The Massara Report

Greetings:

My name is Steve Massara, and I am the current student body president/regent for UNO. After campaigning heavily during the fall semester, I came to the realization that very few students know that Student Government exists or is here to help. I will treat this installment of my new monthly column as a primer for understanding the services and opportunities available to you through your Student Government. 

To start with the Office of Student Body President/Regent, I am here to serve as the chief representative of student interests to both the University of Nebraska Board of Regents in Lincoln and the administration here on campus.

Numerous exciting advancements are unfolding for UNO over the next year, including the planning of 400 new dorm beds on the north campus, the planning for expansion of HPER (the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building), land acquisition doubling the size of our campus and the opportunity to offer competitive tuition to students across the river in Iowa. I serve as your student voice in these planning and policymaking decisions; I encourage you to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

The second aspect of my job focuses on the campus of UNO. Vice President VaShawn Smith and I are working hard to assure that we are visible to you throughout our term. Since few know what Student Government involves, we feel it is our responsibility to let you know and not necessarily yours to find out.

On the agenda this year is a donation-funded Maverick Mascot statue on campus and a proposed ban on smoking. We also want to emphasize the availability of services for students of all backgrounds. We have four fantastic agencies ready to make your experience at UNO a more productive and educational undertaking. They are the Women's Resource Center, International Student Services, the Network for disAbled Students and American Multicultural Students.

In addition to VaShawn and myself, there is a legislative aspect of Student Government. There are 32 student senators that represent your class and college within the university structure. These individuals are here to help advocate for you to the dean and chair should you need assistance. Student Government can also assist with grade appeals and international student concerns.

Please do not hesitate to surf our new Web site at http://sguno.unomaha.edu/ for more information. We meet at 7 p.m. on Thursdays in the Milo Bail Student Center and always love to have visitors. You may also contact me at any time at smassara@mail.unomaha.edu or 554.3578. Thanks for reading!

Calendar of Events

Smoking Ban Forum

Tuesday, Feb. 21

Noon to 1 p.m.

Milo Bail Student Center Fireplace Lounge

Free Food!

Criminal Justice Career Day Feb. 21

The UNO Department of Criminal Justice will host a criminal justice career day Tuesday, Feb. 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom. 

All students, regardless of major, are invited to attend to discuss career opportunities with representatives from federal, state and local criminal justice agencies.

For more information, contact Steve Culver, academic adviser, at 554.2610.

Progressive Editor to Present Lecture Feb. 23

Matthew Rothschild, editor of The Progressive, will speak at UNO Thursday, Feb. 23. His lecture is titled "The Case for Impeachment." The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center Dodge Room A.

"The Progressive is known for its pacifism and strong opposition to military intervention. The magazine also emphasizes civil rights, civil liberties, economic justice and environmentalism," said Bruce E. Johansen, event organizer and a professor in the UNO School of Communication.

During his visit to campus, Rothschild also will meet with classes from communication and political science.

For more information, contact Dr. Johansen at bjohansen@mail.unomaha.edu or 554.4851.

This Week's Black History Month Events

The UNO campus is celebrating Black History Month with a variety of activities. The remaining schedule of events is listed below. All activities are free and open to the public.

Wednesday, Feb. 22 

Performance – Seku Neblett, African drummer

Noon to 1 p.m.

Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom

Sponsored by Student Organizations and Leadership Programs/Cultural Awareness Programs.

Sunday, Feb. 26

Performance – The Langston Hughes Project

7:30 p.m.

Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall

Sponsored by the Nebraska Arts Council, the UNO Department of Black Studies, the UNO Department of Music, the Student Programming Organization and the Goodrich Program.

For more information, call 554.2711.

Student Participation Sought for NSSE

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

UNO students who were freshmen 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. 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.

PRSSA Launches Campaign to Help Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity's Omaha affiliate plans to build 16 homes this year for low-income families, but that goal could fall short by five to six homes because of a lack of local funding and support.

Public relations students from the UNO School of Communication hope to remedy that problem. The students are planning a week of awareness activities beginning Feb. 20 that target 18- to 25-year-olds on campus.

The campaign's main events, set for Feb. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will feature a roof-decorating contest for on-campus organizations that will be judged by a panel of local celebrities, including WOWT-Channel 6 sports anchor Dave Webber, and a forum on Habitat for Humanity. All events will be held in the Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom.

"Habitat in Omaha built 12 homes in 2005, but four more could not be finished because of a lack of funds," said Alex May, media relations director for UNO's chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). "Habitat officials say it takes approximately $89,000 and 450 volunteers to build a single-family dwelling."

