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Past Issues
Minnesota House and Senate both passed a budget bill Feb. 21 to solve state deficit for the current biennium, but bill was vetoed by Gov. Ventura Feb. 25. Budget bill would cut state spending by $374 million, including $23.6 million from the U for fiscal year 2003 and $50.8 million for 2004-05 biennium. According to new February revenue forecast, state deficit will grow to almost $2.3 billion through 2003 and $3.2 billion by 2005. House and Senate were scheduled to meet in separate sessions Feb. 26 to consider veto override.
On Feb. 18, Senate passed a $1.2 billion bonding bill for the state, which includes funding for the U's entire $239.8 million capital request, plus $1.5 million to renovate and update Vet Diagnostic Laboratory on the TC campus in St. Paul. An amendment was also added allowing the U to use the design-build method of construction delivery under certain circumstances. U also presented its 2002 capital request to the House Higher Education Finance Committee Feb. 22. Request was heard by the House Capital Investment Committee Feb. 26.
Legislators across the state are hosting town hall meetings to hear about issues important to their constituents. See www.umn.edu/govrel/alert1.htm.
Joint Gopher/Vikings stadium proposal was rejected by House Governmental Operations and Veterans Affairs Committee but approved by Senate State and Local Government Operations Committee. Senate Taxes Committee will vote on bill Feb. 28.
President Yudof met with National Institute of Health (NIH) officials in Washington D.C. Feb. 18-20 about neuroscience and literacy issues. NIH is interested in sponsoring research exploring biological contributors to literacy; U is hoping to develop a research proposal that meets the NIH needs.
U submitted testimony Feb. 6 at the eco-terrorism hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Resources. Committee, concerned about escalating violence from radical environmental groups, was looking for examples where Earth Liberation Fund (ELF) had taken credit for vandalism and destruction. ELF has claimed responsibility for Jan. 26 fire that destroyed soil testing lab on TC campus in St. Paul and a greenhouse fire 2 years ago.
CBS dean Elde said the U community is disturbed that "ELF's actions were based on inadequate information…they believe our research is harmful to the environment (when) in fact, the opposite is true." He said Microbial and Plant Genomics facility "was designed to offer an open environment for genomics research where everyone and all points of view would be welcome," but the U may be forced to secure the building and restrict access following recent incident.
Fire damage is estimated at $250,000, but figures are expected to be higher after lost research is calculated. Congress may pass legislation later this year addressing "agro-terrorism" and laboratory security.
School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) will offer new master's degree in health journalism starting fall 2002. One-year program, created by SJMC and School of Public Health, aims to improve public communication about health affairs. Class topics will include fundamentals of social and behavioral science and media ethics. For more information, see www.sjmc.umn.edu.
More than 50 volunteers participated in the U's legislative calling nights Feb. 5-6 and Feb. 11-13. Approximately 1,836 calls were made to members of the U's Legislative Network, alumni, and friends. Of those contacted, 653 people said they had already contacted or were planning to contact their legislators in support of the U's 2002 capital request.
"Beyond the U" radio show (WCCO-830) by Mark and Judy Yudof will be March 5, 1-2 p.m. Guests include Gopher basketball coach Brenda Oldfield and CBS dean Elde. To call in, 612-989-9226; questions and show ideas, e-mail beyondu@umn.edu.
March Kiosk, faculty and staff newspaper, should be in your mailboxes. Read about increased security at the U, the Large Binocular Telescope issue, and Gopher coach Oldfield.
CROOKSTON--Annual International Dinner Series begins March 4 with "China: Civilization and Modernization," by Baizhou Chen, UMC student from Xiamen, China, and continues through March. Dinner starts 6 p.m. in Brown dining room; program at 7 p.m. will be in Bede Ballroom.
Spring Convocation will be March 6, 10 a.m., Bede Ballroom. Guest speaker is Shawna Olson, coanchor "Fox News at Nine"-KVRR TV, Fargo. Academic and athletic achievements will also be acknowledged.
DULUTH--Theatre students won top awards at the Region V American College Theatre Festival (ACTF) and will perform at national ACTF in Kennedy Center, Washington D.C., in April--Andrew Bennet, acting (Pegah Kadkhodaian was first alternate); Brook Carl, makeup; and Jeffrey Peterson, scenic design. Alumnus Adam Hummel won the playwrighting award for his script, The Movie Game.
