COLLEGE STUDENTS MUST START JOB SEARCH EARLIER: A tight job market means college seniors must start their job search as soon as possible. While the sluggish economy has forced many companies to reduce recruiting on college campuses, good jobs are still to be found if students start early, said Jeannine Harrold, Career Center director. Contact her at jharrold@bsu.edu or (765) 285-2422.

RESEARCH FINDS ORIGINS OF FURNITURE EXHIBIT: The mysterious origins of a Depression-era miniature furniture collection was recently discovered in a college thesis. The paper pinpointed a long-forgotten Evansville factory as the manufacturer of a miniature furniture collection now on display at Bracken Library. For more information about "WPA Miniature Furniture: Artisan Products of the Depression Era," contact Diane Hill, media librarian, at (765) 285-5333.

UNIVERSITY JOINS GLOBAL COMMUNICATION EXCHANGE PROGRAM: Ball State students in several communication-related fields will study in Germany as part of the first global communication collaboration between American and German colleges and broadcasters. The program is a partnership between Ball State and the University of Memphis with two German universities, the largest broadcast company in Europe and the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt. Students may study at a partner university at their regular tuition cost and also participate in an internship program. For more information, contact Scott Olson, dean of the College of Communication, Information and Media at solson@bsu.edu or (765) 285-6000.

PANEL REVIEWING MATERIALS FROM CHARTER SCHOOL GROUPS: Thirty-six parties have submitted proposals in hopes of starting charter schools next fall. Ball State is the first state university to formally begin the sponsorship process under legislation approved by the Indiana General Assembly. A Ball State panel will present its feedback on the proposals next month. For more information, contact Roy Weaver, dean of Teachers College, at rweaver@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5251.

ENERGY DRINKS POPULAR WITH AMERICA'S YOUTH: With names like Venom, Whoopass, Red Bull and Adrenaline Rush, energy drinks are being sold by the millions to youngsters looking for a quick boost of energy. Many energy drinks are using large doses of caffeine and other legal stimulants including guarana, taurine and ginseng. Little research has been done to determine if energy drinks are helpful or harmful, says David Pearson, a Human Performance Laboratory researcher. He may be reached at dpearson@bsu.edu or (765) 285-1143.

UNIVERSITIES HELP STUDENTS WITH CAREER PLANNING: College career centers are not the "job shops" many graduates of the 1970s or 1980s may remember. Ball State's Career Center focuses on teaching students about career planning and management, says Jeannine Harrold, center director of Indiana's only comprehensive, centralized career center at a public university. For more information, contact Harrold at jharrold@bsu.edu or (765) 285-2420.

TEAM APPROACH TO SALES CATCHING ON: Companies are creating teams of salespeople to handle territories instead of putting a single person in an area. The team approach allows companies to match the skills of a particular salesperson with the needs of an organization, says Ramon Avila, director of the Professional Selling Institute. Contact him at ravila@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5189.

BUSINESSES MUST ADDRESS PR NEEDS BEFORE A CRISIS: America's 24-hour, instant news society has left many corporations struggling to address their public relations needs. Many organizations do not respond to public relations management until forced to do so by a crisis, leaving them at the mercy of television cameras and reporters, says Melvin Sharpe, a public relations professor. Contact him at msharpe@bsu.edu or (765) 285-8215.

ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION IMPROVES PARENTING: The best way to engage young children in conversation about school activities is by knowing their schedules and asking about a particular item. If show and tell is on the agenda, parents can ask what a certain child brought, usually unleashing a torrent of information, says Theresa Kruczek, a psychology professor. Contact her at tkruczek@bsu.edu or  (765) 285-8040.

TELEVISION RATINGS DOWN FOR REALITY PROGRAMMING: Reality shows were the rage among television viewers last year with "Survivor," "Temptation Island" and other programs drawing millions of viewers. So far in the current television season, ratings have cooled. The downward trend was expected because the genre was hot for such a long time, says Dom Caristi, a telecommunications professor. He may be reached at dcaristi@bsu.edu or (765) 285-1493.

ECONOMY NOT AS BAD AS OCTOBER'S JOB REPORT INDICATES: The nation's economy was belted in October by the worst U.S. labor market performance in more than two decades. About 415,000 people lost jobs, increasing the unemployment rate by a half percent. However, the reluctance of consumers to travel must be considered temporary, says Patrick Barkey, director of the Bureau of Business Research. Contact him at pbarkey@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5926.

MALLS, RETAILERS TO SOOTHE SHOPPERS: Expect malls and retail store management to add soothing music, larger varieties of comfortable clothing and televisions with seating areas to help counter stress caused by heightened security measures, says James Lowry, a retail industry analyst. For more information, contact him at jlowry@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5180.

SALES FORCES BECOMING MORE AUTOMATED: Data collecting by sales people in the field is becoming almost as important as their selling skills. Hand-held organizers and laptop computers are becoming commonplace as companies try to obtain as much information as possible on clients to increase productivity, says Ramon Avila, director of the Professional Selling Institute. Contact him at ravila@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5189.

WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS: The Building Employment Skills Together (BEST), a federally funded workforce training program, has been so successful that it has become a national model. The community project nearly tripled its goal by training 2,700 unemployed and underemployed local residents. In doing so, BEST has been nominated for a Best Practice Award by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For more information, contact Stephanie Huffman, Center for Organizational Resources, at (765) 285-2771 or shuffman@bsu.edu.

LOWER PRICES MAY LURE SHOPPERS THIS CHRISTMAS: The economic slowdown may cause retailers to slash prices to entice shoppers to the malls in the coming weeks. Consumers can expect deep price cuts in response to fears that retail holiday sales may fall short of expectations, said James Lowry, a retail industry analyst. Sales may grow by 1.5 to 2.5 percent over last year's holiday sales as compared to the 4 percent growth predicted just a few months ago. Contact Lowry at jlowry@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5180.

SALES JOBS STILL PLENTIFUL DESPITE SLOWING ECONOMY: As long as people buy groceries or need to fill prescriptions, sales people will have plenty of jobs. A slowing economy has forced many corporations to scale back sales forces, but certain industries are still growing, says Ramon A. Avila, director of the Professional Selling Institute. Contact him at ravila@bsu.eduor (765) 285-5189.

BLIZZARDS COST MILLIONS ANNUALLY: Consumers should be ready to shell out money to prepare for the annual blast of winter, spending millions on shovels, coats, snow removal and storm-related damage. A typical winter yields about 11 blizzards that create about $551 million in property damage and $26 million in crop damage, says Robert Schwartz, a winter weather expert. Contact him at rmschwartz@bsu.edu or (765) 285-1761.

ECONOMIC POTHOLE AHEAD: As the national economy slips into what may prove to be a brief recession, it's clear America is still not up to the challenge of avoiding economic downturns. Government and business officials have learned a few policy rules to help limit the damage. Providing the economy with liquidity, protecting the integrity of financial institutions and assisting movements of capital out of failing industries and into healthy ones are only a few of the many lessons painfully learned from the past, says Patrick Barkey, director of the Bureau of Business Research. He may be reached at pbarkey@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5926.

PEOPLE WON'T STOP EATING OUT, RESTAURANT EXPERT SAYS: Anthrax, terrorism and economic uncertainty won't keep people from eating out. Lois Altman, who directs the food management program, says upscale restaurants may see fewer business travelers following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but fast-food establishments will prosper. For more information, contact her at (765) 285-5956 or laltman@bsu.edu.