The Yellow Sheet for November 1November 1, 2007 | Volume 40, Number 9

Volume 40, Number 9

• News & Announcements
• Campus Happenings
• Off-Campus Events
• Extraordinary People
• Obituaries
• Congregational Outreach
• Funding Opps
• In the Media
• Telecommunications Updates
• Postal Pointers
• Calendar of Events
• Submit an Item Online

News & Announcements

Founders Day Reception Rescheduled... Due to the scheduled time of the service for Professor Emeritus Robert Esbjornson on Thursday, Nov. 1, at First Lutheran Church, the Employee Awards/Founders Day celebration has been postponed. While the Founders Day chapel service was held as planned, the reception in Alumni Hall has now been rescheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8. Make a note to attend the reception to show your support for this year's faculty service, support staff, and administrative employee award recipients:

• 2007 Augusta Carlson Schultz Award for the Outstanding Support Staff Employee: Harold Tish
• 2007 Eric Norelius Award for the Outstanding Administrative Employee: Cynthia Favre
• 2007 Faculty Service Award: Jeanne Herman.

St. Lucia Event Is Early Sell-Out... Tickets for the St. Lucia Luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 6, are sold out. If you are interested in having your name put on a waiting list, please contact Lorie in the Office of Marketing and Communication at 507-933-7520.

Some Christmas in Christ Chapel Tickets Remain... Ticket orders for this year’s 35th commemoration of Christmas in Christ Chapel, " The Word Becomes Flesh," scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 and 2, are still being received by the Office of Marketing and Communication (upper level of the Carlson Administration Building). Tickets for some performances and a limited number of buffet tickets remain. Tickets will be sent to your campus address the week of Nov. 5. 

Campus Happenings

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, Nov. 2 - International Day
• Sunday, Nov. 4 - Chaplain Brian Johnson, Holy Communion
• Monday, Nov. 5 - Maari Hanson (senior student)
• Tuesday, Nov. 6 - Taizé
• Wednesday, Nov. 7 - Morning Praise
• Thursday, Nov. 8 - Sexual Assault Awareness
• Friday, Nov. 9 - Eric Eliason (academic affairs)

'Dancing with the Profs 2'... The second annual "Dancing with the Profs" event will be held on Friday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall. Six teams of professors and students teams will show off their dance skills. Six teams, each consisting of one professor and one student, will perform live that night, with the winning couple determined by a panel of judges and audience vote. Last year's debut raised over $1,600 for the American Red Cross, benefiting victims of tornadoes that hit southern Minnesota last August. All proceeds are given to a charity that is making an impact in the St. Peter community. This year the goal is $2,000, which will go to the St. Peter United Way. Tickets ($4 for the public or $2 for Gustavus community members with an ID) may be purchased at the door. "Dancing with the Profs 2" is sponsored by the Campus Activities Board with help from Gustavus Swing Club, GAC TV, St. Peter United Way, St. Peter Chapter of Thrivent Financial, and many local community sponsors.

Student-Led St. Peter United Way Campaign... Students have organized an online service auction in support of the St. Peter United Way, through which faculty and students can offer talents and services such as baking, knitting, music and sports lessons, homemade dinners, artwork, etc. for auction. All items will be up for bidding starting Friday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m., with bids closing Sunday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m. Gustavus employees and students may access the auction site online.

Saxophone Recital... John Engebretson, adjunct faculty in saxophone and a graduate of Gustavus, is presenting a program demonstrating the versatility of the saxophone and the variety of works written or transcribed for the instrument in Jussi Björling Recital Hall on Friday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. On the program are works by Jacques Ibert, George Frideric Handel, Christian Lauba, Libby Larsen, Robert Schumann, Kenny Dorham, and Sonny Rollins. Assisting Engebretson are pianist Esther Wang, guitarist Jim McGuire, bassist Rick Orpen, and drummer Andrew Haaheim. The performance is free and open to the public.

Luncheon Is Breast Cancer Benefit... Delta Phi Omega is hosting its annual Breast Cancer Benefit Lunch to raise awareness and funds for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The Deltas have supported the efforts of this foundation and its work through multiple fundraising campaigns for nearly 10 years. Over the past few years, the sorority members have raised over $10,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Please join them for their 9th annual Breast Cancer Benefit Lunch on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007, at noon in the Jackson Campus Center banquet rooms. The benefit will include speakers, lunch, and a silent auction, with all proceeds from the ticket price and silent auction going to the Komen Foundation. In addition, Lindsey Christensen, an independent Arbonne consultant as well as Delta alumni and former Gustavus employee, will be donating 100 percent of the profits from her sales from that day. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for non-students. Please contact Ashley Millette at 605-359-2474 or amillett@gustavus.edu to reserve your ticket.

