September 2, 2003, Northern Today Abridged
Save the Date
NIU President John Peters will deliver his annual State of the University Address at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in the Carl Sandburg Auditorium of the Holmes Student Center. A reception will follow.
Huskies scores national acclaim
with victory over Maryland
The Huskies hit the big time Thursday night, exploding on the national football scene with their 20-13 upset of No. 14 Maryland.
Actually, the Huskies burst on the scene much earlier in the day when the USA Today Sports section featured running back Michael “The Burner” Turner as its front page feature story. It was the highlight of a wave of pre-game publicity that included stories in every major newspaper in Chicago, Rockford and the suburbs.
It was the start of a whirlwind that would conclude Monday morning when, for the first time in recent memories, the Huskies received votes in both major national football rankings, coming it at No. 33 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, and No. 30 in the Associated Press Poll.
By 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the media frenzy reached yet another peak when Fox Sports Net went live to Huskie Stadium, giving sports fans nationwide (a potential viewership of nearly 95 million homes) their first glimpse of more than 28,000 screaming NIU fans packed into Huskie Stadium. It was the first sellout at the stadium since the construction of the east grandstand in 1995.
Sports Information Director Mike Korcek said a record number of press passes were issued for the game. Representatives from more than 40 different media outlets – newspapers, Web sites, magazines, television and radio stations – were on hand to watch the game, including writers from the Tribune, Sun-Times, Washington Post, Baltimore Sun and USA Today.
They were treated to a pitched battle that went into overtime, culminating in what the Aurora Beacon News dubbed “The Immaculate Deflection” – a potential game-tying end zone pass that bounced off of the leg of defensive back Rob Lee and into the hands of fellow Huskie Randee Drew to end the game.
That breathtaking finish pushed the Huskie hype to even higher levels.
Almost before the cheering at Huskie Stadium had died down, the Drew interception was being featured on ESPN as the play of the day in their daily Top 10. Wideout P.J. Fleck’s diving touchdown catch, earlier in the game, ranked third on that list.
By Friday morning, the Huskies were national news. As one of only two Thursday night games in the nation featuring a Top 25 team, the story was featured in virtually every sports section in the country, all with headlines trumpeting the Huskies victory, using adjectives such as “stunning” and “shocking.”
Locally, Fox Sport Net Chicago reported that the game drew an average local rating of 1.31 over the course of the evening. Viewership peaked during the fourth quarter and overtime at 2.81. To put those numbers in perspective, the game between third-ranked Miami and Louisiana Tech, which aired opposite the NIU game on ESPN, garnered a rating of 0.39 in Chicago.
“My congratulations go out to Coach Novak and his team, Athletic Director Cary Groth and to Sports Information Director Mike Korcek,” NIU President John Peters said. “Thursday’s game was an almost once-in-a-lifetime chance to put the university on display nationally, and they made the most of this opportunity. The value of such positive publicity can not be overrated and I commend them for all they did to put NIU in the best possible light. Hopefully, it will be the first of many such opportunities.”
New Morgridge Chair focuses on classroom technology
For years, Sharon Smaldino was happy to follow her audiologist husband as his professional obligations moved them around to several different states.
Trained as a speech pathologist, she later would work with deaf children as a special education teacher. Then, believing she needed experience teaching regular children, she earned a degree in elementary education. She had opportunities to work in elementary classrooms as well as special programs.
But a move to Carbondale – and her treasured Apple IIe – would change everything.
Smaldino found a position working with socially and emotionally disturbed deaf adolescents who had been booted from regular schools and sent to a residential program.
“I realized I was in a little over my head and needed more education,” said Smaldino, NIU’s new LD and Ruth G. Morgridge Chair in Teacher Education and Preparation in the College of Education. “I ended up in a doctoral program which proved to be an opportunity to explore computer technology as it was beginning to enter into the classroom.”
There, as Smaldino witnessed the emerging popularity of personal computers, she began to ponder the most effective use of the new technology in classrooms. And, one morning, she loaded her Apple IIe in the car and lugged it to her classroom of “ornery” students. Their eyes shone with intrigue.
So she brought the computer again the next day, and the day after that, deciding to carry all of its heavy and assorted parts with her from home to school each morning and night.
“This was what captured their attention,” she said. “This was what made them want to study.”
