Campus Connections

Issue Date: September 13, 2004

News and Notices

New overtime pay regulations: How do they affect College employees?

In 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to ensure that employers abided by a number of “fair labor standards.” Among the standards brought about by the act were minimum wage, a standard workweek, and the requirement that workers receive a higher pay rate for hours worked beyond that standard.

Through the years, few changes have been made to the act to keep pace with changing labor markets. New regulations that went into effect last month address fair pay issues. The new regulations, enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor, are designed to simplify how an employee is determined to be exempt from protection under the FLSA. Media attention has focused on the so-called overtime pay regulation, according to Greg Walters, director of human resources.

“For now, only two part-time employees at the College will switch from FLSA-exempt to nonexempt status and will be eligible for overtime pay,” says Walters. “No employees will lose their overtime eligibility.”

There are four major categories of exempt positions under the FLSA: executive, administrative, professional, and outside sales. Exempt employees are not eligible for overtime pay. Within each category are multiple tests, or criteria, that relate to an employee’s primary job responsibilities and help determine FLSA status. Faculty members fall under the “professional” category and are exempt.

“The College will continue to assess the impact of these new federal regulations on Lewis & Clark employees,” says Walters. “Rather than make hasty decisions, we will take the time to review our job positions carefully in relation to the changes and continue to comply with all applicable laws.”

In addition, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries applies its own standards to determine exempt status. Walters says state regulations are also under review in response to the labor department’s new regulations. More information is available from the labor department Web site or the state labor and industries bureau Web site.

A helping hand with campus events

It’s all set. After months of negotiation—and finally landing a grant to pay the speaker’s fee—you’ve managed to bring a high-powered person to campus for a talk that’s open to the L&C community and the public at large. What next?

“That's where we come in,” says Sherron Stonecypher, director of campus events.

Stonecypher, along with Kerry Keenon, campus events coordinator, oversees the scheduling logistics for hundreds of campus events each year. The events include guest speakers, film festivals, musical performances, and conferences and symposia.

“There’s so much that needs to come together for events on campus,” says Stonecypher. “Our mission is to coordinate the use of College venues, to provide support to people planning events here, and to assist planners in having successful events within the policies and practices of the institution.”

Working through the campus events office, staff, faculty, and students can reserve venues throughout the campus. The campus events office also assists event planners with orders for directional signage and helps communicate event logistical information to Bon Appetit Catering, Campus Safety, Transportation and Parking, Facilities Services, Housekeeping, Instructional Media Services, Public Relations, Publications, and other key groups that support events at the College.

Stonecypher encourages event planners at the College to contact her office early in the event planning process.

Need more information? Visit the Campus Events Web page, put in your own event request online, e-mail your event request to events@lclark.edu, call ext. 7109, or fax ext. 7106.

Historian examines Hitler rise to power

Historian Thomas Childers will speak at Lewis & Clark about campaign politics that led to the rise of Adolf Hitler. His talk, titled “The Crisis of Democracy and the Rise of Hitler: Elections, Campaigning, and Mass Politics,” will be Tuesday, September 21, at 4 p.m. in Albany Quadrangle’s Smith Hall. The talk, part of the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program, is free and open to the public.

Childers, professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, has authored and edited several books on modern German history, including “Reevaluating the Third Reich: New Controversies, New Interpretations” (Holmes & Meier, 1993).

His talk will examine how Hitler’s political party went from less than 3 percent of the popular vote in 1928 to 38 percent of the vote by 1932, becoming the largest party in Germany. Childers will discuss lessons of Germany’s experiences that are applicable to today’s democracies.

Childers earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee and his doctorate from Harvard University.

The visiting scholar program makes 12 or more distinguished scholars available each year to visit 100 college and universities with Phi Beta Kappa chapters. The program seeks to contribute to the intellectual life of each institution through an exchange of ideas between visiting scholars and resident faculty and students.

For more information, call Matthew Levinger, associate professor of history, ext. 7449, or Robbie Roy, history department administrative secretary, ext. 7451.

Talk focuses on “corporate personhood”

Author Thom Hartmann will talk about “Corporate Personhood: The Loss of Our Democracy and What We Can Do to Take It Back.” His lecture on Thursday, September 23, at 3 p.m. is in BoDine 110.

Hartmann is an internationally known speaker on culture and communications, an author, and an innovator in the fields of psychiatry, ecology, and economics. He founded the New England Salem Children’s Village and the Hunter School and has led national innovations in the areas of residential treatment for abused children and private/public education for learning-disabled children. He is an award-winning, best-selling author of 14 books, including “What Would Jefferson Do? A Return to Democracy,” “We the People: A Call to Take Back America,” and “Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights.” He also hosts a nationally syndicated daily progressive talk show. More information is available at Hartmann’s Web site.

The event is sponsored by the economics department, political economy program, and Inventing America.

