Vol. 17, No. 28April 23, 1998

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

Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 5. Letters. "Charles L. Barry's commentary on Bosnia (Inquirer, Dec. 30) offers nothing more than a way for the United States to shift the burden of 'peace enforcement' to the Western Europeans. He offers no new suggestions for the resolution of this disturbing conflict. However, the worst flaw in his logic comes with his contention that any concerns about justice and morality were secondary to America's actual reason for intervening in Bosnia. ... In this, he is dead wrong. ... Americans desire not any 'peace and commerce,' but a civil peace and commerce built upon tolerance, equality, human rights and the rule of law. This is the only kind of peace and commerce worth risking American lives for in Bosnia, in Europe, or the rest of the world. Kenneth J. Campbell, assistant professor of international relations, University of Delaware."

Delaware State News, Jan. 5. Four numbers, 2,000 meanings: Millennium always the signpost of change UD professor says. "A University of Delaware professor says the approaching turn of the century represents a rite of passage and a mark of change. 'I think for some people it becomes the occasion of a marking of a major transition,' said Dr. Nancy King, a professor in the University of Delaware Honors Program who specializes in symbolic meaning. 'In our culture, there are fewer rites and rituals to mark major changes,' she said.... But in reality, 'seeing the calendar change from 1999 to 2000 doesn't change anything,' she said. And not everyone views the approaching millennium as a rite of passage. 'I think there are a lot of people for whom the millennium is not a millennium. Jews and Muslims have calendars 4 or 5,000 years old. For people like that, it's no big deal,' she said."

News Journal, Jan. 5. Surprising UD duo takes fourth in pairs. "Jenni Meno and Todd Sand skated to the sound of 'Pomp and Circumstance,' which was appropriate since the three-time U.S. pairs champs will likely graduate to the pro ranks later this year. The University of Delaware pair that followed them onto the CoreStates Center ice, Laura Handy and Paul Binebose, didn't need reminders that there'll soon be room to move up the pairs ranks. They knew that coming into the U.S. Figure Skating Championships."

News Journal, Jan. 6. Town council OKs new zoning plan. "Officials in Middletown hope the new zoning plan approved Monday night by town council will make the city more livable as it grows into the 21st century. ... Town officials say the comprehensive zoning and subdivision code will allow Middletown to manage its growth without losing its small-town feel. The code, which took 14 months to draft, will promote a seamless array of commercial, residential and open-space districts, officials say. ... 'I think the town has come to grasp that this is something they need to continually address,' said Alexander M. Settles, a policy specialist from the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration who worked as a consultant on the new code."

Signal, Jan. 7. How Environment Influences the Healing Process. "Two people have just had the same major surgery. They're in the same hospital, receiving the same level of clinical care. Physically, they're much alike- same age, similar health profiles. But one will recover considerably faster than the other. And it may all boil down to a room with a view. A University of Delaware, Newark study showed that surgery patients with a window view of trees had fewer postsurgery complications, left the hospital earlier and used less pain medication than patients whose window faced a brick wall."

Education Week, Jan. 8. The lifting of a desegregation order has inspired new reforms in the Wilmington schools. "... School leaders say the next few years will be pivotal in determining what direction education policy moves in the main urban area as educators sort out the aftermath of the desegregation order's removal. Given that the Wilmington-area schools make up nearly 60 percent of the state's K-12 enrollment, those effects are likely to dominate state policymakers' discussions in coming years. ... One longstanding problem for the four Wilmington-area districts is that they have not worked together to coordinate educational services, says Paul G. LeMahieu, the director of the Delaware Education Research and Development Center in Newark, Del. Mr. LeMahieu is also a technical consultant for Quality Counts '98. 'There is disappointingly little cross-district planning and coordination,' he says."

News Journal, Jan. 8. Smith eyes title. "Scott Smith is a noted jumper, so it's no wonder his leap to the junior level of figure skating had been so smooth. The University of Delaware Skating Club member landed in first place after the junior men's short program Wednesday at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Spectrum. 'His long program is very strong,' said UD skate director Ron Ludington, looking ahead to Friday."

Newark, N.J., Star-Ledger, Jan. 9. Unseasonably warm air cited as health risk. "Breathing could be bad for your health today if you live in northeast New Jersey, state authorities warned. They cited odd weather conditions that should prompt people with respiratory problems to take precautions.... 'New Jersey has been in a bad area-just north of a warm, stationary front,' said Dr. Laurence S. Kalkstein, director of the Synoptic Climatology Laboratory at the University of Delaware. He explained that a mass of warm air had been rising above a ledge of cold air that is close to the Earth's surface-something meteorologists refer to as an inversion, and a main reason fog has gripped the area for days."

Lewes, Del., Cape Gazette, Jan. 9. VoiceNet to upgrade UD Internet. "VoiceNet, one of the region's leading Internet service providers (ISPs), recently announced an agreement with the University of Delaware in Newark to effect a significant upgrade to the school's methods of access to the Internet. VoiceNet will install a high bandwidth Internet hub that will bring dual DS3 fiber optic lines with divergent entrances directly onto the campus. It will also expand its national DS3 Internet backbone with the addition of a backbone router, also on the main campus."

News Journal, Jan. 10. Radio station listeners can air their opinions. "The University of Delaware radio station welcomes listeners to call its 'Feedback' news forum on Sundays from 1 to 2 p.m. The show on WVUD (91.3 FM) is hosted by news director Andrew Clancy. Callers can voice their opinions on the show by calling 831-2701."

News Journal, Jan. 10. Agriculture called factor in bay pollution. Similar articles in Delaware State News, Jan. 10/Bethany Beach, Delaware Wave, Jan. 14/Millsboro, Del., Sussex Post/ Jan. 14/. "A University of Delaware scientist Friday told a committee researching how to clean up Delaware's Inland Bays that agriculture is a significant pollution factor. But poultry houses may be the key source of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution only in some areas, said John H. Martin Jr., an associate professor of waste management and environmental quality. State and local officials are taking a close look at pollution sources in the Inland Bays amid long-term water quality concerns and fears that a toxic microb-pfiesteria piscicida-might become active in Delaware waters. ... Martin expects to complete his study of agriculture pollution for the nonprofit Center for the Inland Bays in two to three weeks."

News Journal, Jan. 10. NCCo faces 2 more years of gridlock. "Despite calls for a radical acceleration in road-building plans, northern Delaware still faces several years of gridlock along its busiest corridors. ... Last month, Gov. Carper recommended spending $6 million in surplus funds to shorten work schedules on a handful of important highway projects... Eleanor Craig, a University of Delaware economics professor, said lawmakers should resist the temptation to spend surplus money on roads or other government programs. 'If this is more important than other projects, it should come at the expense of other projects rather than adding to an already-bloated state government,' Craig said. 'The biggest priority should be getting the tax level down.'"

-Compiled by Barbara Garrison