The Yellow Sheet 2003March 13, 2003 | Volume 35, Number 22

News & Announcements

North Central Association Accreditation Visit... A team of 5 consultant-evaluators from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools will be on campus March 24-26 as part of the college's comprehensive evaluation. Accreditation is a collegewide affair. The visiting team will evaluate the institution as a whole, not particular departments, divisions, or units. The team's goal is to see the big picture, to understand how what we do and what we are responsible for fits into the mission and goals of the college. The team will see if the college fulfills the criteria for accreditation, evaluate effectiveness as an institution, and make suggestions for improving as an institution.

The most recent comprehensive evaluation took place in 1992-93 and resulted in a 10-year continuation of the college's accreditation. This is a normal process and Gustavus has been fully accredited for more than 85 years. During the past 2 years, a committee of faculty and administrators, with the help of many individuals and offices, has compiled a self-study which provides a detailed look at how the college meets the criteria for accreditation. That self-study, along with a detailed memo about the accreditation process, is available to the campus community online at http://gustavus.edu/president/nca/index.cfm. A printed copy is on reserve in the library and has also been sent to department chairs and a variety of administrators who can share it with others in their areas. A version with larger print can be obtained from Eric Eliason (eliason@gustavus.edu). Community members will have several opportunities to speak with consultant-evaluators, and a schedule of interviews and open meetings is forthcoming. In that sense, the community conversations that we had on Valentine's Day were a good preparation for this visit.

Whatever your role in the community -- staff, student, faculty, administrator -- you have ideas and information about how your work and activities fit and contribute to the college's mission and goals. This accreditation visit will be a good chance for you to explain your understanding of the big picture and for the consultant-evaluators to evaluate the coherence of the many different activities and initiatives that take place on campus.

• The accreditation review will not tell us how we "rank" in comparison to other schools. While the consultant-evaluators will identify institutional strengths and weaknesses, they will not tell us how we stand in competition with "peer institutions." Nor will they form conclusions about which are the "best" departments and programs at the college.
• The consultant-evaluators will not settle internal disputes and disagreements. The consultant-evaluators will want to know how we discuss issues and reach decisions and they may make observations about the strengths and weaknesses of those processes, but they will not try to replace our processes and judgments with their own.

International Ed Note... John Cha will serve as Director of International Education for a 2- to 3-year term, effective July 1, 2003. Cha will continue to teach some courses in the Department of Religion.

And the Winners Are... The Office of Public Relations received excellent response in its recent internal communication survey. The results will be published in this newsletter when all information has been tabulated. Winners of the $25 Book Mark gift certificates are Christina Gripentrog, Nancy Hanway, Julie McDevitt, and Jennifer Pallas.

Gustavus Receives Award... The college, along with the public relations firm Padilla Speer Beardsley, recently won a Minnesota chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Classics Award at the state PRSA banquet. The 2001 Nobel Conference XXXVII -- The Second Nobel Century received the 2002 Media Relations (Government/NonProfit) award. More information on the award is at http://www.mnprsa.com/news.cfm?newsItem=77. In its 25th year, the Classics awards are 1 of the nation's premier public relations recognition programs.

Ovanlig Nominations due March 24... Assistance is needed to identify students who would be appropriate recipients of the 2003 Ovanlig Award. The primary purpose of this endowed award of $500 is to provide encouragement and financial support to young men and women who desire a Gustavus education. It is intended that the recipient of the award be a Gustavus student of junior or senior standing and have demonstrated leadership in raising campus awareness of gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender rights and concerns. Anyone who knows of students who fit the criteria highlighted above should forward names to Assistant Dean of Students Patti Kelly (pkelly@gustavus.edu) by March 24. Junior and senior Gustavus students may self nominate by stopping by the Office of the Dean of Students to pick up the Ovanlig Award application.

Dance Concert Tickets on Sale Now... Tickets are now on sale at the ticket center for a dance concert to be presented at 8 p.m. March 21 and 22 and at 2 p.m. March 23 in Anderson Theatre.

COST-CUTTING RESPONSES:

Answer: As the inventory of decorations from previous Christmas in Christ Chapel celebrations grew large, it was decided a year ago to sell or give away decorations to the first people who asked about them. For several years now we have donated to the elementary schools/senior high school many of the trees, poinsettias, and other decorations for holiday music programs in December. The 2002 decorations, the stars, are being sold on a first-come basis (sold-out) with the funds being directed back to the budget to defray program costs.
-Dean Wahlund

Question/Suggestion: Invite the campus community to attend the final rehearsal for Christmas in Christ Chapel, held during the day. This would allow more seating for the weekend performances, which then could be sold to the paying audience.

