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 Schools pressured to meet “adequate yearly progress” in accordance with federal No Child Left Behind legislation can become guilty of “overlooking young people” in the process, according to a Northern Illinois University professor of literacy education.
Alfred Tatum, a national authority on literacy and the achievement of African-American adolescent males, says the current “era of accountability” is mistakenly putting a greater focus on reading scores over “scoring with reading.”
The sad result: Books or essays or poems or magazine articles that might make an indelible stamp on a young man’s life are bypassed for standard reading assignments that prepare students for achievement testing.
It’s frightening to Tatum, who wonders why the nation’s schools choose such readings over the multitude of other works that are rich in detail, provocative in thought and personally meaningful to adolescents living in troubled communities.
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 Few people have ever seen one in person, so here’s a description: They’re silky black and a tad bigger than a squirrel, with slender claw-like fingers, very long tails and bouffant-like manes. They prefer to dine on grasshoppers but will settle for fungi.
“They’re very cute,” NIU biological anthropologist Leila Porter says affectionately.
She is arguably the world expert on the rare callimico monkeys that scurry and leap through the understory of the Bolivian rainforest, which is also home to jaguars, pumas and a wide assortment of snakes.
Porter is one of the few people worldwide who have ever observed callimicos in the wild for an extended period. Her pioneering fieldwork resulted in the first detailed information on the ecology and behavior of the endangered species, known scientifically as Callimico goeldii.
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 NIU’s Rapid Optimization of Commercial Knowledge (NIU-ROCK) program is working to make the Rockford region a leader in the processing and machining of titanium.
A new center being created by NIU-ROCK will use a series of new technologies for processing and shaping titanium that could cut the cost of creating many parts by 80 percent.
The $1 million project is funded through a Department of Defense earmark secured by Illinois Congressman Don Manzullo and Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin.
“This is a wonderful example of what ROCK was created to do,” said Promod Vohra, dean of the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. “We are helping to attract new, cutting-edge industry to Rockford and using the expertise of NIU faculty to help perfect this process to a point where it is commercially viable.”
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 The Department of Accountancy in the NIU College of Business has announced the establishment of two new named professorships, the Kieso Professorship in Accountancy and the Caterpillar Professorship in Accountancy.
The Kieso Professorship was established by NIU Professor Emeritus Don Kieso and his wife, Donna. Young announced the selection of Professor Kate Mantzke to be the first to hold the position.
“To say that this is a significant event is a grand understatement,” said Jim Young, chair of accountancy. “We all know what Don means to the accounting profession and the academy, and we know how passionate Donna is about education as well.”
Don Kieso was one of the faculty instrumental in building the NIU Department of Accountancy to national prominence. He chaired the department and served as the first KPMG Professor. He also authored the leading intermediate accounting text book in the world.
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 Harry Potter fans, get ready to rock and read.
The public is invited to attend a “Muggle Ball,” featuring a Harry Potter-themed band from California, the Remus Lupins, from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, in the auditorium of Altgeld Hall at NIU.
Light refreshments including “butterbeer” (crème soda with butterscotch flavoring) and “pumpkin juice,” will be served, and a silent auction will be held.
That same day, NIU will host a Muggle Mini-Academy for students from noon to 5:30 p.m., as well a New Ideas Conference from noon to 5 p.m. for teachers wanting to incorporate J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series into their classrooms.
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 A reception recognizing the Outstanding International Educator for 2006 and a presentation on global climate change are among the events that will highlight NIU’s celebration of International Education Week.
A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, International Education Week will be celebrated on campuses nationwide this week.
“The week gives us a unique opportunity to promote the benefits of international education and exchange and to express appreciation for students and scholars who study and teach here,” said Deborah Pierce, executive director of International Programs at NIU.
The annual International Recognition Reception will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, in the Sky Room of the Holmes Student Center.
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 NIU is preparing to upgrade the present PeopleSoft Financial System from Version 7.5sp1 to Version 8.8sp1. The current upgrade announcement affects only the financial system and does not include Human Resource Services or Payroll.
The modules being upgraded include general ledger, accounts payable, procurement, budgets, billing, accounts receivable and asset management. The actual move of the upgraded system to production is planned to begin at the close of business Feb. 9, 2007.
As with previous upgrades, the production system will be down for two weeks.
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 Who is looking out for your pension and retirement benefits?
The NIU Annuitants Association (NIUAA) and the State University Annuitants Association (SUAA) are actively involved in making sure your pension and retirement benefits are protected and expanded through their lobbying and political involvement. Membership in NIUAA automatically includes membership in SUAA.
Consider joining more than 1,600 currently employed and retired NIU faculty and staff and their spouses and survivors who now belong to NIUAA. Joint membership in SUAA means you become one of more than 14,000 members statewide, thus providing a meaningful political presence.
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President John and Barbara Peters invite the NIU community to attend the President's Annual Holiday Luncheon, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center.
Also, don't forget the community holiday event at Altgeld Hall, held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8.
Call (815) 753-1999 for more information.
In recognition of National Career Development Month, the Career Resource Center will host an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, in Campus Life Building 235. Come see the newest Web sites and technology and meet the team.
