SOUNDINGS - March 15, 1996

Sign in UAS classroom:

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a 
fire."  
                                                         William Butler Yeats

MOVING TO THE BRC

The Juneau administrative services offices are being moved from the Mourant Building to the Ray Center in the next week as part of the Mourant conversion. The purchasing and personnel divisions move on Friday, March 15. The university archives office and the rest of the administrative services staff will move the following Friday.

In other changes, the cashiering office has moved to the Bookstore. On March 29, cost center clerks will need to pick up paychecks from the cashier in the bookstore. Cashiering services will also be available at the Ray Center.

Scott Clark will continue to provide petty cash services but now it will be from the Ray Center. Petty cash is also currently available through Candace Murdoch at the Physical Plant and additional petty cash sites are being established on campus.

Administrative Services staff phone numbers will remain the same after the move. Physical Plant Director Bob Green said, "We've hauled over a mile of (phone and data) wire." They link phones to the switch room.

Green also said work continues in the Mourant Building. The shape of the bookstore, that will move to the ground floor, is still being considered. "Once we move the bookstore then we start work on the food service operation which will occupy all its present area and bookstore's." The food service remodeling is scheduled to be completed by August.

NEW UAS PROFESSOR TO LEAD JUNEAU ICEFIELD RESEARCH PROGRAM

Dr. Richard Marston of the University of Wyoming has been selected as director of the Foundation for Glacier and Environmental Research (FGER), the organization that oversees the Juneau Icefield Research Program. Marston has also accepted an appointment as a nine-month visiting full professor at UAS. In addition FGER and UAS have agreed on a cooperative pilot project.

UAS Chancellor Marshall Lind said a long-term cooperative agreement may depend upon University of Alaska Board of Regents approval of a new Environmental Studies degree at UAS.

"The Juneau Icefield is a tremendous laboratory for students and it's located in UAS's back yard," Lind said. "Because of the significant research conducted on the icefield, UAS is now stepping onto the international science stage with this agreement."

Marston officially assumes the duties of FGER director on June 1st, as he leads the 1996 summer icefield program. Since 1946 Dr. Maynard Miller has lead the icefield research. He has resigned as FGER director but will remain chairman of the board.

FACULTY COMMITTEE MEETINGS

UAS faculty from all campuses met March 8 to consider the Academic Restructuring Committee draft proposals. Co-chair Rita Dursi Johnson said, "Many of the faculty attending supported the single dean model."

Johnson said the committee will formulate final recommendations to the chancellor. Those wanting to make comments about the recommendations should contact committee members who include Marjorie Fields, Jim Goes, Rita Dursi Johnson, Eric Leegard, Jason Ohler, Elizabeth Schelle, Priscilla Schulte, Phil Slattery, Sherry Taber and Tom Thornton.

The Faculty and Administrative Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate met later on the same day to consider the compensation adjustments proposal. Faculty wishing to offer additional comments should contact their committee representatives Chuck Craig, Mary King, Eric Karolak, Carol Liberty, Jan Parmelee, Chris Weaver, Dennis Russell.

ENGLISH FACULTY PRESENTING PAPERS

Four UAS English faculty will be presenting papers at the national Conference of College Composition and Communication Convention in Milwaukee this month. Bob Mayberry from Sitka and Don Cecil from Juneau are speakers in a session entitled, "Writing and Speaking in the Composition Classroom."

Juneau faculty Chris Weaver and Joey Wauters will present an all-day workshop on student writing portfolios with other members of the National Portfolio Research Network called "Portfolio Negotiations: Texts and Contexts." At a different session on creative writing, Wauters is also presenting a paper entitled "Feeding the Imagination: Creative Assignments for Creative Writers."

LIBRARY HOSTS MEETING

Egan Library and Media Services hosted a satellite-delivered continuing education event for the Alaska Library Association March 9 from the Media Services studio. Librarians from 19 Alaska communities attended "Libraries on the Cusp" to address opportunities presented by new technologies.

