Renovated fitness center offering free trial through Oct. 1

The newly renovated and expanded fitness center in the Field House and Intramural Center (in Labor Hall, just west of Breckon Sports Center) is now open to all Park University students, faculty and staff.

The fitness center is free to all Park University students with I.D., and through Oct. 1, all faculty and staff have free access to the center. Following this free preview, faculty and staff will be required to pay a membership fee to use the facility.

All memberships will be annual contracts with two payment options to choose from:
• Lump sum payment for Oct. 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009 -- $135
• Auto-deduction via payroll: $15 per month

Memberships are not auto-renewed -- all memberships must be renewed by July 1, 2009, to continue. Members can join at any time and if one chooses the lump sum payment, it will be prorated to the first of the month in which the contract is signed. Memberships include access to all facilities and current and future classes, including yoga, ballroom dance and zoomba.

The fitness center is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Certain time restrictions apply for equipment reserved for varsity athletic teams. Contact the fitness center desk at (816) 584-6463 for a complete schedule. For more information, contact Brian Ciolek, community wellness coordinator, at bciolek@park.edu.

Peter deSilva

For more information about the event, visit http://news.park.edu/pub/news_00963.shtml.


Park University Service Day set for Oct. 1

As a part of Harvest Fest Week, the Office of Student Life, Environmental Services, Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, the Campus Activities Board and LS100 (First-Year Seminar) classes, are co-sponsoring Park University Service Day on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

According to Caroline Heckman, coordinator for student engagement and assessment, the University often sends students to serve areas around the country and internationally with service trips. "But we feel this event is the perfect time to focus on serving ‘in our own backyard," she said. Heckman is expecting about 300 students, faculty and staff to participate in the service day by helping with beautification projects around the Parkville Campus and in the City of Parkville. Projects include clean up, painting and landscaping.

Faculty and staff are being asked to provide supplies, including shovels, rakes, spray bottles, clean rags, disposable small plastic containers for paint, trash bags, yard waste bags and 5-gallon buckets. All items should be clearly marked with your name so they can be returned to the owner. To donate supplies, contact Randy Bailey, director of Environmental Services, at randy.bailey@park.edu or (816) 584-6220.

To volunteer for the service day, register at www.park.edu/studentlife/leadership/serviceday.html. For more information, contact Heckman at caroline.heckman@park.edu or (816) 584-6595.


Park University Employee Handbook now available Online

Faculty and staff at Park University are now able to easily access the revised and updated Park University Employee Handbook Online at www.park.edu/human. This paperless version provides another demonstration of Park's commitment to sustainability by eliminating the need to provide a printed copy to each Park employee. However, if you need a paper copy, one is available upon request from the Human Resource Services office.

The Online handbook replaces all copies previously distributed. This version contains revisions and updates that were approved by the Park University Board of Trustees in Fiscal Year 2008. All Park University employees are responsible for reviewing the revised Employee Handbook, as all employees are bound by the University's policies and procedures.

If you have any questions related to the Employee Handbook, its content and/or if you have trouble accessing the document, please contact Cherie Smith, director of Human Resource Services at cherie.smith@park.edu or call (816) 584-6386.


Park alumna to speak at Honors Program event

Margaret Doughty, '06, special event planner at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., will speak to Honors Program participants on "Life After the College Degree," on Tuesday, Sept. 30, from 5 to 6 p.m. in the McCoy Meetin' House on the Parkville Campus. All students, faculty and staff are invited to attend the presentation. Doughty will share insight as to how her education prepared her for her present job, as well as some "inside info" on celebrity appearances at the Sprint Center. For more information, contact Virginia Brackett, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and director of the Honors Program, at virginia.brackett@park.edu or (816) 584-6818.

Author Gary Marx to read, show photos from new book

Gary Marx, a copy editor at The Kansas City Star, will read excerpts from his book, A River Through Illinois, and show slides of photographs made by co-author Daniel Overturf, on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 3 p.m. in the McCoy Meetin' House on the Parkville Campus. A book signing will follow the reading.

Marx and Overturf spent about seven years documenting life along the 330-mile Illinois Waterway, one of the nation's most vital navigational river systems. Because it connects the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, it is a key link in the chain of commerce, as millions of tons of corn, coal, chemicals and materials are shipped by barge on the Illinois River every year. The book deals with navigation, history and the environment, but only as context for the stories of the individuals the two met along the way. A River Through Illinois is a collection of portraits and diverse stories of hunters, fishermen, restaurant and hotel owners, tavern keepers, kids, cops, lock masters and bridge tenders.


Green tip of the week

Give a toast to the environment with this tip for finding (and making) light-on-the-planet beverages.

The dog days of summer call for ice by the bucket. But relying on a refrigerator's automatic ice maker -- which uses heaters and extra energy -- can supersize the environmental impact of your drinks. Making ice in trays, on the other hand, requires little more energy than what's already being used to drop the freezer's temperature. Of course, letting chilled air tumble out of the freezer when you open the door to grab cubes can also waste energy, but it uses less energy in the long run than auto ice makers, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

To minimize energy use and keep the convenience of ready-made ice, make several trays of ice before a party and keep the cubes in an ice bucket on the counter as you serve up drinks. Want to save more? Consider a top-mounted freezer -- side-by-side fridge and freezer models use up to 30 percent more energy. According to Energy Star, refrigerators with freezers at the top generally use less energy than those with freezers at the bottom, and both use less energy than typical side-by-side models.

For more information and additional tips to lead a "green life," visit