COLLEGE OPERATIONS

Finals week and break hours

Edible Landscapes: What should we grow in 2014?

It may be chilly, but 'tis the season for garden planning. Did you know that everyone on campus is encouraged to harvest from the edible landscapes near Ylvisaker and Valders? These gardens provide a nice place to go for a morning or afternoon snack, lunchtime salad or supplies for weekend cooking projects. This year Grounds and Sustainability are inviting members of the Luther community to provide feedback as to what you'd like to see grown in the Valders and Ylvisaker gardens during the 2014 growing season. Share your thoughts through the brief online survey. 

Flexible spending claims

Flexible spending account dollars deducted from employee paychecks during 2013 may be used for eligible expenses through March 15, 2014. Claims for these dollars must be submitted to Midwest Group Benefits by March 31, 2014. Claim forms are available in human resources and on the hr website: https://www2.luther.edu/hr/common-forms/.  Select "Flexible Benefit Claim Form." Mail the form to Midwest Group Benefits, PO Box 408, Decorah, IA 52101, or fax to (563) 382-9613.

Midwest Group Benefits holiday hours

Midwest Group Benefits will be closed from noon on Tuesday, Dec. 24 thru Wednesday, Dec. 25, for Christmas. Flex checks will be processed on Thursday, Dec. 26 with direct deposit on Friday, Dec. 27. They will also be closed from noon on Tuesday, Dec. 31 thru Wednesday, Jan. 1 for the New Year’s holiday. Flex checks will be processed on Thursday, Jan. 2, with direct deposit on Friday, Jan. 3.

Claims should be at MGB by 5 p.m. on the Monday of each week.

Residence halls, including Farwell Hall, closed for holiday break

The residence halls will close for break at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19. This means the Farwell Hall elevator will not be available for faculty/staff to use beginning the evening of Dec. 17 through Saturday, Jan. 4. So faculty and staff who normally use the Farwell elevator should plan ahead concerning other parking options on campus.

Vanna White on campus, play Witty Words

Vanna White will be on campus in January to help Luther employees and students on the road to good health. Play Witty Words for the chance to win a wonderful prize. The game runs the month of January and is open to all employees and students. Email Vicky Jaeger <jaegervi> to sign up and for more information.

Cafeteria to Community program

The Center for Sustainable Communities and Dining Services are excited to announce the Cafeteria to Community program. This new program works to get good food into the homes of those who may need it. Volunteers gather on Monday and Wednesday evenings to package the surplus of food produced by the cafeteria into quart-sized containers that then get delivered to the First Lutheran Church Food Pantry. Volunteers are crucial for the success of this program. For more information on available shifts and to sign-up, please visit the website. Shifts take place on Monday and Wednesday evenings starting at 7 p.m. and last less than two hours. The program is currently seeking student, staff, faculty and community member volunteers for J-term and spring semester.

Public reading of a Letter from Birmingham Jail

Luther students, faculty and staff are invited to join in reading Dr. Martin Luther King's Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." One mass rehearsal for readers will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, in the CFA on the Luther campus; pizza will be served. Those interested in being involved in the event should email Lauren Kientz Anderson at <andela10>. Watch for more information to come on the scheduled readings.

Farewell party for Rachel Vagts

The Luther community is invited to join in celebrating Rachel Vagts' 15 years at Luther and wishing her well on her new position at Berea College in Berea, Ky. The farewell party is from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, in Peace Dining Room. Light refreshments and beverages will be served and a short program will begin at 3 p.m. Contact Sasha Griffin <grifsa01> or Sarah Wicks <swicks> with any questions.

Biweekly payroll Dec. 31

The Cabinet has approved Dec. 23-25 as holidays. This holiday schedule limits time for processing bi-weekly payroll for the pay period ending Dec. 20 with a pay date of Dec. 31. Therefore, timecards for the pay period ending Dec. 20 are due in the Payroll Office by noon Friday, Dec. 20. Please estimate, based on your normal work schedule, what your 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.

Hand deliver time cards to payroll by noon Dec. 20

HR and OFS remind supervisors that time cards must be delivered by hand to the Payroll office Friday, Dec. 20, due to the holiday and short processing time. Supervisors, please review and sign all time cards. Contact Korrine in the Payroll Office, 387-1135, or Andrew in the Office for Financial Services, 387-1697, with questions and concerns. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. 

