NIU hosts Chinese educators for talk
of teaching, technology, teamwork

A group of Chinese educators who spent last Monday on campus started their day in the past but quickly moved into the present for a clear look at the future.

The 22 visitors, mostly school district superintendents from Beijing, first gathered among the wooden desks of the Milan Township One-Room Schoolhouse to learn the history of NIU and its partnerships with various institutions in China.

After a brief photo session on the school’s steps, they crossed Annie Glidden Road to find seats in the plush chairs of a high-tech classroom inside Gabel Hall, where the tools and educational philosophies of tomorrow unfolded before them.

By the time the day ended over dinner at Hops Chinese Cuisine, there were aspirations and promises for collaboration that eventually could grant NIU graduate degrees to school teachers in China.

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NIU archaeologist Michael Kolb will lead a field-school expedition this summer to Sicily, where more than a dozen NIU students will explore ancient Greek and Roman ruins in pursuit of the lost city of Alicia.

On previous trips, Kolb and his students have uncovered tantalizing clues that indicate Salemi, a scenic hilltop village in west-central Sicily, may have been the site of Alicia more than 2,300 years ago.

Cicero, the great Roman statesman, and two Greek historians, Thucydides and Diodorus Siculus, write of the settlement as a place of wealth and strategic importance, occupied by the Elymian peoples. However, the exact location of Alicia, known in Greek as Halikyai, has been lost through the ages.

“Salemi has long been reputed by local townsfolk as being Alicia, although the city’s location has never been confirmed,” says Kolb, a professor of anthropology. “The ancient Greek and Roman writers speak of it quite highly as a prosperous community located on a hilltop over a beautiful river.”

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Navigating the central campus – whether on foot or by car – will be no easy task this summer, thanks to two major construction projects.

One project will extend the pedestrian mall motif westward from Watson Creek almost to Annie Glidden Road, while the second project will complete the installation of pipes that eventually will allow the university to use chilled water to cool buildings throughout the east campus.

Both projects are scheduled to begin May 10, the day after graduation, and will have portions of campus torn up throughout the summer and into the fall.

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The Northwest Chicagoland Regional Airport at Rockford can be a tremendous economic engine for the entire Rock River Valley, business and government leaders agree.

But much must be done to rev up that engine, they say.

“We’re sitting on a goldmine – but we need to do something about it; we need to make this area a more attractive environment for business,” said State Representative Chuck Jefferson, who organized a March 11 breakfast forum on how to increase freight traffic at the airport.

Rockford Mayor Doug Scott agreed that the airport is vital to the city’s future, saying that circumstances have never been more favorable to position Rockford’s airport as the best alternative for easing congestion at O’Hare and Midway airports in Chicago.

“The O’Hare expansion plan and the proposed Peotone airport get all of the press, but we have things to offer here that no one else can – and our facility is up and running,” Scott said. “The community needs to speak with one voice about the value of this airport to this region and seize this opportunity.”

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With the arrival of springtime, NIU is planting seeds of peace, tolerance and hope for a better future.

The Center for Southeast Asian Studies and the International Training Office together will welcome 34 Muslim and Christian activists from the Philippines for a training institute designed to promote interethnic dialogue and conflict resolution. The program was made possible by a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State.

The Filipino activists, most of whom are young people, will arrive March 31 and spend the month of April on campus. They come from Mindanao, the largest and least-developed island in the southern Philippines. Mindanao is home to 13 different ethno-linguistic groups and has been a frequent site of civil unrest. Muslims, Christians and tribal peoples populate the island.

Titled “Bridging the Gap,” the NIU training institute aims to teach conflict resolution skills, examine the important role of volunteerism in civil society and introduce participants to American institutions that promote tolerance and religious diversity.

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When registration for fall classes begins next month, many freshmen and sophomores will remain without declared majors.

Perhaps they haven’t explored themselves to discover where their career interest lies. Maybe they are unaware of what majors NIU offers. It’s possible they haven’t examined the options of the world of work. Other students – including some who are juniors or even seniors – have come to realize their original majors aren’t what they expected and have lost their appeal.

Brian Pillsbury, coordinator of career services at the NIU Counseling and Student Development Center, and his colleagues are coming to the rescue in the nick of time.

