NIVERSITY WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
February 2009
P.O. BOX 81776 FAIRBANKS, ALASKA 99708
www.uaf.edu/uwa
FEBRUARY DATES TO REMEMBER:
Sunday, February 1 from 1 -3pm -------- Cabin Fever Celebration
Sunday, February 15 at 3 – 5pm ------ Book Club in Gulliver’s meeting room
Tuesday, February 17 at noon ---------- Salad Luncheon

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO:
Saturday, March 28 at noon -----------Spring Recycle Sale
INTERNATIONAL DINERS
International Diners is a fun way to collect some great recipes and the dinners are a feast. The
participants are asked to choose a month they will host a meal and decide upon a cuisine theme.
Those whose homes are unable accommodate a dinner party may partner with someone who can.
When the theme and date are announced, diners interested in attending contact the host and
indicate if they are bringing a guest. The host plans a menu and each diner receives one dish to
prepare. The cost of the meal is divided evenly among the participants. Every dinner offers a
unique culinary experience with an extensive variety of dishes to savor.
The International Diners enjoyed the warmth of an Alaskan cabin on
a winter night when Jennifer Chambers and her friend Matt hosted a
lively dinner on Saturday, December 13th. Jennifer’s menu featured
Mexican cuisine. The seven diners enjoyed everything from
enchiladas to dessert tamales.

Helen Howard and Barbara Braley were two of the International
Diners who enjoyed the January dinner hosted by August-Michelle
Abukasis and her mother Rita McGrath. August regaled the diners
with stories of her time in Israel. The participants enjoyed a
wonderful assortment of Israeli foods. Barbara says the recipes
August-Michelle provided were all keepers.
The Schaible House
provided a cozy cabin
atmosphere. Many
thanks go to Patty Hamilton and her husband for
providing the house for this UWA dinner.
August writes:” I would like to thank everyone who
participated in my international dinner! It was a
success, looking forward to hosting my next one
and hope you all can attend. Sneak peek,
Athabascan foods!! (yummy).”

