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Thomas Ziemer

Author: Thomas Ziemer

Patrick Boleyn-Fitzgerald Memorial Fund

Lawrentians interested in making donations to benefit the education of the two children of the late Patrick Boleyn-Fitzgerald and his wife, Miriam, may do so through Community First Credit Union. All donations to this fund will go toward Aidan and Finn’s educational enrichment.

To contribute to the Patrick Boleyn-Fitzgerald Memorial Fund, you may make deposits at any branch of the credit union or send them via postal mail to: Community First Credit Union, PO Box 1487, Appleton, WI 54912-9841. Please include the account number, 1183274, in the memo part of the check.

Miriam wants to keep track of who donates, but there’s not an easy system for this to happen. There’s a written note on the account to send Miriam a receipt, but not all tellers will see this note. Please ask the teller to send Miriam a receipt with your name. She appreciates this.

MLK Day Read & Reflect event Jan. 16—register now

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day Read & Reflect Committee invites you to join this year’s Read & Reflect event—a discussion of the book Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond by Marc Lamont Hill on Monday, Jan. 16 from 10 a.m. to noon.

According to The New York Times, “[Nobody] examines the interlocking mechanisms that systematically disadvantage ‘those marked as poor, black, brown, immigrant, queer, or trans’—those, in Hill’s words, who are Nobodies. … A worthy and necessary addition to the contemporary canon of civil rights literature.”

In the wake of our presidential election, we hope this book will provide some insight into the experience of marginalized populations. This will be an action-based discussion and will not only focus on the book but also personal experiences feeling like a “nobody” and action steps we can take individually and as a campus to dismantle systematic structures that don’t support the most vulnerable.

Learn more and register online. Registration deadline is Friday, Nov. 18 or when space runs out.

Shuttle service to campus after winter break

As we have in the past, Lawrence has arranged for motor coach shuttle service back to campus after winter break. The Office of Student Affairs will subsidize the cost of the motor coach bus to make the trip affordable to all students.

DATE:  Monday, Jan. 2, 2017 (the day before Winter Term classes begin) 

DEPARTURE TIMES AND LOCATIONS:

  • Depart Chicago (O’Hare Tollway Oasis on the Illinois Tollway—10201 Belle Plaine Ave., Schiller Park—Northbound side): noon; it is a 10–15-minute trip from the airport, depending on traffic
  • Depart Milwaukee (Target Store—1501 Miller Parkway, Milwaukee): 2 p.m.; it is a 15–20-minute trip from the airport, depending on traffic
    Arrive Lawrence at approximately 4:30 p.m.
  • Depart Minneapolis/St. Paul (Target SuperStore—1300 University Ave. W., St. Paul): noon; it is a 10–15-minute trip from the airport, depending on traffic
  • Depart Wausau (Emma Krumbees—2101 N. Mountain Rd., Wausau): 2:45 p.m. (*possible departure location)
    Arrive Lawrence at approximately 5 p.m.

COST: $20

Space is limited and students must sign up in advance—seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please plan to arrive the departure location 15 minutes early to make sure the motor coach will leave at the scheduled time. Look for a large Lamers motor coach (usually painted white and red).

To sign up, stop by Raymond House between the hours of 8 a.m.–noon or 1–5 p.m. Monday through Friday to pay the $20 (cash or check) and reserve your seat. 

Questions? Call the Office of Student Affairs at 920-832-6596.

SAAC canned food drive going door-to-door

As a part of the Midwest Conference Canned Food Challenge, the Lawrence University SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) is collecting canned food items as well as monetary donations to donate to Blessings in a Backpack. LU SAAC is asking for the help of staff and faculty members to help collect these items on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 11:30 a.m. Each $1 donated will count as two cans in the MWC Canned Food Challenge.

On Thursday at 11:30 a.m., SAAC members will be going door-to-door to faculty and staff offices to collect canned food items or monetary donations at the following buildings:

  • Briggs
  • Youngchild & Steitz
  • Main Hall
  • Admissions/Career Services
  • The Conservatory
  • Brokaw
  • Sampson House

If your office is not on this list or you will not be present at that time and would like to donate, please come to one of those buildings at 11:30 a.m. or drop your items off with a colleague!

 Blessings in a Backpack is a program for local elementary schools who have a high number of students who are on assisted lunches or demonstrate a high need for extra food that they are unfortunately not getting at home. BIAB gives these kids backpacks of food each Friday during the school year to make sure they are getting enough to eat on the weekend. LU SAAC has already been in contact with the local BIAB chapter, and it will use the monetary donations or canned food items to help stock these backpacks at local Appleton elementary schools for students who are in need. 

If you have any questions, please contact SAAC advisor Ashley Wellman (ashley.l.wellman@lawrence.edu).

Reminder: Convocation next Tuesday

A reminder to the campus community: Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Natasha Trethewey will speak at next Tuesday’s Convocation at 11:10 a.m. in Memorial Chapel.

