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Helene Updates
Find the latest UNC Asheville Helene updates here
Developments on campus
On Thursday, November 8 we got notice that most campus buildings were cleared to re-open. In a message to the campus community, Chancellor Van Noort announced that University staff and administrators have been working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "to expand the capacity of the mobile water treatment facility on campus. Thanks to this important work, we now are confident in the ability to safely reopen campus buildings. However, please note that the certification of drinkable water is still pending, and everyone should continue using bottled water for drinking purposes. and awaits notice that water is drinkable."
While the campus is opening up and most buildings have water to reopen restrooms, the Reuter Center and OLLI office will remain closed until the OLLI staff has had some time to plan our new hours and conditions of operation. We will send an email when that is possible.
Fall 2024
I am working with the university to roll out a policy to manage Fall 2024 term fees. I will send an email as soon as I have coordinated the details with various university departments, a process that should move quickly as many university departments resume on-campus operations. I appreciate your patience as we all try to work our way back to a new routine.
Winter 2025 registration, November 18-25
We will send out details soon about our new schedule for Winter 2025 registration. We now anticipate that we will release our catalog tomorrow, Monday, November 11 and that we will hold our lottery registration November 18, 10 a.m. through Monday, November 25, noon, only a week later than our original schedule.
We are now confident that, barring unforeseen circumstances, we will be able to offer winter CFS courses January 13 - February 24, 2025. Please see the sneak peek of Winter 2025 courses. Many thanks to Kristi McMillan, College for Seniors program manager, to our curriculum committee, and to the many instructors who have stuck with us and who have moved courses from the fall to the winter or spring schedule. We have an exciting array of courses and hope that many of you will be willing and able to return to classes. We are working on plans for a location and schedule to help those who will need registration assistance when we are not able to be at the Reuter Center.
Communications
It does seem that more and more members of our community have reliable cell and internet service. Understand that as we work remotely it is challenging for us to return phone calls. If at all possible, please send an email with questions and understand that we may not be able to respond as we would when we have access to all of our business resources.
At this time, the best place to connect with other OLLI members to share or seek information about recovery in trying times is OLLIChat. If you are not already a member, contact OLLIChatAVL@gmail.com to sign up. Thanks for understanding.
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Sneak Peek
College for Seniors
Winter 2025 Schedule
Lottery Registration Monday, November 18, 10 a.m. through Monday, November 25, noon
Find the Winter 2025 schedule
We will send an email soon with the complete catalog and all of the details for our amended registration schedule and process for this year. Thanks to College for Seniors Program Manager Kristi McMillan and all of the OLLI staff , Karin Hedberg, Laurel Jernigan, Hilary Schroeder and Lynn Spaight, members of the College for Seniors curriculum committee and to our College for Seniors instructors, for putting together this schedule that will allow us to learn and laugh together soon.
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OLLI Zoom Gatherings
Watch for details this week
The OLLI Steering Council's Executive Committee, Rebecca Heartz, Tim Franklin, Dan Beerman and Karen Depew, and OLLI staff have missed seeing all of you and want to keep our sense of community going as we have been apart in the aftermath of Helene.
Now that many of us have reliable internet, we plan to begin a series of Zoom meetings to allow us to gather online, to share experience and wisdom, and to touch base. Please let me know (by email at cfrank@unca.edu) if you have topics you would like to discuss, experts you may be able to introduce, or anything you would like to share.
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Pardee Hospital Assistance with Advance Directives
Are you interested in completing an advance directive or setting up your health care power of attorney? While we await the time when OLLI's Life Transitions programming can prevent the next Advance Care Planning workshop in early 2025, the team at Pardee Hospital has extended an invitation to the OLLI community to schedule cost-free appointments to learn more about and prepare an advance directive, including notarization. Read more about Pardee's advance directive services here and contact Pardee's Spiritual Care services by calling 828-696-1168 to schedule an appointment or ask questions.
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AARP Programs
See the AARP Mountain Region website calendar of online and local events for a variety of programming coming up. You should also read the story of Hurricane Helene survival by Rebecca Chaplin, Associate State Director, AARP NC Mountain Region.
