Computer Lab Open Today for Dependent Eligibility Audit

The verification phase for the Chapman Kelly dependent eligibility audit has started. Faculty and staff will have until Friday, May 6, to provide their documentation to Chapman Kelly for their eligible dependents (i.e. spouses and children/stepchildren) or face having their dependents dropped from their plans. Faculty and staff have several options when sending their documentation to Chapman Kelly:

- Uploading the documents via the website - www.AuditOS.com;

- Faxing the information to 1.888.938.6161; or

- Mailing the information to P.O. Box 1587, Jeffersonville, IN  47131.

Human Resources will host a computer lab today, April 1, in 104 Durham Science Center, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The lab will be for anyone who is interested in uploading their documents to Chapman Kelly and have questions about the process. You should bring your letter from Chapman Kelly to the lab. 

If you have any questions about the audit or if you have not received a letter from Chapman Kelly and have dependents on your medical and/or dental plans, contact Chapman Kelly directly at 1.877.478.0448.

For a Q&A fact sheet on the dependent eligibility audit, visit http://www.unomaha.edu/enotes/2011/img/dependentverification.pdf.

Alpha Xi Delta to Host Autism Awareness Events

Alpha Xi Delta, a 61-year-old sorority at UNO plans to expand Autism awareness across campus during the month of April.

April is Autism Awareness Month, with World Autism Awareness Day on April 2.

On March 31, Alpha Xi Delta hosted a campus-wide Easter egg hunt to encourage students to pick up eggs around campus to learn facts about autism. Three students who pick up eggs on campus won gift cards.

Alpha Xi Delta will also hold a community-wide Easter egg hunt on Sunday, April 17, in Elmwood Park. The Easter egg hunt will begin at 1 p.m. with games and activities following the hunt. Read more.

'Consider This' Explores UNMC Sleep Program

The headlines read:  Air Traffic Controllers Fall Asleep on the Job. On the next edition of 'Consider This,' the story behind the headlines as host Cathy Wyatt talks with Dick Hendricks, a former air traffic controller and the director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's (UNMC) Sleep Program. 

Wyatt and Hendricks will discuss: Just how often does this really happen and why?  How worried should Nebraskans be?

The program will air today, April 1, at 12:30 p.m. on NET 1.

‘Consider This,' a production of UNO Television, also airs on the Knowledge Network of Greater Omaha. Check the Knowledge Network website at http://www.tknomaha.org for dates and times.

UFOs, Paranormal Activity Focus of Saturday's Symposium

UFOs and the paranormal will be discussed and debated in great detail at the second annual UNO UFO Symposium this Saturday, April 2.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at UNO's Milo Bail Student Center, attendees will hear from a variety of local and regional speakers and experts on UFOs and paranormal activity. The UNO UFO Study Group and the UNO Paranormal Society have organized the annual event. Tickets are $10 per person and available at the door on April 2. Read more.

Zeta Tau Alpha Kick Out Cancer Event Tomorrow

Zeta Tau Alpha, a sorority at UNO, will host their annual Kick Out Cancer kickball tournament this Saturday, April 2, in Elmwood Park at 10 a.m.

Team registration costs is $65 before or the day of the tournament.

Each year members of Zeta Tau Alpha host the tournament to raise funds for breast cancer education and awareness efforts. Zeta Tau Alpha invites the campus and Omaha community to register teams for the kickball tournament. Teams must have between eight and 10 members. Read more.

Retirement Reception This Monday for Sharon Ulmar

The university community is invited to attend a retirement reception for Sharon Ulmar Monday, April 4, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center Chancellor's Room. Ulmar is the associate director of Human Resources and the director of Equal Employment Opportunity.  For more information, contact Stephanie Jensen at (402) 554.2321.

Mav-Rec Massage Offers First Monday Massages

This event has been designated a UNO Mav-Rec Wellness event.

UNO Campus Recreation will offer chair massages on the first Monday of every month this spring. The chair massages, administered by Mav-Rec Licensed Massage Therapists, will be held in the Mav-Rec Cafè in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Building from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first Monday of March, April and May.

Cost for the 15-minute massage is $15. Massages will be given on first come, first serve basis. The remaining spring 2011 dates: April 4 and May 2.

For more questions, contact David Daniels at (402) 554.2008.

The mission of Mav-Rec Wellness, UNO's health promotion program, is to create a culture of health and wellness among all faculty, staff and students. Health goals are encouraged through programming and initiatives that celebrate healthier lifestyle practices within the UNO community. For more information, visit http://www.unomaha.edu/wwwocr/health/wellness.php.

CCSW to Host April 6 Self-Branding Workshop

Members of the campus community are invited to a workshop on -- 'Create and Maximize Your Own Powerful Brand to Achieve Professional Success!' -- set for Wednesday, April 6.

Sponsored by the Chancellor's Commission on the Status of Women (CCSW), the workshop will run from 11 a.m. to noon in the Milo Bail Student Center Chancellor's Room. The workshop will include a multimedia presentation and Q and A session with a panel of business experts. Pizza and soft drinks will also be provided.

For more information, contact Beth Down at mdown@unomaha.edu.

