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Home » Tuesday » Archives » 2011-12 » Tuesday, Dec. 13

Tuesday, Dec. 13

TUESDAY 12/13/11

Published for faculty and staff by the Luther College Public Information office • Copy deadline: Friday, 3 p.m., 75-word limit • Phone: (563) 387-1865 • Email: <tuesday>

Note: All campus telephone numbers are in the 563 area code, all campus email addresses end in @luther.edu • ©2011

COLLEGE OPERATIONS

December staff gathering

This month's staff meeting is a Christmas Party, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 9 a.m., Peace Dining Room. Join us for food, games, prizes and music. All are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the local food pantry. Monetary gifts will be donated to the Free Clinic.

Bi-weekly payroll Jan. 4

President Torgerson has announced that the Luther campus will be closed Dec. 26-30. This makes a very tight turnaround time for processing bi-weekly payroll for the pay period ending Dec. 23 with a pay date of Jan. 4. Timecards will be due in the Payroll Office by noon Thursday, Dec. 22. Please estimate, based on your normal work schedule, what your Thursday and Friday work hours will be. Any adjustments to these estimates should be indicated on your next timecard and will be applied to the next pay period. 

Supervisors, please sign and account for all time cards. Do not send timecards in campus mail, rather hand-deliver them to the Payroll Office Dec. 22. If you have any questions or concerns, call Mary, 387-1135, in Payroll or Peggy, 387-1531, in OFS. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

Christmas break hours

Legends
Tuesday, Dec. 13: 6 a.m.-10 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 14: 6 a.m.-6 p.m.
Thursday-Friday, Dec. 15-16: 6 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 17-18: Closed
Monday-Friday, Dec. 19-23: 6 a.m.-2 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 24-Jan. 1: Closed
Monday, Jan. 2: regular hours

Dahl Centennial Union/Welcome Center
Thursday-Friday, Dec. 15-23: 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 24-Jan. 1: Closed
Monday, Jan. 2: Resume regular hours

Cafeteria
Thursday, Dec. 15: Breakfast: 7-9:15 a.m.
Lunch: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Dinner: Closed
Friday-Sunday, Dec. 16-Jan. 1: Closed
Monday, Jan. 2: Breakfast: Closed
Lunch: Closed
Dinner: 5-7:30 p.m.

Oneota Market
Friday, Dec. 16: 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 17-18: Closed
Monday-Friday, Dec. 19-23: 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 24-Jan. 1: Closed
Monday, Jan. 2: 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Marty's CyberCafe
Thursday, Dec. 15: 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. and 5-6:30 p.m.
Friday-Monday, Dec. 16: -Jan. 2: Closed
Tuesday, Jan. 3: Resume regular hours

Book Shop
Thursday-Friday, Dec. 15-16: 8:45 a.m.-4:45 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 17-18: Closed
Monday-Friday, Dec. 19-23: 8:45 a.m.-4:45 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 24-Jan. 1: Closed
Monday, Jan. 2: Resume regular hours

Mail Center/SPO
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 17-18: Closed
Monday-Friday, Dec. 19-23: 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 24-Jan. 1: Closed
Monday, Jan. 2: Resume regular hours

Facilities Service: campus fleet reservations

Reservations for campus fleet vehicles are now being done via the Facilities Services' website. The Vehicle Reservation Request form is located at http://www2.luther.edu/facilities. The following information is required when making the request: type of vehicle, number of vehicles needed, driver's name, destination, date and time of departure/return, account name and number the trip should be charged to. A confirmation will be emailed to the person making the request.

Flexible spending account dollars

Flexible spending account dollars deducted from employee paychecks during 2011 may be used for eligible expenses through March 15, 2012. Claims for these dollars must be submitted to Midwest Group Benefits by March 31, 2012. Claim forms are available in Human Resources and on the HR website at https://www2.luther.edu/hr/commonforms/. Select Flexible Benefit Claim Form. Complete form electronically. Print it and mail to Midwest Group Benefits, PO Box 408, Decorah, IA 52101 or fax to 382-9613. 

Flexible benefit plan form due Dec. 16

The 2012 flexible benefit plan enrollment forms are in campus mail. Employees must re-enroll each year during the open enrollment period. All employees who work 20 or more hours a week must advise the Office of Human Resources if they want to be enrolled in the Luther College Health Care Reimbursement Plan and/or the Dependent/Child Care Reimbursement Plan for 2012 by Friday, Dec. 16.