Amy Owen, Utah State librarian, and Jamie McKenzie, director of Media and Technology for the Bellingham School District made presentations during the first hour of live broadcast. During the next hour, while off-line, local discussions were held and questions were sent to Juneau. Then in the third hour the questions were answered by the guests and Juneau librarians Karen Crane, Alaska State librarian; Carol McCabe, Juneau Public Libraries director; and Laila Tedford, Dzantik'i Heeni librarian.

UAS Director of library, Computing and Media Services Sherry Taber was MC. The Media Services staff directed and produced the broadcast.

SITKA CAMPUS

Mary Lauer, director of continuing education in Sitka has had an article published in the Journal of the Association of Conference and Events Directors - International. The article, "Unique Location; Unique University; Unique Program" was published with a description of UAS Sitka, along with a feature on the University of Hawaii at Hilo, as the editor's choice of featured conference sites.

Eight students and two faculty from the Juneau campus spent spring break in Sitka and participated in a field trip to Kruzof island (by boat) where they studied tide pools, and geology. On the trip to the island, the group came across about 12 orca whales and stopped the boat. The pod of whales, that included several babies, stayed close to look at the lookers.

Also taking part in the joint field trip were Sitka students in Marnie Chapman's inter-tidal biology class and Naomi Fischer's geology class.

Elaine Sunde, Sitka campus director attended the Western Brokering Project Participant Meeting (for WICHE) in Boulder March 7 and 8.

STUDENTS TRAIN AT DOT/PF

Six UAS students are getting professional training in the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. They are working with Tom Gallagher, professor of Public Administration, who is designing the department's public involvement program for the forthcoming Statewide Transportation Plan. The project is part of the Cooperative Education Program between UAS and DOTPF.

ALUMNI BANQUET/AUCTION MARCH 22

Dinner reservations for the UAS Alumni Association's annual banquet and auction must be made by 5 p.m. Tuesday (March 19). The $25 ticket includes a choice of prime rib or halibut olympia. Reservations may be made in Student Resource Center. The annual event to raise money for the Alumni Association activities begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Baranof Hotel's Treadwell Room.

EXPLORATIONS DEADLINE IS MARCH 21

Submissions for Explorations '96, the UAS literary journal, must be postmarked by March 21. There is a $500 prize for poetry and a $500 prize for short fiction. Editor Art Petersen says, "Submissions this year are definitely up. They are coming from all over the state and the country, dozens each day, and from Europe. I received one from Switzerland the other day." Guidelines are available from Petersen at 465-6418. Submissions may be sent to UAS Explorations, Editor Art Petersen, 11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau 99801-8761 or fax them to 465-6406.

MOUNTAIN FILMS SHOWN WEDNESDAY

The Juneau screening of the "Best of the Festival" Banff Mountain Films will be held at Centennial Hall at 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 20. Tickets are on sale at Hearthside Books and the UAS cashier. Mountain and adventure films to be shown include rock and alpine climbing, kayaking, B.A.S.E. jumping, historical mountaineering, and the environment. The showing is sponsored by UAS Student Activities.

GRADUATING STUDENT AWARDS

This year awards to graduating students will be given at the UAS Alumni Association's graduate brunch on April 28 in the Mourant Cafeteria. In the past the awards were presented at commencement, but Director of Student Services Bruce Gifford said the new systems allows for "expanding the number of awards to recognize more students without impacting the length of the graduation ceremony." Deans are directors have been asked to select graduates to be recognized.

JUNEAU CAMPUS

Lost and found has been moved from the cashier counter to the Student Resource Center.

GLACIER BAY RESEARCH

Sea lions hauled out on rocks in Glacier Bay National Park can be affected by boats approaching closer than the 100 yard Park Service restriction according to a recently completed study by Juneau campus faculty member Beth Mathews.

Mathews and students from UAS and UAF monitored the effects of vessel traffic on sea lions hauled out on rocks. In addition to how close vessels approach, Mathews said, "There are issues like the activity of the vessel such as whether it speeds up suddenly or slows down. Even activity on the deck probably influences the animals."