Inside Gustavus September 3, 2009 | Volume 42, Number 1

News & Announcements

We're Baaack... Welcome to a new academic term, the 148th at Gustavus Adolphus College. With the beginning of a new school year comes Inside Gustavus, a weekly, online, internal newsletter following in the tradition of the Yellow Sheet, GACNI, and other newsletters that have provided news and information to the campus community since the late 1960s. Inside Gustavus will be distributed online each Thursday afternoon except during academic breaks. Here's some technical stuff regarding submissions and publication that you'll want to know:

• How should items be submitted? Fill out an online news submission form (gustavus.edu/news/submit/), click the Inside Gustavus box, and finally click the submit box.
• What is the deadline? All submissions must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on the Tuesday prior to publication. (Due to the Nobel Conference on Oct. 6-7, the deadline for that week's edition will be 4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5.)
• Who may submit items? Anyone who has pertinent news or information for the campus community. Keep in mind that the newsletter is not a vehicle for personal thank yous or a market for local businesses, and the editor retains the right to edit material and refuse material deemed inappropriate.
• How many times may an item run? Generally, twice, so plan your event and promotion accordingly. Sometimes, we can run an advance notice (perhaps 6-8 weeks out) and then run two closer to the date of the event. Notices of academic processes and deadlines (e.g., the appeal for support letters for tenure candidates below) are exempt from the “two times” rule and can appear additional times upon request.
• When is the newsletter distributed? Each week of the academic year except during Thanksgiving, Christmas, Touring, and Spring breaks.

A New Academic Year... Gustavus begins its 148th academic year with approximately 2,525 full-time students and 50 part-time. Around 630 first-year students are enrolled at the College this fall.

How to Submit a Calendar Item... As we begin a new academic term, the Marketing and Communication staff reminds 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 our searchable, online 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.

Reminder... The College is officially open on Labor Day, Sept. 7. Employees taking the day off must use PTO or a vacation day.

Letters Sought for Tenure Candidates... The following members of the faculty are currently being considered for appointments with continuous tenure:

• Brenda Kelly (biology and chemistry)
• Michele Koomen (education)
• Karl Larson (health & exercise science)
• San Skulrattanakulchai (math & computer science)

Letters written on behalf of these candidates should be sent to Provost David Fienen and should address the criteria for tenure as stated in the Faculty Manual (see below). Letters are due by Monday, Sept. 28, at 4 p.m. All members of the Gustavus community are invited to submit letters. Candidates will have access to their letters. The specific criteria for tenure are as follows:

• Excellence as a teacher as reflected in quality of and enthusiasm for work, effectiveness of methods, interest in subject matter, concern for student learning, effective advising of students within and outside the major and continued academic preparation and improvement.
• An emerging pattern of professional activities as reflected, for example, by publications, presentations at scholarly meetings or conferences, and, in the arts, by manifestations of creativity demonstrated through exhibits or performances; another example may be involvement in professional and/or public organizations, boards, and commissions related to one's academic fields or college assignments.
• An emerging pattern of involvement in the activities of the College.
• Continuing evidence of sympathy with the aims and purposes of Gustavus Adolphus College as stated in the Mission Statement of the College.

Retirement Reception... Please join the advancement staff for a retirement reception in honor of Nancy Hardesty (former director of advancement services, Institutional Advancement) on Wednesday, Sept. 9, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. in Linner Lounge.

Emergency Communication Notice... As part of its ongoing and proactive emergency preparedness planning, Gustavus has a multi-layered emergency communication system that enables campus administrators and security professionals to reach out to all members of the Gustavus community within minutes—through phone calls, e-mails, and text messages—with information and updates during unforeseen events or emergencies. To make it most effective, ALL students, faculty, and staff must enter and regularly update their emergency contact information online. To do so, go to the online campus directory at gustavus.edu/gribly. After logging in, click the “Your Profile” tab and proceed to the “Emergency” tab to fill out or change your contact information. All contact information will remain secure and confidential. The system will only be used for emergencies or other unforeseen urgent communications. If you are already in the system, please follow the same steps to make any necessary changes. The system will be tested during the school year; such tests will be announced in advance. Questions may be directed to Director of Campus Safety Ray Thrower (x8888 or rthrower@gustvaus.edu) or Vice President for Marketing and Communication Gwen Freed (x6355 or gfreed@gustavus.edu).

