Vol. 14, #11, March 17, 1999 Copyright 1999, Maharishi University of Management Headlines Facilities Management Says "No Problem" to Y2K School Students' Test Scores Are Tops in Nation Construction Work on New Campus Entrance Ongoing School Featured in People Magazine University Phone Book Now Online Open Auditions for The School for Scandal Further Successful Placements for Co-op Graduates Art Student to Complete Degree with Dr. Nader Indian Students to Host Weekend of Cultural Festivities Installation Art Exhibit to Open in Unity Gallery School "Mathletes" to Compete at State Finals Spring World Peace Assembly Coming in April A Theater Calvacade: A Photo Essay Facilities Management Says "No Problem" to Y2K BY ALESIA LLOYD Director of Facilities Management James Bedinger says that the University's plan for Y2K is already 99 percent in place. With the University having its own on-site electric generator, water well, and supply of propane gas, Mr. Bedinger says that the University is prepared for Y2K--even if it were to happen tomorrow. Mr. Bedinger is planning for short-term disruptions that might result from this computer glitch, even though he expects few or no problems. Measures to secure the University campus against possible problems have been in the works for two years, with highly qualified employees on the job. "We are very fortunate here at Maharishi University of Management--having the ability to generate our own power and having a water well on site is very rare for any business or university anywhere in the U.S.," Mr. Bedinger said. "To top it off we have some of the highest qualified engineers on staff." According to Mr. Bedinger, the University's Y2K plan overlaps nicely with the University's new building projects and its commitment to keeping running costs low. "Over the next year we will be able to close several buildings which at this time house only a few people, as we move more people into houses built according to Maharishi Sthapatya Veda design," Mr. Bedinger said. "Closing the now near-empty buildings will relieve the amount of energy it takes to run the campus." Facilities Management Department is planning to send out a newsletter in the near future which will describe in more detail the University's Y2K preparedness and precautions. "We've got it figured out to the last kilowatt," Mr. Bedinger said. "From computers to water meters right down to our electronic personal organizers, we are ready for Y2K." One aspect of preparedness is education. As the time approaches, Facilities Management will distribute information telling what individuals can do to help out if any short-term problems occur. If a need arises to conserve energy, for example, people may be asked to curtail use of non-essential electrical appliances such as hair dryers, toaster ovens, and electric toothbrushes. Mr. Bedinger said that his entire staff will be on duty at the stroke of midnight and that they will continue to monitor the situation for quite some time into the new year. He said that power "brownouts" may not occur at midnight but could occur a few days later. Watch for more Y2K developments in coming issues. Headlines School Students' Test Scores Are Tops in Nation Defying a national trend of sliding test scores, Upper School students at Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment scored in the 99th percentile on a national test of academic achievement for the fourth consecutive year. The test--the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED)--is part of a voluntary achievement testing program offered by the Iowa Testing Programs at the University of Iowa. The ITED includes seven individual tests: vocabulary, literary materials, expression, quantitative thinking, social studies, science, and sources of information. A content area reading score, which is based on excerpts from the literacy materials, science, and social studies tests, is also provided. All grades 9-12 at Maharishi School scored in the 99th percentile on the composite scores both for national school norms and Iowa school norms for the fourth year in a row. Maharishi School, which is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), offers Consciousness-Based education that utilizes the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs, including Yogic Flying, to develop a student's creativity, intelligence, and learning ability. "We are proud of the success of our students and the effectiveness of Consciousness-Based education," said Ashley Deans, director of the School. "These test results are particularly impressive in light of our open enrollment policy." Maharishi School students have won hundreds of awards, including more than 50 first-place state titles in science, speech, drama, writing, art, history, mathematics, chess, tennis, golf, and Odyssey of the Mind. The school has produced eight National Merit Scholars. Headlines Construction Work on New Campus Entrance