Delta Sigma Theta service sorority will dedicate a week's worth of events to AIDS awareness.

The week is full of a variety of activities including a poetry reading, free HIV testing, a speaker and bowling.

"Every year, the national organization makes it mandatory for undergraduate chapters to host a day of AIDS awareness," said Jarquetta Egeston, vice president of Delta Sigma Theta. "We had ideas to do throughout the week, so we decided to make it a full week."

One of the events of the week includes a poetry reading that encourages participants to speak about health issues at Neptune Central by the fireplace.

"We like the setting of Neptune Central," said Meagan Lumpkin, financial secretary of Delta Sigma Theta. "People feel really comfortable and people would rather go somewhere comfortable."

On Tuesday, a representative from the DeKalb County Health Department will speak on more AIDS issues.

"The speaker will talk about contraception," Egeston said. "We are not saying abstinence, what we are saying is protect yourself. It seems like AIDS is a hidden topic and people don't speak about it. We try to bring the campus together and tell people there are ways to prevent the disease."

For information, call Meagan Lumpkin at 753-3495.

Tan bodies, oiled skin and bulging muscles will be abundant at this year's Greek Physique.

The body building competition is from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday at the Holmes Student Center's Carl Sandburg Auditorium.

Mickey Walker, a sophomore business major and philanthropist for Phi Kappa Sigma, said the event will benefit the Leukemia Society.

The competition is divided into groups. Men will be divided by weight, while women are divided by height, he said.

Mike Evans, a junior political science major and director of Greek affairs for the SA, said the competition is open to all members of the NIU community, not just the Greeks.

Walker said the contestants put in a lot of hard work and preparation for the competition.

"They've trained pretty much their whole lives lifting weights," he said. "Everyone cuts down their diet drastically."

Evans agreed.

"The people that do it and win and are serious about it, they've been body building their whole lives," he said. "It's not something they can whip up in a few weeks or a month."

With its first sweep of Toledo in 20 years, the NIU men's basketball team is assured at least a top four seed in the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Huskies topped the Rockets 85-75 Saturday night at the Convocation Center in front of 5,272 fans.

NIU (15-11, 11-5 MAC) had four players in double digit scoring and two with double-doubles.

Toledo (11-15, 5-11 MAC) rocketed out of the gates quickly, getting out to a 21-12 advantage. But with 7:33 left in the first half, the momentum took a drastic change with Toledo up 26-16.

"We weren't getting back and they had a lot of easy transition buckets on us," Toledo guard Nick Moore explained.

Indeed the Huskies hit Toledo with a barrage of transition buckets, but that wasn't all. With an assortment of long-range artistry, layups and rim-rattling slam dunks, NIU went on a 19-0 run and held the Rockets scoreless for seven minutes and 15 seconds from the end of the first half to the beginning of the second.

"We just brought the intensity that we needed," NIU forward Marcus Smallwood said. "We had them down and we just wanted to keep the pressure on them."

The Huskies never let Toledo back in the game after their stretch run, keeping at least a 7-point lead the last 13 in a half minutes of the game. NIU scored a season-high 56 points in the second half.

With the win and only two games left, the Huskies clinched at least a top four spot for the MAC Tournament, which means they'll receive a first-round bye or face last place Buffalo at home. (See sidebar for more.)

Senior Jay Bates had a team-high 18 points, including 10-11 free-throw shooting. Perry Smith and Smallwood complemented Bates with 17 points apiece. Jamel Staten had his first career double-double as a Huskie with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Smallwood also had 11 rebounds.

"Our first key of the game today was to get back on track and win the rebounding battle," said NIU coach Rob Judson, who's team had 14 more rebounds than Toledo. "We accomplished that and that really set the tone for the game."

The Rockets didn't have any double-digit rebounders. They were led by junior guard Keith Triplett with 29 points, including 5-of-8 three-point shooting. Moore had 17 points and Sammy Villegas, one of the MAC Freshman of the Year front-runners, totaled 14 points.

"How we played in the first half, we played the exact opposite in the second half," said seven-year Toledo coach Stan Joplin, who called this season his most disappointing. "We were too casual and the turnovers really hurt us."

