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Outlook
The University of Maryland Faculty and Staff Weekly Newspaper
Volume 14* Number 13* November 30, 1999
Hillary vs. Eleanor,
page 6
Poinsettia Sale,
pageS
Why We Close... Or Not
The Inside Scoop From the Decision Makers
Few administrative actions at the University
of Maryland cause as much controversy as the
periodic decision about whether to close the
university during inclement weather. Several
times each winter, Provost Greg Geoffroy has to
determine whether snow or icy conditions pose
a threat to safety that is greater than the need to
carry on the university's operations.
"Safety is the principal consideration,"
Geoffroy says. "Wet weather, snow and ice are
usually uncomfortable and often inconvenient,
but not always dangerous. Closing the university
is a major undertaking that affects thousands of
people, and many scheduled activities and pro-
jects. We can't do that lightly. Nor can we take a
casual attitude toward safety issues."
The decision-
making process begins about 4:30 a.m. on snow
days, when Frank Brewer, assistant vice presi-
dent for facilities management, arrives on cam-
pus to assess road, sidewalk and building condi-
tions.
"I take note of road conditions as I drive in
and on the campus," Brewer says. "I also check
with UM Shuttle drivers who have been operat-
ing during the night to see what conditions
they've experienced. Depth of snow is not nec-
essarily a good predictor of conditions. The type
of snow, temperatures and winds can make even
a light dusting dangerous."
Last year, for example, Brewer recommended
a delayed opening on a day when very little
snow had fallen overnight, but it was a slick, dry
snow that caused cars to slide and fishtail on
campus roads.
Brewer and his staff also consult numerous
forecasts to determine whether conditions wUl
worsen or stabilize as the day goes on.
"We look at conditions throughout the area,"
Brewer says."The vast majority of our students,
faculty and staff commute from their homes and
many of them may experience weather and road
conditions quite different from what we have
here on campus."
Brewer has created a weather center with
numerous televisions and computers to monitor
road conditions and forecasts from as many
sources as possible.
Once he has gathered as much information as
possible, Brewer advises Geoffroy on existing
and predicted conditions. Geoffroy then has to
choose whether to let the university stay open
for the day, open late to allow snow removal
equipment time to do its work, or close for the
day
"Frank Brewer gives me a lot of information
upon which to base my decision," Geoffroy says.
"In the end, I do what I think is in the best inter-
Corttinued on page 6
University to Appoint Panel
to Study Quality of Diversity
Mote Announces Three-Step Response
to Hate Incidents
In the wake of a series of disturbing racial threats and other
bias-related incidents on campus recently, University of
Maryland President Dan Mote has announced plans for a panel
to recommend ways to improve the quality of diversity. This is
part of a three-step plan to deal with issues of hate and bias
crimes on campus.
Mote told the University Senate that he and the Senate will
jointly establish a representative panel of senior faculty, staff
and students to help the university "cultivate a quality of diver-
sity that goes beyond representation and tolerance to create
new levels of understanding."
Mote also said that the university is committed to an aggres-
sive pursuit of the perpetrators of hate crimes, and that the
campus police have enlisted the aid of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division,
the U.S. Attorney's Office and the state police, which provided
additional troopers to campus after several African American
student leaders received threats recently through campus mail.
The president also has called for a thorough review of pro-
cedures for dealing with hate crimes, to ensure not only that
they are thoroughly investigated but also that victims are treat-
ed appropriately and receive information, protection and coun-
seling as needed.
"Maryland has jusdy earned a national reputation for its
efforts to promote diversity, but quality of diversity depends on
interaction among diverse people much more than on count-
ing heads " Mote said.
"We will assemble a panel of our best and brightest minds
— thoughtful and committed individuals — to survey our envi-
ronment and put their collective energies together to recom-
mend to me ways to achieve greater quality in our diverse
interactions on campus," he said.
Mote noted that media reports suggest that there is a grow-
ing trend toward incidents of hate and bias nationwide.
'Incidents of hate and intolerance appear to have increased
in both frequency and intensity throughout the country," Mote
said. "When they occur here, such acts are inimical to the basic
sense of safety, security and respect that we absolutely must
have for our students to learn, flourish and grow.
"We must address crimes of hate and threats of violence as
criminal acts, to be sure, and we have taken aggressive steps to
find the perpetrators of these acts and bring them to justice,"
Mote said,
"But that is not enough. We will ask this panel to help us
understand as a community how such divisive and hateful
activities can occur on a campus so diverse and so committed
to respect, civility and individual dignity for all its members."
Campus police have reported an increase this fall in the
number of reported incidents of hatred, bias, intimidation and
threats directed at people because of their race, religion, eth-
nicity or sexual orientation.
The most flagrant incident involved threats and racial slurs
delivered to several African American student leaders Nov. 16. In
response to that incident, Mote organized a campus raUy
against hatred and created a reward fund for information lead-
ing to arrest and conviction that has grown to more than
$13,500.
"This reward fund is especially gratifying," Mote said. "Since
my initial offer to put up $1,000, more than a dozen people
and organizations have voluntarily stepped up to pledge addi-
tional funds for this purpose. It is clear that the university's
campaign against hate has a broad base of support."
2 Outlook November 30, 1999
New Program Will Help
Enterprising Students
The University of Maryland
is creating the nation's first liv-
ing-learning entrepreneurship
program that will bring togeth-
er undergraduate students from
different disciplines to study
entrepreneurship, live and
work together in a specially
equipped dorm, and perhaps
even create their own startup
businesses.
"The University of Maryland
already has many well-estab-
lished, nationally recognized
programs promoting entrepre-
neurship and technology inno-
vation," says William Destler,
vice president of research and
dean of the graduate school.
"Now, with the creation of the
new Hinman Campus
Entrepreneurship
Opportunities Program, the
university is taking a bold step
toward becoming the world
leader in the teaching and
practice of entrepreneurship."
Beginning in the fall of
2000, the first 60 students will
be admitted into the Hinman
Campus Entrepreneurship
Opportunities (CEOs) Program,
a joint program of the
University of Maryland's highly-
ranked schools of business and
engineering. Initiated with a
$1 .7 million gift from Brian
Hinman, engineering school
alumnus and successful creator
of three high-tech companies,
the Hinman CEO's Program
will bring together select
upperclass students from busi-
ness, engineering, computer
science, life sciences and the
liberal arts. Working individual-
ly and in teams, the students
will learn how to create and
manage new technology or
business ventures. The students
will live and do much of their
learning in a special dorm that,
in addition to residence rooms,
will have offices, laboratories,
and conference facilities with
state-of-the-art computing, com-
munications, and laboratory
equipment.
Top Hinman entrepreneur
teams will be provided an
opportunity to start companies
in the A.James Clark School of
Engineering's Technology
Advancement Program (TAP),
an internationally acclaimed
incubator for technology-based
companies. The TAP is a part of
the Clark School's Engineering
Research Center, which assists
companies by facilitating their
access to research, technical
assistance and other resources
offered by the University.
"This is a terrific program
that will give entrepreneurial
students a chance to develop
their business ideas by living in
community with like-minded
people," says Hinman, president
and CEO of 2Wire, a California-
based developer of home-net-
working equipment, and chair-
man of Polycom, the leading
provider of teleconferencing
equipment. "The ultimate suc-
cess of the program can be
measured in the job creation
that will result from the stu-
dents graduating and starling
new and prospering enterpris-
es," says Hinman, who prior to
founding both Polycom and
2Wire, started PictureTel, a lead-
ing provider of video confer-
encing equipment. "I just wish
they'd had such a program in
place when 1 was there!"
