The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
(Vol. 18 No. 49)
IN THIS ISSUE...
LAPTOP PIT STOP AND TECHNOLOGY ANSWERS BOOTH AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE
KSRE Tech Support will once again be hosting a Laptop Pit Stop and Technology Answers Booth at Annual Conference. We will be open 9-5 Tuesday (October 16), 8-5 Wednesday (October 17), and 8-12 Thursday (October 18), at our usual spot outside the Big XII room, so plan on dropping off your laptop for a quick update and tune-up. We will make sure all your software is up to date (including Trend Micro and Microsoft Office 2010), turn off any unneeded programs that are slowing you down, and get you connected to K-State's wireless network. If you are able to leave your laptops with us overnight on Tuesday or Wednesday night we'll do our best to have it ready by the next morning. Otherwise, we'll work on laptops on a first-come, first-served basis and try to get as many updated as we can. We can also help connect your mobile devices to K-State Zimbra so you can view your email, contacts and calendar directly on your device.
If your computer needs major help or you would like to schedule some one-on-one time with our support staff to discuss in-depth technology questions, please email ksresupport@ksu.edu or call us at 785-532-6270 before the conference so we can get you on our schedule.
In addition, feel free to stop by our booth and chat with our support staff about any technology questions you have or check out some of the new laptop models from HP and Lenovo. Our support staff will be available to answer questions you have about technology, mobile devices, purchasing, and much more. This is also a great chance to meet our staff and students that work hard to keep everything up and running, and we always love meeting folks we support.
Finally, due to our commitments at Annual Conference, our Tech Support office will not be fully staffed while the Laptop Pit Stop is open. If you need assistance during that time, you can still email ksresupport@ksu.edu or call us at 785-532-6270 as always and the first available person will help you with any problems you have. --Russ Feldhausen russfeld@ksu.edu
2012 FALL FORESTRY FIELD DAY
On Friday, October 19, Kansas Forest Service
is sponsoring a Fall Forest Field Day at the Kickapoo Pow Wow Grounds in Horton. Since the 19,200 acre reservation sits on a rock formation that blocks access to groundwater, a large focus of the field day will be the important role trees play in sustaining water quality and quantity. Topics
include: Identifying Kansas trees, tree planting demonstration and tips, rehabilitating stream corridors, assessing wildlife habitat, tips on selling Kansas timber, and a sawmill demonstration.
Registration
is $12, and includes lunch. Registration is due October 15, and can be mailed to
Leslye Haller, Kansas Forest Service, 2610 Claflin Rd., Manhattan, KS 66502.
Call 785-532-3300, or email lahaller@ksu.edu if you have questions or need more information. Or you can visit our website to see a copy of the brochure at http://www.kansasforests.org/resources/news/calendar/FFD%20Brochure%202012.pdf. For a news release, visit http://www.kansasforests.org/resources/news/calendar/FFD%202012%20-%20News%20Release.pdf. Hope to see you all there! --Leslye Haller lahaller@ksu.edu
KANSAS HEALTH FOUNDATION CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS ANNOUNCED
You are invited to meet candidates for
Extension's Kansas Health Foundation Professor of Community Health
position who will be on-campus for interviews and seminars October 22 (Monday)
and October 24 (Wednesday). The candidates and the times/locations
for their seminars to present their "Vision for community health, to
include culturally and ethnically diverse populations, through [Kansas]
Cooperative Extension" are:
Dr. Londa
Nwadike (currently at
University of Vermont, Extension Food Safety )
Monday, October 22,
10 - 11 a.m. in Justin Hall 167. In addition to her seminar time,
opportunities for all faculty and staff to meet Dr. Nwadike include Monday, October
22, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. in Justin Hall 167. FCS Extension faculty and
staff are invited to join Dr. Nwadike for lunch (11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.) on Monday in the
Bluemont Room, K-State Student Union.