Behind some strong pitching and key hitting the NIU baseball team came away from its weekend series in Memphis, Tenn., with a 2-1 record.

The Huskies (2-3) started the weekend with a 4-3 victory over Ball State in 10 innings Friday, giving coach Ed Mathey his first win as NIU's skipper.

Sophomore Greg Larsen drove in the tying and winning runs with a pair of walks.

Senior Max Sulzberger picked up the win by working a perfect 10th inning.

Riding high after their come from behind victory over the Cardinals, the Huskies defeated St. Louis 6-1 Saturday putting them at .500 on the season despite committing five errors.

The NIU bats came alive against the Billikens as they slugged out 13 hits, including three from junior Mike Santoro who also drove in a career-high five runs.

Starting junior pitcher Zach Minor didn't need that much support as he allowed just one unearned run in seven innings while striking out six.

"Our pitching has been very good, we can't complain about that," Mathey said. "They've been taking charge of the ball game and have come out throwing strikes. They're giving us a chance to win ball games and that's what you want from your pitchers."

The two-game winning streak for the Huskies came to an end Sunday with a 8-4 loss to Southern Illinois.

Despite being ahead 3-0 after three innings, poor fielding did the Huskies in this time as they committed four errors.

"Anytime you give up 15 free passes between walks and errors you don't stand much of a chance to win," Mathey said. "That's the reality of it. We didn't play a good game of baseball today."

For the weekend the Huskies punched out 29 hits. Santoro led the way as he went 4-11 with five RBIs. NIU's junior infielder Joe Mazzuca also helped the offensive attack with five hits on the weekend.

"The hits are starting to drop in," Mathey said. "Our approach has been healthy. We're starting to come around. If we can get it figured out on defense we're going to be a pretty solid team."

Just when one team in the MAC seems to take control of the conference, another jumps in and stakes its claim.

This weekend was no different, as conference-leading Miami (Ohio) lost 51-48 at Bowling Green, which had been losers of its last six games. This then pulled Central Michigan ahead of the RedHawks for first overall after they beat Eastern Michigan 106-89.

NIU (15-11, 11-5 MAC), which beat Toledo 85-75 on Saturday, moved into third place after Kent State lost at home to Akron 85-70.

This means that with a week left in the regular season, the Huskies will at worst be the fourth seed in the conference tournament. The top three MAC records earn a first round bye and receive an automatic bid to Cleveland's Gund Arena.

However, if they do earn the fourth seed they will host last place Buffalo at the Convocation Center on Monday, March 10.

"You just never know," NIU guard Jay Bates said, about the MAC standings. "You wait to hear the scores and coach will be like Miami lost, Central [Michigan] won, or whoever it is in the race. The one team you want to lose, they'll win and the team you want to win will lose. It just kinda goes back and forth, but for the most part it's fun as long as we keep winning."

Another instance as to just how wacky the conference has been this year is that Akron, who is 8-8 in the MAC, has only three road wins in the conference, with it coming against NIU 101-100, CMU 70-69, and Kent State. These three teams could end up being the top three seeds.

The top four seeds are all separated by no more than one game, and the next seven teams are all either 8-8 or 7-9.

Calling the conference even seems an understatement as 36 games have been "close," decided by five points or less. CMU and Ball State have each had seven contests come down to the wire.

Beside Buffalo, every other team has had at least five "close" games. The Bulls have only had two, both coming against Miami and Kent State, who are battling for first place in the MAC East division.

While the pieces are starting to fall together, whoever has the best chance at winning the MAC is anyone's call.

"Once you get on a neutral court anything can happen," Toledo coach Stan Joplin said. "There's some teams playing pretty well right now. Obviously Central's playing well with Kaman, because he's an unstoppable force. Northern's playing very good team basketball. Miami's playing well and Kent, as long as Gates is healthy, they'll always have a shot. But then you got other teams; Marshall's pretty talented and you never know what's gonna happen on a neutral floor. If a team gets hot, anything can happen."