AKD to Host April 7 Young Professionals Panel Discussion

Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), UNO's sociology honors society, is excited to present their Spring 2011 Panel Discussion, 'Young Professionals.' This hour-long event will feature UNO alumni as they discuss the benefits of a liberal arts education, their job market experience and their occupational expertise.

Doors for the event open at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 7. The discussion begins at 6 p.m. and will last one hour. Afterwards, the panel will answer questions from the audience until 7:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Adam Maley at amaley@unomaha.edu.

In The News

- David Drozd, Center for Public Affairs Research, was quoted in the March 27 issue of the Omaha World-Herald about population changes in Burwell, Neb.

- Angela Eikenberry, School of Public Administration, was quoted in the March 24 issue of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the topic of giving circles.

- The March 25 issue of the Omaha World-Herald featured a Midlands Voices column by Richard Fellman, Department of Political Science. Fellman wrote about his visit to Chernobyl, Ukraine.

- Jonna Holland, Department of Marketing and Management, was quoted in the March 24 issue of the Omaha World-Herald about consumer behavior and purchasing trends.

- Louis Pol, College of Business Administration, was quoted in the March 24 issue of the Memphis Daily News about a pattern of migration from cities across the United States.

- The March 30 issue of the Omaha World-Herald featured an article about Julie Soper, International Studies and Programs, and her upcoming trip to Indonesia and Vietnam for an educational trade mission organized by President Barack Obama's administration. The article also quoted Tom Gouttierre.

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@unomaha.edu. Please include a contact name and phone number. For more information, call (402) 554.2762.

In Print

- Owen Mordaunt, Linguistics & TESOL, recently published the following:

Mordaunt, Owen G. "Vocalization of (and Vocalization on) Sandhill Cranes." Platte Valley Review, 32.1, Winter 2010-2011. (Published by UNK English Department).

Mordaunt, Owen G. "Bidialectalism: the case of African-American English." Language, Culture and Curriculum, Vol. 24, No. 1, March 2011, 77-87. (Published by Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK).

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@unomaha.edu. Please include a contact name and phone number. For more information, call (402) 554.2243.

On Stage

'Reed (Read) All About It!' to be Presented by the Symphonic Wind Ensemble This Sunday

The UNO Symphonic Wind Ensemble (SWE) Conducted by Dr. James Saker and Associate Conductor Dr. Courtney Snyder will present its fifth concert of the season this Sunday April 3, at 3 p.m. in the Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall. This annual special Retreat Weekend concert features a guest conductor, featured faculty and student soloists, as well as a weekend filled with rehearsals and special activities. All planned by the officers of the SWE, the theme for this year's event is 'Reed (Read) All About It!'

After SWE president, Andrea Wilger recommended the group perform Alfred Reed's masterpiece, Armenian Dances Part II, the officers had a great time planning this diverse and interesting list of repertoire based upon the ‘Reed/Read' play on words. In addition to the Alfred 'Reed,'  the program will include an H. Owen 'Reed,' Missouri Shindig featuring violinist Lydia Selzle who will perform the fiddlers reel, and a double 'reed,' Fucik's  The Old Sore Head with Bassoon soloist Jeff Malashock.  There even is a ‘Without a Reed' selection on the program that will feature one of the newest members of the faculty, trumpet soloist Professor Jason Johnson performing Al Cobine's Suite for Trumpet.   

Other works are based upon ‘readings' such as Steinbeck's The Red Pony with a suite from the motion picture film score by Aaron Copland and a Coleridge poem The Ryme of the Ancient Mariner, which was the inspiration for a new work by composer Joel Puckett, It Perched for Vespers Nine. Guest Conductor Dr. Jake Wallace, director of Bands at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, who is an Omaha native and Creighton Prep alum will lead the ensemble in this performance. There also will be a news 'read,' The Washington Post, one of John Philip Sousa's most famous marches. 

There is no admission charge for this concert that will begin at 3 p.m. However, Contributions for the SWE Scholarship Fund will be accepted.  SWE reminds everyone, though the inspiration for the program was the 'Read/Reed' theme, those in attendance will only need their ‘ears' to enjoy this exciting performance.  

For additional information, contact the University Bands Office at (402) 554.3352.

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@unomaha.edu. Please include a contact name and phone number.

On Exhibit

Works by May Art Graduates on Display April 1-May 6

Works by Department of Art and Art History Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) and Bachelor of Art in Studio Arts (BASA) May graduates at UNO will be featured in the final exhibition of the spring 2011 semester at the UNO Art Gallery. 



Steven Schmiedeskamp's series of photographs titled Ethereal is one of three theses presented in completion of BFA graduation requirements. The public is invited to an opening reception tonight, April 1, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Read more.

Jazz Album Covers Opens Sunday at New Criss Library Exhibit

The Jazz Art of David Stone Martin highlights the work of a noted American artist who designed the covers for about 400 albums between the 1940s and the early 1970s.

Martin's style is immediately recognizable for his fine twisting lines and impressionistic view of musicians and their instruments, and is sometimes referred to as the DSM ‘line.' He is often referred to by his initials DSM.

The exhibit is on display in April at Criss Library's Osborne Family Gallery. It is free and open to the public. The exhibit, which is drawn from the personal collection ofSam Walker, opens this Sunday, April 3, and continues through Thursday, May 19. 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 (402) 554.2243.