Modern and Classical Languages and Residence Life are now accepting applications for the Chinese, French, German, MENA, Spanish and International Houses in North Village. Language study is required for living in the houses named by their respective language. Are you an international student or interested in global events but don’t study a language at Allegheny? Apply for the MENA or International Houses! Applications are due on Jan. 31 and can be found here. Questions? Contact Professor Riess at briess@allegheny.edu.

Are you interested in spending spring break doing service? Consider applying for an Allegheny ASB and learn about yourself and your potential to bring about positive social change through meaningful service with one of our national community partners. The 2012 ASB trips are going to Buffalo, New York, working with the Belle Center and VIVE Inc.; Battle Creek, Michigan, working with the National Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge; Crawford and Erie Counties, Pennsylvania, working with the Children and Youth AmeriCorps VISTA Project of NWPA; and Cranks Creek, Kentucky, working with the Cranks Creek Survival Center. These trips are looking for students who are interested in sharing their skills and learning how to make an impact. Apply by filling out this form. Applications are due Friday, Feb. 3. A group interview process for all applications will be held on Sunday, Feb. 5, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. ASB 2012 is March 17-24. The cost of the trip is $125 per student. There is also an opportunity to apply for an ASB scholarship. All participants selected for ASB trips will meet with their groups on Sunday, Feb. 19, 8-9 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 25, 1:30-2:30 p.m.; and Saturday, March 10, 1:30-2:30 p.m. to prepare for their trip. If you have any questions, please contact Jamie Williams in the Office of Community Service and Service-Learning, ACCEL at jwilliam@allegheny.edu

Curious about what’s going on in the Red House next to Arter Hall? On Sunday, Jan. 29, from 4 to 5 p.m., there will be a Red House Open House event. Check out the new gathering and prayer/meditation space for Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim students. Also, help us name the house and win $15 on iTunes. Light refreshments will be provided.

The art galleries are presenting “In Sisterhood: The Women’s Movement in Pittsburgh,” curated by Patricia Ulbrich, through Saturday, March 10. A closing reception will be held in the galleries on Friday, March 9, from 7 to 9 p.m., with a public lecture by the curator. The exhibit features a variety of artworks, including drawings, paintings, sculptures and installation. “In Sisterhood” is an oral history and multimedia project designed to promote a deeper understanding and appreciation of this inspiring aspect of the region’s history and to highlight how progress was achieved through the hard work and determination of a diverse group of local grassroots activists.

The Allegheny Faculty Lecture Series will resume on Monday, Jan. 30, at 6:30 p.m. in Campus Center 301/302 with Assistant Professor of Music Jennifer Dearden presenting “Confessions of a Band Geek: Diary of a Brass Band Musician.” Dearden, a member of the solo cornet section of River City Brass, will discuss the historical, cultural, and social roles of brass bands from their inception in the collieries of Great Britain through modern times.

Allegheny College’s Faith Week, Jan. 29-Feb. 4, will focus on “Faith and Community,” as part of the Year of Sustainable Communities. Coordinated by Interfaith Fellowship (IFF), various religious life groups offer special events and programs during their regular meeting times to explore the theme. Highlights of the week include an open house for an on-campus house with prayer space for Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim students (Sunday, Jan. 29); a lunch discussion on young people’s turn from organized religion, titled “Spiritual but not Religious” (Monday, Jan. 30); a talk by Allegheny alumna Amy Beisel Hill, who is director of communications at the PA Catholic Conference (Wednesday, Feb. 1); the third in a reading series on religion and sexuality looking at how faith communities are fracturing over sexual orientation (Thursday, Feb. 2); and an interfaith bowling contest and pizza party to end the week (Saturday, Feb. 4). The campus community is invited to attend these and the other faith week events. A complete list is available online. For more information, contact the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life at x2800 or rellife@allegheny.edu.

Starting tomorrow and lasting through this week, the EcoReps will be selling reusable to-go boxes in Brooks during both lunch and dinner hours. The price is just $3. Boxes will only be sold in Brooks this week and will then be sold the rest of the year in McKinley’s.