After the NIU women's basketball team's win Saturday night against Toledo, a reporter had one question for Huskie coach Carol Hammerle.

"Are you just going to play it by ear to see how much Kim Boeding will play next game?"

Boeding, a 6-foot senior, has missed the last nine games because of a viral infection in -- what else -- her ear.

Seated next to Hammerle, Boeding laughed about the double-edged comment. But, truth has it, Boeding's situation has been no laughing matter.

Diagnosed with vertigo, which can make you nauseated and throw off your balance, she has not played since Jan. 22 against Central Michigan.

"It's been a complete learning experience for all of us with what vertigo really is," Hammerle said. "Tonight we figured we'd give her a try."

In six minutes of play, Boeding had expected rust on her game with zero points and two rebounds. But her teammates were just happy to have her back on the court.

"It's always good to have a teammate come back, especially Kim," said Kristan Knake, the only other senior on the team. "We've been together for four years and know each other so well on the court."

While Boeding has not traveled with NIU on most of the road trips during her time out, she did participate in practices the two days prior to the Toledo game. But with the practices preparing for the Rockets, Boeding said she didn't go as hard as in a typical practice.

"Little by little we've been working her in practice," Hammerle said. "She needs to get her feet back under her and go from there. We've missed her."

Third on the team in scoring with a 9.6 per game average, she has 153 points on the year in only 16 of her team's 25 games. With a win like Saturday's against the MAC's second best team, NIU looks to be getting out of its runt. Prior to Saturday's game, the Huskies had lost three of its last four games. But now NIU has topped Toledo, and has Boeding back in the lineup heading into the last game of the regular season, which is Senior Day against Western Michigan. Boeding wants to be able to contribute as much to the team as she can.

"I was a little nervous out there," she said. "It was great to get back out there though. My whole center of balance is off. I hope I could get some more minutes against Western Michigan and finally start getting back into the flow of things."

Teaching children about reality, racism and respect is crucial to the way they will view life when they become an adult.

That is a continued theme that will be recognized at a conference entitled, "The Other 3 R's: Reality, Racism and Respect."

The conference will focus on race and its relation to children.

Cathy Lubbers, academic adviser for TLRN, thinks the conference is a good opportunity for students studying education.

"The focus of the funding for this conference is for students majoring in early childhood studies," Lubbers said. "This age group is consistent with the certification they receive from the State of Illinois."

Professors Joe Feagin and June Gordonwill be speaking at the conference.

Feagin is the graduate research professor of sociology at the University of Florida. His primary research interests concern the development and structure of racial and gender prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination, Lubbers said.

In addition to his research, he is the author of more than 160 articles on gender, racial and urban issues, and he has written 44 books on the subject matter of race issues.

Gordon, who is an associate professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, focuses on issues dealing with economic impacts and educational access and success of marginalized student in the United States, Britain and Japan, according to a recent press release.

"This conference is made possible by the generous contributions of an anonymous donor," Lubbers said. "The donor is providing this to the students in the early childhood studies program as an opportunity to learn from and interact with nationally recognized experts in early childhood studies."

Lubbers thinks this conference is important for children.

"Young children, ages 3 to 5, develop racial views at an early age and many adults find themselves in denial of this," Lubbers said.

The 2003 NIU Student Conference on Southeast Asian Affairs was attended by 50 students, professors and Southeast Asia enthusiasts Saturday at the Holmes Student Center's Illinois Room.

The conference, hosted by the Southeast Asia Club and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, was an opportunity for students to present papers about "religious accommodation and conflict in Southeast Asia."

"[The conference] can provide a general background into the history, politics and culture of Southeast Asian countries. We work to spread knowledge about them," said Jessica Rinehart, president of the Southeast Asia Club.

Five papers were presented by graduate students from the political science and anthropology departments.

Topics ranged from women in Indonesian politics from the Islamic perspective and the influx of Buddhism and the role of Buddhist monks in politics to Muslim-Christian intermarriages in the Philippines.

Each presentation was followed by commentary from an expert on the subject and left open to questions from the audience.

