Inside Gustavus December 3, 2009 | Volume 42, Number 13

News & Announcements

St. Lucia Court Named... The Guild of St. Lucia proudly announces the 2009 Court of St. Lucia: Mary Dierkes, Jennifer Fox, Rebecca Hohag, Whitney O'Connell, Colleen Peterson, and Anna Swenson. Please vote for St. Lucia on Monday, Dec. 7, or Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside of the Evelyn Young Dining Room. Lucia Day is Dec. 10 this year. The Court of St. Lucia will be caroling in the residence halls beginning at 5 a.m. The Festival of St. Lucia will be marked at 10 a.m. in chapel with a service that includes a procession of the court and the sons and daughters of faculty and staff members as star children.

In the Event of a School Closing or Delay... Now that we've had our first snowfall, it seems like a good time to remind the community of the College's policies and procedures in response to inclement weather conditions. When College facilities will be closed or classes delayed or canceled during a work day due to inclement weather conditions, announcements will be made as soon as possible via campus communications as well as on the following media:

• WCCO radio, television, and Web, Twin Cities (830 AM, Ch. 4, and wcco.com)
• KEYC-TV (CBS/Fox), Mankato (Ch. 12 and keyc.tv)
• KRBI (105.5 FM or buzzard105.com)
• KEEZ (99.1 FM or myz99.com)
• KQYK (95.7 FM or 957theblaze.com)
• KYSM (103 FM or country103.com)
• KNUJ radio, New Ulm (860 AM/107.3 FM or knuj.net)

If the College makes the decision to close, individuals will be paid for regularly scheduled hours for that day. If the College remains open but individuals choose to leave early due to inclement weather, the time off should be taken as unpaid leave, vacation, or PTO time with supervisor approval. Factors that influence the College's decision to delay or cancel classes include the following: expected precipitation, road conditions, visibility, and wind-chill factor. Be aware that the College's decision to delay/cancel may differ from area K-12 schools; Gustavus is influenced by the needs of the more than 2,000 students who live in campus housing, as contrasted with different factors and conditions at K-12 schools (e.g., busing, young children, etc.).

Still Seeking Ushers... Ushers are still being sought for Christmas in Christ Chapel services this weekend (Friday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 5, at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.). Volunteers would need to be at Christ Chapel 90 minutes before the service starts and may stay for the service or leave once the service begins. This is a great option for getting into a service if you forgot to order a ticket! If interested, contact Dana (x7550 or dlamb) or Lorie (x7520 or lsiebels) at your earliest convenience.

Parking Enforcement Changes for This Weekend... The Lund parking lot and the Norelius Visitor parking lot will be closed from Thursday, Dec. 3, at 11 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 6, due to Christmas in Christ Chapel and the President's Dinner. With the exception of the Visitor lots, all parking lots will be considered "open parking" this weekend. Vehicles may be parked in any red, yellow, or green parking space without regard to permit color Friday, Dec. 4, until Sunday, Dec. 6. Overnight parking will still be enforced: green and yellow lots are posted for no parking 2-7 a.m., and Visitor permits are required to park after 2 a.m. in Visitor parking. Contact Campus Safety at x8809 with any questions.

Test of Gustavus's Emergency Communication System... Sometime this afternoon (Thursday, Dec. 3) by 3 p.m., the College will conduct a routine test of its emergency mass communication system. In the event of an actual campus emergency, timely communication can make a critical difference to health and safety. To this end, we must test our mass communication systems and protocols. If you have shared your emergency contact data with the College, you will receive automated voice and text messages via landline phones, mobile phones, and e-mail. Your off-campus emergency contacts will not be included in this exercise. You will not need to take any action in response to the test communications that you receive. If you have not already done so, please take this opportunity to enter or update your contact information in Gustavus's password-protected emergency communication database: https://gustavus.edu/gribly. We thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation on Thursday afternoon. If you have any questions before or after the test, contact Lisa Octigan (eoctigan) in the Office of Campus Safety.

Support Staff Employees Honored... The following support staff employees will be recognized for years of service at the annual Staff Christmas Luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 22.