Employees may change their health care premium option, add or drop dental insurance during the open enrollment period. Call Marsha, 387-1415 for assistance.

Luther College Cookbooks

The Luther College Cookbook has just arrived in time for Christmas gift giving. The books are for sale in the Book Shop for $12.99. All net proceeds from these sales go to the Sesquicentennial Scholarship Endowed Fund.

Music 'Fireside' sale at the Book Shop

Find many discounted Luther music CDs and DVDs for sale in the Book Shop priced at $3 and $5. These include some past Christmas at Luther and ensemble recordings. Hurry in for these great deals. Sale continues while supplies last. 

Lecture and Fine Arts funding available

Bringing a speaker, artist, or performer to campus?  Luther's Lecture and Fine Arts money has been pooled as of Dec. 1, with approximately $2,965 to be divided amongst proposals. To submit a request, go to: https://www2.luther.edu/programming/lfa/. Applications received prior to Friday, Dec. 9 will be reviewed in mid-December. Proposals received after Dec. 9 will be reviewed in early February.  Questions? Contact Becky Bowman, <bowmre01>.

Reminder: sign up for W-2's online

For instructions and more information, go to hr.luther.edu. Go to Forms for Faculty and Staff and under Tax Forms choose W-2 2011 Options. Mac users: please do not use the "preview" application to view your W-2. If you chose the electronic option for your 2010 W-2 you do not need to it again for 2011. Go to "W-2 electronic consent" under Employee Profile at my.luther.edu to see which option you chose for 2010. Remember - the electronic option is the sustainable option.

Norse Apps new look debuts Jan. 4

Norse Apps will be switched to a new look Jan. 4. View information at http://tinyurl.com/d7l745n. Many users have already made the change. Users who haven't already can switch over themselves. This new look becomes permanent on Jan. 4. At that time, all users will be switched over automatically. For more information, visit http://lis.luther.edu/node/6405 or contact the Technology Help Desk.

Don't be trapped by a mouse

Experiencing ergonomic issues at your workstation: back, wrist, neck, or leg pain; headaches; eye strain, etc.? If so, contact Greg Lonning. He is evaluating office desk setups on an individualized basis. He will work with faculty and staff one-on-one to make workstations less taxing to your body and spirit. His prescription might be specific exercises and/or alternative desk equipment.

To that end, the library is now circulating the DVD "Stretching with Matt Johanningmeier" (RA781.63 .S77 2011) and vertical mice both right- and left-handed, both tall and medium-height, a split keyboard, a natural hand-position keyboard, and a padded mouse pad. Checkouts are for two weeks to faculty and staff. Greg asks that people connect with him first before checking out any equipment, 387-2075 or <lonningr>.

Ugly Christmas sweater contest winners

Thanks to all who entered and came to watch the second annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest held in the Book Shop during Christmas in the Union. Winners were, Taylor Van Clay, first, Lauren Maze, second, and Melany Schwartz, third. Pictures of sweater contestants are in the Book Shop window facing the hall across from the Union Art Gallery.

EVENTS

Chapel this week

Worship services will not be held on campus from Dec. 12 through the holiday break. Chapel will resume Jan. 4 and Sunday worship will resume Jan. 8.

Mission Guatemala Winter Carnival Jan. 7

College Ministries is sponsoring the Mission Guatemala Winter Carnival Saturday, Jan. 7, 9 a.m.-noon in the Regents Center. 

Escape the winter cold for a morning of great family fun and learning. Inflatable rides—including an obstacle course—carnival games, face painting, prizes and food, as well as great opportunities to learn fun facts about Guatemala. Tickets are 50 cents each or $5 for a book of 11.

Proceeds will benefit the Mission Guatemala Spring Break trip.Additional donations welcomed. Contact Daniel Flucke, <flucda01> or 387-1271.

ARTICLES, CREATIONS, HONORS

In six short days, two Luther students went from working on homework to working on the job site of ABC's Emmy-winning hit show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." Luther seniors Taylor Froehle and Sean Parvi were selected to serve as production assistants with the award winning show as they filmed an episode near West Union, Iowa. The Gibbs family episode is the 12th episode of the upcoming, set to air in December.