International Diners coordinator, Barbara
Braley reports that a German dinner is being
planned. More information will be provided in the March UWA newsletter.
CABIN FEVER CELEBRATION
Please join us Sunday, February 1, 1-3 pm, for the Cabin Fever celebration at Nancy Hausel
Johnson's home, 3961 Monteverde Rd., 479-4962. Many of us have seen Nancy's scenic
Alaska tiles and we'll tour her studio in the Moose Mountain area. We will also hear from
Georgene Nielsen, Master Gardener about “Feeding your Garden with Love” and from Mike
Musick, Green Builder on the subject “Tips to $ave Energy in your Home”
We look forward to an entertaining afternoon above the ice fog, glimpsing the Alaskan range,
engaging in wonderful conversation, and enjoying refreshments. Please invite a friend and RSVP
to Rita Osborne, 479-4535. Car pooling will be encouraged.
Directions: Parks Hwy., Sheep Creek Rd., Murphy Dome Rd., Spinach Creek Rd., right onto
Moose Mountain Rd., Meribel Rd., Monteverde Rd. House is on right, look for balloons.
SPRING RECYCLE SALE
As in the past, any one in the community is encouraged to move gently used items off their
garage shelves and out of the backs of their closets and get them back into use by bringing them
to the UWA Recycle Sale. We provide a place where sellers can drop off their items on Saturday
morning, UWA sells them in the Wood Center ballroom beginning at noon, and the sellers return
in the late afternoon to collect their money (and any of their items that did not sell).
The 2009 Spring Recycle Sale is set for Saturday, March 28th. Monica Owens of the UAF
Women’s Center is chairing the event. Please contact her if you are interested in working on the
Sale and pre-shopping (phone 474-6360 or email fywoc@uaf.edu). Helpers are needed for a
variety of shifts between 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. the day of the Sale. We welcome volunteers for
all tasks, including, set up, check-in, floor walkers, finance, cashier, cutter/adder, and re-sort/
clean-up. Shifts last about 3 hours and we end with the 5:00 p.m. clean-up.
Because Wood Center is hosting another event on Friday night, March 27, we cannot do our
usual pre-sale set up the night before. That means we will need extra volunteers early Saturday
morning to move supplies from the UWA locker, arrange tables, run electrical cords and put up
signs in the various sections of the Wood Center ballroom.
Soon UWA will be putting up posters directing interested sellers to locations where tags and
itemized Recycle Sale sheets can be picked up.
WALK/SKI GROUP - ALL WELCOME!
The walk/ski group meets in the Ballaine Lake parking lot at 11 AM Monday and Friday for
skiing and on Thursday for walking at Big Dipper ice arena. We have a minus 5 degree cut-off
temperature for skiing, determined by a phone call to 844 around 10 am. If it is below minus 5 on
Monday or Friday, we will meet to walk at the Big Dipper for walking instead of skiing.
No need to RSVP--just show up if you can--but if you have questions, please call Elizabeth
Shapland at 474-4725. Our group includes beginners as well as more advanced skiers, so don't
hesitate to give skiing a try.
BOOK GROUP
The January meeting discussed The Myth of Multitasking and its applicability to various
occupations. We also discussed The Renaissance Soul, which explores the continuum between
people who are “Mozarts” (focused on one area their whole lives) and people who are “Ben
Franklins” (delve into a large number of wide-ranging interests). The latter are often seen as
"jack of all trades and master of none", but can actually be valuable in today's swiftly changing
world. It is an interesting book to explore in depth.
The February meeting of the book club will be Sunday, February 15th at 3:00 pm in Gulliver's
upstairs. We will be discussing the science fiction classic The Gate to Women's Country by
Sherri Tepper. It is a post-Holocaust story that explores the roles of women and men in shaping a
new type of society.
The sole suggestion received for March is Infidel by Ayann Hirsii Ali. This is the story of a Somali
woman who fled an arranged marriage to take up residence in the Netherlands. She become a
legislator, but always remained an advocate for freedom of speech and women's rights. Other
suggestions for March and other upcoming months are welcome. Tell me what you are reading! -
Laura Walsh (lwalsh@acsalaska.net (preferred) or 374-8084)
SALAD LUNCHEON
Helen Howard will host the February salad luncheon at her homestead house at 1000
Smallwood Trail at noon on Tuesday, February 17th. Please RSVP by email to
hmh@acsalaska.net, or by phone to 488-2314. If Helen is out, please leave a message only on
the answering machine.
Directions: Take Chena Hot Springs Road past Nordale Road. Smallwood Trail is the 3rd road on
the left after Nordale. Smallwood Trail is steep so you need good tires. Helen's driveway is the
3rd on the right after you pass the Kalinas Road turning. It is nearly 1 mile from the highway and
just past Batten's, on a curve. There is good parking, but you need boots with good grip to get
down a sloping path to the house's entrance.
If anyone would like to host a March luncheon, please let me know by contacting
hmh@acsalaska.net or phone 488-2314 (messages on answering machine only, please). – Helen
Howard
AAUW SCHOLARSHIP FUND RAISER
The American Association of University Women is seeking donations of women’s clothing
appropriate for a job interview or for wear in a professional office. The sale of these items will held
at the TVC downtown campus, 603 Barnette Street on Saturday, February 28 from 10 am to 2
pm.
Profits from this event fund scholarships for women who are returning to education. To donate
items to the sale, call Ritchie Musick at 479-5336. Please bring your donated items on hangars.
All items that remain after the sale will be donated to the TVC Clothes Closet.
WEBSITE
Current and past newsletters are available on the UWA website maintained by Uma Bhatt at
www.uaf.edu/uwa .
Please send newsletter corrections, comments or interesting items to Georgene Nielsen at
nielsen@mosquitonet.com or telephone 479-0988.