The UA Board of Regents meets Dec. 5-6 in Fairbanks. At its November meeting, the Board voted to raise tuition by 10 percent, effective fall 2003, as requested by President Hamilton. The third BOR trivia quiz is now available online with answers due by Dec. 2. For more information visit www.alaska.edu/bor/.

The Alaska Chamber Chorale has been invited to perform at the national convention of the American Choral Directors Association in New York, Feb. 12-15, 2003. More than 6,000 conductors and directors will attend the conference. The chorale will perform at St. Patrick's Cathedral Wednesday, Feb. 12.

Division of Retirement representatives will visit UAF for seminars Dec. 4-5 at 1 p.m. in the Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom. Individual retirement counseling sessions may be arranged Dec. 2-6. For more information or to schedule a session call 7700 or visit www.uaf.edu/uafhr/Employee/retirement_flyer_2002.pdf.

Chancellor Lind has funded 17 proposals recommended by the Technology Advisory Board, out of 30 proposals submitted. For more information about TAB or the proposals for fall 2002 visit www.uaf.edu/tab/.

The 2002 UAF Chili Cook-off raised nearly $400 for the United Way of the Tanana Valley. First place went to Char Chaffin, CSEM dean's office, for her Moose Kick'n Chili; second place went to Sarah Fuhrmann and Mary Matthews, Student Support Services, for their Butternut Blast-off; and third place went to Elwin Lawler, Dining Services, for his Stampede Caribou recipe. Carolyn Sheehy, University Relations, received the People's Choice award with her Firehouse Chili.

The American Geophysical Union's annual meeting in San Francisco Dec. 8 will feature a late-breaking session entitled "2002 Earthquake Sequence on the Denali Fault." The 7.9 magnitude quake on Nov. 3 was one of the largest strike-slip earthquakes ever recorded in North America. This session will present preliminary findings on the earthquake seismology, aftershocks, deformation and geologic effects of the earthquake.

Web traffic increased dramatically at the Alaska Earthquake Information Center following the large earthquakes that recently hit the Interior. The site had fewer than 20,000 hits a day before the Nov. 3 earthquake. The day after the quake, hits to the site reached nearly 800,000. The website can be accessed at www.aeic.alaska.edu.

A graduate research position is available for fall 2003 to work toward a master's or Ph. D. at UAF in an aspect of Alaskan vegetation at regional scales. This position is part of the North American Vegetation Databank Project and is funded for two years with the possibility of additional funding or teaching assistantship. For more information contact Marilyn Walker at ffmdw@uaf.edu.

Alaska Sea Grant has started a fund-raising drive to help schools get students to the Alaska Region National Ocean Sciences Bowl. The event occurs Feb. 21-23 at Seward High School and has attracted teams from 17 high schools across the state, more than double the number from last year. The winning team will compete in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl finals April 25-28 in La Jolla, Calif. For more information about the bowl or making a donation visit www.uaf.edu/seagrant/nosb.

A slide show is available from University Relations to traveling faculty and administrators who want to present a brief overview of UAF. The show is available on CD as a Powerpoint presentation or in a carousel on 35mm slides. To check out a copy, call 7581 or stop by 201 Eielson Building.

Organizers of special events held at UAF are required to fill out a special events form at least 14 days before the event. This includes dances, craft and other fairs, concerts and special use of building space for meetings or conferences by outside organizations. The form is online at www.uaf.edu/safety/special event.htm. For more information contact Ron Pierce at 6771.

UAF Summer Sessions has a preliminary schedule for 2003 online at www.uaf.edu/summer/.

UAF Codes and Safety asks employees to report any unsafe conditions on campus by calling 5413 or filling out the online form at www.uaf.edu/safety/.

Fairbanks Light Opera Theatre, in cooperation with Theatre UAF and the UAF music department, presents King Island Christmas Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 14-15 at 3 p.m. in the Salisbury Theatre. This family musical production is based on a true story from an island in the Bering Sea. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/theatre/.

