the program will be devoted to plant pathology
information exchange through poster and oral paper presentations,
especially
encouraging graduate student presentations. Distance delivery of
Introductory
Plant Pathology will be demonstrated during a department open house, and
participants will have an opportunity to view research/extension field
plots
at Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead, Neb.
For additional information regarding the meeting, please contact James
Steadman at 472-3163, jsteadman1@unl.edu
or 406 PSH, 0722, or access the web site at http://
ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/plntpath/nematode/plntpath.htm.
Youth Program Teaches Future Beef Industry Members
The University of Nebraska Youth Beef Roundup "Opening Doors to
Your Future in the Beef Industry" offers education through hands-on
experience.
The program will be June 16-17 in Lincoln or June 29-30 at Beaver
Valley
camp near Chadron. Both roundups begin at 9:30 a.m. the first day and
conclude
4:30 p.m. the second day.
Participants will learn about beef nutrition, reproduction, health and
handling. They also will learn about the meat industry and how it fits
into
the retail and restaurant aspect, and how to deal with the public, said
Rosie Nold, NU youth specialist and roundup coordinator.
Topics will be presented by NU Institute of Agriculture and Natural
Resource
specialists, beef organization representatives and a veterinarian.
The workshop is open to anyone age 13-18. Registration is $60 for the
Lincoln workshop and $40 for the Chadron workshop.The cost includes all
meals and one night of lodging at a residence hall or the camp.
Participants
can arrive a day early at the Lincoln workshop, but registration is $75
to cover an additional night at the residence hall. For more information
or a registration form, call a local Cooperative Extension office or Nold
at (402)472-6479.
Youth Beef Roundup is sponsored by Cooperative Extension in NU's
Institute
of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Newly Hired Employee Orientation Now on HR Website
The Department of Human Resources has developed an innovative method
to enhance new-employee orientation information. Detailed information
formerly
presented during orientation sessions can now be viewed at the new
employee
orientation website.
The Internet address is: http://www.unl.
edu/unlhr/New_Employee_Orientation/.
This website will be noted in letters of appointment sent to new
employees.
Bi-monthly benefit enrollment workshops, sponsored by the university's
Benefits
Office, are being offered to new employees. These enrollment workshops
meet
on the first, third, and fifth (when applicable) Wednesdays of each
month.
The Benefits Office may be contacted at (402) 472-2600 for additional
information
about these enrollment workshops.
In order that new employees have access to this information, please
ensure
that arrangements are made for the new employees to view this website.
For
those who do not have a computer at his or her work station, it is
important
to facilitate access to a computer.
Call Human Resources at (402) 472-3101 for more information.
Please Don't Step On The Daisies
That pounding you hear outside is part of the long list of capital
projects
that will take place on campus over the next six years. As buildings rise
from the ground and are rebuilt from within, extensive plans made by the
Business and Finance Planning Team will be followed to save the campus'
flowers and trees. According to committee member Ellyn Meyers, director
of Landscape Services, "the committee is working together to try to
minimize the environmental impact to the community as we go through an
incredible
construction phase here on campus."
Plans include maintaining the trees that line the 14th Street corridor
as the Esther L. Kauffman Academic Residential Center is created and
keeping
the Love Memorial Flower Garden open for roaming this fall as extensive
interior work is done in Love South. Though not every tree and shrub can
be saved as the university builds into the future, Meyers gives assurance
that future landscape plans will maintain the campus aesthetics. The
Business
and Finance Planning Team includes members from Landscape Services,
Facilities
Management and Planning, Athletics, Parking and Transit Services and
others
as deemed necessary.
Degree Application Deadline June 25
June 25 is the deadline for applying for a degree to be received on
Aug.
14. A $25 non-refundable degree application fee must accompany the
Application
for Degree form. The fee applies only to the term indicated on the
application
and is not transferable to another term. Applications are to be filed at
the Graduation Services Office, 109 Canfield Administration Building.