After 16 years as a faculty member in educational technology at the University of Northern Iowa, Smaldino has come to DeKalb to lead the school-university partnership efforts in the College of Education. She replaces Donna Wiseman, who left NIU for the University of Maryland.
Smaldino’s focus, of course, is use of technology in the classroom.
“I want to make technology a fun thing for everyone,” she said. “I want them to see its value and worth and enjoy what they do with it. Technology should not be work, it should make work easier and more productive.”
NIU’s College of Education has formal partnerships with eight Illinois schools or districts, including DeKalb, Glen Ellyn, Elgin, Kaneland, Machesney Park Harlem, Rochelle, West Chicago, and the Rockford Environmental Science Academy, and has initiated partnership agreements with Chicago and Rockford. The program aims to keep teacher education programs and school districts in perfect step so university faculty are aware of changes in elementary and secondary schools while school district teachers and administrators are aware of changes in the preparation of teachers.
Smaldino and her husband, Joseph, who has joined NIU’s Department of Communicative Disorders, are the parents of two adult sons.
Japanese visitors take bite of NIU dietetics curriculum
Nine Japanese dietitians came to NIU last week for a taste of the nutrition and dietetics program in the School of Family, Consumer and Nutrition Sciences – starting with a spoonful of soup in the Chandelier Room.
The school, in the College of Health and Human Sciences, hosted the Far East visitors Wednesday afternoon as part of a two-week tour of the United States to learn more about diet and nutrition in this country.
“In Japan, dietetics is not as well developed as it is in this country,” said Ellen Parham, professor and coordinator of NIU’s nutrition, dietetics and hospitality administration program.
“In this country, dietetics education involves a baccalaureate degree, plus a practice program – an internship, usually. About half of the registered dietitians have advanced degrees. In Japan, dietitians are primarily trained in a two-year program, and, not unexpectedly, the graduates do not get a lot of respect in the medical community where they function, which limits the contribution they can make.”
Compounding the problem is the state of nutritional thinking in Japan and a generational clash between older and younger dietitians.
Cherry Voight, an NIU alumna and nutrition services coordinator for Advocate Home Care Products Inc. who accompanied the Japanese group, said the typical current Japanese diet mirrors those found in the United States of the 1950s. After World War II, Voight said, dietitians concentrated solely on ending malnutrition rather than heart disease, diabetes or obesity.
“People were starving,” she explained.
Dietetic curriculum, meanwhile, centers more on a “home ec” model of how to cook food. It pays little attention to a patient’s disease type or nutritional needs, Voight said, and NIU’s visitors want to know more about such clinical and human nutritional aspects built into U.S. programs.
Abbott Laboratories and its Ross Products Division, which is involved in assisting and encouraging an upgrade of the education and training of dietitians in Japan, sponsored the trip.
Parham said the visitors found “dietetics education at its best” at NIU.
“Ours is a full-service program,” Parham said. “A professional group sets the competencies a dietitian should have. We take those competencies and say, ‘If our students are supposed to be able to do this, what experiences must we give them?’ We have designed our classes to provide those competencies.”
Gilbert Drive work to wrap in October
Work to replace Gilbert Drive continues to kick up dust, with completion targeted for Oct. 1.
“Had we simply set out to replace the road this summer, we would have been done by now,” said James Bryant, director of NIU Architectural and Engineering Services, “but we are trying to accomplish several objectives at once.”
Foremost among those objectives was the installation of pipes to transport chilled water around the east campus. That work, part of a long-term plan to make campus air conditioning more economical and ecologically friendly, took until July 1 to complete.
Since then, the university has been working to replace aging infrastructure beneath the road bed.
“Our records show that that road was built about 50 years ago, and all of the water pipes, electrical ducts, drainage pipes, etc., are at least that old,” Bryant said, “so rather than put ourselves in a position where in a few years we might have to dig up a new road to replace old infrastructure, we decided to tackle all of that now.”
With that additional work came some additional delays and inconvenience, such as obtaining a permit from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which slowed work to a crawl in early August.
There will be more headaches in early September when the replacement of electrical duct work will spill over to College Avenue, Bryant said, meaning traffic on that street will find only one lane for about a week.
“We realize this is causing some major inconveniences for many people, but we ask for just a bit more patience,” said Bryant, who believes the end result will prove worth the wait. “When the job is done, what was once one of the worst roadways on campus will be vastly improved for years to come.”