The highlight of the conference was keynote speaker Kathleen Adams from the Loyola University at Chicago anthropology department.

"I have a fond place in my heart for NIU," Adams said. "The library has some of the best resources in Southeast Asian studies."

Adams, a cultural anthropologist of Indonesia, gave a presentation on "Images of peacemaking and conflict in Eastern Indonesia." She presented local examples of peacemaking attempts using linguistic and artistic means through her paper and a slide show presentation.

Maria Ernita Joaquin's paper about unfounded mandates in the Philippines won the best paper at the end of the day and was awarded $250.

Daniel Unger, an associate professor in the political science department, brought an end to the days discussions with a brief talk about accommodation, conflict and survival in Southeast Asia.

"I enjoyed hearing some of the discussions on the hot topics," said Jenn Weidman, an anthropology graduate student who attended the conference. "It provided greater awareness and depth of the issues."

Neil Foley, an associate professor of history and American studies and associate dean at the University of Texas, will speak at 6:30 p.m. today in the Moot Courtroom at Swen Parson Hall, Room 170.

Foley will discuss the issue of the construction of a Hispanic identity in America.

"He grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, with an Irish father and a Mexican mother," said J.D. Bowers, chair of the history graduate student colloquium committee. "His scholarship and work reflect the border of ethnic identity with a specific reference to south central Texas."

His book, "The White Scourge: Mexicans, Blacks and Poor Whites in Texas Cotton Cultures," addresses how the different cultures interacted in the cotton industry of Texas.

"It is about identity, race and the legal process," Bowers said. "He will bring up issues of legality where Hispanics have challenged the law."

Bowers expects to get a fairly large audience to attend the lecture.

"I have gotten calls from other colleges," Bowers said. "We definitely expect a large audience of students and a widespread audience. I expect mostly students to attend."

People attending the lecture will learn that our identity and race are negotiated and are not predetermined, Bowers said. It is a more complex issue far more than somebody's skin.

For students who are looking to withdraw from NIU, the process may seem overwhelming. But it can be managed without a huge hassle.

There were 518 students who withdrew from July 2001 to June 2002, said Robin Hendricks, assistant director of Registration and Records for records, public contact and transcripts.

However, those who do withdraw often do so because of a medical problem, a military duty or an experience of extraordinary hardship.

Kathy Jahns, administrative assistant at Student Affairs, said students who want to withdraw for a medical reason have to have a condition that prevents them from completing the semester.

They must submit their medical documents to NIU's Health Services which will then determine the severity of the condition and decide whether or not to approve the request for a medical withdrawal.

Jahns said students then must request permission to withdraw from their major college's advisement office.

Generally, a withdrawal form needs to be completed and an explanation needs to be given.

After being approved by both Health Services and the college advisement office, students should ask Student Affairs to review their case and determine what refund, if any, will be awarded.

Students who need to withdraw because they have been called to serve in the military must complete a similar procedure.

Jahns said they must notify their college advisement office, and they must also submit a copy of their military orders to Student Affairs.

Students looking to withdraw under the hardship category have to be experiencing a life situation, though not necessarily financial, that prevents them from continuing their college careers.

Jahns said these students must also get approval to withdraw from their college advisement office, and they must submit a letter explaining their situation and any supporting documentation to Student Affairs.

Students who wish to withdraw for reasons other than those of medical, military or hardship should not call Student Affairs but should discuss the situation with their college advisement office, Jahns said.

Students who withdraw from NIU may get some of their tuition and fees back, but the amount depends on when the student withdraws and the reason for withdrawal.

Hendricks said a full refund is given if a student withdraws within the first 15 days of a semester.

After this time, the amount is prorated, or dependent upon how many days of the semester the student has completed versus how many days of the semester are left.

Hendricks also said a 50 percent refund can be given from Feb. 22 through March 14, and a 40 percent refund can be given from March 15 through March 21. After March 21, no refund is given unless extraordinary circumstances are involved.

Students planning to withdraw must also talk to Student Housing and Dining Services if they are living in the residence halls.

David Dunlap, the coordinator of marketing and public relations at Student Housing and Dining, said students must notify them of their intent to withdraw in writing. The date the letter is received determines how much money is returned.

