The Yellow Sheet for January 3, 2008January 3, 2008 | Volume 40, Number 15

Volume 40, Number 15

• News & Announcements
• Campus Happenings
• Off-Campus Events
• Extraordinary People
• Obituaries
• New Faces
• Position Openings
• Congregational Outreach
• Funding Opps
• In the Media
• Safety & Security Snips
• Thank Yous
• Calendar of Events
• Submit an Item Online

News & Announcements

How to Submit a Calendar Item... As the midpoint of the 2007-08 academic year approaches, we thought it appropriate to remind the community of the process for submitting events for the online College Calendar. Departments, student groups, and individuals may submit events to the online College Calendar to keep the campus updated on events and activities offered throughout the year. By using the online College Calendar as a central location for event announcements, the event will show up in the searchable, online campus calendar, and it will also show up in various locations on the Gustavus Web.
     Submissions to the calendar can be made by clicking on the following link, and entering the appropriate information (date, time, location, event description, sponsor, and contact info). Submit an item. (This can also be found through the Gustavus Homepage, clicking on Calendar, Make a Submission, Submit My Event.)
     Once a submission has been made, it will be reviewed and approved by the Office of Marketing and Communication and then posted to the College Calendar. Those who visit the College’s homepage will be able to view the Calendar, which includes events for the day, week, and month.

United Way Update... Thanks to your thoughtful and generous response to the campus campaign for the 2008 St. Peter United Way Drive. By Christmas weekend we had surpassed the halfway mark ($6,900) toward our $13,000 campus goal. To all who have already participated, a very heartfelt thanks! To those who are still considering, here is your gentle reminder that we welcome your gift or pledge in the days ahead. Payroll deduction is a great way to go! Contact Dean Wahlund (college relations; x7521) or Barb Lundgren (finance office; x7505) with your gift, or if you need a pledge card and information. "When you focus on what matters in a community—it shows!"

Financial Counseling Sessions January 23 & 24... A TIAA-CREF consultant will be on campus Wednesday, Jan. 23, and Thursday, Jan. 24, for personal financial counseling sessions. To schedule a counseling session, sign up on the TIAA-CREF website or call 800-877-6602.

Community Service Initiative Working Group Forming... Co-chairs Jeff Stocco (Career Center) and John Clementson (education) invite interested Gustavus employees to join the working group charged by Provost Mary Morton with the community service strategic initiative. This working group will study current practices and policies and develop visions for community service and service-learning at Gustavus. The working group will develop recommendations that will be forwarded to Provost Morton. It will meet regularly during the spring semester. If you are interested in participating in this process, contact John (jclement@gustavus.edu) or Jeff (stocco@gustavus.edu).

And Another Working Group... Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship Strategic Initiative Working Group co-chairs Jeff Jeremiason (environmental studies) and Jim Dontje (Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation) invite interested Gustavus community members (students, faculty, and staff) to join a working group charged by Provost Mary Morton to forge a vision for the sustainability and environmental stewardship strategic initiative. Meeting during the spring semester, the working will group will examine the College's current environmental stewardship practices and policies and recommend goals and strategies that will move this initiative forward. Jeff and Jim welcome your support, ideas, and enthusiasm—contact either if you are interested in participating: Jeff at jjeremia@gustavus.edu or Jim at jdontje@gustavus.edu.

Read about Food... Would you like to join a reading group on food this spring? Groups are in the process of forming. This past fall, two different groups met monthly, one reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and the other reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Contact Lisa Heldke (philosophy) at heldke@gustavus.edu if you'd like to be involved in one beginning in February.

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, Jan. 4 - Holiday recess, no chapel service
• Sunday, Jan. 6 - Holiday recess, no chapel service
• Monday, Jan. 7 - Chaplain Rachel Larson
• Tuesday, Jan. 8 - TBA
• Wednesday, Jan. 9 - Morning Praise
• Thursday, Jan. 10 - TBA
• Friday, Jan. 11 - TBA

Meet New JCEI Director at Next Fireside Chat... James Dontje, director of newly created Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation, will outline his role in the campus community at the next Fireside Chat, Friday, Jan. 11, in the Melva Lind Interpretive Center. He will touch on energy use as well as the planning involved in making Gustavus a more sustainable campus. As usual, two sessions are scheduled, at 11:30 a.m. and repeated at 12:30 p.m. Sandwiches, beverages, chips, and fruit are available for purchase, or bring your own lunch. Call Emily (x7199) for more information.

