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CampusMemo

Volume 51, Number 13   November 10, 2003         

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Announcements
CampusMemo breaks for Thanksgiving
CampusMemo will not be published Monday, Nov. 24, because of the short work week. Events that take place that week should be submitted by tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5 p.m. for inclusion in the Monday, Nov. 17 issue. Items for the Monday, Dec. 1, issue of CampusMemo are due by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24 to pubnews@sfsu.edu.

Food banks need deposits
The Community Involvement Center (CIC) will hold a holiday food drive starting Tuesday. Drop off nonperishable food items in the barrels at the CIC office in front of the Gym. The items will be passed along to local food banks.

For details, contact CIC at ext. 8-1486.

One-stop career services
Faculty and staff are encouraged to let students know that counselors from the Career Center will now be available at the One Stop on the first floor of the Student Services Building. Counselors will be available from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday through Dec. 11.

Hoops and half-sessions
FitnessPlus is now offering half-sessions for its wellness classes, including yoga, step/cardiokickboxing and more. The cost is $55 and classes are offered until Jan. 16, 2004.

In addition, a basketball class/pickup game will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Fridays in room 100 of the Gymnasium. All employees are welcome.

For details, contact FitPlus at ext. 8-7874 or fitplus@sfsu.edu.


Events
Tuesday
Donate blood

Associated Students and Blood Centers for the Pacific are sponsoring a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday in Rosa Parks Rooms A and B in the Student Center. Reservations are recommended. Contact Helen Lau-Takenami at HLau-Takenami@bloodcenters.org.

For details, contact Neeta Chowdry, AS representative, at neeta@sfsu.edu.

Wednesday
Jewish space/Islamic city

Emily Gottreich, vice chair of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley, will speak on "Jewish Space and 'the Islamic City'" at noon Wednesday in room 1 of the University Club.

The event is part of the Academica Judaica series sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program.

Dancing pachyderms
Tess Uriza Holthe will read from her novel "When the Elephants Dance" at 3 p.m. Wednesday in The Cellar, the lower level of the SFSU Bookstore.

Inspired in part by the experiences of her father, Holthe's novel begins during the final week of the Japanese-American battle for the Philippine islands. As they hide in a cellar from the Japanese, several Filipino civilians tell magical tales to help pass the time, fuel their courage, and teach important lessons of hope.

Roman currency
The campus community is invited to an opening reception for the exhibit "Money Talks: the Roman Roots of Coins and Currency" from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday in room 510 of the Humanities building.

Tangrams exhibit opening
A reception and book signing for "Tangrams -- The Magnificent Seven Piece Puzzle," an exhibit of work by Barbara Ford, will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday in the University Club.

Tangrams art features a square broken into seven puzzle pieces which are then arranged into a picture. The exhibit is on display in the University Club through Dec. 17.

Friday/Saturday
Benefit concerts for
local food banks

The campus community is invited to join the SFSU Symphony and SFSU Chamber Singers for two benefit concerts. The first concert will be held at 8 p.m. Friday at Trinity Presbyterian Church in San Carlos. The second will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday at Lakeside Presbyterian Church in San Francisco.

Donations will be accepted at the door in lieu of admission. Proceeds benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties and the San Francisco Food Bank.

Trinity Presbyterian Church is at 1106 Alameda de las Pulgas in San Carlos. For details and directions, call (650) 593-8226. Lakeside Presbyterian Church is at 201 Eucalyptus (at 19th Ave.) in San Francisco. For details and directions, call (415) 564-8833.

Coming Up
Filipina writers

Marianne Villanueva and Virginia Cerenio, Bay Area contributors to the poetry and prose anthology "Going Home to a Landscape: Writings by Filipinas," will read their work at 3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, in The Cellar, the lower level of the SFSU Bookstore.

Chernoff and 'Some
of Her Friends'

Maxine Chernoff, chair of creative writing, will read from her short story collection "Some of Her Friends That Year: New and Selected Stories" at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, in The Cellar, the lower level of the SFSU Bookstore.

SF State News home

News
Campus Summit: Race and Culture on Campus
President Robert Corrigan, Associated Students President Natalie Batista and Senate Chair James Edwards have invited all students, staff, faculty and administrators to a campus-wide summit, entitled "Race and Culture on Campus -- Issues and Strategies."

The event, an all-campus working meeting, will aim to provide the university with proposals and strategies that could improve campus life regarding race and culture. The event is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, in the Cesar Chavez Student Center and will begin in Jack Adams Hall on the terrace level.