Ongoing BY GERRY CONNOLLY This spring construction work resumes on a road that will create a new campus entrance, connecting B Street with Granville Avenue just north of the Recreation Center. According to James Bedinger, director of Facilities Management, the new road is expected to relieve the traffic load on the main campus entrance on Highway 1, as well as create another easterly entrance to campus. "Our near neighbors and the Department of Natural Resources gave their approval for the road last year, at which time construction began," Mr. Bedinger said. "We'll continue work after the last winter frost, and we expect to complete construction of the roadbed before the heavy spring rains." Facilities Management will permit a limited amount of traffic on the road through the summer to assist in the natural settling and compaction process. Final asphalt or concrete resurfacing is expected early in the fall. In other construction news, this winter Vishwakarma Hall received a new roof of asphalt shingles. Also, the project of constructing new sidewalks on campus is continuing. "In particular, we plan to upgrade more sidewalks around the Highrise buildings this year," Mr. Bedinger said. Headlines School Featured in People Magazine Maharishi School is increasingly garnering regional and national publicity, most recently in April 1999 issue of Teen People, the teen version of People magazine. The School was featured in a two-page spread in the "Cool School of the Month" department of the magazine. The brief article was accompanied by nine photos, including students practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique, Yogic Flying, Maharishi Gandharva Veda music, and "self pulse diagnosis." The article is entitled "At Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment, Students Tap into Their Inner Power." And under the subhead "Why It's Cool," the article begins, "Nestled in the cornfields of Fairfield, Iowa, is Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment, where kindergarten through 12th-grade students follow a curriculum that gets their minds and bodies in sync." The article briefly mentions many of the unique aspects of the curriculum, including the study of Sanskrit and Vedic Mathematics. Headlines University Phone Book Now Online Campus residents and callers from around the world now have access to the University phone directory via the Internet, as well as e-mail links listed for those individuals and departments that have an e-mail address. The attractive new site can be found in the Contacts section of the University's main Internet web site <www.mum.edu> or can be accessed directly at <www.mum.edu/phone>. According to Wayne Donahue, director of communications, the new online phone book not only makes the directory information conveniently accessible to those who have an Internet connection, but also makes it possible to update the directory in a more timely fashion. He said that it would be updated at least once a month. Much of the work on the online directory was done by software engineer Phil D'Agostino, with assistance from University webmaster Robin Ticciati. The University's rich and popular Web site has recently been serving about 1,400 pages a day, on average. The site includes a general description of the University and its programs; links to departmental pages, the press, and Maharishi School; and information about Maharishi's programs, including the Transcendental Meditation® technique. A "What's New" section offers links to The Review and to new programs being offered, such as the distance education MBA. The Library catalog can be searched online, by title, author, and/or subject, via an easy-to-use Web interface. Also useful are extensive bibliographies of research by University scientists. Prospective students also now have the convenience of being able to apply online. Headlines Open Auditions for The School for Scandal BY ALESIA LLOYD The University's theater program is pleased to announce open auditions for the famous comedy of manners play The School for Scandal, Sunday, March 21, at 1:00 p.m. in Spayde Theatre. According to Kent Sugg, the director of the University's theater program and producer of the show, The School for Scandal is a play about appearances. "It is about two brothers, one who appears to be upstanding--and one who doesn't." Written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, this play is in the comedy-of-manners genre, which deals with the upper class society of old and the fashions and foibles they engage in. "This play a satirical comedy which pokes fun at the social conventions of the time, especially the upper class's preoccupation with reputation," Mr. Sugg said. The auditions are open to anyone in the community. Roles are available for both men and women, with quite a number of men especially needed to fill roles from ages 18-65. To audition, actors will be asked to read