THE PLAIN DEALER MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1996 Medina library users want local information ion FACTS FROM 1-B The Web page for the city of Brunswick, for example, contains information on churches, healthcare facilities, parks, utilities and safety forces. Statistics are offered about area incomes, age groups, population and property taxes. The Medina County District Library installed 15 computers Dec. 1 at the Medina branch. Tracy Ruhaak, technology librarian, established visual links to lead computer users from the library Web page to those created by Brunswick and other groups.
"We sat down and said: What do people who come into the library want to know?" Ruhaak said. "It's local information." So Ruhaak built links to the Medina Gazette Web page, the Medina city schools page and one operated by the Medina Area Chamber of Commerce, among others. The Chamber of Commerce Web page has upcoming events, a buyer's guide and business startup information. The Medina High School computer club maintains a page for the school, offering information on academics, sports, clubs and other activities. The Medina City School page includes a newsletter about events around the district and updates on actions by the school board.
Ruhaak said she hoped all of the county's schools would eventually establish Web pages. Ruhaak listed the local Web pages together to make it easy for computer novices to explore the computerized information in Medina County. Ruhaak said reference desk librarians could demonstrate the system. Ruhaak said the library's directory of local information, called InfoLink, would soon be available through the computers. The directory is a comprehensive guide to public agencies, clubs, organizations and support groups in the county.
The InfoLink directory is stored at the Medina library, the Wadsworth Public Library and the United Way, which are partners in the project. The library's Brunswick branch is scheduled to get 15 of the high-powered computers in January. Branch libraries in Hinckley Township, Lodi and Seville will get three computers each in the spring. a Are Car Car 549 City of Brunswick BILL KENNEDY PLAIN DEALER PHOTOGRAPHER Visitors to the Medina County Library can access the world on the Internet, but often use it to access information about their own Easing the transfer process for students MODEM FROM 1-B "The system could also be used by university students who want to take a course at another school, say, during the summer, and want to know how it would fit at their own schools," he said. Even more useful, the system will allow students to build hypothetical transcripts and ask the computer "what if" questions about individual courses and majors at different schools and get an immediate answer, Southard said.
The Internet-based CAS will use Miami's DARS as its foundation. Southard and his colleagues developed DARS in the early 1980s. The Internet -based program that links it to other schools is being developed by the Arizona Board of Regents, who wanted to ease the transfer of students from the state's 30 community colleges to Arizona's three state universities. Miami today uses DARS to inform students how the courses they have completed fulfill their degree requirements, and to alert them to what they must complete to graduate with a particular major. Miami student Dmitri Evseev, a junior from Sagamore Hills Township majoring in interdisciplinary studies, said the idea of an Internet-based course evaluation system would appeal to many students.
"Putting in one course and getting an immediate response that really sounds terrific," he said. "That's what it's all about immediacy. And being able to do that among schools would be really great." Miami began licensing the DARS software in 1985. More than 150 schools, including most of Ohio's public universities, have now purchased DARS, said Transfer from To Ohio 4-year 0 Ohio 4-year $4,902 Ohio 2-year $4,641 Ohio private 1 1,991 Out of state $6,986 All students numbers do not include University of Akron, Central State or Shawnee State Universities Transfer from 1 To Ohio 2-year university Ohio 4-year $6,053 Ohio 2-year 51,176 Ohio private Out of state All students $14,091 SOURCE: Office of Institutional Research PLAIN DEALER Southard. He said these universities would have the option to join the Internet-based CAS system.
The idea to build an Internetbased system came from educators serving on a special regents advisory council, the Articulation and Transfer Council, who have been working more than four years to make transferring between Ohio public colleges and universities easier. Kent State University Vice Provost Terry Kuhn, the chairman of a committee on the articulation council, said members were looking for a way to allow students to electronically transfer transcripts. CAS is the first step toward that, he said. The need for CAS is readily apparent to Kuhn and other educators. Kent State accepts 800 to 1,000 transfer students every year and sees an equal number of KSU students migrate to other institutions, Kuhn said.