27 biweekly paychecks in 2013

Because the biweekly pay date for the pay period ending Dec. 20 would have fallen on Jan. 1, a bank holiday, that payroll will be paid on Dec. 31. This will have two consequences. First, this will be the 27th pay check in 2013 and will show up on employees' 2013 W-2 instead of their 2014 W-2. There will still be 26 paychecks in 2014. Second, this will be the third payroll in December, so flex and health deductions will not come out of this paycheck. To make changes to the Dec. 31 payroll, for instance, to your SRA contributions or W-4s, submit forms to the payroll office as soon as possible, but no later than Dec. 18. Forms are available at https://www2.luther.edu/hr/common-forms/ or in Human Resources.

Sign up for W-2's online

All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to sign up to receive electronic W-2's using my.luther.edu. The W-2 Electronic Consent option is included in the employee profile section of my.luther.edu. If you chose the electronic option for your 2012 W-2, then you do not need to do it again for 2013. More detailed instructions and additional information can be found by clicking the W-2 Options link on the HR website https://www2.luther.edu/hr/common-forms/ Mac users: please do not use the "Preview" application to view your W-2. Remember, the electronic option is the sustainable option.

H drive changes coming in December

For improved data security, on Thursday, Dec. 26, LIS is limiting off-campus access to information on H drives—space for storing electronic files on Luther's servers. For more information, visit H drive Changes Coming.

EVENTS

Chapel this week

No chapel during break.

ARTICLES, CREATIONS, HONORS, etc.

In their research, Gokhan Savas and Yingyi Ma, associate professor of sociology at Syracuse University, say women can close the income gap with men by pursuing lucrative majors such as science, technology, mathematics and business. Their study shows choosing a lucrative major to study (anywhere) is more important than choosing a prestigious school at which to study. Savas spoke about the research on the Marketplace radio program Tuesday morning, Dec. 10. Inside Higher Ed also discusses the research, which was recently published in The Review of Higher Education (abstract available here). Listen to Savas's Marketplace radio interview here.

Wanda Deifelt has served as advisor and evaluator for the International Master's Program in Theology and HIV/Aids, which comprises four institutions from Latin America: UBL from Costa Rica, Universidad Javeriana from Colombia, ISEDET from Argentina, and Faculdades EST from Brazil. Ten of the master's theses (abridged version) were selected for publication in Spanish/Portuguese and English. Deifelt contributed the opening chapter, titled "The Aids Pandemic and the Vulnerability of God" (A Pandemia da Aids e a Vulnerabilidadede Deus). The book in English is titled "Theology and HIV & AIDS in Latin America" (Oikos, 2013, p.19-26).

COMMUNITY

Congratulations

To Vanessa and Gary Wiest, on the birth of their son Owen James on Saturday, Nov. 16. He was born at 6:29 p.m. and was 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and 20.25 inches long.

New appointment

Brenda Ranum has been appointed director of the Career Center after a nomination process and serving as interim director. Brenda will lead a strategic planning process to position the department for success in a swiftly changing environment. We are thankful to Brenda for her wonderful work since she arrived in August; we will benefit greatly from her contributions.

Thank you

At the staff meeting Christmas party, $206 was collected for ELCA Disaster Relief to help in the Philippines, and several bags of food and $130 in donations were collected for the Food Pantry. Tusen takk!

-Staff meeting committee

Thanks so much for all the kind words, thoughts and prayers in the passing of my mother. I appreciate all the support the Luther community has shared with me and my family during the past few months. Her funeral was a celebration of her life as the church pews were lined with over 40 of her handmade quilts, surrounding her family and friends with her love.

-Jane Hildebrand

Position opening

Medical transcriptionist: Health Service is accepting applications for a transcriptionist. This is a nine-month, 30-hour/week, (.56 FTE) position. Position is responsible for medical transcription for providers; billing of services, assisting with the components of college sponsored insurance program, and medical record management. Web page monitoring/updating, clerical and secretarial functions are also a part of this position. Please view the full posting and instructions for applying at https://luthercollege.hiretouch.com. 