The university's launching
of the Hinman entrepreneurs
program will build on the
spring 2000 initiation of an
important new entrepreneur-
ship curriculum program in the
Robert H. Smith School of
Business. The Entrepreneurship
Citation Program is a curricu-
lum of four undergraduate
courses that will focus on the
essential aspects involved in
starting, managing, financing
and developing growth strate-
gies for new ventures. The pro-
gram will culminate in a busi-
ness plan for each new student
venture.
Hinman entrepreneur stu-
dents will be able to partici-
pate in the citation program as
well as take advantage of other
relevant programs of the uni-
versity's Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship in the Smith
School of Business. Nationally.
the Dingman Center is ranked
among the best in entrepre-
neurial business education,
while the Smith School's MBA
entrepreneurship curriculum
ranks third in the nation.
"Graduates of the Hinman
CEO's Program will be able to
take away a lot of things from
the program, but the most
important will be knowledge
and experience that will give
their entrepreneurial ventures
a much higher probability of
success when compared with
others," Destler says. "And the
higher success rate for Hinman
entrepreneur graduates will
translate into more economic
success for our state, region,
and nation,"
Brian Darmody Named Assistant VPfor
Research ana Economic Development
Brian Darmody was recent-
ly promoted to assistant vice
president for research and
economic development under
the newly created Office of
Research and Graduate
Education headed by Vice
President for Research and
Dean of Graduate Studies
William Destler. All of this is
part of President Dan Mote's
plan to make the university a
pre-eminent research institu-
tion.
Darmody, a long-time assis-
tant in the president's office,
started his career at the uni-
versity as a legal counsel and
was responsible for local,
state and federal relations.
More recendy Darmody
served as senior advisor for
economic development.
In his legal and legislative
duties Darmody developed a
number of university research
initiatives, including amend-
ing the state ethics law to
allow faculty entrepreneurs
into the university's high tech
incubator; reformed state pro-
curement policies to grant
more flexibility to principal
investigators; developed the
university first technology
transfer office; devised the
capital budget strategy to
build new technology incuba-
tors at the university and
across the state; and created
the university's first compre-
hensive web site of services
the university offers to private
sector businesses
(www. onestopshop .
umd.edu).
Two years ago Darmody
created and successfully lob-
bied for legislation that creat-
ed the Maryland Technology
Development Corporation, a
quasi-public organization that
will help Maryland universi-
ties and federal labs commer-
cialize technology in a more
efficient manner.
Darmody also advocated
bringing a number of major
capital projects to locations
near campus, including the
$80 million FDA Center for
Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition, now under con-
Brian Darmody
strucdon adjacent to the
College Park/University of
Maryland Metro Station, and
the American Center of
Physics, home to the American
Physical Society, the American
Institute of Physics and other
national physics organizations.
Darmody was also involved in
the recruitment of the $60
million Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms
National Laboratories reloca-
tion project to a site north of
the campus.
Destler says that Darmody
will carry over his expertise
to die research and graduate
studies division. "He's going to
spearhead our activities in the
area of economic develop-
ment and build support for
federal research funding."
Darmody explains that the
move will allow him to focus
his efforts. "When the state
legislature was in session I
was devoting a lot of time
defending the university's
budget and other legislative
matters," he says. Now
Darmody lias more time to
devote to fostering external
relationships with the
Congressional delegation and
business organizations to
help the university grow into
a more prominent research
university.
"Dr. Mote wants to expand
the university involvement in
the private and federal sec-
tors. Our research profile has
grown tremendously over the
years, and this is a very excit-
ing part of the university's
expanding mission in local
and state economic develop-
ment," says Darmody
Ross Stern will be the new
local and state government
liaison in the president's
office. Now that Darmody is a
member of the research and
graduate studies office, he
plans to promote greater
coherence among the many
campus units delivering ser-
vices to business in Maryland
and in the region.
What to Do about Electronic Junk Mail
The Office of Information Technology has received numerous inquiries over the past several
weeks concerning the influx of unsolicited, commercial (or "junk") electronic mail received by
university faculty and staff. While the university's acceptable use guidelines (see
www.inform.umd.edu/aug) prohibit the sending of unsolicited electronic messages (including
"mass mail", "chain mail" and "commercial messages") by users of our computing resources, it is
difficult to prevent the unwanted e-mad from being received by university mail servers and even
more difficult to identify and hold accountable the author of the message when it originates from
a non-university Internet connection.
OIT advises university e-mail users to ignore these messages and delete them as appropriate.
On the other hand, OIT encourages you to keep the message and contact Project NEThics
(405.8787 or NEThics@umail.umd.edu) in the Office of Information Technology or the University
of Maryland Police Department (405.3555) if you believe a message constitutes illegal activity, vio-
lates campus policy or is part of a pattern of behavior. More information is also available from an
eariier Outlook article (see www.inform.umd.edu/outiook/I998-04-07/cEck.htmI).
Outlook
Outlook is the weekly faculty-staff newspaper serving the University of Maryland campus community. Brodfe Remington, Vice President for University Relations;
Teresa Flartnery, Executive Director of University Communications and Director of Marketing; George Cathcart. Executive Editor; Jennifer Hawes, Editor;
Londa Scott Forte. Assistant Editor; David Abrams, Graduate Assistant: Erin Madison, Editorial Intern. Letters to the editor, story suggestions and campus infor-
mation are welcome. Please submit all material two weeks before the Tuesday of publication. Send material to Editor, Outlook, 2101 Turner Hall, College Park. MD
20742-Telephone (301) 40&4629; e-mail outlook@accmail.umd.edu; fax (301) 314-9344. Outlook can be found online at www.inform.umd.edu/outtook/
November SO, 199 1 ) Outlook 3
Christine Clark Named Executive Director
of Human Relations
Christine Clark of the University of
Cincinnati has been named executive director
of the Office of Human Relations, effective Jan.
2, President Dan Mote announced last week.
Currently associate professor and coordinator
of the Urban Educational Leadership Doctoral
Program at Cincinnati, Clark has a broad back-
ground in multi-cultural education and program-
ming in higher education.
"I am delighted that Christine Clark has
agreed to provide leadership for the continuing
development of a culture of
diverse people enriching each
others' experiences by learning
and working together," says
Mote. "It is more important
than ever for us to assert our
values and goals as we con-
front the forces that would
spread hatred and intolerance
in society and even on campus.
"Christine has a national
reputation as an energetic, pas-
sionate, visionary leader in the
field of diversity enhancement
and training,'' Mote says. "She
will further establish us a place
that honors and respects all
people, of all races, religions,
ethnicities and sexual orienta-
tions."
Clark has taught and administered programs
to foster diversity at every educational level,
from elementary school to graduate school, in
New Mexico and Massachusetts, as well as in
her current position in Ohio.
"I look forward to the opportunity to further
the development of human relations programs
at the University of Maryland," says Clark.
"Maryland has come a long way to earn respect
and establish its role as a leader among universi-
ties that value diversity and the strength of
multi-culturalism. I am honored by Dr. Mote's
confidence in me."
