OLLI Observer
February 3, 2019    
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In This Issue
Spring is Here!
Read up on courses and course outlines
for the College for Seniors SpringTerm
(March 25-May 17, 2019) 
The OLLI catalog will
be available in print at the Reuter Center and online on February 14, but you can
access the courses NOW Right Here.

Stitch in Time 
Special Interest Group Meeting
Monday, February 4, 2-4 p.m.
Reuter Center 
Lower Level Atrium


This is a fellowship group for stitchers of all types (knitting, crochet, quilting, needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch, sewing, etc.) to help encourage, inspire and support each other. All skill levels are welcome. 
SIG Contact: Gay Lambirth, 
281.433.1060,  gaylambirth@yahoo.com
STEM Lecture Series
Rescheduled
Tuesday, February 5, 
5 p.m.
Reuter Center, 
The Manheimer Room

"Neuroscience and 
Meditative Practices"

Patrick Foo, UNC Asheville's Psychology Department

In 2005, against much opposition, the Dalai Lama gave a keynote talk at the annual Society for Neurosciences conference. Given the lack of published evidence of the benefits of meditation and mindfulness, this was perhaps no surprise. However, in the subsequent decade scientists have studied a small group of Tibetan monks who have amassed between 20,000 and 30,000 lifetime hours of meditative practice. Their published EEG and fMRI experiments reveal significant structural and functional adaptations associated with lifelong meditation practice. We will review these findings and others, demonstrate some introductory mindfulness and meditation techniques, and discuss how the UNC Asheville Neuroscience Program is working across disciplines to offer a scientifically supported Contemplative Inquiry certificate to its students.


STEM lectures are free and open to everyone.

World Affairs Council 
Great Decisions Program
Tuesday, February 5, 7:30 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room
"Refugees and Global Migration"
by Mark Gibney
Today, no countries have open borders. Every state in today's global system has its own laws and policies about who is permitted to cross its borders and how they will do so. Who determines whether someone is a refugee or a migrant? How have different countries, including the United States, reacted to migration? How effective are the international laws, policies and organizations that have evolved to assist and protect refugees and migrants?

Mark Gibney is the Belk Distinguished Professor at UNC Asheville in the political science department and an Affiliated Professor at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Lund, Sweden.  

The Great Decisions Program is the oldest and largest grassroots world affairs educational program of its kind in the country. Begun in 1954, it is the flagship program of the Foreign Policy Association, a non-partisan, non-governmental organization. The Great Decisions Program's goal is to discuss, debate and learn about international affairs, national security and U.S. foreign policy.

These lectures are free to WAC members and undergraduate students and $10 at the door for all other participants.  OLLI members receive a discount on WAC membership. 


OLLI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Read To Succeed
A few hours can make all the difference. 

Habitat for Humanity
Changing lives one house at a time

Asheville City Schools
Give your time and make a difference

VOLUNTEER NOW...
Make A Difference!

Save the Date!
Our Turn to Play Luncheon
Wednesday, May 1, 11:30 a.m.
Wilma M. Sherrill Center 

Lesley Visser
This event recognizes women and girls who are leaders and champions and raises scholarship funds for UNC Asheville Bulldogs' female student-athletes

This year's keynote speaker is Lesley Visser, the first woman named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a Muhammad Ali "Daughter of Greatness," and an award-winning sports journalist

Sierra Club Meeting
Thursday, February 7, 
7 p.m. 
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville
 1 Edwin Place 
(Corner of Charlotte & Edwin)

"Electric Cars Powered by Solar Homes"
Learn how households are driving to net zero!
Free and open to everyone.
Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, 828-683-2176



SAVE THE DATE
SkillTalks Workshop
Thursday, March 14
8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.


Workshop details and registration information will be available soon.

Junior League Volunteer Expo
Saturday, February 9, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Crowne Plaza 
Expo Center
1 Resort Drive, Asheville, NC

Learn about local nonprofits, their volunteer needs, and other ways to support these organizations
Meditation SIG with John Muecke
Monday, February 11, 
4:15 -5:45 p.m.
Reuter Center 
Room 120

John Muecke holds a master's degree in religious studies from Stanford University, a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Tennessee and continues studies in the open and esoteric teachings as preserved in the Tibetan Buddhist monastic tradition. He teaches directly from classical root scriptures and commentaries with attention to presenting the ideas accurately and preserving their benefit for current and future generations.