Nearly all of the funds must come from local support because the national office can only contribute $3,500 to the local affiliate. "Local support is everything," said Tina Hubbell, director of resource development for Habitat Omaha. "It's our volunteer base; it's our funding."

The UNO students are working with area businesses to raise money and increase the number of volunteers age 18 to 25. Hubbell said a majority of the volunteers fall within that age bracket.

The public relations campaign is part of the national Bateman Case Study competition sponsored by PRSSA. Students across the country who are competing in the competition were given the choice to work for the international organization or its local affiliate.

Habitat for Humanity has provided more than 200,000 homes in 3,000 communities around the world since its founding in 1976.

For more information, contact May at 630.2250 or ammay@mail.unomaha.edu.

UNO Counseling Center to Host Growth Group This Spring

The UNO Counseling Center invites interested students to participate in a personal effectiveness and growth group on campus this spring. The goal is for participants to learn more about themselves, their relationships and "doing life" more effectively. Topics to be covered include communication, assertiveness and building confidence.

The group will meet weekly starting the week of Feb. 27 and continuing through the week of April 17.  Possible meeting times are Tuesdays or Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on the third floor of the Milo Bail Student Center. Those interested in participating should let the center know which meeting day is preferable.  The room location of the weekly meetings will be determined at a later date.

For more information, stop by the UNO Counseling Center in 115 Eppley Administration Building, or call 554.2409.

2006 No Limits Conference March 3-4

Women's issues will be spotlighted March 3-4 during the 2006 No Limits Conference at UNO. The two-day event will include a variety of presentations and discussions on topics ranging from women's history and sexuality to feminism.

The conference, titled "Riding the Waves: Feminism Across Generations, Difference, and Community," will be held in the Milo Bail Student Center (MBSC).

There is no conference registration fee, although registration is required either in advance or on site. Attendees who would like a luncheon meal Saturday, March 4, must pre-register by Friday, Feb. 24. Registration forms are available on the Web at http://www.unomaha.edu/wmst/conference.html. On-site registration begins Friday, March 3, at 10:30 a.m. The conference is free and open to the public.

Participants will explore a wide range of topics related to women's lives, history, cultures, feminism and women's studies. The issues will be explored through the presentation of academic papers, creative writing, film, music, performance and visual arts.

The inaugural No Limits Conference was held in 1994. The event rotates among the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Kearney and UNO campuses.

This year's sponsors include the UNO Women's Studies Program; the Nebraska Arts Council; the Nebraska Humanities Council; the UNO College of Arts and Sciences; the UNO Departments of Political Science, English and Sociology/Anthropology; the Goodrich Program; Cultural Awareness Programs; the Women's Resource Center and the UNO Art Gallery.

The No Limits Conference is best suited for mature audiences (high school juniors/seniors and older). To access a complete conference schedule, click on the following link:

No Limits 2006

For more information, contact Dr. Falconer Al-Hindi at 554.3834, or visit the Web at http://www.unomaha.edu/wmst/conference.html. 

UNO Job Fair March 8

Career Exploration and Outreach will host a job fair Wednesday, March 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom. The event will feature employers who are actively seeking candidates for open positions and internships.

Professional interview attire is expected, and students can pre-register to attend the fair through Friday, March 3.

To register, students must have a profile on the UNO CareerConnect system. Visit http://unoceo.unomaha.edu and click on the "CareerConnect" link to create a profile and register for the fair.

For more information about the job fair, CareerConnect and other services offered by Career Exploration and Outreach, call 554.3672, or stop by 211 Eppley Administration Building.

University Library Offers New Online Image Feature

UNO students, faculty and staff can now search and display actual images of New York Times articles dating back to 1851. This new service is available via the University Library Web site.  It can be accessed from on- and off-campus.

To access New York Times images, check the full list of databases on the library home page at http://library.unomaha.edu.

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 will be available on the day of the game at each home event. For more information, call 554.MAVS (6287).

At home this week…

Thursday, Feb. 23

Women's basketball vs. Minnesota Duluth

Sapp Fieldhouse

6 p.m.

Men's basketball vs. Minnesota-Duluth

Sapp Fieldhouse

8 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 24

Tennis vs. Augustana

3200 Ed Creighton Ave.

6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 25

Women's basketball vs. Minnesota State, Mankato

Sapp Fieldhouse

6 p.m.

Men's basketball vs. Minnesota State, Mankato

Sapp Fieldhouse

8 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 26

Wresting NCAA II North Central Region Tournament

Sapp Fieldhouse

10 a.m.

