Massara, Smith Elected to Top SG Posts

Steve Massera was elected student body president/regent in online elections held Oct. 4-5 at UNO.  VaShawn Smith was elected student body vice president.  The pair garnered 76.11% of the 946 votes cast.

Two of the three referenda items on the ballot passed, including approving the allocation by Student Government of a part of student fee income to support The Gateway during the 2005-06 fiscal year and approving the allocation by Student Government of a part of student fee income in support of the Student Programming Organization during the 2005-06 fiscal year.

The referendum approving the allocation by Student Government of a part of student fee income for salaries for Student Government officers during the 2005-06 fiscal year failed to pass.  Student Government officers include the president, vice president, treasurer, legislative and public relations officer, and chief administrative officer.

For more information, contact Student Government at 402.554.2620.

SPO to Host "Urban Underground" Homecoming

The Student Programming Organization will host a variety of events in conjunction with Homecoming Week, Oct. 10-15.  The theme is "Urban Underground."  The schedule is as follows:

Monday, Oct. 10

Scratch Track (acoustic hip hop/soul trio)

Milo Bail Student Center (MBSC) Nebraska Room

Noon to 1 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 11

Gemineye (award-winning slam poet)

MBSC Nebraska Room

Noon to 1 p.m.

(Open mic from 11 a.m. to noon)

Wednesday, Oct. 12

Voting for Homecoming Royalty (bring your student ID)

MBSC South Doors

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Graffiti Artists

MBSC Plaza

Noon to 1 p.m.

Hometown Throwdown (Spirit Cup Night)

Pep Bowl

5:30 p.m.

Raining Jane (funk/soul band)

MBSC Plaza

9 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 13

Voting for Homecoming Royalty (bring your student ID)

MBSC South Doors

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hip Hop Dance Demo

MBSC Nebraska Room

Noon to 1 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 14

Voting for Homecoming Royalty (bring your student ID)

MBSC South Doors

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dance

MBSC Fireplace Lounge

9 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 15

Tailgate featuring free food and DJ Animale

top floor of the parking garage

11:30 a.m.

Football game – Spirit Cup, king and queen winners TBA at halftime

Caniglia Field

1 p.m.

For more information, contact SPO at 402.554.2711 or http://spo.unomaha.edu/.

New Study Lounge Opens in University Library

Students, faculty and staff are invited to relax, refresh and renew in the all-new 3R Study Lounge, located on the lower level of University Library. 

"Complete with a mixture of comfortable seating, vending machines, a microwave and restroom access, the 3R Study Lounge offers a respite for those needing a well-deserved study break," said Stephen Shorb, dean of University Library.

The new lounge is accessible from the stairwell in the lobby or from the lower south library entrance.  The lounge will be open in accordance with the library schedule.  For a complete list of library hours, visit the Web at http://library.unomaha.edu/information/hours/.

Coming Out Rally Oct. 11

ABC Soup – the UNO lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) campus organization – will host a coming out rally Tuesday, Oct. 11.  Activities will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center Fireplace Lounge.  All faculty, staff and students are invited to attend.

"Every year in October, the UNO community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex students and their straight allies celebrates the courage and determination of those who have publicly asserted their sexual orientation by coming out," said Frank Bramlett, ABC Soup adviser and assistant professor of English at UNO.

The UNO event will coincide with National Coming Out Day activities scheduled throughout the United States.  Students, faculty and staff will share coming out experiences through readings, conversation, songs and more.  UNO ABC Soup members will be available to answer questions.

For more information, contact ABC Soup at uno_abcsoup@yahoo.com.

2005 Fall Convocation Oct. 12

Chancellor Nancy Belck will examine the transformation of UNO into a metropolitan university of distinction at the 2005 Fall Convocation Wednesday, Oct. 12.

The event, which also commemorates UNO's 97th anniversary, will begin at 10 a.m. in the Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.  It is free and open to the public.  University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken will deliver welcoming remarks.

"For the past seven years, the convocations have given the campus community an opportunity to celebrate progress on the university's strategic planning initiatives and scan the horizon for new challenges and opportunities," Dr. Belck said.  "This year, the event will celebrate UNO's attainment of its vision of becoming a metropolitan university of distinction."

Also, the winners of the 2005 Strategic Planning Awards will be recognized.  The annual awards are presented to campus units that have embraced the institution's three strategic goals: placing students first, striving for academic excellence and engaging with the community.  One award is presented for each strategic goal.

The convocation will be followed by an academic processional – led by a bagpiper - across the UNO campus and a reception in the Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom.

For more information, call 402.554.2762 or 402.554.2358.

