EAP Week Highlights Lifestyle Change and a Better Community
By Sullin Jose
President Hitchcock has declared April 27 - May 1 as Employee Assistance Program Week. EAP will hold a number of special programs and workshops to benefit faculty and staff. They provide counseling and appropriate referrals to employee health and occupational concerns. The week�s activities focus on wellness and informational programming.
"Our programming goals are to project EAP as a positive, helpful source of information that is enjoyable to utilize," said Lana Howe Neveu, chair of the University�s EAP committee.
"Our philosophy is that healthful lifestyle changes and stress reduction enhance productivity of the individual in the workplace, with attending benefits to the entire University community. Our concerted outreach efforts during EAP week aim to reach further to our constituency to increase awareness of what EAP can do for them."
Said David Cullen, EAP coordinator: "The Employee Assistance Program helps to bring to consciousness the questions and concerns that people may have on health, career, and lifestyle issues, and works to provide counseling, referrals, and information. The brown bag session on Tuesday and the open house are perfect for questions and comments. Overall, people usually go for career advice and betterment."
The semi-annual Health Screenings will be held on campus throughout the entire week. Smith Kline Beecham Laboratory will be screening for total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol, as well as triglycerides, irons, electrolytes, protein, calcium, and potassium. The screenings will be held on a walk-in basis in the University Health Center�s Second Floor Conference Room on Monday, April 27, Tuesday, April 28, Thursday, April 30, and Friday, May 1, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Another screening will be held in Draper Hall on Wednesday, April 29, from 8 a.m. to noon. The cost of screening will be $1 for UUP members, $4 for CSEA members, and $7 for all other staff.
Bruce Kosakoski from the University�s Motor Pool will present More On The ABCs of Preventative Auto Maintenance on Tuesday (April 28), from 12 to 1 in Campus Center room 375. His talk will include preventive methods to take in warm weather, as well as tips on maintenance, particularly the cooling system, the electrical system, tune ups, and tips for overall safe summer driving.
The Career Track Organization�s Susan Langlitz will present two three hour sessions of the workshop "How To Stay Positive and Productive in Turbulent, Fast - Changing Times." Langlitz is a business owner, as well as an organizational development and training consultant, and has done many training programs for large corporations, universities, and government agencies.
The workshop will deal with such topics as why people don�t like change while others thrive on it; how to acquire and regularly use your own change skills; how to experiment with talents you�ve been reluctant to try; how to keep focused and calm in the midst of chaos; and what it means to "become your own boss" � and why it is crucial that you do. It will be offered twice on April 29: 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
EAP will hold an Open House in the University Health Center on Thursday, April 30, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Company Head Grateful for University Incubator
By Mary Fiess
The University�s first incubator company, X-Ray Optical Systems, Inc., has moved to a new home off-campus with ten times the space of its original campus home.
"The University played a major role in our growth and we are very grateful for its support," said David Gibson, president of X-Ray Optical Systems, which opened on campus in October 1991 in about 1,200 square feet of space in the basement of the Physics Building. "At our new location, we have much-needed additional space, but our strong collaborations with University faculty will continue."
X-Ray Optical Systems develops and manufactures lenses, consisting of bundles of extremely thin glass capillaries, that focus X-ray and neutron beams. Based for the last three years in University space on Fuller Road, the company is moving from researching and developing products to bringing them to industry. Its first commercially developed applications are in materials analysis, but the technology also has potential applications in medical imaging, semiconductor manufacturing and other areas.
"We have developed our technology to the point where it can be of benefit to others. We have achieved the capacity for controlled manufacturing in volume and are ready to develop this segment of the business," said Gibson. At its new address, 30 Corporate Circle, Albany, X-Ray Optical Systems has the space, about 12,000 square feet, that will allow for the growth of the manufacturing and marketing ends of the business, he said. The company now has 18 employees and expects to add six to ten positions over the next year.
Last August, the company announced its first contract with an equipment manufacturer, Bede Scientific Instruments of Durham, England. Bede will use an X-Ray Optical Systems component in equipment used to determine the structure of materials.
