The Yellow Sheet for March 20March 20, 2008 | Volume 40, Number 25

Volume 40, Number 25

• News & Announcements
• Campus Happenings
• Off-Campus Events
• Extraordinary People
• Student News
• Position Openings
• Funding Opps
• In the Media
• Hours
• Plugs
• Thank Yous
• Calendar of Events
• Submit an Item Online

News & Announcements

Upcoming Holiday... Good Friday, March 21, 2008, is a one of the College's official holidays. "All regular full-time employees and regular part-time employees who have completed one year of continuous service are eligible for up to eight hours of holiday pay for each holiday based on the number of hours regularly scheduled to work, provided the employee concerned must work the scheduled work day before and the scheduled work day following the holiday, unless on an approved paid leave of absence."

Health and Wellness Working Group Forming... Co-chairs Jackie Alvarez (Counseling Center), Kari Eckheart (HES and GHP), and Karl Larson (HES) announce the formation of a new campus working group that will further develop the strategic initiative on health and wellness. Mary Morton (academic affairs) and Hank Toutain (student affairs) have given the group the charge to be bold in its thinking and to "work to create strong recommendations that will integrate wellness and health throughout our academic and co-curricular programs."  The group will also develop and evaluate strategies to facilitate the health and well-being of community members across the College. Its first meeting will be held Thursday, April 3, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Heritage Banquet Room. All members of the community are welcome to participate. If you are interested in being part of this working group, please contact any of the co-chairs: jalvarez@gustavus.edu, keckheart@gustavus.edu, or klarson3@gustavus.edu.

Leadership and Service Award Nominations... Nominations for the 2007-08 Paul Magnuson Student Leadership and Service Awards are due to the Dean of Students' Office by Tuesday, April 1. Nomination forms are available at the Dean of Students' Office or at the Student Activities Desk. The Magnuson Awards were established in 1991 to recognize leadership and service contributions made by current Gustavus students. The awards recognize outstanding student-planned events, organizations, or individual expressions of leadership by students. Contact Assistant Dean of Students Steve Bennett (sbennett@gustavus.edu or x7739) if you have any questions.

Turn Your Lights Off... It started with a question: How can people be inspired to take action on climate change? The answer: Ask the people of Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour. On March 31, 2007, 2.2 million people and 2,100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour—Earth Hour. This year, Chicago, Copenhagen, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Toronto, and other cities will switch off the lights at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 29, 2008, for one hour. Over 131,000 individuals have pledged to do the same. You can do it, too, wherever you are! It's only an hour, and you will be making a difference. For more information, go to www.earthhour.org/ or www.earthhourus.org/, or call Edi Thorstensson at x7554.

Music Festivals on Campus during Break... Two music festivals will use the Schaefer Fine Arts facilities during spring break. On Wednesday, March 26, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., the local regional solo and small ensemble contest will be held in the music and communications studies departments. This festival has used Gustavus as its primary site since the fine arts center was opened and annually brings 150-200 student musicians to the campus. St. Peter High School Band Director Jim Siewert is managing the event. On Saturday and Sunday, March 29 and 30, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., the 2008 Bernice Jones Music Festival will be held in Schaefer Fine Arts Center. Young musicians from throughout the region who study with private teachers will be on campus for the event. The contest is Saturday and the festival recital will be held on Sunday afternoon in Björling Recital Hall. The time for that recital is not yet set. Bonnie Jorgensen and Rebekah Richards (music, Lab School) will manage this event.

YS Reminder... The Yellow Sheet will not be published on Thursday, March 27 (during Spring Break). Publication resumes on April 3.

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, March 21, through Sunday, March 30 - No chapel services, Easter Recess and Spring Break
• Monday, March 31 - Chaplain Rachel Larson
• Tuesday, April 1 - Chaplain Brian Johnson
• Wednesday, April 2 - Morning Praise
• Thursday, April 3 - Michael Rueckert (senior student)
• Friday, April 4 - Student Senate induction

Tornado Memorabilia in Library... From now until April 18, Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library is displaying an exhibition documenting the 1998 tornado. Courtesy of the Gustavus Adolphus College Archives, the display includes newspaper clippings, selected photographs, and miscellaneous memorabilia. Those interested in viewing additional images of the tornado's aftermath should visit the College Archives.