'Alien Invaders from the Planet Earth'... Pamela Kittelson (biology) presents the next Continuing Education event at the College on Thursday, Nov. 8, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Melva Lind Interpretive Center. Her topic is invasive plant species, which cause at least $40 billion a year in economic losses. Invasive exotic species can terrorize the plant world by forming dense monocultures, reducing the abundance of native species and negatively altering soil fertility, plant-animal interactions and fire regimes. Kittelson will differentiate invasive species from benign exotic species and focus on Minnesota invasive species—how they got here and why they do so well. She will discuss the impact that invasive species have on the local environment, how we might limit the damage, and why gardeners and sportsmen are the front line in preventing and limiting new invasions. Program cost is $8 for the public (pre-register at the St. Peter Community and Family Education Office in the Community Center) and free for Gustavus faculty, staff, and students (pre-register by e-mail:ehoefs@gustavus.edu).

Shop Talk... Patricia Costello (psychology) will present the next Faculty Shop Talk of the 2007-08 academic year. Her talk, titled "Perception of Age in Human Faces," will be presented on Friday, Nov. 9, at 4:30 p.m. in the Melva Lind 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/.

Campus Revival... Bishop Wayne R. Felton, senior pastor of the Holy Christian Church-Cathedral, St. Paul, Minn., will lead a traditional revival is Christ Chapel on Friday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. Come and see the power of the Word of God move in demonstration of healing and the prophetic.

Eighth Annual 'Our Story' Conference Addresses Debt Forgiveness... "Debt Forgiveness for Underdeveloped Nations" is the theme of this year's student-run "Our Story" Conference, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 10. Registration begins at 11 a.m. in front of the Evelyn Young Dining Room. Guest speaker is John Jal Wang, former chairman of the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association in London and Paris who is being drafted to run for president of South Sudan in the country's 2011 elections. The conference will also feature several insightful workshops throughout the afternoon. The conference is jointly sponsored by the Pan Afrikan Student Organization (PASO) and CAB. All are encouraged to attend.

More Continuing Education... "Art, Music and Literature from World War I: A Sampling" is the theme of a Continuing Education presentation by Ron Green (education, emeritus) on Monday, Nov. 12, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Three Crowns Room, Jackson Student Center (note the site, a departure from the usual Interpretive Center location). World War I, also known as the "The Great War" and as "The War To End All Wars," generated more art, music, poetry, and other literature than all the other wars in history combined. This phenomena can be partially explained by both the length and the savagery of the conflict and also by the large number of nations involved in the conflict and the amazingly large numbers of men and a few women who were motivated to create original works as they watched their comrades die in the savagery of 50 months of battle. This presentation will focus on just a few of the more memorable artists, composers, poets, and authors whose works have survived over the decades since the war ended. Cost is $8 for the public (pre-register at the St. Peter Community and Family Education Office) and free for current Gustavus faculty, staff, and students (pre-register by e-mail: ehoefs@gustavus.edu).

Holocaust Lecture Chronicles Ukranian Atrocities... On Monday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall, the Peace Studies program will sponsor a lecture on the Holocaust by Professor Omer Bartov, John P. Birkelund Distinguished Professor of European History at Brown University. Professor Bartov will give an illustrated lecture on his forthcoming book, Erased, Vanished Traces of Jewish Galicia in Present Day Ukraine. Bartov uncovers the rapidly disappearing vestiges of the Jews of western Ukraine, who were rounded up and murdered by the Nazis during World War II with help from the local populace. What begins as a deeply personal chronicle of the Holocaust in his mother's hometown of Buchach—in former Eastern Galicia—carries him on a journey across the region and back through history. This poignant travelogue reveals the complete erasure of the Jews and their removal from public memory, a blatant act of forgetting done in the service of a fiercely aggressive Ukrainian nationalism.