Access for Laptop Users Available at Love Library
The University Libraries is working with Information Services to offer
access to campus networking for laptop computer users.
On a trial basis, five "roving" IP ports are available in
Love
Library for research purposes. Laptop and notebook users may
"plug-in"
in the second floor Link area. Access to campus networking is available
from each of these ports, in accordance with the University's acceptable
use policy.
For more information, please contact DeeAnn Allison at 472-2526 or
deeanna@unllib.unl.edu.
Vollmar Reception June 24
A retirement reception honoring Glen Vollmar will be held from 2:30 to
4 p.m. June 24 in the East Union. Vollmar is IANR special projects
coordinator
and acting director of the Center for Sustainable Agricultural
Systems.
To contribute to a book of letters for him, please submit your letter
on unfolded paper with a 1 1/2 inch left margin. It should be sent to
Murd
Holland, IANR Vice Chancellor's Office, 202 Ag Hall, Lincoln NE
68583-0708
by June 17.
East Campus Hosting June 13 Gardener's Gala
Gardening demonstrations and tours will be featured at the third
annual
Gardener's Gala from 1 to 5 p.m. June 13 at Maxwell Arboretum, 38th and
Holdrege streets, on East Campus.
Designing with perennial flowers, tree planting techniques, shrub
pruning
and gardening with hostas will be covered by landscape professionals from
the university's Botanical Garden and Arboretum. Walking tours of
Maxwell's
plant collections will feature the vine arbor, old roses, viburnums and
perennial flowers.
Gala visitors can also pick up design and building techniques from
construction
experts as they watch the day-long process of building a retaining wall.
Representatives from Lincoln's specialty gardening organizations and the
Nebraska Statewide Arboretum will be available to answer gardening
questions.
There is no charge to attend Gardener's Gala. Refreshments will be
available.
The Gala will be held rain or shine. For more information about
Gardener's
Gala visit the World Wide Web at http://www.unl.edu/unlbga
or call (402) 472-2679.
ITS Training Summer Courses Available
Selected introductory classes are available this summer in 163 Mabel
Lee Hall by ITS, a division of Information Services.
Workshops are $30 for faculty and staff as well as students employed
by your department and $10 for all other students. Payment is due upon
registration
and may be made using a company center ID number or a check. Refunds are
allowed up to 48 hours prior to the class only. Substitutions are
allowed.
To register, contact Alecia at 472-9050 or in the 501 Building, Room 118.
Space is limited and reservations are required.
Check our web page at http://www.unl.edu/nmc
/pages/workshops.html.
For more information regarding workshop content contact Leona Barratt at
lbarratt@unl.edu.
o Web Graphics, 1 to 3 p.m., June 21-Tools and techniques for
preparing graphics for the World Wide Web with an emphasis on conserving
bandwidth while maintaining good images. (Photoshop experience
required).
o Basic Web Page Creation using Netscape Composer, 10 a.m. to
noon, July 16-Learn how to quickly and simply put your syllabus on the
web
or create your own web pages using Netscape Composer. The basics of HTML
will also be covered.
Legal Counsel to Review Software Agreements
University Legal Counsel plans to review all software license
agreements,
software maintenance agreements, and hardware maintenance contracts for
Y2K compliance for those licenses, agreements, and contracts that will
continue
beyond Dec. 31, 1999. Copies of contracts (with any applicable Y2K
language
highlighted) are to be sent to Gary Aerts, 450 Love Library (0496). Call
472-7690 or e-mail gaerts@unl.edu.
Water Tour Visits NE Nebraska
Discussion of the ongoing livestock confinement controversy, a look at
flood control projects and visits to some unique agribusinesses highlight
a three-day water tour of Northeast and North Central Nebraska this
summer.
