Robert Morris, founder and artistic director of the St. Paul based Leigh Morris Chorale, and Anthony Leach, founder and director of the Penn State University choir, Essence of Joy, will present “The Relationship Between Song and Singing in the African-American Sacred Music Traditions.” The lecture-demonstration of concepts, performance practices and styles, and musical genres will feature vocal solo artists from throughout the United States with members of the Leigh Morris Chorale and the Carleton College Choir. Their presentation will take place in Concert Hall at 10:50 a.m. This convocation is part of a special series of events celebrating African-American sacred music. Check here for details.

I am pleased to announce that Dan Hinderaker joins the External Relations staff as Prospect Research Analyst effective today, Monday, May 12. Dan attended St. Olaf in the 1980s and holds a J.D. from the University of Minnesota. He spent fourteen years at Thomson-West as an Attorney Editor, but for the past two years has been living and working in Worland, Wyoming. He is happy to return to Minnesota, and we in Prospect Research (Mark Egge, Jon White, and Nancy Loesch) are happy to welcome him to our department on the fourth floor of Leighton. Please feel free to stop in, introduce yourself, and welcome Dan to Carleton.

Jackie Lauer-Glebov, Associate Director of Institutional Research and Coordinator of Educational Assessment, will be leaving Carleton after May 16 to prepare to become the Director of Assessment at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, starting this fall. This is an exciting and excellent career opportunity for Jackie, and Carleton's loss will be UNC-Wilmington's gain. Read on for more details.

Words alone can’t express how deeply Joann and I feel about the support you have given us since my involvement in the tragic accident recently. You can imagine how difficult this has been for everyone involved. Our hearts ache for the Zaun family.

Since the accident, we’ve received hundreds of calls and visits from friends. It means so much that so many people care enough to reach out to us. Please know how helpful it has been to talk to our friends, and to have you visit us at home.

For me, it is a day-to-day challenge and I am getting the help I need to understand and cope with the ramifications of the tragedy.

Please continue to keep us and the Zaun family in your thoughts and prayers.

As gas prices soar and air quality dwindles, many people seek ways to save money and the planet. To that end, we have a great upcoming opportunity to learn about a financially and environmentally friendly transportation option. Read on for more information.

The Arboretum Committee and others at the College have been working with the Town of Waterford for the past four years to determine the best approach for providing a safe and environmentally responsible crossing of the Cannon River at the site of the Iron Bridge. The single-lane Iron Bridge is listed as number one on the State of Minnesota’s deficient bridge list. While currently safe, and frequently inspected, it can not be considered safe for much longer. A proposal has been developed and a recommendation has been forwarded to the Board of Trustees for approval at its upcoming meeting. The proposal includes allowing the Town of Waterford to build a new bridge on College land just upstream of the current Iron Bridge. The Iron Bridge will remain in place pending proposed re-development as a pedestrian bridge. Visit the Arboretum Web site to learn more about the planning process and details of the bridge construction project.

• Torah Study—Tuesday, May 13, 5 p.m., Reynolds House.
• Taizé Vespers Service—Wednesday, May 14, 8:30 p.m., Chapel.
• Centering Prayer—Thursday, May 15, noon, Chapel Lounge. Led by Reverend Jill Tollefson.
• Buddhist Meditation—Thursday, May 15, 8:15 p.m., Chapel. Led by Seth Lin ’08. All knowledge levels welcome.
• Shabbat Service and Dinner—Friday, May 16, 6 p.m., Reynolds House. Led by Rabbi Shosh Dworsky. Dinner follows the service.
• Orthodox Christian Chapel Service, Sunday, May 18, 5 p.m., Chapel. Father Jonathan Proctor. Supper follows the service.