Hunter’s book receives national award

“This was a wonderful surprise!” exclaimed Jane Hunter, professor of history. Hunter’s book “How Young Ladies Became Girls: The Victorian Origins of American Girlhood” (Yale University Press, 2003) has earned the History of Education Society’s top prize: the Outstanding Book Award for 2004. The honor is given each year to the “best book in the history of education.”

Hunter travels to Kansas City in November to receive her award, which includes a $1,000 cash prize. The event is part of the society’s annual meeting. Hunter will also discuss central issues of her book with scholars gathered for the event.

Students, staff, and neighbors do service work together

How do you spend your weekends? On Saturday, August 21, nearly 70 College students, staff, and neighbors worked together for three hours to clean up the grounds at Capitol Hill Elementary School in a Community Care Day service project. The volunteers trimmed bushes, weeded flower beds, mowed the lawn, and spread bark dust. Greg Jones, Capitol Hill’s principal, donned gloves to help out and then thanked the volunteers for their efforts by hosting a luncheon in the school cafeteria. Many of the Lewis & Clark students participated in the project as a part of their resident assistant training week.

Mark Duntley, dean of the chapel, and the LC Staff Prayer Partners group organized the service day, part of a citywide effort coordinated by the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association and Portland Public Schools. “We did a lot of work, and the school grounds looked fantastic when we finished,” says Duntley. “It was a good way for us to make a visible impact in our neighborhood, and we hope that this may become an annual community service opportunity.”

IT offers fall classes

Information Technology offers ongoing computer training courses. During the next two weeks, these classes are available: Trillium, Creatings PDFs, and Beginning PowerPoint (2-part course). For more information, contact IT at ext. 7020, or sign up at www.lclark. edu/~training.

Grad school keeps up with the Times

The graduate school’s educational administration program is getting a boost from The New York Times and the Wallace Foundation. The school is one of five national institutions selected by the foundation and the national newspaper to receive free daily issues of the Times for a year. The program enables graduate school students—as upcoming leaders in education—to stay informed.

Alumna returns to talk about theatre career

Lisa Mount, a 1985 graduate in theatre,returns to share life lessons in a talk titled “My Clueless Lark: A Life in the Nonprofit Arts World From 1982 to Present.” Her talk on Thursday, September 16, at 5 p.m. is on the Main Stage of Fir Acres Theatre.

Mount, an independent arts management consultant, works with a variety of arts organizations on strategic planning, evaluation, community cultural planning, and board development. Her company, Artistic Logistics, is based in Sautee-Nacoochee, Ga. She was the managing director of 7 Stages theater from 1990 to 1997. In 2002 she served as the lead producer for two festivals: the Alternate ROOTS 25th Anniversary Focus On Community Arts South and First Glance Atlanta. Mount has directed plays and musicals at various theatres in the southeast and produced and directed Dolores French’s one-woman show “My Life as a Prostitute.” For more information, contact Stephen Weeks, associate professor and chair of theatre, at ext. 7498.

People News

New faces: Law school and College Relations

Micah Gordon ’04 is the law school’s new field technician and media and applications specialist, housed in the computing services department. Hs responsibilities include maintaining high-tech media equipment, training users on media equipment in the classroom, teaching PowerPoint classes, and troubleshooting any media equipment problems. Future tasks include application research and after-hours emergency support. Reach Micah at ext. 6897 or mgordon@lclark.edu.

Claire Sullivan and Kylee Selby have joined College Relations. Sullivan is the new prospect research manager in development services. Prior to joining Lewis & Clark, she worked at the Northwest Evaluation Association as part of the test development team to help build, package, and deploy tests for school districts. She also has experience as a grant writer. Reach Claire at ext. 7923 or sullivan@lclark.edu.

Selby brings a broad higher education background to her new position as annual giving assistant. She served as executive assistant in the University of Wyoming’s enrollment management and technology office. She also has experience in speech writing and grant writing, as well as phonathon, foundation giving and development support. Selby interned with the Foreign Service Institute, where she taught security, diplomacy and public affairs courses to foreign service officers and their families. Reach Kylee at ext. 7944 or kselby@lclark.edu.

Published, presented, honors and achievements

Faculty and staff serve as ambassadors for the College through their publications, presentations, awards, grants and other accomplishments. Recent highlights include:

The U.S. Department of State chose Michael Kraus, instructor in Academic English Studies, to provide training to Russian teachers of English in June. Kraus delivered a plenary talk titled “Partnering with the Internet to Enhance English Teaching: Critical Links and Tipping Points.” He conducted workshops for more than 180 educators from 35 cities across Russia at the Summer Institute of English in Irkutsk.

Elliott Young, associate professor of history, has published a new book, “Catarino Garza’s Revolution on the Texas-Mexico Border” (Duke University Press, 2004). He coedited a collection of essays on border history, titled “Continental Crossroads: Remapping U.S.-Mexico Borderlands History” (Duke University Press, 2004).

