Dear Colleagues: 

Hungarian Romani activist Angela Kocze, currently a visiting Fulbright Scholar at Wake Forest University, will be at the University of Oregon on Friday, May 24, to present “Romani (Gypsy) Women and Activism: Challenges and Opportunities,” at 4 p.m., in 204 Condon Hall. Kocze is a research fellow at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and an affiliated research fellow at the Central European University. Growing up in a small Hungarian village near the border of Hungary and Ukraine, Kocze experienced first-hand the discrimination faced by Romani families.

A report of a fire at the Lillis Business Complex Tuesday afternoon, May 21, drew firefighters and police officers but was determined to be inaccurate, the University of Oregon said.University police officers and the Eugene Fire Department responded but there was no indication of a fire, university spokesperson Phil Weiler said.The complex includes Lillis Hall, which opened in 2003, and Peterson Hall, Anstett Hall and the Chiles Center. The complex is one of the ‘greenest’ business school facilities in the United States.

Eugene is not regularly characterized as normal, nor is the University of Oregon. But amid the tie-dyed shirts, home-brewed kombucha and unicycling commuters sits the Normal Gate. A wrought-iron arbor situated somewhat inconspicuously in front of the Miller Theater complex, the gate has outlasted the trials of history.

The weekly AroundtheO photo gallery focuses on the people and places that make the University of Oregon special.

The UO Bookstore/The Duck Store is looking for input from UO faculty about the terminology they use with students, regarding course materials. With IntroDUCKtion quickly approaching, The Duck Store has been evaluating its presentation and informational materials for new students – particularly the language used in buying, renting and returning course materials.

Two University of Oregon students have landed a prestigious scholarship to study areas critical to national security from abroad. Alexander Payne and Benjamen DoVale have been selected as recipients of the prestigious David L. Boren Scholarship as part of the National Security Education Program. The scholarship will provide support for their participation in study abroad programs during the 2013-14 academic year. Payne, a double major in economics and international studies, will study Arabic language, diplomacy and policy at the University of Jordan in Amman.

Meditation is for more than just the mind – it benefits physiology and our professional and personal lives. Experts from the Healing Arts Research Interest Group will hold a public roundtable and discussion on meditation practices in Eugene and the UO at 5 p.m. May 23 in Hedco 144. The roundtable will focus on meditation practices such as yoga and

The annual Oregon Bach Festival promises to be especially memorable this year, with a “passing of the baton” among conductors. The 2013 event June 24-July 14 celebrates Helmuth Rilling’s 80th birthday and honors his 44th and concluding season as artistic director. Matthew Halls, who will succeed Rilling as artistic director immediately following the Festival, conducts a "Night at the Opera" July 2 and shares the podium with Rilling in a "Passing of the Baton" July 6, both in Eugene’s 2,430-seat Silva Concert Hall.

The University of Oregon School of Law will hold 2013 commencement exercises at 1 p.m. on Saturday (May 18) at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Eugene. A reception will immediately follow the ceremony at the Knight Law Center, 1515 Agate St.