1,000 pairs of socks donated by employees delivered to needy

Waldorf employee Dawn Ramaker (center) delivers socks
to workers at a shelter in Mason City.

Waldorf employees donated hundreds
of pairs of socks during
the holiday season.
(Jason Eck)

Approximately 1,000 pairs of socks donated by Waldorf College faculty and employees during the holiday season have been delivered to agencies that will get them to those in need.

Waldorf employees Dawn Ramaker and Cindy Carter recently delivered approximately 750 pairs to an emergency shelter in Mason City. The socks will be distributed to five shelters, Ramaker said.

“They were very grateful and appreciated the donation,” she said. “A woman, Jan, helped us. She was recently dislocated from her home along with her two children due to a house fire where many of their personal belongings were destroyed. Another woman told us that she would be moving out as she had secured housing in Garner.


"It was a humbling experience, as you just never know what life is going to throw at you and what you might need even down to a pair of socks,” Ramaker added.

The remaining socks will be donated to local schools and daycares in Forest City, Lake Mills, Garner and West Hancock, Ramaker said.

Waldorf employees more than doubled the goal of 450 pairs during the sock drive that culminated during an employee Christmas party Dec. 14. Staffers were encouraged to wear their favorite pair of socks or slippers while donating to the drive. They also decorated paper stockings with creative themes.

Staff members from Columbia Southern University in Orange Beach, Ala., also participated in the drive. CSU, an online university, and Waldorf are owned by Mayes Education.
Waldorf took part in the drive through the non-profit organization Hannah’s Socks. It gives new socks to people in need and serves homeless and domestic violence shelters in the Midwest.

Waldorf departments had fun with the competition with playful e-mail campaigns to encourage one another to give. Staffers donated socks of all types and colors and for men, women and children.

The event was sponsored by the college’s Social Committee, a group of employees who plan a variety of social events for college staffers throughout the year, such as Halloween and Christmas parties.

Wellness Center expands hours for employees, students

The Wellness Center now has expanded hours for students and Waldorf employees.

The hours are as follows:
• 6-7 a.m., Monday, Wednesday and Friday
• 6-8 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday

The Wellness Center, a facility with weight-training and exercise equipment, was closed to non-athletes and employees earlier this semester because of increased demand by athletes.

The new hours went into effect on Thursday, Feb. 10. Students and employees also can use the YMCA facilities and take part in an open gym from 8-11 p.m. on Fridays in the Waldorf gym.

Wind Symphony to perform Sunday in Forest City

The Waldorf Wind Symphony performs during
Christmas with Waldorf. The ensemble will play at
Immanuel Lutheran Church on Sunday.

(Jason Eck)

The Waldorf Wind Symphony will present a free concert at 3 p.m. Sunday at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Forest City. The free concert is part of the Apollo’s Lyre concert series that features student musicians throughout the year.

The theme for the performance is “Old, New, Borrowed and Blue” and is filled with a variety of great music, said Brent Dodson, symphony

conductor and assistant professor of music. The ensemble of wind, brass and percussion players will perform music by John Philip Sousa, William Schuman and Warren Benson, among others.

The program also will feature Waldorf senior Jason Homard, who will perform “First Horn Concerto” by German composer Richard Strauss. Homard described the piece as challenging, and said his goal is to perform the music without making it sound difficult.

“We’ve all been working very hard to get the style that Strauss was looking for when he wrote the concerto,” Homard said. “It’ll be a lot of fun to perform this piece and listen to our hard work.”

The concert will conclude with an epic tone poem by William Francis McBeth titled “Of Sailors and Whales,” which musically depicts the principal characters in Herman Melville’s classic novel “Moby Dick.”

New hours for Wellness Center usage

The Wellness Center, a facility with weight-training and exercise equipment, will now be open from 6 to 7 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for students and Waldorf employees, according to President Joe Manjone.

Students and employees also can use the YMCA Forest City facilities and take part in an open gym from 8-11 p.m. on Fridays in the Waldorf gym.

Bruce Mielke, executive director of the Forest City YMCA, said the YMCA is looking into buying new weight equipment and expanding into an adjacent room to help address recent demand. He estimated a completion by the end of March.

A YMCA membership is included in students’ fees to attend Waldorf. Waldorf now pays for a portion of an employee’s membership to the YMCA.

Tonight's basketball games postponed

The Waldorf men’s and women’s home basketball games tonight against Mount Mercy University have been postponed because of bad weather.

