The Yellow Sheet for April 19, 2007April 19, 2007 | Volume 39, Number 27

News & Announcements

Service Awards Dinner Scheduled for May 17... The annual Faculty and Administrator Service Awards Dinner will be held Thursday, May 17, in Alumni Hall beginning with a social hour at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m. The Alumni Association will recognize 2007 retirees and the commitment of faculty and administrators who have served 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years at the College. The cost for the dinner is $10 per person. All are welcome to attend. Reservations should be made by Friday, May 11, with the Alumni Office. A list of the 2007 awardees follows. Please contact the Alumni Office with the name of any person that should be included in the list of honorees (including yourself) or with any questions. In an earlier campus mailing, Roger McKnight was not listed as a retiree and we apologize for his omission.

• 10 Years
  Robert Adney, adjunct instructor of music
  Glenn Barnette, associate professor of economics and management
  Steve Bennett, assistant dean of students
  Leila Brammer, associate professor of communication studies
  Mike Carroll, baseball coach and women's hockey coach
  John Cha, associate professor of religion
  Kris Glidden, women's gymnastics coach and instructor in health and exercise science
  Donna Hewitt, administrative information systems development and support specialist
  Patti Kelly, assistant dean of students
  Svjetlana Madzar, associate professor of economics and management
  Al Molde, director of intercollegiate athletics
  Tim Peterson, adjunct instructor of economics and management
  Deb Pitton, associate professor of education
  Amy Seham, associate professor of theatre and dance
  Charlie Strey, assistant dean of students and director of residential life
  Andrew Vaughn, associate professor of religion
  
  
• 15 Years
  Elizabeth Baer, professor of English
  Jolene Christensen, assistant to the president
  Jane Coleman, associate professor of nursing
  Carolyn Dobler, professor of mathematics and computer science
  Naomi Quiram, director of postal services
  Don Scheese, professor of English
  Patricia Snapp, associate professor of music
  Mike Stehlik, women's soccer coach and coordinator of athletic fund raising
  Edith Thorstensson, visiting instructor and academic librarian
  Bruce VanDuser, associate professor of physical education and health
  Warren Wunderlich, director of physical plant
  
  
• 20 Years
  Judy Biederman, adjunct instructor of biology
  Altamira Cohrt, adjunct instructor of Spanish
  Barbara Fister, professor and academic librarian
  Michael Hvidsten, professor of mathematics and computer science
  Kurt Irvin, associate professor of Spanish
  Douglas Nimmo, professor of music
  Jeff Stocco, director of Career Center
  Tom Thorkelson, men's and women's track coach, strength coach, assistant athletic equipment specialist, special events coordinator
  
  
• 25 Years
  None
  
  
• 30 Years
  Al Behrends, director of fine arts programs
  Deborah Downs-Miers, associate professor of English
  Julie Johnson, director of academic advising
  Karen Larson, professor of anthropology and interdisciplinary studies
  Steve Waldhauser, director of publications
  
  
• 35 Years
  Will Freiert, professor of classics
  Dean Wahlund, director of special events
  
  
• Retirees
  Judy Gardner, associate professor of nursing
  Rob Gardner, professor of theatre and dance
  Michael Haeuser, professor, academic librarian, college archivist
  Roger McKnight, professor of Scandinavian studies
  Allan Splittgerber, professor of chemistry
  David Wicklund, registrar

Lindau Symposium on May 8... The inaugural Lindau Symposium will be held Tuesday, May 8, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall. Faculty are encouraged to announce the event to their students. The featured speaker is the Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, a conservative Catholic intellectual whose topic will be "Religion in American Public Life." The symposium, established with a gift from the late Phil Lindau, alumnus, board member, and campaign volunteer, aims to provide a forum in which diverse intellectual voices and mainstream beliefs and values can be brought together in a liberal arts environment. Fr. Neuhaus argues that religious ideas and voices--particularly Christian ones--have a place in American public life. For 30 years an activist pastor at St. John the Evangelist Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., Neuhaus grew disillusioned with cultural revolution and liberation theology in the mid-'70s and became a leading advocate of "democratic capitalism" and a critic of liberalism. In 1984 he published The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America, in which he asserted that secular voices and big government had crowded religion out of the "public square." Neuhaus, who converted to Catholicism in 1990, is founder and director of the Institute on Religion and Public Life in New York City and editor of First Things, an ecumenical journal notable for its commitment to Catholic orthodoxy and its ties to conservative political ideas. His most recent book is Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, and the Splendor of Truth (2006). Future symposium topics may encompass economics, politics, and stewardship, according to Chris Gilbert (political science), who is coordinating the program.

