April 27: Free AU business workshop

AURORA, Ill.—“ Beyond Compliance: The Consultative Approach to HR,” a free business workshop, will be explored at the Aurora University Human Resources Institute from 8 to 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27, in the University Banquet Hall at Alumni Hall, 1410 Marseillaise Place.

The public is invited. Networking and refreshments are at 7:30 a.m.

The guest speaker is Michael H. Hahn, co-founder and CEO of Woodridge-based Beyond Good Teams and an authority on stress resiliency, motivation, integrity and attitude.

Known as “Mr. Teams,” Hahn focuses on current issues blocking a high productivity and high positivity culture. He inspires and energizes audiences to live, work and play with purpose, passion and productivity.

With a high-energy, humorous style, Hahn urges audiences to reclaim their time, energy and motivation to enjoy living life beyond their current edge. He specializes in team off-site experiential learning.

Hahn holds a dual M.B.A. in entrepreneurship and leadership and change management from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Northern Illinois University. Team Coaching Internationally certified, he also holds black belts in Tang Soo Do and Hap Ki Do, South Korean martial arts.

The Human Resources Institute is co-sponsored by the Aurora University Dunham School of Business and Human Resource Management Systems, LLC of Naperville.

Reservations are requested. Call (630) 844-4894 or (630) 844-4917.

Future Institute programs are:

May 25: “Trends in Labor Relations”

June 29: “Current Federal and Illinois Legal Issues”

Aug. 31: “What You Need to Know to be in Legal Compliance”

Sept. 28: “Benefits/Compensation Trends”

Oct. 26: “Caterpillar—Developing and Maintaining a High-Performance Work Culture to Achieve Business Results”

April 9: Computer repair at AU

The public is invited to bring their personal computers for free checkups, cleaning and repairs by Aurora University students and faculty on Saturday, April 9.

The fourth annual “PC Check Up Day” will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Dunham Hall lobby, 1400 Marseillaise Place.

The sponsor is the Management Information Technology Club with assistance from criminal justice students.

David Dulany, Associate Professor of Business, said the event is a service-learning project by a dozen student volunteers.

Services scheduled include anti-malware (virus) check and malware removal, spyware check and removal, tune up to increase operating speed, and installation of free software.

A photo identification is required to drop off and claim serviced PCs.

Last year, student volunteers removed viruses, cleared gigabytes of speed-clogging files and provided free software applications for PCs brought in by area residents.

Dulany said the purpose of the effort is to test students’ technical expertise and provide public-service experience.

He added, “We will do anything possible to help get machines running at their best. We will try to offer customized tweaking as much as possible.

“We are pleased to offer this free service to the community for the third year,” he said. “ We have been providing this service to AU students for the past few years and know how valuable it can to be to the people we help.”

According to Dulany, experiential learning is a major part of Dunham School of Business degree programs.

“This event is one more way that we educate our students. The students get a great deal of satisfaction in being able to apply their knowledge in real-world situations like this,” Dulany said.

April 13: Women's Day at VNA!

AURORA, IL. On Wednesday, April 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., VNA of Fox Valley will host a free health event for area women – It’s Women’s Day…at VNA! Everyone is welcome and there is no cost to attend. The event will be held at the VNA Health Center, 400 North Highland Avenue in Aurora. Women’s Health services will be featured, including digital mammography, bone density testing and pharmacy services.

Spanish translators will be available. No appointments are needed to attend this free, public event. A limited number of physical exams are available during Women’s Day and an appointment must be made for the physical exam. Call 630-978-9754, extension 8245 and leave your name and phone number if you would like to make an appointment for this service. Sliding scale fees will apply for the physical exam, or Medicare/Medicaid will be billed if applicable.

It’s Women’s Day…at VNA!

April 13, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

• Free bone density tests
• Sign up for free mammograms (for uninsured and low-income women through VNA’s Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program)
• Free depression screenings
• Complimentary Women’s Health Tests including blood pressure, blood sugar, and body fat.
• The first 100 adults will receive a ticket for a healthy box lunch to go.

For additional information on It’s Women’s Day…at VNA!, community members can contact Amy Downing at 630-978-2532 or adowning@vnafoxvalley.com.