Parking Enforcement... All parking rules and regulations go into effect Tuesday, Sept. 8. Vehicles without a valid parking permit will be ticketed beginning at 7 a.m. on Sept. 8. Parking rules and regulations may have changed, so be sure to read the parking and traffic regulations. A complete list of rules is found at https://gustavus.edu/safety/policies/traffic.php.

*Parking regulation changes: 

• Green (employee) and Yellow (commuter) lots are no parking 2 a.m.-7 a.m. Overnight parking is available in the gravel parking lot located across from the football stadium.
• Non-registered vehicles receiving their third parking citation will receive a tow warning. A fourth ticket for non-registration will result in a tow.
• Visitors wishing to park after 2 a.m. must register in the Campus Safety Office with their host and get a visitor parking permit. As always, the visitor parking lot is closed to students and staff at all times (24/7/365).

Parking Restriction This Weekend... Lund Parking Lot will be closed to faculty, staff, and students beginning Friday, Sept. 4, at 11 p.m. and will reopen for campus parking following the First-Year Orientation Square Dance event Saturday night, Sept. 5.

Bicycle Registration... All students, faculty, and staff who wish to park a bicycle on campus must register it with the College. Registration of bicycles is accomplished in person at the Campus Safety Office located in the basement of Norelius Hall Room A35, or you can also register online. There is no fee for registering a bicycle. Bicycles parked on campus must be locked with a chain and padlock or other locking device to a bike rack. Bicycles secured improperly or left unsecured will be confiscated by Campus Safety or Physical Plant personnel. A storage fee of $10 (non-registered) $5 (registered) per day will be applied.

Highway 169 Construction... Major reconstruction of Minnesota Avenue/Highway 169 in downtown St. Peter continues as the academic term starts, with a planned completion by the Thanksgiving weekend. Since traffic must be rerouted differently during different phases of the project, visit the Discover Saint Peter website for up-to date detour information. The College will issue specific routing instructions during special campus events such as New Student Orientation and move-in days, the Nobel Conference, and Homecoming/Family Weekend. For Gustavus-specific information related to the project, visit the Gustavus Highway 169 Construction website.

Gribly Announcement... Since the 2006-07 academic year, the Gribly has been available online to all members of the Gustavus community. The electronic directory offers photos and up-to-date directory information for all current students, faculty, and staff, along with basic and advanced search capabilities. It may be accessed from any of the College website's OnCampus Community pages (the page is displayed when clicking on Current Student, Faculty Member, or Staff Member on the home page). Look for "Gribly" in the left column.

• The electronic version of the Gribly is password-protected and its use restricted to current faculty, administrators, and staff; currently enrolled students and graduates for approximately one year following their graduation; and emeriti faculty and retired staff requesting a password.
• The electronic version is designed to honor all student and employee privacy requests much like the printed version in past years. Therefore, some photos or other information about particular students and employees may not be accessible. (If you are new to the faculty or staff and wish to suppress your photo or home phone number, or if you wish to change your preference, fill out the "Directory Information" form available from the Human Resources Office.)
• With the advanced search features, students can search for faculty by department or building, and faculty can search for students by residence hall, hometown, and even class e-mail aliases. For example, an advanced search will allow individuals to build complete class and student organization photo rosters with a single search.
• Questions about the electronic version, search capabilities, access problems, and the like should be addressed to Bruce Aarsvold (x7020 or aarsvold@gustavus.edu).

While the online Gribly should cover the great majority of the community's queries, some community members may not have easy access to the College's website at all times, and some others may want or need a record of current enrollment for reference in future years. To handle these and similar situations, a printed version of the Gribly will continue to be produced on demand for departments and offices whose requests have been approved by their vice president, and at a cost of $10 per copy for all others. Copies will be available in about six weeks. To reserve a print copy (if not already included in a vice president's request), click here to print and complete the form and send it to Steve Waldhauser (Office of Marketing and Communication or waldo@gustavus.edu). NOTE: As mentioned above, if you wish to have your photo and/or home telephone number excluded from either version of the Gribly but have not already indicated your wishes, you must complete the bright orange form titled “Directory Information,” which is available from the Human Resources Office, as soon as possible.

