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March 9, 2005 |
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I’ve come to conceive of The Village as a living piece of sculpture in which sculpture is a communal event. The walls are shaped and touched by people’s hands, including as many people from the community as possible. ~Lily Yeh Philadelphia-based visual artist Lily Yeh will give this year’s Gardner Lecture on Monday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m. in the Utah Museum of Fine Arts’ Dumke Auditorium. The lecture is free and open to the community. In 1986, Yeh worked with neighborhood children and adults in a North Philadelphia inner-city neighborhood to reclaim an abandoned lot, which they turned into a summer art park. They cleared garbage-strewn empty lots, filled them with plants, and used interesting pieces of debris to create vibrant “art parks.” That was the beginning. By 1989, she had founded The Village of Arts and Humanities, a community based art organization—a cluster of parks, community gardens, educational facilities, art workshops, and offices that annually serves 10,000 low-income people each year. The Village’s primary focus has always been the North Philadelphia area, but Yeh has taken her work to communities in Kenya, Ivory Coast, Ghana, the Republic of Georgia, China, Columbia, and Ecuador. In addition to her work with The Village, Yeh is an accomplished painter and taught art and art history at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia for thirty years. Yeh was born in China, grew up in Taiwan, and came to the United States in 1963 to attend college. Influenced by the writings of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela, she also was deeply inspired by her own experiences in Beijing, especially the student uprising at Tiananmen Square. She came to the conclusion that art is about more than making art; it is about delivering a vision. Her work focuses on reconnecting what is broken, healing what is wounded, and making the invisible visible. With an inclusive, participatory, and collaborative style, she believes that leadership is an art and that art, in turn, is a form of leadership. She adds, “In this way my work cuts through racial, class, geographic, and ethnic separations to directly connect to the heart, mind, and emotion with people.” The Gardner Lecture was established in 1983 in honor of David Pierpont Gardner, the University’s 11th president from 1973 to 1983. The annual lecture recognizes high scholarly achievement in the humanities and fine arts. For more information, contact Damali Burton at 581-6764 or damali.burton@utah.edu.
The University of Utah
is pleased to announce that it is now more environmentally friendly
than ever. On Feb. 16, the U executed a contract with Questar Gas
to provide uninterruptible transportation of natural gas to its
main campus high temperature water (HTW) plant. Since October 1993, coal has been used exclusively as a backup fuel, but it was relied upon very rarely. However, each year, the U had to burn off the stored coal, creating environmental challenges. In 2001, the U constructed a separate high temperature water plant on the east side of campus, enabling the separation of the main campus plant from the health sciences campus. Backup fuel for the main plant thus became optional. After careful discussions and evaluations involving Questar, (our gas transporter), U of U administrators, and others, the decision was made to eliminate coal as a backup option. Not only does this help the environment, it also eliminates the need to repair and/or replace aging coal handling equipment in the boilers. It was simply the right thing to do.
I had learned about America through films and TV, but I wanted to see for myself. The Friendship Family Program allowed me to learn about America through a family perspective. I have learned a lot from them.
The University of Utah is host to almost 2,000 international students from over 101 different countries. Their priority is to study at the U, but many of them would like to enhance their experience here by learning about “the real” American culture. The International Center matches international students with local individuals and families who have an interest in expanding their understanding of the world through a program called the Friendship Family Program. The students do not live with the host family, but rather participate in their ongoing activities such as barbeques, outings, community service projects, movies, performances, sports events, and holiday and birthday parties. Hosts are expected to meet with their international student once each month. By becoming involved in the program, U of U employees can do their part to make the international students feel more at home in Salt Lake City. The Friendship Family Program has been in existence for over 20 years and has given hundreds of students an opportunity to experience American culture. In exchange, host families will have an opportunity to learn first-hand about another country and gain an ‘insider’s’ perspective. You can practice a new language or learn to cook a native food. You can increase your understanding of the world and develop new friendships. The Friendship Family Program is a unique opportunity for U of U employees, both faculty and staff, and international students to get together and enjoy a cross-cultural experience with each other.
Nikki’s Story A friend referred her to the TMCP. “It was the best advice I ever took. This decision changed my perspective and my life,” she notes. Nikki was introduced to a new environment where professionals treated young people with respect. After working with the TMCP staff, she came to admire them and look up to them as mentors. “I didn’t want to just be a patient anymore, but hoped to be a colleague one day,” she says. She took her G.E.D. test and passed. That fall, she started college and graduated with an associate degree in International Business. Last May, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She has applied for the Physician Assistant graduate program and hopes to pursue a Ph.D. “TMCP has had such an effect on my life that I mentioned them in my personal statement to the graduate school committee,” she says.
