Student Participation Sought for NSSE

Students - here's your chance to tell the administration what you think about your university.

UNO students who were freshman or seniors during the fall 2005 semester and are still enrolled this spring have been invited to participate in a national online survey on student engagement.

NSSE, the National Survey of Student Engagement, is a nationwide survey of freshmen and seniors that looks in-depth at experiences in the classroom, student engagement outside the classroom, and overall satisfaction with academic programs and student progress.

The survey opened Friday, Feb. 3.  Invited students received an e-mail with the subject line "TellNSSE," which asked them to participate and provided a link to the Web site. The survey will be conducted entirely online.

Follow-up reminders will be sent to the invited students Feb. 11 and 24, and March 4 and 23.

The survey is entirely voluntary and confidential.  No individual student responses are identifiable.

Questions about the survey should be directed to the Office of Institutional Research at 554.2367 or Linda Mannering at lmannering@mail.unomaha.edu.

This Week's Black History Month Events

The UNO community is celebrating Black History Month with a variety of events.  This week's schedule is listed below.  For more information, call 554.2711.

Monday, Feb. 6 

- African American Read-In

6 to 8 p.m.

Milo Bail Student Center (MBSC) Fireplace Lounge

Participants will be able to share insights about The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the book's namesake at a discussion group formed in recognition of the 17th National African American Read-In.

Sponsored by Multicultural Affairs

Tuesday, Feb. 7 

- Jabali Afrika

Noon

MBSC Nebraska Room

This multi-faceted Kenyan group combines fusion and African rhythms. Original compositions and traditional African rhythms come alive on a wide variety of instruments accompanied by vocal harmonies, dancing and choreography.

Sponsored by the Student Programming Organization

Saturday, Feb. 11 

- Kaleidoscope Fashion Show

3 to 6:30 p.m.

MBSC Ballroom

The colorful fabric of African Americans will be showcased. The event also will feature food, fun and door prizes. Tickets are on sale in the Office of Multicultural Affairs on the first floor of the MBSC ($10 for adults, $7 for students, and $5 for children 12 and under).

Sponsored by the UNO Section of NCNW and Allen Chapel AMEC

Feb. 6-28

- Black History Month Display

University Library Foyer

This informative display celebrates the history, culture, icons and contributions of African Americans.

Sponsored by University Library

Writing Center to Offer Spring Workshops

The UNO Writing Center, located in 150 Arts and Sciences Hall, will offer eight free workshops on writing skills this semester. All students are invited to attend. Reservations are not required. The schedule is listed below.

Thursday, Feb. 9

Session: "I Can't Think of a Thing to Say in This Paper! - Prewriting Techniques to Develop Ideas"

Time: 3 to 4 p.m.

Presenter: Chad Jorgensen

Wednesday, Feb. 15

Session: "Hmmm? What is My Main Point? - Developing Effective Thesis Statements"

Time: 3 to 4 p.m.

Presenter: Dani Bojanski

Monday, Feb. 20

Session: "How Do I Arrange these Ideas in My Essay? – Essay Structure"

Time: 3 to 4 p.m.

Presenter: Carole Quaas

Wednesday, Feb. 22

Session: "Rein Runaway Sentences! – Comma Splice, Fused Sentences and Fragments"

Time: Noon to 1 p.m.

Presenters: Lynn Ramert and Carol Dillon

Thursday, March 2

Session: "Should I Place a Comma here, or Not? – Using Commas Correctly"

Time: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Presenter: Erin Joy

Tuesday, March 7

Session: "A Guide to The Chicago Manual of Style"

Time: 1 to 2 p.m.

Presenter: Oliver Pollak

Friday, March 24

Session: "How Do I Document this Source Using APA Documentation?"

Time: Noon to 1 p.m.

Presenter: Carol Dillon

Monday, March 27

Session: "How Do I Document this Source Using MLA Documentation?"

Time: 2 to 3 p.m.

Presenters: Dora Gerding and Isabel Barros

For more information, call 554.2946.

ABC Breakfast Featuring MLK III Rescheduled for Feb. 17

The Academy, Business and Community (ABC) Breakfast Speaker Series featuring Martin Luther King III has been rescheduled for Friday, Feb. 17. His Feb. 1 Omaha appearance was postponed due to the Jan. 31 death of his mother, Coretta Scott King.

King, a human rights advocate, community activist, political leader and popular speaker, serves as CEO and president of the King Center in Atlanta, Ga.

The ABC Breakfast will be held at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, 72nd and Grover streets. The doors will open at 7 a.m. for a breakfast buffet. Tickets are $12.50 each and may be purchased by calling 554.2981. Tickets purchased for the Feb. 1 event also will be honored.

The ABC Breakfast Speaker Series is celebrating its 31st season in 2005-06. It is one of the nation's longest running speaker series.

For more information, call 554.2981, or visit the Web at http://www.unomaha.edu/~abc/.

Search Under Way for New Durango

Got spirit? The UNO Department of Athletics is searching for a UNO student who is interested in serving as Durango, the UNO mascot, at various events this semester and for the 2006-07 athletic season.

This is a paid position. For more information, call 554.3882.

GLBTQ Dialogue Feb. 8

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 Wednesday, Feb. 8.  The event will be held from 11 a.m. to noon in the Milo Bail Student Center Gallery Room.

All those interested in attending are invited to bring their lunch. For more information, contact Sharon Ulmar at 554.2872.

Passport Photo Service Available

UNO Photography, 108 Eppley Administration Building, provides a passport photo service for students, faculty, staff and the general public.  The cost is $10 for four prints.  This service is available by appointment only. 

To set up an appointment, contact Tim Fitzgerald at x4-3536 or tfitzgerald@mail.unomaha.edu.