Vern Rutsala, professor of English emeritus, has published a new volume, “A Handbook for Writers: New and Selected Prose Poems,” part of the Marie Alexander Poetry Series (White Pine Press, 2004). His book “The Moment’s Equation” (Ashland University Press, 2004) earned a Richard Snyder Prize. Among his other activities, Rutsala gave readings at Broadway Books, the Multnomah County Library, and Borders.

More listings of faculty and staff achievements can be found in our online pressroom.

L&C in the news

College faculty and staff are in the news on a regular basis. Recent mentions include:

The Oregonian: In a commentary piece, Tom Ruhl, assistant professor of education, “dreams of a successful school district” on the eve of the 2004–05 school year. September 7, 2004.

The Oregonian: Article profiles Tom Hochstettler, president, on the occasion of opening convocation. Quotes also from Mark Duntley, dean of the chapel, and Landon Mascarenaz, ASLC president. August 30, 2004.

KPAM Radio: Robert Eisinger, associate professor and chair of political science, comments on strategy for the Republican National Convention. August 30, 2004.

Statesman-Journal (Salem): Article focuses on sustainable catering offered by Bon Appetit at campuses in Oregon. Lewis & Clark’s kitchens include “organic sustainable beef” from Oregon. August 29, 2004.

The Oregonian: In a commentary piece, Peter Cookson, dean of the graduate school, envisions an inclusive, high-performance education system in Oregon. August 27, 2004.

Hillsboro Argus: Article announces U.S. Department of Education grant to the graduate school to help find and train teachers to work with stuents whose first language is not English. August 24, 2004.

For a sampling of how and where Lewis & Clark is mentioned by media outlets across the nation and around the globe, visit the online pressroom.

Events

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks about “Crimes Against Nature”

Lewis & Clark is the only campus in Oregon to host Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his 10-campus lecture tour. His public lecture on Wednesday, September 22, at 7:30 p.m. focuses his new book “Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy.” The talk is in Agnes Flanagan Chapel.

Kennedy serves as chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper Fund, senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, and president of the Waterkeeper Alliance. He is a clinical professor and supervising attorney at the Environmental Litigation Clinic at Pace University School of Law in New York. He has worked on environmental issues across the Americas and has assisted several indigenous tribes in Latin America and Canada in successfully negotiating treaties protecting traditional homelands. His appearance at Lewis & Clark is sponsored by the College’s Students Organized for Activities association.

The event is free and open to the public. Complimentary tickets, required for admission, are available in advance through the Bookstore. For more information, call Robbie Fung, director of student activities, ext. 7122.

Robinson delivers Natural Resources Law Institute Distinguished Visitor lecture

Nicholas A. Robinson, professor of law and codirector of the Center for Environmental and Legal Studies at Pace University School of Law, will deliver the 17th annual Natural Resources Law Institute Distinguished Visitor lecture. His talk is titled “Conceiving Laws for the Biosphere: A Comparative Law Critique.” The event is open to the campus community on Thursday, September 23, at 6 p.m. in the Legal Resarch Center’s student lounge.

Robinson, who founded Pace’s environmental legal studies program in 1978, has authored numerous books, treatises, and more than 150 articles. He served under five U.S. presidents as a delegate to the environmental law negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union. He also provided expert counsel on Russian environmental law to the United Nations, the World Bank, and others. Congress elected Robinson to chair the commission on environmental law of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. He served as board chair for the World Environment Center and as international vice president of the Sierra Club.

Watzek Library exhibit explores communes, cooperatives and collectives

Jim Kopp, director of the Aubrey R. Watzek Library, has fascinating collections related to Utopia, ranging from a 1518 edition of Thomas More's “Utopia” to documents related to communal living. Through December 15, items from Kopp’s personal collection are on view in an exhibit titled “Communes, Cooperatives, and Collectives: Glimpses Into America’s Counter-Institutions, 1969–1979.” The exhibit in the Watzek Library features publications from and about several players and institutions involved in communes, cooperatives and collectives. Among the featured items: a Life magazine article titled “The Commune Comes to America” profiling an Oregon commune, and a 1978 promotional pamphlet from Jonestown. The exhibit features newsletters, magazines, travelogues, memoirs, and scholarly examinations of how these counter-institutions contributed to American culture.

Kritzer recital celebrates Romantic guitar music

Bernard Holland of The New York Times calls classical guitarist Scott Kritzer “an intelligent and self-assured musician with a sure technique and a musical sensitivity … A thinking and caring musician.” Kritzer will perform a number of his favorite works from Spain, Brazil, Cuba, and Italy in a recital on Saturday, September 25, at 8 p.m. The program, titled “Romance and the Guitar,” takes place in Agnes Flanagan Chapel.

“These are some of my very favorite works for guitar, the very ones that drew me to the instrument, lyrical, romantic, and with all the fire that the guitar can muster,” says Kritzer.

The program includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Isaac Albeniz, Manuel de Falla, Francisco Tarrega, and Giacomo Puccini. It is Kritzer’s first solo program in more than two years.

Free advance tickets are available to the Lewis & Clark community at the bookstore.

Upcoming

Visit the campus Web calendar for events coming up in September.