Manic Mondays @ Campus Rec

Not sure about working out on campus?  Not sure about working out, period? Stop by the Field House, HPER Complex, or the natatorium on Mondays for a free workout! Every Monday is Manic Monday, when faculty and staff get a chance to check out our facilities free of charge. Just show your UCard to the attendant at any of the three facilities and get a start on your New Year’s resolutions.

Faculty/Staff Intramural Sports

Spring semester intramural sports are around the corner. Think about putting together a departmental team for basketball, volleyball, dodge ball, or indoor soccer. It’s a great way to get some exercise and have fun. Registration deadline for Spring 2011 (first session sports) is Jan. 19.

Outdoor Recreation

The Outdoor Recreation Program is here throughout the break and into the winter with plenty of equipment to help you enjoy the greatest snow on earth. We also have discounted ski lift tickets for the Wasatch Front and Back resorts. Get out and play this winter!

Check out Campus Recreation Services for more information.

Are you interested in other languages and cultures? If so, Global Pathways invites you to host an international student (for a minimum of four weeks) to help support them during their transition when they first arrive on campus.   

Hosting an international student can be a rewarding experience for both students and families. Our families reflect the diversity of the United States—young, senior, and single-parent families; families with teenagers; or families with no children! 

At Global Pathways, new students arrive at the beginning of each semester (August, January, and May) and the typical length of stay is four weeks with an opportunity to extend upon approval by the host family. The host families are expected to provide two meals a day (breakfast and dinner) and a clean room with a bed and desk for the students. We ask that host families live within a maximum 30-45 minute commute to the University of Utah, and close to public transportation. 

Global Pathways is a collaboration between the University of Utah and Kaplan International Centers (KIC), a division of Kaplan Inc.  The University manages all the academics as Global Pathways students are freshmen at the U. KIC provides student recruitment and marketing services as well as a range of services to assist each student with their new life in a foreign country. These services include a housing program, which gives students the opportunity to live with an American family so that they can better experience our culture and improve their English skills.

Spring 2011 application deadline is Monday, Dec. 6. For more information, contact Megan Richards or call 801-581-5240.

The Wake of Forgiveness, by Bruce Machart

Note: The Campus Store offers employees a 30 percent discount on this book (from $26 to $18.20).

On a moonless Texas night in 1895, an ambitious young landowner suffers the loss of “the only woman he’s ever been fond of” when his wife dies during childbirth with the couple’s fourth boy, Karel. From an early age Karel proves so talented on horseback that his father enlists him to ride in acreage-staked horse races against his neighbors. But Karel is forever haunted by thoughts of the mother he never knew, by the blame in his father’s eyes, and is permanently marked by the yoke he and his brothers are forced to wear to plow the family fields. Confident only in the saddle, Karel is certain that the horse “wants the whip the same way he wants his pop’s strap . . . the closest he ever gets to his father’s touch.” In the winter of 1910, Karel rides in the ultimate high-stakes race against a powerful Spanish patriarch and his alluring daughters. Hanging in the balance are his father’s fortune, his brother’s future, and his own fate. Fourteen years later, with the stake of the race still driven hard between him and his brothers, Karel is finally forced to dress the wounds of his past. Reminiscent of Kent Haruf’s portrayals of hope amid human heartbreak and Cormac McCarthy’s finely hewn evocations of the American Southwest, Bruce Machart’s striking debut is as well wrought as it is riveting. It compels us to consider the inescapable connections between sons and their mothers, between landscape and family, and between remembrance and redemption.

Drew Goodman, University Campus Store

Four U of U researchers left Salt Lake on Monday, Nov. 15 on a “math-pedition” to study sea ice in Antarctica. You can tag along–without having to don 20 pounds of extreme weather gear. The researchers have been documenting their research aims on the U’s blog, RedThread, and have been describing preparations for three weeks on the ice, ruminating on long plane flights, and explaining math problems for fifth graders who are following their progress. You can read their installmentswith a click of the mouse.

The team:

Ken Golden, a math professor at the U, has been to Antarctica five times. On this expedition, he is the leader of the team. 

Cindy Furse, professor of electrical and computer engineering and an associate vice president for research, has been taking advantage of the blog to help teachers and their students learn about the science and math being used in the research.