"Opportunities and Alternatives in Water and Agriculture: The
1999
Nebraska Summer Water Tour" is July 19-21. It is sponsored by the
Kearney
Area Chamber of Commerce, Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation
District,
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Water Conference Council,
Nebraska
Public Power District, KN Energy, and Gateway Farm Expo.
Mike Jess, senior lecturer with UNL's Conservation and Survey
Division,
Roger Jasnoch, Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce president; and Bob
Kuzelka,
assistant to the director of the UNL Water Center/Environmental Programs,
are facilitating the tour, which will feature more than a dozen speakers
and panelists.
The tour originates in Kearney and Lincoln, with buses meeting in
Columbus.
Among tour stops are the Loup Public Power District plant in Columbus,
flood
control levy in Pender, an automated dairy and an egg farm near
Wakefield,
a vineyard near Pierce, a Niobrara River canoe trip, a look at fire
damage
in the Sandhills and a tour of Ted Turner's 56,000 acre ranch near
Mullen.
Tour cost is $295 per person, which includes all meals, lodging and
motor
coach expenses. Registration deadline is June 18. To register, or for
information,
contact the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce at (800)652-9435 or FAX
(308)236-8785;
or the UNL Water Center/Envi-ronmental Programs at (402)472-3305 or FAX
(402)472-3574.
Bright Lights Shine on UNL
Bright Lights is a private non-profit organization that provides
summer
hands-on learning experiences for K-9th grade youth in a unique social
and
learning environment emphasizing specific academic, hobby and career
interests.
Bright Lights still has some class openings and registrations continue
until
about June 15. See the complete list of summer enrichment classes, on the
Web at http://www
brightlights.org.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is hosting some classes that still
have openings-the Computers: How Things Work at Mabel Lee Hall will
feature
computer work with the physics books of the same name for post 3-4th
graders.
Post 6-8th graders have the opportunity to take the Genetics class at
UNL's
East Campus with Lori Messer and Daniel Pomp.
There are several 4-5th grade openings-Civil War; Bug Out; Feast on
Red
Wall taught by UNL's Jan Deeds; Star Trek; Math; and Art: Drawing Big
Cats
and Cats.
Another class is for post 6-8th graders, Math Science: Calculator
Based
Labs, a class that will work with graphing calculators.
Classes are $75, scholarship money is still available. To enroll, call
420-1115.
June Mileage Logs Due July 7
Mileage logs for June travel are due to Transportation Services by
July
7. To facilitate year-end closing, mail the logs to Transportation
Services,
1707 Y St., 0603, or fax to 472-8660 as soon as possible after June 30.
Transfer can be done on-line by accessing the Transportation Services web
site; if this is your choice, call for a user ID number at 472-2422.
Traffic Tickets Are Your Concern
Transportation Services reminds persons who use university vehicles
who
have or may receive traffic violation citations that they, not the
university,
are responsible for paying the citation.
Summer Planetarium Shows at Mueller
Mueller Planetarium presents public planetarium astronomy shows
Tuesdays
through Sundays, with its feature show at 2 p.m. and additional shows for
children on the schedule Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 11 a.m.
In June "Worlds In Motion" will be presented at 2 p.m. on
Tuesdays
through Sundays. The running time is approximately 32 minutes. The
children's
show on Tuesday and Thursday mornings will be "Rusty Rocket's Last
Blast" (also lasting approximately 30 minutes).
In July, celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Apollo Moonlanding with
"The Apollo Missions" in the featured 2 p.m. time. "Rusty
Rocket" continues in the children's Tuesday and Thursday morning
times.
And the summer finishes with "Marvelous Mars" as the featured
show from July 22 through Aug. 22 (which is also the end of the summer
schedule).
Astronomy shows are documentary features about some aspect of
astronomy
or space science. Tickets are sold 30 minutes before showtimes in the
Planetarium
lobby.
For more information call 472-2641 or check the Web page at http://www.spacelaser.com.
