By

Emergency phones to enhance safety

Classrooms may be filled with students’ cell phones, but now professors have a phone in the classroom that is to be used in emergencies.
U of L has added emergency phones to classrooms around the Belknap and Health Sciences campuses. There were a total of 212 phones installed. The additional emergency phones cost around $150,000.
The emergency phones are part of UofL Alert and are able to receive written and audio messages. These phones were previously installed in all residences and also in most university offices. Most of the phones are capable of incoming emergency notifications and outgoing emergency dialing, but not conversational phone calls. 
The phones were installed partly due to students usually having their phones silenced or turned off during classes; therefore, they would not be able to receive messages from the text messaging emergency alert system. Almost 13,000 students, faculty and staff are subscribed to the text messaging service.
In 2006, the university began changing to the new emergency phones that are around campus now. Since then, around 10,000 phones have been installed throughout the Health Sciences and Belknap campuses.

Luis Alberto visiting U of L for signing

The 2009-2010 Book-in-Common program will feature “The Devil’s Highway,” by Luis Alberto Urrea. Book-in-Common is a way for freshmen students to meet new people while learning and discussing issues that affect society today.
On Sept. 24, Urrea will be visiting U of L for a book signing and lecture. The lecture will be at 6 p.m. in the Middleton Auditorium in Strickler Hall.
“The Devil’s Highway” is based on a true story about 26 men who cross the Mexican border. Their journey leads them across the terrain of the Arizona desert. The book investigates the issues of immigration, foreign policy, healthcare and law enforcement. Also embedded in the text are the ideas of exploration, survival, hope and death.
First Year Initiatives coordinates Book-in-Common. For more information, visit louisville.edu/bookincommon.

Fire the lasers!

Music and lasers will come together for an out-of-this-world planetarium experience at U of L’s Rauch Planetarium. Throughout the month of September, many bands and genres will be featured in the planetarium’s laser shows. With a valid U of L ID, up to four tickets can be purchased at the discount price of $5 each.
September’s laser concert schedule contains the following shows:
Sept. 11: Hip Hop-9 p.m. and Pink Floyd, “The Wall”- 11 p.m.
Sept. 18: U2- 9 p.m. and Radiohead- 11 p.m.
Sept. 25: Rock- 9 p.m. and Pink Floyd, “Dark Side of the Moon”- 11 p.m.
Visit louisville.edu/planetarium for schedules later in the year and more information on the September laser shows.

Free food and financial advice

Thursday, REACH will be hosting the Financial Festival. The event will be held at the Red Barn from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
The event includes free Moe’s Southwest Grill donated by KHEAA, The Student Loan People and the Office of Undergraduate Affairs. There will also be door prizes and giveaways.
The main purpose of the event is to help students understand how to manage their finances. The Financial Festival will also inform students on how to be financially responsible with credit cards, insurance, contracts, income taxes, budgets, loans, financial aid, banking, savings, credit reports and much more.

It’s happening heroes

Over 800 University of Louisville faculty and staff were honored at Saturday’s football game against Indiana State. They were publicly thanked for their service during the Aug. 4 flood crisis. “I have never seen anything like it,” stated President James Ramsey. “So many of our people worked around the clock, sometimes at great risk to themselves, to help us recover from a disabling disaster.” Besides the free game, the honorees were treated to meal vouchers, custom t-shirts and given the title “It’s Happening Heroes.” After the faculty and staff gathered on the field, a brief video featuring President Ramsey, Provost Shirley Willihnganz, and the deans of every school and college was shown, thanking the heroes. 

“The Other Side of Immigration”

On Sept. 10, director Roy Germano will be taking questions on his documentary, “The Other Side of Immigration.” The documentary is based on over 700 interviews in areas of Mexico where 20 to 50 percent of the population has left for the United States. Germano’s work questions why so many people leave Mexico and what happens to the communities they leave behind. The film asks audiences to develop more innovative and effective solutions to immigration, and offers a new perspective that is not often heard in America. The presentation and Germano’s appearance is sponsored by First Year Initiatives, the Student Activities Board and the Latin American and Latino Studies program.