NIU observatory still has a great view of Mars
If you missed your chance last week to get a good look at Mars – when the planet was closer to Earth than it has been in nearly 60,000 years – it’s still not too late.
“The view of Mars will remain spectacular through mid-October,” says Andrew Morrison, manager of the observatory atop Davis Hall.
The observatory is providing a steady stream of visitors with a telescopic view of the mysterious Red Planet. Morrison, a graduate student in physics, kept the observatory open nightly last week to accommodate the public.
The facility returns to its normal schedule this week. Faculty, staff and students can set their sights on Mars from 9 to 11 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through October. The Red Planet is now receding from Earth, but it’s still unusually close.
“Normally, the planet doesn’t appear this big,” Morrison said. “We can see not only the south polar ice cap but also the surface features that stretch across Mars. We won’t have a view this good for another 200 years.”
Move-In volunteers help 3,700 new faces
Move-In Day 2003 might have been the ultimate in warm welcomes for new students, and not just because of the temperatures.
With a heat index that soared to 107 degrees, the weather was dangerously hot, NIU staff meteorologist Gilbert Sebenste said. However, the 1,000-plus NIU faculty, students and staff who turned out despite the heat helped arriving students and their families keep their cool, sparing them from much of the heavy lifting and hauling that many anticipated would be part of their day.
“Everyone involved in Move-In Day this year really went above and beyond the call of duty,” said NIU President John Peters, who himself spent a couple of hours moving and greeting students. “The weather was oppressive and the crowds were enormous, but every single person out there went to great lengths to make everyone feel welcome and move them in quickly. It was really quite amazing.”
Many of the parents who dropped off students shared that sentiment.
“[There were] no traffic jams. No waiting on an elevator for one to two hours. No feeling that you were on your own. From the campus police that directed us off of I-88 to the CA on my daughter’s floor, they made us feel welcome,” said Kim Beasley, a mother who is a veteran of several move-ins at Eastern Illinois and Illinois State, all of which she said paled in comparison to NIU.
“It was a delightful way to begin a new college career,” wrote Mark Wagner, an alumnus who was dropping off his son for his freshman year. “It’s certainly a reflection of the strategic thinking that has kept NIU as one of the state’s popular universities to attend. As a ’79 grad, I have witnessed many positive changes to the landscape of NIU over the years. Keep up the wonderful work.”
Such high praise was welcome, but not surprising news to Director of Student Housing and Dining Michael Coakley. “I think this was the best Move-In Day we have had since we began using the golf carts,” Coakley said. “It just went very smoothly, there were very few complaints and the people who worked it seemed to have a good time.”
Among the keys to dramatically speeding up the process this year was a new check-in procedure that required students to merely swipe in with their One Card, and a new traffic pattern that kept cars off of city streets.
Sorensen outlines COE challenges, opportunities
“The future’s so bright” in the College of Education, Dean Chris Sorensen has told faculty, despite continued financial concerns and added demands.
Sorensen delivered an upbeat but realistic picture of the year ahead during her annual all-college meeting, held the Wednesday before classes began.
Familiar trials of fiscal resources, accountability requirements and multiple demands have continued to mount, she said, but the college is “going well” and “moving forward.” More than 5,000 students are pursuing degrees or professional development in the College of Education.
“Despite the challenges and the difficult choices we have had to make over the past year, the work of the college is going well. We are moving forward. We have the will to succeed – and where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Sorensen said. “We’ve weathered the storm quite well so far, but we were only able to do so because of the dedication of our faculty and staff.”
NIU physics professor strikes a chord with Scots
Thomas Rossing’s recent visit to the University of Edinburgh resonated with the Scots in ways both big and small.
The NIU physics professor spent five months as a Leverhulme Visiting Professor at the 420-year-old university in Scotland’s capital city. Rossing delivered a series of lectures on the physics of music and conducted research on the physics of bagpipe reeds.
As a prelude to his first lecture on the acoustics of violins, Rossing visited the Museum of Musical Instruments. There he examined the world’s biggest violin, built by American instrument maker Carleen Hutchins, and the world’s smallest playable violin, made in England in the 18th century.
Rossing also lectured on the perception of musical sound as well as on the acoustics of singing, woodwind instruments and ancient Chinese bells. He is considered among the world’s top researchers in musical acoustics and has helped researchers and students alike literally see music.
NIU professor lobs nutritional advice to tennis stars
Pete Sampras and Michael Chang walked away from professional tennis careers last month with more than their memories.
