Weekly Bulletin

Seminar on SRAs

TIAA-CREF is offering a Financial Education Seminar, "Save on Taxes, Save for Retirement, Invest in SRAs," on Tuesday, March 11 from noon to 1 p.m. in 903 Lincoln Campus Center.

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

'W' deadline is March 26

All faculty and advisors are asked to remind undergraduates in their classes and departments that they have until Wednesday, March 26 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 Pamela Marsh-Williams, associate dean and director of 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 Marsh-Williams. "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 on whether to continue in a course beyond the March 26 deadline."

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

Molecular Genetics and Microbiology seminar

Professor Matthias Reddehase of Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany will speak on "Antigens and Immunoevasins: opponents in cytomegalovirus immune surveillance" on Friday, March 14 at 12:15 p.m. in the MGM Seminar Room, S5-310 of the Medical School in Worcester.

Change in redemption terms For US savings bonds

Employees who purchase U.S. Treasury EE bonds through payroll deduction should note that the Department of the Treasury has changed the redemption terms for bonds issued after January 2003.

According to Kelly Dickinson of the Division of Human Resources, EE bonds with an issue date of February 2003 or later must be held for at least 12 months prior to redemption. Savings bonds issued before that date may be cashed after six months.

Series EE savings bonds may be purchased in $100, $200 and $500 denominations through payroll deduction. Employees can change their purchasing status weekdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Human Resources Information Center, 3rd floor, Whitmore.

Information about savings bonds is available at the center or online (www.savings bonds.gov/sav/svinvst.htm).

Subjects needed for Nutrition study

Subjects are needed for a Nutrition Department study on zinc depletion and repletion on zinc status, resting metabolic rate and thyroid hormones. Participants must be 18-35 years old.

Contact Christopher Theberge by e-mail (cstheberge@hotmail.com) or phone, 253-3439.

Nominations for 2004 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 2004 commencements.

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.

Address nominations to Ernestine Kulon, Chancellor's Office, 374 Whitmore. The deadline for nominations for this round of consideration is Friday, March 28.

Nominations open for student employees awards

The 2002-03 Gerald F. Scanlon Student Employee of the Year committee is seeking nominations of outstanding student employees. The intent of the award is to recognize and honor students who have demonstrated exceptional performance by contributing their time and/or skills to help the University achieve its goals and objectives. Up to 10 awards will be presented at a celebration on May 15.

Departmental supervisors may nominate any matriculated student who has been employed for six months, or who is a junior or senior. The selection committee comprised of supervisors representing each vice chancellor's division will review the nominations and select award recipients. Selection criteria include dependability, demonstrated initiative, and original contributions to the workplace.

The Student Employment Office of Financial Aid Services encourages nearly 400 campus employers to participate in this yearly event by nominating exemplary student employees.

Nominations are due Friday, April 4. For additional information or to request a nomination form, contact Suzanne Schilling in the Student Employment Office at 5-9582 or via e-mail (sschilling@finaid.umass.edu).

Last day for 'DR'

The last day for graduate students to drop courses with a record of "DR" is Monday, March 10.

First Friday

The Renaissance Center's First Friday series continues March 7 with an open house from 4-6 p.m. Open to the public, First Fridays showcase the center's latest acquisitions of rare books and other materials. Refreshments will be served.

Men needed for diabetes study

The Energy Metabolism Laboratory is currently studying different methods of screening and diagnosing people with either pre-diabetes or Type-2 diabetes.

Men who have or who are concerned about Type-2 diabetes are needed to serve as subjects.

Participants will receive a free diabetes screening with results that may be taken to a doctor; a bone density scan and body fat analysis.

For information, contact Carrie at 5-0331 or by e-mail (csharoff@excsci.umass.edu).

Subjects needed for Psychology study

Earn $15 by participating in a simple project on people's beliefs about social issues. The time commitment is one hour.

Individuals interested in taking part should call 7-6508 and leave a message with a contact phone number.

Blood drive

The Hampshire County Chapter of the American Red Cross will conduct a blood drive on Monday, March 10, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in 174 Lincoln Campus Center.