FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Annette Lynch, director, undergraduate program in Women's Studies, (319) 273-2114
Gwenne Culpepper, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The University of Northern Iowa Women's Studies program has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The grant will fund a 20-month project establishing proactive programs to reduce violence against women on campus. Annette Lynch, director of the undergraduate program in Women Studies at UNI, says the project will be unique because it focuses on prevention rather than victim services. Lynch serves as project director for the grant.
The programming, scheduled to begin in November, will fund two staff positions reporting to Julie Thompson, coordinator of UNI Substance/Sexual Abuse Services. “In the last few years, we've made a number of strides in improving services for sexual assault survivors” said Thompson, “The grant will allow us to proactively focus on preventing gender-based violence. I am particularly excited about expanded outreach to men."
The project was initiated by then-student Amymarie Moser who approached Lynch last year with a series of ideas about how violence could be prevented on the UNI campus. Many of those ideas made their way into the grant proposal. “What is special about this proposal is the level of student involvement in both its creation and implementation,” said Lynch. She explained that Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG) voted to formally endorse the project last spring. Dan Sterenchuk, NISG president, was trained to help implement the Mentors in Violence Prevention component of the grant, a program that uses male leaders on campus as violence prevention mentors to other male students.
More of that kind of training and outreach will be possible through the grant, said Lynch, who noted the founder of Mentors in Violence, Jackson Katz, will be speaking at the Oct. 12 Statewide Men's Conference to End Violence Against Women. The conference is in Ames, and is sponsored in part by funding from UNI.
The grant to UNI will develop a cooperative relationship with a number of on-campus organizations, including: Women's Studies; Wellness and Recreation Services; Department of Public Safety; Department of Athletics; Educational and Student Support Services; Department of Residence; Northern Iowa Student Government; UNI Panhellenic and Inter-Fraternity Council; Center for Multi-cultural Education; Hispanic/Latino Senate; Gender Equality Association; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Alliance; and Students Against a Violent Environment as well as Family Service League and the Cedar Falls Police Department. Academic programs playing leading roles in the grant are Communication Studies; Design, Family and Consumer Sciences; and Health Promotion and Education.
For information about the grant or conference contact Lynch at (319) 273-7195.
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Contact: Gwenne Culpepper, UNI Office of Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
Much of the world watched in late September as Great Britain's sprinter, Dwain Chambers, buckled due to cramps in the Olympic track and field quarterfinals. The grimace on his face was enough to telegraph the intense pain.
Darryl Conway has seen it all before – athletes who succumb to heat or dehydration, and experience leg or full-body cramps that can bring tears to the eyes of even the strongest. But Conway knows what to do about it. “We give our athletes pickle juice,” says the head athletic trainer at the University of Northern Iowa. The Northern Iowa Panthers have been using this tangy treat as a way to cure – and prevent – body cramps for a couple of years now, and Conway swears by it. “It works so well our athletes ask for it now.”
He suggests that high school coaches, trainers and athletes consider making it part of their regimen as well. Conway says cramps typically occur when the body is severely dehydrated and electrolyte levels have dropped. Muscles in the body then tend to tighten or spasm. “It's incredibly painful,” says Conway who, as a former athlete, has experienced his share of cramps.
High school athletes can develop cramps for any number of reasons. “They may be dehydrated because they haven't been drinking water, or they've been sick earlier with diarrhea or vomiting It might even be that their knee brace is too tight, making the muscle work overtime and become rapidly fatigued.”
He notes too that winter sports at the high school level are typically performed in a gymnasium, which may not be well-ventilated or well-cooled. High schools, unlike universities or pro teams, don't have the funding to provide an onsite trainer or the electrolyte drinks throughout practice, so the chance for cramps increases at this level.
Conway administers about two ounces of the juice half an hour before any athletic event, typically during the pre-game meal. In the event that a player didn't get the pre-game treatment and ends up cramping during the game, Conway offers anywhere from two to six ounces during the cramp. “It eliminates the cramp in about a minute,” he says. Athletes at the elementary age don't need more than one-half to one ounce.
It's possible to give too much of a good thing, but Conway says an overdose of pickle juice usually won't result in anything more serious than an upset stomach. “And that could cause vomiting, which would exacerbate the dehydration and cause another cramp.”
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(Part of the EducatioNet series from the University of Northern Iowa)
For release during October 2000
Contact: Gwenne Culpepper, UNI Office of Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
The leaves are turning from green to bronze, there's a bit of crispness in the air, and the sun goes down a bit earlier than it did a month ago. Every year, just about this time, retailers haul out the jack-o-lanterns and pointy witches' hats, and start decorating their stores. Hollywood releases a new slasher film, and screams fill the air.
Most of it is all in fun but, says Josh Susskind, it could still be too frightening for children. Susskind, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Northern Iowa, says different situations can scare different kinds of children, and parents should be alert.
