Inside Gustavus October 7, 2010 | Volume 43, Number 6

From the President and the Provost

We write to say thank you, first to the entire community for making Nobel Conference 46 such a success, and to everyone who was involved in all of the many activities surrounding the Conference. We especially want to thank this year's Nobel Committee, chaired by Professor Heldke. The thousands of visitors who attended the conference on our campus or over the Web were made to feel a part of the Conference itself and the campus community.

Both of us heard comments from the presenters, who expressed their deep appreciation for the planning that went into the Conference. We talked to individuals who attended their first conference as well as those who have attended all 46 conferences. The feeling of gratitude was universal.

Thanks to Dr. Niederriter for his leadership and to all those who coordinated the logistics for the Conference. We also want to note how important it was for the presenters to connect with our faculty and students. Thank you to those who helped coordinate the visits of our distinguished guests.  

We now turn our attention to Nobel Conference 47, and know everyone will help Professor Ferragamo and his committee, as we have Professor Heldke and her committee. Next year's conference will be at the start of the College's Sesquicentennial celebration.

News & Announcements

Flu Shot Clinic for Employees... On Wednesday, Oct. 13, from 7:30 a.m. through 12:30 p.m., the College is offering a flu shot clinic for employees in Alumni Hall. The cost is $25, which may be paid by cash or check or billed to your insurance. If you would like the vaccine billed to your insurance, you will need to bring your card to the Flu Shot Clinic; you will also need to provide the policy holder’s name, address, and date of birth. Spouses, domestic partners, and dependents over the age of 18 may also receive the vaccine at the Employee Flu Shot Clinic. This year’s flu shot will protect against Influenza A, Influenza B, and H1N1 Influenza. The flu (influenza) is a highly contagious viral respiratory infection that is spread from person to person primarily when an infected person coughs or sneezes. After a person is infected with the virus, symptoms usually appear in 2-4 days. The symptoms include fever, chills, headache, dry cough, congestion, and muscle aches. Unlike the common cold, influenza can cause extreme fatigue lasting several days to more than a week. All flu shots administered will contain inactivated virus. You CANNOT get the flu from this. PREVENTION IS KEY!

• Get an annual flu shot.
• Wash hands FREQUENTLY! Use soap and water or an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
• Cover your cough! Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your sleeve (not your hand).
• Avoid sharing food, drinks, water bottles, or personal items with others.
• Have tissues readily available.
• Stay home if you are sick. Do not “tough it out” and come to work, classes, or practice if you are ill, especially if you have a fever and are coughing or sneezing. You are exposing others when doing so.

Questions? Stop by Health Service or call (ext. 7630).

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, Oct. 8 - Chaplain Brian Johnson
• Sunday, Oct. 10 - Family Weekend: Chaplain Rachel Larson and the Choir of Christ Chapel, Patricia Kazarow, conductor
• Monday, Oct. 11 - Jim Dontje (Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation)
• Tuesday, Oct. 12 - Mark Bjelland (geography)
• Wednesday, Oct. 13 - Morning Praise
• Thursday, Oct. 14 - The Rev. Mark Peters, executive director, Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy in Minnesota
• Friday, Oct. 15 - Justin Anderson (senior student)

Fall Fest!... The Linnaeus Arboretum's annual Fall Fest will be held this Saturday, Oct. 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year's fest will be highlighted by hay rides, guided arboretum tours, live alpacas on exhibit, pottery-making, pumpkin decorating, and scavenger hunts. The Arb's new chimney swift nesting tower presentation and blessing will be held at 10:30 a.m., and live music from a student jazz trio will begin at 1 p.m. For more information, call the arboretum at 933-6181 or visit gustavus.edu/arboretum/FallFest2010. Come enjoy a sunny fall day in the Arb!

Family Weekend Includes Seminars, Music, and More... Family Weekend 2010 will bring parents and siblings of our students to the campus for the coming weekend, Oct. 8-10. Highlights of the weekend include:

• Class visits all day on Friday.
• A city tour with Bob Douglas (geography), Saturday, 9 a.m., from Three Flags.
• Seminars for parents in the Jackson Campus Center on Saturday: "Addressing Concerns about Your Student" (9 a.m.), "Planning Ahead for a Semester Abroad" (9 a.m.), "Exploring Gustavus for Yourself" (10:30 a.m.), and "Parents Asking Parents" (10:30 a.m.).
• The Linnaeus Arboretum's Fall FEst (see above).
• "Baby Wants Candy" Music Improv, Saturday, 8 p.m., in Björling Recital Hall.
• Music presentations on Sunday: The Choir of Christ Chapel and the Christ Chapel Ringers during the worship service at 10 a.m. in Christ Chapel; the Gustavus Jazz Ensemble and the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band at the "A la Carte Jazz Brunch" in the Evelyn Young Dining Room, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; and the Gustavus Choir, the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra, the Gustavus and Vasa wind orchestras, and the Lucia Singers performing in Christ Chapel starting at 2 p.m.

