UNO Assumes Ownership of University Village

University Village, UNO's first student housing development, officially became property of UNO on March 15. The facility, which opened to students in 1999, contains living space for 576 residents.

University Village will receive a facelift this summer, with new paint and carpeting throughout the rooms.

UNO purchased University Village to better manage the student housing experience. Bill Pickett serves as director of University Housing; he oversees University Village and Maverick Village.

"It is very exciting to have an additional 576 students under UNO Housing," Pickett said. "We're excited to raise the bar at University Village and provide out-of-classroom opportunities that will enhance our students' UNO experience."

To contact the University Village office, call 554.6600.

April 1 Was Census Day

David Drozd, research coordinator with the UNO Center for Public Affairs Research (CPAR) and the Nebraska State Data Center, reminds eNotes readers of the importance of filling out their 2010 U.S. Census:

It's no April fool - April 1 is the reference day for the 2010 Census. Off-campus residents, who should have received their Census form in the U.S. mail the week of March 15, are encouraged to fill it out as soon as possible if they have not already done so. Those living in dorms or suites on campus will be counted in the Census during the week of April 5-10. All residents state their housing situation as of April 1 for the Census.

Participating in the Census is easy, safe and important. The 2010 Census has only 10 questions for each individual in the household, the shortest Census in history. Most residents can complete their Census in 10 minutes or less. Census responses are confidential and protected by law (Title 13 of the U.S. code). Census information is used to equally represent political boundaries and help to distributed $400 billion annually in federal funds to state and local programs.

Residents are urged to complete and mail back their Census questionnaire. Those who do not are likely to have a Census worker come to their door to obtain the information. As of March 30, 60 percent of Nebraskans had returned their Census form, including 55 percent in Douglas County. Each one percent increase in the participation rate nationally saves taxpayers $85 million in follow-up costs.

Please join those who have already completed their civic duty by participating in the 2010 Census. This "snapshot of America" is how "America knows what America needs."

HR to Offer Women's Retirement Planning Seminar Today

Human Resources will offer a Retirement Planning Seminar on "A Women's Money, A Women's Future" today, April 2, from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center Gallery Room.

The seminar focuses on key aspects of managing one's finances while incorporating issues that are of particular interest to women.

Contact Tim Rochford at 554.2465 for more information.

Free Screening of 'The Case for Israel: Democracy's Outpost' April 8 at UNO

The UNO Natan & Hannah Schwalb Center for Israel and Jewish Studies and the Jewish Community Center of Omaha will co-sponsor a free screening of the documentary "The Case for Israel: Democracy's Outpost" on Thursday, April 8. The 77-minute film, directed by Michael Yohay, starts at 5 p.m. in the Eppley Administration Building Auditorium.  Read more.

OLLAS to Host Fourth Annual Latino/Latin American Cumbre Summit

The Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) at UNO will host Cumbre 2010, the fourth annual Latino/Latin American Summit of the Great Plains Friday and Saturday, May 14-15, in Omaha.

"Human Mobility: The Promise of Development and Political Engagement" is this year's theme, featuring an impressive array of international, national and local presenters and participants, special and participatory sessions and a leadership capacity-building workshop. The summit's main language is English but there will be simultaneous interpretation in bilingual sessions.

The event, hosted in conjunction with the International Network of Migration and Development, will be held at the Embassy Suites hotel in Omaha's historic Old Market. Read more.

UFO Symposium This Saturday at UNO

The UNO UFO Study Group will host a UFO Symposium on Saturday, April 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center (MBSC) Ballroom.

Jack Kasher, UNO professor emeritus in astrophysics, will speak about the reality of UFOs, and Professor Dave Pares will talk about a possible form of faster then light travel known as space warp/linear displacement. Crop circles, alien abduction and the existence of Bigfoot will also be on the agenda.

Admission is $10 at the door for the entire day.

For more information, contact John Powers at 319.2721.

Deadline Saturday for SAC Recognition Award

UNO faculty and staff can submit nominations for the annual Staff Advisory Council (SAC) Recognition Award. All UNO faculty, managerial/professional and office/service staff members in good standing are eligible to be nominated on the basis of exemplary support to UNO staff members.

Guidelines, past winners and the nomination form can be found at http://www.unomaha.edu/enotes/2010/img/sacrecogaward.pdf.