MISCELLANEOUS

Burning Bright choruses perform 'Winter's Light'

Burning Bright, a group of Decorah area professional and amateur musicians-featuring several Luther faculty and staff, will offer their 16th annual benefit concert titled "Winter’s Light" at 5 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at First United Methodist Church, 302 W. Broadway, Decorah. Tickets are on sale at Oneota Community Co-op, Kephart's Music Center and Agora Arts, or at the door. Advance purchase is recommended since performances are consistently sold out. Suggested donation is $12, with a minimum of $6. In the event of inclement weather, please listen to Decorah radio stations for rescheduling or cancellation of concert performances.

Volunteers needed

Respite Options of NE Iowa is partnering with Luther's social work program to provide foster parents with an in-home care provider enabling them to get away for duration of time.

Providers must be at least 20 years old, fill out an application and certification needs and must be able to commit to the program for a whole year. If interested in volunteering, contact Nancy Magnall, (877) 467-4100, (319) 352-3600 or [email protected].

UNCLASSIFIED ADS

Lost: I have lost a tiger's-eye pendant (solid stone, brown and gold streaks, with three-dimensional carvings) on a long silver chain. I think it might have fallen on the street or on the Luther campus when I was walking sometime around Dec. 10-12. If anyone finds it please email <weldam01> or call 382-5094 and let me know. It is of great sentimental value. Many thanks, Amy Weldon.

For sale: Two snow tires on rims. 205 75 14. Good condition. Call Dean, 387-0242.

For sale: Untreated cedar lumber: ten-foot 4X4s. Great for fencing, retaining walls and posts. Call Dean, 387-0242.

Free: Used queen mattress and box spring. Used Sauder storage unit. Call 382-8625.

Available: Recent Luther grad available for house-sitting. J-term and/or spring semester. Contact <footco01>.

Wanted: We are looking for an experienced pet sitter for our nine-year-old dog this holiday. We either need someone the evening of Dec. 27-Jan. 4, or someone with a vehicle from Dec. 27-29 in the a.m. and able to transfer him to a local boarding kennel for the duration of the week. Please contact Bobby at <vrtiro01> to discuss details and compensation. Thank you.

For sale: For a limited time at the C-Store pick up Christmas at Luther and Norwegian Blend coffees. See Lisa in the C-Store to pick up or order coffee for your special holiday event. Christmas plants and poinsettias are also available for sale. These beautiful plants make a perfect gift.

For sale: 2012 Toyota Prius hybrid with 14,000 miles. Driven to Ames this weekend and registered 62 mpg on the way down and 54 mpg on the way back. Contact Lyle at 419-2897. Asking $19,000 with extended warranty.

Free books: Dozens of free books, mostly social science, some philosophy and religion, even a little economics and fiction (if that's not a redundancy). None with water damage, none marked up (except for my name), some new. List of titles at http://olin335freebooks.weebly.com. Request yours by email to <gomersni> (free delivery by campus mail), or stop by Olin 335. Books go into long term storage if not taken by end of the semester, so please act soon.

For sale: ShopVac in good condition for $20. A pump and hose for $75. Christmas holiday dishes, set of eight for $25. Contact Denise Creek, <creema01> or 379-6045.

Wanted: An energetic, creative, competent person to provide daycare in house on Fridays from 7:45 a.m.-4:15 p.m. for two, lovable boys, ages two and five as well as a nine-year-old dog who comes with the territory (although you don't have to worry about him). It would be fantastic if you could provide your own transportation and it's certainly within walking distance from campus. Please call Karen at 419-2926 and we can chat more about the position.

Electronics for sale: PlayStation 3, like new, 500 GB hard drive, two controllers, original box, $120 or best offer; PlayStation 2, like new, slim model, controller, original box, $50 or best offer; Acer 27-inch LED computer monitor, like new, 1920x1080 resolution, $180 or best offer. Contact Travis Huinker at <huintr01> or 387-1417.

Housing needed:: Responsible young family looking to rent a three or more bedroom home in Decorah, Calmar, Waukon or Ossian. Please contact Heather at [email protected]om.

Seeking: Gently used sheets, blankets and mattress pads. Materials will be used to make quilts that will be donated to World Relief. Email [email protected].

Wanted: Housing is needed for a 2010 Luther grad who will be a visiting faculty member with the voice department from mid-Feb. to May. Please contact Jill Phillips at <philji01> or by phone at (712) 358-2776.

EDITORIAL COMMENT

And finally...