Dr. Roberta
Riportella (currently at
University of Wisconsin, Department of Consumer Science)
Monday, October 22,
1:15 - 2:15 p.m. in Justin Hall 167. In addition to her seminar time, opportunities
for all faculty and staff to meet Dr. Riportella include Monday, October 22,
3:45 - 4:45 p.m. in Justin Hall 254. FCS Extension faculty and staff are invited to
join Dr. Riportella for 'morning coffee' (8:30 - 9:30 a.m.) on Monday in Justin Hall
122.
Dr. Brenda
McDaniel (currently at
Kansas State University, Department of Psychology)
Wednesday, October 24, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. in Justin Hall 167. In addition to her seminar time, opportunities
for all faculty and staff to meet Dr. McDaniel include Wednesday,
October 24; 3:45 - 4:45 p.m. in Justin Hall 167. FCS
Extension faculty and staff are invited to join Dr. McDaniel for
lunch (12 - 1:30 p.m.) on Wednesday n the Bluemont Room, K-State Student
Union.
Candidate
seminars will be web-streamed via the K-State Research and Extension intranet,
and will be posted for viewing at the K-State Research and Extension
Seminars/Interviews website at http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/Seminars/p.aspx?tabid=19.
Curriculum
vitae and interview
feedback Axio Survey links will be posted along with the candidate's taped
seminars and the position description. Feedback forms and survey
responses are due not later than Friday, October 26 at 5 p.m.
For
more information about the Kansas Health Foundation Professor of Community
Health search process, contact Elaine Johannes, Search Committee Chair, ejohanne@ksu.edu,
785-532-7720. --Elaine Johannes
KSRE TREND MICRO UPDATES - ACTION REQUIRED
We are in the process of transitioning from using our own Trend Micro servers to the central K-State Trend Micro servers for our antivirus needs. By doing so, our antivirus system will be managed by K-State ITS and free up our resources to focus on other projects for KSRE. For most users this is a very minor change, but it does require some action on the user's part to make the switch.
KSRE Tech Support has been in contact with each local unit to let everyone know about the change, and we are working with staff in each office to make sure each computer has been switched properly. If you haven't heard from us yet, please expect a call soon from staff in our Tech Support office with information about this change. If you receive a call from someone that you aren't sure about, feel free to call our office at 785-532-6270 to verify the caller's identity. We are very aware of all the scams that are happening these days, and we want you to be confident that the person you are dealing with is legitimate.
Also, if you use Trend Micro on a computer outside the office, you will need to follow these steps to ensure that your Trend Micro system is up to date and running properly:
- Visit the KSRE Computer Tool Kit page and log on with your eID and password.
- Go to the section labeled "Required Programs."
- Find "Move Trend Micro to the KSU ITS Trend Server" and click the Download link below. Save the file to your computer.
- Once the program has downloaded, double-click it to run it and follow the on-screen instructions.
- After the program has finished you will be prompted to reboot your computer. Please do so to ensure Trend Micro is updated properly.
- After you reboot, your blue Trend Micro icon should reappear in the notification area (system tray) and have a small green checkmark in the lower corner.
Don't forget that Trend Micro is provided free of charge for use on computers owned by all K-State faculty, staff, and students. If you don't have Trend Micro on your personal computer, you can download it from the K-State ITS Antivirus page.
If you would like any assistance getting this accomplished or have any issues, please feel free to contact us at 785-532-6270 or ksresupport@ksu.edu. -- Russ Feldhausen russfeld@ksu.edu
PART 12 FINNEY COUNTY HEALTH/WELL-BEING ASSESSMENT AND SOCIAL CAPITAL STUDY
We forge ahead with more results from this comprehensive study. I have presented its findings to varying community groups, and have analyzed its data with a variety of comparisons to fit the organizations’ needs. Each time, the data reveal something new. If you have any questions about the data, please don’t hesitate to ask.