You can access your pay information and W-2 forms through ADP. Follow the instructions below to register for on-line access:

1. Go to https://paystatements.adp.com.
2. Click on “Register Now”.
3. Enter the Self Service Registration Pass Code, which is: ALLEGHCOLL-IPAY
4. Select iPayStatements as the self-service Product.
5. From your most recent pay statement, enter the following information: Company Code, File Number, Last 4 digits of Social Security Number, Pay Date or Advice Date, Check/Voucher or Advice Number

You will then be prompted to complete a registration process, during which you must answer a few security questions and select a password. Your password must contain between 8 to 20 characters and at least one alpha and one numeric character. You will be assigned a system generated User ID. The security questions will be used to verify your identity if you ever forget your user ID or password. Upon completing the registration process, you may access your pay statements at https://paystatements.adp.com. If you have any questions, please call the payroll office at x4792.

If you participated in the health care and/or dependent care FSA in 2011, it’s time to start thinking about finalizing your reimbursements for the prior plan year. If you have a remaining balance in your 2011 account, the IRS will permit you to incur claims between January 1 and March 15, 2012, and apply those expenses to any remaining balance in your 2011 account. You also have until March 31 to submit any unreimbursed claims for expenses incurred in 2011. Any previous year claims received after March 31 will not be eligible for reimbursement and your remaining account balance will be forfeited. If you have any questions about your FSA account, please call the Office of Human Resources at x2312.

Tickets for the year’s major concert, Mac Miller, and opening act DJ Enferno are now on sale. Students can buy a maximum of two tickets ($10 each) at the Box Office Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. They are also on sale Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m. This reduced price lasts only until Feb. 6, so buy your tickets early! Tickets will then be sold online for $20 to the general public. The concert is Friday, Feb. 17. Email any questions or concerns to mec@allegheny.edu.

Join other college students from the Diocese of Erie for a Catholic retreat from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 4 at Mercyhurst College. This year’s theme is “Can You Hear Me Now,” with the day’s events including keynote speakers, music by Jackie Francois, and a Vigil mass. The cost is $10, which includes breakfast, lunch, and a T-shirt. For more information, or to RSVP (please include T-shirt size), contact oskinj@allegheny.edu or bellep@allegheny.edu by Jan. 29.

Are you interested in attending law school? Come to an informational meeting on Monday, Jan. 30, from noon to 1 p.m. in Campus Center 206 and meet with Michaeline about planning for life after Allegheny.

Service Saturdays provide short projects for students to complete with other students and community partners. The day starts around 9 a.m. and ends around 12:30 p.m. Students will meet at 9 a.m. at Reis for a light breakfast and to sign up for service projects. They will return to campus around 12:30. To sign up to participate, please complete this form by Friday, Jan. 27. Contact Olivia Lang at olang@allegheny.edu with any questions.

Visit the therapy dogs — now on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. when school is in session — in the Reis Hall basement relaxation room, 006. For more information, call 332-4368.

Do you have a passion for acting, whether it’s a career goal or a hobby? Blake Lyle is recruiting actors and actresses for a senior comp project. For further details, contact Blake at lyleb@allegheny.edu.

Softball Discount Cards are back by popular demand. The discounts included are to many local restaurants and businesses (Subway, Dairy Queen, Whole Darn Thing, Creative Crust, and more). Softball players will be stopping by offices this week to sell cards, or you can call Sandra Sanford at x2815. Thank you for supporting Gator Softball!

The deadline is Friday, Jan. 27, for the next issue of People & Places, the monthly e-publication that reports on the professional activities of members of the College community and highlights student achievements. Send items to people@allegheny.edu.

The deadline for the next issue of Celebrations and Concerns is Friday, Jan. 27. Employee personal news such as births, marriages, personal achievement, and serious illness or death within the immediate family may be submitted by contacting Jane Ellen Nickell (x2800 or jnickell@allegheny.edu) or by using this form. To receive the monthly email, use this form.

Join members of over 12 different Hillels for a weekend of educational sessions, workshops, and great conversation about Israel. Along with educational and advocacy sessions, the Shabbaton will also feature an Israel Shabbaton 180 with a special guest speaker, networking opportunities for students, information sessions about grant and other funding for student-led Israel programming, and an incredible Night Out in Pittsburgh to celebrate Israel. Find out more and register here. You must apply by Friday, Jan. 27. Hillel can help with costs/transportation — please contact Rachel Dingman with any questions.