Dunlap said if a student signs a contract for the fall semester and then decides to not attend NIU, he or she may cancel it between May 2 and July 1 and only be charged $50, and if a student cancels after July 1, the charge is $125.

However, Dunlap also said if a student desires to withdraw from NIU and cancel the contract after the first 16 days of a semester, he or she is still required to pay for the room unless there are special circumstances involved.

Some of the dining plan money may be given back depending on how long the student has resided in the room.

For information on NIU's withdrawal procedures, look at the online 2002-2003 Undergraduate Catalog at www.reg.niu.edu/ugcat/.

People of all ages and cultures filled the basement of the Newman Catholic Student Center on Friday night to celebrate Southeast Asian culture.

The night began with a Buddhist blessing ceremony performed by several monks from Rockford.

The monks also read palm leaves in languages representative of their cultures.

Susan Russell, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, gave the opening remarks.

"This is an event we do three or four times an academic year," she said. "We do these to introduce people of NIU to the different cultures of Southeast Asia."

Dinner was served, buffet style, from Rockford's Phai Nam Restaurant.

The food ran out quickly because the turnout was bigger than anticipated, but more was served an hour later.

"I'm here to hear the music," said Kristin Glidden, a senior music major. "Although, that food looks really good."

Jorai Tribal Gong music from Vietnam by Dr. Han's Troupe filled the air while the audience ate dinner.

Thai dancers from Chicago performed a dance that later was followed by a Filipino love song and a Burmese performance by the NIU Burmese Students.

The Burmese students described their performance as a type of "Burmese rap" that touched on issues such as the budget crisis in Illinois and and the possible war in Iraq.

After the Burmese performance, a show displaying the typical dress of Southeast Asia cultures was displayed, including outfits from countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia.

People representing the ethnic Chinese had a sing-along love song, with words on the screen so the audience could participate.

NIU Malaysian students did a candle dance, representative of a romantic story.

The night ended with another dance by the Thai Dancers of Chicago and a Thai traditional song called, "My Beloved Full Moon."

"I think the night went really well," said Martin Mercado, a sophomore industrial engineering major. "The food was good, and I really enjoyed the Malaysian dance and the [Burmese] rap."

Commuters may have noticed a sharp increase in gas prices in recent months, a trend that is caused by several factors.

The average price of a regular gallon of gas in Illinois was $1.69 on Feb. 28. This is up 19 cents from last month, and 45 cents from a year ago, according to the AAA Web site.

Although the Web site did not offer statistics for DeKalb, it did state that the Rockford average was $1.61. This was up 15 cents from a month ago, and 51 cents from a year ago.

One of the major factors for the increased gas prices is the turbulence in Venezuela, said Ron Planting, manager of information and analysis at the American Petroleum Institute. Workers went from producing three million barrels a day to producing almost none during a recent strike. Although production has resumed in the past three months, the lost oil has not been replenished.

Weather also has been a factor in increased prices. This winter has been colder than normal, raising demand for crude oil, Planting said.

Speculation about war has caused a fluctuation in the price of crude oil as well, said Norma Cooper, manager of community affairs at AAA Chicago Motor Club. Prices often increase because of a fear of interruption in supplies.

A fire in the largest refinery in Indiana most likely helped raise gas prices on a local level as well, Cooper said.

The rises in oil prices don't only affect motorists. An increase in gas prices has the potential to impact other aspects of the economy. It can raise unemployment and inflation rates, said Carl Campbell, associate professor of economics at NIU.

Increases in unemployment and inflation occurred during the oil price hikes in the late '70s and early '80s, and in the early '90s. Although the increase is fairly recent, and such effects would take time, they are a possible consequence, Campbell said.

An end to the increased gas prices is impossible to predict, Planting said.

"There's a lot that's beyond anyone's control," Planting said.

Although prices have been uncharacteristically high during the winter months, an increase in price is normal during the shift to summer. This is because of increased demand for gasoline for seasonal vehicles, such as golf carts and for vacations, Cooper said.