As previously mentioned, health insurance did affect health conditions of respondents. We introduced diabetes and one quarter of the population having listed it as a health condition affecting their lives. Hypertension looked a bit different than when it was factored with income and education. 42% of those with health insurance listed hypertension while 30% without health insurance listed it as a condition affecting their lives. Qualitatively, we found suspicion that only 30% of un-insured would have hypertension. It was suggested that reaching more of the un-insured population with medical care would reveal a higher percentage of those affected by hypertension. It was suggested that increased access to health care was necessary to identify and treat those “silent killers” such as hypertension and diabetes.
Health conditions not statistically affected by having or not having health insurance for Finney County respondents were heart disease (13% overall), overweight/obese (35% overall), cancer (10% overall), lung disease (5% overall), hearing (6% overall), and depression/mental health issues (11% overall). Speech impairment as a health condition emerged at 7% for non-insured versus 2% for insured individuals/families. Again, there was skepticism about correct understanding of speech impairment as a health condition since we found a correlation between ethnicity/speech, primary language spoken at home/speech, and place of birth/speech. We think that speech impairment was linked to language acquisition (English) for English language learners.
Here are other statistics to consider in these data regarding health insurance. If respondents were born in the U.S., they were more likely to have health insurance. 60% of respondents without jobs do not have health insurance. Here is a visual for health insurance status factored with Job and ethnicity. Race greatly affects respondents’ ability to have health insurance. 28% of non-Anglo with a full time job do not have health insurance compared to about 2% of Anglo, fully employed, without insurance. The picture is much more grim when non-Anglo do not have a job.
We forge ahead with more results from this comprehensive study. I have presented its findings to varying community groups, and have analyzed its data with a variety of comparisons to fit the organizations’ needs. Each time, the data reveal something new. If you have any questions about the data, please don’t hesitate to ask.
As previously mentioned, health insurance did affect health conditions of respondents. We introduced diabetes and one quarter of the population having listed it as a health condition affecting their lives. Hypertension looked a bit different than when it was factored with income and education. 42% of those with health insurance listed hypertension while 30% without health insurance listed it as a condition affecting their lives. Qualitatively, we found suspicion that only 30% of un-insured would have hypertension. It was suggested that reaching more of the un-insured population with medical care would reveal a higher percentage of those affected by hypertension. It was suggested that increased access to health care was necessary to identify and treat those “silent killers” such as hypertension and diabetes.
Health conditions not statistically affected by having or not having health insurance for Finney County respondents were heart disease (13% overall), overweight/obese (35% overall), cancer (10% overall), lung disease (5% overall), hearing (6% overall), and depression/mental health issues (11% overall). Speech impairment as a health condition emerged at 7% for non-insured versus 2% for insured individuals/families. Again, there was skepticism about correct understanding of speech impairment as a health condition since we found a correlation between ethnicity/speech, primary language spoken at home/speech, and place of birth/speech. We think that speech impairment was linked to language acquisition (English) for English language learners.
Here are other statistics to consider in these data regarding health insurance. If respondents were born in the U.S., they were more likely to have health insurance. 60% of respondents without jobs do not have health insurance. Here is a visual for health insurance status factored with Job and ethnicity. Race greatly affects respondents’ ability to have health insurance. 28% of non-Anglo with a full time job do not have health insurance compared to about 2% of Anglo, fully employed, without insurance. The picture is much more grim when non-Anglo do not have a job. 90% of Anglo who do not have a job have health insurance compared to 2% of non-Anglo. Next week, we will finally begin to discuss Social Capital in rural minority communities. --Debra Bolton dbolton@ksu.edu
SEPTEMBER EXTENSION AGENT PERSONNEL CHANGES
Dean Stites, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Wildcat District, retired effective September 28, 2012.
Ben Allen, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Rolling Prairie District, retired effective September 29, 2012.
Ryan Flaming, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Harvey County, began employment on September 30, 2012. His email address is flaming@ksu.edu.
Patsy Maddy, 4-H Youth Development Agent in Twin Creeks District, began employment on September 30, 2012. Her email address is pmaddy@ksu.edu.
--Stacey Warner swarner@ksu.edu
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