Â鶹ÒùÔº

A nationally known comedian and a Navajo code-talker are among the featured guests for the University of Colorado at Boulder's celebration of Native American Awareness Week, April 15-19. Comedian Charlie Hill, a veteran of six NBC Tonight Show appearances, will present a 7 p.m. show in the University Memorial Center's multipurpose room April 15. Recognized as one of America's best American Indian comics, Hill doesn't shy away from discussing issues and stereotypes in his sets.

The University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law will hold its 21st Annual Alumni Awards Banquet on April 13 at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. The ceremony, which will honor alumni for "distinguished achievement," begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner and the presentation of awards an hour later. Dean Hal Bruff will open the program and Larry C. Smith ('96), chair of the Law Alumni Board, will be the master of ceremonies. Following are this year's recipients:

A photography exhibition, "Hanoi and its Painters," featuring the work of Ronald Bernier, professor of art history at the University of Colorado at Boulder, will be on display at the Boulder Public Library April 14 through May 8. The exhibit will be held in conjunction with a public symposium on South and Southeast Asian Art highlighting the research and work of nationally and internationally renowned scholars on April 17-18 at the Fiske Planetarium and the University Memorial Center.

Lewis M. Branscomb, professor emeritus of Harvard University, will lecture on "Government-University Partnership in the Era of Catastrophic Terrorism" on Thursday, April 18, at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The talk will begin at 3:30 p.m. in room 140 of the Cristol Chemistry and Biochemistry Building. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is part of the 40th anniversary celebration of JILA, a joint institute of CU-Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which Branscomb co-founded.

The U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, informed the University of Colorado at Boulder's chancellor last week that CU's athletic department has satisfactorily met the Corrective Action Agreement provision on recruitment expenditures for men's and women's teams and no further reporting is required.

Editors: Reporters may attend the workshops free of charge. For more information call Jeannie Patton at (303) 492-1288. The Natural Resources Law Center at the CU-Boulder School of Law will host a series of five workshops beginning in April and running through mid-September designed to help individuals and state and federal officials understand the complexities of the Endangered Species Act. Called "Living with the Endangered Species Act in Colorado," the series will explore the ecological challenges facing Colorado as it continues to grow.

The University of Colorado at Boulder Leeds School of Business will host an accounting conference featuring speakers from the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business April 12-14. The conference, at Cross Creek Resort in Frisco, Colo., will examine the importance of accounting and tax information in decisions made by investors and managers.

Fiske Planetarium and Sommers-Bausch Observatory at the University of Colorado at Boulder will hold Astronomy Day activities including rocket launches, sunspot viewing and demonstrations of planetarium and observatory equipment on Saturday, April 20, from noon to 7 p.m. Astronomy Day is an annual event celebrated at planetariums and astronomy clubs around the world that is meant to bring astronomy to the public. All of the day's activities at Fiske Planetarium and Sommers-Bausch Observatory are open to the public and most are free.

Richard Rodriguez, award-winning author and regular essayist on the "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," will discuss what he calls the "browning of America" April 19 at 7 p.m. in room 100 of the Mathematics Building at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Rodriguez also will speak April 20 at 7 p.m. at the Denver Public Library conference center, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway. Both events are free and open to the public and both will be preceded by a reception and book signing at 6 p.m. Books will be available for purchase at both events.

Three University of Colorado at Boulder graduate school specialty programs were ranked in the top 10 in the nation in the annual U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings released today. CU-Boulder's atomic, molecular, optical and plasma physics program was ranked 2nd in the nation, the physical chemistry program was ranked 7th and the environmental law program was ranked 9th.