October 16, 2006, Northern Today Abridged

NIU breaks ground for first new
student housing complex in 38 years

NIU officials and partners from Collegiate Development Services broke ground last Thursday for the first new student housing complex at NIU in 38 years.

The 120-unit Northern View Community will offer university operated apartment-style living intended specifically to serve the needs of graduate and professional students, international students, married students, students with domestic partners or children and others who wish to live on campus but for whom traditional residence hall living might not be feasible or attractive.

“This is another example of how we try to be a responsive university, attempting to better meet the needs of an important and growing population of students,” said NIU President John Peters. “The existing facilities for such students have long since served their duty, and replacing them with facilities that meet the needs of modern students has long been a dream for the university. This is truly an exciting day.”

NIU Trustee Robert Boey echoed Peters’ excitement, saying the project is an investment in the university’s future.

“Projects like this remind me of the definition of trustee: to hold this university in trust for future generations,” Boey said. “Strategic planning to meet the needs of our students – current and future – is one of the most important ways that we can fulfill our responsibilities as trustees. This project fulfills that duty.”

The new six-building development will be located on 10 acres a short distance northwest of the NIU Convocation Center on the university’s West Campus. The complex will have 120 units, an increase of 40 units over the existing University Family Housing, which it will replace.

It will include one-bedroom (6 units), two-bedroom (108 units) and three-bedroom (6 units) apartment-style configurations. All units will be accessible to all and adaptable, equipped with full kitchens, washers and dryers and Internet access.

Amenities within the complex will include a community center equipped with a state-of-the-art computer lab, community rooms, study areas and a playground for the children of residents.

The $20 million facility will be built without state or student money thanks to a partnership with Collegiate Development Services, a Texas-based not-for-profit organization that offers turn-key real estate development services to colleges and universities across the country, specializing in residence halls. The firm helped secure financing for the project, oversaw design and will oversee construction of Northern View Community.

The facility will be owned by Collegiate Development Services but managed by NIU Housing and Dining. At the end of the 32-year agreement, the building will be handed over to the university.

“With rising construction costs and dwindling state funding for higher education, partnerships like this are becoming increasingly common across the nation,” Peters said. “We are very proud to be working with one of the leading names in this industry, and we have every confidence that Collegiate Development Services will help us to create an outstanding facility that will make our graduate and professional programs even more attractive to potential students.”

The project has an ambitious construction schedule, with units expected to be ready for occupancy by the Fall 2007 semester. However, Lynn Krebs, vice president for business development at CDS, said he is confident that schedule can be met.

“As someone who has worked with universities across the country, I can say with tremendous confidence that you have one of the most dedicated and determined staffs in all of higher education,” Krebs said. “We look forward to working with you to make this dream a reality.”

That dedication and determination will be much in demand in the coming years, said Peters, who told those gathered at the frigid groundbreaking that he envisions the construction of Northern View Community as a first step in revitalizing all of the university’s housing stock.

“As I announced in my State of the University address, it is our goal to replace and improve all university housing over the next 10 years, bringing it up to the standards of the Stevenson Hall remodeling completed some years ago,” Peters said.

Northern View Community was designed by BLDD Architects (www.BLDD.com). S.M. Wilson (www.smwilson.com) will be the general contractor.

The existing University Family Housing facilities, built in 1959, will be razed when the Northern View Community is completed.

For more information about Northern View Community, visit the Web site at www.niu.edu/northernview/.

Web site allows input on new student information system

A new Blackboard site unveiled Friday, Oct.13, will allow NIU faculty and staff to monitor the progress of, and comment on, the development of NIUConnect.

NIUConnect is the Web-based student information system that promises to revolutionize the way students interact with the university and vice versa. The system will begin to roll out in the fall of 2007, a process that will continue for a full year.

When completely implemented, NIUConnect will dramatically simplify many functions for both students and university staff.

For students, it will allow them to use a single Web portal to track the status of their application for admission, check their financial aid, pay bills, check their grades, create new schedules and a host of other activities. It also will simplify all of those activities by eliminating the need for individuals to repeatedly enter personal data or submit it in paper form.

For staff, NIUConnect will provide a single, reliable, comprehensive and secure source of information on every student, eliminating the need to search for data across a variety of antiquated systems, many of which do not interconnect. It also will eliminate much duplication of effort in the entering of data.

Many decision need to be made on the way to attaining those goals, however, and those in charge of the project want that process to be as inclusive as possible.