The c ost is $8 for students, $12 for adult general admission and $15 for reserved seating.

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

UNO Spring Sports Luncheon Feb. 22

The UNO Department of Athletics will host the annual spring sports luncheon Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the Venice Inn, 6910 Pacific St., beginning at 11:45 a.m.

Maverick spring sports coaches will report on their respective seasons and coming schedules. Schedule cards, posters and media guides also will be available.

Tickets for the luncheon are $10 and can be purchased at the door. For more information, contact Bob Flannery at 554.3882.

Echotrope's Spring Film Series Begins Feb. 23

UNO will host an experimental film and media series this spring on campus.

The series, which kicks off Thursday, Feb. 23, 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 members at UNO. Boyer serves as the group's curator/organizer, and Nordman is Echotrope's technical director. All screenings are free and open to the public. The schedule is listed below.

Thursday, Feb. 23

Video works by media theorist, video maker and installation artist Michael Betancourt

7 p.m.

UNO Art Gallery

Q&A with the artist to follow the screening.

Michael Betancourt is a multi-disciplinary artist, curator and avant-garde theorist. He has been making movies, site-specific installations and non-traditional art forms since 1992. Betancourt is a media artist in residence at UNO this spring. For more information about activities related to his UNO residency, send an e-mail to activate@echotrope.org.

Thursday, March 30

"Apparation of the Eternal Church"

57 minutes – Paul Festa (director/producer/editor)

7 p.m.

UNO Art Gallery

Like the proverbial blind man describing an elephant, the cast of this documentary puts words to the experience of hearing Olivier Messiaen's monumental organ work, "Apparition of the Eternal Church." The resulting conversation dwells in hilarity and the profane before it yields its insights into the personal and the sublime. This film contains adult language.

Friday, April 28

Echotrope and the Visuals present: Spring Shorts

7 p.m.

UNO Art Gallery

An evening of contemporary video, film and media co-curated by Jen Lukas and the Visuals.

Friday, May 5

Echotrope and the Visuals present: Spring Shorts

7 p.m.

The Mary Reimpa Ross Theater, Lincoln, Neb.

An evening of contemporary video, film and media co-curated by Jen Lukas and the Visuals.

The UNO Art Gallery is located on the first floor of the Weber Fine Arts Building on the UNO campus. For more information about the spring 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 554.2796.

Ecoutez! Continues Feb. 25 with Slide Hampton

The 2005-06 Ecoutez! series at UNO continues Saturday, Feb. 25, with a performance by master arranger and jazz trombonist Slide Hampton.

The concert 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. Hampton will play with the UNO Faculty Jazz Combo and the UNO Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Pete Madsen, coordinator of jazz studies and assistant professor of trombone at UNO.

"Ecoutez! is committed to bringing the highest calibre 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.

Hampton's distinguished career spans decades in the evolution of jazz. At age 12, he began touring the Midwest with the Indianapolis-based Hampton band, led by his father and consisting of other members of his musical family. At age 20, he was performing at Carnegie Hall with the Hampton band. As his reputation grew, he began working with the country's top bandleaders, including Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach, contributing both original compositions and arrangements. The National Endowment for the Arts (N.E.A.) honored Hampton with its highest honor in jazz, the 2005 N.E.A. Jazz Master Award.

Hampton is appearing at UNO in conjunction with the 34th annual UNO Great Plains Jazz Festival. Thirty-seven high school and middle school bands from Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri will be honing their craft during the two-day event on the UNO campus.

Individual tickets to the Feb. 25 concert are $15. All students are admitted free of charge with a valid ID. Phone reservations for student tickets are recommended.

For more information, call 554.3427.

The Langston Hughes Project Comes to UNO Feb. 26

The work of one of the most important writers and thinkers of the 20th century is coming to UNO Sunday, Feb. 26.

The McCurdy/Wright Consort will present The Langston Hughes Project, Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz – a multimedia event that embodies the writer and poet at his best – at 7:30 p.m. in the Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall. It is free and open to the public.

Hughes was an integral part of the Harlem Renaissance, the African American artistic movement in the 1920s that celebrated black life and culture. His poetry, novels, plays, essays and children's books promoted equality, condemned racism and injustice, and celebrated African American culture, humor and spirituality.

The Langston Hughes Project, based on a masterwork written in 12 parts by Hughes in the early 1960s, creates the mood of the Harlem Renaissance in the 800-line suite of poems illustrated by the spoken word, and accompanied by a live quartet and visual images from the era. It has been presented at colleges, universities, museums and cultural centers across the United States, including Carnegie Hall.