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the LC Balalaika Ensemble and alumni performed two benefit concerts Oct. 29-30 in the CFL Main Hall, and at The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Minneapolis. Nearly $3,000 was raised for Bruce Wrightsman Memorial Scholarship and the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy Food Sharing Ministry. The ensemble is directed by Laurie Iudin-Nelson.

Several Luther faculty and staff will perform with Burning Bright, a group of Decorah-area professional and amateur musicians, in their annual benefit concert. "Sing High Sing Low" will be performed at 5 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 17, at First United Methodist Church, 302 W. Broadway, Decorah.Tickets for both performances are on sale now at Oneota Community Co-op, Kephart's Music Center and Agora Arts. Tickets may also be purchased at the door. Advance purchase is recommended since performances have sold out in the past. Suggested donation is $12, with a minimum of $6.

Rebecca Boehm Shaffer was the guest artist at the Fall Horn Festival at the University of Wisconsin, Nov. 5. She presented a paper titled "Jazz Hornists" as well as conducted the Adult Horn Ensemble and the Festival Mass Horn Ensemble.  

Sheila Radford-Hill participated in a conference at Michigan State University titled the Emerging Black Studies Discipline II: Malcolm X's Legacy Conference. She was invited to give a paper titled "If You Can't Be Free, Be Indignant: The Womanist Legacy of Malcolm X.

Music faculty members Eric Kutz, cello, and Miko Kominami, piano, performed a recital as the Murasaki Duo, Nov. 20. The Duo performed on the Sioux City (Iowa) Chamber Music Society's Series, and presented a program of Beethoven, Boulanger, Piazzolla, Chopin and Popper.

Chips received an Online Pacemaker Award from the Associated Collegiate Press at its national convention in Orlando, Florida in Oct. 2011. The award recognizes excellence and outstanding achievement by a college online publication. Chips was competing against other colleges and universities of 5,000 students or less across the nation. David Faldet serves as advisor for Chips

Philip Freeman will release his latest book "How to Win an Election: An Ancient Guide for Modern Politicians" in February 2012. Published by Princeton University Press the book is an ancient Roman guide for campaigning, translated by Freeman. The resulting messages are as relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago. The book is now available for pre-order. For more information, visit http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9658.html.

MISCELLANEOUS

HFH announcement

Luther's Habitat for Humanity chapter is traveling to Birmingham March 16-24 for Spring Break. Luther allows for two staff persons to work with Luther HFH as an adviser for spring break and receive a week's pay so that the trip does not require use of vacation time for the two staff advisers. Mike Blair, campus pastor, will be traveling with the group as an adviser as well. Interested staff can learn more and apply for one of these two positions online at: 2012 Staff HFH Spring Break Trip Application. For more information, contact Mike Blair, <blairmic>.

Gingerbread House kits for sale

Add some fun to your holiday this year and help support the Habitat for Humanity Spring Break Trip 2012 by buying Gingerbread House kits for only $10 each. All the proceeds go to the participants going on the HFH Build to Alabama over spring break. They are only available in the College Ministries Office, CFL 206, until Thursday, Dec. 22. Make checks payable to Luther College. To reserve them, contact Lori Ostlie, 387-1271 or <ostlielo>.

Christmas at Luther broadcast information

Follow the links below to view Christmas at Luther broadcast information:

Encourage students to submit writing 

Faculty and staff are asked to encourage student writers to submit their stories to the ACM Nick Adams Short Story Contest. Entries are due to the English Department <boesejud> by Friday, Feb. 10 at noon. For details on format and guidelines, see http://www2.luther.edu/english/student-opportunities/. 

Lost and found

We have found several items in fleet vehicles recently, i.e. cameras, shoes, an iPod. Claim lost items by contacting the Facilities office, 387-1010 or <johnch07>. 

UNCLASSIFIED ADS

Tree removal: Willing to cut up and remove down or dead hardwood trees in exchange for the wood.  If interested contact [email protected] or 380-4185.

Wanted:  Housesitter/petsitter for February and part of March at house located close to campus. Contact [email protected] or 387-6198.

Wanted: year-round housing for one in the Decorah area. Information and leads appreciated. Contact Paul Ludwig at <ludwpa01> or (608) 797-9881.

