The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service

Vol. 14, No. 41  August 26, 2008

IN THIS ISSUE... 

...Word from the Associate Director - Extension and Applied Research
...Update on Continuing Hiring Freeze
...Nominate Your Colleagues for Awards! Applications Due September 1
...Time to Change eID Password
...Not Getting Your Tuesday Letter E-mails?
...More Adobe Connect Training Offered
...Volunteers Requested to Help in Our Booths at the Kansas State Fair
...Farewell Reception for Trudy Rice, Douglas County
...Grant Proposal to Alpha Rho Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi Endowment Fund are Being Accepted
...Kansas Extension Conference on Volunteerism, November 4 - 5, 2008, Rock Springs 4-H Center
...Update on 4-H Tax Exempt Status and the IRS
...Mentor Workshops - Registration Open
...Deadlines for the 2008 Kansas Bankers Association Conservation Awards Program
...KACEE Hosting Environmental Educators Conference
...Master Schedule

                                                                                                           ...Tuesday Letter Archives

WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
I read this message in the Fall edition of the College of Ag's "Teacher-Learner" newsletter and thought it conveyed a message we all can ponder, whether reflecting our own decisions, or the decisions of the clientele we know and serve.....

The Olympic Games have certainly been exciting, but if you are like me, you are starting to get Olympic overload. However, there is one Olympic story that I feel is appropriate as we begin to work once again with students and advisees. It seems the gold medal winner in the women's discuss throw had a much different Olympic dream. As a young girl, she idolized Mary Lou Retton and dreamed of being an Olympic gymnast. But as she grew to 6' 4", she quickly realized she wasn't going to be a gymnast and redirected her talents and passion to a new goal.

Many of our students this fall may have their old dreams challenged or they may see new opportunities that make them question their life plan. It is our challenge as teachers and advisors to help them match their talents with opportunities that they may become passionate about. I still remember the words of my advisor when Organic Chemistry had ended my "gold medal dream" of going to vet school. He said, "Don, everyone has talents, we just have to work really hard to find yours!" Well I was a little disappointed that he thought he was going to have to work that hard at it, but I did get his message that success was about matching opportunities with talent and passion. Here's to all of you, who work really hard to help people like me identify our gold medal dream. - Don Boggs dboggs@ksu.edu  

My thanks to Don Boggs, Associate Dean for Academic Programs, for this week= s message! Have a great week! - Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu

UPDATE ON CONTINUING HIRING FREEZE
Since a hiring freeze went into effect in July 2008, we have received no further instruction or information regarding any changes. Just as a reminder, I thought it might be useful to explain the freeze and why certain positions seem to "slip through."

The hiring freeze is imposed upon any position, classified or unclassified, that has any state appropriated funds associated with it. Effectively all positions that are regular appointments within the system are frozen.

Hardship and extenuating circumstances are being considered in requests to advertise. For example, if a local Extension unit were to lose all Extension agent staff, approval to fill one position at this time should be requested and will be honored. Trego County is a recent example. Also, as departments have faculty vacancies in critical program areas, requests must be sent through the Director's office for consideration and approval.

Any positions that are funded on grants, contracts, fees, or other non-appropriated funding, must go through the approval process as well, and will be approved for advertising with such documentation that no state appropriated funding is obligated with the hiring of that position. A recent example is in the announcement of the Ft. Riley Extension Coordinator position funded through the Department of Defense contract.

These requirements remain in effect until further notice.

Questions have been raised as to whether we are considering the option of internal-only searches for some vacant positions, especially with Extension agent positions. The option has been discussed. We have decided not to move to that strategy until we have a clear indication of the length of time to expect this hiring freeze to be in place.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your unit administrator. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu

NOMINATE YOUR COLLEAGUES FOR AWARDS! APPLICATIONS DUE SEPTEMBER 1
The Epsilon Sigma Phi - Alpha Rho Chapter is seeking nominations for the 2008 chapter awards. Kansas extension professionals are extremely talented and should have their skills and programs acknowledged at the state and national levels. I encourage you to nominate your colleagues, administrators, mentors, or even yourself for these important awards.

Awards are:

Meritorious Service
Distinguished Service Award
Team Award
Horizon Member Award
Early Career Award
Mid Career Award
International Service Award
Retiree Service Award
State Friend of Extension Award

Nomination forms for awards may be downloaded at
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/esp-AlphaRho/awards/awards.htm .

Nominations are due September 1, 2008. Award applications should be sent to M. Gayle Price, awards committee chair, Southeast Area Office, 308 West 14th Street, Chanute, KS 66720.