"The performance recreates Hughes' vision of the global struggle for freedom in the early 1960s," said Pete Madsen, coordinator of jazz studies and assistant professor of trombone at UNO.

African American artists and photographers – including Jacob Lawrence, Gordon Parks and Romare Bearden – link words to music and a kaleidoscopic collection of images. Spoken word artist John Wright brings Hughes' text vividly to life. Music director and composer Ron McCurdy orchestrates the original music based on the music cues suggested by Hughes.

The UNO performance of The Langston Hughes Project is sponsored by the UNO Department of Music, the UNO Department of Black Studies, the Student Programming Organization, the Goodrich Program and the Nebraska Arts Council.

For more information about the Feb. 26 event, contact Kimberly Mettenbrink at 554.3427.

"Saving Faces" Closes Feb. 24

Time is running out to view "Saving Faces: Art and Medicine" at the UNO Art Gallery.

This unique art exhibition provides an in-depth look at the physical and emotional aspects of patients who underwent head and neck surgery subsequent to trauma, disfiguring forms of cancer or other problems.

Bringing the art exhibition to Omaha has been a cooperative venture between UNO and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).

The exhibit runs through Friday, Feb. 24. It has been accompanied by a speaker series to highlight issues related to healing that are raised by the paintings. The final event in the speaker series is listed below.

Wednesday, Feb. 22

"A Public Health Response to Saving Faces"

6:30 p.m.

UNO Art Gallery

Panel discussion headed by moderator David E. Corbin, professor, UNO School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation; Paul Carter, specialist, student/community relations, Student and Community Services, Omaha Public Schools; William Mulherin, vice president, court services, Occupational Safety & Health, National Safety Council, Greater Omaha Chapter; Athena Ramos, president, Metro Omaha Tobacco Action Coalition; and Diane Riibe, executive director, Project Extra Mile.

This discussion will include topics such as the effectiveness of awareness campaigns; school and community responses to bullying (especially related to appearance); community, court and coalition responses to intentional and unintentional injuries; and the importance of prevention programs. The presentation will end with a live performance of the song "Don't Laugh at Me" by Dr. Corbin. For more information, contact Dr. Corbin at 558.6419.

The UNO Art Gallery is closed Saturdays and Mondays. It is open noon to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays; and 2 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

The "Saving Faces" Exhibition was made possible thanks in large part to a $3,500 grant from the Nebraska Arts Council. The speaker series was made possible by a $6,165 grant from the Nebraska Humanities Council. Additional support was provided by the UNMC College of Medicine; the UNMC Department of Preventive and Societal Medicine; the UNO College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media; the UNO Art Gallery; the UNMC Center for Continuing Education; the Wilson Humanities in Medicine Program; and the UNMC Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.

For more information, call 554.2796.

Discount on "The Music of Led Zeppelin" Tickets Available

The Omaha Symphony is offering all UNO students a 10 percent discount on tickets to "The Music of Led Zeppelin" Saturday, Feb. 25.  The concert will begin at 8 p.m. at the Holland Performing Arts Center.

"The Music of Led Zeppelin" features guest conductor Brent Havens, vocalist Randy Jackson, a full rock band and 50 symphony musicians playing Zeppelin favorites such as "Kashmir," "Black Dog" and "Stairway to Heaven."

To purchase tickets, visit http://www.omahasymphony.org, enter the promo code LEDZEP and receive 10% off your entire ticket order.

For more information, call 342.3560.

Betancourt Lecture, Screening, Installation This Week

Media theorist, video maker and installation artist Michael Betancourt will share his creative point of view in a series of events set for Feb. 23-26 at UNO.

Betancourt is a media artist in residence at UNO this spring in conjunction with Echotrope, a local arts group dedicated to expanding the presence of experimental art and digital literacy in the metro area. He has been making movies, site-specific installations and non-traditional art forms since 1992.

The events associated with the Betancourt residency are listed below. They are free and open to the public.

Thursday, Feb. 23

- Public Lecture

"Visual Music and the Birth of Abstract Act"

Noon

UNO Art Gallery

- Screening

Video Works by Michael Betancourt

7 p.m.

UNO Art Gallery

Q&A with the artist to follow the screening.

Saturday, Feb. 25, and Sunday, Feb. 26

- Installation by Michael Betancourt

"Reception/Transmission"

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day

UNO Art Gallery

- Breakfast with Echotrope and Michael Betancourt

10 to 11 a.m. each day

UNO Art Gallery

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.

For more information about the Betancourt residency, send an e-mail to activate@echotrope.org. For more information about Betancourt, visit the Web at http://www.michaelbetancourt.com.