Nominations are due Saturday, April 3. The nomination form and supporting materials should be sent via campus mail to:

SAC Secretary
P.O. Box 130

The award will be presented this spring at the annual Faculty Senate/Staff Advisory Council banquet. For more information, call Susan McCollum, SAC representative, at 554.3636 or smccollum@unomaha.edu.

For more information about SAC, visit the Web at http://avalon.unomaha.edu/sac/.

Campus Recreation Closed Sunday

UNO Campus Recreation will be closed Sunday, April 4. For additional hours, visit http://www.unomaha.edu/wwwocr/hours.php.

Criss Library Closed Sunday

Criss Library will be closed on Sunday, April 4.   

Regular library hours resume Monday, April 5, at 7 a.m. For a complete schedule of library hours, visit http://library.unomaha.edu/information/hours.htm.

UNO Will Celebrate Honors Week Next Week

UNO will hold Honors Week - a campus celebration of outstanding students and faculty - starting Monday, April 5.  The week spotlights three university-wide events: the Honors Program Senior Theses Symposia, the Faculty Honors Convocation and the Student Honors Convocation. Details on all three events, including reservation information, can be found by following this link.

EC UNO to Host Prairie Manager Speaker on Monday

The Environmental Club of UNO (EC UNO) will host a talk by Alicia Mullarkey, preserve manager for Allwine and T.L. Davis Prairies, on Monday, April 5, at 11:30 a.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center Nebraska Room.

For more information, contact Gillian Cromwell at gcromwell@unomaha.edu.

The GreenUNO Task Force supports this event. For more information, visit http://www.unomaha.edu/green/.

ASH Centennial/Winchell History Lecture to Highlight "The CIA and Accountability" Monday Evening

Clayton D. Laurie will give the annual Richard Dean Winchell History Lecture in conjunction with the College of Arts and Sciences Centennial Speaker Series Monday, April 5, at UNO. His talk - "The CIA and Accountability" - begins at 7 p.m. in the William H. and Dorothy Thompson Alumni Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Laurie is a senor historian at the Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. Read more.

UNL Guest Lecturer to Present Climates of Changes Brown Bag Talk

The UNO Department of Sociology/Anthropology will sponsor a brown bag presentation on "Climates of Change: Prehistoric Human Responses to the Younger Dryas Cold Event and El Ninos in the Americas" on Monday, April 19.

Alan J. Osborn, adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Anthropology and Geography, will present the lecture. It will take place from noon to 12:45 p.m. in 344 Arts and Sciences Hall. Anyone with an interest is welcome to attend.

For more information, contact John Powers at 319.2721.

In the News

- Tej Adidam, Department of Marketing and Management, and Adam Tyma, School of Communication, were quoted in the March 30 issue of the Omaha World-Herald about laptop use in college classrooms.

- Tej Adidam, Department of Marketing and Management, and Dave Volkman, Department of Finance, Banking and Law, were quoted in the March 31 issue of the Omaha World-Herald on the U.S. Postal Service considering stopping mail delivery on Saturday.

- The March 31 issue of the Omaha World-Herald featured an article on the Chancellor's Commission on the Status of Women (CCSW) and its 24th annual awards luncheon. The article quoted Wendi Chiarbos Jensen, CCSW co-chair.

- The March 17 issue of the Bellevue Leader featured a profile on Rebecca Fahrlander, Department of Psychology, about her travels. She has visited more than 30 countries around the world.

- Tom Gouttierre, International Studies and Programs and Center for Afghanistan Studies, was featured in the March 27 issue of the Los Angeles Times about the Center for Afghanistan Studies. Terry Hynes, senior vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, was also quoted in the article.

- "The Kindle Chronicles" and "The Reading Edge," two podcasts focused on the Amazon Kindle e-reader, recently interviewed James Jones, Department of Marketing and Management, about college students who use e-readers in the classroom.

- The March 27 issue of the Omaha World-Herald published an article about the partnership between UNO's Center for Economic Education and Underwood Hills Focus School. The article mentioned Mary Lynn Reiser.

- The March 26 issue of the Omaha World-Herald featured a "Midlands Voices" column by Donald Shult, emeritus professor of physics, on cutting home energy costs.

- In his March 26 Omaha World-Herald column, Robert Nelson interviewed Sam Walker, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, about the Douglas County crime lab.