In 1 998-99, while an assistant professor of
education at New Mexico State University, she
was a Fulbright Senior Scholar with the U.S.-
Mexico
Ira Bi
Senate Confirms Ira Berlin
Presidential Appointee to
Humanities Advisory Board
"Christine has a national
reputation as an
energetic, passionate,
visionary leader in the field
of diversity
enhancement and training/'
— Dan Mote,
University President
Commission for
Educational and
Cultural Exchange.
Clark is a nationally
known speaker and
writer on diversity
topics.
Clark's new
book , " Becoming
and Unbecoming
White: Owning and
Disowning a Racial
Identity," was pub-
lished recendy by
Greenwood Press.
It is a primer on
how whites can
develop an anti-
racist consciousness.
Clark has her bachelor's degree from Franklin
and Marshall College in Pennsylvania, and her
master's and doctoral degrees from the
University of Massachusetts.
i Berlin, distinguished university professor of history, was
among seven persons confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a presiden-
tial appointee to serve on the National Council on the
Humanities - the 26-member advisory board for the National
Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Berlin begins his six-year
term during the National Council's spring 2000 meeting in
Washington, D.C.
"It is a pleasure to welcome such as distinguished historian as
Ira Berlin to the National Council on the Humanities," says NEH
Chairman William. R. Ferris. "He is an admired leader in his field,
and will contribute immensely toward providing the keen insight
and judgement that will help guide* the NEH as we look ahead to
the new millennium.''
"Ira Berlin has had a phenomenal year," says James Harris, dean
of the College of Arts and Humanities. "His research has long
been recognized for it groundbreaking value, but the internation-
al attention his recently published works gained for him and his
selection to the National Endowment for the Humanities bring
ever greater distinction."
A preeminent historian and award-winning author, Berlin
uniquely masters the ability to restore stories dating back to the
first slaves brought to the Americas. In an era when many
Americans struggle with slavery's legacy — battling over such
issues as affirmative action, official apologies and lingering preju-
dices — they lack a true picture of the long, complex and varied
history of slavery. His recent books, Many Thousands Gone and
Remembering Slavery. African Americans Talk About Their
Personal Experiences of Slavery and Emancipation, were released
with widespread acclaim and address the issues of diversity
among slave life in North America.
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the NEH sup-
ports learning in history, literature, philosophy and other area of
the humanities. Grants sponsored by the NEH enrich classroom
learning, crate and preserve knowledge and bring ideas to life
through public television, radio, new technologies, museum exhi-
bition, and programs in libraries and other community places.
Maryland Psychology Center Offers Affordable, High Quality Services
Tucked away on the second floor of
the Zoology- Psychology Building the
Maryland Center for Anxiety Disorders
and the Psychology Clinic are discreetly
providing closely supervised, high quali-
ty services to the community, at a rea-
sonable price. Also benefitting from the
clinics are the graduate students in the
clinical psychology program, who are
receiving hands-on training and experi-
ence in treating patients. The center
also provide opportunities for faculty
and student research.
"Whether patients are depressed,
anxious or have study or work prob-
lems, they can call here," says Robert
Brown, director of the Psychology
Clinic and associate professor of psy-
chology. "We're not set up to handle
emergencies," he says, but the clinics do
see numerous patients each week,
whether individuals, couples or families.
"Patients here are usually seen by
students, not faculty," says Brown.
"These are advanced graduate students
who have been coached and taught by
their supervisors (faculty)." In addition,
says Brown, most sessions are recorded
on videotape for additional review by
the supervisor.
"We deal with psycho-social issues
here," says Brown" "we don't have the
capacity to prescribe medications." The
faculty who supervise in the clinics are
licensed psychologists who have exper-
tise in anxiety disorders (such as obses-
sions, compulsions and phobias), seri-
ous mental illness and other types of
emotional problems. Couples and fami-
lies also are assisted whether they are
seeking to enhance their relationships
or have problems, says Brown.
Brown says he hopes the depart-
ment will hire faculty who work specif-
ically with children. Until then, only the
anxiety clinic is staffed to see cliildrcn.
Fees for die clinic, which arc
on a sliding scale, are modest,
starting at $10 per session.
Faculty and staff who wish to
use the clinic, says Brown,
would be charged either on a
sliding scale, or at the co-pay
rate they would pay through
their medical insurance,
whichever is less.
Brown conducts telephone
interviews, or intakes, to deter-
mine the client's area of need.
He then refers that client to the
appropriate supervisor within
the clinic.
During the intake, Brown tells the
patient he or she will be seen by stu-
dents under supervision. He also deter-
mines their income level to give an esti-
mate of what the session will cost
them.
Colanda Howard a fourth year gradu-
ate student in clinical psychology, says
having the professors as supervisors
makes for a better relationship and
experience. "You get educated very
quickly as each patient brings in differ-
ent problems and the supervisor pro-
vides direction.
"We see mostly anxiety patients,
right now," says Howard, "But we may
get a patient into the clinic who, for
example, suffers from depression. A
supervisor can guide you as to what
do, what is needed. It teaches you how
to adjust to each situation."
"Whether patients are
depressed, anxious or have
study or work problems, they
can call here,"
— Robert Brown,
Psychology Clinic Director
"We used to place our students in a
wide variety of agencies," says Brown.
"Now we can supervise them here
where we can closely oversee their
training before sending tiiem to intern-
ships.''
Prior to meeting with the client, the
student talks with his or her supervisor
to discuss the patient's situation. "This
is very much a training clinic," says
Howard. "The supervisors change each
semester, so you get experience work-
ing with different styles.
"Training here is almost like course-
work, where you're being taught a
hands-on-skill," says Howard. "The way
the set-up is, it's almost like 'E.R.' where
you learn as you go."
Prior to the opening of the clinic,
Howard says students went outside the
university to get their clinical experi-
ence. Hers was at a prison in
Maryland. "We didn't like the travel,
and here we were in our first year,
second semester going into a prison.
Now the legwork for students is
reduced, because they're bringing the
training here," she says.
Nancy Heiser, a second year graduate
student in clinical psychology, works
in both the anxiety disorders and the
general clinic. She estimates, of the
two to three patients she sees each
week, 60 percent are from outside
campus, 40 percent on campus.
"This is very positive for students
and the community," says Heiser.
"There weren't a lot of anxiety clinics
available in the community before this
one opened," she says.
Brown says he hopes the clinic will
be a community resource. "The sliding
scale is greatly appreciated by patients,"
he says. He also encourages faculty and
staff to take advantage of the clinic if
they are interested. "If they don't know
whether or not we have services useful
to them," says Brown, call the Maryland
Psychology Center at 4054808.
4 Outlook November 30, 1999
dateline
mary
mem
'land
Your Guide to University Events
November 30 - December 9
November 30
3 p.m. Lecture: "The Internet,
Electronic Media .Trust and Qvil
Society," Ric Uslaner. department of
government and politics. 01 17
Reckon! Armory.
4 p.m. Physics Colloquial" The
Acceleration of the Solar Wind,"
Leonard Flsk, University of Michigan.
14 10 Physics Bldg.
December 1
7:30 a.m. Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship:" Finding the Right
Partnership-Choosing a Financial
Partner," James Harvey, CEO of
Ikimbo. Inc. Pooks Hill Marriott,
Bethesda, Md. 403-4290.*
Noon. Center for Health and
Wellbeing Brown Bag Lunch:
"Osteoporosis." Learn about osteo-
porosis and how exercise and diet
can help. 0121 Campus Recreation
Center. 4-1280.