• Retirees: Janet Jensen (library/theatre & dance), Sue McClain (Book Mark), Benjamin Zieske (custodial)
• 45 Years of Service: Sandy Grochow (finance office)
• 40 Years: Robert Hahn (physical plant)
• 30 Years: Sue Myrha (residential life), Richard Walter (physical plant)
• 25 Years: Ginny Bakke (library), Janine Genelin (classics/philosophy/political science/religion), Linda Gibbs (custodial), Karen Kepka (custodial)
• 20 Years: Vicky Domras (postal service), Tracy Glass (physical plant), David Klein (Campus Safety), Sheila Volk (Dining Service)
• 15 Years: Dale Flemming (physical plant), Chad Grisim (physical plant), Phyllis Kuhlman (registrar), Thomas O'Brien (custodial), Marshall Powell (physical plant), Sheryl Youngblom (institutional advancement)
• 10 Years: Lynn Beaty (custodial), Chris Blaschko (physical plant), Stephen Brown (Dining Service), Richard Dahn (custodial), Mary Koch (Book Mark), Julia Krenik (Dining Service), Daniel Rosin (Campus Safety), Gerald Stransky (Dining Service)
• 5 Years: Michael Boelter (custodial), Cheryl Brown (institutional advancement), Sharon Gaalswyk (Dining Service), Stacy Hahn (admission), Russell Nachreiner (Dining Service), Linda Reuben (custodial), Lorie Siebels (marketing & communication), Kyhl Thomson (Dining Service), Jeremy Walter (physical plant), Gerald Willaert (physical plant)

Nominate a Book for 'Reading in Common'... The New Student Orientation program invites you to nominate books for consideration for the 2010-11 Reading in Common program. A selection committee of faculty, staff, and students will meet for the first time in the next few weeks to begin the months-long process of reading and debating the merits of many great books! Go to Reading in Common and scroll to the bottom of the page to find a list of past titles, criteria we look for in books, and a suggestion form. The deadline to submit is Friday, Dec. 4. This link is active year-round, so if you come across a great book at any point in the year you can nominate it and it will be saved for the next year. The Reading in Common program, which is now entering its second decade at Gustavus, has supported the Global Insight focus the past few years and this is a consideration, though not a requirement, when choosing a book. Next year's Global Insight focus is food/nutrition.

Holiday Schedule Reminder... Due to the way the Christmas and New Year holidays fall on the calendar this year, the College will be officially closed from Dec. 24 until Jan. 3. The following holidays and floating holidays will be observed for Christmas and New Year:

• Floating Holiday - Thursday, Dec. 24
• Christmas Holiday - Friday, Dec. 25
• Floating Holiday - Monday, Dec. 28
• Floating Holiday - Tuesday, Dec. 29
• Floating Holiday - Wednesday, Dec. 30
• Floating Holiday - Thursday, Dec. 31
• New Year's Day Holiday - Friday, Jan. 1, 2010

Grant a Wish... The Angel Tree is up in the Jackson Campus Center outside the Evelyn Young Dining Room. This is your opportunity to help a St. Peter area child in need by granting one special Christmas wish. The Angel Tree was started 12 years ago by a Peer Assistant, and has grown throughout the years to service approximately 200 children. You can participate by taking an "angel ornament" from the tree, purchasing a gift, and returning the wrapped gift to the Peer Assistant Office. If you don't have time to shop and would like to support this effort, monetary donations are also helpful for purchasing gifts for unreturned requests. For more information, please call Deb Reichel at x7607.

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, Dec. 4 - Chaplain Brian Johnson
• Sunday, Dec. 6 - Javen Swanson '06
• Monday, Dec. 7 - AIDS activist and author Kevin Winge, executive director of Open Arms of Minnesota
  
• Tuesday, Dec. 8 - Winds of Christmas: Gustavus and Vasa Wind Orchestras, conducted by Douglas Nimmo
• Wednesday, Dec. 9 - Morning Praise
• Thursday, Dec. 10 - Festival of St. Lucia
• Friday, Dec. 11 - Chris Johnson (CVR)

AIDS Activist to Visit Campus... Kevin Winge, the executive director of Open Arms of Minnesota and author of Never Give Up: Vignettes from Sub-Saharan Africa in the Age of AIDS, will be on campus Monday, Dec. 7, and will give a public presentation, "Nourishing Social Change: Everyday Acts that Impact the World," at 7 p.m. in the Heritage Banquet Room of the Jackson Campus Center. While on campus he will also visit several classes, offer the homily in Chapel, and be available for informal conversations with students and employees throughout the day. Based in Minneapolis, Kevin speaks extensively on the subject of HIV/AIDS and the national and international disparities in access to health care, and makes frequent trips to South Africa where he continues his work to educate and bring hope to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Witness an Aggressive and  Hilarious Physical Theatre Project... The Department of Theatre and Dance presents "Falling Awake," a physical theatre project directed by Henry MacCarthy, on Dec. 10, 11, and 12 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. Performances will be held in the department's Black Box; 49 tickets are available for each performance. Without the normal limitations that classify "theatre" and "dance," this production breaks through the boundaries of everyday entertainment by demonstrating how expressive the body can be without speech. The performance is a collective creation, structured by the director, ensemble, and designers. Flashlights, furniture, and the surfaces of the performance space serve as simple props to help portray the complicated emotions of human beings in a unique and unforgettable way. Tickets are available online at gustavustickets.com or by calling 933-7590.