Conversation with Utne Reader Founder... Social entrepreneur, publisher, and educator Eric Utne will visit Gustavus Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 13 and 14, for a series of conversations around the intersections of liberal arts learning, entrepreneurship, vocation, writing and the media, social responsibility, and the environment. The campus community is invited to join Utne for dinner and conversation at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 13, in the Presidents Dining Room, to be following by a public address, "Entrepreneurship and Social Responsibility: Responding to the Call of the Environmental Crisis," at 7 p.m. in the Heritage Banquet Room of the Jackson Campus Center. (RSVP for the dinner to Amy in the CVR, x7159 or e-mail apehrson, by Friday, Nov. 9.) Utne's visit will also include the homily in Daily Chapel on Tuesday and visits to several classes. In 1984, Utne founded Utne Reader magazine, which has garnered several national awards and of which he was chair for many years. He has also published Cosmo Doogood's Urban Almanac: Celebrating Nature & Her Rhythms in the City, which he describes as a "21st century version of Poor Richard's Almanac." He is a co-founder of the Headwaters Fund and the Social Venture Network, and serves on the executive committee of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. Currently, Utne is in the midst of launching two new initiatives: The Earth Corps for Global Service, a kind of "Peace Corps for the whole Earth"; and Earth Councils, a neighborhood-based response to the global environmental crisis that brings elders together with youth to create initiatives for the common good.

Community Invited to Web Conference on Sustainable Dining... A web conference titled "Understanding Sustainable Dining Options" will be broadcast on Wednesday, Nov. 14, in the Saint Peter Room of the Jackson Campus Center. The conference begins at noon and will run until 1:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Dining Service and its advisory Kitchen Cabinet, the webcast is open to the entire Gustavus community. For an overview, visit the conference website at: https://www.academicimpressions.com/web_conferences/1107-sustainable-dining.php. Reservations are not necessary but would be appreciated for planning purposes; send to skjellgr@gustavus.edu.

Off-Campus Events of Interest

Juvenile Diabetes Fundraiser Saturday... A Juvenile Diabetes Reseach Foundation fundraiser will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at Hooligan's Neighborhood Pub in Mankato. The fundraiser is being held in honor of six-year-old "Nate the Great" Nathan Johnson, son of Amie and Brad Johnson (Printing Services), who lives with type 1 diabetes. There will be food, face painting, movies, a coloring contest, and a prize drawing at 7 p.m. Tickets for more than 40 prizes can be purchased for $5 each (or 5 for $20). Anyone who would like to donate but cannot attend may send checks payable to JDRF to Brad via campus mail.

All This and Lutefisk Too... Scandian Grove Lutheran Church, Norseland, Minn., will hold this year's edition of its annual Lutefisk & Swedish Meatball Supper on Saturday, Nov. 3, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. Cost is $13.50 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12, and free for children 5 and under. The event is co-sponsored by Thrivent. Scandian Grove Lutheran Church is located 10 miles west of St. Peter; take Hwy 22 to Co. Rd. 52, turn north and go about a half mile.

Food Justice Conference... "Changing the World One Bite at a Time" is the theme of a conference exploring the issue of food justice and how individuals can make a difference in the world. The conference, sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame at their conference center in Mankato (170 Good Counsel Drive) on Saturday, Nov. 3, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., features a keynote address by Lisa Heldke (philosophy) titled "Just FOOD or JUST Food?" Cost is $15 (student rate of $10). Registration was due by Oct. 31 to Lisa Coons but you still might be able to reserve a place (phone 507-389-4272; or e-mail lcoons@ssndmankato.org).

Meet the Author Event... Thomas Maltman, author of The Night Birds, will be present at two public events in St. Peter on Saturday, Nov. 3, both free and open to all. A writing workshop is scheduled 10:30 a.m. at the St. Peter Public Library (hosted by the Friends of the Library). At 3 p.m., Maltman will be at the Melva Lind Interpretive Center on the Gustavus campus for a reading and book signing (sponsored by the Book Mark and the Treaty Site History Center). For more information, call x6017 or e-mail jdschult@gustavus.edu.

Music for Missions Season Begins... The 2007-08 season of Music for Missions concerts at First Lutheran Church, St. Peter (1114 W. Traverse Road), begins Sunday, Nov. 4, at 4 p.m. with a recital by soprano Naomi Karstad (Gustavus Class of 1983). Her program of art song will represent the many immigrant groups in Minnesota—Germans, Norwegians, Swedes, Czechs, and Irish. Beth and Chad Winterfeldt will collaborate with Karstad on piano and organ. A free-will offering will benefit Lutheran Disaster Response flood relief in southeastern Minnesota.