Noon. Research & Development
Seminar "The Impact of Community
Violence on Preschool Children and
Their Families," Sally Koblinsky,
Family Studies. 01 14 Counseling
Center, Shoemaker Bldg.
4 p.m. Astronomy Colloquia:
"Gamma-Ray Bursts as a Probe of the
Very High-Redshift Universe," Donald
Lamb, University of Chicago. 2400
Computer & Space Sciences Bldg.
4:30-6 p.m. Institute for Chinese
Global Affairs Lecture: "China's
Military and China's Security" David
Shambaugh, director of political sci-
ence and international affairs,
George Washington University. 2 1 02
Shoemaker Bldg. 54)213.
December 2
4 p.m. Meteorology Lecture: Louis
Uccellini, director of the National
Centers for Environmental
Predictions, NOAA/NWS. 2400
Computer and Space Sciences Bldg.
4 p.m. Committee on the History
and Philosophy of Science Lecture
Series: "Concatenation of Scientific
and Technical Book Publishing in the
United Sates," Marcel LaFollette,
George Washington University, 1117
Francis Scott Key Bldg. 5-5691.
6:30 p.m.WMUC FM 20th
Anniversary Party Celebrate 20 years
of 10 watts. Featuring six hands,
four DJs, and cake. Rachel
Weintraub. 4-7867 or
wmuc.umd.edu.
8 p.m. University Theatre. "Julius
Caesar," a play by William
Shakespeare, Tawes Fine Arts Bldg.
5-7847 or
www.inlbrM.umd.cdu/THET/plays.*
December 3
8 p.m. University Theatre: "Julius
Caesar," a play by William
Shakespeare. Tawes Fine Arts Bldg.
5-7847 or www.inforM.umd.edu/
THET/plays.*
December 4
9:30 a.m. - 4-p.rn. Institute for Global
Chinese Affairs Conference: "Huizhou
Historical Archives and Culture."
Huizhou Culture often refers to the
unique political, social, commercial
and arts traditions originating from
southern Anhui and is regarded as the
third most important regional
Chinese culture, next only to Tibet
and Dunhuang Caves. Lecture Room,
National Archives 11,8601 Adelphi Rd.
5-0213 orrml65@umail.umd.edu.
8 p.m. Annual Christmas Concert.
Memorial Chapel, 5-5570.*
8 p.m. University Theatre: "Julius
Caesar" a play by William
Shakespeare.Tawes Fine Arts Bldg.
5-7847 or www.inforM.umd.edu/
THET/pfays,"
December 5
2 p.m. Annual Christmas Concert.
Memorial Chapel. 5-5570."
8 p.m. University Theatre: "Julius
Caesar," a play by William
Shakespeare. Tawes Fine Arts Bldg.
5-7847 or www. inlbrM.umd.edu/
THET/plays.*
5 p.m Annual Christmas Concert.
Memorial Chapel. 5-5570.'
December 7
i p.m. Physics Colioquium:"Recent
Discoveries in Gamma Ray Burst
Astrophysics," Neil Gehrels, NASA-
Goddard. 1 4 10 Physics Bldg.
8 p.m. School of Music: "20th Century
Winds'Tawes Fine Arts Bldg. 5-7847.
December 8
Noon. Center for Health and
Wellbeing Brown Bag Lunch: "Stress
Management.'' Learn stress manage-
ment techniques and discuss how to
reduce stress in your life. 0121
Campus Recreation Center. 4-1280.
7 p.m. Writers Here and Now Speaker
Series featuring Michael Cunningham,
winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award
and the Pulitzer Prize for his novel,
"The Hours." Fourth Floor, McKeldin
library.
7:30 p.m. School of Music: Winter
Jazz Showcase Concert. Experience
the talent from the university's two
premiere jazz classes — the Jazz
Ensemble and Jazz Lab Band — as they
perform under the direction of direc-
tor of jazz studies, Chris Vadala.
Meshkin Brothers Create a Surfbuzz on the Internet
A college degree is great, but having a
whiz kid brother doesn't hurt either.
After earning his degree in government
and politics from the University of Maryland,
interning on Capitol Hill and working in the
private sector, Brian Meshkin decided to
team up with his younger brother Alex to
earn big bucks on the Internet, They formed
their own company, Surfbuzz.com.
The Meslikin brothers launched their pro-
motional Web site yesterday. Surfbuzz com-
bines everyday Web surfing with direct mar-
keting. The site generates revenue from
advertisers, while consumers use it to get
free stuff. Members can keep up with finan-
cial news, chat, e-mail and search the
Internet while earning "BuzzPoints" for each
action they do online. They can then use the
points to purchase various products.
Nineteen-year-old Alex planned to follow
in his 23-year-old brother's footsteps at the
University of Maryland, but the lure of entre-
preneurship was too strong. Like other
young "techie" businessmen, the
brothers decided
to forgo
cubicles and
job security
for the
promising but
uncertain bust
ness world.
' 1 always took a
unique
approach toward
everything,
always looking
for an alternative
way to make
money, to start my
own business," Alex
says. His business
career began at
Glenelg High School
in Howard County,
where he sold candy
out of his locker. Alex
also discovered a knack for the stock market
in a government class mock stock market
exercise. He multiplied the funny money his
teacher allotted each student ten times.
Surfbuzz members can use their
BuzzPoints in an online "BuzzAuction," where
they bid on over 40,000 products like cars,
trips and Super Bowl tickets. For the promo-
tional site, a Porsche Boxter is on the auc-
tion block.
Membership to Surfbuzz.com is free. And
Alex says Surfbuzz members can get some-
thing for free every day. "The first day you
join the site, you may win a CD," he says.
Besides cars and trips, the auctions have
smaller items that require only a small
amount of points.
Like other successful Web companies
such as Amazon.com and Ebay.com, Surfbuzz
hopes to find its niche in cyberspace.
Competitors JikeAllAdvantage.com and
Beenz.com are similar to Surfbuzz, but those
companies require users to purchase items
in order to earn points. "We reward you for
what you're already doing," says Brian.
The company is based in Atlanta, Ga.,
where many of the companies' executives
formerly worked for giants like World
Airways and NASCAR. President Mike Jensen,
as well as vice presidents Paul Krause and
Carolyn Reeves
O'Brien came to
Surfbuzz from
Georgia-based
Coca-Cola.
Surfbuzz also has
offices in Orem,
Utah, where the
software and
programming
work is primar-
ily done, and
New York City.
Alex and
Brian are still
forming the
company —
now 17
employees
strong —
and solicit-
ing adver-
tisers.The broth-
ers are co-founders, co-chairmen,
and co-CEOs. They admit that they're not all
business — the endeavor is fun, too.
"Working with your brother is a wonder-
ful experience in the sense that you've been
working together a long time and it's some-
one you trust," says Brian. Togetherness has
its drawbacks, though. They are around each
other so much, they never know when the
workday stops.
— DAVTDABRAMS
Colony Ballroom, Stamp Student
Union. 5-5542 or
mb287@ umaii . umd . edu.
December 9
Noon. Institute for Chinese Global
Affairs Brown Bag Lunch: "Research
in Modern Chinese literature: 'The
Dream Chamber," "Yuh- wen Kuo,
National Taiwan University. The talk
will be given in Chinese. 5-0213.*
4 p.m. Meteorology Lecture:
"Oceanic Normal Modes and
Applications to Problems of Ocean
Tides and Circulation," D.B. Rao,
National Centers for Environmental
Prediction, NOAA, 2400 Computer
and Space Sciences Bldg.