The OLLI Meditation SIG is a guided meditation group. SIG contact:  Sally Ekaireb, beriake@yahoo.com

All OLLI Members are welcome!



5th Annual Thomas Wolfe Short Story 
Book Club
Author-Led Short Story Discussion Series 
Sponsored by the Wilma Dykeman Legacy 



Thursday, February 14, 5:30 p.m.
Thomas Wolfe State Historic Site, 
52 North Market Street, Asheville, 28801

Discussion leader Brandon Johnson, instructor of English at Mars Hill University will lead a discussion of Thomas Wolfe's stories "Return" and "Old Catawba"

Travel Special Interest Group
Friday, February 15, 2 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 206


February 15: There will be presentations on Brazil (2-3 p.m.) and Israel 
(3-4 p.m.).


The organizers of the Travel SIG are seeking speakers for the rest of the year and would welcome anyone willing to share travel experiences  with other members of  OLLI .

Please contact one of the following Travel SIG members if you have any questions or want to share 
your travel adventures:

Madan  Joshi ( madanmj1947@gmail.com)
Kathy  Gainey ( kathleen.m. gainey@ outlook.com )
Kathleen  Buehner ( kbuehner@ hotmail.com
Lauren  Azoulai ( lazoulai@ gmail.com)

Open Captions at the Grail Moviehouse
Beginning Today, Sunday, February 3, 2019

OLLI member John Christiansen wanted us to spread the word that the Grail Moviehouse will be showing films with open captions on Sunday afternoons and that they have plans to purchase assistive listening devices. 


Reuter Center Singers Performance

"When Dreams Take Flight"
Sunday, February 24, 3 p.m.
Lipinsky Auditorium, UNC Asheville Campus

This performance will feature UNC Asheville's Wind Ensemble, University Chorale, Asheville Singers and the Reuter Center Singers.  In honor of Black History Month, part of the program will feature compositions by African American composers and poets. Works by contemporary composers on themes of hope and delight will also be included.
 
Director Chuck Taft - Reuter Center Singers    Director Fletcher Peacock - UNC Asheville Wind Ensemble    
Accompanist Brad Curtioff
 
Suggested Admission Donation of $10   
March Madness Lecture
Tuesday, February 26, 3:30 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room 

Bubble teams and brackets.  Upsets and Cinderellas.  Blocks, dunks, layups and buzzer beaters.  Bitter defeats, thrilling wins and "one shining moment." They're all elements of the "big dance" we call March Madness, the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Learn more about this annual college sports ritual from two UNC Asheville experts.  Larry Griswold, a sports history instructor at College for Seniors, will begin the program with a talk about some of the surprises in  last year's championship tournament.

Janet Cone, UNC Asheville's athletics director and the only woman currently serving on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball committee, will give us an insider's view of the selection and seeding process.  Feel free to wear your college colors, if you remember that here at UNC Asheville we are all Bulldogs!

Free and open to everyone!
 
SPECIAL THANKS!
 
OLLI would like to thank Creative Retirement Exploration Weekend (CREW) Sponsor, Deerfield  for their generous  support!

CREW helps those considering relocation in retirement examine all their options carefully and make an informed decision about this major life transition.  For more about 2019 CREW Program, click here.

 

Dear OLLI Members,

Print and online catalogs will be available Thursday, February 14, but you can click here for full descriptions for the College for Seniors Spring 2019 courses.  We have posters with the "sneak peek" of spring courses at the Reuter Center, and you can  click here to read the Spring Sneak Peek online.  Remember that many instructors post information, including reading and materials lists, outlines and presentataions online at the "Courses" site, that we have a link to this site in the newsletter every week and that you can also search course information for past semesters beginning with 2012.

While you may already be looking ahead to spring, there is plenty to learn about and do right now. Please take some time to read Judy LaMee's "chat" with UNC Asheville Chancellor Nancy J. Cable.  You can find out more about the Our Turn to Play Luncheon on May 1, with keynote speaker Lesley Visser. We have also updated information about the Purple Shuttle that can bring you from Parking Lot P01 to the Reuter Center and take you back to your car after your classes.