“The new system is going to require some changes in the way we do business, and we want people to have input on that,” said Vice Provost Gip Seaver, explaining why the NIUConnect Blackboard site was created.

“We put this in place to give people an opportunity to learn about NIUConnect in greater detail and to better understand what it will mean for NIU,” said Brian Brim, NIUConnect project manager. “We want the university community to have a detailed understanding of how we got here, and we want to open up a dialogue with that community to ensure that we create the best possible system for both students and staff.”

For instance, currently posted in the Documents area of the new NIUConnect Blackboard site, is a folder titled “Proposed Changes Under Review.”

In that folder is a proposal to change the rules regarding how students submit coursework from other institutions for application toward their NIU degree. Parties interested in that topic can read the proposed rule change there and then comment in the “Discussion” area of the site. They can ask questions or offer insights that they believe might lead to a better policy.

Over time, several such topics will be available for review and comment.

“We want people who will actually be using the new system to have input on how it operates,” Brim said. “We want it to better reflect the way things are actually done rather than the way dictated by the limitations of antiquated mainframe systems that were put in place 25 years ago.”

The site also includes information on the progress of the NIUConnect implementation, plans, committee reports and more. Eventually it also will feature screen shots of what the pages will look like and provide detailed explanations of how the new system will operate.

Ultimately, Brim said, a similar site will be created for student input.

“This ties in very well with the new Web Presence Initiative,” Seaver said. “Both are intended to make the NIU Web site a more useful, more functional tool. It’s important that we get this right, and we are hoping that the university community will take advantage of this new Blackboard site to help us do just that.”

Upcoming colloquium focuses on particle therapy for cancer treatment

George Coutrakon, a professor in the School of Medicine at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California, will lead a colloquium on proton beam therapy for cancer patients at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, in Room 200 of Faraday West.

Coutrakon is doing consulting work for NIU, which last month received more than $3 million in funding to begin planning for a proposed particle therapy treatment and research program.

The university currently operates the NIU Institute for Neutron Therapy at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. In many types of cancer, proton and neutron therapies are advantageous over traditional forms of radiation. Proton therapy offers great advantages for pediatric patients, in particular.

NIU, which frequently collaborates with both Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory, has been building a program in medical physics and related health practices. The university is proposing a new treatment program that would include proton therapy, greatly expanding the range of treatable diseases.

“The proposed particle therapy program would enhance existing research programs at NIU and also could open many new avenues of research and public service for NIU faculty and students,” Provost Raymond Alden said. “We strongly encourage interested faculty to attend this colloquium to learn more about particle therapy.”

Coutrakon’s talk will focus on the physics of proton energy deposition in the patient and the planning systems that have allowed its use for many tumor sites.

“George is an accomplished medical physicist, and he will be describing the many opportunities that a new proton program would generate across the NIU curriculum, from physics and engineering to nursing and therapy,” said NIU Presidential Science Adviser Gerald Blazey. “This is the first in a series of venues to describe those opportunities to the university community.”

In 1986, Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) contracted Fermilab to design and build the world’s first hospital-based proton treatment system. Loma Linda opened its proton therapy medical center in 1990. Coutrakon was a key player in the development of that first proton treatment system.

He received his doctoral degree in high energy physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1983 and worked as a research associate at Fermilab until 1987. Using his experience in radiation detectors at Fermilab, Coutrakon worked with the medical physics team to build and test the first proton beam delivery systems at Fermilab and Loma Linda until proton treatment began. 

Since that time, he has been director of the proton accelerator operations group at LLUMC, where he conducts research in proton dosimetry, scanning proton pencil beams for high precision radiation therapy, and low dose rate experiments for the NASA radiation biology program.

He has taught graduate courses in proton therapy accelerators and beam optics at the U.S. Particle Accelerator School as well as radiation physics classes for physicians and radiation technology students at LLUMC.

Coutrakon also is a member of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine and has consulted for several proton facilities, the International Committee on Radiation Units and the National Institutes of Health.

Today there are five proton therapy programs operating in the United States and several more in the planning stages.

NIU English professor is new poetry critic
for newspapers on both sides of the pond

Two world-famous news organizations have taken a liking to NIU English Professor Amy Newman, an award-winning poet and teacher.

Newman has been named as the new poetry critic at the Chicago Sun-Times and this month is serving as online poet-in-residence for the British newspaper, the Guardian, based in London.