Trethewey, whose talk is entitled The Muse of History: On Poetry and Social Justice, has combined her mixed-race background and profound writing skills to convey the plight of the southern black woman. Her first collection of poems, Domestic Work (2000), detailed working-class lives and jobs and won the Cave Canem Prize for a first book by an African American poet. In 2007, Trethewey was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for Native Guard (2006), an exploration of death and war. Other acclaimed works include Bellocq’s Ophelia (2002), a fictional narrative of prostitution in 1900s New Orleans; Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi (2010), a non-fiction collection; and Thrall (2012), an examination of mixed-race fathers and children.

In 2012, Trethewey was named the 19th U.S. Poet Laureate. She is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University and also has held teaching positions at Duke University, the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill and Yale University.

Trethewey earned a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Georgia, a master’s degree in English and creative writing from Hollins University and a master of fine arts degree in poetry from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

An informal question-and-answer session will immediately follow the Convocation in the Chapel.

Summary of Lawrence Retirement Readiness Plan changes

As you know, Lawrence made several changes to our retirement program, effective Jan. 1, 2016. The Office of Human Resources wanted to provide you with an update on some things that have—and have not—changed, to give you an update on some of these changes and to clarify some questions about the plan.

 

What Has Changed

What Has Not Changed

Number of plans and plan name

Lawrence used to maintain two separate plans: The Lawrence University Defined Contribution Plan and The Lawrence University Tax Deferred Plan.

We have merged these plans into a single plan: renamed The Lawrence University Retirement Readiness Plan.

The retirement plan provides for Lawrence contributions on your behalf and also offers you the opportunity to save for your retirement, up to maximum amounts set by the IRS.

Record-keeper

Previously, the plan used two record-keepers: TIAA and Fidelity.

We have selected Transamerica as the sole record-keeper for the plan.

Note: Transamerica will report all assets that are still with TIAA and/or Fidelity, however have no control over TIAA and/or Fidelity funds.

Investing your contributions

Amounts you contributed before Jan. 1, 2016 remain with the investment funds you have selected. Amounts you invested with TIAA funds remain invested in the TIAA funds you selected. Amounts you invested with Fidelity funds remain invested in the Fidelity funds you selected.

All amounts contributed after Jan. 1, 2016 will go into the new plan and be invested in funds offered through Transamerica.

You may direct that amounts invested with TIAA or Fidelity be transferred to Transamerica, but this is your decision.

 

Opportunity to support the Lawrence Fund and United Way

Faculty and staff interested in donating to the Lawrence Fund and/or United Way can use this printable pledge form. The Lawrence development office would greatly appreciate any support of both campaigns by Wednesday, Nov. 23.

Thank you, in advance, for considering these giving options as a way to support our students and community. Any questions can be directed to Associate Vice President of Development Stacy Mara at stacy.j.mara@lawrence.edu or 920-832-6557.

 

Boleyn-Fitzgerald memorial service Oct. 19

The Lawrence community is invited to join a Buddhist service to honor Patrick Boleyn-Fitzgerald and the goodness that he lived, modeled and brought to this world, and that is expressed and carried on through each of you. The memorial service will be held Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 5:30 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center’s Esch Hurvis Room.

During the service, there will be opportunities for guided meditation and for consciously and intentionally turning inward. There will also be space provided in front of the center dais for any who wish to bring a cushion or zafu and join a seated circle on the floor.

A reception will follow, with a variety of opportunities to share memories.

Boleyn-Fitzgerald, the Edward F. Mielke Professor of Ethics in Medicine, Science and Society and associate professor of philosophy, died last month following a lengthy battle with kidney cancer. To learn more about Boleyn-Fitzgerald and the mark he left on the Lawrence community, read a story from the Lawrence news blog.

Grants office to host training sessions

The grants office would like to invite faculty and staff to these upcoming training opportunities:

  1. Intro to Grants @ Lawrence: Whether you’re a grants newbie or seasoned pro, register for this eat-and-learn session where we’ll discuss how internal and external grants work at Lawrence and how the Corporate, Foundation, and Sponsored Research Office can help you accomplish your goals. Join us in Kraemer Room at the Warch Campus Center for a lunch session Friday, Oct. 21, noon–1 p.m. (reading period). Space is limited! Please RSVP to lissette.jimenez@lawrence.edu by Monday, Oct. 17. Let us know of any dietary restrictions while registering.
  2. Introduction to the Funding Information Network: Come and get your hands on this powerful funder database, hosted at the Mudd Library! We’ll teach you tricks on how to identify potential grant funders, plus fellowship and scholarship opportunities. Space is limited in the ITC, so please email lissette.jimenez@lawrence.edu to reserve a seat for either Thursday, Oct. 20, 10-11 a.m. or Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, 10-11 a.m.