Answer: Christmas in Christ Chapel was created in 1973 as a worship celebration for the campus community. As popularity grew from outside the campus, it was decided to add performances and charge for the event. A Christmas in Christ Chapel committee was established and, currently, it is chaired by Chaplain Brian Johnson, the artistic director, and Gregory Aune, music director, and conductors of the choral organizations, the orchestra, brass ensembles, and chapel bells, dance directors, and public relations staff (news, publications, and special events). As performances were added (now 5 over the 1st weekend in December), discussions began on how much rehearsal time would be needed. With the end of the semester and finals period (usually) falling a week after Christmas in Christ Chapel, it was agreed, in consultation with the Dean of Faculty, that the directors be as judicious as possible with the rehearsal schedule, thus giving the student musicians ample time for studying and classroom preparations. Given the time constraints, the committee has felt that Thursday night is a dress rehearsal and not a 6th performance for the nearly 1,200 complimentary ticket holders (the Gustavus community). Certainly the addition of a Friday afternoon performance would seriously interrupt student class time.
-Dean Wahlund

Question/Suggestion: Encourage those traveling for the college to stay with family and friends rather than at hotels by offering to reimburse up to $50 for a meal or gift certificate.

Answer: Gift Planning staff already take seriously the invitations of family and friends to stay with them rather than paying for a hotel. In most cases, this is done with little or no cost to the college, although staff members have been known to include those with whom they stay in an evening meal at a cost less than $50. Staff who travel as part of their job use hotel space as an office, phone booth, and computer/report station. This is rarely convenient or possible when staying in a private home. In addition, field staff fill time on the road with appointments into the evening, and their day often begins early in the morning. Imposing such a schedule on a private household is difficult.
-Steve Hogberg

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Chapel Schedule... All are invited to the worship services at 10 a.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m. Sundays in Christ Chapel. The upcoming schedule is as follows:

• March 14 -- Building Bridges;
• March 16 -- 2nd Sunday in Lent, Chaplain Rachel Larson;
• March 17 -- Andy Odden, Peer Assistants;
• March 18 -- Carolyn O'Grady, Psalm 22:1-5;
• March 19 -- Lenten Liturgy;
• March 20 -- Chaplain Rachel Larson, Mark 10:32-34;
• March 21 -- Student Senate Induction; and
• March 23 -- 3rd Sunday in Lent, Chaplain Brian Johnson.

Wellstone Dedication and Benefit Concert Saturday... As part of Saturday's Building Bridges Conference, a ceremony to honor the late Senator Paul Wellstone will be held at 6 p.m. in Alumni Hall. Nobel prize winner Oscar Arias Sanchez will speak at the ceremony, as will friends and family of Wellstone. The observance will include the dedication of a bronze bust of Wellstone created by Paul Granlund (retired sculptor-in-residence). Also, a music video prepared by singer/songwriter Mason Jennings will be presented, showcasing Jennings' song "Ballad of Paul and Sheila." This ceremony is free and open to the public. An 8 p.m. benefit concert will follow, featuring The Big Wu and Shannon McNally in Lund Arena. Tickets are $10. Proceeds will benefit CADA House and the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center.

Haydn Music Presentation Sunday... Josef Haydn's Seven Last Words of Christ will be presented as a candle light Lenten service at 7 p.m. March 16 in Christ Chapel. This 2nd annual performance will be conducted and coached by Warren Friesen, the Gustavus String Orchestra, and 5 student string quartets from the orchestra's membership. This Lenten presentation is free and open to the public.

Poetry Reading Monday... Poet Gwen Hart and award-winning fiction writer Roger Hart will read from their work at a poetry and fiction reading at 7 p.m. March 17 in the Courtyard Cafe. Gwen is author of Losing Ohio, a compilation of poems, and Roger, winner of the 2000 George Garrett Fiction Prize, is author of Erratics, a collection of short stories. Gwen is currently working on an M.F.A. in creative writing at Minnesota State University-Mankato and is the associate editor of the Mankato Poetry Review. Roger is also an M.F.A. student in creative writing at Minnesota State University-Mankato. His short story, titled "My Stuff," will appear in the anthology Dumped along with other accomplished fiction writers. The public is invited to attend this free event sponsored by the Department of English.

