Five on Friday

Featuring Matt Foor, controller

1. What is your role as controller?
My role is to help coordinate and oversee the day-to-day accounting operations of the University. The tasks are quite varied, and on any given day you may find me helping a department chair with budget issues, advising student government leaders about their student activity funds, working with auditors to reconcile financial reports, completing government-required reports so the school can receive federal funding, talking to bankers about treasury/cash management, and making sure "the bills get paid" in an efficient manner. I work with an outstanding staff and work for leaders with great vision. I feel privileged to be able to make a contribution to the ONU community and do my part to make this a better place for students.

2. You're participating in Vision Walk 2010. How did you get involved with this?
Vision Walk is being held in Chicago on June 13, and I am participating with my family. The purpose is to raise awareness and funds for eye diseases. We are so close to having cures to help those who struggle with being able to see. With God's help, the researchers can continue to make strides with adequate funding. Since some of my family members, including my wife, have to deal with vision difficulties, this is something I want to do to show my support for them. The 5K walk will start at Soldier Field and wind through the Museum Campus.

3. What's one family vacation you'd like to take?
This is an easy question. Disney World! We have started planning and saving for a trip. Our kids are getting to the age now where they travel better and enjoy vacation time. Beth and I have started telling them all the fun things there are to do there, and their excitement seems to grow each day. Our son is already studying the map of the parks and is asking questions all the time.

4. You and your wife both graduated from Olivet. How did you meet?
Beth and I met at Olivet, but were in different classes and had different friends. We knew each other just well enough to say "hi" in the hallways and cafeteria, etc. After we graduated, we both had jobs in the same town, went to the same church, attended the same small group, and she lived right next door to my sister and brother-in-law. So by then, our paths started crossing more ... then we started dating ... then we fell in love, and the rest is history. It was all part of God's plan and I am so thankful that we met at ONU and are now able to share the rest of our life together.

5. You're an Ohio State fan married into a Michigan family. How have you managed to remain on good terms with the in-laws during OSU's current winning streak?
I keep my mouth shut. :) Seriously, we have been kind to each other about our "differences." I knew my wife truly loved me when she, a Michigan fan from birth, pulled many strings to find tickets to a Buckeye football game for our tenth anniversary.

Throwback Thursday - 1943

Like other colleges and universities of the time, Olivet saw many of its brightest students leave to serve the country during World War II. But letters to professors and University staff kept the community connected. Above, troopers Harold Stinehelfer and Warren Davidson, who were classmates at Olivet, were stationed together in 1943 as part of the Army Air Force Band. They wrote:

"We are enjoying the wonders of God and full salvation. We are inspired this lovely Sabbath day to write this message to the students at Olivet. We want to praise and glorify God for the way He has led the lives of these two Christian soldiers. God has been with us since we left the halls of dear old Olivet. He has kept us together as two workers in the field serving the Lord as well as Uncle Sam. ... Our testimony has been spread throughout the band. We are letting our lives shine to the Glory of God."

(Photo and text from The Olivet Collegian, Volume XV)

Word of the day: Palimpsest

Palimpsest (Noun)

Pronounced:

PAL-imp-sest

Definitions:

1: writing material (as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased


2: something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface


Example Sentence:



As Judy observed the eyes of her new boyfriend fill with tears at the end of Sleepless in Seattle, she teased him about what a palimpsest he had turned out to be.

Did you know?


According to Merriam-Webster, writing surfaces were once so rare that they were often used more than once. Their commentators explain, “‘Palimpsest’ originally described an early form of recycling in which an old document was erased to make room for a new one when parchment ran short. Fortunately for modern scholars, the erasing process wasn't completely effective, so the original could often be distinguished under the newer writing. De republica, by Roman statesman and orator Cicero, is one of many documents thus recovered from a palimpsest.”


Today, the word can be used to describe anything that is “more than what meets the eye.”


Definitions and pronunciation taken from Merrian-Webster Online

Trivia Tuesday: National Barbeque Month

If you were to ask, "Which month is National Barbeque Month?" most folks would tend to go with July, since an Independence Day barbeque is almost as ubiquitous as a Thanksgiving Day turkey.

You might be surprised to discover that May is, in fact, National Barbeque Month. And when you consider what a cool month it is, I dont think that we can begrudge it its tasty title.

May heralds the imminence of summer. The weather warms consistently. Flowers come to full bloom. Pollen takes flight in all of its invisible and active forms — yet fails to dissuade most Northerners, long besieged by the cold winter months, from wanting to get out from under the shelter of their roofs. And really, what better approach to getting reacquainted with the great outdoors, neighbors, friends and family than the aroma of slowly grilled meat crusted with a sweet and spicy glaze?

While barbequing over a gas grill has many advantages — temperature control, convenience, etc. — its hard to argue that barbeque tastes a whole lot better (if done correctly) over charcoal.* Sadly, the art of charcoal grilling is fading in favor of the convenience of gas grills. But to those who abide by the sanctity and superiority of charcoal grilling, we offer this Trivia Tuesday question:

You know when the coals are hot enough to add the meat when you cant hold your hand over it for more than how many seconds?

Take a guess in the Comments section and we'll post the correct answer next week.

Answers to last week’s question: 1C, 2F, 3A, 4F, 5B, 6G, 7I, 8D, 9H, 10E. Kudos to Megan for her correct answers!

This Week at Olivet

Events on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University for the week of Monday, May 10 through Sunday, May 16:

Block 1 Classes begin
Monday, May 10
7:30 a.m.

For more information, contact the Office of the Registrar, call 815-939-5201.

Editor’s Note:

As you can imagine, activity on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University slows down quite a bit during the summer months. We will continue to post “This Week at Olivet” throughout the summer, but only on weeks where public events are scheduled. Olivet business offices remain open throughout the summer months, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.