Calendar Guide
Calendar phone numbers listed as 4-xxxx or
5-xxxx stand for the prefix 314- or 405, Events
are free and open to the public unless noted by
an asterisk (*). Calendar information for Outlook
is compiled from a combination of
inforM's master calendar and submissions
to the Outlook office.
Tore;
reach the calendar editor, call 405-7615 or
e-mail Outlook@ac email, umd.edu.
■ • n
■■
November 30, 1999 Outlook 5
Confederate Prisoner's Sketchbook Viewed by Great Grandson
Almost 135 years ago, in a
Civil War prison camp at Point
Lookout, a young Confederate
prisoner recorded his experi-
ences in captivity in an extra-
ordinary watercolor sketch-
book containing 62 bound
drawings. Recendy, the sol-
dier's great grandson came to
the University Libraries to
view for the first time this
sketchbook, which has been
housed in the Maryland
Manuscripts Collection since
1989-
Richard M. Brooks Sr., the
great grandson of John Jacob
Omenhausser, the prison artist,
came from his Richmond, Va,,
home to see not only the
sketchbook at the Libraries but
two other similar notebooks,
one at the Maryland Historical
Society in Baltimore, and the
other at the Maryland State
Archives in Annapolis. These
two sketchbooks of prison life
during the Civil War, plus a
third book housed at
Allegheny College in
Meadville, Pa., are also believed
to be the work of
Omenhausser.
Ross Kimmel, a supervisor
in the Department of National
Resources in Annapolis and a
Civil War historian, accompa-
nied Brooks and his wife dur-
ing their state of Maryland vis-
its. It was Kimmel who, in the
course of his research,
apprised Brooks of the sketch-
books and their whereabouts.
After looking at the three
sketchbooks, Brooks conclud-
ed that the one at the
University Libraries surpassed
the other two in clarity and
artistic quality. Each of the 62
drawings is tided and annotat-
ed with humorous captions
and ink inscriptions identify-
ing specific buildings, figures
and events.
The Austria-born
Omenhausser had lived in
Shirley and Richard Brooks view the sketchbook of his great grandfather, John Jacob Omenhausser.
Richmond for 30 years when
he enlisted as a private in
Company A, 46th Virginia
Infantry, in 1861. Captured and
released soon after in 1862 in
a prisoner exchange, he served
with his unit until 1864 when
he was captured a second time
near Petersburg, Va., and sent
to Point Lookout.
Omenhausser's work pro-
vides a detailed record of
prison life at Point Lookout,
now a Maryland state park.
Though not a professional
artist, he had some basic skills
as a draftsman. Impoverished
prisoners at Point Lookout,
such as Omenhausser, often
capitalized on whatever manu-
al skills they had to produce
items for sale or barter. He like-
ly produced numerous collec-
tions of cartoons for sale or
trade and, in turn, obtained
brushes and ink necessary for
his work.
A year after his release from
Point Lookout, Omenhausser
married and subsequently sup-
ported his wife and two
daughters as a candy maker.
He died in 1877 and is buried
in Richmond.
Soon after the Omenhausser
notebook was obtained by the
Libraries, it was sent out for
conservation treatment. Most
of the interest in the watercol-
or sketchbook, according to
Lauren Brown, curator of
Archives & Manuscripts, comes
from art, history and American
studies students and faculty.
Brown also notes that a muse-
um has expressed an interest
in borrowing the booklet for
an exhibit.
Campus Workshop Sparks Dialogue on White Awareness
Thirty-five members of the campus
community participated in a white
awareness workshop tided "To
Be(come) or to Un-Be(come)?:A
Critical Examination of Whiteness
Studies" on Nov. 5.
The goal of the workshop was to
engage participants in a critical dia-
logue on whiteness studies within both
personal and sociopolitical spheres.
"Ultimately, the
goal of the work-
shop was to exam-
ine manifestations
of white privilege
and racism at the
university and to
develop strategies
for addressing and
eliminating them,"
says Paul Gorski,
co-facilitator of the
workshop and
coordinator of the
Student
Intercultural
Learning Center
(SILQ within the
Office of Human
Relations Programs.
"Part of the rea-
PI VERITY
AT 1>MCP
MOVING
TOWARP
COMMUNITY
son whiteness studies have recendy
become so popular is because people
finally got a clue that it is no longer
okay for me, as a white person, to sit
around and wait for people of color to
solve racism problems. It is my obliga-
tion as a white person to understand
the role of my race in racism," adds
Gorski.
Issues surrounding whiteness and
whiteness studies were addressed
at the workshop, but the majority
of the afternoon surrounded a
dialogue about privilege. Small
group discussions and an experi-
ential activity called "Cross-Walk"
sparked this discussion.
Participants at the workshop
determined that "whiteness" Is a
very complex issue because peo-
ple have different dimensions of
identity, e.g., ethnicity, gender, sex-
ual orientation, religion and social
class.
Defining this concept is impor-
tant in the development process.
According to Gorski, the starting
point is to reflect on oneself
before moving on to some type
of action.
"It [the workshop] was a very
good time to start exploring the idea of
whiteness. We had a good dialogue and
began to focus on the issue," says Linda
Sarigol, the film collectors supervisor
with the University Libraries.
A discussion about racial and gender
Issues at the university illustrated that
changes still need to be made.
Workshop participants who experi-
enced racism or had examples of privi-
lege at the university shared their sto-
ries. These stories gave other workshop
participants concrete examples that
there is still work to do at both a uni-
versity and societal level.
"The workshop was excellent, but it
is a shame that some of the directors
and administrators did not attend. I see
the same faces at these diversity-related
events, which makes me question very
deeply whether the 'administration' and
the people with 'decision power' have
a commitment to these issues. They
need to show a commitment with
action," says Ron Abbit, assistant direc-
tor of Campus Recreation Services.
Gorski, a Ph.D. graduate from the
University of Virginia, in educational
evaluation, facilitated the workshop
with Miriam Phields, a doctoral student
and intern in the Counseling Center.
Gorski wrote his dissertation about
racial and gender identity in white
male multicultural educators and facili-
tators. His study focused on the individ-
ual processes of self-development. "It is
the process of examining my own
experience that moves me forward,"
says Gorski.
"I hope this workshop introduced a
conversation about whiteness and, ulti-
mately, I hope it comes to what we can
do on this campus to break through
and address racism and privilege in the
future," says Gorski.
*Note:There will be another event
related to white awareness on Tuesday,
Nov. 30, 6-8p.m., in the Cambridge
Community Center, Room 1111 .This
event is a cinema and conversation ses-
sion focused on "White Privilege."
Cinema will be used to spark dialogue
about this important topic. It is co-
sponsored by Office of Human
Relations Programs, National
Conference for Community Justice,
College Park Scholars, and the Academy
of Leadership. Contact Bridget Turner,
5-8190 or bt38@umail.umd.edu
—JAMIE FEEHERY-SIMMONS
« Outlook November 30. 1999
Why We Close... Or Not
continued from page 1
est of the university communi-
ty as a whole.
"Sometimes, what's best for
the whole university is still not
in the best interests of every
individual," Geoffrey says.
"Weather conditions vary con-
siderably across the region, and
while travel may be safe for the
vast majority of us, It may
not be for everyone.
"We encourage faculty
and supervisors to exer-
cise leniency with regard
to absences on those
days. If people can't get
here safely, they should
not be unduly penalized.