The Visiting Nurse Association of Fox Valley (VNA), is a humanitarian, not-for-profit organization based on the concept that each individual is unique and is to be treated with dignity. VNA has been at the forefront of health services in the Fox Valley area since 1918, responding to community need with exceptional healthcare delivered at home, in VNA clinics, and in every neighborhood.

April 8,9,13,16: AU play

“Lend Me A Tenor,” a Tony Award-winning comedy, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. April 8-9 and April 13-16 in Perry Theatre in the Aurora Foundation Center at 1305 Kenilworth Place.

The public is invited. Admission is free.

Kelly Roush is the director. She will lead a public discussion of the production at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13.

John Curran of St. Charles, Associate Professor of Theatre, and students in his stagecraft class are building the set. They are working from a virtual scale model Curran created with computer software.

“Tenor" won three Tony Awards and four Drama Desk Awards. Set in September 1934, the production focuses on Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company.

He is primed to welcome world-famous, Tito Morelli, Il Stupendo, the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as Otello.

The star arrives late and, through a hilarious series of mishaps, is given a double dose of tranquilizers and passes out. His pulse is so low that Saunders and his assistant Max believe he’s dead.

In a frantic attempt to salvage the evening, Saunders persuades Max to get into Morelli's Otello costume and fool the audience into thinking he's Il Stupendo. Max succeeds admirably, but Morelli comes to and gets into his other costume ready to perform.

Now two Otellos are running around in costume and two women are running around in lingerie, each thinking she is with Il Stupendo. The madcap, screwball comedy was a sensation on Broadway and in London's West End.

April 30: Paramount Art Gallery

Paramount Arts Centre art gallery, 8 E. Galena Blvd., in Aurora will open an exhibit by Aurora University students with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 1. The exhibit will be free to the public through April 30. Some 22 students of Aurora University art professors Steve Lowery of Geneva and Michael Sawdey of Aurora will exhibit paintings, drawings and photography. Student artists represent Addison, Aurora, Elgin, Joliet, Midlothian, North Aurora, St. Charles, Sugar Grove and Yorkville.

April 8: Israeli Professor talk at AU

AURORA, Ill.—“Arab Palestinians in Israel” will be discussed by Israeli Professor Elie Rekhess at 9:15 a.m. on April 8 at Aurora University.

Rekhess, visiting chair in Middle East studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, will speak in the University Banquet Hall in Alumni Hall at 1410 Marseillaise Place.

In a free, public program, Rekhess will chronicle the evolvement of an Arab-Palestinian national minority in Israel.

The AU Wackerlin Center for Faith and Action is the program sponsor.

Born 1945 in Haifa, Israel, Rekhess is a scholar of the political history of the Arabs in Israel; Islamic resurgence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza; and Palestinian affairs.

Additionally, he serves as senior research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel AvivUniversity, head of the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation there and a member of its Department of Middle Eastern History faculty.

Reservations are requested. Call (630) 844-6864 for more information.

March 17: AU art exhibit: Chris Pappan

AURORA, Ill.--Aurora University will host "History Re-Imagined: The Art of Chris Pappan: Ledger Drawings, Paintings and Installation” by the Chicago Native American artist from Thursday (March 17) to May 27.

The free public exhibit will be in the Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures at Dunham Hall, 1400 Marseillaise Place.

Pappan will greet the public at an opening reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the museum.

A companion slide lecture, "In Two Worlds--Ledger Drawing of the Plains Indians," will be presented by Meg Bero of Batavia, Executive Director of the Schingoethe Center, at 6:30 p.m. March 23 at the museum.

Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Call (630) 844-7843, e-mail museum@aurora.edu or visit aurora.edu/museum for more information.

April 2: Saint Louis Brass at AU

Saint Louis Brass performs the entire spectrum of great music for brass - from the works of today's composers to Baroque and Renaissance music transcribed for modern instruments. The quintet sees itself as a serious chamber music group but also recognizes the importance of education and entertainment in its programming. Saturday, April 2 at 7:30 in Crimi Auditorium at AU. FREE. Call 630-844-4924 for more info.