This week at OLLI you can prepare your advance care plan (ACP) at our quarterly Advance Care Planning Workshop, learn about the value of meditation at a STEM lecture with Patrick Foo, explore the issue of  immigration at a World Affairs Council lecture by UNC Asheville professor Mark Gibney, gain insight into "living with dementia" during a session by the Alzheimer's Association, make sense of Medicare during a presentation from the Council on Aging of Buncombe County, and consider solo aging during a Fab Friday lecture and panel discussion led by OLLI member and chair of the Life Transitions Committee Meridith Miller. All of these activities and learning opportunities happen in addition to our College for Seniors courses and special interest groups. And there is information in the newsletter about upcoming events that explore the arts and sciences, politics, the environment and much more.

All of these events are possible because of the volunteer effort of our members and the relationships we build with university and community partners.  Thanks for everything you do to keep OLLI a vibrant community of teachers and learners.

Catherine Frank
Executive Director


 Check the links here to see OLLI and UNC Asheville current events:
 
calendar

A Chat with Chancellor Nancy Cable
by Judy LaMée

A chat with Chancellor Nancy Cable opens with a broad smile that reaches her lively eyes and a firm handshake that extends the feeling of a warm welcome. Named the eighth chancellor of the University of North Carolina Asheville in August 2018, she brings to this campus an impressive resumé through academic ranks of colleges and universities and, most recently, a strong record of achievement as president of the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations in Florida.



Advance Care Planning Workshop
Thursday, February 7, 5:30 p.m.

 This workshop will feature a panel whose members are experienced in addressing end-of-life issues. Discussion will include communicating your treatment wishes to loved ones and to medical personnel, ethical and legal issues, and the uses of advance directives.  Ample time will be reserved for questions. Assistance will be provided for anyone wishing to complete a legally valid advance directive, including the notarization required in North Carolina, using the NC ACP "Short Form." 

Preparation for you to do before the workshop:  Talk to your possible power of attorney for healthcare, the person who would make health care decisions if you are unable.    Click here for a video of a sample conversation, starring OLLI member Mary CampbellClick here for the ACP Short form you can print and fill out. Please print the form, study it, and bring it to the workshop along with any questions you might have for the panel. 

If you have never been admitted to Mission Hospital, but want your advanced directives added to the Mission Medical Record, click here for an Advance Directive Permission form to fill out. Also, if you have existing advance directives, you may mail the "Permission Form" along with a copy of your existing Advance Directive to Mission for addition to the Mission medical record (or you can get help doing this at the next ACP workshop).
This workshop is free and open to everyone, adults of all ages.  For more information, call OLLI, 828.251.6140 or email  olli@unca.edu

UNC Asheville's Purple Shuttle

UNC Asheville's Purple Shuttle serves the Reuter Center every 15 minutes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here for information about the shuttle's route.

OLLI members experienced some delays during the first couple of weeks of CFS classes. The shuttle route has recently been revised to serve the STEAM Studio and 838, new university buildings on Riverside Drive, and they continue to refine the timing of shuttle stops. If you take Asheville Transit to campus, you may still get the purple shuttle at the Bulldog Statue and get to Reuter Center in about 15 minutes. 

We recognize that not everyone can or will take the shuttle and that most people would prefer to park right outside the door.  On a campus undergoing construction, however, the shuttle provides an alternative to circling for parking spaces. The gravel lot, P01 right off Broadway on Campus Drive, is rarely full, and the Reuter Center is the first stop as the shuttle travels to the campus core.   

Remember that University Police do ticket those who park anywhere other than white-lined spaces designated as non-resident student parking.

CFS Theme Term on Appalachia

College for Seniors announces a theme term on Appalachia for Fall 2019 (September 16- November 8). While a varied array of courses will be offered during the Fall term, the theme term is also an opportunity to create courses aligned with this special theme. 

The CFS Theme Term Advisory Committee is receiving and reviewing preliminary course proposals on Appalachia. See the committee's description of the term  HERE

The deadline for the Advisory Committee to receive and offer advice on course proposals is March 1. Please use this dedicated URL to submit your ideas to the committee.



Astronomy Club
Thursday, February 7,
 7 - 9 p.m.
UNC Asheville Campus 
Rhoades Robinson Hall
Room 124

"Evolving Views of Mars: Flybys to Selfies in 50 Years" 
presented by  Rachel Kronyak, NASA Solar System Ambassador, University of Tennessee

How has our vision and understanding of Mars evolved since telescopes first pointed up at the night sky? Since NASA sent satellite missions to fly past the planet and take black and white images? Since we sent fully-loaded, vehicle-sized rovers to explore the terrain and take selfies? Where is Mars exploration headed? Click here for more information.

This meeting is free and open to everyone. 