The games are rescheduled for Thursday night. The women’s game will tip off at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men’s game at 7:30 p.m. at Hanson Fieldhouse gym.

Fans are encouraged to wear black to the games in support of the “Black Out All Cancer” event.

Open forum set tonight on Wellness Center

An open forum about recent changes in usage 
of the Wellness Center is tonight.

Students and employees are invited to an open forum tonight about the recent changes in usage of the Wellness Center on campus.

The Waldorf Student Senate will host the event at 8 p.m. in the Breen Classroom. President Joe Manjone and possibly a representative from the YMCA will be present to answer any questions and concerns.

As of the start of spring semester, only Waldorf athletes are allowed to use the Wellness Center for strength and conditioning work. Students and employees, who used to share the facility with athletes, were encouraged to use the YMCA facilities and take part in an open gym from 8-11 p.m. on Fridays in the Waldorf gym.

“There have been some student concerns about the transition,” said Jason Ramaker, dean of students. Ramaker said some students have complained that the YMCA isn’t open as long as the Wellness Center and that the YMCA doesn’t offer some of the same equipment as the Wellness Center.

A YMCA membership is included in students’ fees to attend Waldorf. Waldorf now pays for a portion of an employee’s membership to the YMCA.

Students can enjoy laser tag tonight, bowling on Saturday night

A couple of cool activities are planned for students tonight and Saturday.

Students are invited to play laser tag at 7:30 tonight in the Atrium. Students do not need to register in advance and can just show up for the event, said Amy Scott, director of student activities. The event is sponsored by SWAT (Social Warrior Activities Team).

On Saturday, students are encouraged to go cosmic bowling from 8-10 p.m. at Super Bowl in Forest City. Students must register in the Campus Information Center. Student Life will provide a shuttle for those who need a ride to the event, which is hosted by Student Senate.

The events are free.

Presentation about Catholic Mass set tonight

Catholic Mass will be celebrated at 9 tonight
in the Odvin Hagen Music Center Recital Hall.

Catholic Mass.

For some people, it may be a worship service as familiar to them as walking. For others, Mass may be something they have heard about but never really experienced or understood.

Tonight, the Rev. Dennis Miller will offer an introductory talk about Mass, what it is, what it means and why it is celebrated. The presentation will begin at 8:30 p.m. in the Odvin Hagen Music Center Recital Hall. Mass will follow at 9 p.m. Miller will be available after Mass to answer any questions.

“It’s a great no-pressure opportunity to learn about something you may not know much about,” student Matt Knutson said.

Miller is the pastor of the six Catholic parishes in Winnebago and Hancock counties. He lives in the rectory at St. James Church in Forest City and visits the Waldorf campus each Thursday to celebrate Mass.

The event is sponsored by ACTS (Active Catholics to Serve), a worship group on campus that works to get Catholic students and others involved in Catholic traditions. The group meets at 9 p.m. Thursdays in the Recital Hall.

For information about the Campus Ministry program, click here.

Celani Band jams at Gatsby's Grill

Scott Celani and Justin Lackie perform
at Gatsby's Grill on Friday.

The Scott Celani Band rocked Gatsby’s Grill on Friday with a performance that drew about 30 students.

The Scott Celani Band plays as a six-piece, five-piece, quartet, trio or duo. On this night, the last of a five-day tour of the Midwest, guitarist and lead singer Celani was joined by Justin Lackie on saxophone for a set of original material mixed in with some covers.

The concert was sponsored by SWAT (Social Warrior Activities Team). For photos from the show, click here.

Gatsby’s will host another show at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4 when  singer Javier takes the stage. The show was rescheduled after poor weather forced a cancellation of a performance in December. Javier's music includes splashes of R&B, hip-hop, rock, pop balladry and straight-up soul, according to his website biography.

To read more about Javier, click here.

Foundation offers land stewardship internships

Students work at a site at a previous
land stewardship project.
(Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation)

For students who love the outdoors and who are up for physically demanding work, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has a paid internship just for you.

The member-supported organization that protects and restores lands in Iowa has openings for land stewardship interns. The interns work on various management and restoration projects on prairies, wetlands, savannas and other natural areas owned or protected by the INHF, said Erin Griffin, development and communciations associate for the foundation.

"They travel around the state doing different land restoration projects,” Griffin said. “It all depends on what is going on.”