Both appointments come on the heels of Newman’s latest collection of poetry, titled “fall,” which was re-released in paperback in August. In the book, each of the 72 different definitions of the title word engenders a poem.

Newman queried the Sun-Times this past summer, asking if the paper would review the book even though it doesn’t typically critique poetry. “The editor wrote back and said, ‘You’re right, we don’t do poetry. But we should,’ ” Newman said.

The Sun-Times editor asked to see Newman’s work and other writing samples, then offered her the poetry-critic post. “The idea that the book editor thinks people should be reading about poetry is pretty neat to me, so I wanted to be part of it,” Newman said, adding that she has also been asked to profile literary figures for the newspaper.

The Guardian newspaper, a major daily in England that traces its history back to 1821, already was familiar with Newman’s work.

Reviewing “fall” in the newspaper last year, critic Danny Leigh described Newman’s poetry as “breathtaking” and her wit as “addictive.” The review significantly boosted sales of Newman’s poetry collection in the UK.

So it was perhaps not a huge surprise that the newspaper offered Newman the month-long poet-in-residence position. The Guardian conducts an online poetry workshop hosted each month by a different poet who creates an exercise, chooses the most interesting responses and offers an appraisal of them. Past workshops have been conducted by such important poets as Ruth Fainlight and John Burnside.

“A number of poets who I really admire have served as poet-in-residence, so I’m honored to be included in that group,” Newman said. Her workshop can be found online at http://books.guardian.co.uk/poetryworkshop/.

Newman also is working on a new collection of poetry and is collaborating with a video artist on an upcoming feature for the online journal, Born Magazine.

A MacDowell Fellow, Newman won NIU’s Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2004. Two of her previous poetry collections, “Order, or Disorder” and “Camera Lyrica,” won the Cleveland State University Poetry Center Prize and the Beatrice Hawley Award respectively.

She lives in DeKalb with her husband, Joe Bonomo, an NIU English instructor who this past spring won the university’s first-ever Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Instruction.

Roth to encourage classroom humor at seminar

Gene Roth wants NIU professors to get serious – about laughter.

“One of the things I realized when I won my presidential teaching award was that how I am perceived as a professor is greatly influenced by my use of humor,” says Roth, a Distinguished Teaching Professor honored in 2001.

“When I looked around the university, I saw it was nowhere to be found in preparing teachers. The word ‘humor’ was not in the graduate catalogue – until I developed my graduate level course on humor and adult learning,” he adds. “Whether faculty members realize it or not, their use of humor greatly influences how they are perceived by students.”

So Roth, who freely admits he’s no standup comedian, is on a mission to add levity to classrooms across campus.

“If you’re using humor to help a student understand a concept – although they’re hearing just words – you’ll create an image in their heads that will help them remember it,” he says. “Humor is linked to motivation, classroom climate and retention of content.”

Roth will lead a Presidential Teaching Professor seminar from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, in the Capitol Room of the Holmes Student Center. Refreshments are served from 11:30 a.m. to noon.

The event is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center. For more information, call (815) 753-8381.

A professor in the College of Education’s Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education, Roth already teaches a course each year in humor and adult learning. His goal during the seminar is “to help people deepen their understanding of how humor works … or does not work.”

“I want to help people think deeply about humor in their own lives and how they apply it. In my teaching, I rely greatly on spontaneity, whereas other teachers might be very gifted at collecting video clips or being strategic with jokes,” Roth says.

“Most presenters will have the philosophy that ‘There are three major points I want students to walk away with.’ They need to use humor to help learners grasp those points. They need to make meaning through the use of humor,” he adds. “I want everybody to become more assertive with humor in their lives. I want them to be more assertive in seeking it out. I want them to think deeply about applying it in teaching and learning transactions.”

NIU’s Student Lincoln Laureate has sights set on public service

Samie Chaudhry is a walking advertisement for a daily planner.

The NIU senior is scheduled to graduate in May with a bachelor of science degree with a double major in political science and geography. His grade point average in rigorous honors courses is 3.97. And throughout college he has juggled a dizzying array of extracurricular activities, from tutoring high school students to serving as the undergraduate representative on a search committee for a new NIU dean.

The 22-year-old from west-suburban Bartlett also has been working for months on an honors thesis analyzing the role of U.S. domestic politics in F-16 fighter jet sales to Pakistan over a 30-year span.

How does he manage his time? “The key is keeping a planner,” laughs Chaudhry, “and actually using it.”

