The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
(Vol. 18 No. 2)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
President Schulz, in his monthly message within the K-State Today, pointed out flags, or banners that have shown up around campus this fall. You can see the banners that are on display at various locations around the campus at the following website: http://www.k-state.edu/banners/. What struck me most about the banners were the themes..... Community, Dignity, Diversity, Integrity, and Tradition. Each banner has an underlying story that goes with the picture. But, the themes are what struck me, and while not a perfect parallel with the K-State Research and Extension organizational core values, overlap is quite evident.
To remind you, the K-State Research and Extension organizational core values are Integrity, Communication, Scholarship, Leadership, and Inclusion. Drawing the parallel, communication builds community, dignity comes through our pursuit of scholarship, inclusion enhances diversity, and integrity is integrity. This only leaves tradition among the banner themes, and leadership among our core values as being unconnected. However, leadership and tradition are both core to Kansas State University and K-State Research and Extension. And, all these themes and core values are powerful reminders of our professional responsibility with each day we are employed.
And, here is a quote I especially like. A Proverb quote, "Do not speak unless you can improve upon the silence." And, have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
INFORMATION ABOUT PROPOSED CHANGES TO FEDERAL CHILD LABOR LAWS
The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed changing some of the rules that apply to minors working in agriculture. The proposed rules impact young people under the age of 16 (in some cases age 18) who intend to be hired to work in agriculture. The proposed rules are not intended to impact youth enrolled in 4-H projects working with their animals. A complete explanation of the rules can be found at http://webapps.dol.gov/federalregister/HtmlDisplay.aspx?DocId=25286&AgencyId=14. The deadline for making comments about the proposed rule changes is December 1, 2011. Comments can be submitted at the DOL website, http://www.regulations.gov.
In addition, Michigan State University public policy education specialist Claire Layman has prepared a fact sheet, "Proposed Rule Changes to Federal Child Labor Laws," available at http://expeng.anr.msu.edu/sites/4h/resourc/Proposed_Rule_Changes_to_Federal_Child_Labor_Laws.pdf. Former K-Stater Roger McEowen, with the Iowa State University Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation, has co-authored a summary of the rule available at http://www.calt.iastate.edu/proposedrules.html.
If you would like to learn more, Michigan State University is hosting a webinar, “Proposed Changes to Child Ag Labor Regulations,” featuring Claire Layman and Stanley Moore, at 8 a.m. (Central Time), Friday, November 11. Access to the webinar is free. The webinar address is http://breeze.msu.edu/ncrcrd/. Open the link and select "enter as a guest." Please type your name into the text box provided, and click “enter room.” If you have never attended a Connect Pro meeting before, test your connection at http://breeze.msu.edu/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm.
Get a quick overview at http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview.
This meeting will deliver audio through your computer speakers or headset. Please connect to the meeting space five minutes prior to the start time to verify your connection and audio volumes. --Kerri Ebert kebert@ksu.edu
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR KANSAS IN QUESTION SYMPOSIUM
You are invited to join hundreds of engaged Kansans at the Kansas in Question Symposium, December 5-6, 2011, in Wichita.
Kansas in Question is a two-day, statewide symposium designed to foster engagement and energy, and to establish a direction for a bright future, through dialogue on the most critical issues and opportunities facing our state. The gathering, emceed by David Adkins, Executive Director and CEO of the Council of State Governments, will feature timely presentations and facilitated discussions on key issues including health, environment, employment, education, and rural and urban life.
Speakers will include Harold L. Hodgkinson, Director, Center for Demographic Policy at the Institute for Educational Leadership; Kansas Governor, Sam Brownback; Donald L. Beggs, President, Wichita State University; and Mayor of Wichita, Carl Brewer, among others.
Provocative, open-ended, issue-focused discussions will be facilitated by KLC faculty and staff. The symposium is for individuals from all walks of life interested in Kansas beyond its first 150 years. If you are committed to Kansas and want to help shape the future for generations, you should attend!
The symposium registration fee is $50 and includes symposium materials, dinner on Monday evening and breakfast and lunch on Tuesday. More information and online registration available at http://kansasinquestion.com/about/.
The symposium is sponsored by The Kansas Leadership Center, the Kansas Health Foundation, the Wichita Eagle, and Wichita State University, with support provided by the Kansas Health Institute, Kansas Humanities Council, and Kansas Farm Bureau. --Robert Wilson rmwilson@ksu.edu
MARIE'S PICKS . . .
This
week my picks are success stories and outcomes from Cloverbud programs
submitted by Mark Flory, Douglas County; Peggy Boyd, Wyandotte County; and Corrine
Patterson, Lyon County:
**The
first year of Cloverbuds in Douglas County has been a wonderful start. We
started the group with two very enthusiastic leaders who expressed the desire
to stay involved for several years. This will help greatly with consistency and
people will know what to expect. When starting new programs you never know what
the participation will be and so far I have been extremely happy with the buy
in. At our first Cloverbuds meeting, we had nine youths in attendance and that
was a great starting point. The rest of the year, the initial nine members
steadily participated and by the last meeting we had a total of 17 youths
enrolled which we considered a great success. We also believe that the progress
in participants’ knowledge of how the meetings are run increased greatly which
made the meetings run smoother. As far as skills, we also have seen a big
increase in the youths' speaking ability and willingness to try new things.
This tells us we are developing communication skills and self-confidence.
Overall we are very excited about how the first year went and everyone is ready
to jump into the second year!
**One
young Wyandotte County Cloverbud member, Esai, gave talks at both Club Day and
at the County Fair about dinosaurs. He was so excited to talk about them that
the Club Day judge had to indicate that his time was up. For the County Fair,
he had pictures of dinosaurs as well as his plastic toy models. Another member,
Cady, raised a chicken and was so excited that she was able to show it at the
fair. She was assisted by one of the older 4-H members during the judging and
also began to learn about showmanship. The older 4-H member experienced
positive self-esteem through the opportunity to assist another to learn.
**Eight
Cloverbuds shared about one activity that they had completed throughout
the year during the Cloverbud Spotlight at the Lyon County Fair. The youths
were able to describe what they learned from the activity, what they made, and
how it worked. They also shared what they liked most about Cloverbuds; many
reported the fun activities and making new friends. At least nine of the
21 Cloverbuds reported that they will be joining a community 4-H Club for
the 2011-2012 4-H year.
**There
are currently 15 additional families participating in Wyandotte County 4-H due
to the Cloverbud programs. Two clubs
have implemented a modified Cloverbud curriculum, and there are a total of 19
Cloverbud members in the Wyandotte County 4-H program. At this time, one
Cloverbud has transitioned into regular 4-H membership. As more families found
out about the Cloverbud addition to the two clubs, there was an increased
participation rate of families with younger youths. -–Marie Blythe mblythe@ksu.edu
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