Inside Gustavus August 31, 2017 | Volume 50, Number 1

Welcome to the Gustavus Class of 2021...First-year students and their families will be on campus on Fri., Sept. 1 for the beginning of orientation weekend. Gustavus faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to use the hashtag #gusties21 on Move-In Day for any social media posts.

Parking Reminders...Please park according to permit color. Citations for non-registered vehicles in red and green permit lots begins at 7 a.m. on Tues., Sept. 5. Vehicles parked without displaying a valid parking permit or in the wrong colored lot will be cited. Visitor parking is always closed to students and employees and is always enforced. Register in person in the Campus Safety office before parking your vehicle. Campus Safety is reachable 24 hours a day at 507-933-8888 if you have any parking questions.

Please note that on Sat., Sept. 2 the Olin lot is closed for the annual Square Dance. Any vehicles in the Olin lot when setup begins for the dance will be towed at owner's expense. Please park in alternate lots on Saturday.

Reminder to all users of Gustavus Motor Pool Vehicles: 
Certification is required for all Gustavus Motor Pool Vehicle drivers:
-Drivers of cars and 7-person minivans will need to be Defensive Driver online certified before keys will be issued. This certification level is valid for four years.
-Drivers of 8- or 10-person large vans will need to have the online certification as well as behind the wheel instruction through the Motor Pool office. This certification level is valid for two years.

Please take care of your certification needs and plan ahead for fall semester to complete this in a timely manner. To initiate certification, please fill out the web form at the following link: https://gustavus.edu/safety/policies/vehicle.php

To check the expiration date of a prior certification or to renew an expired certification, contact Nancy Beran.

State Fair...Remember to wear your Gustie gear to the great Minnesota get together this year. Make sure you stop and visit the Gustavus booth in the Education Building as well.

Campus Activities/Reservations...Please be mindful that the Campus Activities Office and Information Desk will be busy welcoming and orienting more than 600 students to campus from Friday through Monday and to wait with requests for room and table reservations, poster and flier approval, equipment rentals, office keys for students, and the like. Regular office services are, as much as possible, suspended on move-in day. Thank you for your understanding and for the wonderful commitment and support of so many offices over the holiday weekend. Orientation is truly a College-wide effort and new students and families often comment on their positive experience on day one. Thank you! Here is a link to the schedule of events for the weekend.

Help Wanted...An Employee Referral Program is now being offered at Gustavus. Check out this link for details about the program. 

Postal Service Eyes January Rate Hikes...The USPS will raise rates for both market-dominant mail (such as First Class and Marketing Mail) and competitive mail (such as Priority Mail) on Jan. 21, 2018, postal officials told mailing-industry representatives last week. The average rate increases for market-dominant classes are limited by an inflation-based cap, currently close to 2%. 

Save the Date...2017/2018 Remaining All-Employee meetings include:
Thursday, February 15, 2018, at 3:30 pm in Alumni Hall
Thursday, May 24, 2018, at 2:30 pm in Alumni Hall

Gustie Cup Update...We're excited to share the recent Minnesota Cup announcement. As we have just learned, JC Westerlund, winner of the 2016 Gustie Entrepreneur Cup, has advanced to the finalist round of the Minesota Cup. JC's Outdoor Advisor will now compete against two other teams for the title of Student Division Winner and $30,000. JC wasn't the only Gustavus student competing in the MN Cup this summer. We were also represented by Rotimi Edu '17, who made terrific progress on his Venew App. We want to congratulate Rotimi on all the progress he has made with his business this summer. 

Library Hours for Labor Day...Friday, Sept. 1: 8 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. 
Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 2 & 3: Closed
Monday, Sept. 4: 8 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Saint Peter Weekly Newsletter...As we continue to find ways to strengthen our partnership with the City of Saint Peter we would like to share this link to their weekly newsletter.  Be sure to read it for the latest information about the greater Saint Peter community. 

Campus Happenings   

Gustavus football player Karim Ortiz, a native of Cancun, Mexico, was featured in the Star Tribune sports section because of his unique path to the College.

Several Gustavus retirees are quoted in a St. Peter Herald piece about retiring First Lutheran Church pastor Alan Bray, who also mentions the church's partnership with the College.

Obituaries

• Barbara Blackstad, mother of Rick Blackstad of Campus Safety, passed away on Sunday, August 20, 2017. A full obituary can be read online. 
• Norman Fienen, father of Emeriti Professor David Fienen, passed away Saturday, August 26, 2017. A full obituary can be read online. 

To inform the campus community of the death of a current student, employee, or trustee; an emeritus professor or trustee; or an immediate family member of a current employee, contact the Office of the President (x7538 or jnoren@gustavus.edu). Death announcements and funeral notices for students, current and emeritus faculty and employees, and trustees will be sent to the community via written notice from the president, posted on community-l, the official campuswide e-mail list, and published in Inside Gustavus or the Summer Scoop. Notices for immediate family members of current employees will be published in Inside Gustavus or the Summer Scoop.

Technology Tips

The Technology Helpline is open for the campus community throughout First Year Orientation weekend. 

Our hours are:
Friday, Sept. 1: 8 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 2: 10 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 3: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 4: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.

If you have any technology requests or questions, please call 507-933-6111 or email us. We are also available via our Live Chat on the GTS web page.

Plugs

Housing Opportunity...The Lodge in Saint Peter is now open offering multiple fully-furnished living options on a nightly/weekly/monthly basis. All rooms are beautifully furnished and include most everything you should need for your stay. Cable and wireless internet included. No smoking/no pets. Significant discounts for weekly/monthly rates. View listings on Airbnb or contact Scott Moe (507)382-8338

January Housing Opportunity...I'm leading a January Term study-abroad for most of January, 2018, and am looking for someone to live in my house and take care of my cats while I'm gone. I can offer you a remote, rent-free cabin on a lake, with a wood burning stove (for ambience and extra heat, there is a propane-fueled furnace and I've pre-bought all the gas you'd need for the month), and affectionate purring creatures to pet as you think, read, or write your next masterpiece. All the comforts of home (snow blower, laundry, roads are plowed, etc.), and just 30 mins. from Saint Peter, and Mankato, and Faribault! The two things I'd ask are no smoking indoors, and no dogs (because of aforementioned cats). If you're interested in a get-away this January, please contact me.

Home for Sale...Retired professor's home for sale, walking distance to Gustavus and South Elementary. Quiet dead end, four bedrooms, computer room, large closets and shelves, new carpet downstairs, smoke free, beautiful grounds. Ready to move in! $135,000. Contact Sara McKay 507-934-6176.

Parenting Group...There is an informal email list for Gustavus employees who are parents of young children to share information about schools and childcare, borrow equipment, etc. Please email Yurie Hong  if you or someone you know would like to be added to the list.

"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.