UNO Launches Hurricane Relief Project for UNO

The two institutions share an acronym, UNO, and a mission – educating students and serving the metropolitan areas they call home.

Students, staff and faculty at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) have joined together to launch a sustained fund-raising effort aimed at providing relief to their colleagues at the University of New Orleans (UNO) following the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Chancellor Nancy Belck kicked off the project at the 2005 Fall Convocation held Oct. 12 on the Nebraska UNO campus.  "I'm proud to announce an outreach initiative designed to help our colleagues at the University of New Orleans regain control of their lives," Dr. Belck said.  "The UNO to UNO Hurricane Relief Project will raise funds for the Louisiana campus community throughout the remainder of our academic year."

Funds raised at the Nebraska UNO will be earmarked for a recovery fund established by Tim Ryan, chancellor of the Louisiana UNO, for members of his university community who lost everything.   

As of Oct. 11, the campus of the Louisiana UNO remains closed.  In a letter posted on the school's Web site, Chancellor Ryan said assessment of storm and water damage, along with the removal of debris, continues on a daily basis.  Its official fall semester opened Oct. 10, as nearly 7,000 students signed up for classes online or at one of four satellite campuses.

"As the deans and vice chancellors talk about the future of UNO, the theme ‘historic opportunity' emerges again and again," Chancellor Ryan wrote.  "This university, our faculty and students will play a major role in the rebuilding of our beloved city.  A student attending UNO will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in rebuilding a major city."

Rita Henry, assistant vice chancellor of student affairs at the Nebraska UNO and coordinator of "UNO to UNO," said campus individuals and groups will be encouraged to integrate this fund-raising effort into their planned activities throughout the remainder of the 2005-06 academic year. 

"We will be collecting donations in specially-marked ‘UNO to UNO' containers at campus events that range from athletics to the arts," Henry said.  "The enthusiasm this project has received thus far illustrates the caring and considerate nature of our campus community."

Funds collected through "UNO to UNO" will be sent to the Louisiana UNO at the conclusion of the fall and spring semesters.  Plans are also under way to host a special Mardi Gras concert on campus, the proceeds of which will go to "UNO to UNO."

For more information on how to donate or get involved with "UNO to UNO," contact Henry at 402.554.2779 or Teresa Gleason at 402.554.2762.

Fall Break Means Volunteering for UNO Students

More than 100 students from UNO will spend their fall break renovating a house at 4022 Seward St. to create a headquarters for City Sprouts and a community meeting space.

City Sprouts, established in 1995, is a nonprofit organization in which Omaha residents, students and gardeners work together to turn neglected inner city lots into gardens.  Neighborhood residents are allowed to use the gardens to grow vegetables, herbs and flowers, and to learn organic gardening methods.

"These gardens are open for all to use," said Barbara Hewins-Maroney, a board member of City Sprouts. "They provide opportunities for families to grow their own food and to learn gardening techniques that can help sustain them for years to come."

The two-story house, which is south and adjacent to the organization's main garden, was donated to City Sprouts. 

Students began work on the house and garden Oct. 15.  The project continues Oct. 17 and 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  They will patch walls, paint rooms, recondition wood and install shelving, among other activities.  They also will prepare the garden for the next growing season by moving dirt and building raised growing beds.

"Students are giving their free time not only to improve the neighborhood but also to address a need in the city," said Paul Sather, director of the Service Learning Academy at UNO.

The house will serve as the City Sprouts office, and will provide meeting and conference rooms for community and neighborhood organizations.

Several local businesses and agencies are providing donations for the effort, including Bruegger's Bagels, CiCi's Pizza, the City of Omaha, Famous Dave's Barbecue, No Frills Supermarkets and Sgt Peffer's Authentic Gourmet Italian Café.

Writing Center Workshop Series Continues Oct. 19

The UNO Writing Center will continue its series of writing skills workshops Wednesday, Oct. 19, with "Rein in Runaway Sentences!: Comma Splices and Run-on Sentences."  It will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in 150 Arts and Sciences Hall (ASH). 

The remaining schedule is as follows:

Monday, Oct. 31

"Should I Place a Comma Here, or Not?: Using Commas Correctly"

1 to 2 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 15

"How Do I Document This Source Using MLA Documentation?"

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 16

"How Do I Document This Source Using APA Documentation?"

2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

All workshops will be held in 150 ASH.   Workshops are free of charge.  They are open to the entire campus community and require no reservation.  For more information, call Connie Eberhart at 402.554.3322.

ABC Soup to Host Meet and Greet Oct. 20

ABC Soup – the UNO lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) campus organization – will host a meet and greet Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m. at The Reading Grounds, located at the corner of 40th and Farnam.