Wanted for a Study: Adults with Assisted Hearing... Janine Wotton (psychology) is seeking adults with assisted hearing (hearing aids) to participate in a study regarding the auditory process of identifying words. She is interested in the impact of room echoes on the perception of words. The study takes about 30 minutes to complete and will involve listening to sentences through headphones and choosing words on a computer screen. Participants will receive a ten-dollar gift certificate to either the Gustavus Cafeteria or Book Mark. If you'd like to participate, please contact Lee Sande at Gustavus by phone at (507) 933-7413 or Jan Wotton by e-mail at jwotton2@gustavus.edu or phone at 933-7305. A time that is convenient with your schedule will be arranged; the experiment will be run through the end of April (4/16–5/4). (Unfortunately, the location of Wooten's lab is in an older building at Gustavus not easily accessed by wheelchair, so please keep this in mind.)

Senior Gift Initiative... The Class of 2007 has been busy planning and marketing this year's Senior Class Gift initiative, which includes an intense six-week marketing campaign aimed at increasing awareness on campus and educating the student body on the importance of "Giving the Gift of Gustavus" through annual contributions to the Gustavus Alumni Fund. The 2007 Senior Class Gift Committee has set a goal of 75 percent class participation, and $15,000 as a gift to the Gustavus Alumni Fund. Currently they have raised just over $1,600 in gifts and pledges in the first two weeks of their campaign. Over the course of the next four weeks, the campus community can expect to see marketing materials and educational events put on by the Senior Class Gift Committee, as a way to highlight the message about alumni giving. Please take time to engage in the work these students are doing, and congratulate them on their superior efforts. To learn more, please log on to the 2007 Senior Class Gift website, at gustavus.edu/classgift/2007.

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:

• Friday, April 20 -- Vasa Wind Orchestra
• Sunday, April 22 -- Chaplain Brian Johnson
• Monday, April 23 -- Luke Royer, chaplains' intern
• Tuesday, April 24 -- TBA
• Wednesday, April 25 -- Paul Alan Cox, Linnaeus Symposium
• Thursday, April 26 -- Megan Ruble, director of student activities
• Friday, April 27 -- the Rev. Kelly Chatman, trustee
  

Vesak on April 22... Vesak is the celebration of the Buddha's birth, death, and enlightenment. The College's celebration, Sunday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Jackson Campus Center's Heritage Room, includes meditation sessions; a Sri Lankan lunch; prayers and blessings from Sri Lankan, Cambodian, and Tibetan traditions; a documentary depicting the Buddha's life story; and an interfaith discussion between Chaplain Brian Johnson, John Cha (religion), and Buddhist monk Bhante Sathi. The discussion will focus on similarities between the Buddha and Jesus.

Excavations of a Roman Cemetary in Corinth... Before all roads led to Rome, they led to the bustling city of Corinth. With its two large commercial harbors, Corinth attracted everyone from the apostle Paul to traders and travelers curious about the city's famed temple prostitutes, offering a heady mix of diversions and enticements that led the Roman poet Horace to proclaim: "Not for every man is the journey to Corinth." Professor Joseph Rife of the Classics Department at Macalester College will present "Life and death at a port in Roman Greece: The Kenchreai Cemetery Project 2002-2006,"a lecture on his investigations of the eastern port of Corinth, on Monday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m. in Old Main 005. For further details, contact Bronwen Wickkiser (x7160).

Preview the Linnaeus Symposium... Shaman's Apprentice, a film made by Dr. Mark Plotkin, one of the Linnaeus Symposium speakers, will be screened in Wallenberg Auditorium of the Nobel Hall of Science Monday, April 23, at 7 p.m. The movie is a story of survival against the odds. It interweaves the luminous rain forest world of phenomena and legends with Western science and the grim realities of extinction.

'Nickeled and Dimed' Author to Speak on Campus... Social critic Barbara Ehrenreich, author of the national bestseller Nickeled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, will lecture in Jussi Bjorling Recital Hall Tuesday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. Ehrenreich researched her book by moving around the country from Florida to Maine to Minnesota and trying to live on poverty-level wages. Her visit is sponsored by the Campus Activities Board. Tickets are $5/adults; Gustavus students, faculty, and staff may attend at no charge.