"We also encourage
faculty to make every
effort to let students
know if they are unable
to come to class on those
days. The easiest way is to
record a voice mail message
informing their students that
class is canceled. Many stu-
dents have expressed frustra-
tion to me when they come to
school on snowy days only to
find that their professors have
canceled class."
Geoffroy also notes that he
decides the university's status
independently of what other
schools, colleges and universi-
ties may do.
"We all have different con-
siderations," he says. "Even
University College, which is
adjacent to us, may close on
days when conditions are quite
safe here on campus. They con-
duct programs at numerous
"We encourage faculty and
supervisors to exercise leniency
with regard to absences on
those days. If people can't get
here safely, they should not be
unduly penalized."
— Greg Geoffroy, Provost
other facilities, including
schools and community col-
leges, which may be closed. So
they are at the mercy of those
facilities. We will make every
effort to stay open as long as
safety is not jeopardized."
Are We Open or Not?
How to Find Out Reliably
Winter is just around the corner, bringing
with it the promise of the holiday season, leaf-
less trees andTerps basketball. What's less cer-
tain at this time is whether the Redskins will
be playing football in January and whedier the
university will be open or closed when snow
storms blow in.
With thousands of members of the universi-
ty family living miles from the College Park
campus, getting the word out broadly and in a
timely fashion is critical. As the campus official
responsible for announcing whether the uni-
versity will close for the day, open late, close
early or stay open in spite of the weather, I
want to be certain that you know how to get
reliable, timely information.
Normally, when the weather is marginal or
worse, Provost Greg Geoffroy makes a decision
about the university's status between 5 and
5:30 a.m. (see accompanying story) and com-
municates that decision to me. I then start mak-
ing a series of phone calls that trigger the place-
ment of the announcement on the university's
Web site, on its weather emergency phone line
and in the news media that carry school status
announcements.
Those are the three places where you can
get information about the university's status
during inclement weather: the university Web
site (www.maryland.edu), the telephone line
301405-SNOW (7669) and the area's radio and
television stations.The first two are reliable
and have information by 6 a.m. on snow days,
whether we're open or not.
We also work hard with local radio and tele-
vision stations to get the word out, but they
are not as reliable as the information sources
we control ourselves.
We notify more than two dozen TV and
radio stations throughout the Baltimore-
Washington area when we close or open late.
Unfortunately, the message sometimes gets gar-
bled by the media. For example, many of them
don't distinguish between University of
Maryland, College Park and University of
Maryland University College. Channel 4 in
Washington last year twice failed to announce
we were closed after we had notified them,
and this fall, when Hurricane Floyd brushed
by, they announced we were closed when we
weren't.
The best source will be the university's Web
site, because we can put more information there
than in any other medium. For example, we can
post details about the weather forecasts and
conditions that lead to decisions about closing.
The Web site also provides users an opportunity
to provide comments about weather-related
operations, which will be forwarded to decision-
makers.
Have a great, safe winter!
—GEORGE CATHCART,
DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY RELATIONS
MacGregor Burns Compares the Leadership Styles of Eleanor and Hillary
Earlier this month, acclaimed author James
MacGregor Burns took a break from his book tour to
talk to students, staff and faculty about first ladies
Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton. The brown bag
lunch chat, "Eleanor and Hillary: A Comparison of
Leadership Styles," was held Nov. 15 at the Academy of
Leadership in Taliaferro Hall.
Bums recendy published "Dead Center: Clinton-
Gore Leadership and the Perils of Moderation," co-writ-
ten by Georgia J. Sorenson,
chronicling the "troika" of
Hillary, Bill, and AI Gore. In addi-
tion to his research on Hillary
Clinton for "Dead Center," Burns
also has first-hand knowledge
of Roosevelt from his years as a
White House intern during die
depression. The women's
Committee in the Academy of
Leadership asked him to con-
trast the two women as the
nation mulls a possible Senate
run by Clinton.
The hour-long lecture and
discussion was divided into
two parts half, devoting equal
time to the lives of Roosevelt
and Clinton.
Burns highlighted several
qualities the two women have in common, such as
coming from well-off families, good schooling and
often-adversarial relationships with the press. They
both committed their share of political faux pas and
both struggled with unfaithful husbands. They have
both been criticized for using their positions to affect
political change rather than assuming more traditional
roles as first ladies.
Burns described Roosevelt as individual more inter-
ested in furthering the liberal cause than maintaining a
household. Early in FDR's political career, Eleanor
Eleanor Roosevelt
made the unfortunate gaffe of telling reporters that
the first family was "getting along" with 1 1 servants—
not a popular statement to make during the depres-
sion. But that experience and her presence on the
campaign train with her husband taught her the ropes
of politics. She always fought her husband over the
Republican aspects of the New Deal, Burns said. He
credited her for being a powerful leader on the home
front during the war and caring for her husband dur-
ing a horrible bout with
polio that confined him to a
wheelchair.
As an intern in 1941
Burns remembered being
invited by Eleanor
Roosevelt to a special din-
ner with other staff mem-
bers. World War II broke out
that day, and he was sure
the event would be can-
celled, but Roosevelt hon-
ored the invitation. Burns
credited her with always
honoring her commitments.
"She was a real political
pro," he said. "When she
said she would be some-
where, by God, she was
going to be on dme."
Roosevelt went on after her stint as first lady to
make multiple contributions to society as an author,
columnist and United Nations ambassador. Burns
called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights she
helped compose as chairperson of the United Nations
Human Rights Commission "one of the greatest docu-
ments of all time."
In 1918 Eleanor found love letters documenting a
long affair between her husband and her social secre-
tary. Although the affair was quite tame by today's stan
da ids, Eleanor's self-esteem was shattered by the dis-
Hlllary Clinton
covery. But Burns said the couple became closer as a
result, largely because FDR knew that the political fall-
out from a divorce would be detrimental to his career.
Burns said Hillary Clinton's uncomfortable initiation
into politics mirrors Eleanor's in many ways. "She fum-
bles a bit wliiie finding her way," said Burns, who
called the press response in the aftermath of her failed
national healthcare campaign a "huge over reaction."
"Defeat is the name of reform,"he said, "because
change is difficult."
Comparing Hillary Clinton
the politician to her husband, Burns
said he considers her more forth-
right and equally policy-minded. But
he said the first lady lacks the
President's skills of "transactional
leadership," a term used to describe
Clinton's ability to barter political
favors in order to pass the programs
most important to him.
Many members of the audi-
ence were interested in Burns' take
on Hillary Clinton's New York Senate
campaign." I don't really understand
her ambition to be a Senator," said
Burns. He does not think that Hillary
will run. He noted that the Senate is
about compromise and not suited
for individuals like Republican New York City Mayor
Giuliani or Clinton. "Neither of them is going to be
happy in the Senate," he said.
Burns said tiiat Hillary Clinton's most important
contribution is the example she sets for other women.
He considers her a traUblazer for women in politics,
much like Eleanor Roosevelt was for her time.
"(Roosevelt] carried off that role so well," he said, "that
she's paved the way for other people."
— DAVID ABRAMS
November 30, 1999 Outlook 7
Master Forecaster: Rasmusson Continues to Weather the Storm
JL V -H-s
■other Nature is perverse," says Eugene
Rasmusson with a laugh.The 70-year-old
.senior research scientist in the depart-
ment of meteorology should know. He has spent his
life studying the weather.
