Meet Your Colleague: A Q&A with Kristine Holmberg-Lennemann, assistant director of special events

Name: Kristine Holmberg-Lennemann

Job title: Assistant Director of Special Events

Department: Conference Services

How long have you worked at Whitworth? One year and seven months

What do you like best about your job? The different people I get to work with.

In what ways do your gifts and abilities help meet the needs of the campus community you serve? I am very easy-going, which works well with all the last-minute events and changes that I receive.

Favorite book: Pride and Prejudice

Favorite movie: “You’ve Got Mail”

Favorite food: Mexican food

Favorite animal: Dog

Guilty pleasure: Chocolate chips

Hobbies: Gardening

Best vacation ever: Backpacking through Australia

Birthplace: Spokane

We’d be surprised to know that…I raise organic beef cattle.

I collect…seashells.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Italy

If you could try anything and not fail, what dream would you attempt? Learn to fly an airplane

What is your favorite sound? The ocean

Least favorite word: Hate

Best high school class subject: Literature

The Principal Financial Group to Offer Retirement Meetings Feb. 14-16

Retirement meetings with The Principal Financial Group have been rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 14, Tuesday, Feb. 15, and Wednesday, Feb. 16. Stacy M. Larsen, CRPS, will meet with employees and will also conduct three group training sessions. Stacy will be here from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. for three full days. There will be more availability for individual employee appointments during her visit.

Information on how to make an appointment or attend any of the training sessions will be provided in a future edition of Whitworth Weekly. Click on Stacy Larsen bio for a brief description of Stacy's background and training. Questions? Please contact JoAnn Fox at jfox@whitworth.edu or x4413.

W-2 Tax Forms Available This Week

If you consented to receive your W-2 form electronically, it will be available Tuesday, Jan. 25, beginning at noon on WhitNet. Please change your viewer resolution to 100 percent so your form displays correctly on your screen.

Beginning Wednesday, Jan. 26, hard-copy W-2 tax forms will be available for pickup from
9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the cashier’s window in McEachran Hall. Please bring one form of I.D. to pick up your W-2. Hard-copy W-2s that have not been picked up by 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 28, will be mailed Jan. 31 to the address on record.

Due to new auditing standards and internal controls, W-2s may only be picked up by the individual to whom they are addressed. We are sorry to say that group pickup or authorizations allowing someone else to pick up your tax form will not be accepted.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your W-2, please contact the Payroll Office as soon as possible.

An Update on Spokane's Air Quality and Info on How You Can Help Clear the Air

Spokane recently experienced a period of unusually poor air quality due to stagnation caused by the weather. Information on the air quality in Spokane is available on the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency website. At this site you will find information about air quality and health, challenges we face in Spokane, air quality forecasts, and the progress that has been made. Air quality in our region and across the United States has dramatically improved since the 1970s and 1980s. After decades of failing national health-based air-quality standards, in 2005 the Spokane area was officially declared in attainment of all federal, health-based air pollution standards by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In the Spokane region, fine particle pollution, air toxics and ozone are our greatest air quality concerns. These pollutants pose a range of health concerns, such as respiratory ailments, heart disease and cancer. The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency supports and implements programs and policies designed to reduce emissions and our risk of exposure to them.

Whitworth participates in the Spokane Commute Trip Reduction Program to assist employees with considering commute options available. One of the ways we can make a difference in air quality is by using a commute alternative to driving alone to work. Carpooling, vanpooling, biking or riding the bus are all commute alternatives to consider. For information on the options available, please contact JoAnn Fox, CTR employee transportation coordinator, at 777.4413.

T-shirts with a Mission: On the spot with Scott Ellis, ’04

In the last couple of years, Blue Button has become Whitworth’s go-to place for students’ dorm and event T-shirts. And Whitworth is just one of a growing number of customers looking for soft, organic, eco-friendly screen-printed shirts, which is what Blue Button is committed to providing.

From the outside, it’s a sweet little non-profit. But when we visited Scott Ellis, ’04, the director, and met a couple of the high-school students Blue Button employs, we got to see its core mission in action. Take a minute to see a great thing that’s happening right here in Spokane’s Hillyard neighborhood.

Link to video: T-shirts with a Mission

(Video produced by Liz Strauch, ’04, and Raimond Rogers, ’13, for The Ten.)

Meet Your Colleague: A Q&A with Assistant Athletics Director Steve Flegel, '89

Name: Steve Flegel

Job title: Assistant Athletics Director – Sports Information

Department: Athletics

How long have you worked at Whitworth? Full time, since the summer of 1995

What do you like best about your job? The colleagues that I get to work with every day make the job special. Whitworth has the best coaching staff and athletics administration in all of NCAA Division III. Our student-athletes are outstanding and it is a privilege to promote their accomplishments.

In what ways do your gifts and abilities help meet the needs of the campus community you serve? It helps that I love sports. I seem to have a good memory for statistics and facts. I enjoy writing.

