Attend Celebrate Spirit, Sept. 15
This Thursday, Sept. 15, the University community will assemble to Celebrate Spirit! at 11:30 a.m. in Calihan Hall. Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend the Mass of the Holy Spirit to open the new school year and view a multimedia presentation about UDM produced by UDM Digital Media Studies students. A picnic lunch and Student Organizations Fair will follow near the Fisher Fountain. For more information about the event and the modified McNichols Campus class schedule, visit the Celebrate Spirit web site http://www.udmercy.edu/celebratespirit/.

Founders Week
The University of Detroit Mercy will celebrate its 128-year heritage and decades of accomplishments during the week of September 25–30, 2005. Spiritual, intellectual, professional and social events will launch the 2005-2006 academic year.
Founders Week 2005 activities include:

For more information, please visit the Founders Week website or call University Advancement at 993-1540.

Welcome Week activities
The first week of school began with a variety of student activities—in addition to classes. Students attended the Save a Life Tour, an alcohol awareness program; a student vs. faculty/ staff softball game; and a music festival. Check the Calendar of Events for upcoming activities, including an outdoor movie, the Student Organizations Fair and the Midnight Bike Ride.

Volunteer opportunities
The Student Volunteer Center has the following opportunities for students, faculty and staff to join the fight against hunger in Southeast Michigan.

• Saturday, September 17, 9 a.m.-noon
The Student Volunteer Center is looking for 15 individuals to help repack food for distribution at Gleaners Community Food Bank, 2131 Beaufait, Detroit.
• Tuesday, September 27, 4-6 p.m.
Eight volunteers are needed to help serve meals to homeless individuals at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, 4390 Conner, Detroit

Contact the Student Volunteer Center at 993-1550 to provide assistance.

Chem Club recognized
Under the leadership of faculty advisors Matt Mio and Kate Lanigan and student president Karrie Manes, UDM’s Chemistry Club was named an Outstanding Student Affiliate Chapter, the highest award given by the American Chemical Society. Only 32 chapters were awarded this designation from more than 300 submissions of 900 listed chemistry clubs. UDM’s Chem Club was also one of 10 chapters in the nation to win the Green Chemistry Chapter Award for advancing the ideas of sustainable living and sustainable chemical processes among its students.

Assisting those affected by Hurricane Katrina
In response to providing assistance to students affected by Hurricane Katrina, UDM has enrolled four students from Loyola University New Orleans and two students from Xavier University. The students, who are all from the Detroit area, are currently enrolled at UDM as Guest Students from their respective academic institutions.

The College of Health Professions’ McAuley Health Center on Detroit’s east side is facilitating health care for 10 hurricane victims in conjunction with St. John’s Physicians Who Care program.

New Undergraduate Catalog available online
For those who do not already know, the 2005-2007 Undergraduate Catalog is available online at www.udmercy.edu/catalog/. The new online catalogs are designed so that users can find information quickly and easily. They are linked in a variety of ways to the online class schedules. The Winter 2005-2006 Schedule of Classes will be available online at www.udmercy.edu/classschedule/schedule the week of October 10.

Constitution Day
In recognition of Constitution Day, Sept. 17, UDM Libraries has posted links related to the constitution on its research portal at research.udmercy.edu. There will be links displayed to government sources, news and commercial database vendors, and the constitution.

United Way kicks off fund drive
United Way for Southeastern Michigan kicked off the 57th Torch Drive in metro Detroit on Friday, Sept. 9.  United Way helps improves lives by addressing immediate and long-term needs by supporting more than 340 programs at 150 agencies throughout Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. United Way for Southeastern Michigan also plans to allocate $150,000 from its Emergency and Stabilization Fund to assist in the local hurricane relief efforts serving evacuees from the areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina. UDM appreciates employee financial and volunteer support of the United Way and its agencies.  This year's fundraising campaign runs through Nov. 22 and has a goal of $66.5 million.  To make a contribution to the United Way, UDM employees are encouraged to visit the United Way website at www.uwsem.org or call 313-226-9300 for further information about making a personal contribution or volunteering time.

Thumbs Up!

An interdisciplinary team of faculty, Alan Hoback, association professor of Civil Engineering, Scott Anderson, adjunct professor of Mathematics, and Pamela Nelson, assistant professor of Nursing, discussed “Link between transit funding and obesity” at the Institute for Transportation Engineers on July 14. The research showed that physical activity of walking to bus stops promotes health. Utpal Dutta, professor of Civil Engineering and Sr. Judith Mouch, RSM, assistant professor of Nursing, also participated in the research.

Suzanne Mellon, dean, College of Health Professions, has written the article, “Families’ communication and decision-making about inherited cancer risk information” for publication in Psycho-Oncology.

Pat Rouen, assistant professor-clinical track, Nursing, co-researched the project, “Menopause Effects on the Adipokines and Insulin Resistance Risk: A Cross-sectional Pilot Study.”

Michael Witkowski, associate professor, Sociology & Criminal Justice, presented “Young Boys Incorporated—Detroit’s First Corporate Drug Gang” and “Liability Avoidance for Gang Crime” at the Eight International Gang Specialist Training Program in Chicago, August 10-12. He also participated in the ASIS Foundation Academic/Practitioner Symposium at the University of Maryland University College, July 27-28 and at the 2005 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention National Youth Gang Symposium in Orlando, FL, June 7-10.