The tennis aces, along with many of their counterparts on the court, know how to eat well thanks to NIU professor Judith M. Lukaszuk.
Lukaszuk, who is director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics in the School of Family, Consumer and Nutrition Sciences, made her annual trip to the U.S. Open in late August to teach coaches how to feed their star athletes.
Lukaszuk typically uses the forum to recommend tennis players, like all athletes, stick to a high carbohydrate diet with proper amounts of fruits and vegetables, whole wheat breads, whole wheat pasta and high-fiber cereals, along with phytonutrients that help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
But this year’s talk, “Follow Through with Nutritional Supplements,” concentrated on current regulation of the dietary supplement industry.
The Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act, passed by Congress in 1994, relaxed provisions on what supplement manufacturers can claim about their products and placed the burden on the Food and Drug Administration to prove that a supplement is harmful, Lukaszuk said. Only with hard evidence that a claim is false or misleading can the FDA take action.
“The coaches sitting in on my lecture were concerned because no tennis athletes are checked for illegal use of nutritional supplements, unless they are competing at the Olympic level,” she said.
Mortar Board College Honor Society
presents three honorary memberships
Mortar Board has presented Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society honorary membership to three individuals who have made notable contributions to society and whose influence has extended beyond the university.
Dennis Barsema, president, CEO and chairman of the board of Onetta, Inc., is the director of the NIU Foundation. He also is director of Docutek, Inc., and chairman of Telenisus Corp. Barsema attended NIU and the College of DuPage. In 2000, he donated $20 million to NIU to fund a new building to house the College of Business.
Nancy Nuzzo, associate professor in the School of Allied Health Professions in the College of Health and Human Sciences, has been shaping the education of NIU students for the past 13 years. Nuzzo received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Elmhurst College, a bachelor’s in physical therapy from NIU and a doctorate in physiology and biophysics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is active in the American Physical Therapy Association.
Rick Ridnour, an associate professor in the Department of Marketing in the NIU College of Business, has been teaching in the department for 14 years and is published in more than a dozen scholarly journals. He holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in education from Iowa State University.
Mortar Board is a national honor society that recognizes college seniors for outstanding achievement in scholarship, leadership and service. For more information, visit www.mortarboard.org.
Newsom receives lifetime service award
Randall Newsom, coordinator of dance, ballet and modern dance in the School of Theatre and Dance in the NIU College of Visual and Performing Arts, has received a lifetime service award from the Chicago Dance and Music Alliance Award Panel.
The award is in recognition of his many and varied contributions to generations of young dancers.
Chicago Dance and Music Alliance provides direct services to members engaged in all genres of dance and music in the Chicago area, acts as an advocate on their behalf and disseminates information about their activities to the general public.
NIU geologist joins U.S. delegation
in partnership with New Zealand
NIU geologist Ross Powell joined a U.S. delegation this summer as it negotiated a bilateral partnership with New Zealand on climate change.
Powell, a native of New Zealand and an expert on the ice sheet dynamics and geological record of the Antarctic, provided scientific input during the negotiations. Harlan Watson, senior climate negotiator for the Bush administration, headed the delegation.
NIU Co-op Program hosts Fall Internship Career Fair
The NIU Cooperative Education/Internship Program will host its second Fall Internship Career Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, in response to requests from Co-op employers recruiting co-ops and interns.
The fair is held in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center. Deadline to register for table space is Monday, Sept. 22.
Last year’s fair attracted more than 1,400 students from all academic areas and 50 employers. As a service to on-campus programs, the co-op tries to accommodate – free of charge – any unit that uses interns in its program. No buffet lunch is provided this year, but the co-op will offer a “guest card” to any of the Holmes Student Center food vendors. Those who wish to go to the Pheasant Room must make advance reservations for that day at 753-1307.
For more information on the fair and a list of employers attending, please visit www.niu.edu/coop.
SPS hosts orientation, information day
NIU’s Supportive Professional Staff will host an orientation and information day from 8 to 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, in the Heritage Room of the Holmes Student Center.
Sponsors are the SPS Council and Human Resource Services.
“Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About SPS (but Didn’t Know Who to Ask)” will answer questions about who the SPS are, SPS personal processes and perks or NIU, where to go for assistance, employee wellness at NIU and getting connected with SPS around campus.
Information packets are door prizes are included. Join all SPS for an informal lunch after the program at the Blackhawk Café. RSVP at 753-6039.