Joyce Lin, a post-doctoral fellow in the math department, explains the vital role of computing expertise in modeling the data they’ll gather.

David Lubbers, a senior in electrical engineering, is in Antarctica to do his senior project on sea ice measurements. 

A kindergarten class in Kansas is following the trip, and even sent along the fifth member of the team:  Russell the St. X Ram. 

RedThread welcomes essays and commentary from the U community about the newsworthy. Contact Valoree Dowell, or call 801-585-6861 for more information.

UMFA honors World AIDS Day 2010

 
On Wednesday, Dec. 1 the Utah Museum of Fine Arts will observe World AIDS Day by covering a selected work of art from its permanent collection. The Sowei helmet mask, located in the central gallery of the Africa: Arts of a Continent exhibition, will be covered with a black cloth during visiting hours in recognition of Day With(out) Art, a global event acknowledging those who are living with HIV or AIDS. The “absence” of this work in the exhibition will remind museum visitors of those who have fallen victim to the disease. 

With its diamond-shaped face and smooth, wide forehead, the twentieth-century Sowei helmet mask represents the ideal of beauty for the Mende people of Sierra Leone. The wooden mask was worn by the Sande women’s society to symbolize the spirit of Sowei, who is said to reside in water and serves as their guide when they enter womanhood as a wife or mother. In 2007, Sierra Leone had an estimated 55,000 people living with HIV or AIDS (see AVERT.org). Sub-Saharan Africa is more heavily affected by HIV and AIDS than any other region in the world, with an estimated 22.4 million adults and children living with the disease at the end of 2007. Approximately 1.4 million died from the epidemic that year; and over 14 million children are now orphaned. According to AVERT, an estimated 33 million people are currently living with HIV or AIDS globally.

Day With(out) Art was initiated in 1989 to increase public awareness that AIDS can touch everyone. The commemoration has grown from 800 U.S. art and AIDS groups participating to a global effort with an estimated 8,000 participants including museums, galleries, art centers, AIDS service organizations, libraries, high schools, and colleges.

U of U employees and students always receive free admission to the museum. In addition, free admission is offered to the public on the first Wednesday of each month,which falls on World AIDS Day this year.

Utah Museum of Fine Arts Holiday Trunk Sale

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 4–8 p.m., free admission

Support local artists and find one-of-a-kind gifts at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts’ Holiday Trunk Sale. The event features food, live music, gift-wrapping, and free admission to the museum’s galleries for all (the museum offers free admission the first Wednesday and third Saturday of each month). More than 15 consignment artists will be on hand to share their locally-made and globally-inspired artwork, including jewelry, pottery, and wearable art. Meet the artists, learn about their creative process, and discover the inspiration behind each piece. The Holiday Trunk Sale is supported in part by Cuisine Unlimited, Rico Mexican Market, and Le Croissant. Additional information is at UMFA or call 801-585-6961.

 Kingsbury Hall offers discount tickets

Tickets make great holiday gifts! From Friday, Dec. 3 through Tuesday, Dec. 14, U staff and faculty will receive a special holiday discount of 25 percent off tickets for the following winter and spring performances:

• Momix: “Botanica” – Jan. 22
• An Evening with Stephen Sondheim – Feb. 1
• Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis – Feb. 7
• “The Boxcar Children” performed by U of U Youth Theatre – Mar. 24-26
• Utah Ballet: An Evening of Ballet featuring “Firebird” – April 8-9
• Lily Tomlin – April 16
• U Lyric Opera: “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” – April 29-30
• Ira Glass – June 25

To take advantage of the discount, go to Kingtix.com, click on the performance of your choice from the list above, then click on the Buy Tickets link. Enter the coupon code KHGIFTS when you check out. More information about these performances, including video clips, can be found online. For more information, call 801-581-7100. Limited quantities available—offer good while supplies last.

Red Butte Garden: Gift Shop and Holiday Art Fair 
 

Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4-5
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free garden admission both days
Don’t miss Red Butte Garden’s  Holiday Open House and Art Fair. Purchase fine jewelry, paintings, pottery, and fantastic art creations directly from local artisans. In addition, receive a 10 percent discount on purchases from the Garden gift shop—now three times larger than last year. It is the place to find holiday gifts for the garden enthusiast: books for novice as well as expert gardeners; garden-themed fine jewelry, soaps and lotions, and decorative items; and nature-inspired toys and books for kids. The wreath-making workshops traditionally held on these two days are sold out, but an additional workshop has been added on Monday, Dec. 6, 5 to 8 p.m. Participants will learn new skills and take home a 16 to 18-inch wreath frame decorated with fresh greens and trinkets. Register at 801-581-8454 or check online for more information.