selected scenes for the play, which can be checked out in advance form the circulation desk at the University library. "One of the fabulous things about this play is the eccentric characters that are a part of the story," Mr. Sugg said. "In comedy of manners the name of the character usually indicates the primary quality of the character, just like the Vedic principle of name and form. Hence, in this play we meet characters named Benjamin Backbite, Lady Teazle, and Lady Sneerwell." The play will be directed by Al Constantineau, a well-known local director, with rehearsals beginning Sunday, April 11. The show will open Friday, June 11, with a run of three weekends, closing June 26. Any questions can be directed to Mr. Sugg at campus extension 5025. Headlines Further Successful Placements for Co-op Graduates BY GERRY CONNOLLY The University's co-operative master's degree program in computer science is finding further attractive placements for the current coterie of graduating students. According to Joel Wysong, coordinator of co-op program expansion, placements are continuing in companies throughout the nation, and more students have been offered jobs with Microsoft and IBM since The Review's last update on the success of the program. "Students are reporting back from their new jobs full of praise and gratitude for their educational experience at the University," Mr. Wysong said. Chinese student Shuo Shen is working on cutting-edge Web-related software development for Software Artisans, Inc. "The University provided not only wonderful computer science knowledge, but also the complete knowledge of higher states of consciousness," Mr. Shen said. Abhijeet Kulkarni from India is now employed as an analyst programmer by international financial consulting firm CCH Ltd. Mr. Kulkarni learned the Transcendental Meditation technique on arrival at the University. "The resulting freshness and clarity of mind that I enjoy as a result of daily practice has proven to be a valuable asset in professional programming," he said. Headlines Art Student to Complete Degree with Dr. Nader BY GERRY CONNOLLY Graduate student Neven Kovacic has been invited to complete his M.A. in 3-D Animation as a consultant to Dr. Tony Nader at the International Capital in Vlodrop, Holland. According to Gurdy Leete, assistant professor of digital media and director of the graduate 3-D Animation program, Mr. Kovacic is a talented artist and designer. In recent months Mr. Kovacic has worked with faculty member Sunil Rawal to develop a prototype Web-based program. Dr. Rawal is also now working in Vlodrop on the project. The striking interactive program animates Dr. Nader's discovery that the human physiology is a precise and complete expression of the Veda and Vedic Literature. "The user is able to interact with a 3-D model of a human physiology, and can choose to zoom in to the brain, where regions of the brain are displayed in relation to their related aspects of Vedic Literature and to the cosmos," Mr. Leete said. "The planets associated with different parts of the brain are shown revolving overhead." Dr. Rawal has programmed the application in Java, using Virtual Reality Markup Language (VRML) to allow the user to navigate in the 3-D world. "It is so fortunate to be able to help Maharishi bring this knowledge to the world doing what I like to do anyway," Mr. Kovacic said. "Neven has produced one superb project after another," Mr. Leete said. "He created professional quality 3-D computer models of proposed new campus buildings and has worked as principal artist on a redesigned Web site for the University, which will soon go live." The work has been carried out in the University's state-of-the-art digital media lab, using Softimage 3-D software and Silicon Graphics workstations. "It's exactly the same technology employed in movies such as Jurassic Park and Titanic," Mr. Leete said. Another art student, Krishan Knoles, is also at Vlodrop, completing his B.F.A. degree with an internship involving digital graphic design. He has been working closely with Dr. Eike Hartmann, department head of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda architecture at Maharishi Vedic University. Headlines Indian Students to Host Weekend of Cultural Festivities BY ALESIA LLOYD Food, movies, and entertainment are among the activies planned by the Indian students to celebrate Holi, the traditional Indian spring holiday of colors. The festival will be hosted by the Indian student club this weekend, March 19-21, on the University campus. Saraswati Nagpal, secretary of the University's Hindu Students Council, said, "Traditionally in India we celebrate our spring holiday on March 1, but we thought it would be nice to overlap our celebration here with the University's Spring Celebration." The festivities will begin Friday evening, March 19, with a free Indian movie in the Student Union Theater at 7:45 p.m. Be sure to wear your