The hard work, dedication and organization have generated numerous awards and honors, but none more prestigious than the most recent. Chaudhry has been named as the 2007 Student Lincoln Laureate at NIU.

The Student Lincoln Laureate is an annual honor reserved for the top senior from each of the state’s public and private four-year colleges and universities. The award recognizes excellence in both curricular and extracurricular activities.

“Samie is an extraordinary young man, who through his work within and beyond the classroom has demonstrated academic excellence, diligence, leadership, concern for others and strong character,” says NIU Political Science Chair Christopher Jones, who nominated Chaudhry for the honor.

“He possesses outstanding writing, research, analytical and oral communication skills,” adds Jones, a leading national security scholar and award-winning teacher. The professor is so impressed with his student that he plans to involve him in an upcoming research project.

“In my 17 years of teaching at Binghamton University, Syracuse University, Whittier College and NIU, Samie is among the top five undergraduates that I have encountered,” Jones says.

The oldest son of Shamshad and Salim Chaudhry, immigrants who left Pakistan in the late 1970s to make a new life in the United States, Samie originally planned to become a high school history teacher. But during his freshman year, he became fascinated with political science and geography after taking courses in those subject areas.

Following graduation next spring, he plans to attend graduate school, seeking a master’s in political science with an emphasis on South Asia. Eventually he wants to work in public service, either in a governmental post or with a non-profit organization.

“I’m fascinated with what’s happening in such countries as India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan,” says Chaudhry, who speaks the languages of Punjabi and Urdu, the latter being the official language of Pakistan. “It’s an important region of the world that has been largely overlooked in the past but will be very important in the future.”

His professors see no limits to what Chaudhry can accomplish.

“Samie is able to quickly understand complicated ideas and phenomena and analyze and assess their merits against a broad knowledge base,” says History Professor Eric Jones, who has helped Chaudhry shape his post-graduation plans.

“He’s also very witty, engaging and positive,” he adds. “It is easy to see why students look up to him, why he deserves this award and how much potential he possesses.”

Chaudhry and his fellow Lincoln Laureates will gather in Springfield on Saturday, Oct. 28, for a recognition ceremony in the House of Representatives of the Old State Capitol. Chaudhry used one of his tickets for the ceremony to invite a friend, Michael Celis of Chicago, a political science major who finished as first finalist for the NIU Lincoln Laureate this year.

Other finalists for the NIU Student Lincoln Laureate were:

• Rebecca Edwards of Aledo (political science and philosophy)
• Reena Greene of Bloomingdale (elementary education)
• Joseph Park of Winfield (physical therapy)
• Michael Piccinelli of Henry (political science)
• Robin Rockey of Rockford (journalism)
• Kathryn Rosellini of Oak Lawn (mathematics education)
• Jericho Winter of Prophetstown (geography)
• Jody Yednock of West Chicago (probability and statistics)
• Marie Zidek of Orland Park (kinesiology)

COE office helps bring cash to Aurora West schools

Schools in Aurora West District 129 have an additional $250,000 to make them safer, thanks in part to the NIU College of Education.

Officials from the college’s Research, Evaluation and Policy Studies (REPS) office helped to design and write a federal grant request to the U.S. Department of Education under the Emergency Response and Crisis Management program.

The district is one of 74 in 26 states to receive awards totaling more than $23 million to assist them in preparing, responding and recovering from crises.

“Knowing how to respond in a crisis, and the ability to do so quickly, is critical to ensuring the safety of our schools and students,” U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said in a statement. “These grants will help school districts incorporate appropriate methods and procedures in their emergency response plans and will also help them better coordinate those plans with the entire community.”

Brent Wholeben, director of the REPS office, said NIU’s prominence begot the invitation from the district for the year’s worth of pro bono work.

“The reputation of this institution really helped,” Wholeben said. “We were in the final year of a state grant where we were the external evaluator for all math and science partnerships in the state of Illinois. We also helped secure a multimillion-dollar grant for West Chicago under SIMSHA ‘Safe Schools/Healthy Students’ grant authority.”

Wholeben and his staff worked together with a team from several agencies, including municipal government, law enforcement, fire protection, mental and county health departments and Homeland Security, along with parents, teachers, students and school district leaders. Focus groups were convened and questionnaires were developed and distributed, he said.

“Everything is a team effort,” he said. “We looked at what was required last year and started developing a proposal several months in advance that would meet those guidelines.”