Campus Store: Annual Faculty & Staff Night

Tuesday, Dec. 7, 3:00 – 8:00 p.m.
University Campus Store
It’s here! The Campus Store’s annual Faculty Staff Night Sale—the largest of the year! This is the best opportunity to maximize savings on U of U insignia items and many other great gifts for the holidays (excluding electronics, textbooks, computer items and special services).

Bring your Faculty/Staff ID Card (UCard), a copy of this email, or a pay stub to show at the registers to receive your discount. Family and friends are welcome to accompany you, so bring everyone! Tickets for prizes will be given upon entry.

NOTE: The discounts for this event are available only at the campus location.

• 30 % discount on your entire purchase at the Campus Store, including insignia wear, books, toys, and office supplies
• Enter to win a 4-day, 3-night trip for two to Disneyland (must be present to win, drawing is at 7:45 p.m., and you must be available to travel within a timeframe specified by the Campus Store)
• Free food and drinks from 5 – 7 p.m.
• Bring the kids and grandkids to meet Santa. He’ll be there from 5 to 7 p.m. Don’t forget your camera!
• Free parking at pay lots with Campus Store validation
• Additional prize giveaways between 3:30 and 7 p.m.(must be present to win)
• Special author signings (click on link for more details)
• Free gift wrapping from 5 to 7 p.m.
• Everyday academic pricing on Apple computers, iPods, and software

Details are online.

Music from University of Utah Singers

The internationally acclaimed University of Utah Singers offers several holiday music CDs for sale. Alleluia: Sacred Choral Music ($15), recorded in Libby Gardner Concert Hall, the Himmelfahrtskirche in Munich Germany, and Knight’s Hall of Brezice Castle in Brezice, Slovenia, includes sacred works to inspire and uplift. Earlier CDs also available include Carol of Joy, Christmastide, and Christmas Morn, each for $15. Their latest CD, Endless Song, is the choir’s eleventh release and includes much of the repertoire from their 2009 European tour. It features musical theater, folk songs, spirituals, and Renaissance motets. Ordering information is online or call 801-587-9377.

College of Pharmacy sweatshirts, hoodies, and vests 

• Crew neck sweatshirt (in black and gray, s-xl): $30
• Zip-up hoodie (in black and gray, s-xl): $40
• Regular hoodie (in black and gray, s-xl): $34
• Women’s or men’s vest (in black and gray, s-xl): $40

To place your order, contact Marion Lennberg or call 801-581-7503. 

University Guest House offers special rates

The University Guest House offers a special holiday rate to U of U employees and their families of $78 per room (single or double occupancy) during the holiday season, now through Jan. 3. (In December 2011 the Guest House will have an additional 51 new sleeping rooms and a new 300-seat ballroom. The Guest House is open and fully operational during construction.) Amenities include free breakfast, free parking, and free Internet. Each room has a refrigerator, microwave, and cable TV. Your holiday guests will love the Fort Douglas area, or better yet, come stay at the Guest House yourself. Take TRAX downtown to see the holiday lights and do some shopping. More information is at University Guest House or call 801-587-1000. Be sure to mention the special employee rate. This offer does not apply to official campus business.

Consider a gift certificate from Campus Rec

Gift certificates from Campus Recreation Services are available for any amount at the Field House and HPER Complex. They never expire and can be redeemed for memberships, personal training, fitness classes, or outdoor equipment rental. Call 801-581-3760 for more information.

Give the gift of learning

Change someone’s life this holiday season with a gift certificate from Continuing Education. The U of U opens the door to over 3,000 classes with options for everyone. From professional certification to summer youth camps, from grad school exam prep to hundreds of hands-on classes for all ages—in recreation, art, business, language, home & garden, healthy living, and much more — you’re sure to find the perfect fit for anyone on your list. For a complete list of classes or more information, visit Continuing Education or call 801-581-6461.