Childhood motor development program offered
An early childhood motor development program will be offered by NIU’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
The 10-week program for children ages 3 to 6 runs from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays from Sept. 15 to Nov. 19. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis. The program fee is $100 per term and is held in NIU’s Anderson Hall.
Clersida Garcia, director of the program, said the curriculum includes learning movement concepts, developing fundamental motor skills, coordination, swimming and rhythmical abilities as well as games at fitness.
Call Garcia at 753-1400 for more information.
NIU golf programs announces Huskie Golf Day
The NIU golf programs announce the merger between the former “Huskie Pro-Am” and “NIU CO-Am” events: HUSKIE GOLF DAY will be held Friday, Sept. 26, at Whisper Creek Golf Club in Huntley.
During the course of the 18-hole scramble, participants will be able to meet and play with all members and staff of the Huskie men’s and women’s golf teams as they rotate through the field. Interested participants can sign up a team of four or leave the pairings to the tournament committee.
The day’s experience will include special NIU welcoming gift, driving range and unlimited practice prior to play, golf, cart, an on-course box lunch and beverages. Upon the conclusion of play, a hearty Italian buffet will be served, prizes awarded and winners of raffle, silent and live auction prizes will be presented. Non-golfers can participate and support the event by attending the dinner and auctions.
Individual HUSKIE GOLF DAY entry is $225. The cost for dinner only is $35, and sponsorship opportunities also are available. For more information on the event, or to register by the Sept. 19 deadline, call the NIU Huskie golf offices at 753-1816 (men’s) or 753-1548 (women’s).
Community School of the Arts offers fall classes for artists
This fall, the NIU Community School of the Arts offers six great art classes for artists ages 6 to adult. Classes are held in the Art Building (Jack Arends Hall) or Still Hal. All materials are supplied.
Saturday Art Class for Children returns Sept. 20. Children work on unique projects in this immensely popular class for ages 6 to 14. Class meets from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. for five weeks.
While children are enjoying the Saturday Art Class, parents can gain experience in acrylic painting. Learn the fundamentals of working with this exciting medium. Each student creates two pictures, one from a still life and the second an individual project based on a portrait or landscape. Established artist and longtime teacher Carol Hegarty teaches this class, scheduled for the same dates and times as the Saturday Art Class. Ages 13 and older are welcome.
Animal Art for Children and Parents is a new class for children ages 6 and older. The child and a parent work together to create two- and three-dimensional animals, real or imaginary, using a variety of materials and techniques. Talented teacher and artist Cynthia de Seife is the instructor. The class meets three times, from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturdays, beginning Nov. 1.
Oil Painting for Adults is for those 14 and older. Learn how to translate a photographic image and still-life using various techniques. Students learn about the medium of oil paint, basic composition and how to mix colors. Experienced teacher and artist Danielle Barton teaches the class, which meets from 2 to 4:30 p.m. on eight Sundays beginning Oct. 19.
Join talented cartoonist John Calimee from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Fridays for an adult cartooning class. Learn the fundamentals of cartooning and comic book illustrations. The goal is to learn to use cartooning skills to tell a story, moving from the simple to the complex. Class is for ages 16 and older.
Pen and Ink is the first of three Building Blocks of Drawing classes to be offered by experienced teacher Victoria Peel this year. Learn to create a drawing using the traditional pen and ink methods, including cross-hatching and washes. Class is for ages 13 and older and meets from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. for five Saturdays beginning Oct. 25.
The NIU Community School of the Arts offers a wide variety of arts programming for children and adults in music, theatre and art. For more information, call Renee Page at 753-1450 or check out the Web site at www.vpa.niu.edu.
Community School for the Arts offers fall classes for musicians
Young musicians interested in playing in a symphony orchestra or a jazz band may audition for the CSA Sinfonia or the CSJazz Band between 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, in the NIU Music Building. Those interested in auditioning must call 753-1450 for an assigned time.
Strings, winds, brass and percussion players from middle school through age 20 are invited to audition for CSA Sinfonia, which explores masterpieces from the 20th century, baroque, classical and romantic periods. Weekly rehearsals are from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays.
Linc Smelser, well-known cellist and conductor of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, is the director of the orchestra. A graduate of the University of Arizona, he received his master’s degree and performer’s certificate from NIU. He teaches cello for the NIU Community School of the Arts and is on the faculty of the NIU School of Music.
