Health Service Update
The flu immunization program for faculty and staff will be at the Student Health Service (first floor, Hoffman Hall west) the following dates from 7-9 a.m. Cost is $16 and payable by check only. If you have questions, call ext. 5227.
Tuesday: Oct. 23 and 30; Thursdays: Oct. 25, Nov. 1.
Upcoming dates for the annual fall blood screening are Tuesday, Nov. 6, and Thursday, Nov. 15.The blood screening will be in the Boat, Moore and Weller rooms of Maytag Student Center. Be sure to check your pay envelope Oct. 26 for the registration form. Registration is due by 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, in order to send schedules out by Friday, Nov. 2.
Geisler Library and Media Center fall break hours
Geisler Library and Media Center will close Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 5 p.m. They will be open Thursday-Friday, Oct. 18-19, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and will be closed Saturday, Oct. 20. Both will open again Sunday, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m.
Sushi 101
Chef Marc Haines of SYSCO conducted a cooking class called SUSHI 101. The class was open to faculty, staff and students. The attendees learned all about sushi: the terms, how to make it, and of course, taste testing. Haines will offer classes monthly. Look for those postings. 
Employee Spotlight -
Carol Geil
Name: Carol Geil
Department: office coordinator, campus services
About me: Born in Marshalltown and lived there until 2000; earned a bachelor's degree in management from Simpson College and currently pursuing a master's from Drake; lives in Knoxville with husband Todd and children Matthew (15), Alec (12), Zachary (3) and a mini schnauzer Smokie, white mutt Shadow, and Siamese cat Sam; enjoys reading fiction, Sudoku puzzles, and stand-up comedy; weekly must-have: white chocolate caramel Charger capuccino from Kum & Go.
Personnel Committee needs nominations
The Personnel Committee is soliciting nominations (including self-nomination) for promotion of tenured faculty. Description of the faculty ranks can be found in Chapter 5, page 1 of the faculty handbook. The performance criteria are stated in Chapter 7, pages 4-8. The post-tenure promotion review process is described in Chapter 7, page 15. The nominations are due to either Kevin Den Adel (economics/accounting/management), campus box 011, or Marilyn Vrban (academic affairs), campus box 5000, by Monday, Oct. 15. The nominated person’s review materials must be submitted to her/his department chair by Monday, Jan. 21, 2008.
Sabbatical leave applications
Sabbatical leave applications for the 2007-08 academic year are due to the academic affairs no later than Friday, Nov. 2. Information about sabbaticals is found in chapter nine, pages 1-3, of the faculty handbook. Eligible faculty, who are interested in applying for sabbatical leave, are reminded they must consult with both the department chair and the provost prior to submitting the application. Forms are available by contacting Marilyn Vrban (academic affairs) at ext. 5175 or vrbanm@central.edu.
Webber presents at conference, signs books
Sept. 26-30, Phil Webber (modern languages) attended the annual conference of the Communal Studies Association in Kirtland, Ohio. He delivered a major research report titled “Conscientious Objectors or Conscientious Participators? Zoar in the Civil War.” In addition, he met with the book review editor of the journal Communal Societies and received two new assignments for book reviews. He also signed books at the Kent State University Press table.
Weihe presents at annual meeting
Paul Weihe (biology) gave a presentation titled “Analysis of small-group research projects in an introductory ecology class” at the Association of College and University Biology Educators annual meeting Oct. 5 in Dubuque, Iowa.
Butt and students go to workshop, stage trash audit
Oct. 2-3, Anya Butt (natural science) and seven students took part in the IOWATER Level I Watershed Monitoring Workshop in Des Moines. Students were Eric Harris, John Bowzer, Eddie Elkin, Emilie Twining Gerdes (all senior environmental studies major), Dustin Sloan (junior environmental studies major), Chris Bowzer (sophomore environmental studies major) and Graci Martsching (sophomore math major). All are now certified Level I watershed volunteer monitors.
Oct. 9, the environmental studies senior seminar (Elkin, David Trotter, Bowzer, Twining Gerdes, Harris and Eric Blythe) staged a trash audit, having collected trash for five days from a representative sample of the Central College community, sampling residential and academic buildings. The students were assisted by volunteers throughout campus as well as the NASC 120 Introduction to Environmental Science class. Over 167 kg of recyclable matter was recovered from the trash and the senior seminar class will be analyzing the data obtained to make recommendations to the campus.
Oct. 13, Butt, Martsching, Harris and sophomore Raveena Rastogi participated in the IOWATER state-wide water quality snapshot monitoring event by measuring water quality at selected stations along Thunder Creek. The data for the event will be posted to the state-wide database maintained by IOWATER.
Butt talks with Zubair, goes on field grip
Anya Butt (natural science) moderated a conversation with visiting Fulbright Scholar Shirin Zubair at the Pella Community Center for a discussion focusing on Pakistan and intercultural communication Oct. 9.
Butt took part in the annual Geological Society of Iowa (GSI) field trip on Sept. 29, which focused on the geology and natural history of Dolliver Memorial State Park near Fort Dodge and subsequently attended the annual GSI meeting in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Language faculty at annual meeting
Nicole Kaplan, Erik Ladner and Pat Westphal (all modern languages) were involved in the annual meeting of the Iowa World Language Association Oct. 5-6 in Des Moines. All three spent time staffing the Central College booth in the exhibit area, meeting some of the 400 high school language teachers who attended the meeting and catching up with former students now scattered all over the state.
