University of Nebraska student Adam Beal, left, speaks with an employer during Tuesday's Career Fair. Photo: Charlie Litton, NewsNetNebraska

Adam Beal didn't know what to expect when he walked into the two large rooms at the University Nebraska-Lincoln Union Tuesday afternoon. The Nebraska freshman had only a vague idea about what to expect at the Fall Career Fair, but he knew he wanted answers even if the questions themselves were sometimes elusive.

Most of the students and job seekers in attendance look more seasoned, and they arrive dressed to play the part of a prized prospect—professional dresses, suits, ties and jackets, all with polished resumes in hand-and wearing that certain look of anxiety that washes over just before sliding under the microscope of a potential employer. Beal took the opposite approach, interviewing 16 different employers for what they had to offer a newly minted college student with less than eight weeks of classes under his belt.

"I'm looking to see what's out there for actuarial sciences," the 17-year-old Waldorf, Md., native said, "because I have no idea what kind of job I'll be getting ... Honestly, I've been thinking about switching majors, so I want to see what's out there."

The employees of Fringe and Tassel are (From left) Paul Pearson, Phyllis Spahn and Ward Lewis.

Photo: Andrew Lamberson, NewsNetNebraska

Sandra Hernandez Frantz, co-owner of Drac's Place, 601 Calvert Street, said that although she has noticed consistent sales from year to year, especially on the store's Web site, she thinks people will be frugal this October.

She's probably right. The National Retail Federation estimates that people will spend an average of $56.31 on Halloween this year, down more than $10 - or 15 percent - from last year's $66.54.

To see what the Lincoln costume store owners have to say click here.

Julia McQuillan, an associate professor of sociology at UNL, helped lead a study that analyzed how women of different races viewed health care. Photo: Katie Steiner, NewsNetNebraska

More than 4,500 25- to 45-year-old women nationwide were surveyed for the research, which was conducted by UNL's Bureau of Sociological Research and the Survey Research Center at Penn State University. The women were asked questions about their race, ethnicity, demographics, health status and access to health care.

The study, which was published in the April edition of the health journal Family Medicine, is believed to be the first of its kind to focus on patients' perceptions of how feeling cared for by their doctors relates to race and ethnicity.