PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 25, No. 10, Nov. 17, 2005

brief notes

School of Music
Recital-lecture honors Thomas Mann
William Kinderman, UI professor of music, will present a recital-lecture, “Thomas Mann, Beethoven and the Secret of Opus 111,” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 in Smith Recital Hall. The lecture is part of a monthly lecture series sponsored by the department of Germanic languages and literatures.

With this musical and textual event, the German department will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of the German Nobel Prize-winner Thomas Mann. Kinderman will read excerpts from Mann in German and accompany them with musical examples. English translations will be provided. The musical examples, followed by the performance of the entire sonata, will conclude the evening’s performance.

The lecture, free and open to the public, is followed by a reception.

Sexual Harassment Awareness
Additional training sessions announced
The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access is now sponsoring additional Sexual Harassment Awareness Training sessions. Upcoming sessions: 1 to 2 p.m. and 3:30 to 5 p.m. Dec. 14 in 103 Colonial Room, Illini Union.

Pre-registration is required and can be completed by e-mailing or calling 333-0885.

University Primary School
School open house is Nov. 30
University Primary School, an early-childhood gifted education program that serves preschool, kindergarten and first-grade children, will host an open house Nov. 30 at the Children’s Research Center, 51 Gerty Drive, Champaign. Visitors may view the preschool classroom from 8:30 a.m. until noon and the combined kindegarten/first grade class from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.

Applications for the 2006-2007 academic year will be available in January. For more information contact the director, Nancy Hertzog at 217-333-3996.

Study of religion and health
Participants 50 years or older needed
Researchers at the UI are studying how religion or spirituality is involved in the lives of adults, age 50 or older, in the Champaign-Urbana community.

Participants in the study will be asked to complete and return a packet of questionnaires and wear a physical-activity monitor for a week. No lab visit or exercise tests are required.
Adults who are 50 years old or older may qualify to participate in this study. For more information contact Jim at 217-333-2427 or toll-free at 1-800-297-7157.

Environmental Council and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
Earth & Society Initiative announces RFP
A Request for Proposals has been announced by the Earth & Society Initiative. The initiative will provide seed money to stimulate cross-cutting scholarship and grant-writing activity that will make the UI campus one of the pre-eminent institutions working at the intersection of environment, public health and security.

The initiative supports research efforts not yet ready for external funding. Novel interdisciplinary approaches with significant engagement components and the potential for emergent programs are appropriate to receive support. It is expected that two to four $50,000-$100,000 proposals for the coming year will be supported.

Topics of interest include energy and sustainability, urban planning and water issues, agricultural landscapes and healthy ecosystems, landscapes under stress and the evolution of invasive species.

This funding should be used to build a team of researchers and the infrastructure to provide a competitive advantage in federal and other funding completions. Proposals that will lead to new centers, institutes or other visible collaborations are encouraged.

Pre-proposals are due Dec. 7. For more for information, call 217-333-4178.

Ally Network
Same-sex marriage discussed
The December Ally Network meeting will feature the showing of an ABC News program, “For Better or Worse: Same Sex Marriage.” The program follows four same-sex couples as they plan their weddings. A discussion session will follow the video.

The meeting will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Room 403 Illini Union. Cookies and soda will be served. For more information, contact Rene Monteagudo at 217-333-3704, or Anita Hund at

Request for Proposals
Help improve campus sustainability
Because faculty members and students are valuable resources for innovative solutions to campus environmental issues, the Environmental Council and Facilities and Services seek proposals from faculty/student teams to improve campus sustainability.

The purpose of these proposals will be to make significant improvements to the campus, add value to Facility and Service’s scheduled projects, provide support for academic and student research and demonstrate how the campus can be more sustainable. Facilities and Services will provide $20,000 to stimulate thinking about and demonstration of innovative solutions toward real campus environmental challenges.

It is anticipated that up to three projects ($5,000-$15,000) will be funded although requests for up to $20,000 will be considered. Projects will begin Jan. 9, and should be completed by June 30, 2006. Projects continuing after June 30 will be considered with justification.

Proposals should be submitted electronically by Nov. 30. For more information, contact Lisa Merrifield at the Environmental Council at 333-0045.

Spurlock Museum
Lecture explores history of wine
The Spurlock Museum toasts history’s most popular spirit: wine. Professor Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology presents “Wine and the Vine: The Archaeological and Chemical Hunt for the Origins of Viniculture” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2 in the Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium. Drawing upon recent archaeological discoveries, molecular and DNA sleuthing, and the texts and art of long-forgotten peoples, McGovern takes his audience back to the beginnings of this consequential beverage when early hominids probably enjoyed a wild grape wine. The audience will follow the course of human ingenuity in domesticating the Eurasian vine and learn how wine was made and preserved some 7,000 years ago.

Copies of McGovern’s book, “Ancient Wine,” will be on sale after the event.
Admission is free and the public is welcome. This talk is sponsored by the Dr. Allan C. Campbell Family Distinguished Speaker Series. For more information about the Spurlock Museum, or call 217-333-2360.

UI Ice Arena
Open Skate times for break announced
The UI Ice Arena will be open to the public during Thanksgiving break during the following times:

• Nov. 18: 7:30-9:30 p.m.
• Nov. 19: 1:30-4 p.m. and 7:30-9:30p.m.
• Nov. 20: 1:30-4 p.m.
• Nov. 23: 7-9:30 p.m.
• Nov. 25 and 26: 1:30-4 p.m. and 7:30-9:30 p.m.
• Nov. 27: 1:30-4 p.m.

There are no lunch-time skates during fall break. Admission for open skates is free for UI students, Campus Rec members and children under 3. Admission for nonmembers is $4 for youth (ages 4 to 12) and $5 for adults (age 13 and older). Skate rental is $1 for UI students and Campus Rec members and $2 for nonmembers. A family pass also is available for $15. The family pass is good for up to 5 people and includes admission and skate rental. Community group pricing also is available for groups of 12 or more.

For more information, contact 333-2081.

Multicultural Youth Conference
C-U students get taste of college
About 250 Champaign and Urbana students will get a taste of college and help preparing for it in an all-day event Nov. 18 at the UI.

The Multicultural Youth Conference, in its second year, is aimed primarily at minority, low-income and other students underrepresented on college campuses, says Julia Johnson Connor, interim assistant director of the Center for Democracy in a Multiracial Society and one of the event’s organizers. Many of those participating would be first-generation college students.

About 130 attended last year’s conference. The students come from grades seven through 12.

“We’re hoping that the students come away from the conference with more confidence about applying to a college or university and with a better understanding about what they can expect as a student,” Connor said.

The students will be divided into three groups according to grade level (7-8, 9-11 and 12), with each getting a day tailored to their concerns related to college, Connor said. They will get information about various student services, including tutoring, advising and pre-college programs. They also will be exposed to various academic opportunities on campus and will tour facilities such as the cultural houses, the Illini Union and the University Library, she said.
Middle school students will be given a hands-on experience in mini-labs that showcase academic and career opportunities. High school students will get additional information on topics such as college applications, writing personal statements, setting goals, housing and budgeting while in college.

Connor noted that the first conference was suggested and organized by a group of graduate students in the department of educational policy studies. This year’s event was organized by a university committee of students and staff members chaired by Roy Saldaña Jr. of the Office of Minority Student Affairs.

For more information, contact Saldaña at 217-333-0054.

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