Linnaeus @ 300... The second Linnaeus Symposium takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 24 and 25. The celebration begins Tuesday, April 24, at 7 p.m. at the Interpretive Center with a slide presentation by Anders Bjorling and Roland Thorstensson featuring stunning photography and humorous anecdotes of their trip to Sweden following Linnaeus' trail from Uppsala to north of the Arctic Circle and into Norway. The symposium proper opens Wednesday, April 25, with ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox speaking in the Chapel at 10 a.m. A "Linnaeus-style" hike to the arboretum led by "Linnaeus" with music and fanfare follows. (Linnaeus enjoyed attention and his teaching walks were often accompanied by music and a lot of fanfare.) A "Garden of Angels" dance will be performed by students of Michelle Rusinko at the end of the hike. Events are scheduled through the evening, including:

• Presentation by Paula Robbins - "Pehr Kalm, a Linnaeus Disciple: North American Observations," 2 p.m., Alumni Hall;
• Presentation by Mark Plotkin - "Linnaeus, My Man," 4 p.m., Alumni Hall;
• Swedish Dinner Buffet, 5:30 p.m., Jackson Campus Center Banquet Rooms (ticket required);
• Presentation by Paul Alan Cox and Hans Odoo - "Unfinished Journey: Carl Linnaeus and the Creation of Ethnobotany," 7 p.m., Alumni Hall; and
• Panel discussion moderated by Cindy Johnson-Groh (biology) - "The State of Ethnobotany, Plant and Biodiversity Conservation," 8:15 p.m., Alumni Hall.

Financial Counseling Sessions April 24 & 25... A TIAA-CREF consultant will be on campus Tuesday, April 24, and Wednesday, April 25, for personal financial counseling sessions. To schedule a counseling session, sign up on the TIAA-CREF website or call 800-877-6602.

Author Tea... The Book Mark's annual Campus Author Tea will be held Thursday, April 26, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Courtyard Cafe. Among the honored guests: Frank Barth, Laura Behling, Jane Coleman, Casey Elledge, Tom Emmert, David Fienen, Max Hailperin, Brian Johnson, Gretchen Koehler, Karl Larson, Carolyn O'Grady, Deb Pitton, Joyce Sutphen, and David Wolfe.

Faculty Shop Talk... Yuki Sakuragi (modern languages, literatures, and cultures) will present the final Faculty Shop Talk of the 2006-07 academic year. His talk, titled "Attitude toward language study and cross-cultural attitude: a survey of students at Gustavus and other universities," will be presented Friday, April 27, at 4:30 p.m. 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/.

Off-campus Events of Interest

Habitat Benefit Concert... A Habitat for Humanity benefit concert featuring the Zinghoppers (an award-winning children's show created to appeal to preschool and early elementary age children and their families) will be held Friday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Peter. Tickets are $5/person, or $20/family, and can be purchased at the door, or in advance at the Econofoods service desk. All proceeds go to benefit the St. Peter Chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Concert at Arts Center of Saint Peter... The band "April Foo's" performs at the Arts Center of Saint Peter (315 S. Minnesota Ave, St. Peter) Saturday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. This blues/swing/jazz band consists of Tom Lieberman on guitar and vocals, Marya Hart on piano and vocals, and Billy Smith on harmonica and vocals. Individually, these seasoned performers have had a hand in providing music for Sesame Street, Prairie Home Companion, The Children's Theater, the movie Sweet Land, and the Bothy Folk Club. Together they provide fun, funny, fresh, full of life music to entertain all ages. Tickets are $10 for adults (AC members $9) and $6 for students. Seats can be reserved by calling the Arts Center at 931-3630.

Oh My Stars! Quilt Show at Mankato Armory... A quilt show runs Saturday, April 21 (10-5), and Sunday, April 22 (10-4), at the Mankato National Guard Armory (100 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. and Madison Ave. in Mankato). More than 200 quilts will be on display. A beautiful queen-sized Appliqué and Medallion Quilt is offered as a raffle quilt at $1/chance. Lunch is available on site. Almost 20 vendors are featured at the show, from Minnesota, Iowa, and North Dakota, including local quilt shops. Cost is $4/person (no strollers please).

A Celebration of Word and Song... Musicorum, an 18-member vocal ensemble directed by Gregory Aune (music), will present a joint concert and reading with the Southern Minnesota Poetry Society Saturday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church (423 West 7th Street in Mankato). Works by Johannes Brahms, Eric Whitacre, Stephen Paulus, and more will be presented. The concert will feature the premiere performance of a new piece commissioned by Musicorum, a poem by Minnesota poet Susan Stevens Chambers set to music by Minnesota composer David Dickau. Singers include Julie Aune, Jenifer Ward (modern languages, literatures, and cultures), Rebecca McConnaughey (music), Ole Karstad ('97 grad), and Brian Fahey ('07). Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $6 for students and are available at the door.

