Vol. 17, No. 25	March 26, 1998

A selection of items in the national and local media about the University-its faculty, staff and students:

San Francisco Bay Guardian, Dec. 17. Jury rigged: Wanted: Jurors for Unabomb trial. Thirst for blood required. Death penalty opponents need not apply. "... Public opinion about capital punishment has changed dramatically since the 1960s, when only about half of all Californians supported the death penalty, Haney said. Today about 80 percent are in favor of it. But, according to Haney, death penalty opponents are more likely to be disqualified than supporters, because the latter tend to downplay their beliefs during jury selection. ... Valerie P. Hans, a professor of criminal justice and psychology at the University of Delaware and an expert on juries in capital cases, said death qualification frequently affects the ability of the court to assemble a jury of peers. She said new research indicates that people's opinions about the death penalty are directly linked to their opinions on a host of other criminal-justice issues. For example, Hans said, juries that favor the death penalty are more likely to have a hostile attitude toward the insanity defense. Such a jury could pose a problem for Kaczynski's defense team, which has asserted that the defendant is not guilty of the crimes with which he is charged because his mental state would not have allowed him to form the intent to kill."

Brookfield, Mo., Daily News-Bulletin, Dec. 4/Brooklyn, Mich., Exponent, Dec. 16/Columbia City, Ind., Post & Mail, Dec. 22. Protect Yourself From the Itch of Winter. "Winter is generally the worst time of year for people who suffer from pruritis hiemalis-better known as dry, cracked, itchy winter skin. ... 'When relative humidity inside drops to particularly low levels, dry itchy skin problems often result,' says Dr. Laurence Kalkstein, professor at the University of Delaware's Center for Climatic Research. Dermatologists, he adds, have noted that when the relative humidity drops below 30 percent inside the home for three consecutive days, this sets the stage for dry skin problems."

Dayton Daily News, Dec. 13. Commas show big changes are afoot at "New Yorker." ... "A chap named Ben Yagoda, associate professor of English at the University of Delaware, is writing a history of The New Yorker. Over the years since the magazine began in 1925, the magazine has used more commas in its punctuation than any other. But since Tina Brown became editor, things have begun to change. ... Recently, Yagoda found the following sentence in the magazine. 'since joining Microsoft 11 years ago, Myrhvold has held a number of positions.' Since the nonrestrictive phrase was not set off by a comma after 'Microsoft,' the sentence might mean to the editors of the old New Yorker that Myrhvold joined Microsoft on other occasions. The sentence is not wrong and in any other magazine or newspaper, nobody would remark at all on the punctuation. Under the new management and editor, Yagoda observed, 'The absence of the comma after 'Microsoft' resonates with the news that a distinctive voice had lost its peculiar modulation.'"

Rockville, Md., Montgomery Journal, Dec. 19. Children's literature inspires several holiday exhibits. "Author Robert D. San Souci drew on European and African sources to retell this Indian folk tale of caring and sacrifice in his book 'The Faithful Friend.' ... The plot of 'The Faithful Friend' is natural for this time of year because of its theme of love and sharing, said Joan Del Fattore, an English professor at the University of Delaware and an expert on children's literature. Del Fattore said there is something right about joining children's literature and Christmas. 'Children's books are the literary equivalent of candy canes and reindeer,' she said. 'The illustrations are the trimming on the tree.'"

Newtown, Pa., Advance of Bucks County, Dec. 25. Dance director has figure skating winners. "Yuri Sergeyev, master teacher and artistic director of the Sergeyev School of Dance in Lower Bucks, had some unique successes recently-four gold medal winners-not for dance but for figure skating excellence. Mr. Sergeyev coaches American skaters, ages 13-21, at the renowned University of Delaware figure skating program, where he has given special ballet classes and private lesson to skaters since 1995. 'Ballet should be an integral part of all skaters' training,' said Sergeyev."

West Chester, Pa., Daily Local News, Dec. 25. New Castle County faces rapid growth. "New Castle County's population will almost double over the next 22 years, according to a new study. The study conducted by the University of Delaware for the Wilmington Area Planning Council predicts the number of county residents living south of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal will almost double by the year 2020."

Arizona Daily Star, Dec. 27/ Waukegan, Ill., News-Sun, Dec. 27/ San Mateo, Calif., County Times, Dec. 27/Tacoma, Wash., News Tribune, Dec. 27/Palm Springs, Calif., Desert Sun, Dec. 27/Denver Post, Dec. 27/Atlantic City, N.J., Press, Dec. 27/Portland, Maine, Press Herald, Dec. 27/Tulsa World, Dec. 27/Delaware State News, Dec. 27/ White Plains, N.Y., Reporter Dispatch, Dec. 27/Poughkeepsie Journal, Dec. 27/Baltimore Sun, Dec. 27/Reading, Pa., Times/Reading Eagle, Dec. 27Columbia, S.C., State, Dec. 28/ Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 28./San Diego Daily Transcript, Dec. 29/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 31/ Milwaukee, Wisc., Daily Reporter, Dec. 31. From an Associated Press wire story. Firms keep moving to Delaware. "With its business-friendly laws and court, Delaware continues to draw corporations-on paper at least, if not in person. ... While the companies won't be moving their facilities or workers, reincorporating in Delaware is seen as a way to reduce legal risks by relying on the extensive case law built up in Chancery Court, one of the only state courts in the nation solely dedicated to hearing business cases. Courts in other states are not considered nearly as predictable. Delaware also has industry laws considered more permissive than most. 'There is much, much better predictability,' said University of Delaware professor Donald J. Puglisi, finance. 'You know the rules of the game set out in the Delaware code, whether they are favorable to management or not.'"