For sale: 1996 Toyota Camry, white with sunroof, in good condition. Asking $2,000, which is less than blue book pricing. Call 419-0379 or [email protected].

For rent:  Beautiful three-bedroom, two-bath house next to college.  Fireplace, all appliances including washer/dryer, two-car garage. Available now.  Call 387-0242.

Wanted: The Interlibrary Loan Department at the library is in need of sheets of used bubble wrap for mailing items. If any Luther offices have extra bubble wrap, we'd love to take it off your hands. Contact Kathy <buzzka01> for pick up.

Found: Silver earring on the street in front of Loyalty Hall. Stop at the front desk in Loyalty Hall to identify and claim.

Ride needed: I am looking for a ride to Minneapolis Airport or Rochester, Minn. where I can take airport shuttle on Monday, Dec. 19 in the morning or Sunday, Dec. 18. If anyone is heading that way or would not mind giving me a ride (of course, I will pay), please email <bazyma01> or call (812) 272-8164.

Wanted: Typewriter ribbons for a XEROX 6015 Memorywriter. Please contact Bridget, 387-1015 or <chribr03>.

For sale: Schwinn bicycle trailer. Can hold one-two children; also converts to stroller. Asking $20 donation to food pantry. If interested, contact <madsna01> or 382-4067.

Wanted: Need housing during Christmas break? Want to take advantage of this offer? We need a housesitter/petsitter after Christmas until early January and very possibly other weekends during the school year. We are located about 1.5 miles from campus. Contact [email protected] or 382-7997.

Peanut brittle: Need a consumable gift? A treat to bring to a party? A treat for yourself? Try Julie's homemade peanut brittle. Available in 1/2 and full pound bags, or 3/4 pound in a decorative glass jar. Each order made fresh the night before the order is due. Also freezes well. Contact Julie, 387-1865 or <shocju01>.

EDITORIAL COMMENT

Sustainability tip

The second four of AASHE's 13 tips for a sustainable holiday: http://www.aashe.org/blog/13-tips-sustainable-holiday-season.

5) Put your money to work helping others and the planet. Instead of buying a physical gift:

 6) See if you can find or create holiday decorations that are made from natural materials, will last from year-to-year and provide a unique holiday feel (unlike the cookie-cutter decorations found in stores).

7) Stuff stockings with nuts and fruit instead of plastic do-dads. Most of them end up in the wastebasket before Christmas day is over and last 700 years in a landfill.

8 ) Wrap your gifts with newspaper, cloth that can be reused or wrapping paper made with recycled content. Save and re-use ribbon from year to year. If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. If every American family wrapped just three presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.

Wellness tip

Expert tips for staying fit during the time-crunched, temptation-packed holiday season:

Be flexible when your days get busy. Instead of simply blowing off your 5 p.m. trip to the gym in favor of an office party at the same time, wake up an hour early and walk or jog before work. or fit a brisk walk
into your lunch hour.

Mix up your routine to avoid boredom. If you usually run four days a week,
try running once, swimming once, and lifting weights twice. The novelty of the
new exercise will hopefully be a stronger motivator than the ‘need’ to do something else during your normal exercise time.

Combining exercising and family commitments. For example, hauling the kids up a hill a few times can make a sledding trip as beneficial as a jog. Taking the family snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, or on a backpacking trip will provide exercise as well as quality time with loved ones.

Create a holiday wish list for one or more improved body areas. Expect this to take a certain amount of sacrifice. keep your discipline constant.

Be ready for the mistletoe. people are attracted to a strong, healthy body. Your confidence will show if you’ve been keeping up with your eating and exercise habits.

Create a home workout routine for those times you can’t make it to the gym. Crunches, push-ups, and many other exercises can be done without any gym equipment.

Increase your time management skills over the holiday season. Organize your day the evening before. prioritizing your tasks before hand will help you find time to exercise. Each week, make it a priority to fit in three exercise sessions.

Walking is an exercise that can go anywhere. Have a pair of running or walking shoes with you, along with a set of light, hand-held weights, and a clean pair of socks. Another keller suggestion: add a heavy book to a backpack to make your walk more challenging.

Borrowed from http://eniweb.com/eni_Holiday_Wellness_Guide.pdf.

And finally…

Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.

-Albert Schweitzer