CSJazz Band is a top regional jazz big band that plays the classics by Ellington, Basie, and others. Weekly rehearsals are from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. Sundays. Players should have at least a minimal proficiency in tone production, sight-reading, improvisation and understand different styles used in jazz music.
Those between the ages of 14 and 20 who play saxophone, trombone, trumpet, piano, guitar, bass, drums and vocals are invited to audition for the CSJazz Band. Johan Eriksson conducts the band. A saxophonist and recent member of the NIU Jazz Ensemble, he has much experience as a jazz band director and recently completed his master’s degree in jazz pedagogy at NIU.
The NIU Community School of the Arts has several other ensembles, including a Celtic band (ages 13 to adult), steelband (ages 14 - 19), junior string orchestra (all ages), jazz combo (all ages), saxophone ensemble (all ages) and string ensemble (junior and senior high school).
The NIU Community School of the Arts offers a wide variety of arts programming for children and adults in music, theatre and art. For more information, call Renee Page at 753-1450 or check out the Web site at www.vpa.niu.edu.
Community School for the Arts offers fall courses for young musicians
Do your toddlers and pre-schoolers enjoy singing, dancing and listening to music? The NIU Community School of the Arts offers several music classes for very young children.
The early childhood classes of Prelude, Prelude Plus, Gavotte and Development offer children an opportunity to learn music at an early age. Activities in the classes are progressive, but children can join at any point in the cycle. The music classes are taught by Jodeen Coulter and Kristin Taylor on Saturday mornings and Monday evenings.
The Prelude Class can be your child’s first musical experience. For children ages 1 and 2, children listen, sing, and move in time to the music. This class meets from 9:15 to 9:45 a.m. for 12 Saturdays from Sept. 6 to Nov. 22.
For children ages 2 and 3, Prelude Plus expands on the basics of music by adding simple instruments to the other rhythmic and aural exercises. The class meets from 9:55 to 10:25 a.m. for 12 Saturdays from Sept. 6 to Nov. 22.
The Gavotte Class begins the transition from listening to making music for children ages 3 and 4. Classes meet from 10:35 to 11:10 a.m. for 12 Saturdays from Sept. 6 to Nov. 22, or from 6 to 6:35 p.m. Mondays from Sept. 8 to Nov. 24.
Children gain greater skill in singing and learning instrument families and develop ensemble skills by playing percussion instruments in the Development Class. This class meets from 11:20 - 11:55 a.m. Saturdays from Sept. 6 to Nov. 22, and from 6:45 to 7:20 p.m. Mondays from Sept. 8 to Nov. 24, and is for children ages 4 to 6.
The NIU Community School of the Arts offers a wide variety of arts programming for children and adults in music, theatre and art. For more information, call Renee Page at 753-1450 or check out the Web site at www.vpa.niu.edu.
Community School of the Arts offers theater classes for children
Children get to act to their hearts’ content in two theatre classes offered this fall by the NIU Community School of the Arts. Imagination Station is for ages 5 to 8 and Theatre Games is for ages 8 to 13. Both classes are taught on the NIU campus.
Get your imagination in gear, because it’ll be in for a wild ride. Imagination Station is scheduled from 2 to 3 p.m. for four Saturdays beginning Sept. 13.
Children learn to expand their imaginations by looking at the world and wondering about what they see. Curiosity exercises lead to the telling of fairy tales and the creation of new fairy tales by the group.
Teacher Christopher Hibbard is studying for his master’s of fine arts degree in the NIU School of Theatre and Dance. He has worked with young people in improvisation workshops.
Theatre Games is a fun way to learn various theatre techniques and games and develop the ability to be a natural actor. Discover exciting ways to find characters and stage situations. The class is taught from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Sundays beginning Oct. 26.
Teacher Lisa Comer is a student in the School of Theatre and Dance, where she is working on a fine arts degree in acting. She has worked as a vocal coach for middle-school students and taught Theatre Games for the community school this summer.
The NIU Community School of the Arts offers a wide variety of arts programming for children and adults in music, theatre and art. For more information, call Renee Page at 753-1450 or check out the Web site at www.vpa.niu.edu.
Community School of the Arts offers steel pan classes
Enjoy a truly different musical experience by joining the CSA Steel Band.
The group will meet in the Music Building on the NIU campus from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays beginning Sept. 15.