The Teen Mother and Child Program was established in 1980 by Arthur Elster who saw a need for comprehensive health care services for teen moms at one location; a facility where both they and their children could receive medical care. So, he established the Teen Mother and Child Program at the U’s School of Medicine. Today, the program is the only one of its kind in the state of Utah. During its 25 years, TMCP has provided health care to more than 6,000 patients. The program is also a teaching site for student residents and students studying social work, nutrition, and nursing. TMCP continues to provide a spectrum of health care services from pre- and post-natal care and family planning to nutritional services, personal counseling, and financial services. In addition to assisting with job training and school programs, TMCP networks with community social service programs and health agencies and assists in finding housing and daycare. Most importantly, TMCP provides self-sufficiency guidance and helps these young mothers find their place in the world. For more information, call 581-3729.
Former United States Secretary of State (1989-1992) and also former Secretary of the Treasury (1985-1988) James A. Baker III will give a presentation as part of the distinguished Middle East lecture series on April 11 at 2 p.m. in Kingsbury Hall. Plan to arrive early. For a complete schedule of the lecture series, see www.hum.utah.edu/news/05/jan/mec.html.
Marriott Library’s Unrequired Reading Group is asking for your three most-loved reads. You can either submit a form online at www.lib.utah.edu/nlw or pick one up at one of the circulation desks in the library. The completed forms will be posted on the walls of the library during National Library Week, April 10-16 and FYI will report on the results. Former United States President Jimmy Carter and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson are just two of those whose favorites will be included. The library wants your ideas for great books to read, so spread the word to friends, family, and colleagues.
To commemorate its tenth anniversary, the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment at the Quinney College of Law will host literary icon Jim Harrison on March 24 at 7 p.m. in the Aline Wilmot Skaggs Biology Building Auditorium. Harrison, who is known as one of the finest American writers of this generation, will read from a selection of his novels exploring man’s relationship to the world. Page Stegner, who will briefly discuss his father’s legacy as a writer and environmentalist, will introduce Harrison. The event is free and open to the public. Jim Harrison is known as one of the finest American writers of this generation. The Boston Globe has noted that “Reading Jim Harrison is as close as one can come in contemporary fiction to experiencing the abundant pleasures of living.” His books include Legends of the Fall, Dalva, The Road Home, and most recently True North. Harrison’s poetry has received wide acclaim, drawing favorable comparisons to Gary Snyder and Robert Bly. His award-winning work has been published in 24 languages. The University Bookstore carries several of his titles. For more information, contact Jennifer Weyerstall at 585-3440 or weyerstallj@law.utah.edu.
NPR's 'Science Friday' to broadcast session Is restoration an illusion or a reality? Can we ever bring back what is gone? Can we look at traces of the past and from those traces recover the lost thing that left them? And if we cannot really restore any thing to what it was, what is the point of restoring it at all? These and other questions will be addressed Thursday March 24 through Saturday March 26 when the University of Utah holds its 2005 Symposium in Science & Literature, this year titled, Some Re-Assembly Required: Restoration and Human Production in Words, Images, and Bones. Keynote lectures will be delivered in the Gould Auditorium at the Marriott Library. Keynote speakers include Rachel Berwick, Leslie Forbes, and Michael Novacek. Berwick’s work addresses a matter of life and death and the sometimes permeable boundary between survival and extinction. Her “A Vanishing” will be installed at the Salt Lake Art Center. Forbes is the author of four award-winning travel books and has presented many BBC documentaries such as Crimescapes and Radio 3’s Tabletalk. Michael Novacek has served since 1982 as a curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York where he is currently senior vice president and provost of science, and curator of paleontology. For more information, call JoAnn Murray at 581-7236 or visit www.scienceandliterature.org/index.html.
During spring break, March 13-19, Wasatch Drive will be closed in two phases for road slurry and re-striping. Last year, the road striping on Wasatch Drive was modified to allow parking on the road. The old striping was painted out with black paint. Unfortunately, the paint keeps wearing off due to the high amount of traffic on the road. Subsequently there are two sets of traffic lines showing up, resulting in a confusing and potentially dangerous situation as vehicles are unsure which traffic lines to follow. During spring break, a “slurry seal” traffic coating will be applied to the roadway from the intersection of Wasatch Drive and South Campus Drive northward to just short of Federal Way. This traffic coating will permanently cover all existing lines. The roadway will then be re-striped so that only one set of traffic lines is visible. To accommodate traffic into the Dolores Dore Eccles Broadcast Center and into the parking lots at the old dorms, this work will be done in two phases. Traffic signs will be in place to direct drivers to the appropriate access. The first phase of the project will close Wasatch Drive from the Fort Douglas TRAX station north to the entrance to the dorm parking lots allowing access only from North Campus Drive. The second phase will continue north from that point to Federal Way, allowing access from the south near the Fort Douglas TRAX station. For more information, contact Dave Moyes at 585-9657.
The three pools in the HPER natatorium will be undergoing some repair and reconstruction work over the next several weeks and months. The east dive pool will be closed from April 28-mid August for reconstruction. The middle pool will be closed from April 28-May 22 while the starting blocks are removed. The west pool will be closed from April 28-May 8 because of the dust and debris from repair work on the other two pools. For more information about these closures, and to verify lap swimming availability during this time of construction, contact Campus Recreation Services at 581-3797.
