Inside Gustavus April 21, 2011 | Volume 43, Number 29

 

President's Cabinet Summary

The President’s Cabinet met on April 19 and discussed the following items:

• Faculty Senate Chair Steve Mellema and Vice Chair Sujay Rao reported faculty feedback regarding contracts, the searches for the two Distinguished Professorship positions, and faculty salary data recently published in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
• The annual end-of-year meeting for all employees will be held in Alumni Hall from 10:30 a.m. to noon on May 26.
• Vice President Stocco shared a progress report on the investigation of the two reported attempted sexual assaults on campus in March. An update to the campus community will be sent this week.
• President Ohle will continue discussions with students who have inquired about space for student veterans to meet and a possible program recognizing veterans next fall.
• The Cabinet reviewed a Student Senate proposal for composting food in collaboration with Dining Service.
• The Cabinet approved the posting of the following replacement positions: Director of Residential Life, Telecommunications Customer Support Specialist, Assistant Director of the Gustavus Annual Fund, Director of Admission Services, and Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communication.
• Vice President Westphal made his annual reminder to the Cabinet that the College’s Educators Legal Liability (ELL) insurance requires the institution to report any report of possible claims within a month of the date that any such matter presents itself.

 

News & Announcements

Farewell Reception for Stacia Vogel... The Gustavus Office of Marketing and Communication is hosting a farewell reception for Stacia Vogel, 10:30 a.m.-noon on Wednesday, April 27, in the Heritage Banquet Room. Stacia has been a Gustavus employee for the past 21 years, most recently serving as assistant vice president for marketing and communication. Stacia has accepted a position as the marketing and communications manager with Student Paths in Roseville, Minn. All are welcome to attend.

 

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, April 22 - Good Friday: NO CHAPEL
• Sunday, April 24 - Easter Sunday: NO CHAPEL
• Monday, April 25 - NO CHAPEL
• Tuesday, April 26 - Easter Hymn Festival
• Wednesday, April 27 - Morning Praise, with the Choir of Christ Chapel
• Thursday, April 28 - Joyce Sutphen (English)
• Friday, April 29 - Arbor Day: Herb Chilstrom (interim Arb director)

Author Tea... Gustavus Adolphus College will hold its annual Gustavus Author Tea at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, in the Courtyard Café. Sponsored by the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library and the Book Mark, this event acknowledges and celebrates individuals from the campus community who have written or contributed in some way to a published book during the current academic year. The event is free and open to the public. The following individuals and publications will be celebrated this year:

• Mark Bjelland (geography), Introduction to Geography
• Thia Cooper (religion), translator, Politics of Liberation: A Critical World History by Enrique Dussel
• Dennis Johnson (church relations, college relations, president, ret.), Chaplain of the House: A Ministry of Prayer and Presence
• Debra Eckerman Pitton (education), Developing Preservice Problem-Solving Skills Through Case Studies
• John Rezmerski (English, emeritus), Breaking the Rules

For more information about this event, contact Judy Schultz in the Book Mark at jdschult@gustavus.edu or 507-933-6017.

Final Faculty Shop Talk of the Year... Mark Bjelland (geography) will present the last Faculty Shop Talk of the 2010-11 academic year. His talk, titled “From Toxic to Trendy: Gentrification of the Minneapolis Riverfront,” will be presented on Friday, April 29, 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 http://gustavus.edu/events/shoptalks/.

Relay for Life on April 30... Hundreds of Gusties will participate in the 2011 Relay For Life of Gustavus Adolphus College. Colleges Against Cancer is set to host the annual event, which will take place in Lund Center beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, and ending with a closing ceremony at 7 a.m. on Sunday, May 1. Gusties will celebrate the lives of those battling cancer, remember the ones we have lost, and fight back against a disease which has taken too much. Reflecting a cancer patient’s journey—it may be long, you may be tired, but there is a sense of hope as the sun rises in the morning—nearly 50 teams will keep one member on the track throughout the night. The event, which is open to all members of the Gustavus community, is the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Last year the Gustavus event raised over $30,000 for the American Cancer Society and this year’s event is on track to exceed this. The American Cancer Society uses fundraising dollars to fund cancer research and provide patient services to those affected by cancer. This year’s event will kick off with a "celebrate" ceremony at 7 p.m. honoring all those who have survived cancer. The ceremony will include stories from Gusties who have survived cancer. We invite you to encourage all survivors in your life to join us for this experience. At 9:30 p.m. we will remember those we have lost to the disease through the lighting of luminary bags. Each luminary bag will display the name of a cancer survivor or friend or family member lost to the disease. Luminaries may be purchased for $10 from any Relay participant or online at www.relayforlife.org/gustavusadolphus. The event will wrap up on Sunday morning with the announcement of the fundraising total. In addition to walking the track all night, participants will enjoy music from live bands, games, food, and prizes. For more information, to register a team, or to make a donation, please visit www.relayforlife.org/gustavusadolphus or contact Samantha Rother by e-mail, srother@gustavus.edu. For information about cancer, access the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) website at www.cancer.org or call the 24-hour toll-free number, 1-800-ACS-2345.

