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Posted on May 7, 1999

Donald Arnold, professor of GMI, and Presha Neidermeyer, assistant
professor, presented a paper, “European Materiality Estimates: The Effect of Client
Integrity, Culture, and Litigation” at the annual conferences of the British
Accounting Association and the National British Auditing Conference. Neidermeyer also
presented a paper, “An Investigation of the Impact of Disclosure on Perceptions of
Risk: A Study of Initial Public Offerings” at the British Accounting
Association's annual conference. Arnold also lead a debate session at the 1999 annual
conference of the Northeast Region of the American Accounting Association in which he
argued against the hypothesis that “Public Accounting Firms Remain
'Independent' While Doing Both Auditing and Consulting.”

Stephen Horton, assistant professor of biology, gave a paper titled
“Regulation of dikaryon-expressed genes by FRT1 in the basidiomycete Schizophyllum
commune
” recently at the 20th Fungal Biology Conference in Pacific Grove,
California. He co-authored a paper of the same name with students William Smith '97
and Gail Palmer (M.S. student), published in the March issue of Fungal Genetics and
Biology
(26: 33-47). A graduating senior research student, Richard Simmons '99,
presented a paper titled “Site-directed mutagenesis of the suspected ATP-binding site
of the FRT1 protein in Schizophyllum commune” at NCUR. One of
Horton's current research projects involves the students of Bio 140 (Molecular
Genetics), who are studying genes involved in the process of light reception and the
resetting of biological clocks.

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2003 Takes Shape

Posted on May 7, 1999

At a breakfast meeting Tuesday with the Schenectady Chamber of Commerce, President
Roger Hull quipped that the College's admissions picture looked good enough that
admissions can “close up shop and leave.”

But no one is “doing a Roger Hull and heading off to the Adirondacks,” says
Dan Lundquist, vice president for admissions and financial aid. There's still lots of
work to do.

At 2:25 p.m. on Wednesday, Union had received deposits from 534 members of the Class of
2003. In about a week, as more replies trickle in, Lundquist says admissions could be
“knocking on the door of 550,” a reasonable number considering that a typical
“summer melt” of 30 will bring in a class close to the budgeted 520.

The best news may be the quality of the class, Lundquist says. There are more high-end
students than before, with some 50 Union Scholars. That's 10 more than last year and
nearly twice that of two years ago. “There are a lot of kids who were 1200 testers
with B averages who did not get in,” he says. “Those are students that we were
recruiting just a few years ago.”

As the class settles in, Lundquist said he hopes to see little use of the wait list by
other colleges. “This is the one time of the year that I wish my competitors
well,” he said.

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Calendar of Events

Posted on May 7, 1999

Thursday, May 6, 3 p.m.
Nott Memorial.
GMI presents “Education in New York State: What Really Needs Reform?” a panel
discussion with state education leaders. Will be taped for broadcast on state public
television. Call ext. 6238.

Friday, May 7.
Steinmetz Symposium. (See stories and schedule this issue.)

Saturday, May 8, 1:30 p.m.
Memorial Chapel.
Prize Day.

Friday, May 7, 3:30 p.m.
Performing Arts Studio.
Union College Choir's Steinmetz Concert, Prof. Diane McMullen conducting.

Friday, May 7, 8:30 p.m.
Memorial Chapel.
Union College Orchestra, Prof. Hilary Tann conducting, presents “Romantic
Favorites.”

Friday, May 7, through Monday, May 10, 8 and 10 p.m.
Reamer Auditorium.
Film committee presents Patch Adams.

Saturday, May 8, 11:30 a.m.
Reamer Campus Center.
Union College Jazz Ensemble, Prof. Tim Olsen conducting, presents Steinmetz Concert.

Saturday, May 8, 4 p.m.
Jackson's Garden.
Duck Race to benefit senior class gift. Call ext. 6174.

Monday, May 10, 7:30 p.m.
Social Sciences 016
International Film Festival presents In the Realm of the Senses, directed by Nagisa
Oshima. In Japanese with subtitles. Series sponsored by grant from IEF.

Wednesday, May 12, noon.
Memorial Chapel.
Lunchtime Jazz with Prof. Tim Olsen, piano and trumpet; James Chirillo, guitar; Murray
Wall, bass; and Prof. Tom D'Andrea, drums.

Thursday, May 13, 4 p.m.
Arts 215.
U.C. Knoepflmacher, professor of English at Princeton University, delivers colloquium on
“Fluid Forms: Film, Fairy Tales and Interpretation” for Cultural Studies series.
Other events planned for May 11 and 14. For details, call ext. 6720.

Friday, May 14, 12:15 p.m.
Science and Engineering, N 304
Physics colloquium with Aaron Reidy '99 on “Spectroscopy of Active Galaxies
Using the 20-inch telescope,” and Bryan Lincoln '99 on “Segregation and
Pattern Formation in Granular Materials.”

Through May 30.
Mandeville Gallery, Nott Memorial.
Work by painter Stephen Pace on exhibit.

Through June 13.
Social Sciences Lounge.
Photographs by Michalena Skiados '99 from 1998 anthropology field study in Barbados.

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Who Was That Man?

Posted on May 7, 1999

The Steinmetz Symposium is dedicated to the memory of
“electrical wizard” Charles P. Steinmetz (1865 to 1923). He was chief engineer
at the General Electric Company while head of electrical engineering and physics at Union.
He wished for his students “the spirit of divine discontent, for without it the world
would stand still.”

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‘Steinmetz Taught Me Not to Fidget’

Posted on May 7, 1999

When Jason Goldberg '98 got up at a moot court session last month to argue against
the legality of a search and seizure, he remembered what he learned from his Steinmetz
presentation last spring.

So, he gripped the lectern with both hands, stood straight and delivered a clear,
concise and persuasive argument.

“Steinmetz taught me not to fidget,” recalls Goldberg, a first-year student
at Brooklyn Law School. “After my presentation last year, Professor (James) Adrian
came up to me and said, 'Jay, I loved your talk, but I was distracted by you moving
your pen.' Since then, I've been careful to stand still and not move my hands
unnecessarily.”

Goldberg's experience is not unusual, says Bradley Lewis, associate dean for
undergraduate education, who hears often from students who have learned valuable lessons
through the symposium.

“The value of doing a Steinmetz presentation is disproportionate to the amount of
time the student is standing up talking,” Lewis said.

“This is almost something of a professional conference for the students, and they
work with their adviser not only on the material but on their presentation, Lewis said.
“For the student, there is a heightened awareness of how they look and how they
present themselves, and that is what they must face after college.”

Lewis recalls a recent Steinmetz presentation by a student who was talking on
appeasement of the Nazis during World War II. She was surprised that no fewer than 10
faculty members came to her presentation and engaged her in discussion afterward.

“It was so wonderful because she had done a piece of work that faculty in the
field found very interesting,” he recalls.

“Steinmetz is a way for the faculty to say to the student, 'we take you
seriously as an academic.'”

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