• “Between God’s Image and Satan’s Workshop: The Human Body in Islamic Thought and Practice,” a talk by Shahzad Bashire, Associate Professor of Religion on Monday, May 12, at 7:30 p.m. This lecture is part of the Mid-East Connections Series sponsored by the Dean of the College Office.
• “Poetry and History: Goethe, Napoleon, and Us,” a talk by José Luis Pardo on Tuesday, May 13, at 3 p.m. This lecture is the annual Christopher Light Lectureship. Pardo is a Spanish philosopher and essayist.
• Latin American Studies senior majors present comps talks on Wednesday, May 14, at 5 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.
• “Human Dignity and Bioethics in Three Keys,” a lecture by Alan Rubenstein on Wednesday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m. This talk on bioethics is sponsored by the Political Science Department and the EthIC Program. Rubenstein is Senior Consultant to the President’s Council on Bioethics.
• “Visualizing the Victorian Novel,” a talk by Susan Jaret McKinstry on Thursday, May 15, at noon. Sponsored by the Visuality Working Group, and the Perlman Center for Learning and Teaching, this is an event for the campus community—faculty, staff, and students. Bag lunches for 50 will be provided.
• Latin American Studies senior majors present comps talks on Thursday, May 15, at 5 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.
• Off-Campus Studies photo contest and reception on Thursday, May 15, at 8 p.m.

Making your gift to the faculty/staff portion of Carleton’s Breaking Barriers, Creating Connections campaign is easy. You can make your impact immediately by going online or using the envelope included in the letter you recently received. You can also easily increase your impact with payroll deduction or recurring credit card gifts. For example, having only $17 deducted from your pay monthly (or charged to your credit card) results in a gift of more than $1,000 by the end of the campaigns pledge period (June 30, 2013). Gifts of all sizes help increase overall participation in the campaign and are greatly appreciated. For more details or questions on how to give, contact Jesse Stremcha in the Alumni Annual Fund at x4340 or jstremch@carleton.edu. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Alan Rubenstein, a Senior Consultant to the President's Council on Bioethics, will discuss "Human Dignity and Bioethics in Three Keys" on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Library Athenaeum. Rubenstein researches issues in U.S. domestic policy related to biotechnology and social changes in the practice of medicine. He is the principal author of the Council's forthcoming report to the U.S. President and Congress regarding the legal determination of death.

• Visualizing the Victorian Novel, Thursday at noon in Gould Library Athenaeum

Effective July 1, the final cut-off time for submitting check request forms to be processed in the Thursday check run will be Tuesdays at noon. We request one week notice to process check/reimbursement requests through Accounts Payable and we currently use Wednesdays at noon as our final cut-off time. To assist in the timely processing of requests, please submit your check requests a week in advance.

Please note that you have additional information on Visa charges within your budget reports. We have been able to modify the JP Morgan Chase Visa information so that it will now list the last name of the person who is making the Visa charge at the end of the description on your budget report. We hope this information will be helpful to you when you are reviewing your reports.

Please contact me at x4178 if you have any other ideas for improving the Visa program for your use.

Wednesday, May 14, from 11 a.m. to noon in Alumni Guest House Meeting Room, Mathias Bell, ENTS Educational Associate, will review a working document titled “The Carleton Code of Sustainable Conduct.” We'll discuss why it's important to incorporate these suggestions into your daily routine at Carleton. Sponsored by Staff at Carleton. All staff members are encouraged to attend.

• Crazy Day! Come to the Bookstore's annual "Crazy Day" event on Friday, April 16. We've got tables full of closeout clothing, gifts, books, and supplies on sale—most reduced by 50 to 75%! Our sale runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is located just outside the store in Great Space.
• All jewelry is 50% off beginning today! We’ve reduced the price of all jewelry in the store by 50%! Come check out the watches, necklaces, bracelets, and rings on our lower level.
• Author Jim Lenfestey Discussion and Booksigning. Author Jim Lenfestey will be discussing and signing copies of his book A Cartload of Scrolls: 100 Poems in the Manner of T'Ang Dynasty Poet Han-Shan. Copies of the book will be available at the event and prior to and after the event at the Carleton Bookstore. This event is sponsored by the Carleton Bookstore on Wednesday, May 14, at the ArtOrg Gallery downtown Northfield at 7 p.m.

The Carleton Bookstore can now help you recycle your used plastic Bookstore bags. Simply bring your bag back to the store after use and place it in the cardboard bin just outside the store in Great Space. We’ll send the bags back to our supplier and they will recycle them.

Our supplier will only recycle the plastic bags that it provides for the Bookstore—so please only deposit used Carleton Bookstore bags in the bin.