Renewable Energy Comes Home... James Dontje (Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation) is also the featured presenter for the next Gustavus Continuing Education program, on Tuesday, Jan. 15, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Interpretive Center. He'll explain how to "green" your home and save money, examining how energy-saving changes combined with renewable energy sources like solar hot water, space heating, photovoltaics, biomass, and even small wind power can reduce the energy "footprint" of your home. Cost is $8 for the public (pre-register at the St. Peter Community and Family Education Office) and free for members of the Gustavus community (pre-register by e-mail: ehoefs@gustavus.edu).

Off-Campus Events of Interest

Lowe Exhibition at Arts Center of Saint Peter... "Samples from the Studio," drawings by Gustavus faculty member Kris Lowe (art and art history), will be on display at the Arts Center of Saint Peter (315 South Minnesota Ave.) from Jan. 10 to Feb. 24. An artist's reception is scheduled for Feb. 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. Lowe's drawings have been exhibited nationally, including solo shows at Bradford Gallery in San Francisco, Harvard University and Kingston Gallery in Boston, and locally at Thompson Gallery and Flanders Contemporary Art in Minneapolis. Her work is in private and public collections, including the Louvre Museum, Paris, where a video she co-directed is in their Visual Education permanent collection. The Arts Center exhibition is open to view Tuesdays through Sundays, 1-5 p.m., and Thursdays, 1-8 p.m. (The Center is closed Mondays.) There is no fee and the community is encouraged to attend both the showing and the reception. For more information, contact Cheryl Casteen, visual and performing arts coordinator, at 507-931-3630 or www.artscentersp.org.

Extraordinary People

In the Dec. 2007 issue of Vierteljahresschrift der Deutschen Haiku-Gesellschaft (quarterly of the German Haiku Society), Horst Ludwig (MLLC) had one haiku, one haibun (a kind of short short-story), and a discussion of "Atombombenhaiku," the haiku found praiseworthy by this year's 47th Haiku Meeting at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto commemorating the atomic bomb attacks.

Lisa Heldke's (philosophy) autobiographical essay "Mussel Bound" was performed as a part of Ground to Plate, a monthly food-related theater event held at the Common Ground Cafe in Chicago. Lisa, inexplicably, was played by a man.

Kevin Birr (Dining Service) and his teammates on the Birr Rink (brother and skip Todd Birr, of Mankato, and Bill Todhunter and Greg Johnson, both from Appleton, Wis.) played a significant part as Team North American completed its rout of Team Europe at curling's Continental Cup in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, on Dec. 16, 2007. Team North America ended up winning the competition over Team Europe by a commanding 290-110 score, marking the first time ever that the overall event title was decided before the final day of competition. This is the third time in five years that Team North America has won the Continental Cup, although Europe won last year's competition in Chilliwack, B.C., Canada. Similar to golf's Ryder Cup, the Continental Cup pits three men's and three women's rinks from Europe against counterparts from North America in a series of contests. The Birr Rink, reigning USCA national champion, was one of the three men's rinks representing North America.

Lois Peterson's (art and art history) ceramic tiles are included in the newly published book by Lark Publishing, 500 Ceramic Tiles. Available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com among other outlets, it features current work being done by international artists in the field of ceramic tiles.

Obituaries

• Philip Swenson, retired support staff member who worked as Lund Center building supervisor 1984-1998, died on Dec. 17, 2007. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, "Dee" (Delores) Swenson, also a retired Gustavus support staff member who worked in the athletics department. 

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.