The U of U Staff Advisory Council is looking for staff members who would like to serve on a variety of U of U committees. This is your chance to get involved and serve your University community while meeting staff from different areas of the U, adding to your network of contacts, and providing input on issues facing the campus. You can also nominate others. Positions are available on the following committees and have a three-year commitment: Bookstore Advisory and Review Committee; Campus Recreation Committee; Financial Aid and Scholarship Committee; Graduation Committee; Parking and Transportation Advisory Committee; Parking Violation Appeals Committee; Student Behavior Committee; and University Senate Elected Diversity Committee. Application and/or nomination forms and descriptions of the committees are located at www.utah.edu/uusac. You may submit the form electronically or by campus mail. Nominations are due March 18. For more information, contact Valerie Horton at 581-8231 or V.Horton@utah.edu.
U of U faculty members
from main campus are invited to attend a free proposal development
workshop on Friday, April 1 in the Union’s Panorama East Room
from 8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Developing Your Project to Successfully
Compete for Funding will be presented by the Office of Sponsored
Projects. Topics will include: Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, contact Terri Pianka at 585-5707 or terri.pianka@hsc.utah.edu.
Good news! Although the opportunity to meet TIAA-CREF consultants on a quarterly basis right here on campus is convenient, things have just gotten better. TIAA-CREF has opened an office in Research Park at 420 Wakara Way, Suite 200 (same building as Human Resources). An official open house is planned for this spring, but for now, the office is open Monday and Friday. This means U of U employees now have even more immediate access to services regarding their retirement accounts. For more information, contact TIAA-CREF at 883-5100.
Don’t forget to update your home address in the Campus Information System by March 15 to ensure that your open enrollment packet is sent to the correct address. You can make address changes online at https://gate.acs.utah.edu/. For more information, call the benefits office at 581-7447.
The deadline to submit changes for the Qwest Dex 2005-06 Salt Lake City White Pages is April 6. The academic campus listings begin on page 220, and health sciences listings on page 225 in the business section of the current White Pages. All changes should be made online at www.it.utah.edu/services/phones/qwestdex.html. If you have no changes, there is no need to submit the form. The Dex Media representative will be contacting departments directly about existing Yellow Page listings. If you wish to advertise in the Yellow Pages, call Beckie Penman at 284-5055. Call Robin Horton at 585-7205 for campus listings; and Allyson Tanner at 581-3879 for health sciences listings.
Are you interested in being a docent, sign language interpreter, or visitor service representative at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts? UMFA is seeking enthusiastic and committed individuals to become part of the museum’s talented group of volunteers. A training will provide you with information on art history, the UMFA’s world art collection, and the basics of effective communication. Weekday and weekend training is available. For more information, contact Amy Edwards at 585-9875 or aedwards@umfa.utah.edu. Information is also available at www.umfa.utah.edu.
University Marketing & Communications has half-inch gold metal block U pins available for purchase. Departments can order the pins at $1.85 each in quantities of 10 or more. Supplies are limited. Sorry, the pins are not available for individual purchase. For more information or to order, contact Fran Olson at 581-7190 or fran@ucomm.utah.edu.
The U’s Division of Rheumatology is conducting an IRB-approved clinical trial testing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. You may qualify if you are at least 40 years old; have had knee pain for at least six months; are not taking glucosamine or chondroitin (or are willing to washout); and are in good health. If you qualify, all study-related office visits, lab work, and investigational study medication will be provided at no cost. For more information, call the rheumatology office at 587-8839.
U Police are offering a course in basic defense skills and awareness techniques to females age 12 and older. Based on martial arts training, the class builds self-confidence and makes women more aware of their surroundings and physical capabilities. The six-week course is open to all women, both on and off campus, and is held Wednesday evenings with sessions beginning March 16, May 25, and Aug. 3. There is a fee for the class. For more information, call Lynn Rohland at 585-2677.
To raise awareness of the dangers of unintentional poisonings and remind people of prevention steps, the Utah Poison Control Center, located in Research Park, provides educational materials and presentations upon request at no charge. For more information, check online at http://uuhsc.utah.edu/poison or contact Marty Malheiro at 587-0603.
Learn to tolerate and forgive. Intolerance of others leads to frustration and anger. An attempt to understand the way other people feel can make you more accepting of them. Again, don’t forget to become aware of and accept your own feelings as well. For more information, call 581-6826 or visit www.utah.edu/counsel. ~Courtesy U of U Counseling Center
This was a rewarding legislative session for the University of Utah and for Higher Ed in general. Get the complete details on the 2005 Legislative session and how their decisions will impact the U. The annual U of U Legislative Summary is now available at http://www.utah.edu/fyi/legislative/legislature_2005.html.
DVDs of Barbara Ehrenreich’s keynote address for Women's Week 2005 are available for check out from the Diversity Library in the Office of the Associate Vice President for Diversity, 204 Park Building. Contact Leo Leckie to schedule your three-day checkout at 581-7569 or leo.leckie@utah.edu.
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