Children at the preschool to early elementary age are typically frightened by perceptual things. So something that looks scary is going to be very scary for them. They also tend to be more worried about fictional sorts or characters –witches or goblins – that cannot be real. Susskind notes that children this age may even become afraid of fictional characters and movies that have been designed specifically for them, like the Incredible Hulk, or the move “The Wizard of Oz.”
Older children, 9 to 11 years old, are more frightened by negative behaviors. “Real-world behaviors and characters, like those you see in a slasher film, scare them,” explains Susskind. “They look at something like that, and it's easy for the child to believe it could happen to them. Also, it doesn't have to be something they saw in a movie; it could be the evening news.”
He says parents can help children cope with fears this time of year through a variety of methods. For younger children, it helps to divert their attention from the scary mask or story with food or drink. Allow them to cover their eyes. “Young children have very short attention spans,” Susskind says. “And what is scary to them is the visual aspect. If they look away or focus on something else, then the situation isn't as frightening for them.”
Those methods don't work with older children, though. In fact, covering the eyes just makes the situation worse, since at that age the frightening aspect of a situation is the perception or anticipation of something bad about the happen. For these children, Susskind recommends desensitization methods. If you know a child is going to see a movie about, say, giant spiders, a parent might consider giving the child rubber spiders beforehand.
Typically children won't be harmed by watching a scary movie or hearing a ghost story but Susskind cautions parents to watch the child's behavior after exposure to the event. Long-term phobias --like being afraid of the water after watching “Jaws” – should be treated by a professional.
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(Part of the EducatioNet series from the University of Northern Iowa)
For release during October 2000
Contact: Gwenne Culpepper, UNI Office of Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
The World Wrestling Federation now sponsors a television ad, urging its fans to exercise their constitutional right to vote in the upcoming presidential election. The media is shaking its finger at people 18 to 24, reminding them that members of that age group often don't vote. and stressing that the trend must change. Even MTV is telling its young viewers to go vote.
But Tom Rice, head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Northern Iowa, disagrees with these tactics. “There is no reason to have public campaigns to try to convince people to vote. It's their own decision. That's what a democracy means – we have the choice to vote, or not vote. Choosing not to vote is a viable choice in a democracy.”
In Rice's opinion, it's important for children K-12 to learn about the democratic process, and to understand that they have the right to vote. But demanding that everyone vote doesn't help the democratic process and could, says Rice, hinder it. “What you end up with is a large number of votes from people who don't understand the issues or the candidates,” he explains. “I'm not sure that's what we want.”
There is no proof, says Rice, that public service announcements like those sponsored by the WWF actually do increase voter turnout. “Voting is something you have to be motivated to do internally. It shouldn't be marketed like toothpaste or beer.”
He says the numbers of voting young people (18-24) has always been somewhat low. This year will be no different. Rice attributes it to the fact that most people in that age group are in some sort of transitional stage – in college, just starting a family, taking a new job. “They have a lot of things going on in their lives, so they don't focus on civic duties.”
He does differentiate between a generic call to vote, and the work of long-established organizations like unions that have often worked to increase voter turn-out in the name of supporting a specific candidate.
Rice supports a more civic-minded society. He suggests children be encouraged to volunteer, to support a cause, to join an organization. He says individuals who participate in those kinds of community-oriented activities are the ones who learn to care about their community, and are more motivated to vote because they do care. They are also more likely to educate themselves about the candidates and issues.
“I would rather see parents instill in their children this importance of becoming involved – on any level – in the community. That to me is the most important thing parents can instill in children. Then democracy will work, and we'll be less likely to get caught up in the partisan rhetoric of the elections.”
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(Part of the EducatioNet series from the University of Northern Iowa)
For release during October 2000
Contact: Gwenne Culpepper, UNI Office of Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
The world is increasingly a more technologically-driven place, and it's more important than ever for youths to have well-developed math skills. With that in mind, the Department of Mathematics at the University of Northern Iowa has developed the Wright Challenge, a Web-based math contest.
“Employers that we've talked to consistently tell us that math skills today are absolutely vital, and that they wish incoming employees had stronger math skills,” says Douglas Shaw, assistant professor of mathematics at UNI, and creator of the Wright Challenge. “This is one way we can encourage that.”
Open to all Iowa high schools students and UNI students, the contest runs through December 15. Just about every other week, a new puzzle will be presented via the World Wide Web, at www.math.uni.edu/~shaw/doctore.
The first problem is currently available. The solution will be posted October 10. Answers should be e-mailed to doctore@math.uni.edu, or sent to: Doctor E, c/o the University of Northern Iowa Mathematics Department, 317 Wright Hall, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0506.
"The University of Northern Iowa math department is incredibly excited about math, and we want to share their love of the subject with the community at large," says Shaw. So far so good; he's been receiving puzzle solutions from as far away as Finland and Germany. “Those people are aware they aren't eligible, but they still want to participate.”
Prizes will include certificates suitable for framing, more than $100 in cash, and games donated by Kadon Enterprises, a premium-quality puzzle merchant.
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