If you have questions, please contact me at 620-431-1530, or gprice@ksu.edu . --Gayle Price

NOT GETTING YOUR TUESDAY LETTER E-MAIL?
Lately, IET has had many questions regarding the Tuesday Letter e-mail, which is sent to every KSRE employee each Tuesday Morning. Most of the time, it has to do with not receiving the e-mail in their Inbox each Tuesday. Here are a few things you can check to ensure you are not missing your Tuesday Letter e-mail:

1) Check your spam settings in Webmail:

Your K-State eID has it's own spam filtering, and it has been known to flag the Tuesday Letter e-mail as spam. To check, go to http://webmail.ksu.edu  and sign-in using your eID and password. From there, click the Folders button at the top of the page, and select your Junk folder. Look in that folder for the Tuesday Letter e-mail. If it is in there, most likely it is being flagged by the K-State spam filter as spam. To change your K-State spam filtering settings, go to http://eid.ksu.edu  and sign in with your eID and password. In the section for E-mail settings, click the purple link at the end of Spam filtering is enabled. From there you can move the sensitivity slider to a less sensitive setting. In addition, we also recommend that you add exceptions so you will receive any email sent from any @ksu.edu or @oznet.ksu.edu e-mail address. To do this, click the Custom spam filtering rules link at the top, and add 2 exceptions to Accept e-mail from  "*@ksu.edu" and "*@*.ksu.edu" (minus the quotes).

2) Check your spam settings in your e-mail client:

Most e-mail clients (Pegasus, Thunderbird, Outlook) include spam filtering as well. Check the Spam or Junk folder in your e-mail client for the Tuesday Letter e-mail. If it is there, please feel free to contact IET for help in setting your filtering settings.

If neither of these solutions help, please contact IET at 785-532-6270 or via email at support@oznet.ksu.edu and let us know. We can verify that your account is active and that you are on the Tuesday Letter e-mail list, as well as help you with any other issues you may have. --Russ Feldhausen russfeld@ksu.edu

MORE ADOBE CONNECT TRAINING OFFERED
Connect is the new KSRE online Web conferencing program used to conduct meetings, seminars, and presentations across Kansas. All that is required is a good Internet connection, Web browser (like Internet Explorer), and if you host a meeting, you will also need a Webcam.

This training session is a brief overview covering the Connect interface and features. Training classes are scheduled for August 27 and September 3 at 1 p.m. No registration is necessary. Simply go to  http://connect.oznet.ksu.edu/medialab/  during the training time.

For more information on Connect, go to  https://www.oznet.ksu.edu/techweb/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=658 .

For scheduling Connect meetings, contact Gerry Snyder, gsnyder@ksu.edu ; or call IET, 785-532-6270. --Gerry Snyder

VOLUNTEERS REQUESTED TO HELP IN OUR BOOTHS AT THE KANSAS STATE FAIR
The College of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension will once again have booths in the Pride of Kansas building at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, KS. The Kansas State Fair runs from Friday, September 5, through Sunday, September 14, 2008.

We would appreciate faculty and staff from campus, area offices, counties/districts, Agronomy Fields, and Research-Extension Centers coming to the fair and working a few hours in one or both of the booths. Also, we would really appreciate agents and/or faculty, who are coming to the fair anyway, signing up to work a couple of hours in the booth before or after your activities.

Days and times that our KSRE/COA fair booths need volunteers:

Sunday, September 7 - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Monday, September 8 -  Noon - 9 p.m.

Thursday, September 11 - 9 a.m. - Noon; 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Friday, September 12 - Noon - 9 p.m.

Saturday, September 13 - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Sunday, September 14 - 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

If you would like to work in the K-State Research and Extension booth, please contact Steven Graham, sgraham@k-state.edu , by August 27.

If you would like to work in the College of Agriculture booth, please contact Sharon Thielen, sthielen@k-state.edu , by August 27.