Osborn to Be Honored Oct. 13 at Durham Lecture Series

The UNO Aviation Institute will hold its annual Charles W. Durham Distinguished Guest Lecture Series featuring Lt. Shane Osborn Thursday, Oct. 13, at the Milo Bail Student Center. 

A reception will be held at 6:30 p.m., followed by Osborn's lecture at 7:30 p.m.

A native of Norfolk, Neb., Osborn discovered his interest in aviation at age three and eventually became a Navy pilot.  He received the Distinguished Flying Cross and Meritorious Service Medal after his aircraft collided with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea in April 2001.  He co-authored the book "Born to Fly: The Untold Story of a Downed American Reconnaissance Plane" with Malcolm McDonnell.  He is currently an insurance broker for the SilverStone Group.

For more information or to receive free tickets to this event, contact the Aviation Institute at 402.554.3424.

School of Social Work to Sponsor Peace Conference Oct. 15

The UNO School of Social Work and Nebraskans for Peace (NFP) will sponsor the 2005 Annual Peace Conference Saturday, Oct. 15.  The event will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, located at 6th and A streets in Lincoln.

The conference will feature keynote speaker Greg LeRoy, executive director of Good Jobs First; actress Elena Dodd in a one-woman show as Eleanor Roosevelt; and a host of workshops on peace and justice topics. 

LeRoy is the author of "The Great American Jobs Scam: Corporate Tax Dodging and the Myth of Jobs Creation" (Berrett-Koehler 2005).  Based in Washington, D.C., Good Jobs First promotes corporate and government accountability in economic development and smart growth for working families.  LeRoy holds degrees in journalism and U.S. history.

Workshop presenters will include Becky Henderson, the mother of Cpl. Matt Henderson, who was killed in Iraq in May 2004, and NFP member Virginia Walsh, who participated in a vigil with Cindy Sheehan at "Camp Casey" outside of President Bush's ranch. "Social work students and professionals are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to learn, network and support the value of social justice to which our profession is called," said Sarah Eades in the UNO School of Social Work.

The early registration deadline is Oct. 12.  The cost is $25 per person ($30 at the door) and $10 for students.  Lunch will be provided.  Up to 4.5 continuing education units (CEUs) are available for all certified MSW and LMHP attendees from Nebraska and Iowa.

For conference registration or more information, contact Nebraskans for Peace at 402.475.4620.

2nd Maverick Rake-A-Thon Oct. 30

The UNO Department of Athletics and its 300 student-athletes will be raking lawns free of charge for disabled residents and senior citizens in Omaha Sunday, Oct. 30.

"This is their way of saying thank you to the community that has been so good to them," said Gary Anderson, director of sports information at UNO.  This is the second year for the department-wide community service project.

The department is working in conjunction with Keep Omaha Beautiful and the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging.  The student-athletes will be raking from noon to 4 p.m. 

Currently, the Maverick Rake-A-Thon is in need of additional lawns.  Anyone from the university community who can help identify people in their neighborhoods who need assistance should contact Athletics at 402.554.2305 or slarson@mail.unomaha.edu, by Monday, Oct. 24.  Requests should include the person's name, address and telephone number.

"If rakes are available, it would be greatly appreciated," Anderson said.  "They will rake the lawns and bag the leaves as well."

Maverick Watch

Support your Mavericks by attending their home events!  Students are admitted free to all home athletic games with proper ID, including hockey.

At home this week...

Monday, Oct. 10

North Central Conference Golf Tournament

Indian Creek Golf Course, 202nd and West Maple

9 a.m.

Hockey vs. Manitoba (exhibition)

Qwest Center Omaha, 455 N. 10th St.

7:05 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 11

Volleyball vs. Wayne State (Neb.)

Sapp Fieldhouse

7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 14

Hockey - Mutual of Omaha Stampede

Qwest Center Omaha, 455 N. 10th St.

- Ferris State vs. New Hampshire, 5 p.m.

- UNO vs. Army, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 15

Football vs. Augustana (Homecoming)

Caniglia Field

1 p.m.

Volleyball vs. North Dakota

Sapp Fieldhouse

4 p.m.

Hockey - Mutual of Omaha Stampede

Qwest Center Omaha, 455 N. 10th St.

- Consolation game, 5 p.m.

- Championship game, 8 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 16

Soccer vs. South Dakota

Ak-Sar-Ben Soccer Field

1 p.m.

For more information about UNO Athletics, visit the Web at http://gomavs.unomaha.edu/.

UNO Health Fair Oct. 20

This event has been designated as a UNO Spirit Committee event.

