Purdue Best Bets

November 20, 1998 JOURNALISTS: Here are some story ideas and selected Purdue events during the next two weeks. There will be no Best Bets next week because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Monster Christmas tree goes up Dec. 3 Purdue physical facilities staff will erect a donated tree in the Great Hall of the Purdue Memorial starting about 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 3. Lafayette Heating and Cooling, 525 N. 13th St., is donating the 30-foot blue spruce. The tree is traditionally the largest indoor, natural tree in Indiana, and it's always a struggle to get it through the Union's doors. The tree-raising is the first of a series of holiday-related events sponsored by the Purdue Memorial Union and the Purdue Student Union Board. CONTACTS: Debbie Anderson, assistant director for program services at the union and PSUB adviser, (765) 494-8909; Mark Roberts, Lafayette Heating and Cooling, (765) 423-4822. Consumers can overdose on catalogs Along with bills and holiday cards, catalogs take up a lot of space in mailboxes from now through December. But Richard Feinberg, professor of consumer sciences and retailing, says that by-mail retailers might do better sending a catalog that has a lot of impact rather than sending a lot of catalogs. "Customers appear to reach a point of information overload with regard to catalogs. Too many, and they stop purchasing from them," he says. Feinberg says most households receive more than 150 catalogs a year. Research at the Purdue Retail Institute shows that while no one company is sending too many, the cumulative effort of many companies may be discouraging consumers from shopping. CONTACT: Feinberg, (765) 494-8301, xdj1@purdue.edu Events Tuesday, Nov. 24. Fred Lytle, professor of chemistry and the 1996 Indiana Professor of the Year, conducts a "Conversation About Teaching" at 3:30 p.m. in the East and West Faculty Lounges, Purdue Memorial Union. This presentation is sponsored by the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs as part of the Focus on Teaching Lecture Series so that award-winning Purdue faculty can share their creative approaches to teaching. CONTACT: George Van Scoyoc, associate executive vice president for academic affairs, (765) 494-0608, e-mail, gevanscoyoc@evpaa.purdue.edu Saturday, Dec. 5. Purdue Student Union Board will sponsor Breakfast With Santa from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on the ground floor of the Purdue Memorial Union. The Union Market will feature breakfast specials during the event. CONTACT: Emily Zauss, PSUB director of cultural events, (765) 494-8976, e-mail, psub@purdue.edu Friday-Sunday, Dec. 11-13. PMO Christmas Show. Elliott Hall of Music. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday; noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday. CONTACT: Amy Page Christiansen, PMO assistant director, (765) 494-3947; e-mail, apc@purdue.edu Saturday, Dec. 12. Women of Vision, a student organization, will conduct a Kwanzaa celebration at 3 p.m. at the Black Cultural Center, 315 University St. The celebration will include symbolic presentations of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, musical performances and traditional African-American foods. CONTACT: Johnette Gore, president, Women of Vision, (765) 496-5144. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page