We will be in touch in late August to finalize days, times, entrance tickets, etc. Thank you. --Sharon Thielen and Steven Graham

FAREWELL RECEPTION FOR TRUDY RICE, DOUGLAS COUNTY
Trudy Rice, County Extension Director, Douglas County, will be leaving her position to accept a position with the University of Kansas Department of Continuing Education. There will be a farewell reception for her on Friday, September 19, from 4 - 6 p.m. at the Lawrence Union Pacific Depot Visitors Center, 402 N. 2nd Street in Lawrence. For those unable to attend from 4 - 6, please join us at Johnny’s across the street following the reception. If you have questions, please contact Emily at 785-843-7058. --Emily Morehouse morehous@ksu.edu

GRANT PROPOSAL TO ALPHA RHO CHAPTER OF EPSILON SIGMA PHI ENDOWMENT FUND ARE BEING ACCEPTED
Do you have an innovative educational program that you always wanted to offer or a great professional development opportunity that you have never had the funds to participate in? If so, here is your opportunity to put your dreams into action. All extension agents, specialists, and administrators who are current ESP members are eligible to submit a grant proposal to the Alpha Rho Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Phi Endowment Fund Board. Grant proposals are being accepted for professional development opportunities or innovative educational programs. The application is currently available online at the following website: www.oznet.ksu.edu/esp-AlphaRho/welcome.htm . Click on the Endowment button and you will be able to access the application.

Applications are due by September 29, 2008. They should be sent electronically to Connie Hoch, choch@ksu.edu . You can attach a note of approval from your Board Chair, Area Director or Unit Head in lieu of their signature. --Connie Hoch

KANSAS EXTENSION CONFERENCE ON VOLUNTEERISM, NOVEMBER 4 - 5, 2008, ROCK SPRINGS 4-H CENTER
This exciting professional development opportunity is for everyone in Extension who works with volunteers. It is sponsored by the Volunteer Development Program Focus Team. The theme of the conference is "Foundations of Volunteer Management and Next Generations Volunteers."

We have three outstanding speakers scheduled. Jim Rutledge, former State 4-H Leader in Oregon, will present on "Getting Agents and Volunteers on the Same Page”; Rachelle Vattern, North Dakota Volunteer and Leadership Specialist, will present on “Extension Programming with Next Generations Volunteers”; and Marcia McFarland will conclude the conference with the "Now What?" question and challenge. There will also be workshops and seminars on successful programs utilizing volunteers. For the information/registration flyer see this link: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/Employee_Resources/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=206 . Click on the Poster Registration link in the middle of the page.

Registration is due October 1, 2008 and will be by hard copy to the Southwest Area Office. --Rod Buchele rbuchele@oznet.ksu.edu

UPDATE ON 4-H TAX EXEMPT STATUS AND THE IRS
All chartered 4-H clubs and qualified affiliate groups earning less than $25,000 will not be penalized for not filing an ePostcard in 2008. [Those earning more than $25,000 will continue to be subject to the 990 requirements for filing]. We anticipate having more details from the IRS when the IRS has completed processing the database. NEW ---- All Kansas chartered 4-H clubs and qualified affiliated groups that are subsidiaries under GEN 2704 should be contacting Jim Adams, jadams@ksu.edu , with your tax exempt issues. Do not contact National 4-H Headquarters or the IRS.

Please destroy the 1993 4-H Tax Exempt Guidance booklet (or previous versions) and the "Kirby" letter dated from 1973 as they are no longer valid.

IRS Encountering Delays in Processing Lists:
In March 2008, National 4-H Headquarters forwarded to the IRS the listings they had received from states, of all authorized 4-H entities in Kansas programs. The IRS has encountered delays in completing the processing of our lists because:

     1) There are far more entities requesting inclusion as subsidiaries than the IRS anticipated;
     2) there continue to be significant errors with Employee Identification Numbers (EIN) listed for thousands of the 4-H entities certified;
     3) the IRS is questioning the inclusion of some affiliated organizations which typically are considered independent organizations rather than program groups; and
     4) there are questions on both the part of the IRS and National 4-H Headquarters regarding which requirements apply to 4-H, given that 4-H is a unique entity unlike any other organization.

Clarification of 4-H Tax Exempt Status:
We anticipate further delays with the existing data set. Since our current ruling dates back to the 1970´s and was based on a 1946 ruling that referenced the Internal Revenue Code of 1939, National 4-H Headquarters has requested a new ruling from the IRS. Our unique status has caused much confusion in our system as volunteers and others mistakenly assume that either 4-H is a 501(c)3 organization or it's just a governmental entity. Neither of these is true from an IRS perspective, thus some 4-H subsidiaries are not compliant with IRS expectations for our group. We anticipate that the Cooperative Extension System will continue to be subject to requirements to certify the lists of subsidiaries, and that all subsidiaries will be required to electronically file, however, 4-H entities may not be subject to other requirements of 501(c)3 entities.

Again, National 4-H Headquarters has negotiated with the IRS that there will be no penalties for 4-H subsidiaries earning less than $25,000 who do not electronically file for the remainder of 2008.

