Wittenberg University -- Around the Hollow

Welcome to Wittenberg University's weekly online newsletter:

Around the Hollow.

Around the Hollow aims to present a helpful, informative and efficient online overview of weekly life at Wittenberg. From calendar events and brief news items to mini-profiles and university announcements, Around the Hollow seeks to highlight campus happenings and become a valuable, user-friendly stop on Wittenberg's little corner of the World Wide Web.

Dec. 14, 2001-Jan. 4, 2002

What's Up On Campus

• FREEBIES FOR READING DAY: Take a break and enjoy one or two of these free, Saturday-only events our community offers for the holidays. A visit to Castle Knoll, the K.W. Hess Ohio Pythian Home, between 2 and 7 p.m. at 901 W. High Street will transport you back to the Victorian era. The annual Victorian Christmas event will include tours, carriage rides, a living nativity scene, eggnog and cookies. Also on hand is the 15th annual Christmas pageant presented by the Ohio Lyric Theatre of Springfield at 3 and 8 p.m. in the Clark State Performing Arts Center. Admission is free, but tickets are required. Call (937) 328-3974.

• THE 2001 KIWANIS/WITTENBERG HOLIDAY CLASSIC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament comes to campus Dec. 28 and 29. Ten dollars buys a men's and women's tournament pass. All money raised goes back into the Springfield community through projects such as the "Terrific Kid" program at Emerson Elementary School, Festival of Cans and Playtime in the Park. Check the Highlights section for details about game times.

• WITTENBERG HOSTS THE SPRINGFIELD ROTARY CLUB for its annual Christmas party for elementary and middle school children with special needs on Monday, Dec. 17 at 11 a.m. One-hundred-twenty-three children will be on hand to enjoy a meal, entertainment such as the Pork Chop Revue (trained pigs) and a visit from Santa Claus.

• INSTALLATION OF COMPUTING AND MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY has begun in Zimmerman Hall. Five classrooms around campus will be equipped to provide each department access to a classroom of "Hollenbeck standards." The work in the four remaining classrooms is scheduled for spring. Read about the $99,000 grant from the George I. Alden Trust in the Wittenberg Magazine Summer 2001.

• THE UPGRADE OF CAMPUS TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT will require periodic shutdowns of the current phone switch. The first of these will be on Saturday, Dec. 15, 8 a.m.-noon and, Thursday, Dec. 20, 5-8 p.m. During "down" times, you will not have access to the university's phone service.

• THE BOOKSTORE IS REMODELING to create a new store layout that provides a warm welcome and more efficiency. Barnes & Noble will pay for wiring work to relocate computers, telephones and cash registers. New merchandising fixtures are being transferred from the company's Ball State University store. The facelift will also include painting, enhanced lighting and other special features for merchandising.

• THE ANNUAL HOLIDAY SALE AT THE BOOKSTORE ends today at 6:30 p.m. Take advantage of this opportunity to purchase Wittenberg gifts and clothing merchandise at 15 percent off, and get a chance to win merchandise with every purchase.

• SENIOR ART MAJORS WILL EXHIBIT their final portfolios in several locations around campus from noon Wednesday, Dec. 19 through the end of February. Exhibition sites include Chakeres Theatre lobby, the Faculty Dining Room and Wally's Pub in the Benham-Pence Student Center and Thomas Library.

• TIME SHEETS FOR THE PAY PERIOD of Dec. 17-30 must be turned in to human resources by noon, Thursday, Dec. 27. Friday, Dec. 21 is payday for all faculty and staff.

• IT'S NOTHING TO CROW ABOUT, but the City of Springfield initiated its annual battle with crows this week. According to the Springfield News-Sun, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has trained city workers to use an "arsenal that includes four pistol-launchers for hundreds of pyrotechnics and some recorded bird distress calls." Wittenberg is cooperating with the city to provide this more sophisticated crow control program.

Faculty Forum

• LOWELL W. MONKE, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION, a founding member of Alliance for Childhood, will begin redefining technology literacy for elementary and high-school students during a roundtable co-sponsored by the Alliance for Childhood, the Nature Institute and Wittenberg's Department of Education. Monke is in charge of organizing and moderating the roundtable on Technology Literacy Jan. 4-6 in College Park, Md. Learn more about the Alliance for Childhood.

• KEVIN A. SALZMAN, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ART, spent part of fall semester in Russia and Mexico as a guest artist. Among the first Americans to exhibit in the far east region of Russia, the purpose was to create a dialogue and exchange with Russian artists and the university in Khabarovsk. Mexico afforded Salzman an opportunity to meet with artists in Mexico City, who he had worked with several years ago, and to arrange future exhibitions. In Merida, he had an exhibit during the celebration of the Days of the Dead. The work shown was based on American cultural interpretations of death, and he participated on a panel that addressed the issue of how death has been dealt with by artists in the United States. He also met with people from the university there to discuss possible faculty/student exchanges. Learn more about Salzman, and see some of his work.

