Appreciate Your Custodian -- In honor of National Housekeepers Appreciation Week, Oct. 19 through Oct. 23, the university will honor its custodial staff. Stop by any departmental office, Merryman, Wolman or AMR2 to meet the custodial staff and enjoy free popcorn. To identify a building's custodians, contact Megeen Thomas at 410-516-8931.

Fall Open House -- The School of Nursing will host a fall Open House on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Anne M. Pinkard Building, 525 N. Wolfe St. The open house is intended for students interested in undergraduate, master's, post-master's, doctoral and certificate nursing programs. In addition to seminar panels, representatives from faculty, admissions, financial aid and the student body will be available, as will literature about the Johns Hopkins University Peace Corps Fellows Program. Refreshments and tours of the new School of Nursing building will be offered.

For more information, contact the Office of Admissions and Student Services at 410-955-7548.

Graduate Student Fellowships -- Applications are invited from graduate students wishing to participate in the Seminar in Italian Studies at the Charles S. Singleton Center for Italian Studies at the Villa Spelman, Florence, in the spring semester of 1999.

Students from all departments in the humanities are welcome to apply, providing they can demonstrate a need to spend a period of residence in Italy for successful completion of the Ph.D. They should have completed all requirements except for the dissertation by the time they arrive in Florence. They are expected to remain until the end of June. Students will receive a fellowship and travel allowance, but tuition is not covered.

Eligible students should apply to Elizabeth Cropper, director of the Villa Spelman, c/o the Department of the History of Art, 268 Mergenthaler on the Homewood campus, by Friday, Oct. 16. A one-page statement from the applicant describing his or her research, with a brief letter of recommendation from the student's supervisor testifying to the completion (or plans for completion) of other requirements, should also be included. Successful applicants will be notified as soon as possible.

Flu Shots -- Healthy college students usually recover from influenza without complications. However, students who feel they are in the high-risk category (individuals with lung disease, heart disease, severe asthma, diabetes or other chronic illnesses), or who simply wish to reduce the risk of acquiring influenza infection, may call the Student Health and Wellness Center at 410-516-8270 to schedule an appointment to receive the 1998-99 influenza virus vaccine.

Contraindications to receiving the current vaccine are limited to severe allergies to eggs and acute febrile illness. In the case of the latter, vaccination should be deferred until the illness has resolved. The optimal time to obtain a flu shot is mid-October, to allow adequate time (usually two to four weeks) for the necessary antibodies to develop. There will be a $5 charge for the vaccine.

Community Service Grants -- The Alumni Association's Community Service Grant Program provides funding to support students who create their own ventures in cooperation with existing volunteer organizations. Past projects, in all divisions of the university, have included Teach Baltimore and Hands to the Homeless. The program was designed to provide learning experiences for Hopkins students and to foster positive relationships between the university and its surrounding communities. For more information and for applications, call Rebecca Barnes in the Office of Alumni Relations at 410-516-0363. Applications for spring 1998 funding are due Dec. 1; summer and fall applications are due April 15.

Student Services Funding -- Created by the Alumni Association to promote the overall student experience in all eight academic divisions, the Student Services Funding Program supports student activities, events and programs. The committee encourages those programs that involve many students and, when possible, students from multiple divisions.

For detailed information and applications, contact any of the following: Doug Warren, Arts and Sciences Alumni Office, 410-516-8722; Suzanne Foley, Engineering Alumni Office, 410-516-8723; Claudia Nichols, Continuing Studies Alumni Office, 410-516-7188; Rebecca Barnes, Office of Alumni Relations, 410-516-6333; Bill Tiefenwerth, Office of Volunteer Services, 410-516-4777. Applications for spring 1999 funding are due Dec. 1; for summer and fall 1999, April 15.