Funds are available to train school personnel and students in crisis response, communicate emergency response and reunification procedures to parents and guardians, coordinate with local emergency responders such as police and fire, purchase equipment and organize with groups and organizations responsible for recovery issues.

This year, school districts also must commit to developing a written plan designed to prepare for a possible infectious disease outbreak.

Wholeben and his team of eight will remain involved with District 129 through the life of the grant.

“We have to report to the federal government on three very specific standards required by Congress – the Government Performance and Results Act – and collect data that would support those,” he said. “The granting institution then can report directly back to Congress for re-appropriation.”

It’s typical stuff for REPS, Wholeben said.

Since August, he and his staff have submitted five grant proposals in partnership with the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. They’re also busy reworking a close-but-unsuccessful grant written on behalf of the city of Aurora to deal with its homeless population.

“I’m getting all the parties back together to review what the funding agency didn’t like so we can resubmit,” he said. “We consider that one of the more important grants we’ve been writing.”

The office also provides consultation and evaluation services to each of its partnership agencies and helps faculty members to write grants, work with the Office of Sponsored Projects, analyze data and transcribe audio recordings, such as interviews, focus groups, and field notes.

Haunted Physics Laboratory reappears for Halloween

Like a friendly ghost in the attic, NIU’s Haunted Physics Laboratory just won’t go away.

Now in its fourth year, the popular haunted lab will be staged from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the lower level of Faraday Hall on NIU’s DeKalb campus.

Geared for families with students in kindergarten through eighth-grade, the event is free and open to the public, although children must be accompanied by adults.

The Haunted Physics Laboratory aims to provide hands-on learning activities and some family fun in advance of Halloween. In past years, the event has drawn as many as 750 people.

“The haunted lab isn’t designed to be scary,” says Pati Sievert, coordinator of NIU’s Frontier Physics outreach program, which stages the event. “We view Halloween as a learning opportunity. Real science can be every bit as intriguing as ghosts and goblins.”

Under the watchful gaze of a likeness of Albert Einstein, whose eyes appear to follow guests, young people will discover the science behind fiber optics, Lava Lamps and more. In all, more than 60 displays will be featured, including pumpkin pendulums, oscillating apples, infinity mirrors and glow-in-the-dark rocks and scorpions.

In the darkened windowless laboratories, magnets float around a broomstick, a ghost levitates, sparks fly from an electrostatic machine and an eerie fog seeps from a “witch’s cauldron,” filled with a concoction of water and chilly liquid nitrogen. Visitors can don “rainbow glasses,” get creative with glow-in-the-dark face paints, ponder the lightning bolts in a plasma globe and make artworks that will only appear normal in funhouse-like mirrors.

A fog machine is used for visualization of lasers. Other light and optical displays include an electrical Jacob’s ladder. Volunteer students and professors will be on hand to explain the science behind the demonstrations.

“I always enjoy seeing children and adults experience physics in a new light,” Sievert says. “Last year we surveyed the parents and children who attended. We had nearly a 100 percent approval rating. Parents are amazed at how much fun science can be. Nearly every child and parent said that they would recommend this event to friends.”

Parking for the Haunted Physics Laboratory will be available in the NIU Parking Garage along the west side of Normal Road, about one block north of Lincoln Highway (Route 38).

A workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. that same day at NIU for teachers interested in presenting similar activities in their classrooms. Registration information can be found at the Frontier Physics Web site at www.physics.niu.edu/~frontier. Sievert also will be presenting a workshop on the success of the haunted lab at the winter meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers this January in Seattle.

The Northern Illinois Center for Accelerator and Detector Development at NIU provides the majority of funding for Frontier Physics outreach. For more information on the haunted laboratory or Frontier Physics, visit the Web site or e-mail Sievert at sievert@physics.niu.edu.

Evening of chemistry demonstrations promises to hit close to home

The NIU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry invites the public to celebrate National Chemistry Week (Oct. 22 to Oct. 28) with an evening of chemical demonstrations.

The event will be held at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Faraday Hall 143. The theme is “Your Home – It’s All Built on Chemistry.”

NIU Chemistry Club members will conduct a dramatic “thermite reaction,” converting rust to molten iron; show how iron will burn more easily than people think; demonstrate how polyurethane, a foam insulation and common building material, is made; and create mirrors by plating silver onto a glass surface.

