WINTER 1999
Volume 42, Number 2

IN THIS ISSUE

Stretching the Dollars to Update Technology

'Dear Mom...'

What We Need

Sweating out the Tryouts

Changing Binge Drinking

Health Iowa

Students First Rx

Plenty of Choices

Squandered Opportunities

Parent Times Briefs

Calendar

As the proud parent of four Hawkeye students, may I share the one concept that I have painfully learned? I grimace every time an opportunity passes me or one of my students by. As I grow older, it is becoming easier for me to recognize these situations and more difficult to accept them (with age comes "patience be damned!"). And no arena is more apparent than campus life.

Can you think of a more rewarding experience for your college student than to attend one of President Mary Sue Coleman's Fireside Chats? Imagine the opportunity to interact with the wisdom and experience of a renowned and well traveled scientist who is willing to converse with students in a nurturing and totally non-intimidating environment. And yet, I'm sad to say, in spite of written invitations, student attendance is sparse. At the last Parents Association Board meeting, Linda Maxson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, announced that when department heads make themselves available for student conversations, participation is equally disappointing. Missing the boat.

Did your student seize the opportunity to witness Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel discussing the horror of the Holocaust and inspiring us with hope for the 21st century? I can only begin to imagine the entire spectrum of human endeavor that this gifted writer has experienced. While attendance filled the hall, it represented a fraction of the undergraduate student population. Could anything on mass media rival this? Asleep at the switch.

Is your student still undecided about a career? A short walk west across the beautiful campus leads to the doors of a world-class medical research, training, and hospital complex that holds frequent pre-arranged student-oriented tours. Other University departments do the same, frequently during Welcome Week. I painfully remember this high-anxiety time in my life. I desperately needed answers and had few opportunities to find them. Now doors have been opened. I focus on the hospital area because it provides, in addition to health-related academic disciplines, a source of part-time employment for many students. That's a terrific combination. A student living on campus but never visiting the UI hospital complex disappoints me, especially when you consider that it is only footsteps from several residence halls. Lights are flashing, but the train ain't a-comin'.

Don't procrastinate! Take your student's photo under the Hawkeye statue on Hawkins Drive right now. It's conducive to photography regardless of the season, and it makes a magnificent background. Better yet, line up the entire family under those majestic wings and have a passerby trip the shutter to stop time for you. Instant heirloom.

Before my editor sets a heavy pen to these middle-aged, fatherly grumblings, I have one more suggestion. Parents, set a fine example to your students about not wasting opportunity. This winter, many of you will be given an opportunity to contribute to the Parents Association fund. Your financial support is the fuel that enables the Parents Board to implement projects and enhance campus facilities that benefit students enrolled at the UI. On behalf of all board members, I assure you: we don't want to be guilty of squandering any opportunity to help!

If you'd like more details about the Parents Association Board, minutes of our meetings are available on the Internet, as well as the names and phone numbers of board members. Now, Parent Times is on the Internet, too, at http://www.uiowa.edu/~ptimes/.

Best wishes for 1999! It's a great year to be a Hawkeye!

Jim Pavlacic