Interested in discussing with colleagues over lunch the current and future state of higher education in this country? The Provost’s Office is sponsoring a college-wide reading group this semester. All college employees are eligible to participate. Please click here to sign up. The sign-up deadline is Monday, Jan. 30. The book up for discussion is Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum’s That Used To Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011). Associate Dean Ben Slote will facilitate the conversation, which he anticipates to be spirited and wide-ranging. That Used to Be Us is certainly provocative. Friedman and Mandelbaum argue, among other things, that the “globalization and the IT revolution” means that “raising math, science, reading, and creativity levels in American schools” is “the key determinant of economic growth, and economic growth is the key to national power and influence as well as individual well-being” (100). If that picture is accurate, what obligations and opportunities does it suggest for us at Allegheny? What, for example, might “teaching creativity” look like here? The College Reading Group will meet once a week, starting the week of Feb. 13. Participants will be provided a copy of the book, along with lunch. Space is limited; right now the plan is to cap the group at around 10 people. This is a pilot program. If interest levels warrant it, we will have College Reading Groups in future semesters and perhaps even in the summer.

Gator Activities Programming will be hosting its annual murder mystery dinner when Mystery’s Most Wanted presents “One Love to Lose” on Feb. 3. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the event starts at 6 p.m. Tickets go on sale in the Campus Center lobby from Jan. 23 to Feb. 3 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets will be $5.

Kirsten Ressel will be teaching a spin class on Tuesdays from 8 to 9 a.m. and on Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. The class will end in enough time for you to shower and get to a 9:30 or 1:30 class. Everyone is welcome to attend, and no prior experience is necessary. Questions? Email Kirsten at resselk@allegheny.edu.

Faculty: Please send copies of your syllabi to randel@allegheny.edu to be archived. She prefers electronic files but will accept paper (Box 117). For those who submit syllabi to building coordinators, no further action is required.

The Interlibrary Loan Office in Pelletier Library has moved around the corner from the Learning Commons to be next to the Circulation Desk and across from the printers. Now you have fewer steps to make to pick up your borrowed materials. Stop in and say hello!

Now is the time to complete your financial aid application for the 2012-2013 academic year. Allegheny’s deadline for completing the Renewal FAFSA — which can be done online at www.fafsa.ed.gov — is March 15, 2012. If requested (we may only require the FAFSA from you), verification documents and instructions will be requested in February and are due to the Office of Financial Aid by April 1, 2012. Please remember that late filing for financial aid may result in reduced financial aid eligibility. If you have been previously approved by the Financial Aid Office to file as an independent student, please make an appointment with Assistant Directors of Financial Aid Natasha Eckart or Jonathan Boleratz to recertify your independent status. You may call 814-332-2701 to set up the appointment. Please do so before completing the FAFSA. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.

The time is now, Seniors. Join Career Services for Senior Saturday on Jan. 28 for a day all about you and life post-Allegheny. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Gifts will be given out throughout the day as well as an interview survival kit for all attendees. The event begins at 9 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m., and students should plan to be there for the entire time. RSVP to ocs@allegheny.edu by Jan. 23 for a space. A resume review will be held from 8:30 to 9 during check-in so don’t forget a copy of your resume.

If you are interested in coming out for the women’s varsity tennis team this spring, please contact Coach Luteran at jluteran@allegheny.edu or 814-332-2809 ASAP. Official practices start the first week in February.

Tryouts for the Women’s Lacrosse team will be held Jan. 29-31. All those interested in tryouts need to attend the team meeting on Jan. 27 as well as tryouts in the following days. If there is a conflict, please come and see Coach Janice or Coach Stone in the Wise Center. Go Gators!

If you have an on-campus job, you must file and complete a “Local Services Tax Exemption Certificate” with the Office of Human Resources at the beginning of each year in order to get the tax exemption. Otherwise, you will be required to pay the tax for calendar year 2012. Please print the exemption form, complete it, and return it to the Office of Human Resources, located in Bentley Hall, Room 215.

Your 2011 W-2 will be mailed to your home address on Jan. 27. If you prefer to pick up your W-2 at the HR Office in Bentley Hall or have it mailed to your campus mailbox, please contact Andy at x4792 no later than Thursday, Jan. 26.

TIAA-CREF will be offering one-on-one counseling sessions to employees from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 25, 26 and 27. You can use the session to discuss your retirement plan or to discuss strategies to consider when allocating your funds between TIAA and CREF. To schedule an appointment, call 800-732-8353 or go to the TIAA-CREF website at www.tiaa-cref.org/events, where you can register for a consultation. Sessions will be held in Campus Center 317.

