The Yellow Sheet for Sept. 16, 2004September 16, 2004 | Volume 37, Number 3

News & Announcements

Holiday Schedule... The College will observe the following holidays for the remainder of 2004:

• Thanksgiving Day -- Thursday, Nov. 25, 2004
• Day after Thanksgiving -- Friday, Nov. 26, 2004
• Christmas Day Holiday -- Friday, Dec. 24, 2004
• Floating Holiday -- Monday, Dec. 27, 2004
• Floating Holiday -- Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004
• Floating Holiday -- Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2004
• College open -- Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004*
• New Year's Day Holiday -- Friday, Dec. 31, 2004

*Employees may work or may request a PTO/vacation day.

Personnel Update... Sarah Daniels (administrative information systems) will be on leave Fall Semester 2004 as she completes her master's degree in software engineering at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. During her leave, Bruce Aarsvold (technology services) will work directly with the Administrative Informations Systems (AIS) staff. Daniels will return to her role as AIS director on Jan. 3, 2005.

Staff Reclassification Committee... The Staff Reclassification Committee (SRC) will meet Wednesday, Sept. 22 to review and evaluate complete reclassification requests received in the Department of Human Resources by Friday, Sept. 17. Complete requests are those submitted on the "Position Description Questionnaire" form (normally completed by the employee) and accompanied by a "Request for Job Description Review" form completed by the supervisor. Both forms are available in the Department of Human Resources. Requests for reclassification received after Sept. 17 will be carried to the next meeting of the committee scheduled for March 2005.

Children in the Workplace... In an effort to provide a professional work environment, to maintain safety for children, and in response to expressed employee concerns, the Administrative Council developed the following guideline.

The College strives to provide employees with a professional environment that is conducive to work while at the same time wanting to support family needs when unusual circumstances arise. In general, it is inappropriate for minor children and other minor relatives of employees to be in the workplace during normal working hours. A child visiting an employee in the workplace is the responsibility of the employee/parent and must be accompanied and supervised by the employee/parent at all times during the visit.

Related questions or concerns should be addressed to area vice presidents.

Meditation Area News... The new meditation area in Linnaeus Arboretum, honoring Nancy Baker and Steve and Barb Wilkinson, was dedicated Sunday, Sept. 12. All are invited to visit this area for insight and wisdom to seek harmony and balance in life. A brochure detailing the design and symbols used in the area is available at the Interpretive Center. Area designer Gretchen Koehler (professor emeritus of health and exercise science) is willing to give tours if there is a group or personal interest. Contact her at 934-5441 or gkoehler@gustavus.edu.

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:

• Sept. 17 -- Will Freiert, II Timothy 2:1-7
  
• Sept. 19 -- 16th Sunday in Pentecost
  
• Sept. 20 -- Jeff Stocco, Luke 10:25-37
  
• Sept. 21 -- Julie Gilbert, Matthew 9: 9-13, St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
  
• Sept. 22 -- Morning Praise, Psalm 113
  
• Sept. 23 -- Terry Morrow, 1 John 4:7-11
  
• Sept. 24 -- Mary Gaebler, 1 Samuel 18:1-5
  
• Sept. 26 -- 17th Sunday in Pentecost

Shop Talk Friday... Paul Saulnier (physics) will present the first Faculty Shop Talk of the 2004-05 academic year. His talk, titled "And now for something completely different," will be presented at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17 in the Interpretive Center. Feel free to arrive any time after 4:15 p.m. The abstract for this and future talks may be viewed at http://gustavus.edu/events/shoptalks/.

GLA Membership Tea Monday... Gustavus Library Associates (GLA) will host its Fall Membership Tea from 10 a.m.-noon Monday, Sept. 20 at the President's House. Please accept this announcement of the event as an invitation to attend -- all are welcome. GLA, celebrating its 28th year as a "friends of the library" organization, has provided significant financial resources to the acquisitions and endowment funds of the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library.