Rydell Professor to Present Two Public Lectures... Frans B.M. de Waal, a zoologist and ethologist specializing in primate behavior and psychology who was a featured speaker at the 1996 Nobel Conference, will return to the campus for a two-week residency in April as the 2008 Drs. Robert E. and Susan T. Rydell Professor at Gustavus Adolphus College. De Waal, the C.H. Chandler Professor of Primate Behavior at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., and director of Living Links Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, will present a public lecture titled "On the Possibility of Animal Empathy," on Thursday, April 3, at 7 p.m. in Alumni Hall. He will also be co-teaching the neuroscience capstone course with Jan Wotton (psychology) during his residency.
     De Waal is also scheduled to present a talk at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley on Tuesday evening, April 8, at 7 p.m. The presentation, titled "Our Inner Ape: Human Nature as Seen by a Primatologist," will take place in the Great Clips IMAX Theater at the zoo. Both lectures are open to the public without charge, although advance reservations are requested for the zoo lecture (www.mnzoo.org).
     The Rydell Professorship at Gustavus Adolphus College is a scholar-in-residence program designed to bring Nobel laureates, Nobel Conference presenters, and similarly distinguished scholars and scientists to the campus as catalysts for enhanced learning and teaching. It was established in 1993 by the late Dr. Robert Rydell and his wife, Dr. Susan Rydell, of Minnetonka, Minn., "to give students the opportunity to learn from and interact with leading scholars."

League of Women Voters Program on Campus... The public is invited to join the League of Women Voters for a program on "Unlocking the Secrets of the Minnesota River," Saturday, April 5, from 10:15 until noon at the Interpretive Center. Presenters are Art and Bart Straub of LeSueur, with Scott Kudelka from the Water Resources Center, Minnesota State University, Mankato. For further information, contact Helen Baumgartner, 931-3051 or helenb2@hickorytech.net.

Wind Orchestra Presents Home Concert... The Gustavus Wind Orchestra, under the direction of Douglas Nimmo (music), will present its annual Home Concert in Christ Chapel on Saturday, April 5, beginning at 3 p.m. The performance by the ensemble, capping its spring concert tour to Florida, will feature baritone Michael Jorgensen (music). The concert is free and open to the public.
     The Gustavus Wind Orchestra's program showcases the variety of compositions available for performance by wind ensembles. The program ranges from the light-hearted percussion feature Dill Pickles to Morton Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium and David Gillingham's Be Thou My Vision. It includes the Dmitri Schostakovich Festive Overture and a Sousa march, Easter Morning on the White House Lawn, among others. The program concludes with a performance of The Death Tree from composer David Holsinger's three-movement Easter Symphony. This powerful work, commissioned by the College in 1995, portrays the journey of Christ into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, his crucifixion, and his resurrection. Jorgensen, who accompanied the ensemble on its spring tour, will join them on stage as vocalist for The Death Tree.

Guest Artists' Recital... Swedish 'cellist Thomas Schoenberg and St. Paul classical guitarist Chris Kachian will present a guest recital of contemporary works for guitar and 'cello in Jussi Björling Recital Hall on Sunday, April 6. The performance begins at 3:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Schoenberg, a founding member of Ars Nova Trio, has performed over 300 solo, chamber, and concerto performances in Europe, Asia, and the United States. In addition to his performance career, Schoenberg serves as the dean of the Lidingo School of Music in Stockholm. Kachian, who has been heard on Minnesota and National Public Radio and American Public Media, is a professor of music at the University of St. Thomas, where he directs the guitar studies area.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?... "Meals and Manners in Black and White" is the title of a lecture by Alice Julier, visiting scholar in women's studies at the University of Pittsburgh, to be held Monday, April 7, at 7 p.m. in Olin Hall, Room 103. Sociologist and food studies scholar Julier will discuss her research into historical and contemporary etiquette books written for white and Black audiences. She explores the similarities and differences between these books, in order to understand the significance of these "commensal relationships" for Euro-whites and African Americans. Julier's lecture, which is sponsored by the Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies program, the Sponberg Chair in Ethics, and the departments of Philosophy and Sociology & Anthropology, is open to the public without charge. Refreshments will be served!