"This social event will create an opportunity for faculty, staff, students and alumni who are interested in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex persons and their allies to come together and share," said Frank Bramlett, ABC Soup adviser and assistant professor of English at UNO.

Those interested in attending should R.S.V.P. to uno_abcsoup@yahoo.com.

Campus Dialogue Oct. 20

Students, faculty and staff interested in making UNO a safe environment for members of the GLBTQ community are invited to participate in a campus dialogue Thursday, Oct. 20.  The meeting will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center Tower Room.

All those interested in attending are invited to bring their lunch.  For more information, contact Sharon Ulmar at 402.554.2872.

Student United Way Campaign Oct. 24-28

The Emerging Leaders will sponsor the 2005 Student United Way Campaign Oct. 24-28 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

On Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 24-26, the group will raffle off items donated by Omaha businesses and sell chances to guess how much candy is in a jar.  Whichever guess is closest at the conclusion of the event wins the contents.  The cost is $1 for a single raffle ticket or guess, or $2 for three raffle tickets or three guesses.

On Thursday and Friday, Oct. 27-28, the group will be collecting donations outside the Milo Bail Student Center.  They also will be collecting donations at the UNO home football game Saturday, Oct. 22, from noon to 3 p.m.

For more information, contact Barb Treadway-Janousek or student coordinator Melanie Schreiber at 402.554.2711.

Criminal Justice Career Day Cancelled

Due to a facilities scheduling conflict, the UNO Department of Criminal Justice has cancelled its career day set for Tuesday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will be rescheduled at a future date.

For more information, contact Steve Culver, academic adviser, at 402.554.2610.

Graduate and Professional School Fair Nov. 9

Are you thinking about graduate school?  Plan to attend the UNO Graduate and Professional School Fair Wednesday, Nov. 9..  The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom.

Students and alumni will have the opportunity to meet representatives from institutions with academic programs in business, medicine, law, pharmacy, education, liberal arts, science and more.

In addition, Kaplan will be presenting a workshop on graduate school admission at 11 a.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center Aksarben Room on the day of the event.

Career Exploration and Outreach also holds résumé reviews and mock interviews each Tuesday and Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. in 211 Eppley Administration Building (EAB).  To schedule an appointment, call Pat Cotton at 402.554.3672.

Visit the Web at http://unoceo.unomaha.edu and register on CareerConnect, the online job search system. Students are granted full access to the system upon creating a profile and uploading a résumé.  Registering provides you with 24-7 access to job listings, on-campus interview schedules and more at no cost.

For more information about the fair, CareerConnect and other services, contact Career Exploration and Outreach at 402.554.3672 or stop by 211 EAB.

Volunteers Needed for Halloween Party

Organizers of the annual Mav Kids Halloween Party are seeking volunteers to help run games and work in the haunted house. 

The event, which is free and open to all ages, will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building.  The haunted house will be open from 4 to 6:30 p.m.

Volunteers are needed to help set up the game room during the day, then work the games and haunted house during the event.

Donations of food for the local food pantry will be accepted at the event, along with donations of blankets and towels for the Town and Country Humane Society.

To volunteer or for more information, call Lisa Adams in Campus Recreation at 402.554.2859.

Kappa Delta Pi Inducts New Members

The UNO College of Education's local chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) initiated 62 new members at an Oct. 5 ceremony on campus.  KDP is the international honor society in education.

"Bringing in more than 60 new members is a record for us," said Saundra Wetig, the counselor for UNO's Eta Omega chapter of KDP and an assistant professor of teacher education.  "Getting into KDP is not easy.  Members make up just the top 10 percent of those entering the education field."

The new members are Tiffany Albanez, Denise Albert, Sherrie Appleby, Denise Aulner, Lisa Auten, Michelle Bartlett, Amanda Becker, Lee Bell, Jesse Benda, Carla Coolidge, Amy Cruse, Katie Dinsmoor, Emily DuPree, James Filipi, Danielle Fischer, Kari Fossum, Delanda Hanes, Ashley Hansen, Benjamin Haynes, Lindsay Herrington, Megan Herzberg, Jessi Hewett, Mary Horner, James Hulsten, Karen Jabens, Jeffrey Jarecki, Wendy Jensen, Elizabeth Jones, Rebecca Kalinski, Shad Knutson, Stephanie Kuehl, Stephanie Mazzotta, Mackenzie McDonough, Lauren McKenzie, Julie Melville, Lidsay Micek, Sunny Milhon, Reuben Oduwo, Deanna Papa, Michael Reynolds, Bethany Rowlee, Natlie Runyon, Lindsey Schubert, Carol Schuster, Erin Sempek, Amanda Sendgraff, Beth Schultz, Jane Splittgerber, Kelsey Stratman, Kathryn Studnicka, Nichole-Johanna Sulser, Elizabeth Taylor, Jessica Teeple, Ingrid van Blerk, Danielle Warren, Teresa Welch, Kathleen Williams, Lori Winstryg, Kristina Wulf, Danielle Wyant and Cara Zastrow.