New Faces

The following people have recently joined the Gustavus community:

     New Administrators

• Neely Camp, associate graphic designer (college relations)
• Heather Dale, director, Student Health Services (student affairs)

     New Support Staff

• Bruce Budin, carpenter shop supervisor (physical plant)

Position Openings

• Financial assistance clerk (student financial assistance)
• Full-time dishroom staff (Dining Service)
• Part-time cashier (Dining Service)
• Part-time weekend custodians (2; custodial)

For more information on the aforementioned position(s), call Human Resources (x7304).

Congregational Outreach

Preaching in Congregations... The Rev. Grady St. Dennis preached at the 8 and 10:30 a.m. services at First Lutheran Church in Le Sueur, Minn., on Sunday, Dec. 30. This program is coordinated by the Office of Church Relations.

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:

• National Endowment for the Humanities Digital Humanities Start-up Grants... The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) invites proposals for the planning or initial stages of digital initiatives in all areas of the humanities. Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants may involve research of new digital approaches, development of new digital modes of publication, exploration of digital methods for preservation or archival of humanities materials, planning new digital tools, or creating programs that address using innovative digital technologies in formal and informal educational settings. Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants should result in plans, prototypes, or proofs of concept for long-term digital humanities projects prior to implementation. There are two levels of funding, depending upon the stage of the project. Level I grant awards range from $5,000 to $25,000, while Level II grant awards range from $25,001 to $50,000. Up to 20 percent of the total grant may be used for the acquisition of computing hardware and software. The deadline for proposals is April 2. Projects are expected to begin in September 2008. Updated guidelines are expected to be posted in the next several weeks. Until revisions are posted, the guidelines noted below may be used for reference, but should not be used to prepare an application. For more information and the guidelines, please see http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/digitalhumanitiesstartup.html. This grant program is part of the NEH’s new digital humanities initiative. For more on this initiative, please go to http://www.neh.gov/grants/digitalhumanities.html.

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:

• The Metro Lutheran newspaper for Dec. 2007 published an obituary of longtime Gustavus religion professor Robert Esbjornson along with a review by Kathryn Christenson (college relations, ret.) of the book Esbj! The Heart and Mind of a Professor, by Esbjornson and Dennis Johnson.
• The Mankato Free Press printed a story about Continuing Education events at Gustavus in its Jan. 2 edition. Jim Dontje, director of the Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation, was pictured and quoted in the story.
• The St. Peter Herald printed a story in its Dec. 27 edition about the new football stadium as part of its "Top Ten Stories of 2007."
• The Mankato Free Press printed a story about art professor Lois Peterson and student David Goldstein and their upcoming trip to South Africa in its Dec. 23 edition.
• The Mankato Free Press printed a story about Judy Douglas being honored by the BACCHUS network in its Dec. 18 edition.
• The St. Peter Herald printed a front page story and photo of the St. Lucia ceremony in its Dec. 13 edition.
• The Mankato Free Press printed an article about Michael Johnson’s annual concert at Gustavus in its Dec. 11 edition.
• The St. Peter Herald printed a guest editorial about ethanol written by students Jill Koppelman and Roberto Arteaga in its Dec. 13 edition.
  

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).

Safety and Security Snips

Campus Occupational Safety and Health Update... The Safety and Security Office has recently updated the employee OSHA information found on the campus website. The information may be found at https://gustavus.edu/security/osh/. The information includes updated safety policies; a blank accident report form; contact information for Safety Committee members and Jason Stratman, the manager of environmental health and safety; and links to a number of government websites regarding occupational and environmental health. You are urged to ake a moment to review this information. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Jason Stratman at x7494 or contact one of the following Safety Committee members: Todd Block (x7624), Maureen Carlson (x7334), Terena Wilkens (x6280), Paul Matzke (x7608), Amy Fude (x7630), Sylvia Straub (x7556), or Joanne Derner (x6117). "Never be afraid to ask questions regarding your safety!"

Thank Yous

Bob and Dana Lamb (college relations) would like to thank everyone who participated in and/or donated toward our benefit at the Redmen's Club. "We were overwhelmed by the 'standing room only' crowd and the generous donations to help us cover our medical expenses from this challenging year. We are truly blessed to live in such a caring community."

 



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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