Favorite book: Tie: Summer of ’49 (David Halberstam) and A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)

Favorite quote: “Hear the other side.” – Saint Augustine

Favorite music: The Chieftains

Guilty pleasure: “Ghost Hunters” on Syfy

Birth place: Princeton, N.J.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Someday I’d love to stand on the shore of the Arctic Ocean and look across the sea. It evokes a great sense of “the end of the world.”

What is your favorite sound? The sound of a baseball (off a wooden bat) hit for a homerun

If the whole world was listening, what would you say? “Shut up.”

Favorite childhood book: The Chronicles of Narnia

Favorite childhood TV show: “Speed Racer”

Best high-school class subject: Social studies

Human Resource Services: Principal Group to offer investment classes; Debbie Ide moves into new role

The Principal Financial Group to Offer Classes Jan. 24–26

Steve Orchekowsky, senior benefit and planning counselor with The Principal Financial Group, will be on campus Jan. 24-26 to hold one-on-one meetings with employees. He will also lead three investment classes: “Understanding Investments,” “Approaching Retirement,” and “Stretch Your IRA.” Visit Principal Investment Classes for more class details and to register.


Debbie Ide Moves into New Role

Name: Debbie Ide

Job title: Student Retention Specialist

Department: Student Life/Academic Affairs

Previous department: Career Services

Whitworth alum: B.A. in organizational management, 2009

“Whitworth has been developing an early alert system (formerly known as “EDWARD”) that allows faculty and staff to notify us online when a student is struggling. The opportunity this gives us to follow up quickly and thoroughly is essential to the support we want to offer students. We are now so fortunate to have Deb focusing on this early alert system, gathering and disseminating information so that we can give an effective response. This is a great step forward!” Kathy Storm, vice president for student life

Meet Your Colleague: A Q&A with Continuing Studies Program Assistant Khristina Cashell

Name: Khristina Cashell

Job title: Program Assistant

Department: Continuing Studies

How long have you worked at Whitworth? Since April 2009

What do you like best about your job? Working with a stellar group of individuals and knowing that our efforts really makes a difference to those we serve

Favorite book: I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak

Favorite movie: “Walk the Line”

Favorite food: Sushi

Favorite quote: “Maybe everyone can live beyond what they’re capable of.” – Markus Zusak

Favorite music: I enjoy all genres but prefer rock, alternative and pop over country and rap.

Guilty pleasure: Cold Stone ice cream

Hobbies: Snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking and cheering on my two favorite teams – the Griz (University of Montana) and the NY Yankees

Best vacation ever: Our first (now annual) trip to Seattle to take in all of the Emerald City’s sites and to watch the NY Yankees play. The group of attendees has varied from year to year, but it always includes my two best friends from college.

Birthplace: Butte, Mont.

We’d be surprised to know that…I’ve met my favorite musician – Mat Kearney – thanks to a pair of tickets I won from a radio station.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Rock of Cashel, Ireland

What cartoon character best describes you? Roger Rabbit, because I like to cheer people up when they are down and I can laugh at myself when I’ve been a goof

If you could try anything and not fail, what dream would you attempt? Graduate from law school

What is your life motto? Everything happens for a reason

Favorite childhood book: Peter Pan

Favorite childhood TV show: “Fraggle Rock”

Mileage Reimbursement: New rate, new location of reimbursement form

Per a recent IRS announcement, Whitworth will reimburse mileage at 51 cents per mile for business travel beginning Jan. 1, 2011. Mileage accrued up to Dec. 31, 2010, will be reimbursed at the rate of 50 cents per mile.

To access the mileage reimbursement form, please visit the Sharepoint Team Sites page. In the Non-Department Team Sites (A-H) column, click on the Business Office link, then click on the Payment Requests link located on the upper left side of the page.

We are in the process of moving information such as payment request forms and policies from the Intranet site to Sharepoint to consolidate information in one location. For questions on the mileage reimbursement form or any other business office forms, please contact Kris Zimbelman at x4322.

Human Resource Services II: Commute Trip Reduction; Employee wellness newsletters

Commute Trip Reduction Program: “Make a Resolution to Reduce Air Pollution”

The Commute Trip Reduction “Make a Resolution” campaign is promoting ways to improve air quality, keep cash in your wallet, and win prizes at the same time. For information on how to participate in the 2011 resolution campaign, please visit Make a Resolution to Reduce Air Pollution.


Employee Wellness Newsletters

Human Resource Service regularly shares information provided by recognized organizations that promote health and wellness. Following are newsletters for January 2011.

Employee Wellness Newsletter from the Spokane Regional Health District

Employee Assistance News: Tips for Time Management

The employee assistance program is for Whitworth benefit-eligible employees and their household members. The program provides professional support services to help you and your household members with personal and career related concerns. Services are confidential and accessible 24 hours a day at no out-of-pocket cost.