March: AU student exhibit

Batavia High artists’ work featured at Aurora University gallery

AURORA, Ill.– Aurora University will open an art exhibit by Batavia High School students on Thursday, March 3, with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. and scholarship presentations at 6 p.m.

The public is invited to the reception and exhibit through March 31 in the AU Schingoethe Art Gallery at the Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures in Dunham Hall at 1400 Marseillaise Place.

Meg Bero, Executive Director of the Schingoethe Center, will present AU scholarships to the top four student artists. Awards are best in show, $1,500; first place, $1,000; second place, $750; and third place, $500. The scholarships are renewable annually to students who qualify.

Student artists will exhibit paintings, drawings, photography and other media.

Batavia art teachers are Jennifer Melendez, Andrea Schindlbeck and Dawn Zalkus.

Student artists are: Ian Bosak, Brendan McGee, Natalie Brooks, Naomi Viland, Katelyn Peercy, Bekah Gustin, Jenny Blatt, Jenna Guastella, Megan Pieterick, Ellyn Thesis, Gabby Domena, Braden Charles, Kelsey Riley, Diane Bernardoni, Kim Bartos, Bari Robinson, Brian Grebner, Marie Baldwin, Olivia Boyd, Eleana Daniel, Kelsey Fagan, Kendal McCabe, Amanda Hampe, Magueritte Mallory, Lexy Marks, Leslie Billings, Taylor Richardson, John Seagren, Kevin Kunz, Soobin Lee, Rachel Key, Ashlynn Handel, Sean Gamble, Callie Livengood, Tarin Butterfield, Kelly DalSanto, Ben Steskal.

The exhibit is free to the public. Hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays.

Call (630) 844-7843 or visit www.aurora.edu/museum for more information.

Feb. 16: AU music faculty recital

Aurora University music faculty will present an evening of solo performances Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. in Crimi Auditorium in the Institute for Collaboration, 407 S. Calumet Ave.

The public is invited. Admission is free. No reservations are required.

The program features music by Rachmaninoff, Vivaldi, Handel, Brahms, Gwyneth Walker and Thelonious Monk.

Performers scheduled are Todd Diehl, baritone; Michelle Areyzaga, soprano; Richard Larsen, guitar; Sungha Chi, piano; and Joel Moore, saxophone. They will be accompanied by pianists Matthew Gemmill and Chi.

In honor of Valentine's Day, Lisa Fredenburgh and Mark Plummer will join other vocalists during the second half of the program to present Brahms’ “Liebeslieder Waltzer.”

Aurora University’s music faculty, recognized professionals in their fields, perform and teach throughout Chicago and the western suburbs.

The university has expanded its music faculty to include instructors in violin, viola, flute, guitar, trumpet, trombone and euphonium.

Feb. 19: Free tax prep at AU

Free income-tax preparation to open Feb. 19 at Aurora University;

Class project to school aspiring accountants with hands-on experience

AURORA—Free income tax preparation is back at Aurora University.

The Dunham School of Business will offer its ninth annual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, a partnership with IRS, from 8 to noon Feb. 19, 26, March 5, 19, 26 and April 2 in the lobby of Dunham Hall, 1400 Marseillaise Place in Aurora.

The free service, including immediate e-filing, is available to low-income, elderly, and disabled residents, including non-English speaking taxpayers earning up to $50,000. No reservations are accepted.

Taxpayers should bring copies of personal documents to the service. Requested are copies of Social Security cards, driver’s license, 2010 W2s and other tax statements, state and federal 2009 returns, voided check or deposit slip, 2010 real-state tax statement and childcare provider identification (if any).

Bilingual college students will provide translation assistance for Spanish-speaking taxpayers.

About 35 business students under the tutelage of three CPAs who are accounting professors in the Dunham School—Tim Moran, David Diehl and Len Scholl—will prepare state and federal tax returns.

For a second year, students from the School of Nursing and School of Social Work will assist with tax preparation and healthcare activities.

In conjunction with the tax preparation, a third annual Health Expo at Dunham Hall will offer free blood pressure checks and memory screenings for the public.

This is the ninth consecutive year that the IRS has approved AU accounting students to prepare tax returns free for the public in the VITA program.

