August 7, 2003

1. This site's for U
2. Write your way into U history
3. Maroon and Gold Day at the fair
4. Cancer Center receives renewal and grant from NCI
5. UMM drops women's and men's wrestling, adds women's swimming
6. The knee bone's connected to the muslo bone
7. Help with retirement planning
8. Listening in on the party line
9. U of M Happenings
10. Links

U NEWS

This site's for U
The numbers are staggering: People click on the University of Minnesota homepage 60,000 times per day and 1.3 million people visit "umn.edu" Web sites in any given month. This traffic accounts for 1.3 percent of all Web traffic in the United States. In other words, more than one out of every 100 hits to U.S. Web pages are to umn.edu sites. And this was before we made improvements!

The University of Minnesota homepage gets 60,000 hits per day.

Through interviews, focus groups, online polling, and other testing methods, the University engaged thousands of Web visitors to determine how to improve its sites. The new homepage, www.umn.edu, reflects significant changes in design, navigation, accessibility, and content organization. Site visitors are now presented with University news and feature stories, photos of campus life, quick access to a search field and department information, and a comprehensive University directory organized by audience interest. The new site also helps visitors navigate more easily through the more than 1.7 million umn.edu Web pages.

Thanks to all of you who, in one way or another, have been involved in this redesign. Your interest in this project and feedback have been invaluable. We hope you enjoy the new site; we built it to better serve you. And if you have any additional feedback, please send it to urelate@umn.edu. We'd love to hear from you.

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Write your way into U history

As part of its 100th anniversary celebration, the University of Minnesota Alumni Association

(UMAA) is sponsoring a musical cheer contest, which is receiving media buzz throughout Minnesota and even nationally. All graduates of the University are invited to create an original musical cheer that expresses--in 15 seconds or less--Minnesota's Golden Gopher spirit.

The winning entry should be "spirited and bold . . . with staying power to foster a maroon-and-gold tradition at Gopher games for years to come," says Amy Hyatt, the alumni association's director of centennial activities.

The grand-prize winner will receive $2,500 cash, additional prizes, and the opportunity to direct the University of Minnesota Marching Band at a sporting event. The song will be unveiled at the UMAA 100th birthday party on Jan. 30, 2004. Contest entries are due October 1.

This won't be the first music composition contest at the U. "The Minnesota Rouser" was the winner of a 1909 contest inspired by Gopher fans who thought "Hail! Minnesota" was too stately to bring fans to their feet at football games.

For more information about the UMAA 100th Anniversary Musical Cheer Contest, including rules and the official entry form, visit www.alumni.umn.edu/100 and click on "Musical Cheer Contest."

--University of Minnesota Alumni Association

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Maroon and Gold Day at the fair
Join friends and supporters of the University of Minnesota from all over the Upper Midwest at the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday, Aug. 24, for the fifth annual Maroon and Gold Day celebration.

The jam-packed day, sponsored by Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que, features a smorgasbord of activities. Test your knowledge of University trivia in the Know Your U game on the University stage (outside the University building on Dan Patch Avenue two blocks west of Snelling Avenue) and win fabulous prizes--including gift certificates from Famous Dave's. You can also join in the fun with the University's Legendary Barbecue Blues Band and catch the U's 300-piece marching band at the Maroon and Gold Day parade.

Stop by the University's athletics booth inside the building to purchase the Famous Dave's Football Feast Package. For $40, you'll receive tickets to the Golden Gopher football home opener on Aug. 30, two long-sleeved football shirts, and a $20 gift certificate to any Famous Dave's restaurant. And kids will have the chance to meet not one but two mascots-Goldy Gopher and Famous Dave's Wilbur the Pig.

And visit the University of Minnesota Alumni Association booth on Maroon and Gold Day to pick up a free Goldy Gopher visor, while supplies last. Throughout the fair, the alumni association will be handing out scratch-off cards for a chance to win prizes.

See U of M Happenings section for information on the U's State Fair preview on Aug. 13.

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Cancer Center receives renewal and grant from NCI
The Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota has received renewal of its Comprehensive Cancer Center designation and a five-year grant of more than $17 million. The center is one of only 39 institutions in the nation to hold this designation, awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and it is given only to institutions that make ongoing, significant advances in cancer research.

Following its initial designation as an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center five years ago, the Cancer Center has grown to include 415 laboratory and clinical scientists, health care professionals, and staff. Since 1997, the center has seen an 82 percent increase in grants, climbing from $38.5 million to more than $80 million in grant funding during fiscal year 2002.