You do not need to register to participate, but you are encouraged to do so in order to assist in planning and to assure that you can be provided lunch. Please sign up at: www.sfsu.edu/~ohr/summit2k3.html. The Web site also provides additional information and updates about the summit.

If you cannot attend, your issues and concerns can submitted at the same Web site address.

This is a solutions and action oriented summit. Therefore, it is recommended that participants think both about whatever concerns they might have and the solutions that might either improve or remedy those concerns. Come prepared to work hard while enjoying the community spirit.

Students, staff and faculty and administrators are strongly encouraged to attend for all or as much of the day as possible.


Holiday schedule reminders
The following days are scheduled holidays: Thursday Dec. 25, Friday Dec. 26, Monday, Dec. 29, Tuesday, Dec. 30, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2003, and Thursday, Jan. 1, 2004. This fiscal year's holiday schedule does not include a scheduled holiday for Friday, Jan. 2, 2004. Employees, including 12 month faculty, must record vacation, CTO or personal holiday, for that day. Employees needing an alternative work assignment for the day, rather than time off, may sign up from Nov. 17 through Dec. 12 in Human Resources, room 252 of the Administration building.

The above is not applicable to academic year faculty because the day is not an academic workday and is part of the fall recess. The campus will maintain minimal staffing including Public Safety, Facilities and Service Enterprises, Information Technology and Student Residence Services. Pay warrants will be disbursed the morning of Monday, Jan. 5, 2004. For employees with direct deposit, the pay will be posted Friday, Jan. 2, 2004.

For details, contact Edwin Waite, director of employee relations, at ext. 8-2551 or Beatrix Salih, employee relations coordinator, at ext. 5-3034.


Option to purchase additional service credit available
As a result of recent legislation, University employees may be able to purchase one to five years of CalPERS service beginning Jan.1, 2004.

If you are on pay status and already have five years of CalPERS service credit, you can purchase up to five additional years of service credit toward your retirement. The service credit, also called nonqualified air time, can be costly because you must pay the cost of contributions for yourself and the University. However, the additional service credits may increase your compensation once you retire. Employees should determine whether the purchase price of the additional credits will be recouped by the increased retirement compensation in enough time to be worth it.

Note that the additional service credits only change your service level when you retire. They do not change the timing for when you become eligible for retirement.

The form to request cost information will be available Dec. 1, and the CalPERS online service credit calculator will be updated to include the "air time" option by Dec. 31.

For details see, the FAQ on the CalPERS Web site: www.calpers.ca.gov/servicecredit/airtime.htm.

At this time, no deadline for the option has been established. The program will continue unless eliminated by the legislature. This means that you may purchase the additional service credit at any time. If you do not have the necessary five years of service credit now, you may purchase the additional credit when you have attained the five-year threshold.


State Employees Campaign: A good start
SFSU employees received pledge forms for the California State Employee Charitable Campaign with their October paychecks. Last year SF State raised over $10,000, a figure we should be able to top this year. We already have a good start, having received over 30 responses and $1,400 in pledges in one week.

There are many ways to make a difference: you can feed seniors through Meals on Wheels; help the National Minority AIDS Council bring comfort to the ill; bring joy into kids' lives through Performing Arts Workshops; Protect animals with PETA; save the environment through Earthshare; you can even help students and programs here at SF State (code 70555). If you can't decide which cause to support, you can support many of them by donating to the United Way Bay Area fund, which supports local groups.

For answers to the most common question and links to more information, see: www.sfsu.edu/~news/campaign.htm. Or contact Dave Reddy at ext. 8-1666 or dreddy@sfsu.edu.


SFSU's writing program to be reviewed
A team of external reviewers will be on campus Nov. 17-19 to conduct a first ever comprehensive review of the University's Writing Program.

The reviewers are: Sondra Perl, professor of English at Lehman College, City University of New York; Charles Schuster, associate dean of humanities and communication and professor of English at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and Edward White, adjunct professor of English at University of Arizona and emeritus professor of English at CSU San Bernardino.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend the review meetings listed below:

  • Discussion of Writing in the Disciplines: from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m., Monday, Nov. 17, in room 587 of the Humanities building.
  • Discussion of Writing in the General Education Program: from 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, in room 587 of the Humanities building.
  • Discussion of Graduate Student Writing: from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Nov. 18, in room 434 of the Library.
  • A Second Discussion of Writing in the Disciplines: from 2 to 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, in room 587 of the Humanities building.
  • Open Discussion on Writing with the Academic Senate: from 3:30 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, in the Nob Hill Room of the Seven Hills Conference Center.
  • Exit Presentation by the External Reviewers: from 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, in room 133 of the Humanities building.