Last year, about 40 AU students, faculty, staff members and former students prepared a record 1,050 tax forms—525 each federal and state forms—free for the public.

AU volunteers recovered $463,500 in refunds for taxpayers last season. The largest single refund, $11,120, went to an Aurora resident. Refunds included the new rebate recovery and first-time homebuyer credits.

Since AU introduced the VITA program in 2002, AU tax preparers have prepared more than 3,000 returns, generated more than $3 million in refunds and saved taxpayers an estimated $600,000 in tax preparation fees.

Call (630) 844-7557 or e-mail au-vita@aurora.edu for information.

Feb. 18: AU play "Obligatio"

Play by Montgomery college student to premiere at Aurora University Feb. 18

AURORA, Ill.—“Obligatio,” a two-act play by Aurora University student Travis Winkler of Montgomery, will premiere at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18-19 and Feb. 23-26 in AU’s Perry Theatre in the Aurora Foundation Center at 1305 Kenilworth Place in Aurora.
The public is invited. Admission is free.

John Curran of St. Charles, Associate Professor of Theatre, will direct the production.

Set in 1582 Europe, the play focuses on Lady Joan, a forward-thinking noblewoman of the court. After her father's death, she must decide whether to fulfill her obligation to her kingdom by agreeing to an unwanted marriage to her cousin John.

Offering their help are Prince Edward, Lady Joan’s charge Britta and Mother Catharine, her best friend.

Winkler, a senior theater major with minors in English and music, is a 2006 West Aurora High School graduate who launched his playwright career there with a one-act.

“‘Obligatio’ has never been performed before,” Winkler said. “It's a little nerve racking, but I'm rather excited.”

According to Winkler, the idea for “Obligatio” (Latin for “obligation,” meaning entangling or ensnaring) came during a Drama Literature course during his sophomore year. He said, “We were discussing verse drama during the Renaissance and we had to write a scene that was in iambic pentameter.

“Being my goofy self, I decided to just write a scene during the Elizabethan time period. And with my love of royalty, fencing and unrequited love, I developed the characters of Lady Joan, Prince Edvard and Lord John.

“At the time, I didn't think that I would take the story anywhere, however, in the fall of 2009, (Assistant Professor of Theatre) Denise Blank reminded me of the story of Joan and how developed the characters already were.”

Winkler said the play’s completion culminated a year of work. There were a few months where he took a break from it so he could sit back, let it settle and then go back into it with his mind refreshed. Six months were devoted to rewrites and developing the scenes.

Winkler added, “I've enjoyed every minute of the process. It's been great working with Denise and with John Curran, the director. They both have helped me immensely.

“This production is not just my senior seminar project but also senior projects for Patricia Bily, who is costuming, and Jeff Shilling, who is playing Count John. Both have given me their thoughts, and I have appreciated every single one of them.”

The play features swordfighting. Curran brought in Bryce Bermingham, an actor and fight choreographer from New York City, for a week to teach the actors how to use rapier swords. Bermingham also conducted an evening workshop in film fighting for AU and North Central College students.

Curran’s stagecraft class constructed the set. They worked from a virtual scale model created with free Google software.

Cast members are:

Joan: Alissa Duvall of Naperville
Mother Catharine: Heidi Schultz of Aurora
Edward: Matt Sanders of Oswego
Count John: Jeff Shilling of Crete
Britta: Emily DeFelice-Curran of St. Charles
Albert: Chris Larsen of DeKalb
Lady Irling: Lydia Starring of Sparta, Mich.
Messenger/understudy: Lauren Dwyer of Hampshire
Lady of Court/Female Understudy: E. Ashley Shain of Aurora
Lady of Court: Sarah A. Ward of Sugar Grove
Lady of Court: Patricia Liu of Bloomington, Minn.

Crew members are:

Director/scenic design: John Curran Jr. of St. Charles
Playwright: Travis Winkler of Montgomery
Prop design/graphic design: Tavia DeFelice of St. Charles
Costume design: Patricia Bily of St. Charles
Sound design: Christopher Kriz of Chicago
Lighting design: Matt Gawryk of Chicago
Stage manager: Tegan Rogers of North Aurora

Call (630) 844-4924.