N.C. State Superintendent of Public Instruction June St. Clair Atkinson will be guest speaker at the Dec. 16 commencement. More than 800 undergraduate students and 240 graduate students have applied for graduation. A ceremony for graduates of the Reich College of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences will be held at 10 a.m. the Holmes Convocation Center. A ceremony for graduates of the Walker College of Business, the College of Fine and Applied Arts, and the Hayes School of Music will begin at 2 p.m. at the Holmes Center. Atkinson will speak at both ceremonies.

Peggy Ellis (PS/CJ staff) has been approved to participate in the Voluntary Shared Leave Program. To donate vacation time (minimum four hours), send a letter or e-mail to Vicky Greene in Human Resource Services (greenevb@appstate.edu). Please include your Banner ID number. The deadline to donate leave is Monday, Dec. 17.

The BFA Senior Studio Exhibition: Fall 2007 will be on display through Dec. 14 in Catherine J. Smith in Farthing Auditorium. The exhibition includes works by nine candidates for the bachelor’s of fine arts degree in studio art. Works in this show are composed of a variety of media including painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, video, fibers, sculpture, and mixed media. A reception for the artists will be held Dec. 14 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the gallery.

A former Appalachian student and Boone native passed away during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend from injuries sustained in an automobile crash. The student and his family were occupants of a vehicle that was hit by an impaired driver traveling at a high rate of speed on Highway 105 in Boone. The victim was the brother of a current Appalachian student who was also in the car. The holiday season and month of December is a high-risk time for impaired driving. In response to this tragedy and in recognition of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, please encourage the students in your classrooms or organizations to commit to a safe holiday season and a safe 2008 by taking the university’s Prevent Impaired Driving Pledge located at www.wellness.appstate.edu.

Appalachian reserves the right to cancel or delay classes during severe weather conditions. The Office of Public Affairs, or its designee, has the responsibility for publicizing the decision to cancel or delay classes. Every effort will be made to reach such a decision by 6:30 a.m. of the affected day. The information will be disseminated via the ASU home page, AppalNet, campus e-mail, and local radio and regional TV stations able to report the university’s status in sufficient detail (e.g., the expectations for staff members or the time until which classes are being delayed). A copy of the adverse weather policy is available at www.policy.appstate.edu/weatherpolicy.html