Other demonstrations will include the popular “genie in a bottle” peroxide reaction. “We try to provide both education and entertainment to show our younger audience that science can be fun,” chemistry professor David Ballantine said.

The evening will conclude with the making of ice cream with liquid nitrogen.

Some experiments could involve loud noises and produce smoke or unpleasant smells and might not be appropriate for small children. For safety reasons, flash photography is not permitted. And, for some experiments, audience members might be asked to leave their seats and move away from the demonstration area.

Visitors to the NIU campus can park in the university parking structure, located just across Normal Road from Faraday Hall West. The structure is open to general parking at any time after 7 p.m., except for reserved and handicapped spaces.

Ethics training begins Wednesday

All university employees (faculty, civil service, supportive professional staff, graduate assistants, extra help and student workers) must participate in mandatory Internet-based ethics training in accordance with the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act (SOEEA).

Training will take place between Wednesday, Oct. 18, and Thursday, Nov. 16. Notices are being sent to all employees via GroupWise and campus mail. Those who do not comply are subject to the possibility of substantial fines and disciplinary action.

More information is available on the Human Resource Services Web site www.hr.niu.edu under Ethics Training or at (815) 753-6000.

Help Garrett Wolfe win Heisman

Huskie Athletics has received numerous emails and phone calls on how the university community wants to help NIU football player Garrett Wolfe win the Heisman Trophy. Your vote can count. Visit https://r.espn.go.com/espn/contests/theheismanvote/

Heisman Trophy Winners are determined by votes from 924 electors representing sportswriters and broadcasters.

As the presenting sponsor for the Heisman Trophy, Nissan has the privilege of casting one official vote for the winner of the Heisman Trophy. Fans can voice their opinions through “TheHeismanVote.com.”

The winning athlete of the public’s vote will receive one vote in the official Heisman Trophy selection process. Throughout the college football season, fans can vote once per weekly voting period (from 1 p.m. CST Monday through 12:59 p.m. CST the next Monday).

Be sure to enter “Vote Heisman, presented by Nissan” after casting votes for a chance to win a trip for two to New York City to attend the 2006 Heisman Trophy Awards Show.

Jack Olson Gallery presents School of Art Faculty Biennial

The School of Art Faculty Biennial, on display in the Jack Olson Memorial Gallery until Tuesday, Oct. 24, celebrates NIU School of Art faculty research and artistry.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. Call (815) 753-4521 for more information.

Bookstore offers fittings for faculty regalia purchases

Faculty intending to purchase regalia can visit with Josten’s personnel from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the service desk on the lower level of University Bookstore for fittings. 

Call (815) 753-1082 for more information.

Campus Child Care Center hosts Children’s Book Fair

NIU’s Campus Child Care Center will host its annual Children’s Book Fair during the week of Oct. 23 at the center along Annie Glidden Road just west of Gabel Hall.

The book fair will be open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.

Come browse through a wide selection with multiple copies of books, early readers, parent resource materials, calendars and more. Approximately 1,800 books and other items are available for purchase. Checks and credit cards are welcome.

The center’s main entrance can be accessed by the circle drive in front of the white stone building in parking lot 38. Call (815) 753-0125 for more information.

Theatre presents ‘Time to Burn’

A drunk, a gambler, an actor turned junkie, a transvestite and an out-of-work immigrant with his dying wife might all be inhabitants of the mean streets of Chicago, but in fact, they are actually characters in a play at NIU.

Opening Oct. 26, the junior class of the School of Theatre and Dance will present Charles Mee’s play, “Time to Burn,” in Stevens Building Players Theatre.

The black-box Players Theatre space will be transformed into the basement of an abandoned factory, inhabited by these social outcasts, asking each other, “Why life, why love and why this?”

This play is adult-oriented, charged with political themes and erotic scenes, and may not be suitable for people younger than 14.

The performances run Oct. 26 through Oct. 29, and Nov. 1 through Nov. 5. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $14 for adults, $8 for seniors and $7 for students. Tickets are available at the box office in Stevens Building O’Connell Theatre lobby weekdays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

For information and reservations, contact the NIU School of Theatre and Dance Box Office at (815) 753-1600 or visit their Web site at www.niu.edu/theatre.

Composition instructor stages one-woman show at DAWC

NIU composition instructor Loren Hecht will present an upbeat, inspiring one-woman show in which audience members learn through music and storytelling why reading is important.

The performance will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, at the DeKalb Area Women’s Center.