In addition to its research programs, the Cancer Center reaches nearly 160,000 Minnesotans every year through community outreach and public education

The University of Minnesota has been active in cancer research for decades and is home to several firsts in cancer research. Accomplishments include performing the world's first successful bone marrow transplant for lymphoma, discovering the cancer-preventing qualities of fruits and vegetables, proving nicotine is addictive, and creating the first animal model for studying, identifying, and disabling the cells responsible for causing bone cancer pain.

"The Cancer Center has also directly contributed to the dramatic increase in childhood cancer survival rates," says Dr. John Kersey, center director and a pioneer in leukemia and bone marrow transplantation research. "Not long ago, fewer than 25 percent of patients survived. Now, more than 75 percent are cured of their disease. These dramatic results illustrate the essential role of ongoing, innovative research in our fight against cancer."

In addition to its research programs, the Cancer Center reaches nearly 160,000 Minnesotans every year through community outreach and public education, and also actively works with diverse communities to provide culturally specific cancer information. The Cancer Center's information line, 1-888-CANCER MN, is staffed by oncology professionals who provide personalized answers to questions about cancer therapy and care. The latest information about cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment is also available online at www.cancer.umn.edu.

--Academic Health Center

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UMM to cut women's and men's wrestling, add women's swimming
The University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM), in a budget-driven move, has announced that it will eliminate its wrestling programs for women and men effective with the 2004-05 academic year. UMM will add the sport of women's swimming.

While addressing the need to reduce expenditures in a time of tightening operating budgets, the decision is also based on a number of other factors:

"The decision to end wrestling at UMM was not an easy one in light of the success of the talented students involved in our wrestling programs and the national visibility they've brought to our small campus," says Sandra Olson-Loy, UMM vice chancellor for student affairs. The wrestling program will continue for the coming year (2003-04).

The women's swimming program--which will begin in 2004-05--will continue UMM's commitment to strengthening sports opportunities for women. Although UMM currently sponsors nine sports for women and seven for men, 55 percent of student athletes are male and 45 percent female--within a student body that is 60 percent female.

In addition, high school participation in girls swimming is strong, UMM has excellent collegiate swimming facilities, and prospective and current students have expressed interest in a collegiate swim program at UMM.

--University of Minnesota, Morris, News Service

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The knee bone's connected to the muslo bone
Communicating with someone who speaks a different language can be awkward or even humorous, but miscommunication in a medical setting can be downright dangerous. Symptoms can be misinterpreted, leading to a faulty diagnosis, which can ultimately translate to flawed and potentially health-threatening treatment.

To address this growing concern-specifically in the Chicano/Latino community-the College of Continuing Education (CCE) began offering a Medical Spanish course last summer. The concept has proven to be a model of innovation, and one that improves health care.

The need for the Medical Spanish course stems in part from the rapid growth of the Chicano/Latino community, both in the Twin Cities and nationwide. According to the Minnesota State Demographer's Office, this population increased 166 percent between 1990 and 2000, which was the ninth-fastest growth rate for Chicanos/Latinos among the 47 states for which figures have been released.

María Emilce López, a native of Argentina and veteran teacher of both English and college-level Spanish, developed a course for health care workers that would help them communicate more effectively with their Spanish-speaking patients. Photo by Nancy Johnson.

María Emilce López, a native of Argentina and veteran teacher of both English and college-level Spanish, recognized that the burgeoning Chicano/Latino population was encountering a language barrier with U.S. medical practitioners who predominantly spoke little, if any, Spanish. So she developed a course for health care workers that would help them communicate more effectively with their Spanish-speaking patients.

Students who successfully complete the course should be able to use medical vocabulary in Spanish; ask questions and provide answers in Spanish for common medical situations; conduct patient interviews, medical histories, and physical exams in Spanish; and understand cultural factors that have an impact on health and health care for Chicano/Latino patients.

Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. "I took the class because I work in an area of St. Paul with a large Hispanic population," says physician Tim Hernandez. "Taking the course has improved my fluency tremendously. Many times, patients come without interpreters, and now I feel I understand at least 80 to 90 percent of what they say."

Another student, nursing assistant Heidi Flashinski, adds, "The class also covers the Latin American view of health care and the myths that influence how they view their diagnosis and treatment. That was so helpful, and not something you can learn from a Spanish-English dictionary."

Due to the positive response and demand for Medical Spanish, López is now developing Advanced Medical Spanish, which will be offered in spring 2004.

For more information about the fall 2003 Medical Spanish class (Span 144), which will be offered Thursday evenings from 6:10-8:15 p.m., call 612-624-4000 or see www.cce.umn.edu/potential.

Edited from an original story by HoJo Willenzik in cceTimes, summer 2003.

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Help with retirement planning
Many of us need help with retirement planning, and a University of Minnesota Extension Service publication may be just the ticket.