Cleveland State University Registrar Nancy Fitzpatrick said transfers make up about half of CSU's usual incoming class of 2,000 students. Apartment resident critical after N. Randall fire, jump NORTH RANDALL At least one person was injured last night when fire engulfed part of the Randall Park Estates apartment complex, forcing a woman to jump from the blazing third floor. The 49-year-old woman was taken to nearby Meridia South Pointe Hospital suffering from burns, smoke inhalation and multiple leg fractures. She was in critical condition in the emergency room last night, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
The four-story apartment building in the 4500 block of Warrensville Center Rd. has 67 units. Some of the residents forced to evacuate the building reported hearing an explosion just seconds before flames erupted and smoke began filling the third-floor hallways. Last night, firefighters had not yet determined cause of the blaze. Flames broke out about 10 p.m.
and were believed to have been confined to the third floor. It took fire crews from North Randall and six other communities about an hour to bring the blaze under control. Beachwood eatery held up by gunman BEACHWOOD The latest in a rash of fast-food restaurant robberies occurred last night at a Boston Market on Chagrin Blvd. A lone gunman entered the restaurant shortly before 9 p.m. and pulled out a gun as he approached the counter, demanding cash, police said.
He told five of the six employ. ees lie on the floor while the sixth worker retrieved money Scene Heard Sextet's ho By JOHN SOEDER A cartoon in Spy magazine several years ago depicted a jungle encounter between two wellknown musicians outfitted with safari gear and tape recorders. The caption: "On a search for new musical inspiration, David Byrne unexpectedly runs into Paul Simon." Surely the members of Rusted Root weren't far behind. Performing last night at the Cleveland State University Convocation Center, Pittsburgh sextet sought inspiration off the beaten path. Put it this way: Not many bands take the stage chanting.
Rusted Root's exotic pop stew was seasoned with a variety of multicultural flavors, but the band proved unable to blend these disparate ingredients into a memorable whole. The result was an uneven showing from a group with a noteworthy Cleveland connection. A showcase three years ago at the local Undercurrents festival helped Rusted Root land a deal with Mercury Records, which released the band's majorlabel debut, "When I Woke," in 1994. Like Byrne during his heyday with the Talking Heads or Simon circa 1985's Grammy-winning "Graceland" album, Rusted Root used African polyrhythms as foundation for many songs. With as many as all six band members playing percussion instruments at one time, the group had no trouble working up vibrant grooves.
Too bad nobody had a clue what to put on top of all that tribal shaking and rattling. John Buynak added a few colorful flute parts and Liz Berlin did the same on violin, but by and large, the melodies were mundane. Rusted Root could learn a thing or two uneven set a do of styles: MUSIC REVIEW Rusted Root from the Dave Matthews Band, ai like-minded group that does a much better job of integrating far-flung influences. None of this seemed to bother, the high school students and collegiate types who dominated 'the. audience.
They danced along throughout the concert, undulating like so many amoebas. Psya chedelic patterns projected on at screen behind the stage provided plenty of druggy ambiance. "Remem- From its new album, ber," Rusted Root played "Sister, Contine," the Cajun romp "Virtual Reality" and "Faith I Do a rocker with a Middle Eastern vibe. The band also tossed in such older fan favorites as "Laugh as the Sun," "Cruel Sun" and lighthearted attempt at Irish folk music that had ing to do with the sun, "Send on My Way." Something about all those feelgood tunes didn't feel right, how-, ever. Perhaps it was guitarist Michael Glabicki's wrought vocals, which grew more annoying as the show dragged He occasionally seemed to sing' with a phony accent, an affectation that fit right in with Rusted Root's contrived world-beat, shtick.