College Connection in Susan Komen 3-Day... Kathy Larson, wife of Karl Larson (HES), and nine other St. Peter women will be walking in the Breast Cancer 3-Day event in the Twin Cities August 24-26. The Breast Cancer 3-Day is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. Net proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust, which fund important breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment. Participants agree to raise money for the cause, and this team has a fundraising goal of just under $20,000 (about $2,200 per walker). To make a donation (of any amount) simply go to Kathy's fundraising webpage at http://www.the3day.org/twincities07/kathylarson.

Extraordinary People

David Wolfe was invited to the annual meeting of the Pacific Northwest Section of the Mathematical Association of America, where he taught a mini-course with Elwyn Berlekamp titled "A Tour of Combinatorial Games" and gave an invited talk, "In Tribute to Martin Gardner." He was also one of the panelists for a discussion on "Developing a Research Agenda."

Nancy Hanway (MLLC, LALACS) attended the annual Latino conference at Minnesota State University, along with two Gustavus students in LALACS, Sonia Hernández and Paula Árciga. The conference, titled "La Nueva Latina: Guiding Generations to Multiple Destinations," sought to build student leadership and to provide an opportunity for academic scholars, students, professionals, and community members to discuss issues that affect Latinos in America.

Mark Bjelland (geography) was awarded a grant from the Center for Rural Policy Develolpment to map and analyze demographic trends among the young adult population in rural Minnesota.

Scott Newstok (English) presented a paper at the Renaissance Society of America and was a keynote speaker at the "Shakespeare and the Civic" symposium at the Strode Program in Renaissance Studies, University of Alabama. He also published an essay, "Elegies Ending 'Here': The Poetics of Epitaphic Closure," in Studies in the Literary Imagination.

Katy Stenger (political science) and Katie Johnson (senior political science major) presented a co-authored paper at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association in Chicago. The paper was titled "The Policy Agenda of Christian Interest Groups: A Comparison of Groups on the Right and Left."

Patric Giesler (sociology & anthropology) presented a paper titled "Contingent Visions of the Promised Land: Deprivation versus Psychocultural Models of Millenarian Visions in Brazil" at the meeting of the Society for the Anthropology of Religion April 14 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Thia Cooper (religion) gave a talk, "Diversity Intersections: Race and Religion" for the Diversity Brown Bag in the Office of the Chancellor for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, Monday, April 16.

Jonathan Smith (chemistry) and student collaborators Molly Beernink ('09), Krista Cruse ('07), Nate Erickson ('08), and Mike Kamrath ('07) presented their research on a DNA model system, titled "Computational and Spectroscopic Investigation of 7-azaindole: Solvation and Intermolecular Interactions," at the 223rd annual national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago, Ill., on March 29.

Student News

• Althea Archer (biology, Cindy Johnson-Groh). "From farmland to prairie: Tall-grass prairie restoration in the Linnaeus Arboretum, Gustavus Adolphus College."
• Erika Diniz, (nursing, Barb Zust). "Exploring international students' perceptions of the United States health care system."
• Jean Heise and Heather Priessler (nursing, Barb Zust). "Exploration of anxiety among first-year nursing students."
• Travis Michelson (music, Travis Sletta). "The use of ornamentation in J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion: An argumentative study."
• Laura Pierce (geography, Mark Bjelland). "Incorporating watershed analysis into an environmental studies curriculum."
• Chris Skordahl (economics and management, Henry Hays). "Asset trading based on momentum strategies."
• Rick Walstrom (economics and management, Lisa Lindley). "Increasing community awareness as a means to increase donor base."

Geography students Kyle Chester and Hattie Carvalho presented research papers at the Midwestern Undergraduate Geography Symposium held at Macalester College April 14. Chester's paper was a GIS-based analysis of optimal locations for ethanol plants. Carvalho's paper was a case study of an affordable, neotraditional housing development in a small town.

Jonathan Peasley, junior English and classics major, recently presented "The Grammar of Experience: Hemingway's 'In Another Country,'" at the Sigma Tau Delta, National English Honor Society Conference in Pittsburgh. His essay was developed in Claude Brew's seminar on Hemingway and Faulkner.