Beginning with his childhood on the Kansas prairie
during the Dust Bowl days and continuing through a
half-century long, distinguished career, Rasmusson has
been observing the weather. Driving him is a desire to
understand the intricacies and complex interactions
of the atmosphere, land, rivers and sea.
Rasmusson is one of the world's best known
experts on the "El Nino" phenomenon, the irregular
warming of the waters of the eastern equatorial
Pacific off the coast of Peru roughly every two to five
years. It is associated with air pressure and wind pat-
tern changes that alter the weather, sometimes disas-
trously, in nearly every corner of the world.
Recently, Rasmusson was inducted into the
National Academy of Engineering for his contributions
to understanding climate variability and establishing
the basis for practical predictions of El Nino.
Rasmusson is accustomed to answering questions
about how El Nino is likely to affect winter weather.
He obliges them with his friendly demeanor and
patient way of explaining things, frequently telling
reporters what a typical "El Nino" winter weather pat-
tern is likely to entail for different parts of the world:
wetter, drier, colder or warmer.
Having been an operational and research meteorol-
ogist, he can also explain how and why weather fore-
casting has improved dramatically in the last 40 years.
He readily concedes, though, what drives the decades'
lond — and centuries' long global weather patterns
remains a mystery. "Mother Nature is always ready to
throw a curve ball," he says.This happened in 1983,
when he published a famous article on the El Nino
phenomenon during the biggest recorded El Nino of
the century."It followed none of the composite pic-
tures" he had developed.
Born on an isolated Kansas farm in February 1 929,
Rasmusson was the oldest of five boys and two girls.
His ethnic Swedish and Norwegian parents had come
to the states from Scandinavia in the 1870s.
Rasmusson came of age in the decade of the Great
Depression. It was also die decade of the Dust Bowl,
when a series of unprecedented droughts in the Great
Plains devastated farming life.
Fanning was the only way of life that had been
known for generations and the Dust Bowl was one of
Mother Nature's crudest curve balls ever. Between
trying to grow wheat and raise catde during the worst
of die Dust Bowl years, young Eugene took an early
interest in the weather.As he explains it, "Life on the
farm, where weather was so crucial, oriented me
toward paying attention to the weather."
Of that time, he says, "farm life was Spartan."The
family had no running water and no electricity.
He attended school through the eighth grade in a
one-room schoolhouse. His parents had never gone
beyond the eighth grade and his father "wasn't
thrilled' when his oldest son decided to go to high
school in Iindsborg, a tiny town of 200 people.
But Rasmusson was delighted to Eve there with his
maternal grandmother. The house had electricity and
running water. "For the first time in my life, 1 could
flush a toilet," he laughs. Town life was a major and
welcome change from he rigors of farm life"! didn't
have to milk the cows, "he adds,
FoUowing high school, Rasmusson decided to go to
college. "This was really the only method of escape
from the farm," he says. Beginning in the faE of 1946,
he went to Kansas State CoUege in Manhattan, Kansas.
Degree options were mostly engineering related.
Meteorology programs were almost non-existent.
Rasmusson majored in civil engineering, graduating
in 1950 with a bachelor of science degree. He also
signed up for the four-year advanced ROTC program,
Eugene Rasmusson
which got him a reserved commis-
sion. This was to prove fortuitous
when the Korean War broke out that
year.
In May 1951, Rasmusson was
ordered to Warren Air Force Base in
Cheyenne, Wyo., ending a brief stint
with the Kansas State Highway
Commission as a surveyor. He was
sent to Lackland Air Force Base in
San Antonio, Tex., where he was
given a battery of tests to see where
he would be most useful. The result:
either research and development or
meteorology.
He made his choice, and in the
fall of 1951, was sent to the meteo-
rology department at the University
of Washington in Seattle for a one-
year, non-degree training program.
His first forecasting job began in
1952 at Vance Air Force Base in Enid,
Okla. From there, he was sent to
Elmendorf Air Force Base in
Anchorage, Alaska, to work as a fore-
cast shift chief in the Alaska Weather
Center.
Following his 1955 discharge,
Rasmusson spent six months work-
ing for the Pacific Telephone
Company before becoming "lone-
some for meteorology." He wrote to
the II. S. Weather Bureau (predeces-
sor to today's National Weather
Service) and landed a job in the river
forecast center, where he was responsible for forecast-
ing Mississippi River stages above Cairo, 111. In I960,
he got a job as a state forecaster for southeastern
Missouri.
That same year, Rasmusson got married — on a swel-
tering August day in the tiny town of Newmindin, 111.
"It was so hot, I thought I'd die that day," he remi-
nisces. Next year, he and his wife, Georgene, celebrate
their 40th wedding anniversary. They have four daugh-
ters and three grandchildren.
In the early '60s, Rasmusson took night courses at
St. Louis University in a mechanical engineering mas-
ter's degree program, and graduated in the spring of
1963- The idea of a formal graduate degree in meteo-
rology "still never entered my mind" says Rasmusson.
However, that summer he was asked by his Weather
Bureau supervisor to take a one-year assignment at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
department of meteorology.
"It was so awesome, so great, second to none," says
Rasmusson of MIT's meteorology department.AU the
great weather scientists were there, including the peo-
ple who first devised the concept of numerical weath-
er forecasts in the 1940s and 1950s. When the one-
year assignment was extended to two, he enrolled as a
formal Ph.D. student, earning his Ph.D. in meteorology
from MIT in 1966.
Over the next two decades, Rasmusson worked on
research designed to see if computer models could
accurately mimic the observed general circuladon pat-
tern of the atmosphere. He helped prepare what was
for a long time the "bible" of the general circulation
model: "The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Professional Paper 5,
September 1971, Atmospheric Circulation Statistics."
Computer model outputs for years were compared to
the statistics, based on years of observational data, pre-
sented in diis book.
Rasmusson did not turn to El Nino-related work
until the 1 970s, It was, as he describes it, one of the
"targets of opportunity... a plum waiting to be picked."
The contributing factors, he says, were a new NOAA
emphasis on ocean-climate interactions; and the
National Climatic Data Center's desire to create a sur-
face temperature data set for the tropical Pacific.
-In 1969, the famed Norwegian scientist Jacob
Bjerknes had linked together the El Nino phenome-
non with the periodic shifting in atmospheric pres-
sure patterns across the equatorial South Pacific,
referred to as the "Southern Oscillation."
This is where die acronym ENSO comes from: the
El Nino-Southern OsciEation.A warm episode is called
an EI Nino or warm ENSO and a cold episode is caEed
a La Nina or a cold ENSO.
Rasmusson did extensive work creating composite
maps of what a "typical" warm and cold ENSO
episode features. It was in 198 J, when a major warm
ENSO episode triggered global weather havoc, that
the term "El Nino" first entered the popular press.
In 1986, Rasmusson came to the University of
Maryland's department of meteorology as a senior
research associate. Early on, he gave frequent lectures
and was in charge of the department seminar pro-
gram. He also wrote proposals for scientific studies
funded by the National Science Foundation and the
Office of Global Programming. Today, Rasmusson is
mostly retired from active research. He sits on numer-
ous committees and recently served as president of
the American Meteorological Society. His appointment
as research professor emeritus is pending.
When asked why ENSO episodes have been so fre-
quent and so intense in the past 20 years, Rasmusson
readily concedes he doesn't know. Looking back on
the historical record, he says, there was a similar peri-
od in the late 1 9th century.
