For the week of December 8, 2003
From the 6th floor
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Fog and rain. Not your typical December day in Upper Michigan. We have been enjoying mild temperatures the past several days, but forecasters tell us that's about to change. Or so they say. Straight from the horse's mouth : <<<<Low pressure developing in the southern plains will be gradually lifting into the Great Lakes today. This low will be growing more powerful as the day progresses and will kick off some snow in western areas for this afternoon. The eastern UP may start as rain, as warmth will linger there, but tonight, as cooler air works in, all will change to snow. As the low passes by to the east on Wednesday, expect a pretty decent amount of snow, up to a foot in areas, accompanied by a very brisk wind. Snows will continue into Thursday due to Lake effect and temperatures will stay on the cool side through the end of the week.>>> All things considered,
it doesn't sound too pleasant. But you know what it's like trying to predict
the weather in here. |
Budget-reduction options presented
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Three
options designed to balance Northern’s budget were discussed at a campus
forum this afternoon. Each would implement nearly $3.4 million in “low-impact”
adjustments – a combination of reductions, cost-avoidance, reallocations
and revenue-generating measures – spread over two fiscal years. Two
of the options would include mid-year tuition increases. The proposed reductions
for each division were presented by Fred Joyal (Academic Affairs, pictured),
Gavin Leach (Finance and Planning) and Interim President Mike Roy.
In developing its proposals, the President’s Council assumed a 6 percent executive order for the current year and a 5 percent cut in state appropriation for fiscal year 2005. It also anticipated a 3 percent increase in enrollment next fall. The President’s
Council classified budget adjustments as having either a low or high impact
on Northern’s ability to fulfill its mission statement and vision.
Members also used as their guide an ASNMU budget litmus test for FY04.
The test addresses the impact on scholarships/loans, learning environment
and overall cost, as well as the number of students benefiting from current
programs or services and the short- and long-term effects of any reductions.
Full Story |
NMU English professor dies
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Longtime
NMU English professor Thomas Hruska passed away last week. Hruska suffered a stroke and died Tuesday, December 2. He had taught at Northern since 1970, instructing a variety of literature and composition courses. He served as adviser of The North Wind from Fall 1974 to Winter 1976. A graduate of Menominee High School, Hruska served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He earned his bachelor's degree from Northern and his master's and doctorate at Michigan State University. |
Alumnus to deliver commencement address
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Gary
R. Bertoline will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary Doctor
of Technology degree at Northern's midyear commencement ceremony on Saturday,
Dec. 13. He is a professor of computer graphics technology and associate
vice president for information technology at Purdue University. He also
serves as director of the Envision Center for Data Perceptualization.
A native of Norway, Mich., Bertoline graduated with a bachelor of science degree from NMU in 1974. He went on to earn a master’s degree in education from Miami University and a doctorate in technology from Ohio State University. He is currently a member of Epsilon Pi Tau, SIGGRAPH, the American Society for Engineering education, and IEEE. Bertoline also serves on the editorial boards for the International Journal for Geometry and Graphics, and the Journal of Terrestrial Observation. |
Mohey Mowafy's healthy tips for the holidays
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The
average American usually gains about five pounds between Thanksgiving and
early January, according to the Duke Diet and Fitness Center. But Mohey
Mowafy, professor of health and physical education, says it is possible
to maintain weight and come out of the holidays without feeling as stuffed
as a turkey with blood as “rich” as eggnog.
“Having lived in this lovely place for nearly three decades, I have become familiar with our ritual of living the days and nights between Thanksgiving and the New Year as one perpetual party celebrated with food, drinks and friends,” Mowafy said. “Quite honestly, I would not want it any other way, but I also know that many end up having to deal with the wrath of food hangover, cloths that no longer fit, and pressing or depressing wishes of going on a diet, which may indeed lower their weight but will also add another stressor.”
Mowafy offers a few
simple guidelines for reasonable, sane, delightful, and healthy holiday
eating. Full
Story |
And about that holiday stress thing....
Many of us approach the winter holidays with such high expectations that our spirits – which are supposed to be buoyant – quickly become saddled with stress and disappointment.
We cling to idealized visions: families uniting in friction-free camaraderie; children behaving like angels; everyone loving the “perfect” gifts we selected; friends gazing with amazement at the culinary masterpiece before them on the dinner table.
“These perfect images are fostered by the media and popular culture, or by our limited perceptions as reality,” said Thomas Stanger, NMU Counseling and Consultation Services. “Everyone else appears to be happy, when in fact we are unlikely to see into others’ private space where they may be feeling sad.
"Trying to live up
to the promise of the holidays not only saps our energy and resources –
the gap between the ideal and the real may lead to holiday blues rather than
holiday cheer.” Full
Story
NMU to stop forwarding e-mail
Northern Michigan University
will no longer allow e-mail to be forwarded to off-campus service providers.
The change will take effect with the start of winter-semester classes on Monday,
Jan. 12. Students will have to use their NMU e-mail address to ensure that they
receive tuition bills and other university announcements.
The decision was motivated by service providers such as America Online and Hotmail,
which have started blocking Internet domains they perceive as “spamming”
their customers' e-mail accounts.
When a large institution like NMU sends an e-mail message to many recipients,
the service providers block all mail from that address, assuming it is spam.
As a result, thousands of NMU e-mail messages are not getting through to the
students for whom they are intended because many students have been forwarding
university e-mail to another address.
Northern will attempt to counter this trend by not allowing e-mail to be forwarded.
Students will need to check their university e-mail at their NMU address, but
are still welcome to use their personal, non-NMU accounts for other purposes.
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