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Duluth Writers' Workshop on Lake Superior will be June 12-18. Faculty include Robert Olen Butler, fiction; Patricia Weaver Francisco, memoir and personal essay; and Henry Taylor, poetry. Cost is $495. See www.d.umn.edu/goto/writers or call 218-726-8996.
UMD Theatre presents Top Girls Feb. 28-March 3 and March 5-9, 8 p.m., Marshall Performing Arts Center. Play is feminist critique of 1970s Bourgeois Feminist Movement. Call 218-726-8561 for tickets.
Alumni Association book drive at Duluth Barnes & Noble March 4-9 will offer 10% discount for donation to Darland Connection tutoring program. March 9 will feature 11 a.m. story-time with guest reader Duluth police chief Scott Lyons.
MORRIS--Annual Broadway dinner, "Take You to the World," will be March 1-2, 6 p.m., Oyate Hall. Vice chancellor Schwaller will perform in "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General." Tickets are $17 (dinner and show); call 320-589-6123.
Nancy Carpenter, associate professor of chemistry, received the 2002 UMM Alumni Association Teaching Award for outstanding contributions to undergraduate education. She will speak at the Student Honors and Awards ceremony May 9, 7 p.m.
More than 20 students and staff attended the 26th Pan African Student Leadership Conference at Minnesota State U Feb. 20-24. Goal of the conference was to build student leadership and to discuss the causes and effects of issues concerning people of African origin.
ROCHESTER--For the 2nd year, UMR is sponsoring "Beat the Odds," an event to recognize adults who have overcome obstacles in their lives to go to college. Celebration will be Feb. 28. In the fall, Rochester recipient will attend classes on the TC campus.
TWIN CITIES--U Libraries has launched the IMAGES (Image Megadata AGgregation for Enhanced Searching) initiative to encourage digital content producers across campus to share metadata (descriptive information) about their digital collections. System architecture will permit distributed content storage, so owners retain maximum control over content while reaping the benefits of greater user discovery and access. For more information, see digital.lib.umn.edu/IMAGES.
Departments requiring new Minneapolis White and Yellow Pages should call Ed Rosenkoetter at 1-888-257-4115 ext. 363 or e-mail edr@dirxionsoftware.com. Directories are also available electronically; departments are encouraged to request this alternative to reduce 120 tons of directories delivered annually to campus. St. Paul White and Yellow pages will be available in August and September.
Telephone system upgrade is scheduled for WBOB, Opus, and supercomputing institute March 1; all other West Bank buildings March 15. For details, see www.umn.edu/oit/telephoneupgrade.
Virtual tour of renovated Coffman Union is available at www.coffman.umn.edu/renovation/tour.php.
Thomas Morley, retired professor of plant biology, died Feb. 2 at his home in St. Paul. Morley, 85, was a strong advocate for the preservation of nature and an early champion of buckthorn eradication in Minnesota. Memorial funds may be contributed to the U of M Lake Itasca Forestry and Biological Station.
Events: CBS Career and Internship Fair, March 1, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center. See www.cbs.umn.edu/careerfair.
• Free community forum and discussion, "Axis of Evil? Islam, the U.S., and the New Global Order," by MacArthur Program/Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change and U's Institute for Global Studies, March 1, 7 p.m., Whitney Auditorium, Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Call 612-626-7487 or see www.icgc.umn.edu/axisofevil.htm.
Lectures: "Sudden Cardiac Death: a Public Health Crisis" by Mayo professor Russell Leupker, Feb. 28, 4 p.m., 2-530 Moos Tower.
• "Bioweapons: How to See Through the Hype," March 2, 3:30 p.m., Minnesota Commons Room, St. Paul Student Center.
• McKnight Summer Fellows presentations, "Craft workers, Independence, and Masculinity in the Late Middle Ages," "Teaching Shakespeare's Class-Consciousness," and "Bushwacking at Versailles: The Novel and Its Margins During the Reign of Louis XIV," will be March 6, 3:30-5 p.m., Nolte Library.
• "Restorative Gardens," featuring research on the effects of plants and gardens on emotional and physical well-being, March 6, 4 p.m., 110 Green Hall.
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