Michael Johnson Returns... Singer and guitarist Michael Johnson, who has delighted Gustavus audiences annually for 40 years now, returns to Björling Recital Hall, Friday, Dec. 11, for an 8 p.m. concert. This performance on the Gustavus campus is the only performance the national recording artist will present in southern Minnesota this season. Johnson first performed at Gustavus in April 1968 with the late John Denver as part of the trio of Denver, Boise, and Johnson. Following his departure from the trio one year later, he spent a year acting with an off-Broadway company before returning to Minnesota and to singing. Since that time, he has studied and toured internationally eight times and has recorded 11 albums, which include ten hit singles and two #1 country songs of the year. Tickets for Johnson's annual winter concert are $20 for adults and $17 for students, senior citizens, & Gustavus faculty and staff. Tickets are available at gustavustickets.com or by calling the Gustavus Ticket Center at 507-933-7590. Any tickets remaining will go on sale one hour prior to the concert in Björling Recital Hall box office. 

Annual Scandinavian Breakfast... The annual American Scandinavian Yule Tide Breakfast will be held this year at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15, in Jackson Center Banquet Rooms. This year's breakfast program features stories and photos from Gustavus students and Professor Roland Thorstensson (Scandinavian studies), who were the first to take part in an exciting new Gustavus program, "Term in Sweden," which took them from Jokkmokk in the north to Jönköping in the south. The price for the breakfast is $8.50. Reservations should be sent to Edi Thorstensson (809 S. 7th Street, St. Peter, MN 56082) or by campus mail to Scandinavian Breakfast, c/o Roland Thorstensson.

Off-Campus Events of Interest

A Merry Little Christmas Concert in Mankato... This Saturday, Dec. 5, at  7:30 p.m., Gustavus alumni duo Neal & Leandra (Neal Hagberg '81 and Leandra Peak '83) will be performing a concert at the Eagles Club in Mankato (798 North Riverfront Drive), sponsored by the Bothy Folk Club. Join Neal & Leandra for a night of holiday classics, originals, and also favorites from their regular shows. Tickets ($12 for Bothy members and $15 for nonmembers) are available by phone at 507-947-3356 or e-mail at www.bothy.com..

Kate’s Kourage Benefit... Kate Siebels, daughter of Mark and Lorie Siebels (marketing & comm.), was diagnosed in August with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She has been undergoing chemotherapy at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester. A benefit will take place on Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Red Men Club (412 S. 3rd St., St. Peter) to assist the family with medical and travel expenses. Scheduled activities include:

• Bake Sale, 9 a.m.-noon: If you are interested in donating bake sale items for the benefit, you're asked to prepare the items and price them at price categories of $3, $5, or $10. Please have all items priced and delivered to the Red Men Club after noon on Dec. 11.
• Food and Silent Auction, 3:30-8 p.m.: To donate food items, contact Ginny Bakke (gbakke or 933-7571); auction donations should be given to Ann Volk (avolk or 933-7577).
• Bingo, 4-6:30 p.m. (must be 18 or older to play)
• Raffle for Cash Prizes: Tickets available at the Red Men Club.

Supplemental funding for the food and auction is being provided by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Donations via check should be made out to Thrivent Financial and sent to Dana Lamb (2015 Bunker Lane, St. Peter, 56082; please write "Siebels Benefit" in the memo area).

Congregational Outreach

Preaching in Congregations... The Rev. Mary Gaebler (religion) preached at the 5:30 p.m. service on Saturday, Nov. 28, and the 9 and 10:30 a.m. services on Sunday, Nov. 29, at Christ the King Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minn. This program is sponsored by the Office of Church Relations.

Retreats... The Office of Church Relations will host a confirmation retreat for St. James Lutheran Church from Burnsville, Minn., on Saturday, Dec. 5.

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

Plugs

Seeking January Housing... Peter Shea, who is teaching a January Interim course in philosophy again at Gustavus, is seeking a house-sitting or sublet possibility for January, so that he does not have to commute from Minneapolis. Contact him at shea0017@umn.edu or 612-250-4207. (He is allergic to cats.) Gustavus references available.

Housekeeper Wanted... For house cleaning every two weeks. Duties would include vacuuming , dusting, floors, bathrooms, etc. Call Laurie at 507-933-6286 or 507-344-8305.

For Sale... 1999 Chevy Tahoe LT, 115,500 miles, leather, rear A/C, heated seats, power front seats, AM/FM/cassette/CD player. Asking $4,500. Contact Tyler at 507-469-8425 or 952-994-4550, or Kathy at x6514.

"Plugs" is maintained as a forum by which members of the Gustavus community may offer goods and/or 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 or retailers, although from time to time such announcements may be published when deemed to be of particular interest to the community.

 



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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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