Sophomore Molly Beernink, senior Krista Cruse, junior Nate Erickson, and senior Mike Kamrath represented Gustavus at a Grand Expo celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Minnesota section of the American Chemical Society by presenting milestones of chemistry in two different decades at the 223rd annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago, Ill., on March 25.

Congregational Outreach

Retreats... The Office of Church Relations will host a confirmation retreat for Westwood Lutheran Church from St. Louis Park, Minn., on Friday, April 20, and Saturday, April 21, 2007. Church Relations will also host a confirmation group for Christus Victor Lutheran Church from Apple Valley, Minn., Friday, April 20, and Saturday, April 21. Zion Lutheran Church from Milaca, Minn., will also have a confirmation retreat on campus from Friday, April 20, to Sunday, April 22.

Retreats... The Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations Retreat Center, coordinated by the Office of Church Relations, will host a retreat for Christ the King Lutheran Church from New Brighton, Minn., Sunday, April 22 and Monday, April 23.

Koinonia... The Gustavus Adolphus College Associaton of Congregations Retreat Center, coordinated by the Office of Church Relations, will host a workshop for the group Koinonia in the Melva Lind Interpretive Center Monday, April 23. This is a program for continuing the eduaction of pastors from southern Minnesota.

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

FUNDING OPPS:

• Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program... The Fulbright Scholar Program of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars offers grants for college faculty to lecture and conduct research in 150 countries around the world. The purpose is to promote mutual understanding, establish long-term cooperation and create opportunities for institutional linkages. Faculty at every academic rank--from instructor to professor emeritus--are eligible. Applicants must be U.S. citizens. Fulbright awards are available from two months to an academic year or longer. Grant stipends and benefits vary by country or regional program and type of award. The deadline for applications is August 1. For more information, please see http://www.cies.org/us_scholars/us_awards/.

In the Media

• Gustavus and Director of Campus Safety and Security Ray Thrower were featured in an April 18 Minneapolis Star Tribune article about campus safety in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech tragedy.
  
• Gustavus was mentioned in an April 17 St. Paul Pioneer Press article for holding a prayer service in Christ Chapel the day of the Virginia Tech tragedy.
  
• Staff psychologist Jackie Alvarez was interviewed by KEYC on April 17 with regard to the tragedy at Virginia Tech.
  
• President Peterson's refusal to comment on the current college ranking boycott was a part of an April 15 Free Press article titled "Colleges Consider Ranking Boycott."
• The 94 students who participated in the Gustavus Spring Break work trip to Slidell, La. ,were featured in an April 14 Mankato Free Press article.

Anyone who has suggested additions for this list, suggestions for potential future media stories, or interest in being a media source should contact Marketing and Communication (x7520 or ga_news@gustavus.edu).

Telecommunications Updates

• Adrienne A Donath, Dining Service, phone: 7608 (deletion)
  
• Carol Lawrence, Marketing and Communication, phone: 6213 (deletion)
  
• Steven Vogt, GTS, phone: 7174, e-mail: svogt (addition)
  
• Linda Welch, Health Services, phone: 7630 (deletion)

Plugs

For Sale: 10 ft. wide x 14 ft. long x 10 ft. high wood storage shed. Fairly new. Shed is located in St.Peter. $2,500.00 or best offer. Call C. (952-426-8114) or H. (952-469-4081).

Housesitting Arrangement Sought: Single, 53-year-old woman writer/college instructor seeks housesitting arrangement in St. Peter/Mankato area beginning mid- or late summer for at least 6 months, preferably one year. Has elderly parents residing at Grandview Care Center. Responsible, quiet, flexible. Has 2-yr-old short-haired, healthy, exceptional cat. Please contact Emily Kretschmer (859-539-3836).

For Sale: Beautifully decorated 2+ bedroom home w/den and four-season sun room, gas fireplace, vaulted ceilings, oak panel doors, outdoor patio, ceramic floors in bath & laundry, master bed & bath w/walk-in closet. Includes all appliances, custom window treatments, outdoor irrigation/sprinkler system. 809 Edgerton St. Contact Maria (x7642 or e-mail mtierne2@gustavus.edu).

For Sale: Sharp VHS Camcorder, Model VC-C20UA. Uses regular VHS video tapes. AC power adapter/battery charger. Original operation manual and carrying case included. Works great! Best offer. Call Lynn (507-934-6514).

For Sale: Home in St. Peter. 5 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2-car attached garage. Built in 2003, 2,500 sq ft. New carpet in 2005. Large yard, great neighborhood. $195,000. Call Aaron (507-934-5377).

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.