Desserts and punch will be served. Call (815) 753-1641 for more information.
Esther Pasztory, the Lisa and Bernard Selz Professor of Pre-Columbian Art in Columbia University’s Department of Art and Archaeology, will speak Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the NIU School of Art.
Pasztory will present “Sacrifice as Reciprocity: Aztec and Inca,” at 5 p.m. in Room 100 of the Art Building.
A specialist in Pre-Columbian art history, Pasztory will present descriptions and artistic representations of sacrifice in Aztec and Inca society, with a particular focus on the religious and ideological beliefs that motivated people to practice such sanguinary rites.
She also will explore the idea that sacrifice emerged out of concepts of reciprocity, involving an exchange to maintain stability between human beings and nature, or different groups within society itself.
A reception will follow in the Jack Olson Gallery (Room 200). The event is free and open to the public; free parking is provided in the parking lot south of the Art Building.
Call (815) 753-4521 for more information.
NIU’s Chemistry Club will hold its annual glassblowing demonstration Tuesday, Nov. 14. It will feature the work of chemistry department glassblower, Dan Edwards.
The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Room 200 of Faraday West. It is open to the public.
A glass sale will be held after the demonstration, where items made by Edwards will be available for purchase. They will include Christmas ornaments, icicles, dragons, hummingbirds and beaker mugs. The sale will continue from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, in the Faraday West lobby.
“This is always a popular event in the community,” said Professor David Ballantine in the NIU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “It’s a great opportunity to get in some early holiday shopping. What’s even better is the modest pricing. Many of the items Dan makes could be sold in novelty shops for two or three times what we charge.”
Proceeds will help support various activities held by the NIU Chemistry Club, an American Chemical Society student program and pre-professional program that promotes the chemistry field to undergraduate students.
Parking for the event will be available after 7 p.m. in the NIU Parking Garage on Normal Road. The parking facility is located across the street from Faraday Hall West. For more information on the demonstration and sale, contact Ballantine at (815) 753-6857 or dballant@niu.edu.
U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipinsky, along with University of Nebraska Professor John Hibbing and Indiana University Professor Gerald Wright, will discuss campaign issues and the implications of the recent election from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, in the Altgeld Hall Auditorium.
The presentation is co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science and the Graduate Colloquium Committee. For more information, contact NIU Department of Political Science graduate student representative Casey LaFrance at (706) 455-1023.
Kerry O. Ferris, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, will discuss her research on celebrity impersonators and their audiences Wednesday, Nov. 29, in the Chandelier Room of Adams Hall.
Her presentation comes during a networking luncheon scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and co-sponsored by the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women Networking Luncheon and the Women’s Resource Center.
Ferris will examine the relationship between celebrity impersonators and their audiences – in particular, the ways in which impersonators and audiences navigate the border between reality and fantasy.
All NIU women (students, faculty and staff) are invited. The cost is $7.50 per person. Reservations are required before Nov. 20 at (815) 753-0320. For more information, call (815) 753-9614,
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White’s mobile drivers’ facility will return to the NIU campus for its third consecutive year. Officials will set up a “mini facility” once a month outside Diversions Show Lounge.
The facility allows students, faculty and staff, along with the public, to get driver’s licenses or state IDs. This would include new, renewals and replacements. In addition, staff will renew license plate stickers, register applicants to vote and sign interested parties up for the new Organ Donor Registry.
October’s date is Monday, Nov. 20. The hours of operation are 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The NIU Christian Faculty and Staff Prayer Group meets from noon to 12:50 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month in the East Room of Blackhawk Cafeteria. Bring a lunch or buy one there.
October’s date is Tuesday, Nov. 21.
NIU’s Office of Assessment Services has announced a call for 2006-2007 capstone course development proposals and for participation in the 2007 University Writing Project.
For more information, contact assessment coordinator Carolinda Douglass at (815) 753-7120 or cdoug@niu.edu or visit online.
Bowl for Kids’ Sake will come to NIU’s Huskies Den in late February as Big Brothers Big Sisters of DeKalb County works to raise $135,000.
NIU dates are 7 and 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, and Tuesday, Feb. 27. Other available dates include Sunday, Feb. 18, in Sycamore; Friday, March 2, and Saturday, March 3, in DeKalb; and Sunday, March 4, in Sandwich.
Bowl For Kids’ Sake is the largest annual fundraising event to support Family Service Agency’s Big Brothers Big Sisters of DeKalb County, funding up to 80 percent of the annual budget. The agency’s goal for NIU students and faculty is to raise $15,000 with 40 teams, 180 bowlers and 1,800 individual sponsors.
Team captains are needed to find three to five teammates each and register at (815) 758-8616. Each bowler is expected to collect pledges of at least $75.
Bowlers receive benefits and prizes for each pledge level they achieve; for example, the $75 minimum provides one free game, shoe rental, pizza and pop. At $125, the package expands to include a commemorative T-shirt and a free game during a future visit.
For more information, call Family Service Agency at (815) 758-8616, e-mail brusin@realsolutionstoday.org or visit www.realsolutionstoday.org.
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