We thank all counties and volunteers as we transition to meet the IRS' requirements and increased accountability at the national and state levels for those authorized groups under Cooperative Extension raising money in the name of 4-H. We appreciate that clear guidance is critical in managing your 4-H Youth Development Program, and we will provide additional information as soon as we can. Thank you. --Jim Adams jadams@ksu.edu

MENTOR WORKSHOPS - REGISTRATION OPEN
You may now register for the three fall 2008 Mentor Workshops at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/employee_resources  and click on Registration in the middle of the page. Select the date and location and return the registration form to the host area office.

New agent mentors and local and area office and colleagues play a key role in the professional development of new agents. All of theses individuals are encouraged to attend upcoming mentor workshops which are scheduled in October and November, 2008.

New Agent Professional Development Overview was introduced one year ago. These resources have been used by new agents and their mentors since that time.

Who should attend?

Agents who have been a mentor
Agents who would like to be mentors
Agents who have/will have a new co-worker
New agents who would like to share their experiences
Others who have a role in supporting new agents

A registration fee of $12 may be sent to the area office hosting the workshop. Registration is due one week prior to the workshop you are attending.

Dates, Locations and:

October 29 - SE Area Office, Chanute - Registration by SE area office
November 12 - Carpenter Building, Scott City - Registration by SW area office
November 18 - NE Pottorf Hall, Manhattan - Registration by NE area office

Participants will:

Gain knowledge of new resources
Focus on needs of new agents and mentors
Strengthen support network for new agents

Schedule:

9:30 a.m. - Gather and refreshments
10:00 - 3:00 Workshop with break for lunch on site

For questions, contact Margaret Phillips, margaret@ksu.edu ; and Stacey Warner, swarner@ksu.edu --Margaret Phillips

DEADLINES FOR THE 2008 KANSAS BANKERS ASSOCIATION CONSERVATION AWARDS PROGRAM
Have you ever seen the green metal signs hanging on fences and gates around the countryside? They might read “Soil Conservation,” “Wildlife Habitat,” or “Windbreak” award winner? In 2007 we added three new awards in the areas of Water Conservation, Water Quality, and Energy Conservation. Extension specialists Charlie Lee, DeAnn Presley, and Dan Rogers worked with the KBA to develop the criteria for the awards. Over 200 Kansas producers received awards in 2007. 

Awardees are determined on a county-by-county basis, with extension agents serving as the county’s committee chairperson. Nominations should be submitted to the county chairperson no later than November 1, 2008, and the names of the recipients selected must be submitted to the Extension Agronomy office no later than December 1, 2008. Please check out the following website for forms, award criteria sheets, a list of Key Bankers, and more information: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/agronomy/extension or call the Extension Agronomy office at 785-532-5776.  --DeAnn Presley deann@ksu.edu

KACEE HOSTING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS CONFERENCE
In October 2008, the Kansas Association for Conservation and  Environmental Education (KACEE) will host the annual North American Association for Environmental Educators (NAAEE) conference in Wichita at the Century II Convention Center. This conference attracts professionals from across the country and around the world, and it is going to be right here in Kansas.

Events for the conference will run from Tuesday, October 14, through Sunday, October 19. Both Tuesday and Sunday will be full of exciting field experiences, including a visit to Greensburg and one to the Sedgwick County Zoo.

The teacher rate for Saturday will be just $60. Nearly all sessions on Saturday will be relevant to classroom teachers. Sample of Scheduled Saturday Sessions:  Activities for Young Children: From Mountains to Prairies; Air, Awareness and Action: A Bilingual Toolkit for K-12 Schools; Drawing on English Language Learners Diverse Conceptualizations of the Environment; Environmental Writing for Wild Youth; and many, many more sessions. OVER 60 SESSIONS ON SATURDAY AND MOST RELATE TO CLASSROOM TEACHERS!

Another exciting opportunity with this conference is that the Sierra Club will sponsor 20 high school students, ages 16 and over, to  attend this national conference on Saturday. This is open to any high school student who has an interest in the environment, and is offered on a first-come-first-serve basis. Jared Bixby, Director of Education at Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure, is the contact for this scholarship opportunity.  Email him for more information. Note: Teachers must attend the conference with their student and pay the Saturday registration fee of $60.

To Register: http://www.naaee.org/conference/2008-conference

To Review Saturday Sessions: http://convention3.allacademic.com/one/naaee/naaee08

VIEW THE MASTER SCHEDULE OR ADD NEW ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

To view the complete Master Schedule online or as a pdf, go to http://129.130.72.154/MasterSchAdd/

DATES TAKEN FROM THE MASTER SCHEDULE FOR SEPTEMBER 3 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 9, 2008: