New proposals designed to increase and support diversity on campus formed the centerpiece of President Dave Frohnmayer's annual State of the University speech, delivered Oct. 18.

"We emphasize diversity, we work for diversity, and we believe in diversity," Frohnmayer said. "But we have to ask ourselves: Why is diversity important? What does it have to do with our mission as a university?"

The answer, put simply, he said, is that "a diverse campus prepares students for a diverse world."

This year's freshman class at the UO, for instance, has proportionately more students of color than any class in the past quarter century. In order to accommodate an increasingly diverse student body and prepare them for an increasingly diverse society, Frohnmayer said, the UO has initiated a number of programs and policies.

Among them, Frohnmayer noted, the UO:

• Initiated a Bias Response Team.
• Added staff to the Teaching Effectiveness Program with the specific responsibility to work with diversity issues in effective teaching.
• Added staff support in Multicultural Affairs, including a position specifically to maintain our Diversity Web Site.
• Devoted more than $1 million for student scholarships specifically designed to enhance diversity.
• Dedicated $500,000 to recruiting and retention activities for faculty of color.
• Established the "President's Advisory Council for the UO's Native American Initiative," comprising the nine chairs of the federally recognized tribes of Oregon as well as national native leaders and experts on sovereignty and tribal issues.
• Focused on diversity during new faculty orientation.
• Put diversity issues at the forefront of this year's dean's retreat.
• Called department heads together for a half-day meeting devoted almost entirely to discussions of opportunities and progress in enhancing and supporting diversity.

"We will continue to work toward greater diversity and stronger community," Frohnmayer concluded. "We will do it across the length and breadth of our university." But, he warned, "This is not an issue that can be handled with a speech or a program. It is the responsibility of each of us, individually. We will do it, and we must do it, with civility, with respect and with understanding."

Freshman class records are falling this year, and UO officials couldn't be happier.

Preliminary numbers for Fall 2000 admissions at Oregon's largest public university show freshman numbers rising a record-breaking 15 percent over last year--from 2,371 freshmen in fall 1999 to 2,722 in fall 2000. This marks the largest one-year increase in new students since contemporary record-keeping methods began in the late 1970s.

Oregon residents are flocking to the UO in especially high numbers. This fall, the school will enroll the second-largest number of Oregon resident freshman ever--1,906 resident freshmen; the record of 1,954 was set in 1988. The number of nonresident freshmen is also up, for the third year in a row, from 707 first-year students last fall to 816 this fall.

But quantity is only half the story. The quality of the freshman class is also setting records.

"The trend toward higher grade-point averages and test scores that we have seen for several years is continuing," says Jim Buch, associate vice president for enrollment management. "This year marks the highest ever."

UO freshmen this year have grade-point averages--3.41 GPAs--and Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) scores--558.1 verbal and 555.2 math--that are higher than any freshman class ever.

Another record is being set in the important area of racial and ethnic diversity. Students of color comprise 15.1 percent of this year's freshman class, compared to 14.3 percent last year.

"This is the most diverse freshman class I have ever seen," says Buch, who has been working in admissions at the UO since 1974. Buch credits the diversity increase to more intensive recruiting, including more personalized outreach to students of color, as well as a new program of student-to-student phone calls.

Final figures have yet to be tallied, but officials project overall enrollment at the University of Oregon this year to total roughly 17,700 students, a significant increase over last year's total of 17,278.

"We are extremely pleased with the enrollment picture because, not only are the numbers up, but the quality of student is up, as is the overall diversity," says Martha Pitts, Admissions director. "This proves that we are making significant progress with a major goal, to keep the best and the brightest students in Oregon."

For Dale Fish, a "typical day on the job" does not exist. Instead, the one common thread running through each work day is variety.

As Facilities Services' Handy Helper/Rapid Response person, Fish is "Mr. Fix-It" for the campus. His elusive typical day might include graffiti removal, leaky faucet repair, keyboard tray installation and miscellaneous deliveries from one point on campus to another. Fish also is the primary response person for animal and insect problems on campus, from stopping ant or yellow jacket invasions to rescuing trapped or injured animals.

Fish began working at Facilities Services (back then it was known as the Physical Plant) in 1977. In the years since, he worked as a custodian, laborer, groundskeeper, cabinet maker and, since 1998, has made many a customer happy in his role as Handy Helper/Rapid Response.

Working at the University of Oregon is something of a family tradition. His wife, Nancy, is operations coordinator in Public Affairs and Development and his brother Randy is the stores supervisor for Facilities Services. The tradition began with Fish's father, Gordon, who worked in the Facilities Services' cabinet shop for 36 years.

Dale Fish keeps as busy off the job as he does while on campus. In addition to spending time with his three children, he is the cub master for Cub Scout Pack 177 and sings baritone in a barbershop quartet. Because of this later hobby, Fish usually is not at work on Feb. 14. His quartet spends the day presenting live, singing Valentine's Day greetings.

Facilities Services thinks of Fish as one of its ambassadors to the campus. With his great sense of humor and commitment to doing the job right, he is a great representative of the department's mission of service, value and stewardship.

--Greta Pressman
Facilities Services campus relations manager

The Chamber Music Series, one of the most distinguished components in Music's annual concert offerings, is offering UO faculty and staff a 20 percent discount for new series subscribers.

The CMS series--six concerts featuring world-class chamber music artists--is now in its 33rd season, and is the only local arts organization devoted solely to chamber music. This season's schedule opens Oct. 26 with the Emerson String Quartet, universally acclaimed as one of the finest ensembles of its kind. Others on the schedule include the Ysaye Quartet from France, internationally renowned vocal soloists Lucy Shelton and Milagro Vargas, the innovative Baroque ensemble Red Priest, the Cypress String Quartet and Trio Apollon from Germany.

Regular prices for season tickets are $50, $115 or $135, depending on the seating area in Beall Hall. (With the 20 percent discount, UO staff and faculty pay $40, $92 or $108.) Season subscriptions may be purchased either at the Hult Center, 682-5000, or at the EMU Ticket Office, 6-4363.

Beall Concert Hall is acclaimed as one of the finest chamber halls in the country, with superb acoustics. The hall and its lobby were refurbished a few years ago, with comfortable new seats, new carpeting and paint. For more information on the Chamber Music Series season, call 6-5678.

Last year, the State of Oregon Charitable Fund Drive offered UO employees opportunities to give to programs from among seven federations. This year there are eight.

The new federation is Habitat for Humanity of Oregon, currently building 55-65 simple, decent and affordable homes in our state for families who had been living in substandard housing.

With CFD giving, UO employees can also support programs associated with the Black United Fund of Oregon, the Environmental Federation of Oregon, the Friends of Oregon Farms and Forests, Community Health Charities of Oregon (formerly Oregon Health Appeal), Children's Trust Fund, Equity Foundation and United Way.

President Dave Frohnmayer kicked off the UO's 2000 Charitable Fund Drive on Oct. 18. That rally included a training session for CFD departmental coordinators, refreshments and door prizes.

Martha Pitts, Admissions, is chair of this year's CFD campus drive which aims to raise $185,000 before Thanksgiving. That's almost a 10 percent increase over last year's giving, a goal she believes the UO can reach by enlisting new CFD givers.

Frohnmayer shares Pitts' hope. Noting that UO contributors have been generous in the past, he says, "We can do better. Our university is the county's largest employer; it is important that we play a strong role in this campaign.

"We ask much of the members of our local community, including their support with the legislature, their votes on ballot measures and their attendance at our events and activities. We would not be able to succeed without that support. The CFD gives all of us the opportunity to contribute back to the communities and citizens of our state."

UO employees can make their CFD contributions by payroll deduction, by cash or by credit card. All who give $500 or more will get a "Governor's Cup," a special coffee/tea mug bearing John Kitzhaber's signature.

For information, call CFD campus coordinator Nancie Fadeley, Academic Affairs, 6-3013.

The restaurant operation at Collier House has been discontinued for this year, but that doesn't mean the historic building at the center of campus will stand idle.

"Clancy's Pub will continue to operate," says Tom Driscoll, Housing's new food services director. "In addition we will continue to operate Coffee at Clancy's, and Collier House will be available for scheduled meetings and catered events."

University Housing took over operation of the popular lunchtime eatery last year in hopes of running a break-even operation. They discovered, however, there were a lot of customers for lunch from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., but there just isn't much demand for service outside of those hours.

"To break even, we needed to be able to serve customers over a longer period," Driscoll says.

Clancy Thurber's Pub, now open to the public, is located downstairs on the south side of Collier House along Johnson Lane. It is open from 3-8 p.m. Monday through Friday and features a simple pub menu, with micro brews and wine.

In addition, Coffee at Clancy's, a fast-food breakfast and lunch service, is available in Clancy Thurber's Pub from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Featuring grab 'n' go convenience at the center of campus, it offers student customers the option of using meal plan points.

Collier House itself will be available for special events, catered meals, meetings or conferences. Facilities include seven meeting rooms with varying capacities of 8 to 100 people. To schedule an event or for information, call Catering and Conference Services, 6-4303.

Forget to pack a lunch or bring money for lunch? The DeDuck Program has the solution to your troubles. It consists of a debit meal plan which uses your faculty/staff id card. Put some money on your account and you can use it any time. It's good at University Housing dining facilities--Carson Dining Center, University Inn Dining Center, Hamilton Grab 'N' Go, Hammy's Diner and Pizanos Pizzeria. If you have a minimum of $25 in your account, you automatically receive an additional five percent credit on your DeDuck account. To sign up and for details, call University Housing Conference Services, 6-4265.

The 2000-2001 Timetable and Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure are now posted on the Academic Affairs and Provost website. Designed to assist those preparing and reviewing cases, the website also contains forms ready for downloading and completion using various word processors. Also included is a link to the report of the 1999-2000 Faculty Personnel Committee, with specific recommendations for improving the promotion and tenure files, as well as a checklist of items to be included in each dossier. Of particular note are revised deadlines for submission of promotion and tenure files. These deadlines will be strictly enforced, and dossiers arriving at Academic Affairs after the deadlines will be subject to deferral to the following academic year. For information, browse or call Jack Rice or Lorraine Davis, 6-3081

The Campus Copy Center and Printing Services now carry an extensive line of recycled and tree-free papers including a 100-percent, post-consumer recycled content white paper. These options are more ecologically sound than neon, goldenrod or heavily dyed papers as they do not damage the environment and are easy to recycle. To learn more about environmentally friendly quick-copy and printing choices, call Campus Copy, 6-4369, or Printing Services, 6-3794.

Child care is available on no-school days for school-aged children of faculty, staff and students. Work and Family Services has distributed a brochure outlining details of this service. Care for children in kindergarten through fifth grade will be available not only on scheduled no-school days--Nov. 10 and Dec. 1 during the rest of fall term--but also on days when local schools are closed due to inclement weather. For detailed information and forms, visit the Olum center, 1650 Columbia, or call Casie Moylan, 6-6584.

In the spotlight

Classified employees have elected Cheri Smith, Computer and Information Science, to a two-year term as president of UO Local 085, Oregon Public Employees Union, Service Employees International Union Local 503. Other officers for 2000-2002 are vice president Sherry Stahl and secretary Jane Poe, Resource Management; treasurer Debi Baker, Library; membership organizer Carla McNelly, Romance Languages; newsletter editor Anthony Hensley, Facilities Services; historian Star Holmberg, American English Institute; and chief steward Ellen Klaastad, Library System.

Jack Bennett, Student Retention Programs, and Stephanie Dixon Winchester, EMU, received the 2000 D.U.B.S. Award during Spring Family Weekend in May. They were recognized for their efforts as administrators who have shown the highest concern and involvement in enhancing the education and lives of the student body.

Peter von Hippel, Chemistry, has been named as recipient of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology-Merck Award for outstanding contributions to research in biochemistry and molecular biology. He received the award in June in Boston.

Robert Petit, University Health Center, is a fellow of the American College Health Association. The center's medical administrator, Petit was honored May 31 during the ACHA annual meeting for setting professional standards of excellence and for his visionary career contributions.

Anselmo Villanueva, Education adjunct, and Kenneth Kempner, Education, received Outstanding Faculty Awards during the Multicultural Affairs Awards and Graduation Ceremony in May. They were honored for their commitment to working with students of color and increasing ethnic and racial diversity at the UO.

Mary Peters, English GTF, won the Outstanding Composition Teaching Award for 1999-2000. Runners-up were Kellie Bond and Angie Thompson.

Frank Vignola, Physics, and John Reynolds, Architecture emeritus, both are among the first fellows of the American Solar Energy Society. They were honored in June during "Solar 2000" at Madison, Wis.

On the move

Stephen Pruch, Business Affairs associate director for information systems who played a major role in implementing the Banner accounts receivables, finance, student loan and HRIS modules, became associate vice president for information technology at Lane Community College in late July.

Helen Barker Garrett, Admissions associate director for processing for four years, became director of enrollment services/registrar at Lane Community College on July 31.

Troy Franklin, Student Life assistant dean, became special assistant to the athletic director at Kansas State University on July 10.

In print/On display

Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg and John R. Lukacs, Anthropology, published "Interpreting sex differences in enamel hypoplasia in human and non-human primates: Developmental, environmental, and cultural considerations" in the Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, published in December 1999.

Jonathon Skolnik, Germanic Languages and Literature, has guest edited a special issue on new Germanic critiques of German-Jewish religious thought. His article, "Writing Jewish History Between Gutzkow and Goethe," appears in the current issue of Prooftexts, a journal of Jewish literary history.

Roland Greene, Comparative Literature, has published Unrequited Conquests: Love and Empire in the Colonial Americas (University of Chicago Press, 2000).

On the podium/stage

Mel Aikens, Anthropology, delivered a paper in December 1999 on "The Shamanic Cosmos: A Culture-Historical View of World Religion" during the International Conference on the Mesolithic in Guangzhou, China.

Leon Johnson, Art, spoke at a conference, "Living in a Material World 2000: Consuming in the War Zone," in July at Coventry University.