Warm-up duties were handled by fellow Pittsburgh natives Donnie Iris and the Cruisers. Hearing them dust off such early '80s pop, rock gems as "Ah! Leah!" and "Love Is Like a Rock" made for a' pleasant joyride down memory. lane. They just don't write 'em like that anymore not Donnie Iris and the Cruisers, sadly enough. Soeder is a free-lance writer, from Middleburg Heights.
cluding 6,000 from Ohio four-year universities, according to the report. The Ohio regents are so enthusiastic about the system that they have asked Gov. George V. Voinovich for more than $2.9 million to cover development of electronic equivalency tables and hardware installation during the 1998 and 1999 school years. That budget request will be debated this spring.
The regents last year pumped about $100,000 into a pilot study. The regents' Tafel said the plan over the next two years was to install hardware at 12 university sites around the state and at selected community colleges and universities to allow students easy access to CAS. The Arizona regents awarded the development contract to Miami in part because two of the Arizona universities were already using Miami's DARS software, said Don-Paul Benjamin, assistant for academic student affairs at the Arizona Board of Regents. "Our two teams are working together. We are not charging them.
They are not charging us for developing our prototype system. The deal is they end up with the enhanced software," he said. Benjamin and Kent's Kuhn said they hoped to build a network that will transfer student transcripts with a keystroke. For your information The Internet address for the prototype is: http//www.dars.muohio.edu Who'd Have Thought That The Underbelly Of Culture Would Be So Ticklish? Fitzpatrick said CSU recently purchased the DARS software from Miami and was planning to have the in-house version running by spring 1998. That will help students figure course equivalencies when CSU moves from the quarter calendar to the semester calendar in fall 1998.
An annual survey conducted by the research division of one of the state universities tracks students transferring to Ohio's public institutions. The 1995-96 report showed that more than 18,500 students transferred to Ohio's four-year universities, including nearly 7,000 from out-of-state schools. Another 14,000 students transferred to a two-year public community or technical college, in- Tattoo parlours. Martini lounges. Mosh pits.
Modern culture is way cool, and Cleveland Live's Alt. Cleveland is home to the hottest local clubs, bands, dives and doings from all over the Cleveland area. Tickle your computer keys and tap into the ultimate source of local subculture. Check out Alt. Cleveland today.
CLEVELAND www.cleveland.com Grapevine STUDENTS PLACE FIRST Three St. Ignatius High School freshmen recently placed first in the "Future Cleveland 2046 Competition" in competition with 100 other Greater Cleveland area schools. They are Colin McCabe, of Cleveland Heights, Doug Brofman, of Highland Heights, and Jim Kruzer, of Seven Hills. The challenge was to describe Cleveland after 2000 using software, writing an essay and giving an oral presentation. 12 Mail information about accomplishments of family, friends even yourself to The Plain Dealer, 1801 Cleveland 44114.
Or if you, prefer, you can use the Metro fax number: 999-6354. Please include your name, address and telephone number. 3 It's a new year! MAKE A FEW RESOLUTIONS! IN 1997 Participate in my curbside or dropoff recycling program. Donate usable items to charity. Bring less wasteful packaging home from the store.
Put all my recyclable cans, bottles and containers in see-through blue bags. Bundle and tie my newspapers and cardboard separately. Tie up branches, brush and wood in bundles no bigger than 3 feet long and 2 feet wide. Use strong garbage bags that won't tear. Use garbage containers that one person can lift.
Remove the lids and let old paint and varnish dry before I put the cans on the curb for pickup. Put my waste on the curb after 7 p.m. the night before' pickup, or before 7 a.m. on garbage day. Streamline Your Waste for a cleaner, greener Cleveland.
Michael R. White, Mayor. Ohio Funded Department by of the Natural Division of Resources, Recycling George and V. Litter Voinovich, Prevention, Governor. Recycle, City of Cleveland, Michael R.
White, Mayor. Chio! from the restaurant's safe, police said. No customers were in the restaurant at the time. The robber fled through a back door. Police said they did not know if he was alone or if there was a car and driver waiting for him.
The suspect was described as a black male about 5 feet 8, about 30 to 40 years old, with a build and wearing dark clothing. CLEVELAND TI VI.