The UA Museum Open House is Dec. 7 from noon – 5 p.m. Visitors will explore behind-the-scenes at the museum, talk with the curators and collection managers and visit with Alaska Native artists. There will be hands-on activities for kids and admission is free. The museum store holiday sale runs through Dec. 24. Most items are 10 percent off, with many Alaska Native art items discounted by 20 percent.

The UAF Women's Center is hosting a holiday party to benefit the Interior Center for Non-Violent Living Dec. 6 from 4-6 p.m. in 112 Eielson Building. Bring or help wrap a gift and enjoy dessert. For more information call 6360.

The UAF art department is holding a juried student art show Dec. 6-18 in the art department gallery. The gallery is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

The family celebration concert will be Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall. The celebration features the Choir of the North, the winners of the 12th annual concerto competition, an audience sing-a-long and a surprise visit from a man in red.

The UAF Film Club is hosting the fall 2002 Film Festival in Schaible Auditorium Dec. 10 from 7-9 p.m. A variety of movies created by UAF students will be shown. Admission is free.

The Fairbanks Symphony Association is holding its annual fund-raising silent auction Dec. 12 from 2 – 7 p.m. in the Great Hall. There will be a variety of items to bid on including travel, fine dining, artwork, outdoor items and more.

The Alaska Chamber Chorale will perform "Carols of the Ages" at its Holiday Concert is Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall.

A ceramics and printmaking sale will be held Dec. 13 from noon-6 p.m. in 405 and 415 of the Fine Arts Complex.

The Merry Tuba Christmas presents carols played by low brass instruments Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall. The concert is scheduled an hour before the opening of King Island Christmas in neighboring Salisbury Theatre.

The 2003 annual workshop, "Marine Science for the Northeast Pacific: Science for Resource-Dependent Communities" will be Jan. 13-17 in Anchorage. Registration must be turned in by Jan. 3, 2003 to attend. For more information or registration forms visit www.oilspill.state.ak.us/.

KSUA-FM nearly swept the recent Alaska Broadcasters Association awards in the student division winning 11 of 12 "Goldies" in that category. One of the awards went to Bruce Cech and Erik Drygas for the best play-by-play of a sporting event for their coverage of UAF hockey. For more information and a list of winners visit www.akbroadcasters.org/.

Sophomore guard Brad Oleson was named Most Valuable Player after leading the Nanooks to the championship of the BP 2002 Top of the World Classic pre-season basketball tournament. The win marked the first time a NCAA Division II team had ever reached the championship game of an eight-team Division I tournament, let alone win the title. Senior forward Steve Towne and junior center Jason Williams joined Oleson on the all-tournament team.

The UAF women's volleyball team ended an outstanding season in second place in the Great Northwest Conference.The Nanooks led the conference in blocks, while Carlin Smith dominated the league in individual blocks.

The UAF women's basketball team is following up its performance in the North Star Invitational with games against Western Washington Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. and against Seattle Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. at the Patty Center.

The UAF hockey team's final home games of 2002 are Dec. 6 -7 against Wayne State. The team's next home games are Jan. 17-18 against Lake Superior State. All games begin at 7 p.m. at the Carlson Center.

During this celebratory time of year, it seems appropriate that all of us stop long enough to issue a heartfelt "thank you" to those co-workers who do so much with us and for us. We all have a myriad of work relationships that we depend on and value, yet in the rush of a normal day's work we too often forget to thank those who most deserve it.

While this can happen in any work relationship, I particularly encourage you to recognize your many talented and valued frontline administrative staff, who many times have to interpret, distribute, implement and communicate all of the ideas, plans and decisions made by others.

When you stroll by that busy person at the desk who is trying to finish your project, schedule your time, answer multiple questions, finish your most recent "I need it now" crisis, explain an issue to a student (or parent or community member) or complete any of their other daily tasks, don't forget to say "Thanks, I really appreciate your efforts." It takes 10 seconds, will make them feel recognized and valued, make you feel good and lead to a more comfortable and caring work environment. After all, you spend almost as much time with your co-workers as with your family.

Take the time to applaud them, and don't forget that friendly workplaces result in more productive employees—which ultimately leads to better service to our students. Sharing a few positive words of recognition is an easy and personal way to let the people you work with know that you appreciate them. Don't pass up the opportunity.