UNT Risk Management Services informs the university community of a notice by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The DSHS is reminding swimmers and skiers to take precautions to avoid infection from Naegleria fowleri, an ameba assumed to be present in all rivers, lakes, ponds, tanks and streams.

The ameba can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, an infection of the brain. Though PAM is rare, it is almost always fatal.

The ameba thrives in warm, stagnant water but may be present in any body of fresh water. A combination of lower water levels, high temperatures and stagnant or slow-moving water may produce higher concentrations of the ameba.

Infection typically occurs when water containing the ameba is forced up the nose when diving or jumping into the water or when skiing. Initial symptoms of the infection include severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, nausea and vomiting.

The ameba does not live in salt water or in swimming pools and hot tubs that are properly cleaned, maintained and treated with chlorine.

DSHS offers these precautions to reduce the already low risk of infection:

• Never swim in stagnant water.
• Hold your nose or use nose clips when skiing, jet skiing or jumping into any water.
• Other dangers associated with lakes and rivers include diving into waters that are too shallow or that may hide rocks and debris. Never leave children unattended around water.

Nine cases of PAM have been reported in Texas since 2000, including one in 2008.

The UNT Libraries recently received an additional two-year grant of $399,790 to expand its digitization of historic Texas newspapers, with pages from as early as 1860 and as late as 1922 digitized, says Cathy Hartman, left, the UNT Libraries’ assistant dean for digital and information technologies. The UNT Libraries first received a two-year $397,552 grant from NEH in 2007. This allowed the Digital Projects Unit to digitize 108,000 pages of newspapers published in Texas.

The UNT Libraries is one of 22 state partners, and the only partner from Texas, to receive National Endowment for the Humanities funding to digitize newspapers from the late 1800s and early 1900s for the National Digital Newspaper Program, “Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.” In addition to providing those interested in Texas history with local perspectives of national news stories, such as the 1900 Galveston hurricane and World War I, Hartman says the 19th- and early 20th-century newspapers included human interest stories.

The UNT Libraries are also are a partner with the Oklahoma Historical Society, which received a $307,000 grant from NEH to make 100,000 pages of historical Oklahoma newspapers available to the National Digital Newspaper Project. The Digital Projects Unit will provide the technical expertise for the OHS, which has 85 percent of Oklahoma newspapers ever published on microfilm, Belden says.

“In 1844, the Cherokees published the Cherokee Advocate, which was the first newspaper in what is now Oklahoma,” she says. “Three newspapers existed in Indian Territory prior to the Civil War, related either to missions or tribal government, and 28 newspapers appeared between the war and 1889, the opening of the Unassigned Lands in the state to settlers. For the first time, these newspapers will be made available to the general public.”

The National Digital Newspaper Program, or NDNP, is a long-term effort from NEH and the Library of Congress to develop an Internet-based, searchable database of U.S. newspapers with select digitization of historic papers. NDNP will create a national digital resource of historically significant newspapers published between 1836 and 1922 in all 50 states and U.S. territories.

You likely have seen reports in the media about the recall of Nestle Toll House cookie dough products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, now has confirmed that E. coli has been found in samples of Nestle Toll House cookie dough that were tested. If you have any product, please return it to the store you purchased it from or dispose of it.

Since June 19, Nestle has voluntarily recalled close to 300,000 cases of its refrigerated cookie dough products made at their Danville, Va., plant. Health officials are still searching for how the cookie dough became infected with the bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, “As of Thursday, June 25, 2009, 69 persons infected with a strain of E. coli O157:H7 with a particular DNA fingerprint have been reported from 29 states.”

The Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers to discard any prepackaged, refrigerated Nestle Toll House cookie dough products, adding that cooking the dough is not recommended because of the chance consumers might transfer the bacteria from their hands to other cooking surfaces.

Nestle issued the following statement: “Nestle USA’s Baking Division has been informed by the Food and Drug Administration  that it has found E. coli 0157:H7 in Nestlé Toll House refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough. The product has a day code of 9041 and a "Best before 10 JUN 2009" notation.”

A detailed list of the recalled products can be found on the company’s website (www.nestleusa.com). Consumers also may contact Nestle Consumer Services at 800-559-5025.

Human Resources will host a series of employee education sessions about the new compensation program July 13-24. The series will focus on how the new compensation structure will be grounded in competencies required to successfully perform and develop as a UNT employee. A previous session discussed job titles and career bands.

Staff employees are encouraged to attend and supervisors should ensure that their employees are able to attend one of the scheduled sessions.

Managers, supervisors and any other administrators who supervise regular staff (part-time and full-time) will be required to attend one of the sessions. Supervisory roles are those that have official, formal management responsibility of other staff positions (hiring, performance reviews, salary decisions, etc.). They do not include positions that oversee students, hourly positions, or serve in a lead worker or back-up capacity.

The Staff Classification and Compensation project webpage will be updated with FAQs resulting from these educational sessions. Additionally, there is a link on this webpage to submit questions regarding the compensation program. 

Here is a schedule for the July 13-24 sessions. Employees only need to attend one. Online registration is required through the Human Resources website. (Continue to the page, despite the disclaimer.)
Employees without access to online registration may call 940-565-4246 or 940-565-3885 to register.

• July 13 - Videoconference: Chilton 245, Dallas Campus 222, Health Science Center LIB 3-104; 9-10am
• July 14 - Eagle Student Services Center 255, 10-11 a.m.
• July 15 - Eagle Student Services Center 255, 11-12 p.m.
• July 16 - Eagle Student Services Center 255, 2-3 p.m.
• July 17 - Eagle Student Services Center 255, 3-4 p.m.
• July 20 - Eagle Student Services Center 255, 9-10 a.m.
• July 21 - Discovery Park B185, 10-11 a.m.
• July 22 - Eagle Student Services Center 255, 11-12 p.m.
• July 23 - Eagle Student Services Center 255, 2-3 p.m.
• July 24 - Marquis 118, 3-4 p.m.