MAYDAY! Conference Debates Death Penalty... Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, author of the critically-acclaimed book Dead Man Walking, and Robert Blecker, professor of law at New York Law School, will keynote the 31st annual MAYDAY! Peace Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College on Wednesday, May 4. This year’s conference is titled “Executing Justice: Debating Capital Punishment.” Sister Prejean, who will lead off the conference at 10 a.m.in Christ Chapel, started speaking out against capital punishment after beginning a prison ministry in New Orleans and later wrote Dead Man Walking based on her experiences. Blecker, in his 1:30 p.m. keynote address in Alumni Hall, will argue the other side of the debate in his speech, titled “The Worst of the Worst of the Worst: How Should They Live & Why Should They Die?” Based on 13 years of interviewing convicted killers, and hundreds of hours inside maximum security prisons and on death rows, he makes a powerful case for the death penalty as retribution, but only for the “worst of the worst” offenders. In addition to the keynote addresses, the MAYDAY! Peace Conference will once again host a high school oratory competition. The final round of the competition will take place at 3 p.m. on Eckman Mall (weather permitting), with orators vying for a $750 first prize. All events related to the MAYDAY! Peace Conference are free and open to the public. For more information about the conference, contact the Gustavus Office of Marketing and Communication at 507-933-7520 or marketing@gustavus.edu.

Library to Benefit from 'Books in Bloom'... Gustavus Library Associates (GLA) is preparing to host its first-ever "Books in Bloom" event May 6-8 at the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library. Books in Bloom is a unique event that will highlight books, media, and other resource material within the library through floral arrangements and artistic expression. More than 20 exhibits will be on display—each of them sponsored by an individual, family, or academic department and created by professional florists and flower enthusiasts—that represent and illustrate a book or other holding within the library. The exhibits will be open from 3-5 p.m. Friday, May 6; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, May 7; and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, May 8. Maps and brochures describing each exhibit will be available. Admission to the Books in Bloom exhibits is free and open to the public. For questions or more information about Books in Bloom, contact the Gustavus Office of Marketing and Communication at 507-933-7520 or marketing@gustavus.edu.

 

Off-Campus Events of Interest

Semester in India Students Regather for Presentation... You're invited to "India Ink," a presentation by students who participated in the Fall 2010 Gustavus Semester in India program ("Social Justice, Peace, and Development"), to be held Wednesday, May 4, at 7 p.m. at the Arts Center of Saint Peter (315 S. Minnesota Ave.). This event includes a staged reading of journals kept by students during their travels throughout India. Refreshments are provided. Please come support our students and learn about their experiences.

 

Facility Hours

Buildings Locked during Easter Break... All academic buildings will be locked at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 21, and reopen at 7 a.m. Monday, April 25. Students requiring access to academic buildings will need a gold Permission for Admittance Card issued by a faculty or staff member. Additional cards can be requested from Lisa Octigan (eoctigan@gustavus.edu).

Library Hours for Easter Break... Thursday, April 21 - 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; Good Friday, April 22, through Easter Sunday, April 24: CLOSED; Monday, April 25 - 8 a.m.-1 a.m.

 

Plugs

Home for Sale... A beautiful two-bedroom home in downtown St. Peter, within walking distance of local downtown establishments, parks, and Gustavus. The home was built in 1920, with kitchen and bathroom updates in 2001. The house offers many unique features, including a bay window, skylights, and a den area. There is also a detached heated garage with a full workbench and storage areas. Come by soon—the flowers are starting to bloom! For more information, and to view photos of the house, contact Ann Johnson at x6515, 380-1132, or ajohns13@gustavus.edu.

Another Home for Sale... Newer three-bedroom, 2 1/2 bath townhome in Upper North Mankato only minutes from campus. Double-car garage with lots of storage, 1,700 square ft. of living space, lots of closet space, back patio in a wooded area, overlooks a pond and a park, all appliances available, and friendly neighbors. Call Stacia for more details at 507-779-9306.

"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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