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NIU students have a way to feed you and the hungry in our community at the same time.

The sixth annual “Empty Bowls” project is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, March 26, in the Chandelier Dining Room, 143 Adams Hall. Reservations are required. Seatings are at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m.

A donation of $15 buys all-you-can-eat homemade soup and bread, a beverage and, while supplies last, a ceramic bowl hand-crafted by an NIU art student. A donation of $10 buys food and drink only. Additional donations are welcome.

All proceeds benefit the Hope Haven shelter in DeKalb.

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Stargazers will get an unusual treat over the next few weeks as all five planets visible to the naked eye appear together in the evening sky.

To mark the event, the NIU observatory at Davis Hall will hold a special viewing session from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 26. The session is free and open to the public, although it will require clear skies.

The five planets that can be seen with the unaided eye are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter.

“It’s unusual that they’re all visible at the same time,” observatory manager Andrew Morrison said. “We won’t have a better view of all five planets at once for more than 30 years.”

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Tom Regan, an internationally renowned animal rights activist and Pulitzer Prize nominee, will visit NIU early next month for a lecture on the moral rights of animals.

Regan helped found the modern animal rights movement. His lecture, titled “Animal Rights: An Introduction,” will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 4, in the Wirtz Hall auditorium. The event, sponsored by NIU’s Vegetarian Education Group, is free and open to the public.

Regan’s arguments for animal rights call into question many aspects of our daily life, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear. “Professor Regan challenges virtually every aspect of our treatment of animals,” said Mylan Engel Jr., a professor of philosophy at NIU. “Basically, he argues that the same considerations that justify human rights can be logically extended to animals.”

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The Illinois Governmental Ethics Act requires certain public officers and employees of NIU to file a Statement of Economic Interests by May 1 of each year. P.A. 90-737 requires these disclosures be submitted to the university ethics officer for review before they are filed with the secretary of state.

The forms are mailed in mid-March to employee home addresses.

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Presidential Research Professor David Kyvig and Northern Star Adviser Jim Killam are earning good ink off-campus.

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NIU community invited
to 2004 Wellness Fair

The NIU 2004 Wellness Fair, sponsored by Employee Wellness & Assistance Program and Office of Campus Recreation, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center.

All faculty, staff, students, dependents and community members are invited to attend and enjoy more than 75 exhibits featuring a dimension of wellness. -- MORE

Inventor of high-tech swim fins
to lecture at School of Art

Bob Evans, inventor and manufacturer of “Forcefin,” perhaps the world’s most advanced and sophisticated swim/diving fins, will speak at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 25, in Room 100 of the Visual Arts Building. -- MORE

Distinguished labor historian
to speak on Brazil

Professor John French, a distinguished labor historian at Duke University, will present a lecture on the Brazilian labor movement at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 25, in Cole Hall 101.

The public lecture is titled “Another World Is Possible: The Rise of the Brazilian Workers’ Party and the Prospects for Lula’s Government.” -- MORE

Luncheon to address
‘food insecurity’ challenges

A luncheon scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Friday, April 2, will address “Eating from the Bare Pantry: Food Insecurity Challenges.”

Reservations are required by Friday, March 26. Call 753-9614 or 753-0320 or send e-mail to bbaugh@niu.edu. -- MORE

NIU Alumni Association
announces Norway trip

The NIU Alumni Association is planning a Norwegian Coastal Voyage Vacation June 9 to 19. The deadline for reservations is Friday, March 26.

Travelers will cruise through sculpted fjords and past colorful coastal villages, where they can take in the pristine scenery that guarantees a dynamic travel experience, The cost is $3,299 for an inside cabin or $3,699 for an outside cabin. All prices are per person, based on double occupancy (single supplements available). Costs include airfare, accommodations and most meals. -- MORE

College of Law to host
law review symposium

The NIU College of Law will host the 13th annual Law Review Symposium from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 25, in the Skyroom of the Holmes Student Center. The topic of the symposium is “Emerging Issues in Equal Protection Jurisprudence.” -- MORE

Local symphonic band
plans March 28 concert

FY04 cut-off dates

--CLICK HERE