Reading in Common Events... Unity in Community -- St. Peter Reads invites the campus community to the following events offered in conjunction with the Reading in Common program:

• At 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 20 in Linnaeus Arboretum (Bjorling Recital Hall, if raining) Mu Daiko, the Japanese drumming group from Mu Performing Arts, will present a program.
• Book discussions will take place at:
  • 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28 at River Rock Coffee
  • 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29 at Whiskey River Emporium
  • 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30 at the St. Peter Food Co-op

Upcoming Continuing Education Events... The public is invited to the following continuing education presentations that will take place in the Interpretive Center:

• Dick Fuller (professor emeritus of physics) will present "Manhattan Project -- Revisited" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21. Fuller will bring a historical perspective of the project that developed the atomic bomb and its impact on some of the scientists who made it possible.
  
• Dick Martin (psychology) and Tim Robinson (psychology and Nobel Conference director) will give a preview of the 40th Nobel Conference, "The Science of Aging," at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28. This year's Nobel Conference will focus on the emerging science of gerontology. Current research is causing reevaluation of attitudes, opportunities, and challenges related to aging in the 21st century.

Pre-registration is required for each event; the cost is $5 for each and includes coffee and dessert. Register at the office of St. Peter Community and Family Education, Suite 207, 600 S. Fifth St., St. Peter. Office hours are 8 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday. For more information, call 934-3048 and press zero for the operator. These lectures are part of the College's continuing education series coordinated by Gustavus in partnership with the St. Peter Community and Family Education program.

Fienen Organ Recital Sept. 19... The music department opens the new school year with a performance by David Fienen at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 19 in Christ Chapel. This recital is a repeat of the program he played last July at the Castle Church in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany while he was on sabbatical research in Germany. Supported by a Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Grant from Gustavus, Fienen had played for Organ Vespers at St. Jakobi Church in Lubeck. While in Lubeck, Fienen had the opportunity to consult with Armin Schoof, organist and composer at St. Jakobi, on Schoof's Sonate, a work that Fienen had performed in 2002. With revisions made by the composer in hand, Fienen included the work in his Lutherstadt recital and will present Schoof's revised Sonate in his recital in Christ Chapel. In addition to Sonate, Fienen will present Jan Bender's Missa Pro Organo, the Brahms' Prelude and Fugue and will conclude the recital with Mendelssohn's Sonata I.

Speech and Debate Tournament Oct. 17... The Evan Anderson Forum, the speech and debate team, will host an intercollegiate speech and debate tournament on Sunday, Oct. 17 on campus. The tournament will feature top programs from across the country and will include events in oral interpretation, public address, and debate. Tournament schedules can be obtained on Oct. 17 in the Campus Center.

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE:

Zong Xiong, a junior from St. Paul, was honored on KARE-TV's "Eleven Who Care" program Friday, Sept. 10. She was honored for her many volunteer projects, including her work with hunger awareness, at-risk youth, Regions Hospital, and Asian diversity awareness while also serving as a peer mediator, volleyball coach and tutor.

Laura Behling, English, and Barbara Fister, library, led a workshop for Carleton College faculty, titled "Information Literacy: A Cross-Disciplinary Conversation," on Sept. 9 in Northfield.

Mike Ferragamo, biology, and Janine Wotton, psychology, recently published a paper, "The emergence of temporal hyperacuity from widely tuned cell populations," describing their model of the neural processing of sonar by bats. The paper was selected for inclusion in the Institute of Physics Select, an online collection of journal articles.

Yuki Sakuragi, Japanese studies/modern languages, literatures, and cultures, published an article, titled "Association of culture with shyness among Japanese and American university students," in Perceptual and Motor Skills, v.98, pp. 803-813.

NEW FACES:

New Support Staff
Cheryl Brown, Institutional Advancement

CONGREGATIONAL OUTREACH:

Pulpit Supply... Jack Niemi (church relations) preached and conducted services Sunday, Sept. 12 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Mound. The pulpit supply program is coordinated by the Office of Church Relations.

Retreats... The Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations Retreat Center, coordinated by the Office of Church Relations, will host a retreat Sept. 24-25 for the Rev. M. Susan Peterson and a group of 20 women from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in St. Paul.

Music in Worship... Any Gustavus music ensemble or soloist is welcome to perform in congregations. For more information, contact Marilyn Beyer (x7001).