In addition to promoting educational ideas and practices to its members, the Eta Omega chapter holds a variety of fund-raising events throughout the year that support literary projects in metropolitan area schools.

Convocation Address Available on the Web

The 2005 Fall Convocation was held Oct. 12 in the Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.

The text of Chancellor Nancy Belck's address is available on the Web at http://www.unomaha.edu/chancellor/speeches/index.php.

Maverick Watch

Go Mavs! Support your Mavericks by attending their home events.

Students are admitted free to all home athletic games with a game day ticket.  The spouses, significant others and children of students also are admitted free.  Tickets are available at the UNO Athletics ticket window in the Sapp Fieldhouse foyer Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Students must present a valid UNO ID to receive the offer.  For more information, call x4-MAVS (6287).

At home this week…

Friday, Oct. 21

Volleyball vs. Minnesota Duluth

Sapp Fieldhouse

7 p.m.

Hockey vs. Miami (Ohio)

Qwest Center Omaha, 455 N. 10th St.

7:05 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 22

Football vs. St. Cloud State

Caniglia Field

1 p.m.

Soccer vs. St. Cloud State

Ak-Sar-Ben Soccer Field

1 p.m.

Hockey vs. Miami (Ohio)

Qwest Center Omaha, 455 N. 10th St.

7:05 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 23

Soccer vs. Minnesota State, Mankato

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.

Flu Shots Available Oct. 31 in the MBSC

Student Health Services (SHS) will be administering flu shots to interested UNO students, faculty and staff Monday, Oct. 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in SHS.

The shots are $15 for students, and $20 for faculty and staff.  Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted, and an exact payment is appreciated.  No appointment is necessary, and refreshments will be served.  SHS is located on the first floor of the Milo Bail Student Center.

For more information, call 402.554.2374.

"Meet Eleanor Roosevelt" Oct. 26

Boston-based actress Elena Dodd will deliver a one-woman performance depicting the life of Eleanor Roosevelt Wednesday, Oct. 26, at UNO.

"Meet Eleanor Roosevelt: Advocate for Universal Human Rights" will begin at 7 p.m. in Eppley Auditorium.  The event is free and open to the public.

Eleanor Roosevelt was the first president's wife to hold press conferences, write a newspaper column and travel widely.  The Oct. 26 program covers Roosevelt's experience after her husband died, when she was named as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations and served as chair of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. 

Following the performance, Dodd will answer questions from the audience.  The event is sponsored by the United Nations Association-Omaha, the Nebraska Humanities Council, the UNO Women's Studies Program, the UNO School of Social Work, the UNO Departments of History and Political Science, and The Goodrich Program.

The program will be followed by a reception with the artist.

For more information, contact Karen Falconer Al-Hindi at 402.554.3834.

Ecoutez! Series Begins Oct. 20

The 2005-06 Ecoutez! Series at UNO will kick off Thursday, Oct. 20, with a recital by pianist Leon Bates.  The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.

The series is committed to bringing the highest caliber of established performers and emerging artists to the metropolitan area, said Roger Foltz, a 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.

Bates is one of American's leading pianists performing on the national and international concert circuit.  A native of Philadelphia, he began his formal study of music at the age of six on both piano and violin.  He has received an honorary doctorate from Washington and Lee University and the National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalists Fellowship Grant, among other awards.

Season tickets are $45, and individual tickets are $15 per performance.  All students are admitted free with identification, and phone reservations for student tickets are recommended.

The doors will open 30 minutes prior to each concert.  All seating is general admission.

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

Experimental Film and Media Series Continues Oct. 22

The UNO Experimental Film and Media Series continues Saturday, Oct. 22, with a screening of John Schmidt's "Power from the People."  The event will begin at 7 p.m. in the UNO Art Gallery.

Schmidt is an independent filmmaker who teaches film and video production at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich.  He creates nonfiction film and video primarily concerned with environmental and social issues.  This feature-length experimental documentary chronicles the efforts of a growing number of people who make their own power through sun and wind, the struggles they face, how they challenge and subvert utility resistance and why renewable energy distribution makes sense.

The series 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.

Echotrope was founded by the wife and husband team of Jody Boyer and Russ Nordman, both art and art history faculty 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.  The remaining schedule is listed below.

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.