Holiday Fare... The Arts Center of Saint Peter's annual fundraiser, Holiday Fare, will take place this year on Saturday, Nov. 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the St. Peter Community Center, Senior Center (Suite 219). More than 25 artisans will sell a variety of items from ceramics to jewelry, fibers to beads. Here is a wonderful opportunity to find those unique holiday gifts. The popular bake sale will have ethnic goodies and, of course, the always popular lefse (they promise to make more lefse this year, so they won’t run out quite so soon, but still encourage folks to come early so as not to be disappointed). If you tire of shopping, take a break at the coffee shop and have a sample of lefse.

Extraordinary People

Chris Gilbert (political science), along with co-authors Paul Djupe '93 (Denison University) and Anand Sokhey (The Ohio State University), had their article "Present but Not Accounted For? Gender Differences in Civic Resource Acquisition" published in the October 2007 issue of the American Journal of Political Science.

Julie Gilbert (library) and Chris Gilbert (political science) presented a paper at the Minnesota Library Association conference in Mankato, Oct. 24-26. The paper, "The Embedded Librarian: Engaging Students in Library Research," explores the effects of multiple library sessions on a single class.

Naomi Quiram is industry co-chair of the South Central Minnesota  Postal Customer Council (PCC), which, in only its second year of existence, was honored as Small-Office PCC of the Year during the recent National PCC Day celebration.

Mike Haeuser (library, emeritus) addressed the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Mankato Sunday, Oct. 28. He spoke on the events and causes of the 17th-century witchcraft trials in Salem, Mass.

Obituaries

• The Rev. Robert Esbjornson, professor emeritus of religion, died Oct. 26 at the Benedictine Living Community in St. Peter at the age of 89. A memorial service was held Thursday morning, Nov. 1, at First Lutheran Church in St. Peter. Esbj, as he was known to generations in the Gustavus community, was a longtime professor in the Christianity and religion departments (taught 1950-1983). A second service, a celebration of Esbj's life, will be held in Christ Chapel sometime next spring (date still to be determined). Memorials are preferred to the Christ Chapel Endowment Fund at Gustavus or to First Lutheran Church, St. Peter.
  

To inform the campus community of the death of a current student, employee, or trustee; an emeritus professor or trustee; or an immediate family member of a current employee, contact the Office of the President (x7538 or pleagjel@gustavus.edu). Death announcements and funeral notices for students, current and emeritus faculty and employees, and trustees will be sent to the community via written notice from the president, posted on community-l, the official campus-wide e-mail list, and published in the Yellow Sheet or Summer Scoop. Notices for immediate family members of current employees will be published in the Yellow Sheet or the Summer Scoop unless they occur during a publication break, in which case they will be posted on employee-l.

Congregational Outreach

Retreats... The Gustavus Adolphus College Association of Congregations Retreat Center, coordinated by the Office of Church Relations, will host a women's retreat for Family of Christ Lutheran Church of Chanhassen, Minn., from Friday, Nov. 2, to Sunday, Nov. 4. The Office of Church Relations will host a confirmation retreat for Salem Lutheran Church from Montevideo, Minn., on Friday, Nov. 2, and Saturday, Nov. 3. Church Relations will also host a retreat for St. Barnabas Lutheran Church from Plymouth, Minn., from Friday, Nov. 2, to Sunday, Nov. 4, and St. Paul Lutheran Church from LeCenter, Minn., on Saturday, Nov. 3, and Sunday, Nov. 4.

Special Event... Gustavus, St. Olaf, and Luther Seminary collaborate annually to sponsor Seminary & Divinity School Day. Students are invited for a day of presentations, workshops, and a chance to meet with school reps from 17 divinity schools and seminaries. The event invites students to consider a career in ministry or in the church. The eight ELCA seminaries; Harvard, Yale, Duke, and Chicago Divinity Schools; Princeton Theological Seminary; Union Seminary-New York; and others will be represented. For more information or to register, contact the Office of Church Relations. Transportation will be provided from Gustavus.

