campus scene

Campus Scene

 

shedA Different Way to Work

What does Assistant Professor of History T.J. Tomlin have in common with playwright George Bernard Shaw, writer Alice Walker, composer Leonard Bernstein and scores of other creative minds? They’re all considered “shedworkers”— people who, when they work from home, use a small structure detached from their house to improve their work-life balance and increase their creative productivity.

Tomlin, who works from his backyard “shed” that’s been featured on a British shedworking website, finds shedworking as enjoyable as he had hoped.

Read more of his thoughts on shedworking in an interview.


UNC Collective

What is your Favorite Thing about unc?
Answer this question and others, and read other responses for the UNC Collective — a project to encourage interaction, build spirit and pride, and illustrate our sense of community.

And be sure to download a free campus poster and other freebies at www.unco.edu/life


audiologyA Sound Practice

About 17 percent of Americans between ages 12-19 have hearing loss related to hazardous noise, and research implies a connection: 87 percent of 13-20 year olds had used headphones in the past year. Those figures from separate studies were cited in The Jolene Cookbook. The step-by-step guide, created by the Dangerous Decibels international program and edited by UNC’s Deanna Meinke, shows how to turn a mannequin into a sound-measurement device. Earphones are inserted into a silicone ear to determine whether the decibels reflect a safe listening level. Meinke, fellow Audiology & Speech-Language Sciences faculty Donald Finan and their students were among the first to use the cookbook during beta testing. The group has now constructed 19 of the “Jolenes,” as they’re called. They’re being used to educate the public, including at KUSA’s 9HealthFair In the Classroom program, where students can test sound levels of their own devices.

Fast Fact: The cookbook has been downloaded in all 50 states, four territories and 35 countries worldwide. Read more at www.unco.edu/news/?4045
Photo courtesy of Deanna Meinke


volleyballTuning In to Bears NCAA Action

Bears home and away football, volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball games are broadcast live via free streaming video by Big Sky TV. To sign up for the pass, go to www.americaonesports.com/bigsky.asp and follow the prompts, keeping in mind that even though it appears that you have to “purchase” a pass, it’s free and no credit card is required.

Also, regional TV sports networks such as Altitude Sports and Entertainment broadcast some Bears’ games. Those games are indicated in each sport’s schedule at www.uncbears.com as soon as broadcast information is received from a network. The website also includes recaps and the results of all of the teams’ competitions within a few hours of their completion.

To attend the Bears home games in person, buy tickets in advance online at www.unco.edu/tickets or via phone, (970) 351-4TIX (4849). Tickets can be purchased at the venue the day of the game or match, space permitting.


Grad School Marks 100 Years

In 1913, the first three students enrolled in a graduate program in teaching from what is now UNC. Since then, 53,457 students have earned licensure, master, specialist and doctoral degrees — and about 2,400 students enroll in the graduate school each year.

As part of the celebration commemorating a century of graduate education, UNC will create a website to share the school’s history and invite stories from graduates. The site will be available at www.unco.edu/grad


MichenerJames A. Michener Library

The first in a series on the names behind UNC buildings

The famous author earned a master’s degree from what is now UNC, where he conceived the idea for Centennial, while teaching social studies at the training school from 1936 to 1941.

Michener’s first novel, Tales from the South Pacific, was published in 1947 and earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Over six decades, he wrote more than 40 novels, which included nine best-sellers.

He returned to Greeley in the early-1970s to research and pen Centennial, one of the most acclaimed books ever written about Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West. A TV miniseries was adapted from the book.

Michener also returned to UNC to speak during the dedication of the library, which is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the event (online: library.unco.edu/40th). Shortly before his death in October 1997, having previously donated his papers, he designated UNC as the home of his writing and publishing legacy. Click here to answer this issue’s trivia question about the library.

For more about Michener’s life at UNC, and History Professor Michael Welsh’s effort to keep the novelist’s legacy alive in northern Colorado, visit www.unco.edu/news/?4448

 

Tobias Guzman

Listen In

“Discipline isn’t just a behavior, it’s also about structure and having a goal or dream. The most important parts of my life — faith, family and karate — reflect those components and help me maintain a lifestyle I’ve known for the past 30 years.”

—Tobias Guzmán, assistant vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Access, and black belt martial artist.

Read a Q&A with Guzman on how karate serves as a conversation starter with prospective students.

Photo by Hannah Swick