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UNC Parsons Mathematics Lecture
The Geometry of Privacy
with Dr. Francis Su
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 7-8pm
Mars Hill University, Belk Auditorium
100 Athletic Street, Mars Hill, NC 28754
Read more about the 2024 Parsons Lecture and find the link to register
Admission is free
Differential Privacy is a new area of computer science that studies ways to protect the privacy of individual data in a database when queried. Since a user like me might be able to discover information about you by asking a database a question that is sufficiently targeted, the privacy of a query answer can be accomplished by injecting a little randomness into it. Such “differentially private” mechanisms are now in use by Apple, Google, Uber, and the US Census Bureau. I’ll describe how such algorithms work, and then discuss recent efforts by me and collaborators to quantify how much randomness is needed to guarantee privacy but still give accurate answers. Surprisingly, this involves the geometry of sets positioned in space in clever ways.
Read more about the 2024 Parsons Lecture and find the link to register
Learn more about Dr. Su's approach to mathematics
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Building Confident Balance Session
Friday, November 15, 11 a.m,
Vitalee PT, 12 Old Charlotte Highway, Asheville
Lee Pattillo of Vitalee Physical Therapy was scheduled to offer a Fab Friday workshop for OLLI this fall. He generously sent the following message: "We hope you all are recovering well from the storm and in good spirits in this period of community rebuilding. Our physical therapy clinic would like to invite you for an interactive presentation about building confidence in your balance.
"We will be providing an in person one-hour presentation on Friday, November 15, 11 a.m. to help you build more confidence in your balance. This presentation will be fun, informative, and interactive as we will screen and challenge your balance. We are excited about this opportunity to serve you and to show you in person what makes our physical therapy clinic different than the industry norm. Please use the link below to reserve your spot!
Building Confident Balance sign up link Friday November 15th 11 a.m.
It appears that you need to "book" the session. If you have questions please contact Vitalee PT at 828-458-6132
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Events for the Week of November 17-23 | |
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Leadership Asheville Forum Critical Issues Luncheon
Election Analysis 2024
with Chris Cooper
Wednesday, November 20,
Lunch Service begins 11:45 a.m. and program starts at noon
Country Club of Asheville, 170 Windsor Road
Register to participate in the November LAF luncheon here
Read more about the program and register to attend by Thursday, November 14, 4 p.m. The cost is $25 fore LAF members and $35 for non-members.
If you have any trouble with the registration system, please email info@leadershipashevilleforum.com for help!
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World Affairs Council Programs
Global Minnesota Program
"Exploring International Careers in the US Government"
Monday, November 18, noon to 1:45 Eastern
Register to participate in the November 18 Zoom program
Hurricane Helene has disrupted the scheduled hybrid programs of our valued community partner The World Affairs Council, but they have let us know that Global Minnesota has assembled an expert panel of federal government professionals to provide insights and advice. Hear representatives from the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Commercial Service, and the U.S. Agency for International Development as they share exciting new opportunities and hiring tracks, including what skills might benefit you and how to get started. Whether you’re a student, a career-switcher, or simply a curious individual, this event is the first stop on your journey to an international career of purpose."
Register at https://globalminnesota.org/event/exploring-international-careers-in-the-u-s-government/
Many thanks to World Affairs Council of Western North Carolina President Julie Snyder for offering this list of resources for those who want to explore current international topics.
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Events for the Week of
November 24-November 30
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Asheville Storytelling Circle Tellabration 2024
Humor, Hope and Healing
Sunday, November 24, 2-4 p.m.
Folk Art Center, Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 382
The cost to attend is $15, and tickets will be available at the door. The Eventbrite link to purchase advance tickets does not appear to be working at the time of this newsletter, so visit the Asheville Storytelling Circle website at https://ashevillestorytellingcircle.org for the latest information or contact the Asheville Storytelling Circle at (828) 274-1123 for more information.
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OLLI Offices and the Reuter Center
will be closed
November 27-December 1
to commemorate the Thanksgiving Holiday
OLLI looks forward to returning to a more regular schedule but we are also hoping for some time to be with family and friends (and to the possibility of having water, for which we will all be thankful).
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