Purdue Best Bets
December 5, 1997
JOURNALISTS: Here are three story ideas and newsworthy Purdue events during the next
two weeks.
Try accessories, not animals, for the holidays
Instead of surprising your friends or family with a new pet this holiday season, a
Purdue animal expert suggests being a little more creative. Andrew Luescher says
many people give pets as surprise gifts, but often those animals end up in shelters.
He recommends putting an accessory such as a collar, leash or water dish under the tree to
symbolize the gift. "An IOU is much safer when buying pets," Luescher says. "Pets
are a long-term commitment, and people generally want to be in on the decision about
which animal will be living in their home." He also says holiday schedules and December
weather are not the best for house training a new pet. Luescher also recommends prepurchased
counseling as a gift to make sure the potential pet owner is ready for ownership. Luescher is a Purdue veterinarian and board-certified animal behaviorist. CONTACT:
Luescher, (765) 494-1107; e-mail, luescher@vet.purdue.edu
Purdue expert to appeal to Serbian scholars
Purdue history Professor Charles Ingrao will fly to Belgrade on Tuesday, Dec. 9, to
attend the annual congress of the Serbian Academy of Sciences & Arts. He'll make
two presentations: one on nationalism and ethnic conflict in central Europe, the
other an appeal to the Serbian scholars to confront the evidence of genocide as part of the
recent conflict. Ingrao is the only American invited to attend the congress. He says
the Serbian Academy, a scholarly group, is widely credited with having inspired the
radical Serbian nationalism in 1987 that caused Yugoslavia's bloody breakup. Ingrao also
will visit former war zones in Croatia (eastern Slavonia) and Bosnia, and meet with
U.S. and international officials. He will return home the evening of Dec. 22. CONTACT: Ingrao, (765) 494-8385;
e-mail, ingrao@vm.cc.purdue.edu
Expert: Government approval of irradiation good news
The Food and Drug Administration's approval of the use of irradiation to control disease-causing
microorganisms in meat products is good news, says a Purdue expert. "It's really
hard to process raw meat without getting some contamination on it, but if it's irradiated, the bacteria are killed," says April Mason, Purdue Cooperative Extension
Service assistant director and a foods and nutrition specialist. "Irradiation is
one more safety precaution. It's not in lieu of other safety precautions, such as
proper cooking, but irradiation destroys the organism before it reaches the consumer." The
FDA reviewed studies on the effect of irradiation on a wide variety of meat products
and concluded that irradiation is safe and does not compromise the nutritional value
of treated products. CONTACT: Mason, (765) 494-8252.
Events
Saturday, Dec. 13.
The Purdue University Black Cultural Center is the site of a community Kwanzaa Celebration
at 5 p.m. in the BCC Formal Lounge, 315 University St. Kwanzaa is the only nonheroic,
nonreligious African-American holiday. The celebration will consist of Karamu (feast), the acknowledgment of the Nguzo Saba (the seven principles of Kwanzaa) and
the circle of Kuumba (creativity). Contact: Frank Walker, BCC assistant director,
(765) 494-3092.
Sunday, Dec. 21.
Purdue will conduct commencement ceremonies in Elliott Hall of Music at 1:30 p.m.
and 5 p.m. President Steven C. Beering and Alumni Association President D. Charles
Boonstra will address students. Students in the schools of education, liberal arts,
management, pharmacy, nursing, health science and technology will graduate at 1:30 p.m.
Students in the schools of agriculture, consumer and family sciences, engineering,
science and veterinary medicine will graduate at 5 p.m. Journalists who want to cover
the ceremonies will need tickets and should reserve space for camera equipment. Contact:
Roy A. Johnson, associate registrar, (765) 494-6163.
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
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