Almanac

Ask Bucky
Actual questions from real people, answered by the friendly folks at the Campus Information and Visitor Center. Ask CIVC questions at its office, first floor of the Red Gym. Call 263-2400 or e-mail askbucky@redgym.wisc.edu.

Q. I am helping a visiting professor plan for his fall semester on campus. Is there an online list of vacant housing options where I could refer him?

A. Yes. Now is a good time to begin a search for fall housing. CIVC maintains a Web site that lists vacant off-campus housing units in Madison and the surrounding area, as well as people looking for roommates. Go to http://www.wisc.edu/cac/housing, where you can click on “Search the Listings” and enter your desired criteria. If you don’t immediately find what you are looking for, check again; new listings are added daily.

Q. Does UW–Madison offer career counseling for adults who are considering a career change or a return to college?

A. The Division of Continuing Studies offers adult career and educational counseling along with outreach programs about UW–Madison and services for returning adult students. It also conducts workshops and vocational inventories for a reasonable fee. For more information: http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/services/ or call 263-6960.

Poetry on water
To celebrate Wisconsin’s “Year of Water,” so designated by Gov. Jim Doyle, the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters is hosting a poetry reading featuring poets who share a common commitment to one of the state’s most important resources.

The free reading will be held Friday, Feb. 7, from 5-7 p.m. at Tripp Commons, Memorial Union. Poets scheduled to appear include Fabu Mogaka, Wisconsin Poet Laureate Ellen Kort, UW–Madison English Professor Heather Dubrow, james lee, Daniel Kunene and Nydia Rojas.

The program is sponsored by the Wisconsin Academy’s Waters of Wisconsin initiative, which is bringing together artists, experts in water use and management, government, educators and Native American tribes.

For information about WOW: http://www.wisconsinacademy.org or call 263-1692, ext. 16.

Agronomist Shands dies
Hazel Lee Shands, 94, emeritus professor of agronomy at UW–Madison, died Dec. 27, 2002. Shands began his career in the Department of Agronomy in 1929 as a research assistant, earning a doctorate in agronomy and plant pathology in 1932, and joining the agronomy faculty as an assistant professor in 1936. His research focused on plant breeding for disease resistance, high yield and grain quality. He specialized in oats, barley, winter wheat and rye. Through the years, Shands served as a mentor to numerous students, contributing to their success as agronomists worldwide. After his 1974 retirement, he continued to conduct experimental field plantings.

Memorials may be made to either the Shands Agronomy Fund or the Shands Daughters of Demeter Fund through the University of Wisconsin Foundation, 1848 University Avenue, P.O. Box 8860, Madison, WI 53708-8806.

Backward glance
From Wisconsin Week of Jan. 27, 1993: The Wisconsin Alumni Association launches a scholarship initiative to attract increased numbers of Native American students. … Jay Noren, vice chancellor for health sciences since 1985, departs to become chancellor of the Minnesota Higher Education System. … Led by Coach Stu Jackson, the men’s basketball team is ranked 24th in a USA Today/ CNN Coaches’ Poll, marking the first time since 1974 that the Badgers are ranked in a national poll.