Some 53 percent of U.S. households have not calculated how much money they'll need to save by the time they retire. In addition, 51 percent of current workers think that they will be eligible for full Social Security retirement benefits before they actually will be.

Many people aren't aware of the phased increase in normal retirement age from 65 to 67 under Social Security, says Sharon Danes, family economist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service. Danes has written Planning Ahead for Retirement, and its chapter, "Will you be Able to Afford the Life You Want?" can help you estimate what postretirement life will cost, assist with figuring out how to take inflation into account, and help you calculate whether you can afford to retire early.

Copies of the publication are available from county offices of the U of M Extension Service. Order online ($14 plus shipping and handling and tax) at www.extension.umn.edu or by calling 800-876-8636, or (612) 624-4900 in the Twin Cities area. Ask for number 07775.

--University of Minnesota Extension Service

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Listening in on the party line
To the untrained ear, it's a cacophony of twitters, chirps, and whistles. To Jim Lind, it's a conversation between friends on an overloaded party line.

Jim Lind is one of 12 bird researchers at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

Lind is one of 12 bird researchers at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) who can listen to around 35 bird species chirping at once and tell you which song belongs to which bird. The researchers can recognize the calls of 120 birds, including two or three different calls for each species.

Lind can hear the difference between a Nashville Warbler, a Canada Warbler, a Black-throated Green Warbler, or a American Redstart Warbler--all of whom were singing away in Jay Cooke State Park (south of Duluth) in early July as the bird-monitoring field season was ending.

"I've always been interested in birding," says Lind. "This job takes us into areas of the forest that many people don't go, and I get to see birds many people don't get to see."

Researchers like Lind go to hundreds of specific spots in Minnesota and Wisconsin established more than a decade ago when the study began. They are in the woods when the birds begin their morning calls, sometimes as early as 4:30 a.m. The researchers listen for exactly 10 minutes, and note the species they hear inside and outside an approximate 100-meter circle.

NRRI has been monitoring bird populations in northern Minnesota forests for the past 12 years and has the largest database of its kind in the state. The study is funded primarily by the U.S. Forest Service, which is required by law to monitor indicators of their forests' health.

The project also receives funding from the Legislative Commission for Minnesota Resources. Bird census data is often requested by other universities for research projects or by individuals interested in birding.

Edited from an original story by June Kallestad in NRRI Now, winter 2003.

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U OF M HAPPENINGS

State Fair preview
Can't wait 'til the fair for food on a stick? Then stop by the University Bookstore in Coffman Memorial Union on the Twin Cities campus on Wednesday, Aug. 13, eight days before the fair begins. Purchase your gate admission tickets (discounted to $6), preview the University's State Fair offerings, pick up the latest M-Wear fashions for Maroon and Gold Day, meet U professor and State Fair expert Karal Ann Marling, and check out the Know Your U trivia game. You'll have another chance to win prizes, and you can catch a preview performance by the University's Legendary Barbeque Blues Band. Perhaps more important--you can enjoy funnel cakes, corn dogs, cheese curds, a pickle on a stick, and other fair-ly healthy treats at the restaurants in Coffman Union.

Arts and crafts festival at Glensheen Historic Estate
The University of Minnesota, Duluth's Glensheen Historic Estate will hold its 9th annual festival of fine arts and crafts on Saturday, Aug. 16, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than 50 artists will exhibit and sell unique creations. Admission, parking, and shuttle bus are free. For more information, call 218-726-8921.

More summer fun at the Arboretum
Experience the Insect Olympics, "Ask the Bug Doctor," build a bug with nature's treasures, and construct a butterfly net to take home--all at the Bugs and Plants Festival at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on Saturday, Aug. 16. Kurt Mead, dragonfly researcher and naturalist from Finland, Minn., will be at the Arboretum's Learning Center for a kid-friendly slide show (1-2:30 p.m.), storytelling and book signing (2:30-3:30 p.m.), and fieldwork exploration (3:30-4:30 p.m.). For more information, see www.arboretum.umn.edu.

Project Art for Nature
Inspired by a 2000 Bell Museum exhibit, 16 local artists have banded together to form Project Art for Nature, now at the Bell, to promote stewardship of threatened natural areas in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Printmaking, book arts, textiles, drawings, paintings, and sculpture depict areas of natural beauty and the threats they face. The exhibition runs through Aug. 31, 2003, and participants include Vera Ming Wong, Barbara Harman, Mimi Holmes, Wendy Lane, and others. For more information, call 612-624-7083 or visit bellmuseum.org.

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LINKS

Hey, Sports Fans! Check out sports news and schedules of the U's teams:

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Morris Cougars
Crookston Golden Eagles

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University of Minnesota Alumni Association: Connecting alumni for a century.

U of M Legislative Network: Read about the University's legislative request and how you can help.

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