In recognition of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which runs through Feb. 19, Penn State is offering a wide selection of activities throughout the month of February and the spring semester. Faculty and staff can attend the events to learn more about eating disorders and body image or they can refer students.

Organized by the Eating Issues/Body Image Awareness Team on the University Park campus, the events are designed to raise awareness about body image and eating disorders and to promote positive body image and healthy eating. Highlights include an eating disorder screening and two plays written by former Penn State students.

For more information, call (814) 863-0461. A list of events can be found at http://www.psu.edu/UHS/bodyawareness.html on the Web.

The Division of Undergraduate Studies will host two brown-bag lunches on academic advising this spring. All Penn State faculty and staff are welcome to attend. Both lunches will be held from noon to1 p.m. in the Living Center of Henderson Building on the University Park campus.

On Monday, Feb. 21, "Helping Students Develop a Model for Academic Success" will be discussed by Robert Fedorchak, coordinator of Undergraduate Academic Support Services in the Eberly College of Science.

"Advising Students in Any Major about Preparing for Healthcare Professions," is set to be discussed Friday, March 3, by Amy Leddy, health professions adviser, pre-medicine program, in the Eberly College of Science.

For more information, contact Laura Brown, 205 Grange Building, at (814) 865-7576 or by e-mail at lsb7@psu.edu.

Defending Ourselves: A Self-Defense Course for Women Students, a free, four-session course, will be presented Feb. 21, 23, 29 and March 2, from 6-9 p.m. in 101 Kern Building on the University Park campus.

Presented by the Center for Women Students, in conjunction with University Police Services and RAD Systems, the course is a basic introduction to self-defense techniques and is open to all currently enrolled women students. Sign up in 102 Boucke Building.

Two events will help the College of Engineering celebrate National Engineers Week, the week of Feb. 21, on the University Park campus:

n The Penn State Society of Automotive Engineers will host a FutureTruck 2000 Open House and showcase their progress on converting a 2000 Chevrolet Suburban, nicknamed the "PowerLion," from gasoline power to an alternate form of propulsion. Penn State is one of only 15 universities competing in the FutureTruck 2000 competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors.

The showcase will be at 9 a.m. Feb. 22 at the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute garage. For more information, e-mail Cindy Shirey at cshirey@psu.edu.

n The Society of Women Engineers is holding a presentation on e-commerce by Andersen Consulting at
6:30 p.m. Feb. 23 in 127 Sackett Building. For more information, e-mail Ranee Pursell at rpursell@psu.edu or call (814) 865-2713.

Information on national events is on the Web at http://www.eweek.org/.

America's growing use of mood- and performance-altering pills will be the topic of the next edition of "To the Best of My Knowledge," University President Graham B. Spanier's monthly radio call-in show airing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, on WPSU-FM (91.5, 106.7, 95.1, 90.1, 100.9 and 104.7).

Joining Spanier to discuss the medical and cultural impact of such drugs as Prozac and Viagra will be Dr. Paul Kettl, chair of the Department of Psychiatry at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Other guests were not confirmed at press time.

Listeners are encouraged to join the discussion by calling (800) 543-8242 during the one-hour broadcast. Internet users worldwide can link to sound and pictures from the program at http://www.psu.edu/ur/tech/tech.html; and they will be able to contact the president during the program via e-mail to response@psu.edu.

To celebrate the founding of Penn State as the Farmers' High School, a Founders' Day Ball will be held Thursday, Feb. 25, at The Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus. Music begins at 7:30 p.m. The ball will feature the theme "Raise the Song and Dance." Tickets are $5 and are available in the Lion Ambassador office (100 Old Main) and in the HUB-Robeson Center on campus. Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend. For more information, call the Lion Ambassadors at (814) 863-3752.

The Commission for Women is seeking nominations for membership, including self-nominations. The commission, an advisory group to the president of the University on matters affecting women, represents the entire women's community of Penn State. Its membership includes faculty, staff exempt and non-exempt, administrators, technical workers, and graduate and undergraduate students.

Nomination forms are available on the Commission for Women Web site at http://www.lions.psu.edu/cfw/apply.html or may be obtained by calling the Commission for Women office at (814) 863-7696.

Nomination forms must be returned to the commission office no later than Feb. 29. For more information, call the commission office.

For the fourth year, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching and USG Academic Assembly are co-sponsoring a mid-semester program designed to break down the barriers of anonymity in large-class sections.

This semester, the "Take Your Professor to Lunch" program will run for five weeks through March 24, excluding spring break. Students and instructors in classes of 60 or more are eligible.

Lunch can be arranged at any Housing and Food Services eatery for the instructor and a subset of students currently enrolled in any eligible course. One or two teaching assistants may also join the group.

Details and complete registration information can be found on the Web at http://www.psu.edu/celt/largeclass/take-a-prof.html.

The Commission on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Equity in the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity is actively seeking nominations for membership for the 2000-2001 academic year.

The commission serves as an advisory group on matters affecting the climate for gay, lesbian and bisexual members of the Penn State community. Its purpose is to enhance a positive working and living environment for all members of the University community, regardless of sexual orientation. Its membership includes representation from all employee classifications, as well as graduate and undergraduate students. Members are appointed to three-year terms.

The commission values diversity in its membership and is actively seeking nominations from culturally, racially and ethnically diverse populations. Self-nominations are encouraged. Nomination forms may be obtained from the commission office, 314 Grange Building, University Park or on the Web at http://www.lions.psu.edu/lgb/. Nominations must be returned to the commission office by March 31. For more information, call Susan Shuman at (814) 863-8415.

A popular selection of Microsoft products is now available to Penn State students and departments at no cost through a new Penn State/Microsoft program. Eligible students can order and pick-up products through their campus contact (see list of names cited at http://moc.cac.psu.edu/mslocation.html). Students also can have their software shipped to their residence by ordering through the Microcomputer Order Center (MOC) using the MOC order form (there is a shipping fee for this service).

In addition, each administrative area is eligible to receive a number of free copies of the following software: Office Pro 2000, Front Page 2000, Visual Studio 2000, Office 98 Mac and Front Page Mac. Special requirements apply to this offer. Visit http://moc.cac.psu.edu/msoverview.html for more details.

A carpool starting March 1 from the Philipsburg area to University Park is looking for riders who work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If interested, call Paula Morgan at 865-1775 or e-mail ply2@psu.edu.

The Undergraduate Fellowships Office, which administers national scholarship competitions at Penn State, has moved to 11A Grange Building. The office phone number is (814) 863-8199. E-mail can be sent to undergraduatefellowships@psu.edu.

The Office of University Relations has published a new edition of its Penn State Facts brochure that contains information about the University's mission, enrollment, finances, achievements, administration and related topics. For copies, call (814) 863-4512 or e-mail acd2@psu.edu.

Each year the Commission on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Equity recognizes the contributions of those in the University community who have shown outstanding service regarding lesbian, gay and bisexual concerns.

Nominations for the Outstanding Service Award are now being accepted to recognize those who are active participants in improving the climate at Penn State.

The Ally Recognition award is presented to anyone within the University who is identified as an ally of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community and has shown outstanding service regarding its concerns.

Printable nomination forms are currently available in PDF format at http://www.lions.psu.edu/lgb/ on the Web. Users will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to correctly view the form. Forms for both awards also are available online at the same address.

Printed forms should be returned to the Commission on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Equity, 314 Grange Building, University Park, Pa. 16802. The deadline for nominations is March 10.