Nelsonville will host the "Fire and Ice Festival" for Final Friday on the Square, January 31, 2014 from 5 - 9 p.m.  On the final Friday of every month, the Nelsonville Historic Square galleries and retail shops stay open late to feature local art events.

For the first Final Friday of 2014, the Hocking College Culinary Arts program will again present Master Ice Carver Paul Ahrens, from Precise Ice Creations. Ahrens, Culinary Arts and Art students will carve blocks of ice located throughout the square weighing a total of 6,000 pounds or three tons of ice.  

Other "Fire and Ice" themed activities, including Bananas Foster flambé made on an ice table, will be ongoing throughout the square.  Complementary coffee, hot cocoa and fresh baked cookies will also be served. Culinary Students will offer big bowls of home-style chili, bean soup, vegetable soup and fresh warm bread for $2.00 in the Hocking College Art Gallery.

Final Friday will also include the kick-off of the ninth annual Hocking College Glass Invitational and first Ceramics Invitational. The Hocking College Art Gallery will host the Glass and Ceramics Invitational exhibition opening reception from 5 - 9 p.m. on January 31. The exhibition runs January 31 through March 14, 2014. The closing reception will be February 28 from 5 - 9 p.m.

Glass artists featured in the exhibition are Trey Snowden III, Kent State University graduate student; Emma Peterson, Kent State University graduate student; Andrew Newbold, artist in residence at The Works, Newark, OH; Angelina Moneir, recent graduate of Columbus College of Art and Design; and Jacci Delaney, Ohio State University graduate student.

Ceramic artists are Bonilyn Parker, Ohio University graduate student; Amy Douglas, Athens High School art teacher; Gwendolyn Yoppolo, current Ohio State University and former Ohio University teacher; Tom Bartel, Ohio University ceramics department chair; and Brad Schwieger, Ohio University ceramics professor.

Rhapsody, the Hocking College student-run fine dining restaurant located at 18 Public Square, is also taking reservations for the evening. The special "Fire and Ice" menu includes crab cakes, king crab legs and walleye plus carved local Angus beef, baked Alaska and Irish coffees. Contact Rhapsody at 740.753.5741 for reservations.

Students who need help with classes like Human Machine, Anatomy and Physiology or Human Organisms can come to the skull sessions for free tutoring, review, models, specimens and homework help. Skull sessions are held in DVD 323.

• Mondays: 10 - 11 a.m.   
• Tuesdays: 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
• Wednesday: 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
• Thursday: 10 - 11 a.m. and 3 - 4 p.m. 

"God's Will," the latest collection of poetry by Hocking College adjunct English faculty Scott Urban, has been published as part of a new line Mad Rush Books.  Far from a religious polemic, the collection features cutting-edge verse that examines loss, death, faith and, more rarely, redemption.      

Urban said, "Inspiration from my poems comes from a variety of sources - stories that friends tell me, items I read in the news and personal experiences. My imagination is caught by individuals in extreme situations, because I feel you get a glimpse of another's soul when you see how he or she reacts to the unexpected." The centerpiece of this collection is the multi-section title poem, which memorializes the victims of the 2006 West Virginia Sago mine disaster.  

"When I first read about what those miners endured - and their heroism in the face of soul-crushing horror - I knew right away I had to deal with it through my writing," Urban said.  "Both the best and the worst of humanity can be seen in this tragedy - fear, greed, hope, bravery and sacrifice."

The book is available at Athens Book Center and can be ordered through Lulu.com. Urban's previous collections include "Alight," "Skull-Job," and "Night's Voice."

Food donations are still needed and are being accepted for the student food pantry.

Collection boxes can be found throughout campus. Reverend Ed True of the Nelsonville Church of the Nazarene is responsible for the student food pantry, and is coordinating this ongoing food drive.

Electronic W-2 and 1098-T forms are now available through WebAdvisor. Employees and students/student employees who previously opted in to receive one or both of these forms electronically can access them now.  
 
If no electronic consent is given, printed forms will be mailed to the home address on file no later than January 31, 2014.

Ohio EPA is looking for college students who want challenging, meaningful summer jobs. An Ohio EPA internship is an opportunity to explore careers in the environmental field while working with experienced professionals.

The paid internships typically put students in the field with Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water staff sampling fish, macroinvertebrates or water chemistry in streams and rivers; collecting plants and soils in wetlands; conducting computer modeling; or assisting with permits and investigating storm water control measures.

Internships also are available in drinking and ground water, air pollution control, environmental services laboratory, law and information technology.

For information, go to the EPA Website or to Ohio EPA's internship Facebook page.

OUCU Financial Services can help with professional and affordable tax preparation services for both individuals and businesses.

Exclusive Tax Discount Offers include:

• $10 off tax preparation service when you schedule your appointment by February 28
• $25 off tax preparation service for any local business that is a first-time OUCU tax prep customer
• 10 percent off tax preparation service for Senior Associates' Club members 

Members can redeem CU Reward Bonus points for tax preparation services.

OUCU Financial Services department can prepare taxes for both members and nonmembers, so let friends and co-workers know that OUCU can help them, too! For questions or an appointment, contact Robert Payne, Manager of Accounting & Tax Services at 740.597.2800 or tax@oucu.org.

• Green Award - This will be given to recognize outstanding efforts from last semester in the area of education of sustainable, renewable and environmental issues or the implementation thereof.     
• "We are One Hocking" Award - This award will be given to recognize outstanding efforts from last semester in the area Cross-Cultural Education and/or community unification.
• Most Outstanding Contribution to Campus or Community Life - This award will be given to recognize a project which made a positive impact on campus or community life last semester. 

Please send nominations by e-mail to Giles Lee by 5 p.m. February 14. Nominations should include the name of the group or person nominated and a description of the project, which includes the date that the project took place. Feel fee to include photos, video, evaluations and references in the nomination e-mail. 

Scholarship Deadline Extended

On Wednesday, February 12, Hocking College will be hosting "Get it Together: Organize Your Financial Records," a free lunch and learn seminar presented by the Ohio University Credit Union. The seminar will include ways to keep your financial documents organized, what records you need to keep, and how long you need to keep them. 

All staff are invited to attend, and a free lunch will be provided. You do not need to be a member of the credit union to participate in the lunch and learn. Get more information about the seminar here. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Linda Deeds by noon on Wednesday, February 5, and include any special dietary restrictions you may have.

As a reminder, the Hocking College Board of Trustees will hold their monthly meeting Thursday, January 30, 2014 at 3 p.m. at the Inn at Hocking College.