Food Share Project Starts Monday... The Student Athlete Advisory Board and the Community Service Center is sponsoring a non-perishable food donation drop-off in the Evelyn Young Dining Room March 17-21. March is the Greater Minnesota Food Share Month, and all donations will be given to the St. Peter Area Foodshelf. Also, during March only, the foodshelf will earn purchasing credit at the St. Paul Foodshelf based on how much is collected, by weight and monetary donations. Items in high demand include canned fruits and juices, cake mixes, cooking oil, sugar and flour (5-pound bags), soups, cereal, apple sauce, macaroni and cheese, pasta, jelly, jam, biscuit mix, spam, beef stew, tomato juice, peanut butter, crackers, canned spaghetti, tuna, pudding mix, Jell-O, canned chili, bar soap, deodorant, shampoo, bathroom tissue, paper towels, laundry and dish soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and kleenex. For more information, contact Robbi Palombi (rpalombi@gustavus.edu or 934-5695.)

Employee Meeting March 20... A meeting for all employees will be held at 1 p.m. March 20 in Alumni Hall. Discussion will be held on a number of issues, including budget, financial aid, work-study, and enrollment.

Talk Shop March 21... Suzanne Wilson (sociology and anthropology) will present the next Faculty Shop Talk of the academic year at 4:30 p.m. March 21 in the Interpretive Center. Her talk is titled "From Cartels to Narcoguerillas: The War on Drugs in Colombia." Feel free to arrive any time after 4:15 p.m. The abstract for this and future talks may be viewed on the Gustavus website under the On-Campus Community/Faculty/Shop Talks link.

Silent Auction Fundraiser Monday... The campus community is invited to a fundraiser sponsored by the Tri Sigmas March 24 in Banquet Rooms B and C. Bidding for the silent auction will take place from 6-7:30 p.m., and there will be a live auction from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Some of the auction items include a DVD player, Timberwolves tickets, a microwave, and gift certificates from St. Peter and Mankato area businesses. All auction proceeds will go toward the sorority's national philanthropic effort for the Robbie Page Memorial "Supporting Play Therapy for Hospitalized Children."

KUDOS:

Kate Wittenstein, history, was 1 of 3 historians invited to conduct an external review March 2-5 of the history department at Spelman College in Atlanta. Spelman, a historically black women's college, was founded in 1881 to educate emancipated African-American women and their daughters.

Steve Wright, music, performed as assistant principal trumpet March 6-7 with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, playing educational concerts in Minneapolis and at Forest Lake High School.

CONGREGATIONAL OUTREACH:

FUNDING OPPS:

• Opportunities for Scientific Majors... The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (NIST-SURF) Program offers opportunities for students with scientific majors to conduct research at all 7 of the NIST laboratories. Participants receive a $4,000 stipend for 12 weeks ($3,000 for 9 weeks) in addition to travel and housing allowances. The program dates are May 27 through Aug. 15, 2003, with a limited number of 9-week slots (June 16-Aug. 15, 2003). The deadline has been extended to March 24, 2003. For more information, an application, 2002 participants and projects, etc., see http://www.surf.nist.gov/surf2.htm.

IN THE MEDIA:

• The Feb. 14 issue of Science published a listing of the Merck/AAAS USRP 2003 Award Winners for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Programs, including Gustavus, that was announced in The Yellow Sheet published Feb. 20.
• The January/February 2002 issue of Thrivent featured an article on Jennifer Cords ('97), a financial associate with Thrivent Financial for Lutheran.

PLUGS:

For Lease: A 2-bedroom home on Lake Washington is available for lease to a contracted Gustavus staff member for the 2003-04 academic year. All utilities, including heat, electricity, cable TV, snow removal, refuse, etc., are included for $650 per month. Available partly to totally furnished. Call (952) 758-3430.

For Rent: Efficiency apartment (built in 2000) with kitchen and 3/4 bath. Located at 822 S. 4th St., St. Peter. Lease runs from June 2003-May 2004. Rent includes cable TV and all utilities, with the exception of phone and laundry. If interested, contact Scott Moe (x7610).

For Sale: Samick 48" upright piano, approximately 12 years old, in excellent condition. Price is $2,250.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

To add or change items on the calendar, please fill out and submit a College Calendar event form. View the entire College Calendar online.