March 24, 2006 In this Issue: - UNL Spring Calendar - Honors Program Calendar/Deadline - Undergraduate Research Conference - Semester at Sea - Gubernatorial Debate - Voting Registration Drive - Candidate Forum by ASUN - “H” Designation of Contracted Class - 3 Opportunities to Widen Honors Experience - Attention Seniors - New Class: ETHN 498 - Textbook Scholarship - New Classrooms - Letters of Recommendation - Computer Lab Reminders - GPA and Honors Status Clarification -- -- UNL Spring Calendar: Mar. 27-Apr. 11: Priority registration for Fall 2006 Fri. Apr. 7: Last day to withdraw from a class Sun. Apr. 23: UNL Honors Convocation Apr. 24-29: Last week of classes May 1-5: Final exams Sat. May 6: Commencement -- Honors Program 2005-2006 Calendar/Deadlines: Fri. Mar. 31: Thesis completion forms for May graduation due Fri. Apr. 14: Statement of Academic Interest due (4th semester participants) Memorandum of Study due (6th semester participants) Fri. Apr. 21: Theses for May graduation due Sat. May 6: Commencement -- -- New Announcements: -- The Undergraduate Research Conference on April 6 is free and open to the public. Plan to attend from 12:15-5:00 pm. -- New opportunity: Semester at Sea. 5 $5000 scholarships available. Contact International Affairs and see the attachment to this newsletter. -- Gubernatorial Debate: ASUN is extremely excited to be hosting one of the six republican gubernatorial primary debates on the UNL campus. The candidates will debate at 7:00PM this Sunday, March 26, 2006, at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. It is imperative that this be a politically engaging, student-centered event. Students can become involved in the following ways: -submitting questions to the debate panel. Questions can be emailed to asun1@unl.edu. The panel will review the questions and select the most relevant ones to be asked at the debate. -coming to the event! Students will receive priority seating with their Ncard. -- Registering to vote! We are working with the College Republicans and Young Democrats to host a voter registration drive next week (March 28-30) in the City Campus Union. -- In the spirit of nonpartisanship, ASUN is also hosting a forum for the democratic candidates the following Sunday, April 2, 2006, in the City Campus Union auditorium, also at 7:00PM. In this less-formal, but equally important event, students can ask questions directly of the candidates. -- -- Reminders: -- You may NOT change the H status of classes after April 14th. If you are going to drop the "H' designation, you MUST do so before this date. If you do not, your facutly member will decide the consequences. Contracted classes and Blackboard: If you have contracted a class, you may be removed from the Blackboard listing for that class. If this occurs, once the contract has been processed, provide your instructor with the following instructions: 1. Go to your course (or organization) and click Control Panel. 2. Click on Enroll User. 3. Perform a search for the person by last name (or user name if you know it). 4. Locate the person in the results. You'll see the names, usernames and email addresses in the list of results. Use this to verify you have the proper person. Student/TA usernames start with "s-" and faculty/staff accounts are a first initial, last name and number. 5. Check the box next to the proper name and click Submit at the bottom of the screen. -- Plan ahead: Three opportunities which will be available. Honors Week: Be a part of a new event! Begin the tradition! Your Honors Student Advisory Board will sponsor Honors Week from Sunday, March 26-Thursday, March 30. Sunday, March 26: Quiz Bowl, 2 pm. City Campus Union. Must sign up. Monday, March 27: Free movie, Ross Theater. “The White Countess” ID required Tuesday, March 28:Privacy vs. Protection: America’s Security Dilemma. 8 pm. Anderson Hall Wednesday, March 29: Thesis Workshop and Showcase 7 pm Neihardt Blue TV Lounge Thursday, March 30: Free bowling! 7:30-10:00 East Campus Union Food! Prizes! Fall (yes, Fall) break: Join the Honors Board in Chicago. See museums, enjoy ethnic food, do a little shopping on Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile, take an architecture tour, wade in Lake Michigan, or maybe . . . with a lot of luck . . . catch sight of some World Series players. Break on Broadway: Mark your calendars now and start saving! Join Dr. Damuth and Dr. Lyons for Fall Break in New York City. We’ll leave early on the Friday of break and return Tuesday evening. While in the City that Never Sleeps, we’ll attend shows, see museums, tour the United Nations, Ellis Island, and the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, where we’ll see a performance. We’ll also have time to sample food and to walk and see some high points of Manhattan: Rockerfeller Center, Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, perhaps a stop in Greenwich Village. Whether you’re a scientist, an artist, an engineer or an architect, there’ll be something for everyone. Cost will run between $700 and $900, depending on the shows we decide to see and the museums we visit. We’ll hold an informational meeting later in the semester, and we’ll require a commitment before May 1. Watch for future announcements. -- Attention Seniors: If you are graduating in May, please email Dr. Berger at pberger1@unl.edu to that effect. Include your thesis title and your thesis advisor’s name. We will print these as they appear in your email in our program for your Senior Honors Reception, on April 27. -- Ethnic Studies 498: Course Description: The 19-teens, twenties and thirties were a particularly dynamic period for African Americans. Millions of black migrants made the journey from the rural South to the urban North, transforming American race relations in the process. Two world wars opened up new opportunities to challenge white supremacy at home and abroad. A radical political impulse thrived in African American communities across the country. And a dynamic urban black culture produced a creative burst in music, poetry, photography, painting, fiction, journalism and drama. This class explores black experience during this era with a particular eye on the intersections of culture and politics. In addition to traditional historical texts, students will utilize an array of sources in the creative arts – fiction, poetry, painting, music, photography, film, drama, etc. - during their exploration of the “Jazz Age.” Arts and Sciences will substitute Ethnic Studies 498 Special Topics "African Americans in the Jazz Age" for Area H. The course will be offered in fall 2006. -- Textbook Scholarship: Reminder: You MUST purchase all textbooks with your N Card in the University Bookstore. If the instructor has ordered a packet or a text through a bookstore other than the UNL Bookstore, you must contact Dan Smith in the UNL Bookstore and ask him to order the material. Contact Dan Smith also concerning availability of texts which don’t appear on the shelves. Any texts to be ordered for contracts must be approved through Dr. Berger before you can ask the Bookstore to order them. -- New classrooms: Classes scheduled in NRC 118H or NRC 118I are located behind the main Honors Office. Please do not use the office itself as a corridor--use the west corridor to access them. Classes scheduled in NRC 1105 are across from the Honors computer lab. This classroom will remain locked until the faculty member has the key, as it is a “smart” classroom. When carrying on conversations in that hallway before class, please remember those who are working in the computer lab. -- Letters of Recommendation: Please approach faculty members for letters of recommendation at least 2 weeks in advance--3 is better. Remember to include any forms, signed if necessary, a current resume and any personal statements or letters you must write. -- Computer lab: PLEASE: Avoid removing paper jams in the computer lab. A part of the printer has been damaged twice. If a paper jam occurs, please use the other printer and contact the main Honors office. If no one is there, please use extreme care in removing the paper. Problems in the computer lab? The more you have stored in your account, the longer the login time. Try transferring some of your documents to a flash or jump drive. Be sure to empty your trash can as well. -- Clarification: If your GPA has dropped below a 3.5 as of May, you are not automatically removed from the UHP, though you lose your scholarship. We encourage you to continue to take Honors classes, to complete all requirements including submitting forms, and to work on bringing that GPA up so you can graduate from the Honors Program.