President's Cabinet Update

At its Sept. 1 meeting, the President's Cabinet discussed last week's Board of Trustees workshop, at which the Board after their review placed the recommendations of Commission Gustavus 150 into three tiers regarding their relative urgency to the future advancement of the College. Members also discussed H1N1 flu planning, which is being coordinated by Heather Dale, director of the Gustavus Student Health Service and interim director of the Counseling Center, and Ray Thrower, director of Campus Safety. Vice President for Admission and Student Financial Aid Mark Anderson reported that the College has reached its goal for the incoming student enrollment and applications for 2010-11 are outpacing previous years. Vice President for Marketing and Communication Gwen Freed updated the group on media coverage of the College, including a local television report on Gustavus's move up eight places in US News and World Report's Best Colleges ranking, released in August.

Chief Financial Officer Ken Westphal reported on a recent positive conference call with Moody's Investors Services. He also commented on the College's current financial position relative to the Board-approved budget for this year. For the benefit of all Cabinet members, he also reviewed College policy with regard to outside vendor contracts and position approval.

Planning and coordination topics included the President's Colloquium on Sept. 2, the arrival of students and Opening Convocation on Sept. 4, and the President's Banquet on Sept. 5. Cabinet members reviewed possible dates for student groups to visit the President's home this academic year. Other topics included use of the President's Suite to host friends of the College and others at home football games this season and the itinerary for the branding firm BD&E's visit to campus this week.

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:

• Tuesday, Sept. 8 - Opening convocation: President Jack Ohle
• Wednesday, Sept. 9 - Morning Praise
• Thursday, Sept. 10 - Provost David Fienen
• Friday, Sept. 11 - Chaplain Rachel Larson

First Friday Faculty Social... All faculty are invited to the First Friday Faculty Social on Friday, Sept. 11, 4-6 p.m. in Alumni Hall. Get to know new faculty members, reconnect with colleagues, and celebrate the start of the new year. Refreshments will be provided. The event is hosted by the John S. Kendall Center for Engaged Learning, the Office of the Provost, and the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations.

Reading in Common... Enrique’s Journey, by Sonia Nazario, is the College’s Reading in Common book for the 2009-10 academic year. All first-year students are expected to have read the chosen book during the summer and will meet with faculty members and upperclass students during New Student Orientation to discuss it. New Student Orientation is also loosely based around the themes found in the book. In 2003, author Nazario, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for her work on the multi-part newspaper series Enrique’s Journey. She expanded on her newspaper series and published the book in 2005. The story details how a Honduran boy, by clinging to the tops and sides of freight trains, made the long, dangerous, and illegal journey through Mexico into the United States to find his mother, who had left him when he was five. Nazario will visit Gustavus in late September and will deliver a lecture in Alumni Hall on Monday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. Related events are scheduled in St. Peter and on campus during the week preceding her lecture; watch for more information. Copies of Enrique’s Journey are available for purchase in the Book Mark. Also, the Kendall Center has announced that it is able to provide copies of the book to the first 50 full-time faculty members who request it; call Cathy Blaukat (x6227) to see if any remain. For more information about the Reading in Common program at Gustavus, contact Megan Ruble (student activities) at 507-933-7597 or mruble@gustavus.edu.

Nobel Conference to Examine Water Issues... This year’s Nobel Conference, “H2O: Uncertain Resource,” to be held on Oct. 6 and 7 in Lund Center Arena, will bring together six notable scientists and policymakers, an ethicist, and a Nobel laureate in literature to discuss the uses and abuses of the world’s most precious resource. Click here to read about the presenters and for more information on the conference. Faculty and staff are welcome to pick up their complimentary ticket at the Office of Marketing and Communication. Tickets for students will be available at the Ticket and Information Center of the Jackson Campus Center beginning Monday, Sept. 14.

Off-Campus Events of Interest

Homeopathy and Chronic Disease... The St. Peter Food Coop will host a class on Thursday, Sept. 10, 6-7:30 p.m. in which homeopathy will be introduced as a holistic system of medicine clinically shown to stimulate healing in cases of chronic disease. The instructors are Anna and Chris Sorenson, third-year students at Northwestern Academy of Homeopathy in Edina as well as Gustavus alumni. The event is free; just call 507-934-3048 to register.