If you are a member of the UNO community and have been interviewed by the media - local, state, regional, national or international - we want to know about it. Send an e-mail with the particulars to enotes@mail.unomaha.edu. Please include a contact name and phone number. For more information, call 554.2762.

In Print

- Bruce E. Johansen, School of Communication, authored "What's Hot: An Explosion of Literature on Global Warming," which is featured in the March 2010 CHOICE Bibliographic Essay section. This 10,000-word piece (1217-1227) is a survey of 100 top titles in the field.

If you've authored or edited a book, article or other text that's been published recently, we want to know about it. Send an e-mail with the particulars to enotes@mail.unomaha.edu. Please include a contact name and phone number. For more information, call 554.2243.

On Stage

UNO to Host International Theatre Festival Fundraiser This Saturday
UNO students will perform Saturday, April 3, to raise funds to help defray travel costs for an international exchange at Siauliai University in Lithuania.  The event will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the UNO Theater (located in the Weber Fine Arts Building), kicking off with a reception in the lobby. Read more.

UNO to Host 'Day of Rhythm' April 7
The UNO Department of Music and The Nebraska Percussive Arts Society will present "Day of Rhythm" - a day of clinics for percussion and rhythm section players - on Wednesday, April 7, in the Strauss Performing Arts Center at UNO.  A concert featuring selected clinicians is planned for 7:30 p.m. that evening.

The clinics are free, but the evening concert costs $15 for general admission and $10 for students and Percussive Arts Society members. Read more.

Auditions for Crab the Dog April 10 at Creighton University
Nebraska Shakespeare will hold auditions for the role of Crab the dog in "Two Gentlemen of Verona." Auditions run from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 10, at Creighton University's Lied Center, 24th and Cass streets.

The dog must be trained for basic commands. Festival organizers are looking for a large-sized canine. Crab will be on stage multiple times and stationary about three minutes in one scene. All large breeds are encouraged to enter; character is everything.

Rehearsals are June 18 through 23. The dog needs to be available each day, with hours determined at a later date. Performance dates are June 24 through 27, July 8 and 10.

To apply, send an e-mail to nmaccallum@nebraskashakespeare.com or call 556.4396.

'Rave On!' Star to Perform at April 12 Fundraiser
Billy McGuigan - a UNO alumnus and nationally-recognized actor, singer and musician based in Omaha - will perform a benefit show for a UNO alumna at the Omaha Community Playhouse on Monday, April 12.

The 8 p.m. performance, titled "Billy's Birthday Bash for Lara," is to raise money for Lara Marsh's transplant-related expenses and to celebrate Marsh's 40th birthday - a milestone for anyone living with cystic fibrosis.

Marsh, a graduate of the UNO Department of Theatre, is in need of a life-saving double-lung transplant due to cystic fibrosis, which she has lived with since childhood. Volunteers are helping to raise the $100,000 needed for expenses not covered by insurance. Double-lung transplant costs often exceed $500,000.

Proceeds from McGuigan's benefit performance will be applied to Marsh's Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA) account to be used toward transplant-related expenses.  Read more.

If you are a member of the UNO community and are involved in an upcoming performance, we want to know about it. Send an e-mail with the particulars to enotes@mail.unomaha.edu. Please include a contact name and phone number.

On Exhibit

Five Artists Contribute to Food Bank Folio Project
Five of the Omaha metropolitan area's premier artists have collaborated with UNO's Print Workshop and printmaking students to create the Food Bank Folio Project.  The goal of this fundraising effort is to generate more than $10,000 for Food Bank for the Heartland.

"This is a win-win project for everyone - the artists, Food Bank for the Heartland, the students and the public," said Gary Day, the coordinator of the project and a UNO professor of art and art history.  "The artists get to show their work and help the community; the Food Bank receives funding and attention; our students get hands-on experience; and the public gets an opportunity to buy some outstanding, affordable art." Read more.

Games Are Focus of New Art Exhibition at UNO
An art exhibition born from and inspired by videogames, sports, board games and other toy games opens next month at UNO. 



Game Play: A Juried Exhibition of Artwork About or Inspired by Games runs Monday, April 19, through Friday, May 21, at the H. Don and Connie J. Osborne Family Gallery inside Criss Library. Read more.

If you are a member of the UNO community and are involved in an exhibit, we want to know about it! Send an e-mail with the particulars to enotes@unomaha.edu. Please include a contact name and phone number. For more information, call 554.2243.