Off-Campus Events of Interest

TREEmendous Twister Party... A free communitywide event has been planned to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the St. Peter tornado and also benefit the upkeep and maintenance of the TREEmendous Playground in Gorman Park. The event, a gathering time for people of all ages for fellowship, food, fun, and reflection, will be held at the St. Peter Community Center on Saturday March 29, from noon to 5:30 p.m. For further information or to volunteer, please contact Wendy Bachman (931-2139 or wbachman@hotmail.com) or Tracey Peymann (934-9395 or tpeymann@hickorytech.net).

'Fiddlepals' Perform at Arts Center... "Brian Wicklund & Fiddlepals" will perform on Saturday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m. at the Arts Center of Saint Peter. Wicklund, a Gustavus graduate who has carved out a name for himself in the fiddle world with his mastery and stagecraft, currently plays with Ben Winship and Eric Thorin in Brother Mule, whose latest recording, Big Twang, was voted the best Americana CD of 2005 by Indiemusic.com. Tickets are available at the door: $12 adults/$10 AC members/$6 students/children under 12 free.

Submissions Sought for April-May Gallery Show... Submissions are being sought for a juried mixed-media exhibition of women's art titled Women Celebrating Women: Women's Vision/expressing life through art. Every artist who happens to also be a woman is invited to participate in the April-May gallery show at the Arts Center of Saint Peter (315 S. Minnesota Ave.). Submit one or two recent two- or three-dimensional pieces of art together with a 60- to 70-word bio, a digital photo of the artist, and an entry fee of $9 on Sunday, March 30, 4-7 p.m. or by arrangement. The pieces must have been created in the last two years. Contact info@artscentersp.org, 507-931-3630, or www.artscentersp.org for more information. A reception for the artists will be held on Sunday, April 13, from 2 to 4 p.m., with a "Creativi-Tea" (High Tea) closing reception on May 4 from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Extraordinary People

Douglas Nimmo (music) served as guest clinician and conductor for the Springfield High School Band in Springfield, MN, on Thursday, March 12.

Helena Karlsson and Roland Thorstensson (Scandinavian studies) recently attended the 98th annual conference of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study (SASS), this year hosted by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Helena gave a paper on multiculturalism in Scandinavia, and Roland was a discussant on a panel focusing on the cultures of the Sami and the Native Alaskans. Three Gustavus graduates presented papers: Nicole Sterling '96, Ph.D. candidate at UC-Berkeley; Glenn Kranking '98, Ph.D. candidate at Ohio State University; and Karin Hedstrom '06, M.A. candidate at the University of Washington, Seattle. Representing both Gustavus and Umeå University, Sweden, Krister Stoor (Scandinavian studies, visiting) was both a presenter and a discussant on a panel dealing with indigenous cultures and colonialism.

Student News

Andrew Twiton, senior philosophy major, presented a paper titled "Hull House and Democratic Space" at the 11th annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference sponsored by Drury University Department of Philosophy and Religion.

Philosophy major Rhea Muchalla presented her paper, "Colliding Coalitions," an exploration of the theories of Jane Addams and Chandra Mohanty, at the National Black Graduate Student Conference in Chicago. She was one of only two undergraduate presenters at the conference.

A dance piece from Gustavus Adolphus College is one of three entries from the American College Dance Festival Association’s (ACDFA) North-Central Regional Conference selected by adjudicators to be performed at the biennial ACDFA National College Dance Festival in New York City in June. The work is also the region’s nominee for the national ACDFA/Dance Magazine Award for outstanding student performance. At the conference, Gustavus entered two works, and Vigorous Incubation, choreographed by Visiting Instructor of Dance Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner, was selected as one of three works (from among 41 representing 33 schools) to be performed at the national festival. Seven student dancers perform in the work: senior Britta Peterson; juniors Katie Jensen and Nikki Rusinko; and sophomores Marissa Augustin, Sarah Jabar, Katelyn Pedersen, and Nina Serratore. North-Central regional officials also selected Vigorous Incubation as the region’s nominee for the national organization’s ACDFA/Dance Magazine Award for outstanding student performance, which will be announced at the national festival in June.

Position Openings

• Assistant Director of Student Activities (student affairs)

For more information on the aforementioned position(s), call human resources (x7304).