Living with Dementia:
Life After a Diagnosis
Friday, February 8, 9 a.m.
Reuter Center Room 207


In this session, the second of three presentations offered by the Alzheimer's Association of Western Carolina, participants will learn about telling others about a diagnosis and keeping healthy relationships with family and friends. 

This series of two-hour presentations is designed for the person who has a recent diagnosis of dementia or is in the early stages of the disease, with the goal to provide answers to questions about this complex disease.  For more information see the Alzheimer's Association of Western North Carolina's website at www.alz.org/northcarolina.

In the final session on February 15 the program will be an examination of the daily strategies to deal with unique challenges and how to gain access to resources.  

Martha Marshall, Jim Tyson and Sandy Taylor

Fab Friday Lecture
Friday, February 8, 11:30 a.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Solo Aging:
Planning It Well, 
Living It Well
with Meridith Miller

The years after retirement can be the best of times or the worst of times, depending in part on how you plan for them. The Fab Friday talk on Friday, February 8, 11:30 a.m., presented by the Life Transitions Committee along with the Thriving in Community Special Interest Group, will feature a lecture by Meridith Miller and panel discussion by "solo agers" about living alone. The presentation is designed for those of us who are currently single as well as those of us who are currently living with a spouse, partner or another relative or friend.

Meridith Miller has applied her training in geropsychology in a variety of program, policy, research, and clinical settings. After completing doctoral study at Boston College she worked at the National Council on the Aging and other national age-focused associations, the Center on Aging at the University of Miami and private practice in Rochester Hills, MI.  Meridith chairs OLLI's Life Transitions committee, teaches and is a founding member of the Thriving in Community SIG. This lecture is part of the Health Education Series.

The Forum Special Interest Group
Friday, February 8, 1 - 3 p.m.
Reuter Center, Room 205

Topic: "The Press"
The Forum encourages a free-flowing dialogue designed to enrich and expand participants' thinking on topics ranging from changing demographics of retirees to  nuclear disarmament. 

SIG contact: Beth Johnson,  johnson1ea@earthlink.net 
New to Medicare
Friday, February 8, 2 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 206

Are you new to Medicare? Are you confused by the many choices?  Unbiased and accurate information is available from trained volunteers from the North Carolina Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP).  This session will be an overview (plans, parts and policies) of Medicare.  

Spaces are limited, and registration is required.  Reserve your space by calling the Council on Aging of Buncombe County at 828.277.8288. 

 In addition, beginning at noon, representatives from the Social Security Administration will be available to answer questions about Social Security benefits and Medicare enrollment.  They will also provide detailed instructions for using the Agency's online services at socialsecurity.gov.
Mahmut Reyhanoglu
STEM Lecture
Wednesday, February 13, 4:30 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

"Mechatronics Engineering Design Projects"
Mahmut Reyhanoglu
UNC Asheville Engineering Department

 
UNC Asheville's Capstone Senior Design Project courses in mechatronics engineering require students to work in a team environment to develop a solution to a specific real-world problem. This talk focuses on two recently completed projects: DIReCT (Device for Installation, Removal, and eCASS Transport) and Q-CPR (Quadcopter Crash Prevention Restraint).


STEM Lectures are interisciplinary with a focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  The series this winter is designed around the theme of "STEM Activities on Campus," covering research both performed and in progress by UNC Asheville faculty and OLLI members, faculty's research with students and outreach to the community.

These lectures are free and open to everyone.

Three Evenings with Candidates for the Position of 
Director for UNC Asheville's
 Center for Jewish Studies
Thursdays, February 14, 21 and 28
7 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Thursday, February 14, 7 p.m.
Doria Killian 
"Narrating Our Past, Creating Our Present: The Intersection of Storytelling, Memory, and Identity in Contemporary German-Jewish Literature"

Thursday, February 21, 7 p.m.
February 21, 7 p.m.  
Nick Block 
"Discursive Holocaust Memory: 
Jewish Critique of Germany's Holocaust Memorials"

Thursday, February 28, 7 p.m.
Eric Kligerman 
"Leaps of Faith/Quantum Leaps: 
Representing Jewish Identity in Kafka and the Coen Brothers"

History Book Lovers
Friday, February 15, 1 p.m.
Reuter Center Room 120

Skeletons on the Zahara: 
A True Story of Survival
by Dean King
Discussion led by Cork Oates

Skeletons on the Zahara is based on the journals of two men who were survivors of a shipwreck off the coast of Africa in 1815.  Twelve sailors were captured by desert nomads, sold into slavery and endured a two month journey through the Sahara desert.
  The author, Dean King, retraced the steps of the survivors in 2001 (right after the 9/11 attacks), trying as much as possible to experience the hardships of a trek across the sand on foot or riding a camel. 