Stress Reduction Program Offered at St. Peter Clinic... "Living Life Mindfully: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction" is the title of an eight-week program being offered by the St. Peter Clinic this fall. The program, led by licensed independent clinical social worker Elizabeth Power Hawkinson, M.S.W., is modeled after the pioneering work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Participants will practice seated meditation, body awareness meditation, and moving meditation (gentle yoga) and will explore mindfulness in their daily life. The 27-hour course, which meets weekly for 2-1/2 hours, includes an all-day retreat, practice CDs, and a copy of Kabat-Zinn's book Full Catastrophe Living. An orientation session (recommended prior to registering and attending the program) is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 8, 5-6:30 p.m. at the St. Peter Clinic. Program sessions follow on Tuesdays, Sept. 15-Nov. 3, 5-7:30 p.m. The all-day retreat is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24. Program cost is $350 (with flexible payment and financial assistance available); call Julie Olsen at the St. Peter Clinic (507-931-2110) by Sept. 4 to pre-register for orientation.

Art Fair in Motion... Mark your calendars! Fall is a wonderful time to take a little road trip, and for those who live in the St. Peter-Mankato area, this is a short trip. Artisans in St. Peter, Mankato, and North Mankato will have doors open and welcome mats in place for the fourth River Crossings Art Fair in Motion. Purchase one-of-a-kind fine art, tour artist studios, view demonstrations, and listen to poetry, music, and theatre. Enjoy tasty treats at delectable restaurants, and take in the beauty of this lovely area. Artist studio hours on Saturday, Oct. 3, are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; on Sunday, Oct. 4, they’ll be open from noon to 5 p.m., with additional scheduled events and entertainment such as gallery exhibits, art and poetry collaborations, improv, theatre, and musical performances throughout both days and into the evening. The fair is made possible by a grant provided by the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council from funds appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature. Visit www.rivercrossingsart.org for more information.

Congregational Outreach

Church Relations Event... The Office of Church Relations is hosting a reception for clergy parents of first-year students and their families from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on"Move-In Day," Friday, Sept. 4, at the Retreat Center. This will be an opportunity for clergy families to meet other clergy families, for students to meet other "PKs," and for all to get acquainted with the Office of Church Relations and resources for congregations.

Facility Hours

Library Hours for Labor Day Weekend... Friday, Sept. 4 - 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 5, and Sun., Sept. 6 - closed; Mon., Sept. 7 - 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m.

Postal Pointers

Mail Piece Consultation... If your office or department is thinking about producing a mail piece, Naomi Quiram, director of Postal Services, is available to review the layout and determine whether it meets USPS mailing requirements. To secure postal discounts, you must meet all requirements. Contact Naomi at x7599 or nquiram@gustavus.edu.

Plugs

For Rent... Walk-out to lake with 1 oversized bedroom, kitchen, living room area, and full bath. Partially furnished, have use of lower-level patio, grill, and lake dock. No smokers, no pets, spacious off-road parking. 15 miles from St. Peter. All utilities included - $900.00 a month, $350.00 security deposit. Contact: Nancy at 507-362-4006 (mornings only), 507-304-0348, or njensen@stonebarrier.com

Looking for a Room... Ryan Furness (director, Culpeper Language Learning Lab) is looking for a roommate or room-for-rent situation for this school year. Please let him know if you know of anyone who either is looking to share an apartment or house, or has a room for rent (x6248 or rfurness@gustavus.edu).

Part-Time Nanny Wanted... Do you know someone who is great with children? We are looking for a responsible, caring individual to come to our home in New Ulm and nanny for our three children (Will - 4, Iris - 3, and June - 1). The position is for approximately 15 hours/week, and the schedule is regular. We may have some flexibility regarding days/hours, but ideal hours would be Monday and Wednesday all day. Start date is immediate and runs through the school year. Negotiable, competitive pay. For more information, call Eric or Betsy Elias at 507-382-3482 (cell) or 507-359-3331 (home).



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Inside Gustavus 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 submissions are preferred, items may also be submitted typewritten on a letter-sized sheet of paper. Send "snail mail" items to: Inside Gustavus, 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 (waldo@gustavus.edu or x6413).

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