UNO Forensics News

The UNO Forensics Team traveled to Seward, Neb., Jan. 21-22 to compete in the Sun and Sleet Invitational, two tournaments in one weekend hosted by Concordia University and Azuza Pacific University.

At the event, 19 schools attended the competition. UNO's team placed third in the overall tournament sweepstakes Jan. 21, won three events over the weekend and qualified one student for competition at the American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament to be held this spring. 

Individual results are listed below.

Jan. 21

Becky Boyer finished fifth in after-dinner speaking. Marty Ertz was second in after-dinner speaking and third in communication analysis. Teresa Oberdorfer was fourth in prose and was the tournament champion in dramatic interpretation. Oberdorfer and newcomer Matt Eledge placed fourth in duo interpretation. Channa Rench placed fourth in program oral interpretation and was the tournament champion in prose interpretation.

Jan. 22

Matt Eledge placed fourth in prose interpretation. Rachel Samson was fourth in program oral interpretation. Marty Ertz finished fourth in after-dinner speaking. Buey Ruet was seventh in program oral interpretation and was the tournament champion in persuasive speaking, qualifying for the national tournament. Teresa Oberdorfer and Eledge were the tournament champions in duo interpretation.

Up next, the team travels to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for a tournament.

Maverick Watch

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

Students are admitted free to all home athletic games with a valid UNO ID and game-day ticket. The spouses, significant others and children of students also are admitted free. At the game, students must present a valid UNO ID to receive a ticket. Tickets are available on the day of the game at each home event. For more information, call 554.MAVS (6287).

At home this week…

Friday, Feb. 10

- Wrestling vs. Minnesota State, Mankato

Sapp Fieldhouse

7 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 12

- Wrestling vs. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville

Sapp Fieldhouse

4 p.m.

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

Brandi Chastain to Speak at Women's Walk Luncheon

World Cup and Olympic soccer star Brandi Chastain will be the featured speaker at the Diet Pepsi/UNO Women's Walk Kick-Off Luncheon Wednesday, March 8.

"We are very excited to have Brandi Chastain as our keynote speaker," said Deb Denbeck, associate athletic director at UNO. "Brandi's accomplishments have been very instrumental to the growth of female athletics. Her winning penalty kick in the 1999 Soccer World Cup Finals is still a very defining sports moment."            

The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel, 1616 Dodge St. Tickets are $55 per person or $500 for a table of 10.

Chastain's dramatic winning goal in the 1999 Women's World Cup championship ignited interest in women's soccer. In 1996, she played every minute of five matches for the gold-medal winning U.S. team in the Centennial Olympic Games. She was also a member of the gold-medal West Team in the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival and was on the U.S. Women's National Team that won the first FIFA Women's World Cup in 1991 in China.

Currently, Chastain is an assistant coach at Santa Clara University, where her husband, Jerry Smith, is the head coach. She was a 1990 All-American at Santa Clara and helped lead the Broncos to two final four appearances.

The event will kick off the 21st annual Diet Pepsi/UNO Women's Walk, which will be held Saturday, April 22, on the UNO campus. The walk is the largest and oldest event of its kind in the nation. Proceeds from the walk support the scholarship program for UNO's female athletes.

Last year's walk raised more than $300,000, bringing the total for the event to more than $2.6 million in 20 years. The event attracts more than 1,000 walkers each year.

To make reservations for the luncheon or for more information, call 554.2533. 

Youth and Adult Golf Lessons Schedule Announced

Campus Recreation and the Wellness Stampede will offer youth and adult golf lessons this spring at UNO. The four-week session will be held Saturdays from Feb. 11 through March 4 in the UNO Golf Lab, 230 Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Building.

Openings are currently available for children age eight to 15. A new intermediate youth class is also being offered. 

Tim Nelson, the UNO women's golf coach, will teach the adult classes, and members of the UNO Golf Team will assist him with the youth classes.

Space is limited for all classes. To register, stop by 100 HPER, or call 554.2539. Individuals may bring their own clubs or use those provided by Campus Recreation at no charge.

The class schedule is as follows (Feb. 11, 18, 25 and March 4):

Youth Beginner

10 to 11 a.m.

Youth Intermediate

11 a.m. to noon

Adult Beginner

Noon to 1 p.m.

Adult Stroke Brush-up

1 to 2 p.m.

Youth lessons are $15 for UNO students and HPER activity cardholders, and $20 for non-cardholders (the cost is only $10 more for a child from the same family).

Adult lessons are $40 for UNO students, $50 for HPER activity cardholders and $60 for non-cardholders. A $10 discount is available for both of the adult classes for UNO faculty and staff golf league participants when they register by Thursday, Feb. 9.

Premiere of Song of the Magpie Feb. 8

The UNO Department of Theatre is sponsoring the premiere of Martha Boesing's Song of the Magpie Wednesday, Feb. 8. The event will begin at noon in the directing lab (Room 006) of the Weber Fine Arts Building. It is free and open to the public.

Song of the Magpie is a one-woman show that grew out of Boesing's experiences with The Faithful Fools Street Ministry in San Francisco, an organization that works with the homeless.

The first half of the play is about Walker, a woman who decides to live on the streets for a week to see what it's like to be homeless. She gets an adequate picture of the homeless lifestyle but doesn't find any answers.

In the second half of the play, the Walker character morphs into Sophie, who actually lives on the streets. "Sophie talks about what it's really like – the horrors most of us don't know about – and the experience of living a basically nomadic life with some redemption in it," Boesing said.

The performance is about 50 minutes long.  It will be followed by a discussion with the playwright and performer.

For more information, contact D. Scott Glasser at 554.3619.