Earlier this year, the company was awarded a $400,000 contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop a new X-ray diffraction system that could be used to analyze the chemical composition of rocks on Mars. The Center for X-Ray Optics at the University, which has collaborated with the company on many projects, will serve as a consultant on this new project.
X-Ray Optical Systems is collaborating with a number of individual faculty members on a variety of projects: Carolyn MacDonald, medical imaging; Walter Gibson, protein crystallography and astrophysics; Ray Benenson, neutron techniques; Susanne Lee, materials analysis; John Delano, geology; and Hassaram Bakhru and Alain Kaloyeros, microelectronics processing.
The first versions of X-ray polycapillary lenses were designed by Russian physicist Muradin Kumakhov, a longtime collaborator with University physicist Walter Gibson, now an emeritus professor and the father of David Gibson.
Sociology Club Inspires Students to Discipline's Fulfilling Careers
By Greta Petry
Sociology professor Hayward Horton remembers the day sophomore Tamara Shirer approached him with a question.
"She said, �Dr. Horton, I want to be a sociology professor. What do I have to do?�"
Horton, who has been teaching for 15 years, and who joined the University faculty in 1995, couldn�t believe his ears.
"No other undergraduate student has ever said that to me," he said. "Well, I told her to get more into sociology, join the sociology club."
Hayward Horton
To which she replied, "What sociology club? I�ve never heard of it."
So Horton went to see the Sociology Department chair, who at the time was Richard Alba, to look into the matter.
"Do we have a sociology club on campus for undergraduates?" Horton asked.
"No, we don�t, but you can start one," replied Alba.
Horton laughs in a good-natured way as he tells the classic story of how he was volunteered to found the new Sociology Club. Shirer is now the club�s secretary.
Why hasn�t a student asked Shirer�s question before? Horton believes it is because as a rule, undergraduates need to see more models of how a degree in sociology can result in a job for them.
"It�s so important that undergraduate students realize that their sociology degrees and more broadly, social science degrees, are relevant. That what they are studying is of value to them, and not just to them, but to society," he said.
Research Conference Set
This underlying theme � of relating the benefit of a University at Albany degree in sociology to undergraduates, has been the catalyst for the Sociology Club�s first Undergraduate Social Science Research Conference, to be held Saturday, May 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Recreation and Convocation Center. Dr. Judy Genshaft, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, will be the guest speaker.
"Students will be provided with an invaluable experience to further their research and professional interests. In addition, participation in this conference would be an excellent preparation for graduate or professional school," notes the publicity flier for the conference.
This is part of Horton�s goal to "provide professional opportunities for our majors and for other social science majors." A second, long-term goal, is to identify top sociology students while they are still undergraduates, in order to encourage them to attend graduate school here.
"The Sociology Club will help us to attract good undergraduate students," said Horton, explaining that nationally there has been a problem with top students not going into the field because they don�t realize the tangible value of the degree. Instead, students may stumble upon sociology after first trying their hand at business, psychology or criminal justice.
Need to Increase Pool
"One way of increasing the pool of top graduate students is to grow your own � if they get more excited at the undergraduate level, they will be more likely to go in greater numbers into graduate school. We�re just looking for the best students � we want them to consider graduate school and we want them to come to graduate school here," he said.
Horton said that while the University at Albany�s graduate sociology program is among the best in the nation, many of its graduate students start out as undergraduates at other schools.
Another long-term goal is to organize a community of alumni that is loyal to the sociology department.
"When alumni feel that attachment to a department, remembering a special professor who encouraged them and helped them recognize their potential, they often want to give back to the department. Wanting to help other students, they will support scholarships with their donations," Horton said. "Who knows? One day we may even have scholarships that the Sociology Club gives to undergraduates."
Horton is convinced that the undergraduate and graduate sociology programs are "inextricably linked," and that paying more attention to undergraduates will result in short-term and long-term benefits for the department.
"If you care about people, they will care about you," he said of undergraduates. "Visiting a college campus, seeing whether you fit in at the department, it�s all about how does it feel to you."
Horton added that helping undergraduates to have a high-quality educational experience is the key because "undergraduates are the backbone of the University."