To speak with an EAP professional or to a schedule an appointment, please call 800.999.1077. Whitworth Human Resource Services has provided a link from our website to the Employee Assistance Program website. To access the EAP website you will be asked for a company code, which is EAPNOW.

Human Resource Services I: MLK holiday Jan. 17; United Way campaign

Martin Luther King, Jr., Day

Whitworth offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 17, 2011, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. For information on other Whitworth holidays, please visit the Human Resource Services Holiday Schedule. If you have questions or comments, please contact Pam Oswalt at poswalt@whitworth.edu or at x4872.


United Way Campaign

Over the past several years, Whitworth employees have had the opportunity to spread their generosity into the greater Spokane community by giving to United Way. This year we launched our campaign on Jan. 3. You should have received a United Way packet in campus mail. Please look through the packet and consider making a difference by making a contribution. Your pledge may be a one-time donation, or a monthly/bi-monthly gift, deducted from your paycheck based on your instructions. Pledges need to be returned to Human Resource Services by Jan. 15.

Taxes Made E-Easy: Sign up to receive your W-2 tax forms electronically

Dear University Employees,

In our continued effort to streamline processes, provide more convenience to employees, and increase efficiencies, we plan to start generating electronic W-2 tax forms as of calendar year 2010. This new process will allow you to view and print your W-2 forms instead of having to wait for the mailed version. For the year 2010 and after, you will be able to view your current and future W-2 information via WhitNet.

To start the new electronic process, please log into your WhitNet account and click on the
W-2 Electronic Consent option under Employee Profile. By consenting to receive your
W-2 electronically, you will not receive your 2010 form in the mail. We will notify you in January when year-end processing is complete and your form is securely posted to your WhitNet account. Alternatively, by choosing to not give your consent, you will receive your 2010 W-2 via mail, postmarked no later than Jan. 31, 2011. You have the option to change your consent status at anytime, other than during the year-end processing period.

Please note that all employees need to indicate “yes” or “no” in their WhitNet profile. Failure to do so may result in delays in the generation of the W-2 forms.

If you have questions, please contact Senior Accountant Tara Lambert at x4435. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Luz Merkel
Associate Vice President, Finance and Administration
Business Affairs

Employees to Be Issued “Emergency 1-2-3" Decal

You will soon receive in campus mail an “Emergency 1-2-3” decal that outlines three steps to follow during a potential safety or medical emergency on campus.

The university’s executive safety committee produced the decal to clarify the role any employee can play in responding to a campus emergency – large or small. These steps support and complement Whitworth’s Emergency Response Plan.

A specialized static “adhesive” allows the decal to be placed on any surface and to be moved easily without leaving a residue. Simply remove the decal from the white backing and place it on a visible surface in your work area.

If you have any questions, please contact Manager of Environmental Health, Safety and Security Marisha Hamm at mhamm@whitworth.edu or Security Supervisor Mark McFall at mmcfall@whitworth.edu.

Meet Your Colleague: A Q&A with Music Program Assistant Loree Swegle

Name: Loree Swegle

Job title: Program Assistant

Department: Music

How long have you worked at Whitworth? Seven years

What do you like best about your job? The music! If you walk through our halls you hear so many different instruments and voices. I get to work with so many talented faculty, staff and students. I have really received a gift working here in learning that I really do like a lot of different music.

In what ways do your gifts and abilities help meet the needs of the campus community you serve? I hope it comes through that I really care about our students academically, emotionally and spiritually. I hope I’m able to encourage and make things easier for the people I work with and for our students.

Favorite book: The Bible

Favorite movies: “The Sound of Music” & “New in Town”

Favorite foods: Any kind of pasta & baked potatoes

Favorite quote: “You can’t go wrong at getting better at who you are.”

Favorite music: Boston and Eric Clapton

Favorite animal: My dog

Guilty pleasure: Deep fried pickles

Hobbies: Making soap, scrapbooking/stamping, kayaking, cross-country skiing and my latest favorite – Zumba!

Best vacation ever: My husband and I found a guide book for the Northwest and picked out destinations that we had to find. We hiked to a beach and had lunch, found a waterfall park in downtown Seattle, etc. It was really relaxed and fun.

Birthplace: Richland, Wash.

We’d be surprised to know that…I enjoy autocross racing.

I collect…friends.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? I would like to go to Africa and see a giraffe.

If you could try anything and not fail, what dream would you attempt? I would open a soap-making shop where people could come in and make their own soap.

What is your favorite sound? Genuine laughter

What is your life motto? There is always a positive…sometimes it’s just hard to find!

Favorite childhood book: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Favorite childhood TV show: “Happy Days”

If you could go on a road trip with anyone (from the past or present), who would you choose and where would you go? I would like to go on a vacation to a dude ranch with my family. Unfortunately, I’m not sure they would enjoy this vacation as much as I would.

Best high school class subjects: Home economics and cosmetology school during my senior year