For more information on Family Weekend, call the Student Activities Office at 933-7598.

Make Your Own Hand-Felted Slippers... A Hand-Felted Scandinavian Slipper Class will be held during the "Fall Fest at the Arb," Saturday, Oct. 9, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Interpretive Center. Use natural fiber roving to employ a wet-felting technique and custom-make your very own slippers. This felting method does not require knitting. By the end of the class, you'll have a pair of slippers and enjoy warm feet for the winter. Dress for clean, wet fun. Instruction fee is $30, and roving will be available for sale. Contact Kathy at kerlands@gustavus.edu to register or call 507-933-6514 with questions.

Faculty Shop talk on Oct. 15... Baker Lawley (English) will present the next Faculty Shop Talk of the 2010-11 academic year. His talk, titled "A Fiction Reading: From The Curtain-Puller's Understudy," will be presented on Friday, Oct. 15, at 4:30 p.m. in the Interpretive Center. Feel free to arrive any time after 4:15 p.m. The abstract for this and future talks may be viewed at gustavus.edu/events/shoptalks/.

Off-Campus Events of Interest

St. Peter Saints "Tackle Hunger" during Homecoming... Support the St. Peter Food Shelf, and the Saints football program's service project, by helping to Stuff-A-Truck for the food shelf before the SPHS Homecoming football game Oct. 8, 2010. Bring household items (diapers, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, etc.) and non-perishable food items to the St. Peter High School football field and help make the upcoming holiday seasons better ones for many St. Peter community members. For questions or comments, please contact the volunteer parent coordinator at 612-226-0296.

Seventh Halloween Fun Run/Parade Scheduled... The St. Peter Recreation Department's seventh annual Halloween 5k Fun Run and Walk, "Southern Minnesota's largest and fastest parade of costumes," will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30. The race starts at 9:30 a.m. Cost for an individual is $20 if registered by Friday, Oct. 15, and $25 if registered between Oct. 16 and Oct. 28 (NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION); students 17 and under pay $16. There will also be a Team Challenge: minimum of six to a team at $18 per participant if registered by Friday, Oct. 15, and $20 if registered between Oct. 16 and Oct. 28 (again, NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION). Businesses (and colleges) are encouraged to form teams.

Congregational Outreach

Partners in Education... Presenters for this week are Jim Dontje (environmental studies), who will speak at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Peter on Sunday, Oct. 10, at 9:30 a.m. about living out in our daily lives the commitment to creation care; Leila Brammer (comm. studies), who will be speaking at Woodlake Lutheran Church in Richfield, Minn., at 10 a.m. on the topic "Telling the Truth in a Lying Culture"; and Grady St. Dennis (church relations), who will be speaking at American Lutheran Church in Windom, Minn., at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on the topic "Observing the Speed Limit of Life." Partners in Education is a program coordinated by the Office of Church Relations in which participating faculty and staff members prepare topical presentations for adult forums, workshops, and seminars in congregations of the ELCA.

Retreats... The Office of Church Relations is hosting the following confirmation retreats this weekend: Woodlake Lutheran Church from Richfield, Minn., and St. John's Lutheran Church from Montgomery, Minn.

Events....The Office of Church Relations will be holding an "Exploring Religious Questions" series starting this month. The series will be on "The Dead Sea Scrolls, Jesus, and Judism." The class dates are Oct. 11, 18, and 25 and Nov. 1 and 8, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The first session will be taught by Darrell Jodock and Casey Elledge (both religion). Students, faculty, and staff do not have to pay to enroll but need to pre-register through the Office of Church Relations in order to attend the series.

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

Website Tips

Titles Are Important... Actually, titles are the most important part of any page. They not only are one of the highest weighted parts of the page by search engines, but titles also show up as the link text in search engines—so that is what people will read when they make a search and determine if your page is what they are looking for. The rest of your content doesn’t matter if nobody finds it. Like the subject of an e-mail, titles should be descriptive and concise.

For most people, putting together a website is a pretty big project; putting together an effective website can be a Herculean effort. The Gustavus Web Team hopes you will consider these easy tips to make sure all of your effort is focused where it counts.

Plugs

Wanted... Childcare provider for 21-month-old boy every other Friday, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Contact Bridget at 612-226-0296 for more information.

For Sale... Air-hockey table (approximate size is 6’ x 3’). It is in great shape and would make an excellent gift. $50 or best offer. Call Paul, evenings at 934-3827.

"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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