“Once Upon a Time, Discovering the Magic in Reading” is a colorful, interactive play written by Hecht in collaboration with her brother, Bruce, in response to what she has seen as a marked decline in active reading and reading comprehension skills among today’s college students.

Hecht believes the show will appeal to a broad audience, including literacy volunteers and professionals, middle school students and their parents, education faculty and students, librarians and others interested in literacy and story performance.

The show runs 45 minutes with a 15-minute discussion following. A $3 donation is requested; educators with ID are admitted free. The event is funded in part by the Mary E. Stevens Concert & Lecture Fund.

The DeKalb Area Women’s Center is located at 1021 State Street in DeKalb and is on Huskie Bus Route 7. The accessible lift can be reached from the alley on the north side of the building. Parking is provided one-half block south off of 11th Street.

For further information, contact DAWC director Anna Marie Coveny at (815) 758-1351.

Faculty Development grants offers professional development to SPS

NIU’s Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center and Human Resource Services are offering grants up to $1,000 each to Supportive Professional Staff (SPS) pursuing professional development activities that benefit the individuals as well as their units.

To be considered for one of these grants, candidates must have completed a minimum of two years of at least half-time employment as Supportive Professional Staff at NIU and should have demonstrated an interest in professional growth supporting the instructional, research or service functions of the university.

Academic or support service units can submit proposals for arranging programs (not already available at NIU) that benefit a large group of SPS in their units or several units. 

Five copies of each proposal, including cover sheet, letters of support and other relevant documents, must be submitted to the SPS Awards Committee, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, 319 Adams Hall, by Friday, Nov. 17, for activities proposed between January and June 2007.

Complete proposal guidelines, cover sheet and a sample proposal can be found on the Web at http://www.niu.edu/facdev/development/grants.htm.

SPS who plan to submit a proposal by the deadline and need more information are encouraged to register to attend the SPS Development Grant Writing Seminar from noon to 1 pm Friday, Nov. 3. Register online http://www.niu.edu/facdev/forms/fsprogreg.htm or e-mail facdev@niu.edu.

NIU-NATIONS Pow-Wow offers, dance, food, crafts

The 2006 NIU-NATIONS Pow-Wow takes place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Student Recreation Center. Grand Entry is scheduled for 1 and 7 p.m.

The event features Native American dance, food, crafts and music, and is free for all. Invited drums only.

For more information, call Michael Augsburger at (815) 753-1406, David Armstrong at (815) 501-7089 or e-mail NiuNations@yahoo.com.

Spring class schedules available online

The Spring 2007 Course Offerings are available online on the NIU Course Finder.

A printable Schedule of Classes in Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) and a printable PDF file of the registration information pages (such as the semester calendar, add/drop deadlines, TRACS timetables, etc.) is online at www.reg.niu.edu. Click on “Schedule of Classes & Registration Information.”

Registration for Spring 2007 begins the week of Nov. 6.

Registration time assignments are assigned to undergraduate students based on the total number of credit hours earned at the completion of the Summer 2006 term, including transfer, proficiency and NIU hours. Graduate students and students-at-large are assigned registration times alphabetically based on the first letter of the last name within the classification.

Students can logon to WebConnect and choose “TRACS Registration Eligible Times” for the specific day and time they become eligible to register. Students also can view encumbrances (holds) that might prevent registration by choosing “Encumbrances” on WebConnect.

Employees can contribute to 2006 SECA campaign

The 2006 State and University Employees Combined Appeal (SECA) campaign continues through Nov. 10. Employees have an important opportunity to support various organizations and agencies that provide critical charitable services locally and globally.

“Discover the Gift of Giving” through payroll deduction or check. For more information, call Terry Kessler at (815) 753-6037 or Barb Rice at (815) 753-0458.

First-Year Connections seeks UNIV 101/201 peer instructors

Help new students adjust to college life by sharing your own personal experiences from NIU.

Gain leadership skills and teaching experience by aiding faculty and staff in planning course activities, facilitating class discussions and providing information to students on a peer level.

Have fun knowing that you are making a difference in the NIU community.

Applications are due Nov. 22. Positions are limited, however, so apply early. For more information, visit the First-Year Connections Web site at http://www.orientation.niu.edu/orientation/staff/joinourteam.htm or contact the staff at firstconn@niu.edu or (815) 753-0028.

Career Resource Center to host open house Nov. 15

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.

10-16-06