News Briefs

O, come all ye tubas Tuba and euphonium players from The University of Iowa and the surrounding region—an ad hoc ensemble known as the Collegium Tubum—will be raising spirits in the vicinity of the Old Capitol at 12:30 p.m., Dec. 14. “Traditionally we feature familiar carols interspersed with homemade arrangements of seasonal silliness,” says Robert Yeats, associate professor of music, who directs the performance in his Santa costume. “So put on your longjohns and earmuffs and look around the Old Capitol area for the sound of caroling tubas and the sight of huddled masses of tuba players yearning to be warm.” Photo by Meghan Nichols.

Gilchrist to discuss bioterrorism

National news reports have carried frightening stories about anthrax in the last few weeks, but the insidious disease is not the only biological threat to the world. Mary Gilchrist, director of the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory, will speak on, “Bioterrorism: A new reality” at noon on Dec. 12 as part of the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council lecture series. The presentation is open to the public and will be held at the Rockwood Fellowship Hall, Congregational Church, 30 N. Clinton St. Lunch will be provided and is $6 for members and $7 for nonmembers. The registration deadline is noon, Dec. 7. For more information, call ICFRC Executive Director Tom Baldridge at (33)5-0351.

WSUI-AM (910) will carry this program on Dec.14, following the noon news. The event is cosponsored by UI International Programs with support from Zenders and McDonald Optical Dispensary.



Community to discuss book

An open discussion of The Last Summer of Reason by Tahar Djaout will be held at 7 p.m., Dec. 10 (International Human Rights Day) in the Minnesota Room, IMU. Burns Weston, director of the UI Center for Human Rights, will facilitate. This event, cosponsored by the UI Charter Committee on Human Rights and the UI Center for Human Rights, is a follow-up to the All of Johnson County Reads the Same Book events held from Oct. 22 to Dec. 5.



Iowa Shares campaign

Iowa Shares, a coalition of 18 nonprofit grass-root organizations, remains optimistic about its University of Iowa fall campaign despite recent national tragedies, an economic downturn, and governmental cutbacks. Iowa Shares knows that the critical support needed by agencies providing leadership and direction for social change and social justice, as well as for those agencies delivering services to marginalized populations, is at risk.

To call attention to this critical opportunity to provide support, UI departments and units can assist by sponsoring a short informational presentation from an Iowa Shares speaker before or after a regularly scheduled department or unit meeting and/or touring an Iowa Shares agency to learn how people in our community are making a difference in our neighborhoods and in the lives of our neighbors.

To request a speaker, tour, or to make a pledge, call Monique DiCarlo, University of Iowa campaign coordinator at (33)5-1486.



Dining in Victorian style

Diners can enjoy an evening of traditional English fare and Victorian music at the State Room’s Dickens Holiday Dinners, on Dec. 14 and 15. The menu consists of a four-course dinner with entree choices that include baked stuffed quail, oven-roasted salmon, and rack of lamb.

Strolling vocalists in period dress, from the UI’s School of Music, will perform a cappella pieces throughout the evening. The dining room will be decorated with the sights and sounds of the holiday season.

Reservations are recommended. For more information or reservations, call (33)5-3105.



Service offers quick turnaround

During final exam week, the office hours for Evaluation and Examination Service will be Dec. 17 to 21, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Dec. 22, 8 to 11 a.m.

During finals week, all test analyses and composites will be completed within four hours. “Quick Turnaround” scoring (raw scores–no item analysis) will be completed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Because finals week 2001 immediately precedes the holidays, any exams brought in for scoring on Dec. 22, between 8 and 11 a.m. will be completed and ready for pickup that same day.



Addressing the challenges of plagiarism

A conference, Plagiarism in the Digital Age, will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Jan. 18, in Buchanan Auditorium, PBB.

Plagiarism has been a challenge for as long as academic institutions have existed. However, the ready access to vast quantities of data provided by modern electronic technology has created an acute situation for many teachers. The purpose of this conference is to provide a forum for the University to discuss the nature, extent, and possible solutions to plagiarism on campus.

The event is open to UI faculty and staff. Information and on-line registration can be found at www.uiowa.edu/~provost/plagiarism. Space will be limited to 160 participants. For more information, contact Amy Kirkey at (33)5-0148.



University to begin search for new College of Medicine dean

In a Nov. 27 memo to the University community, President Mary Sue Coleman, Robert Kelch, vice president for statewide health services and director, UI Health Care, and Jon Whitmore, provost, announced that they will soon initiate a national search for a new dean of the College of Medicine. This search will proceed in tandem with the search for a new director and CEO of UI Hospitals and Clinics, although the UIHC position may be filled sooner because that effort has already begun.

Both the new dean of the College of Medicine and the director and CEO of UI Hospitals and Clinics will report to Kelch in his capacity as vice president for statewide health services and director of UI Health Care. The dean also will report to Whitmore on academic matters.

Coleman, Kelch, and Whitmore expressed confidence that the deanship of the College of Medicine will be an attractive position. The new partnership between the college and UI Hospitals and Clinics in the form of UI Health Care has become a nationwide model for academic medical centers. The college’s research enterprise continues to grow both in terms of external funding and in terms of the significance and scope of discoveries being made by faculty and staff. Just as important, the college’s curriculum and its physical facilities are being modernized.

Coleman, Kelch, and Whitmore will work with the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, and the board office staff to establish the process for this search and will keep the University community appraised of the progress of the search.



MLK Jr. week activities planned

The Office of Student Life is coordinating activities on the University of Iowa campus for Jan. 21 to 27 Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Week. Beginning Dec. 14, a list of activities will be available on-line at www.uiowa.edu/~mlk. The list will be updated throughout December and January.