Brownville Arboretum Host to June 19 Tour
The Governor Furnas Arboretum in Brownville is hosting "A Walk in
the Garden" free to the public at 4 p.m. June 19.
Participants will tour the arboretum and four private gardens. More
than
100 species of trees and shrubs comprise the arboretum grounds. The
private
gardens include roses, vines, shrubs and old-fashioned plants such as
hollyhocks
and bleeding hearts.
The last home on the tour has been landscaped almost exclusively with
trees and shrubs. A gazebo offers a view toward the Missouri River, with
native oaks, redbuds and hickory trees, surrounding the garden.
Participants will meet at the Arboretum, in the center of Brownville
just off Main Street. After the tour, refreshments will be served at the
Arboretum.
The Governor Furnas Arboretum has been an affiliate site of the
NebraskaStatewide
Arboretum since 1996. NSA representatives will be available to answer
questions
about the gardens.
For more information about the arboretum or garden tours, contact
Curator
John Lauber at (402) 489-6333.
The NSA, a statewide network of 51 affiliate sites including
arboreta,historic
landscapes, parks and other public gardens, is a unit of the University
of Nebraska's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
July 5 Holiday Means Operation Hours Change
A number of campus entities schedule different hours during the July
4 weekend. The university is closed July 5.
o Campus Recreation Holiday Hours
- July 3, Campus Recreation Center, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Child
Care,
11:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Climbing Wall, noon to 4 p.m.; Outdoor Equipment
rental, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Super Circuit, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
Swimming
pool, 11:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Weight training and conditioning room,
11:15
a.m. to 5:45 p.m.; East Campus Activities Building, closed
- July 4, Campus Recreation Center, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Child
Care,
9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Climbing Wall, closed; Outdoor Equipment rental, 9
a.m. to 3 p.m.; Super Circuit, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Swimming pool, 9:15
a.m. to 3 p.m.; Weight training and conditioning room, 9:15 a.m. to
3:45
p.m.; East Campus Activities Building, closed.
- July 5, Campus Recreation Center, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Child
Care,
11:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Climbing Wall, closed; Outdoor Equipment rental,
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Super Circuit, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Swimming pool,
11:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Weight training and conditioning room, 11:15 a.m.
to 5:45 p.m.; East Campus Activities Building, closed
o Nebraska Union and East Union are closed July 3, 4 and 5.
o Nebraska State Museum Holiday Hours: July 4, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
o Sheldon Art Gallery Holiday Hours:
- July 3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 7 to 9 p.m.
- July 4 & 5, closed; July 6, regular hours resume.
Planets Focus of June 11 Observatory Night
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Observatory will be open
from
9 to 11 p.m. June 11 for viewings of the earth's three nearest planetary
neighbors: Mercury, Venus and Mars.
Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, is usually too close to the
sun
to see. However, June provides one of those rare occasions when Mercury
will briefly be visible right after sunset and it will be the
observatory's
first target. Simply seeing Mercury at all is something to be proud
of-most
people, including many astronomers, have never seen Mercury.
The really bright object shining high in the west right after sunset
is Venus, the earth's nearest planetary neighbor. Through the
observatory's
telescopes, Venus can be seen as a large, brilliant crescent.
High in the southeast after sunset is Mars, the earth's second-nearest
planetary neighbor. Mars is just outside the earth's orbit. The earth
overtook
Mars at the end of April and for the rest of the year will be pulling
away
from it. We will not be as close to Mars again until the year 2001. The
effects of morning frost and fog and late afternoon clouds can almost
always
be seen from the observatory. The northern ice cap, now shrunk to its
minimum
summer size, can be clearly seen when the air is steady. The huge winter
antarctic ice cap, or rather the blue winter haze covering it, is
starting
to come into view.
The Student Observatory is located on the top of the parking garage to
the west of Memorial Stadium. There is no charge for the viewing and
children
of all ages are welcome. The observatory will not be open if the sky is
totally clouded. | 
