News Briefs

A home for ‘Giganto’ Change is afoot in The University of Iowa’s Museum of Natural History. In December, a model of Gigantopithecus blacki, the largest ape that ever existed, settled down to life in Iowa. The exhibit was designed by visiting scholar Rufen Song, above, curator and chief of the Division for Research and Exhibits at the Beijing Natural History Museum, and Charles Monson, a student staff member at the UI Museum of Natural History. The Gigantopithecus model is based on the research of Russell Ciochon, professor of anthropology, and on fossil jawbones and teeth collected from China and Vietnam in 1988 and 1989. Photo by Rex Bavousett.

Sounds of Freedom: Join the read-in

In honor of the 2001 Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Week, the Office of Affirmative Action invites you to Sounds of Freedom: A Community Read-In on Jan. 24. The event will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the North Room of the Iowa Memorial Union. Individuals from the campus and community have been invited to read from selections—poems, essays, songs—on freedom or struggle that they have found inspirational in their lives. An open microphone also will be provided for individuals interested in sharing a short selection (up to two minutes) about freedom.

Participants are welcome to read or just to listen. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information, contact the Office of Affirmative Action at (33)5-0705 (voice), (33)5-0697 (text), or affirm@uiowa.edu.




Why hasn’t my sidewalk been plowed yet?

Chances are it will be at any minute. The plows leave Campus Shops on Madison St. and plow outward to their routes. Therefore, the sidewalks along the Main Library will be cleared before those around Seashore Hall.

In a typical circumstance, when it snows during the night, a sweep of campus is usually completed by

8 a.m., but icy conditions or heavy snow can slow down the process. Below zero temperatures also can cause delays because the ice melters used by Facilities Services Group don’t work as efficiently under these conditions.

However, if the sidewalk hasn’t been plowed by noon, it may have been missed. Notify the Work Control Center at (33)5-5071 if this problem occurs.




Diversity Dialogue groups: Building community one connection at a time

The Office of Affirmative Action invites all staff, faculty, and students to participate in its campuswide Diversity Dialogue program. Diversity Dialogue groups are small, cofacilitated groups that use videos, articles, and interactive activities to explore various topics of diversity. Group members meet ten consecutive weeks for 90 minutes; groups are held throughout the day to accommodate various work schedules. This semester, groups will meet at the Iowa Memorial Union or the UIHC. The program, in its fifth year, has drawn members from UI faculty, administration, merit, professional and scientific classifications, and students.

The Diversity Dialogue program is an innovative approach to building community in a university setting. As barriers continue to divide individuals from each other on the basis of such issues as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, class, disability, age, and religion, the necessity for authentic dialogue across difference grows increasingly important within our society and within the University community. For more information about the Diversity Dialogue program, please contact Diane Finnerty or Lanese Kwegyir Aggrey,

Office of Affirmative Action, (33)5-0705 (voice), (33)5-0697 (text), or diane-finnerty@uiowa.edu. Registration deadline is Feb. 2.




Last call for United Way

UI and Foundation employees and retirees will have until Jan. 30 for giving to this year’s UI United Way campaign. Current contributions total $372,000 or 93% of the University’s $400,000 goal. The United Way Answer the Call campaign goal total is $1,750,000, and currently 94% of that goal has been reached.

Money collected by United Way supports 40 nonprofit health and human service organizations in the community. UI employees can give through payroll deduction, cash gift, automatic deduction from a checking account, credit card, or direct billing from United Way. For more information, contact Jane Hoshi, (38)4-0017, or call United Way of Johnson County at 338-7823 to make a pledge.




Cancer Center earns highest designation

Just a few months after being named a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Center, the Holden Cancer Center at The University of Iowa has achieved further recognition: NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center status.

"There are currently 60 NCI-designated cancer centers in the nation, and of those, only 37 are comprehensive cancer centers. Many large states do not have one," said George Weiner, director of the newly named Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. "The comprehensive designation is a guarantee to patients across the state that they can receive state-of-the-art compassionate cancer care here in Iowa."

Weiner also noted that the comprehensive designation makes the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center the foremost authority on cancer research, education, prevention, and treatment in Iowa.




Staff Council seeks nominations

All professional and scientific and special services staff members whose position classification is not covered by a bargaining unit are invited to nominate themselves or other staff members for election to Staff Council.

Nomination forms will be sent to eligible staff members in campus mail. They must be returned to the Staff Council office, 380 IMU, by Feb. 8.

Staff Council is an elected body that represents approximately 4,500 non-bargaining professional and scientific and merit supervisory exempt/confidential staff members.

The council has a substantial impact on the teaching, research, and service outcomes of The University of Iowa. As a University-wide representative body, Staff Council members promote communication among staff, central administration, Faculty Senate, and Student Government.

Staff Council members do not make policies, but do advance staff concerns and ideas to central administration and make specific recommendations for policy changes.

Staff Council is composed of one representative for every 100 employees or major fraction thereof in the following categories: professional administrative and academic; professional health care and nursing—non-bargaining; professional research; special services (merit supervisory exempt/confidential).

Members attend a monthly two-hour meeting and serve on at least one internal committee.

More information is available at the Staff Council web site, www.uiowa.edu/~stafcnsl.




MLK events scheduled

Because many of the events occurred before fyi’s January publication date, the schedule of Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Week activities was published in the Dec. 8 issue of fyi. For information on events still to come, see the calendar on page 8 of this issue, or check www.uiowa.edu/~mlk.




I know it’s around here somewhere

Is your New Year’s resolution to get organized once and for all? Whether you’re looking to remake your mix of priorities or simply get more done, this seminar is for you! How to Get Organized & Get it All Done will take place on Feb. 6. Steve Gilliland, former major league baseball player, will lead this entertaining and informative session. Call Staff Development at (33)5-2687 for registration information.