In starting a Sociology Club for undergraduates, Horton said he has had "the unqualified support of Sociology Chair Glenna Spitze and the Chair of the Undergraduate Committee, Larry Raffalovich, as well as the entire Sociology Department. I may be acting as quarterback with the club, but I�ve got a team of players who are willing to work with me to win the game."
For the May 2 conference, students may submit a paper on a social science topic that was completed for a course. They will be organized at small roundtable groups by topic, with five to eight of their peers. A graduate student will lead the group.
"First, we are providing them with that professional experience of presenting a paper. The top three papers will receive awards and all participating will receive a certificate," Horton said.
At the same time, the conference gives more than 400 sociology majors at the University a chance to get to know other students who share their academic interests. Students may "dust off" a paper they completed for a social science class.
The conference is "enhancing the value of the work they have already done, and giving students more incentive to do more quality work in the future," said Horton.
Critical Peer Feedback
Secondly, "part of the academic process is having one�s ideas shared and tested, and the best way other than direct feedback from a professor is with your peers. And so consequently it is like rubbing two stones together, they become sharper � you create a culture in which students begin to understand and appreciate what research is. They help each other, they critique each other and strengthen each other by engaging in this research process," he said.
"All I can say is this: I think this is a good time to look at this University in terms of trying to develop not only a sociology club but a culture of research for undergraduate students. The University is undergoing phenomenal change with: the master plan; a renewed focus on undergraduate education and providing service to the public; and, most importantly, the excitement of going through a period of growth as opposed to retrenchment.
"I�m hoping we can use this momentum to really take undergraduate sociology and, more generally, the social sciences to a whole new level. This is my hope and this is one of my dreams," Horton concluded.
Biblical Archaeologist Uncovers Hidden Cypriot treasures
By Stuart Swiny
Department of Classics, Institute of Cypriot StudiesThere were students sitting on the floor, there were students on the windowsill, there were students leaning against the walls, not to mention the students, faculty and guests occupying every available chair.
James Ross, seen here speaking to a receptive audience on April 15 in HU 354, is professor emeritus of Old Testament and Biblical archaeology at Virginia Theological Seminary, in Richmond, Vir. He has visited Cyprus many times and photographed the churches with the aid of his wife Miriam. Photo by Jennifer L. Bartholomew
The room was packed for Professor James Ross� lecture on the Painted Churches of Byzantine Cyprus. Such a topic might be viewed as arcane, but when Ross brought to life the miraculously preserved wall paintings with his fine slides, erudition and wit; there was something for everyone in the audience to enjoy.
This is Easter Week in the Orthodox world, and we were reminded that despite the checkered history of the island of Cyprus, one of the churches discussed will be celebrating Easter for the 893rd time, without interruption!It was indeed a privilege to see and hear about these little known frescoes, ranging from the 12th to the 15th century in date, because they are incompletely published (with few color photographs), are often of difficult access, and are now impossible to photograph for reasons of conservation. I am sure that the numerous students � and faculty - in attendance from the Department of Art fully appreciated that fact.
Christ Pantocrator ("Ruler of the World") surrounded by His angels and prophets, painted in the Dome of a church at Lagoudera, Cyprus, 1192. According to Cypriot local tradition, Christ averts His eyes in order to overlook our sins. This was one of the churches talked about in detail by James Ross during his lecture on campus on April 15.
The lecture was followed by a reception offering a range of Cypriot food which gave the audience, including a number of Cypriots and Greeks, a chance to relax, socialize and to ask more questions of the speaker.
The Institute of Cypriot Studies, founded at the University in 1969, hosts lectures of this type on a yearly basis. It also sponsors international conferences such as Visitors, Immigrants, and Invaders in Cyprus held at the University in 1994 (organized by Paul Wallace, the previous ICS director) and is planning a Round Table Discussion on Monday 16 November 1998 at which scholars from France, Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States will review highly controversial issues regarding the earliest prehistory of Cyprus.
Scholars Explore "Zero Tolerance" Policing on April 24 at SCJ
By Sullin Jose
Cities across the country are implementing "zero tolerance" policing strategies, in which arrests for "quality of life" infractions are routinely made. Jaywalking, disorderly conduct, public drinking, and other minor crimes previously not made a priority by police are being targeted in order to combat urban unease, and attempt to create an orderly and aesthetically pleasing environment.
