University of Minnesota, Crookston
UMC WEEKLY BULLETIN

Vol. 17, No. 26, March 19, 1998

WOMEN'S HEALTH SEMINAR
"Hormone Replacement Therapy in Women" -- an informal seminar -- will be given by Dr. Sara Badano, family practice physician specializing in women's health at Altru Clinic in Crookston. The seminar is scheduled from 12 noon to 1 p.m. today (Thursday, March 19) in Bede Conference Room. Everyone in the UMC community is invited. Snacks and coffee will be provided. Sponsored by UMC Health Services and UMC Commission on Women.
--Bonnie Boyle

THE PHILIPPINES & TAIWAN, TOPIC FOR UMC INTERNATIONAL SERIES
"The Philippines and Taiwan: A Tale of Two Countries in the Pacific" will be presented by Dr. Benjamin Chan and Mrs. Shunchun Hsu on Monday, March 23, as part of UMC's International Series. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with an ethnic dinner for $8, followed by a 7 p.m. program in Brown Dining Room of the UMC Sahlstrom Conference Center. To reserve a place at the dinner, call 8586.
--Mario Prada

MAPPING OUT A PLAN FOR YOUR RETIREMENT
UMC will receive an ITV broadcast from the Twin Cities as part of the brown bag lunch series. The next session will be on Tuesday, March 24^th from 12 noon until 1 p.m. in 133 Kiehle Hall. The seminar is designed to help UMC employees with retirement planning. This seminar will focus on the University's optional retirement plan and how to start planning for your retirement. This seminar will be presented by Elizabeth Heffernan from Fidelity Investments.
--Les Johnson

A TOUCH OF R.E.A.L.L.I.T.Y. TO PERFORM AT UMC
A TOUCH OF REALLITY will perform at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, in Bede Ballroom. A TOUCH OF REALLITY is a continuation in the way of African Oral tradition. A TOUCH OF REALLITY is dedicated to the upliftment of humanity. Their clear way of displaying the emotions felt by some of the most complicated subjects is both entertaining as it is educational. Sponsored by UMC’s Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Program, Commission on Women, Bede Student Center, Student Activities, Multicultural Office and Student Health, the performance is free.
--Pam Holsinger-Fuchs

KOESTNER TO APPEAR AT UMC
Katie Koestner, outspoken date-rape survivor and sexual assault prevention advocate, will appear at the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, in Bede Ballroom. She will talk about her experience with date-rape. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Koestner, who appeared on the June 3, 1991, cover of TIME magazine, has received national attention for speaking out against a crime of silence. In 1993, Koestner completed a project with HBO, the Lifestories Docudrama entitled, "No Visible Bruises: the Katie Koestner Story." Koestner graduated in 1994, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Since graduating, she has presented her acclaimed program entitled "No/Yes" to hundreds of thousands of students at over 400 colleges, high schools and military institutions in 46 states.

There will be a question and answer session immediately following the presentation.

In addition to the 7:30 p.m. program, Koestner will be the special speaker for the Spring Quarter Convocation, which will be held March 25^th at 10 a.m. in Kiehle Auditorium.
--Pam Holsinger-Fuchs

SAFETY TRAINING SESSIONS - APRIL 1 AND 2
The Northwest Experiment Station and UMC will hold annual required safety training sessions for most service area and lab staff, faculty and administrators within these areas. Three identical sessions are being arranged for Wednesday, April 1 - afternoon; or Thursday, April 2 - morning or afternoon. Look for more detailed schedules in the March 26 UMC Bulletin and soon to be in your office area. Training session topics for spring 1998 will be MERTKA refresher, Lab Safety, Common Sense First Aid, Hazardous Waste Refresher, Ladder Safety, Forklift Safety, and Cleaning Agents.
--Anne Burke and Tom Feiro, NWES/UMC Safety Coordinators

MASTER INTERNET VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
The University of Minnesota Extension Service and the UMC Office of Outreach are co-sponsoring the Master Internet Volunteer Program. This program provides 20 hours of Internet training in exchange for 20 volunteer hours with a non-profit organization. There is a $40 charge to cover room costs and curriculum.

Sessions will be held every Thursday evening in April from 5:30 to 10 p.m. with one-half hour dinner break. Please call 281-8696 for an application or additional information.
--Jacey Clauson

JOHN TATE AWARDS NOMINATIONS DUE
Nominations for the John Tate Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising are due by Friday, April 17. Tate Awards recognize and reward high-quality academic advising, calling attention to the contribution academic advising makes to helping students formulate and achieve intellectual, career and personal goals. For more information call the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost at 612-624-9817.
--Karen Linquist

AIRLINES ENFORCING POLICY ON UNETHICAL TICKET PRACTICES
During the fall of 1997, the major airlines, including Northwest Airlines, announced policy statements and issued reminders to both travelers and travel agencies about engaging in illegal use of ticketing practices such as "Back to Back" and "Hidden City" fares.

These types of practices do constitute legal violations of the tariffs under which airlines sell their tickets. The tariffs form the contractual basis for the sale and issuance of tickets. The tariffs provide that a person using an airline ticket is entitled to transportation only via the routing designated on the ticket and only when all the flight coupons are presented and used in the order in which they are issued.

Therefore, every instance of "back to back" and "hidden city" ticketing is a violation of the airlines tariff and considered fraud when the tickets are not used as designated. Where such a practice is being followed, the airlines have the right to refuse to honor the tickets that are being misused. It is important that travelers be aware that airlines may, where appropriate, take action in response to situations that are identified. Previously these situations were hard to identify. Today, technology is the driving force behind travel management and the airlines have developed and installed sophisticated computer software that instantly alerts airport agents to possible violations.

If travelers are caught using tickets inappropriately, there are many consequences to the traveler, the University, and the travel agency. A passenger who engages in one of these illegal practices does so at his or her own risk, even if a travel agency with authority to sell an airline's tickets may have suggested the practice. The traveler could be denied boarding and be held up at the gate, including the confiscation of their tickets and rebooking at a fare substantially more expensive than the original ticket. The University will end up paying higher ticket prices and it could impact any future airline negotiations to help the University reduce and control costs. Likewise, a travel agency that engages in such prohibited practices is also subjecting itself to certain risks with respect to its relationship with the airlines. When an agency habitually disregards its duty to write and issue tickets only within its authority, the airlines will give serious consideration to the remedies available to it, up to and including the termination of the agency/airline relationship. The travel agency is at risk of losing their airline plates, which would prohibit them from ticketing on that carrier.

The University does not recommend the purchase of "back to back" or "hidden city" tickets. The University's U-Wide contract Travel Agencies have been advised to avoid issuing these types of tickets.
--Dean McCleary

FACULTY AND STAFF ACCOLADES

• Aziz Rahman is the recipient of one of the $10,000 technology enhancement grants from the U of M. Congratulations Aziz.

UMC INSIGHT
UMC Insight will be aired Saturday, March 21, at 8:45 a.m. on KROX (AM 1260). Tune in this week to hear "UMC on the WWW" with Andrew Svec.

ATTACHMENTS
(Attached to the paper copy of UMC Bulletin):

• SSS Newsletter; Volume 1, Issue 4; March 1998
• Outstanding Student Service Awards Nomination Form

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