Whether or not it is related to the phenomenon of
global warming, he answers, "maybe yes, maybe no."
He notes the Dust Bowl droughts were not associated
with any ENSO episodes. He then recaEs that dust
storm winds across the prairie periodically knocked
over the family out-house.
"Mother Nature is perverse," he says.
—RICHARD TODARO
I
8 Outlook November 30, 1999
for your
•vinli
lectures • seminars • awards
etc
Database Design
Faculty, staff and gradu-
ate student computer train-
ing is being offered in
"Designing a Relational
Database," Friday, Dec. 10,
from 9 a,m,4 p.m. There
is a fee of $ 100 for train-
ing and text book.
This course, to be
taught in lecture format,
deals with the issues sur-
rounding database design.
The course is not specific
to any one database appli-
cation and is ideal for any-
one preparing to create a
database, for those prepar-
ing to transfer a database
from one application to
another, and for database
designers and users who
wish to
have a firmer grasp of
design considerations.
Seating is Limited and
web-based preregistration
is required at
Poinsettia Sale
Just in time for the holiday season, the
department of natural resource sciences and
landscape architecture will host a poinsettia
sale on Dec. 10 and 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. in the Harrison Lab at Route 1 .
The sale will feature over 40 varieties with
bract colors of white, different shades of red,
pink and bicolors.
For more information, call 405-4376.
www. inform, umd . edu/ShortCour ses.
Questions about course content can be
directed to oit-traming@
umail.umd.edu; questions about regis-
tration can be directed to the OIT
training services coordinator at 405-
0443.
Lilly Atlantic Conference
The fourth annual Lilly Atlantic
Conference on College and University
Teaching will take place April 7-9,
2000, at Towson University, and is
cosponsored by Towson, Miami
University and the University of
Maryland. Proposals are due Dec. 1.
To get a copy of the call for propos-
als, contact Lisa Solomon at
<ls209@umail.umd.edu> or 405-9980.
Information is also available on the
CTE web site at
<www. inform. umd. edu\CTE> under
the header upcoming special event.
Illness in High Office
Jerrold Post discusses "When Illness
Strikes the Leader: The Psychopolitics
of Illness in High Office "Tuesday, Dec.
7 from noon-l:30 p.m. in Room 1 102
Taliaferro Hall. Post is professor of psy-
chiatry, political psychology and inter-
national affairs at The George
Washington University.
Post worked for the U.S. government
for more than two decades, founding
and directing the Center for the
Analysis of Personality & Political
Behavior, which provided political psy
chology assessments of foreign
leaders for the President and
other senior officials for use in
crisis situations and in prepara-
tion for summit meetings. A
member of the editorial boards
of Political Psychology and
Terrorism, Post also has conduct-
ed research on crisis decision-
making for the Carnegie
Corporation of New York. Most
recently, he is coauthor of
"Political Paranoia: The
Psychopolitics of Hatred" (Yale,
1997).
Drinks and cookies will be
provided. Bring your own lunch.
This event is sponsored by the
Center for the Advanced Study of
Leadership, a program of the
Academy of Leadership. For
more information, contact Scott
Webster at 405-7920 or "sweb-
ster® academy, umd . edu ."
Bottled Water Blues
Banished
The Office of Procurement
and Supply recendy received
some complaints about missed
deliveries and billing problems from
Crystal Springs, the university's bot-
tled water contractor. The company
took the university's complaints seri-
ously and has assigned a new cus-
tomer service representative, Jason
Kolovich, who can be reached at 1-
800-344-1618 x3104.
If you need to call Kolovich, have
ready your department name and
location, telephone number and the
customer account number. If you
have further problems or any con-
cerns regarding this contract, call
Tammy Yanulevich at 405-5830 or e-
mail her at tyanul@purchase.
umd.edu. She will be doing the con-
tract administration for this bottled
water contract.
Procurement is sorry for the incon-
venience and appreciates customers
calling the problem to procurement's
attention.
Power Point Prep
Faculty and staff computer training
in "Creating Presentations with MS
PowerPoint (Office 97)," is being
offered Tuesday, Dec. 7 and Thursday,
Dec. 9, from 9 a.m.-noon both days.
There is a fee of $60 for training and
course materials.
Participants with basic Windows and
word processing skills will learn to cre-
ate slide content outlines, incorporate
clip art and graphics, animate slides,
prepare audience handouts and speak-
er notes, and be acquainted with style
and formatting techniques that will add
power and appeal to slide presenta-
tions.
Seating is limited and web-based
preregistration is required at
www. inform . umd . edu/Short Courses .
Questions about course content can be
directed to oil-training® umail.
umd.edu; questions about registration
can be directed to the OlTTraining
Services coordinator at 405-0443.
Orlando Furioso
Daniel Javitch, professor of compara-
tive literature at New York University,
addresses "The Poetics of Variation in
Orlando Furioso"Thursday, Dec, 2, at 3
p.m. in the Language House (St. Mary's
Hall). All are welcome to attend.
The event is sponsored by the
department of French and Italian. A
reception follows the lecture.
For more information, contact
Giuseppe Falvo at 405-403 1 or
falvo@umd5.umd.edu.
Putting Together a Web site
The Mini-Center for Teaching
Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture and
Society presents "How to Put Together
a Web site " a basic HTML hands-on ses-
sion, Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 6:30 p.m. in
Room 4133 McKeldin Library.
For more information visit the Mini-
Center's Web site at
otal.umd.edu/amst/mini-center/ or con-
tact the administrator Sandor Vegh at
veghs@otal.umd.edu
Ethical Conflicts Resolved
The campus community is invited to
participate in a seminar tided
"Resolving Ethical Conflicts in
Professional Practice," featuring Civil
Engineering Professor Richard McCuen
Friday Dec. 3, from 2-4 p.m., in the ITV
Building. The goal of this course is to
develop your awareness of the com-
plexity and significance of value con-
flicts in professional environments and
to demonstrate an optimum approach
to resolving such conflicts. The
approach for resolving ethical conflicts
recommended by the Institute for
Professional Pracdce will be intro-
duced
and illustrated using case studies,
including a videotape of a case study of
an entry-level professional confronted
by a value conflict in the workplace.
For a detailed course description
and registration form call 405-4905
with your name, phone and fax num-
ber. Cost for the university community
is $45 per person.
National Players' 'Julius Caesar" Opens Dec. 2
The National Players will present William
Shakespeare's murderous tale of greed and
deception, "Julius Caesar," Dec. 2-5.
Performances of the classic play wiU be held
in Tawes Theatre Dec. 2A at 8 p.m. and Dec. 5
at 2 p.m.
One of Shakespeare's most frequently per-
formed plays, "Julius Caesar" exposes a dark
world of political betrayal in which assassins
and avengers misguidedly seek justice.
"Behind the pomp and grandeur of any
empire or organization are people," said
Mitchell Hebert, director of "Julius Caesar."
"People who place their trust in the leader-
ship of others. What happens when this trust
is violated? To what ends will others go to
seek justice? Just how fragile is the fabric of
love that holds a friendship or marriage
together? In 'Julius Caesar,'we examine those
questions."
Tickets are $10 standard admission, $7 for senior citizens, students, and standard
groups, and $5 for senior citizen and student groups. Tickets are available dirough mail
order now or by phone charge beginning Nov. 22. For reservations or additional informa-
tion, call the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Ticket Office at (301 ) 405-7847 week-
days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
JULIUS
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