The charge to the writing program external reviewers, as well as the full schedule of external review meetings, can be found at: www.sfsu.edu/~acadplan/writingprogram.htm.

For details, contact Associate Vice President Richard Giardina at ext. 8-2073 or giardina@sfsu.edu.


International Education Week is back
SFSU will join college campuses around the world Nov. 17-21 in celebrating the fourth annual International Education Week with a host of lectures, film screenings, panel discussions, workshops and more. The Office of International Programs (OIP) invites the campus community to attend.

A reception to kick off the week and welcome international students will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, in the Vista Room. OIP and the Office of the President will host the event.

Internationally themed lunches at the Vista Room will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. from Monday, Nov. 17, to Thursday, Nov. 20. Lunches cost $12. For reservations, call ext. 8-6067. The lunches are sponsored by the departments of Hospitality Management and Consumer and Family Studies/Dietetics.

For details and a complete list of International Education Week events, call OIP at ext. 8-1293 or visit: www.sfsu.edu/~oip/intleducationweek2003.htm.


Japanese tea ceremony
To help celebrate International Education Week, the Japanese Program and the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures invite you to a Japanese Tea Ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 20 in room 117 (The Japanese Tea Room) of the Humanities Building. Admission is $5.

There are seven sessions: 11:10 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 12:10-1:00 p.m., 1:10-2:00 p.m., 2:10-3:00 p.m., 3:10-4:00 p.m. 4:10-5:00 p.m. and 5:10-6:00 p.m.

Reservations are required and can be made by e-mailing mmckeon@sfsu.edu. Only e-mail reservations to will be accepted.

Participants must honor the dress code: Wear clean clothes and clean socks or stockings. You will be removing your shoes before you enter the tea room so no bare feet are allowed. No jeans, short pants, sneakers or boots. Please remove accessories of any kind before coming to the ceremony, including (but not limited to) watches, rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. And please also do not wear any fragrances.

The tea ceremony will be performed by John Larissou, teacher of the Omote Senke School of Tea, and Midori McKeon, chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and professor of Japanese, with the honored presence of Mrs. Sôri Sekino.


People on Campus
This month's Insiders include a presentation by Jo Tomalin on "Physicality and Performance," several poems by Toni Mirosevich, and a presentation by Lu Rehling on bringing awareness of varying conversational styles to work team interaction.

Read the full list of Insiders: www.sfsu.edu/~news/cmemo/fall03/nov10insiders.htm.

CampusMemo accepts submissions to the Insiders column from members of the campus community. Items must reflect faculty or staff achievements beyond the campus, e.g., papers/lectures given at professional meetings; appointments to boards; books/articles published; performances, exhibits, readings of works off campus; awards and honors, etc. Please submit items no more than six months old. Items are edited for space.

Deadline for submissions to "Insiders" is the 10th of the month preceding publication. Send submissions to: pubcom@sfsu.edu. Please include a contact name and extension.


Academic Senate Action

At its Nov. 4 meeting the Academic Senate...

  • Heard a report from CSU Trustee Roberta Achtenberg.
  • Heard a report on the Nov. 14 campus-wide summit, "Race and Culture on Campus -- Issues and Strategies" from Vice President Penny Saffold and Dean Ken Monteiro.
  • Elected Gene Chelberg as the new at-large representative to the Senate Executive Committee.
  • Approved the Academic Calendar for summer session 2004.
  • Heard in first reading a resolution on Ways to Address Reductions in Work Available for Temporary Faculty.
  • Approved a resolution in honor of retiring faculty member and Sen. Penny Warren.

Read the full Academic Senate meeting report: www.sfsu.edu/~senate/.

 

About CampusMemo
CampusMemo provides news, information and on-campus events listings to the faculty and staff of SFSU.

CampusMemo is published weekly during the school year by the Office of Public Affairs. This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Contact Public Affairs at the number listed below. Submissions are welcome. Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Tuesday the week preceding publication. Items may be sent via e-mail: pubnews@sfsu.edu, faxed to ext. 8-1498, or sent through campus mail to: CampusMemo, Office of Public Affairs, Lakeview Center 110. Please direct any questions to the e-mail address above, or call ext. 8-1665.

To send events: call ext. 8-1665 or send e-mail to pubnews@sfsu.edu

 

 


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