Administrative Notes

• THE COLLEGE BOARD'S ANNUAL STUDY on tuition increases showed public universities raised tuition an average of 7.7 percent. Private four-year colleges increased tuition an average of 5.2 percent. Wittenberg's increase for this year was 4 percent.

• THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN SINCE SEPT. 11 made a significant impact on the university endowment. The recent market improvements have pushed the endowment up near the $100 million level again. Another study showed Wittenberg spent 5.2 percent of the endowment value during the past fiscal year - the same percentage as the average spending for private universities. On a less positive note, Wittenberg is currently spending more for claims from its healthcare trust than is being generated by premiums and interest. That means the healthcare trust will be evaluated carefully to determine the need for healthcare premium increases.

Club/Organization of the Week

• THE WITTENBERG DANCE COMPANY (WDC) began on campus in 1987 when Shih-Ming Chang, associate professor of theatre and dance, formed the company. WDC provides students with an environment that encourages them to explore and expand their talents while they train and prepare to work as a group. Members meet four times each week for classes and training plus rehearsal time as they prepare for their performances. The last two years WDC has enjoyed an additional production in the spring with the Senior and Faculty Dance. Fall '01 Dance Concert offers the first large diverse program with three groups of African American dancers.

Kudos

• "KUDOS TO TIM CLARK, CAMPUS DELIVERY PERSON, for seeming to be everywhere at once. As I head across campus, his smile flashes up the steps at Reci. By the time I get to the Student Center, he is powering toward me in the corridor, carrying a big box and a big smile. Returning back to Reci there is that smile again, this time waving from behind a rake as he helps the grounds crew in his spare time. Maybe he'll tell us what he has for breakfast!"

--Jim Dexter, director of public relations

• "KUDOS TO THE PUBLIC RELATIONS/PUBLICATIONS TEAM in developing a first-class Wittenberg calendar. The quality and nature of the student photos reveal the diverse activities and energy on our campus."

--Maureen Sheehan Massaro, director of human resources

• "KUDOS TO ALL THOSE INVOLVED in the planning and hosting of the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, dinner at Hollenbeck Hall and Wittenberg Series event at Weaver Chapel last Friday night. It was all very nice, and the turnout was impressive. A good time was had by all."

--Ryan Maurer, director of sports information and new media services

Highlights (On Tap This Week)

• FOR THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE list of things happening around Wittenberg, check out the Online Events Calendar compiled each week by Student Development.
All events free unless otherwise noted.

Friday, Dec. 14
Last Day of Classes

Bookstore Annual Holiday Sale
8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Wittenberg Jazz Ensemble
Hap Ashenfelter, director
5 p.m., The Commons, Benham-Pence Student Center

Wittenberg Dance Company
Fall '01 Dance Concert
8 p.m., Chakeres Theatre
Admission $4

Saturday, Dec. 15
Women's Basketball
at Defiance College
2 p.m., Defiance, Ohio

Wittenberg Dance Company
Fall '01 Dance Concert
2 and 8 p.m., Chakeres Theatre
Admission $4

Monday, Dec. 17-Thursday, Dec. 20
Exam Week/No Weekly Chapel Services

Wednesday, Dec. 19
Campus Christmas Caroling
10 a.m., Recitation Hall Lobby

Friday, Dec. 21
Christmas Luncheon for Hourly Staff
11 a.m., Appetizers
11:30 a.m., CDR, Benham-Pence Student Center

Saturday, Dec. 22
Men's Basketball
at Thomas More College
3 p.m., Crestview Hills, Ky.

Monday, Dec. 24
Campus Offices Closed

Tuesday, Dec. 25
Campus Offices Closed

Friday, Dec. 28
KIWANIS/WITTENBERG CLASSIC 2001
Tournament Pass $10

Women's Tournament Basketball
Marion College vs. Calvin College
1 p.m. HPER Center
Wittenberg vs. Mount St. Joseph
3 p.m., HPER Center

Men's Tournament Basketball
Baldwin-Wallace vs. Marian College
6 p.m., HPER Center
Wittenberg vs. Illinois College
8 p.m., HPER Center

Saturday, Dec. 29
KIWANIS/WITTENBERG CLASSIC 2001
Tournament Pass $10

Women's Tournament Basketball
Consolation Game
1 p.m., HPER Center
Championship Game
6 p.m., HPER Center

Men's Tournament Basketball
Consolation Game
3 p.m., HPER Center
Championship Game
8 p.m., HPER Center

Monday, Dec. 31
Campus Offices Closed

Tuesday, Jan. 1
Campus Offices Closed

Around the Hollow is a publication of Wittenberg University Public Relations/Publications. Comments, ideas and material for upcoming issues are welcomed by noon on Thursday, Jan. 3 by sending e-mail to aroundthehollow@wittenberg.edu. Wittenberg Public Relations/Publications reserves the right to edit for space and content.