The "Zero Tolerance" Policing Initiatives: Legal and Policy Perspectives Conference sponsored by the School of Criminal Justice on Friday, April 24 in Milne Hall, Room 200, at 10 a.m., will address the most pressing issues associated with zero tolerance policing.
Zero tolerance is thought to have the benefit of preventing more serious crimes, which might be perpetrated by the same persons who engage in the minor infractions that are targeted.
Coming to the fore at the same time most urban areas are experiencing significant decreases in reported crime, zero tolerance initiatives have proven enormously popular with members of the public. However questions are being raised over whether such "street sweeping" tactics are being applied inequitably within communities, and otherwise possibly contribute to an atmosphere conducive to police excesses. Also police officers initially brought into neighborhoods for the purpose of "community policing" may act, and be perceived differently as they adopt the discretionless arrest policies of zero tolerance initiatives, thereby possibly undercutting the initial purpose for police presence.
The conference will bring together several of the country�s foremost scholars in the field of policing to discuss the legal and policy implications of "zero tolerance" policing initiative.
Herman Goldstein, of the University of Wisconsin Law School, author of Problem-Oriented Policing (1994), and Policing a Free Society (1977), is one of the nation�s leading scholars on "problem - oriented" policing.
George Kelling, of Harvard University and Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice, author (with Catherine Coles) of Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities (1996), is one of the nation�s foremost scholar on "order maintenance" practices in policing.
Columbia University School of Law professor Debra Livingston�s work on the legal implications of "quality-of-life" policing has appeared in the Columbia Law Review, the Michigan Law Review, and several other leading journals.
Other panelists include Clifford Shearing, director of the Centre of Criminology at the University of Toronto, and Samuel Walker, of the department of criminal justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, both of whom have written extensively on policing and crime control issues.
Shearing�s recent article, "The Future of Policing" (with dean of the School of Criminal Justice�s David Bayley), appeared in the Law and Society Review (1996). Walker is the author of Popular Justice: A History of American Criminal Justice (2nd ed. 1998).
The speakers will touch upon the zero tolerance issues in their fields, as well as general issues concerning the policies. There is no admission charge for the conference, and members of the general public are encouraged to attend.
UAS Executive Board Now Making Recommendations on Improving Food Service
By Vinny Reda
The University Auxiliary Services executive board met this week to make recommendations on the latest findings from an outside corporate team that has been evaluating the dining experience at the University at Albany.
The evaluation team from Marriott Consulting Services sent out 538 surveys to students, and many of its recommendations were based on its findings. Another 450 went out to faculty and staff in the latest step to understanding what the campus community likes, does not like, and would like to see pertaining to food service at Albany. Those findings will be inputted within the next few weeks.
"The goal is to find change that will not be just a blip on the screen," said Paul Kury, who is based with Marriott in Dallas, Tex. � "what steps can be taken by the operational managing teams here on campus that will increase customer satisfaction now but that will allow for flexibility, so that you don�t have to rip and tear things out every six months."
Added Michael Flanagan, based with Marriott in Waltham, Mass., "Some things we�ve suggested have created changes already. For instance, many people didn�t know that items and services they wanted were already here � you just weren�t calling attention to them. And lines at some fast-food outlets in the Campus Center needed to be reconfigured to make their services more accessible. A few suggestions on improvements behind the scenes in the residence halls have been made as well.
"Other changes will be long-term, and others will require capital investment. Those are things your UAS board has to weigh."
Both Kury and Flanagan said they were impressed with the dining hall managers� response to their presence. "It was very positive," said Kury "In the majority of place where have offered consulting services in the last two years, there is a wariness among managers. But here, we sensed that people were looking forward to change, and happy for assistance.
"They really want the best possible services and products for the students, faculty and staff, and are glad for the help. That�s certainly not always true elsewhere."
Laurie Garafola, president of the UAS board of directors, which hired the consultants, and a member of the executive committee, said the executive group will make recommendations to the entire UAS board on April 27 for implementation of changes in the fall. "Other recommendations will be made as well for long-term improvements that would be phased in over the next two years," she said.