Weekly Bulletin

TIAA-CREF retirement counseling sessions

TIAA-CREF is offering individual retirement counseling sessions on Wednesday, March 14, 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. and Thursday, March 15, 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m. in 801 Lincoln Campus Center.

Employees with questions about the Optional Retirement Program, tax-deferred annuities or retirement savings are welcome to attend.

Campus employees are also welcome to a financial education presentation offered by TIAA-CREF:

"IRAs and TIAA-CREF's Web-center," April 5, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. or 1-2:30 p.m., 903 Lincoln Campus Center.

Space is limited. Reserve a space by calling Kathleen Maida at (800) 842-2004 or through the TIAA-CREF Web site (www.tiaa-cref.org/moc).

Faculty Senate meeting

The Faculty Senate meets Thursday, March 15 at 3:30 p.m. in 227 Herter Hall.

Spring Break begins March 17

Spring Break begins after the last class on Saturday, March 17. Classes resume Monday, March 26.

'W' deadline is March 28

All faculty are asked to remind undergraduates in their classes and departments that they have until Wednesday, March 28 to drop a class with a record of "W." Doing so will have no adverse impact on their cumulative average. A "W" on one's transcript is nearly always preferable to an "F," according to the Undergraduate Advising and Academic Support Center.

"If you have not already done so, I urge you to provide some feedback to students on their performance in advance of this date," says Pamela Marsh-Williams, associate dean and director of UAASC. "Such information would encourage those who need it to get additional help in time to make a difference in their performance as well as enable students to make a more informed decision as whether to continue in a course beyond the March 28 deadline."

For more information, students should contact the office of their academic dean.

Retired professor talks about genetically modified food

Professor emeritus F.J. Francis of the Food Science Department will examine the "The Genetically Modified Foods Battle" when the Retired Faculty Association meets on Wednesday, March 14 in 904-08 Lincoln Campus Center.

Coffee and a business meeting start at 10 a.m. with Francis' presentation commencing at 11. All retired faculty and retired staff are invited to attend.

UWW alumni host reception

The University Without Walls Alumni Club is sponsoring a reception for UWW students and graduates who work on campus on Wednesday, March 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the University Club (Faculty Club).

Dietz and Heinel are Sports Luncheon speakers

The featured speakers at the Weekly Sports Luncheon on Wednesday, March 14 will be women's crew coach Jim Dietz and women's water polo coach Donna Heinel.

Lunch begins at noon in 1009 Lincoln Campus Center. The buffet costs $6.50.
Call 5-4289 for reservations.

American Red Cross conducts blood drives

The Hampshire County Chapter of the American Red Cross is conducting blood drives on Wednesday, March 14, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in the Student Union.

Nominations for 2002 honorary degrees

The Advisory Committee on Honorary Degrees will meet later this semester to consider nominations from the campus community for honorary doctoral degrees to be awarded at the 2002 commencement ceremonies.

Candidates for an honorary degree may be nominated by any faculty, staff, students or alumni of the Amherst campus. To ensure full consideration by the committee, nominations should include a cover letter explaining why the candidate should be considered and detailed biographical information, such as a resume or an article drawn from a standard biographical reference publication such as Who's Who in America or the Directory of American Scholars.

In general, candidates for an honorary degree should be individuals of exceptional distinction. Factors considered in the deliberations of nominations include outstanding intellectual, social or creative achievements in a specific field of endeavor and/or extraordinary contributions to the University or to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Address nominations to: Rose Mulherin, Chancellor's Office, 374 Whitmore Administration Building. The deadline for nominations to be received for this round of consideration is Friday, March 23.

Employee Training Program lists upcoming workshops

The Employee Training Program is offering the following workshops next week:

"Coaching for Optimal Performance," facilitated by Betsy L. Tick. Explore the role of the supervisor as coach, advisor and mentor. Friday, March 9, 9 a.m.-noon, 903 Lincoln Campus Center.

"PMP: Employee Overview," facilitated by Training and Development staff. A general and comprehensive overview of the new performance management program for SEIU staff, Friday, March 9, 9-11 a.m., 174-76 Lincoln Campus Center.

"Preparing for Business," facilitated by Carrie Carpenter. Explore prospects for small business in Western Massachusetts, tools for business planning, and resources for marketing and management. Tuesday, March 13, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., 801 Lincoln Campus Center.

"Supervisory Safety Development," facilitated by Robert DiCarlo. Training for supervisors about some of the procedures regarding health and safety in the workplace. Wednesday, March 14, 9:30-10:30 p.m., 802 Lincoln Campus Center.

"Education Funding," facilitated by Copeland. This workshop helps employees understand their options for funding a child's education, with topics including determining cost, developing a payment plan, and funding options. Wednesday, March 14, 2-4 p.m., 804-08 Lincoln Campus Center.

"Supervisory Leadership Core Competency Series" (for supervisors), facilitated by Richard Ford. The core series, an 11-week program examining each of six supervisory competencies. Thursday, March 14, 9 a.m.-noon, 174-76 Lincoln Campus Center.

"Gentle Kripalu Yoga." $45 fee. Thursday, March 15, 5:30-6:30 p.m., 200 Hampden Dining Commons.

"Assessing Career Options" (Option 2), facilitated by Leslie Fraser. Participants assess skills, values, interests, and visions so they can begin to set goals and develop career development plans. Thursday, March 15, 2:30-4:30 p.m., 903 Lincoln Campus Center.
To register, call 5-5428 or register online (www.umass.edu/td).

Lectures scheduled at Women's Studies center

Two talks are planned next week at the Five College Women's Studies Research Center at Mount Holyoke College.

Carolyn Powell, a Mendenhall Fellow in Afro-Americans studies from Smith College, will give works-in-progress talk, "Sex, Love and Murder in the American South," on Monday, March 12 at 4:30 p.m. Most studies of miscegenous relationships between white slave masters and slave women don't reveal any meaningful dynamics between the men and women. However, affection, intimacy and even love frequently formed the basis of relationships between slavemasters and slave women. Powell will examine those relationships by looking at the lives of Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence signer George Wythe and Richard Mentor Johnson, vice president under Martin Van Buren.

The Regulation of Sexuality and Identity in Pakistani Women" will be discussed by Nafisa Hoodbhoy, a Five College Women's Studies Ford associate from Karachi, Pakistan, on Tuesday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m. Hoodbhoy will focus on Islamic legislation in Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan after takeovers by fundamentalist governments since the late 1970s. She will discuss laws proscribing women's sexuality, which acting in conjunction with customary laws, have defined the identities of Muslim women in the region.

Both talks take place at 83 College St. in South Hadley.