Delaware State News, Dec. 27/ Middletown Transcript, Jan. 1/ Delaware Capitol Review, Jan. 5. Company to Stage Traffic Jam on Bridge: "A composite-materials company looking to refurbish the St. Georges Bridge will stage a traffic jam on the span Tuesday to determine how much stress it can handle. Hardcore DuPont Composites LLC of New Castle had proposed to renovate the 4,209-foot-long structure with composites usually used in the aerospace industry and the military. The bridge's current owner, the Army Corps of Engineers, originally proposed closing the span and destroying it. Scott Hemphill, a spokesman for Hardcore DuPont, said the stress test is intended to show that the bridge can still handle large traffic loads. 'This is really about proving that it's worth saving,' said Mr. Hemphill. A community group interested in saving the bridge has rounded up 140 vehicles to create the traffic jam, and civil engineers from the University of Delaware and Century Engineering in Dover will measure stress readings. Vehicles will converge on the bridge about 10 a.m. Tuesday."

News Journal, Dec. 28. An evaluation of Delaware's public schools. "Chester Freed, who supervised the profile project for the state Department of Education, said future profiles will include more up-to-date test scores, the most recent discipline data and, eventually, financial information that will show taxpayers precisely where their money is going in each school. ... But even beefier profiles will not be the best measure of Delaware's schools, said Paul LeMahieu, who is considered a national expert in education reform. LeMahieu, executive director of the University of Delaware's Education Research and Development Center, is working to build a computerized search engine that will link many sets of data collected by Delaware agencies. 'Right now, what's available [in the profiles] supports thinking like 'where are the good and bad schools?' he said. 'If you really want to be helpful to the system, you have to ask more complicated questions-questions that help policymakers think about what good policies are.'"

Poultry Times, Dec. 29 and Jan. 12. Delaware laboratory named in honor of Hiram Lasher. "Hiram N. Lasher of Millsboro, a leader in poultry biologics, was honored Nov. 21 with the dedication here of a new University of Delaware laboratory in his name. ... Calling Lasher 'a pioneer in the world of poultry biologics,' University of Delaware President David P. Roselle, said the gift he and his wife, Bertha, gave in memory of their son, Steven Hiram Lasher, has enabled the University 'to continue the vital support of the work that has marked Hiram's career in southern Delaware and the world.'"

Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 31. City convention is a real meeting of the minds. "Everyone knows that to be a real philosopher today, you must attend the 'APA,' the American Philosophical Association's annual end-of-December meeting. ...'This convention,' says Eric Hoffman, 45, APA executive director for the last five years, 'is usually the largest gathering of philosophers in the world.' Most years it draws about 2,500 attendees, a quarter of the APA's nearly 10,00 members. More than 2,300 had registered by the conference's end yesterday. 'It's an opportunity,' explains Hoffman, a Bala Cynwyd resident who teaches at the University of Delaware, 'for people to share their intellectual' work, to engage in philosophical conversation, to test their theories and to keep up their relationships.'"

Earth Work, January. Earth Workers. "Lisa Botluk, program manager for the Air Quality and Compliance Programs, U.S. Army Materiel Command, Alexandria,Va. An interview-EW: What types of education and training did you undergo? What educational experiences do you feel were the most helpful? What (if anything) would you change about your educational background/training? LB: I earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware's geography department in 1983. I studied physical geography, with concentrations in climatology and water resources. The most helpful courses were the 'skills' courses, such as technical writing and computer courses. What I learned in these courses can help at any job. At the end of my senior year, I applied for a few jobs but decided I wanted to continue my education. ... EW: Are there particular skills you feel are critical to success in your field? LB: The technical writing courses I took during my senior year at University of Delaware have helped me ever since."

Trust for Educational Leadership, January. Accountability. "'Accountability Dialogues' brought together parents, community leaders, teachers, and site and district administrators to discuss the district's performance and how to improve it. ...The Western Assessment Collaborative at WestEd is collaborating with four districts and 10 school leadership teams in Kyosei (the spirit of cooperation). The project is founded on the concept of authentic accountability as defined by Paul LeMahieu of the University of Delaware and the Delaware Department of Public Instruction. ... 'The purpose is to involve various constituencies in the construction of deep and commonly held understanding about the performance of the system, the reasons for that performance, the best possible ways of improving performance and the responsibilities of each in doing so,' LeMahieu said."

-Compiled by Barbara Garrison