Funding Opps

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

• Artist Residencies Available... The Yaddo Mansion artists’ community offers residencies in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to creative artists including highly qualified writers, visual artists, composers, choreographers, performance artists, filmmakers, and video artists. Qualified applicants must be working at a professional level in their fields. Residencies vary in length from two weeks to two months and include room, board, and studio. There is no residency fee. Limited funds are available for travel expenses or equipment rental. Separate funds are available to provide financial aid for writers. Deadlines are August 1, 2008, for residencies taking place anytime from late October 2008 to May 2009; and January 1, 2009, for residencies taking place anytime from mid-May 2009 to February 2010. For more information, please see http://yaddo.org/yaddo/application.shtml.

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:

• Chemistry and environmental studies professor Jeff Jeremiason was mentioned on the Mankato Free Press’s editorial page on March 13. The Free Press gave a “thumbs up” to a lecture series in which Jeremiason will speak on mercury pollution in Minnesota lakes.
• The St. David's Day celebration at Gustavus made international news when it was covered in the weekly online newsletter Latest News from Wales and the World! published by Carwyn Edwards on March 15.
• Alcohol education efforts at Gustavus were mentioned, and student Kristin Mummert was quoted, in a March 17 Star Tribune article titled “Putting the brakes on spring break recklessness.”
• The Mankato Free Press printed a story on the front page of its March 16 Valley section about the Rydell Professorship and Frans de Waal’s public lecture on April 3.
• WCCO radio ran a story on the morning of March 17 about the ten-year tornado anniversary commemorative chapel service. Vice President of Finance Ken Westphal was interviewed.
• KARE-11 ran a story on its 5 p.m. newscast on March 17 about the tornado anniversary chapel service. Laurie Dietrich (advancement) was interviewed.
• KEYC ran a story on its 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts on March 17 about the tornado anniversary chapel service. Ray Thrower (safety and security) and Brian Johnson (chaplains' office) were interviewed.
• The Mankato Free Press printed a story on March 18 about the tornado anniversary chapel service. Student Kim Braun was quoted in the story.
• KSTP-TV ran a story on its March 17 newscast about the tornado anniversary chapel service. Ray Thrower and Brian Johnson were interviewed.
• Minnesota Public Radio and WCCO-TV were present at the tornado anniversary chapel service and will run stories closer to the March 29 anniversary date.

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).

Hours

Museum Hours during Break... The Hillstrom Museum of Art will be open the following times during the upcoming spring break at Gustavus Adolphus College: Tuesday, March 25, through Sunday, March 30, 1-4 p.m.  (The Museum will be closed Friday, March 21, through Monday, March 24.) Regular hours (which are weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekends, 1-5 p.m.) will resume on Monday, March 31.  The Museum's current exhibition, Rodin: In His Own Words, Selections from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, will be on view through April 22.

Plugs

Wanted:  Used wicker-type baskets to be used by a motorcycle club to make silent auction gift baskets to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Please contact Marie Dutton at mdutton@gustavus.edu or x7643 to arrange pick-up.

Temporary Housing Sought... Henry MacCarthy (theatre and dance) is looking for temporary housing from July 1 to July 12 somewhere in town or nearby. If you can help, call him at x7352 or 740-590-3942, or e-mail hmaccart@gustavus.edu. (He has a small dog.)

"Plugs" is maintained as a forum by which members of the Gustavus community may offer goods and services to others in the community, or seek the same from them. It is not meant to accommodate ads or announcements from area businesses such as real estate agents and retailers, although from time to time such announcements may be published when deemed to be of particular interest to the community.

Thank Yous

Thanks to Breakfast Speakers... The Office of Alumni Relations wishes to thank faculty and staff members who have spoken at the monthly Twin Cities Alumni Breakfasts: Doug Nimmo (January), Jim Dontje (February), and Mary Morton (March). Upcoming speakers include Cindy Johnson-Groh (biology and Linnaeus Arboretum) on April 16 and Tim Kennedy (sports information) on May 21. The breakfasts are held the third Wednesday of each month at the Double Tree Hotel in Minneapolis.

 



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

---

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).

Home | News & Info | Yellow Sheet Archives | Submit an Item Online