The 2005 UNO Health Fair will be held Thursday, Oct. 20, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Milo Bail Student Center.  It is open to all students, faculty and staff.

The event is sponsored by Student Health Services (SHS) and the Wellness Stampede, UNO's health promotion program.  The 2005 theme is "Healthy Lives in 2005."  Approximately 30 vendors will offer a variety of free screenings, information and giveaways.

Comprehensive blood draws will be available at the fair.  The cost is $22.  The results are confidential and will be mailed directly to the participant's home.  For an additional $12, males can add a screening for prostate cancer. Registration is required before the event.  To register, call SHS at 402.554.2374.

For more information about the fair, contact SHS at 402.554.2374.

Experimental Filmmaker to Make Film at UNO Oct. 14-15

Filmmaker Caitlin Horsmon will be executing her art at UNO Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14 and 15, in conjunction with the launch of a new experimental film and media series.

The series, which kicks off Oct. 15, is sponsored by Echotrope, a local arts group dedicated to expanding the presence of experimental art and digital literacy in the metro area, and the UNO Art Gallery.

Horsmon, the first filmmaker to be featured in the series, is an assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.  Her films and videos, which have been screened internationally, exaggerate the vagaries of the everyday until they transform.

In conjunction with the Oct. 15 screening of her work, Horsmon will be shooting and editing a film in the Weber Fine Arts Building and adjacent areas of campus as part of her media artist in residency Oct. 14 and 15.  She will then screen the piece with other examples of her work Oct. 15.

Titled "Made in U.S.A.," she plans to make a video about and at the site of the screening.  "For early cinema audiences, the appeal of this style of filmmaking was as a curiosity – the experience of seeing yourself or your neighbor represented cinematically provided a thrill," Horsmon said. 

The end product, Horsmon said, will be an experimental video that takes seriously the methodology of the experiment – the outcome will depend entirely on the variables and constants at play.

Echotrope was founded by the wife and husband team of Jody Boyer and Russ Nordman, both art and art history faculty members at UNO.  Boyer serves as the group's curator/organizer, and Nordman is Echotrope's technical director.

"With this new series, Echotrope hopes to offer Omaha and the UNO community more opportunities to engage with independent film and experimental video," Boyer said.  "Also, with the creation of a new digital cinema program in the UNO Department of Art and Art History, these screenings will also serve as a way for students to become more familiar with new media and independent film and video."

All screenings, which are free and open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. in the UNO Art Gallery, located on the first floor of the Weber Fine Arts Building on the UNO campus.  The schedule is listed below.

Saturday, Oct. 15

Caitlin Horsmon: Experimental Works

Saturday, Oct. 22

"Power from the People" by filmmaker John Schmidt

Saturday, Nov. 5

Dave Ellsworth: Super-8 Experimental Work

Saturday, Nov. 19

"Conditioned Love" by filmmaker River Branch

For more information about the series, contact Boyer at activate@echotrope.org.  For more information about Echotrope, visit the Web at http://www.echotrope.org.  For more information about the UNO Art Gallery, call 402.554.2796.

C-CFAM Announces 2005-06 Ecoutez! Series

The 2005-06 Ecoutez! Series at UNO will include recitals from pianist Leon Bates Oct. 20, baritone Anton Belov Nov. 29, trombonist Slide Hampton Feb. 25 and flutist Dora Seres March 21. 

The concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.  The doors will open 30 minutes prior to the concert.  The seating is all general admission.

This series is committed to bringing the highest caliber of established performers and emerging artists to the metropolitan area, said Roger Foltz, professor of music at UNO and coordinator of the series.  The word "ecoutez" is French for "listen."  KVNO Classical 90.7 FM is the media sponsor for the series.

Season tickets are $45.  Individual tickets are $15 for each performance.  All students are admitted free of charge with identification.  Phone reservations for student tickets are recommended.

For more information, contact Kimberly Ahrenholtz-Mettenbrink, events coordinator, at 402.554.3427 or kmettenbrink@mail.unomaha.edu.

UNO Chamber Orchestra Concert Oct. 13

The husband-and-wife team of Christopher Stanichar and Kristi Cooper will appear with the UNO Chamber Orchestra Thursday, Oct. 13.  The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.  Tickets are $3 for adults, and $2 for students and seniors.    

Under the baton of Stanichar, assistant professor of music at UNO, the program will feature classical standards, including Beethoven's "Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus" and "Schubert's Symphony No. 3."  Cooper, music director for KVNO Classical 90.7 FM, will play English horn with the orchestra for a performance of Dr. Stanichar's "Poem."

For tickets or more information, call 402.554.3427.