brightest colors March 20 to the Indian cultural program, which will include an authentic Indian dinner prepared by master chef and student Virat Vij--served at the Cosmic Café in the Student Union, 7:00-7:45 p.m. An Indian cultural presentation will follow from 8:00-9:30 p.m. in the Student Union Theater and will include dance performances by Ms. Nagpal. A presentation on Holi, the Indian festival of colors, will then be given by University staff member Dr. P.G. Jyoshi. Capping off the evening will be a musical performance combining traditional Indian and Western instruments. The weekend will end with a second free Indian movie on Sunday, March 21, at 1:45 p.m. in the Student Union Theater. Tickets are available for the Festival at Annapurna (lunchtime only) and at India Café--$4 students, $5 faculty and staff, $6 all others. Prizes will be awarded for colorful attire. Headlines Installation Art Exhibit to Open in Unity Gallery BY ALESIA LLOYD Megan Robinson will present her master's thesis exhibit, "Interactive," in Unity Gallery, Friday, March 26-Saturday, April 3. According to Ms. Robinson, installation art seeks to create an environment through the installation of various art media in whatever space is provided. "I work with branches, fabric, wire, found objects such as boxes and metal shelving, poetic text, and video," Ms. Robinson said. "My gallery installation seeks to encourage people to relate to their environment with the wonder of a child, where everything is magic." Ms. Robinson said that she is very interested in how the structures we build influence our interaction with the world. "Maharishi teaches us that knowledge is structured in consciousness--our internal structures, our ideas and paradigms shape how we see and relate to the world," she said. "My thesis exhibit deals with these structures." Ms. Robinson worked under faculty advisors Dale Divoky and Jim Shrosbree, and gained additional support from art faculty members Michael Cain and Jill Brown. The opening reception for the show will be Friday, March 26, 8:00-9:30 p.m., in Unity Gallery. Headlines School "Mathletes" to Compete at State Finals Maharishi School's Nicole Windenberger and Joshua Denbaum placed second and third in the southeast Iowa Regional Mathcounts Contest in Ottumwa in mid-February and will now compete at the state level in Des Moines. The Maharishi School team placed third and won a team trophy. Team members were Ms. Windenberger, Mr. Denbaum, Jennie Hirsch, and Daniel Mescon. Team members are in the eighth grade, with the exception of Ms. Hirsch, who is in seventh grade. Alternates at the competition were Rachel Gibson, Michael Hans-Price, and Anna Shook. Coach Inci Eravci was also recognized for her students' successes and was awarded a plaque. Headlines Spring World Peace Assembly Coming in April Everyone is cordially invited to attend the upcoming Spring World Peace Assembly, April 10-17. The theme of this assembly is "The 40 aspects of Veda and the Vedic Literature, with an emphasis on Nyaya, the first of the Upangas." Participants will view a selection of tapes in which Maharishi speaks about the various branches of Veda and the Vedic Literature. Dr. H.G. Gupta, a Vedic scholar and Vaidya for the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health program, will be leading daily Sanskrit recitations and will also explain the connections of Nyaya to the human physiology, as unfolded by Tony Nader, M.D., Ph.D., in his book Human Physiology: Expression of Veda and the Vedic Literature. This assembly will provide deep rest and enrich the experience of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi® programs. The practice of Yogic Flying with the largest Super Radiance group in North America enlivens bliss and awakens the inner intelligence of the physiology. Participation in this assembly will serve as a powerful means for increased support of Nature and fulfillment in life. No prior courses in Sanskrit or the Vedic Literature are required for attendance at this assembly. To apply, please call 515-472-1118 and leave your name, social security number, and your telephone number(s). Assembly fees: * Tuition: $400 (Special tuition fee for TSR with current Dome badge: $220) * On-campus meal plan: $65 * On-campus housing: $90 You can charge the course fee to your Visa or MasterCard, or send a check, payable to Maharishi University of Management (M.U.M.), to the Assembly Finance office, 1601 North Main Street, Fairfield, Iowa 52556. Headlines ®Transcendental Meditation, TM-Sidhi, Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health, Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, Consciousness-Based, Maharishi Gandharva Veda, Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment, and Maharishi University of Management are registered or common law trademarks licensed to Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation and used under sublicense.