Students ages 14 to 19 learn how play jazz, calypso and classical music on this unique percussion instrument. The class is geared toward the beginning level, but students are expected to have had at least one year of music lessons on a different instrument.
Teacher Malika Green is working on her degree in music performance at NIU, where she studies with Liam Teague. She has worked with groups of young pannists as a summer camp instructor.
The NIU Community School of the Arts offers a wide variety of arts programming for children and adults in music, theatre and art. For more information, call Renee Page at 753-1450 or check out the Web site at www.vpa.niu.edu.
Community School of the Arts offers musical speech, language development
Children with special needs between the ages of 18 months and 8 years are invited to join a class specially designed to help speech and language development using music.
Singing, movement and simple musical instruments are used to help children who have speech delays and/or challenges. Speech elements to be explored through music are breath control, vocal production and articulation.
Teacher Carol Stubbs is the founder and director of the Northern Illinois Children’s Chorus and has taught early education classes for many years. She has a master’s degree in vocal performance and pedagogy from NIU.
The Music for Special Needs Children class is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of DeKalb, which covers the cost of tuition for all students. Parents are asked to pay the community school’s registration fee of $15 for the 12-week class, which meets on at 7 p.m. Thursdays in the NIU Music Building and at 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays at the First Lutheran Church in DeKalb.
The NIU Community School of the Arts offers a wide variety of arts programming for children and adults in music, theatre and art. For more information, call Renee Page at 753-1450 or check out the website at www.vpa.niu.edu.
Community School of the Arts offers classes in Celtic music
The CSA Celtic Band invites flutists, harpists, guitarists, fiddlers (violinists) and banjo players to join together to experience the lilting, haunting melodies from the Celtic tradition of Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
The band will meet in the Music Building on the NIU campus of Northern Illinois University from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays beginning Sept. 8. Students ages 13 to adult are expected to have at least one year of playing experience.
Carl Johnson has extensive teaching and performing experience on the harp. He is working on his degree in music performance at the NIU School of Music, and has taught workshops and classes on the harp at festivals and conferences.
The NIU Community School of the Arts offers a wide variety of arts programming for children and adults in music, theatre and art. For more information, call Renee Page at 753-1450 or check out the Web site at www.vpa.niu.edu.
Community School of the Arts offers classes for guitarists
Guitar players, both beginning and intermediate level, are invited to the Group Guitar Workshop for Adults.
Sponsored by the NIU Community School of the Arts, the classes are taught Mondays in the Music Building on the NIU campus. The workshops are for ages 17 and older.
The beginning workshop is a starter class that takes students through the process of learning notes and chords to progressions and scales. Students learn to play songs in different styles, such as jazz, blues and folk. Class meets from 4 to 4:45 p.m. for 12 weeks beginning Sept. 8.
The intermediate workshop encourages students to work on more difficult chords, with in-depth reading studies. Students play in ensembles and are given conceptual ideas that apply to improvisation and the writing of music. Class meets from 5 to 5:45 p.m. for 12 weeks beginning Sept. 8.
Teacher Nick Fryer is a graduate student in the NIU School of Music. He has taught guitar since 1996 and plays with the NIU Jazz Ensemble, as well as with his own jazz group, the Nick Fryer Trio.
The NIU Community School of the Arts offers a wide variety of arts programming for children and adults in music, theatre and art. For more information, call Renee Page at 753-1450 or check out the Web site at www.vpa.niu.edu.
Spring Children’s Literature Conference to focus on innovation, change
The 24th Annual Children’s Literature Conference is scheduled for March 12 and 13. The theme for this year’s conference is “Innovation and Change in Children’s Literature.”
Featured speakers include Eric Rohmann, Will Hobbs, Candace Fleming, Ann Carlson Weeks, Eliza Dresang and Philip Crawford.
Graduate course credit and Illinois CPDUs are available through NIU upon completion.
Call NIU’s College of Education Office of External Programs at 753-6954 or 753-3005 or by e-mail at jklock@niu.edu or jcrotchett@niu.edu for registration information. Check the Web site at http://www.cedu.niu.edu/litconf/ for more information.
Correction
In a previous edition of Northern Today, an article about new NIU banners on Lincoln Highway and Annie Glidden Road incorrectly listed the NIU Foundation as the source of funds for the banners’ purchase. The banners actually were purchased with money generated by the sale of merchandise bearing the Huskie logo.
9-2-03
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