Ladner presented a broad collection of pedagogical suggestions for dealing with the Spanish subjunctive. Westphal replicated a workshop on assessment from the Central States Conference on the teaching of foreign languages, an outreach program sponsored by Central States.
Strategic Planning Initiatives
No news.
Students Doing Interesting Things
Central psychology members install Grinnell Psi Chi Chapter
Keith Jones and Ed Willis (psychology), along with senior Psi Chi members Carran Calderwood, Amanda Hadley, Molly Lehr, Scott Paja, Lacey Ritscher and Jered Wells traveled to Grinnell College Oct. 9 to install the new Grinnell College Psi Chi Chapter. Willis performed the chapter installation ritual and the ritual for inducting charter members, and Central Psi Chi leaders Wells, Calderwood and Lehr performed the ritual for the induction of charter officers.
Race for the Cure
Graham Hall residents participated in the Race for the Cure in Des Moines Oct. 6. Those who attended were: Claire Anderson (student life); senior Heather Garrett; juniors Ryann Engholm, Laura Porter and Lindsay Schumacher; sophomores: Amanda Van Dyk and Emily White; freshmen: Catelin Bixby, Heather Borgman, Melissa Clegg, Rachel Jordan, Carole Mapes, Ashley Snyder and Sara Roths, a former Central student who was visiting for the weekend.
Trash audit at Central
Central College held its first trash audit Oct. 9. Approximately 25 environmental studies students and volunteers rummaged through 1,500 pounds of trash on the lawn between Geisler Library and Weller Center. All of the recyclable materials were removed and sorted into respective containers. There was about 1,140 pounds of actual rubbish and about 370 pounds of recyclables, which means about 25 percent of the trash was actually recyclable.
Breakdown of trash and recyclables:
Trash — 1,140 lbs.
Recyclables — 370 lbs.
Aluminum and Tin — 19 lbs.
Office Paper — 21 lbs.
Cardboard — 127 lbs.
Newspaper and Magazines — 52 lbs.
Glass — 64 lbs.
Total Plastic — 87 lbs.
Plastic — 77 lbs.
Water Bottles — 10 lbs.
The audit did not include the athletic complex, where a lot of plastic bottles can be found.
This was part of a larger project for an environmental studies seminar class.
Keisha Jannenga joins facilities planning and management as a custodian.
Megan Miller joins dining services as a cook.
Nicole Wells joins facilities planning and management as a custodian.
Matt Wenrick joins IT services as an information systems analyst specializing in Web applications development.
Jeff Sanger is a staff accountant in the controller’s office.
No news.
2007-08 holiday schedule
Thursday-Friday, Nov. 22-23, Thanksgiving
Monday-Friday, Dec. 24-28, Christmas
Tuesday, Jan. 1, New Year’s Day
Professional development fall event
A fall professional development opportunity for hourly and administrative staff will be Tuesday, Oct. 23, in Graham Banquet Hall starting at 1:30-1:45 p.m. for refreshments with breakout sessions following. Please look for additional information in your campus mail.
Upcoming event
TIAA-CREF seminars and one-on-one counseling sessions will be Wednesday-Thursday, Oct. 24-25. The seminars will be 9-10 a.m. in the Boat/Moore Rooms of Maytag. The one-on-one counseling sessions will be in the Hinga Room of Maytag from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on both days.
College apartment for rent
Apartment owned by Central College located at 1114 Peace St. is for rent. It has two bedrooms, one bath with washer and dryer in apartment and a single car garage. No pets. Contact Terri Vander Molen at vandermolent@central.edu or ext. 7699.
Tuition Exchange
The Tuition Exchange (TE) program provides the opportunity for eligible dependents of faculty and staff to receive undergraduate scholarships at one of the participating member institutions. A list of about 546 colleges and universities that participate in the TE program can be found on the TE Web page www.tuitionexchange.org. Applications for new and returning dependents for the TE program must be submitted to human resources by Thursday, Nov. 1, for the 2008-09 school year. In addition to the application form, you will also need to submit a copy of your most recent tax return showing verification of dependent status. Once you get your 2007 tax return completed, you will need to submit the dependent status information from that. TE eligibility is limited to full-time employees and may be limited based on point criteria established by the college in 2003.
Tuition Reduction
Tuition Reduction benefits are available for spouses and dependent children commencing in the academic period following two years of continuous employment for a full-time employee, or 3,328 accumulated hours for other than full-time employment.If you are an employee of the college, you receive this benefit immediately upon employment.Tuition Reductiondoes not apply to any off campus programs (i.e. internships, study abroad).The form to submit for Tuition Reduction can be found on the HR Web site at www.central.edu/humanresources. Please submit this form for new and returning students to human resources by Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007, for the 2008-2009 school year. In addition to the application form, you also will need to submit a copy of your most recent tax return showing verification of dependent status. Once you get your 2007 tax return completed, you will need to submit the dependent status information from that.
Open Positions
To review open positions and download an application click here or visit the college Web site at www.central.edu and select job seekers on the home page drop-down menu for more information.
Central College is strongly committed to creating a diverse community. In furtherance of that commitment, the college encourages candidates from diverse backgrounds, under represented groups and/or those who have had experience working with and/or interacting with individuals from diverse populations to apply. Central College is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and actively seeks a diverse pool of candidates.