FUNDING OPPS:

• NSF Award Opportunity... The Adaptation and Implementation (A&I) track of the Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) program is the primary source of support within the National Science Foundation (NSF) for instrumentation for instructional purposes, targeting activities affecting learning environments, course content, curricula, and educational practices. Projects are expected to result in improved education through adaptation and implementation of exemplary materials, laboratory experiences, and/or educational practices that have been developed and tested at other institutions. The deadline is Dec. 2. For more information, see http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf04565.
  

IN THE MEDIA:

• The September 2004 issue of American Theatre included a feature on a play, titled "Man from Nebraska," in which Richard Snyder (theatre and dance) performed. The play was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
• An editorial in the September 2004 Metro Lutheran, titled "Why not shoot for the moon?," mentions Jim Wennblom (former public relations) and the project to send two Gustavus pennants to the moon with Buzz Aldrin in July 1969.
• The Fall 2004 issue of the Lutheran Fellowship Peace Notes featured a story on senior Kendra Rinas. The article, titled "Lutheran Youth Profile: Kendra Rinas," included a black and white photograph of her.
• On Sept. 15, ABC-TV's "Live with Regis and Kelly" talk show featured the three finalists in the 2004 Ugly Couch Contest. Student Sarah Pedersen was one of the finalists. She entered a couch found in the College's Writing Center.
• On Sept. 13, Minnesota Public Radio aired a story that included an interview with Chris Gilbert (political science). The story was titled "Non-profits try to mobilize voters."
• On Sept. 13, The Free Press of Mankato featured the following stories:
  • The Gustie Greeters were featured on the front page of The Valley section in "A warm welcome. Gustie Greeters make College life easier for incoming freshmen," and included quotes by Megan Ruble (student activities) and students Julie Gustafson and Julie Wold, as well as a black and white photograph of student Pete Phillippi. A teaser ran on the front page of the newspaper.
• On Sept. 12, The Free Press of Mankato published an article, titled "Discovering the landscape" (Part 3 of 4), on the front page of the Currents section. The story included two color photographs of Bob Douglas (geography) and an interview with Douglas.
• On Sept. 11, KEYC-TV News (Ch. 12, Mankato) did an interview with Karen Larson (anthropology and interdisciplinary studies), author of "Culture and Terror: The Jackal and the Phoenix in America," on the anniversary of 9-11.
• On Sept. 11, The Free Press of Mankato published a story in Don Gordon's column on the Home and Garden page on the Linnaeus Arboretum. The story, titled "Linnaeus Arboretum a jewel among the preserves," included a black and white photograph of the new waterfall.
• On Sept. 10, The Free Press of Mankato featured the current exhibit in the Hillstrom Museum of Art. The article, titled "Worlds of Art," appeared on the front page of the Currents section and included quotes by Don Myers (Hillstrom Museum and art and art history) and three color photographs.
• On Sept. 9, the West St. Paul Sun Current published a story on the appointment of G. Barry Anderson ('76) to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
• On Sept. 9, the Golden Valley Sun Post did a feature on students who received the Lavon Cooper Scholarship. Those named from Gustavus were Steven Chismar, Stacy Decker, Johanna Nowicki, and Kendal1 Svobodny.
• On Sept. 9, the St. Peter Herald ran the following stories:
  • "'Get Active' gets kids going for fun and fitness" and the mention that "Gustavus Adolphus College students volunteer to help run the programs," ran on page 3A.
  • ""Gustavus again ranked in Top 100 National Liberal Arts College" ran on page 7A.
  • "America still in a post-9/11 cultural haze" and an interview with Karen Larson (anthropology and interdisciplinary studies) ran on page 8A.

Anyone who has suggested additions for this list, suggestions for potential future media stories, or interest in being a media source should contact Director of News and Information Jonathan Kraatz (x7510 or jkraatz@gustavus.edu).

BOOK MARK BITS:

PLUGS:

America's Walk for Diabetes... Brad Johnson (printing services) and his family have started a team to raise money for America's Walk for Diabetes, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association. The Johnson's team, Nathan's Sonshine Walkers, is sponsoring three-year-old Nathan Johnson (Brad's son), who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last spring. Visit the team website to join the team or to make a donation.

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.