Cards to Add a class or to declare a class Credit/No Credit are now available in the Registrar’s Office (210 Bentley Hall). Adding any course requires the signature of the instructor. If Adding classes will put you at more than 20 credits total, please see the overload policy for the procedure to have your overload approved. Taking a course on the Credit/No Credit basis requires your advisor’s approval as indicated by a signature on the card. Signed Add cards and Credit/No Credit cards should be returned to the Registrar’s Office. The deadline to turn in all Add and CR/NC cards is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31. Cards submitted after the deadline will not be processed. Courses may be dropped on-line through WebAdvisor until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31. After that time, you are still permitted to drop a class but will need to use a Drop card. The final deadline for all Drops is Tuesday, Feb. 21.

The art galleries present The Figure Untamed: Desire as Resistance, curated by Visiting Professor of Art Valerie Gilman and Gallery Director Darren Lee Miller. A reception will be held in the galleries on Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 7 to 9 p.m., with a slide lecture by two of the featured artists, Erin Finley and Keira Sunshine Norton. The exhibit — which features a variety of artworks, including drawings, paintings, sculptures, and installation — is on display from Wednesday, Jan. 25 through Sunday, March 11. It is supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Additional support comes from the art department of Allegheny College, and the William Beazell Memorial Fund. More information about the exhibit can be found here.

Positions are available for Summer 2012 and the 2012-2013 academic year. If you are interested, visit www.allegheny.edu/admissions/tourguides for information about the Gator Guide position and to access the online application. Applications are due Feb. 7.
Please note that a résumé is required. Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit the Career Services office in ACCEL for résumé assistance. If you have any questions, please email adtour@allegheny.edu or stop by the Admissions House.

The Bonner Program is looking for students to engage with children ages 4-13 years in after-school activities from 3:15 to 5:40 p.m. at least twice a week. Volunteers will help facilitate general after-school programming (arts and crafts, science experiments, cooking classes, etc.) or computer literacy programming. This is a semester-long commitment. Transportation will be provided by CATA bus. If you are interested, please contact Samantha Laurence via email (laurences@allegheny.edu) to request an application and for information on an interview session. Please also state whether you are interested in general after-school programming or computer literacy programming. Interviews will be conducted the second and third week of classes.

The Dance and Movement Studies program will be offering community ballroom lessons January 23 – March 12 and April 2 and 9. Classes will be taught by Dance and Movement Studies faculty Betsy Sumerfield and will be held in the Montgomery Performance Space on Mondays, 7 to 8:15 p.m. Cost of the classes is $60.00 per person or $100.00 per couple. Footwear should be either ballroom shoes or sock feet. To register or for more information, please call 332-2813.

Braxton Rose is teaching yoga classes at the Wise Center dance studio Tuesday-Friday 5:30-6:45 p.m., starting on Jan. 24 and continuing until finals week. The class is free for Allegheny students and faculty and for anyone having a Wise Gym membership. There is no need to sign up or register, though getting there early will help ensure your finding a space.

The Office of the Registrar maintains a Google calendar of dates such as the add and drop deadlines, first and last days of class, Commencement, etc. To view the calendar in your Google account, add registrar@allegheny.edu to the Other Calendars on your Calendar page.

The Art Department is pleased to announce the availability of funds to support significant work in studio art and art history. Monies are available through the Richard Kleeman Research Fund, an endowed fund created in 1992 in recognition of Professor Kleeman’s 39 years of dedicated teaching at Allegheny College. All current Allegheny College students who are interested in applying for money from the Kleeman Fund are required to submit a written proposal to the chairperson of the Art Department on the form designed for that purpose. Proposals should describe the nature and scope of the project and must include a budget reflecting how funds will be used. Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis to: (1) help defray the expenses of art-related travel and study, (2) help with the expenses of significant senior projects, and (3) help students meet studio or art historical research expenses for other ambitious work. Further information and application forms may be obtained from department faculty or in the Art Department office. Proposals are due by noon on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, for funding during the spring semester. Completed applications should be submitted to Art Department Building Coordinator Rhonda Hershelman, Art Gallery, Doane Hall of Art. Funding requests should not exceed $300.00. Awards will be determined by the faculty of the Art Department. Award recipients will be notified by Feb 10.

Spinning with Terra will start this Wednesday, Jan. 18, and will run for the duration of the semester. Classes for the semester will run Wednesday mornings from 6:45 to 7:30 a.m. and Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Contact tcaputo@allegheny.edu if you would like to be added to the mailing list or have any questions.

