Some Douglas Hall Resident Assistants will host a candlelight vigil at 9 p.m. tonight for the troops serving in the Gulf. All students are encouraged to bring their own candles and yellow ribbon and meet in the lobby for a walk to the West Lagoon.

Music calendar updated

The NIU School of Music regrets that the trombone recital of faculty member Mark Fisher, which was to be held Feb. 13 in the Music Building’s Recital Hall, has been cancelled. The School of Music would also like to announce that the date for the Faculty Composers Recital has been postponed from Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. in the Recital Hall to April 21 at 1 p.m. in the Concert Hall.

ALA promotes child health

“Smoke Free Family Week” (Feb. 10-16) being sponsored for the third year by the American Lung Association of North Central Illinois, promotes the advancement of child health by focusing on the harmful effects of passive smoke on infants and children. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, children of parents who smoke, compared with children of nonsmoking parents, have more respiratory infections, more respiratory symptoms and slightly smaller rates of increase in lung function as their lungs mature. Over 350 packets containing T-shirts proclaiming “I’m a Born Non-Smoker” were distributed to area hospitals in honor of the week. For more information call the American Lung Association at (708) 553-7000.

Ethnicity discussion planned

The next discussion group on race and ethnicity in urban society will be Feb. 12 at NIU’s Social Science Research Institute, Third and Locust streets in downtown DeKalb. Anyone interested in attending should contact coordinator Loomis Mayfield at 753-2301.

Writing program offered

Students who feel overwhelmed when they have to write letters, memos or reports, might want to attend an NIU program on “Effective Business Writing.” Sponsored by NIU’s College of Continuing Education, the session will be held Feb. 15 and March 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 3405 Algonquin Road, Rolling Meadows. Topics include how to organize ideas and make sentence structures work. The fee is $245. To register call (800) 345-9472 in Illinois or (815) 753-0277 from other states.