History Book Lovers meet on the third Friday of each month to share beloved books, engage in discussion and connect with other OLLI members who love history. In upcoming months they will read
March: Miracle of New Orleans by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger
April: The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough
May: The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
June: A discussion of Kublai Khan 1215-1294, Emperor of China

All OLLI members are welcome.

 SIG contact: Mike Wang, 267-243-3011,  mbwhome@gmail.com

Death 
Café

Friday, February 15, 5 p.m.
Reuter Center Lower Atrium

Death Café is an engaging gathering with storytelling and  conversation about a topic that too often alienates people in  our death phobic culture. At Death Café, participants break  into small groups of five or six people and discuss personal
stories related to the death of loved ones, loss of jobs,  relationships or marriages or loss or death of parts of ourselves. These programs are facilitated by Karen Sanders, Greg  Lathrop and Said Osio from Third Messenger. Find out more  at deathcafe.com.
Pan Harmonia
Midday Music
with Pan Harmonia
Wednesday, February 20, Noon
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Join Pan Harmonia musicians, mezzo-soprano Brittnee Siemon, flutist Kate Steinbeck, and pianist Ko Eun Grace Lee, for Midday Music. Peek behind-the-scenes in an open working rehearsal as these artists come together to create music for upcoming performances. 

Now in its 19th season, Pan Harmonia offers a mosaic of concerts, community outreach and educational residencies and enjoys taking its music out of the concert hall and into spaces all around the community - from art galleries and historic churches to prisons and homeless shelters. Its musicians believe in social justice through arts access and enjoy bringing high-quality performances to audiences of all ages and socioeconomic strata. Directed by flutist Kate Steinbeck, Asheville, NC's award-winning chamber music repertory company has been nationally recognized for its artistic excellence and creative vision.


Feel free to bring your lunch and friends. This event is free and open to everyone.

Symphony Talk
Friday, February 22, 3 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Symphony Talks are an entertaining and educational way to hear about the music to be performed at the upcoming Asheville Symphony Orchestra (ASO) Masterworks Concerts.  The program begins with a presentation by Chip Kaufmann, who talks about the life and times of the featured composers.  Guest Conductor Mei-Ann Chen will appear with violinist Alexi Kenney to talk about how the orchestra prepares and to offer ways to listen to the performance. 

The three very distinct composers presented on this concert all found great inspiration in connecting with their roots. Zoltan Kodály pioneered the field of ethnomusicology while exploring the music of his native Hungary. His Dances of Galánta are a collection of village dances reimagined as a symphonic work and transformed with colors of the modern symphony orchestra. Next, Alexi Kenney, winner of the 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, brings his unique perspective to Dvořák's Violin Concerto - full of lyricism inspired by the rich Czech folkloric tradition. The concert's centerpiece is Beethoven's beloved "Pastoral" symphony, which was inspired by the composer's love of the countryside.

For more information about the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, or to find out how to purchase tickets for performances at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, visit  ashevillesymphony.org
WNC Historical Association Lecture
Child of the Woods: 
An Appalachian Odyssey
with Susi Séguret
Saturday, March 2, 2 p.m.
Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Join the WNC Historical Association (WNCHA) and Susi Séguret for the release of her new book Child of the Woods, a collection of short stories and observations of growing up in the natural settings of rural Appalachia. The book is an opportunity to experience nature through the eyes of a true child of the woods. Séguret grew up in Madison County, North Carolina, and honed her culinary skills in France where she studied at the Cordon Bleu and the Université de Reims. As director of the Seasonal School of Culinary Arts, she is passionate about taste and style, and how they extend from our palate into our daily lives. She has written and edited cookbooks, including Appalachian Appetite.

The mission of WNCHA is to the preservation and promotion of the history of Western North Carolina through the care, interpretation and presentation of the Smith-McDowell House, the education of the public through lectures, exhibitions elated events and the facilitation of cooperation among regional historical organizations. 

The lecture is open to everyone; a $5 donation is requested at the door.

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute | 828-251-6140 | olli@unca.edu | http://www.olliasheville.com
Reuter Center, CPO #5000
UNC Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville, NC 28804