The Game Room will open for the semester on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at noon. All games in the Game Room are free to play, and the Gator Flix movie collection includes 1,725 DVDs that are free to sign out for 48 hours. Movies held beyond the 48-hour period will incur a $2.00 per day late fee. New to the Game Room is a 9′ regulation-size pool table, installed over winter break. The Movie Quote of the Week contest will begin this Friday and continue throughout the semester. Winning entries will receive $20 gift certificates for Movies at Meadville.

Please nominate faculty, staff and alumni for special College awards including the Julian Ross Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Thoburn Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Robert T. Sherman Distinguished Service Award, and Blue and Gold Citations. Nomination forms as well as names of previous recipients can be found online. Award recipients are selected by a committee of alumni who rely on the information contained in these nominations to make their decisions. Your participation is critical to the success of this process and greatly appreciated. Nominations are due by January 31. For more information please contact Phil Foxman at phil.foxman@allegheny.edu or call the Alumni Affairs Office at 332-5384.

It’s that time of year again. Do you know precautions against slips and falls? Do you know what to do if you slip or fall? 1) If you are injured, contact Campus Safety and Security at extension 3357. 2) If your injury is work related, contact Human Resources at extension 2312. 3) Keep others safe: report any hazardous or unsafe condition you observe by using this form. 4) Review these safety tips for ideas on how to keep safe: a) Slips, Trips and Fall Prevention; b) Walking on Ice and Snow; c) Winter Driving Safety; d) Winter Driving Quiz; e) Winter Time Safety.

Now is the time to review your federal tax withholding for 2012. If you have had a change in marital status, birth/adoption of a child, or a spouse who has returned to work, you may want to adjust your federal withholding in 2012. If so, please complete a 2012 W-4 form and mail it to the Office of Human Resources, Box 4, or bring it to HR, Bentley Hall 215. Note: If you have no changes, you do not need to complete a new form.

ADP recently introduced online forms submission, which allows all plan-related forms to be submitted directly through the ADP website. No more worrying about printing and faxing forms: you can simply access your online account, follow the form completion process, upload your receipt images, and submit. Click here for a quick reference guide to learn more about online form submission.

On January 16 the Physical Plant Department will introduce a new work order system to campus. The new system, SchoolDude, is one of the top four maintenance management systems being used by higher education. We expect users to find the work order process to be much more user-friendly than our present system. Initial training will be given to building coordinators and the Residence Life staff. If you wish to submit a work order request, see your building coordinator or office manager for your temporary submittal password. Once SchoolDude is running live, all users will receive an email with a new submittal password. To submit a work order request, go to Inside Forms and select the Work Order form (a tutorial is linked next to the Work Order Form link). On-campus residents should continue to contact their Residence Life staff to submit work order requests. Questions may be addressed to Patty Wood at x5378 or pwood@allegheny.edu.

Allegheny employees can receive a 10% discount off monthly dues at Snap Fitness, plus free enrollment and first 30 days free. This offer is valid from January 16, 2012 to February 16, 2012. Membership includes: free instruction and workout plan, free professional nutrition and weight loss plan, personal trainers for faster results, online nutrition and meal planning, and access to all Snap Fitness clubs. To join, take your Allegheny ID or pay stub to the Snap Fitness location nearest you. To find the location nearest you, visit www.snapfitness.com. For more information, call the Meadville Snap Fitness at 814-350-2499 or email meadvillepa@snapfitness.com.

The Internal Revenue Service has increased the new standard mileage rate for 2012 to 55.5 cents per mile for business miles driven (it was 51 cents per mile in 2011). Because the College follows the IRS standard, our reimbursement rate is now 55.5 cents per mile, effective Jan. 1, 2012. The Travel/Entertainment/Expense Report reflects this new rate.

Allegheny College Conference and Event Services (C&ES) is conducting a departmental self-study. As part of the process we would like to hear opinions from our colleagues — staff, administration and faculty — about our department and the services we offer. Your responses will assist in shaping the department and our direction in the years to come. We value and appreciate your input! Please assist us by completing this survey.

Items submitted to My Allegheny must be submitted by 5 p.m. in order to be posted to My Allegheny the following day. (Items are not posted on Saturday or Sunday. Items to be posted on Monday must be received by 5 p.m. the previous Friday.) Submissions are automatically removed after an event has passed. Please note that due to the volume of postings we receive we cannot re-post items. We will, however, move an event posting to “Top Stories” the day of the event. Questions about My Allegheny? Contact Kathy Roos at x5950 or kathy.roos@allegheny.edu.