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

Funding Opps

The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations' weekly program or funding opportunity highlight:

• Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship... The National Institute of Standards and Technology offers the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program (NIST-SURF) for students majoring in physics, materials science, chemistry, applied mathematics, computer science, or engineering. There may be research opportunities for students with other majors. Students participate in one of seven laboratories and receive a $4,000 stipend for 11 weeks, plus housing and travel costs. Students unable to make the full 11-week program will be paid at $363.64 per week. Proposal deadline is Feb. 15, 2008. This proposal includes a portion completed by an institutional representative (see below) and a set of materials provided by each student applicant. As a point of information, six Gustavus students have secured NIST-SURF grants since 2001. Bob Weisenfeld serves as the institutional representative and is available to assist students in proposal preparation. For more information about the NIST-SURF program, please refer to http: //www.surf.nist.gov/surf2.htm.

For more information on grants or proposal preparation, contact Bob Weisenfeld in the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (x7049 or bweis@gustavus.edu).

In the Media

Here are some noteworthy Gustavus-related stories that recently appeared in print or broadcast media around the nation:

• Steve Wright (music) was recently interviewed by Jerry Swanberg, president of the Twin Cities Jazz Society (TCJS), for Swanberg's weekly "Big Band Scene" radio program on KBEM in Minneapolis (www.jazz88fm.com). The show, featuring the newly released Gustavus Jazz Lab Band CD, Taking Off, was heard on Sunday, Oct. 28, and will be re-broadcast on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. KBEM is heard in the Twin Cities on 88.5 FM (and on their website). The Gustavus Jazz Lab Band will be performing at a CD release concert sponsored by the TCJS at South High School (Mpls.) on Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. The CD is available in the Book Mark.
• The Star Tribune printed an article on its Oct. 26 front page mentioning efforts by the Gustavus Greens to reduce waste in the College’s Dining Service. Several other media outlets also picked up an Associated Press item on this issue, including the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Examiner, and KASX-TV in Alexandria.
  -The Mankato Free Press printed a news brief on the front page of its Oct. 28 Valley section about the Nov. 9 campus revival.
  -The Mankato Free Press printed an article on the front page of its Oct. 28 Valley section about Gustavus Continuing Education programs.
  -The Mankato Free Press printed a story on the front page of its Oct. 27 Currents section about a conference in Mankato at which Lisa Heldke (philosophy) will deliver the keynote address. Heldke was pictured and quoted.
  -The Mankato Free Press editorial board gave Gustavus students a thumbs-up on its Oct. 27 Opinions page for attempting to reduce waste in the College’s Dining Service.
  -The St. Peter Herald printed news briefs in its Oct. 25 edition about Ralston Deffenbaugh’s visit to campus, the Gustavus service awards, David Viscoli’s piano recital, the columbinus production, and the Nobel Conference webcasts.

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

The following are changes and additions for the "Personnel Phone Directory 2007-08"

• David Leake, Safety and Security (deletion)
• Gary Oian Vust, Safety and Security, phone: x8809, e-mail: goianvus (addition)
• Paula Schmidthuber, Dining Service, phone: x7608 (addition)
• Jason Stratman, Safety and Security, phone: x7494, e-mail: jstratma (addition)

For further information or corrections, contact Laura McCabe in telecommunications (x6261 or lmccabe@gustavus.edu).

Postal Pointers

On-Campus Mail Guidelines... The campus community is reminded of the following on-campus mail guidelines:

• On-campus service is limited to members of the Gustavus community.
• Mail must be at least 3" by 5".
• Any campus mailing numbering 10 or more must be alphabetized and bundled.
• Return information is required.
• Mass mailings are all mailings of unaddressed materials intended for a significant part or all of the community. Approval must be submitted with the mailing:
  • The dean of students or designee must approve mass mailings sent by students, student groups, and student organizations.
  • The College provost or designee must approve mass mailings sent by faculty.
  • The director of Postal Services must approve mass mailings by staff or administration.
• Mailings advertising an event where alcohol is identified as the focus of the activity are prohibited.
• No soliciting or political campaign materials can be sent by on-campus mail.



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

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The Yellow Sheet is a newsletter for Gustavus Adolphus College employees produced by the Office of Marketing and Communication. It is published weekly during the academic year (except during the week of Thanksgiving, the Christmas break, Touring Week, and the Spring and Easter breaks). Anyone may submit items by filling out an online submission form. While online, e-mail submissions are preferred, items may also be submitted typewritten on a letter-sized sheet of paper. Send "snail mail" items to: The Yellow Sheet, Office of Marketing and Communication. Items must reach the office no later than 4:30 p.m. on the Tuesday before publication. The week of Nobel Conference the deadline is 4:30 p.m. Monday. For more information, contact Steve Waldhauser (ga_news@gustavus.edu or x6413).

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