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Chasing Ambitions
Personal and Professional
B y J e s s i ca P i e k lo
P
erhaps it was the four years
spent teaching high schoolers
chemistry and physics. Or maybe it
was the years spent as a registered
nurse in the ICU, ER and Cardiac
centers in Fargo, North Dakota.
Spend a little bit of time with
Nursing Instructor James Tollefson
and you might come to the
conclusion that, if channeled properly,
the amount of energy James projects
could power a small town.
It’s an enthusiasm that
reflects in both his personal and
professional life. Not only has
James moved from teaching to
nursing to teaching nursing, he’s
chased those ambitions from
Morehead, to Fargo, California,
and finally settling here in
Don’t think James is all fluff and no substance.
This is a man who also loves opera and a good
game of chess.
editorial team: Soma Jurgensen Nadine Bengs John Mindiola III
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VOLUME 2 issue 1
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Minnesota. James started first as
an adjunct instructor at the Eagan
campus before joining the Brooklyn
Park faculty full-time where he
teaches Nursing I and PsychoSocial.
When James isn’t teaching he
enjoys cooking and training for
triathlons. Given all he puts his
body through in training it’s a James Tollefson
good thing his favorite foods are Ema i l 4577
beef or bacon, or, better yet, beef
Favor i te TV Shows
with bacon.
The Office, History Channel and America’s Next Top Model
Pick up his iPod and you might
hear The Ramones and James Per son James Adm i res
Brown. When he really wants to His brother Jon, big wave surfer Eddie Aiku, Ron Burgundy
turn things up, it’s Lady GaGa and and Tony Dungy
Vampire Weekend. But don’t think Recommended Re adi ng
James is all fluff and no substance. Quiet Strength, Tony Dungy
This is a man who also loves opera
Currently Re adi ng
and a good game of chess.
Calculus, Las Vegas and the Zombie Apocalypse, Jennifer Ouellette
Hobb i es
Cooking, triathlons, opera, chess and sailing
Favor i te Char acter
Big Ronny B
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sPOTLIGHT
Influenza Diagnosis, Prevention, Treatment
B y L or i D i c k s on , R . P h . , M . S .
Y
our body aches, you have
a fever, and that cough is
keeping you awake. Is it a cold or
the flu? How should you treat it?
When will you feel better?
What is the flu?
Influenza (symptoms include upper
respiratory symptoms, headache,
and fever) is caused by two
different viruses (type A and type
B). Each type has many strains.
Each year a flu shot is developed
that contains the virus strains that
doctors predict will be prevalent for
the season. Usually it is accurate;
sometimes they guess wrong, and
you still get the flu.
What is the difference between
a cold and the flu?
Both a cold and the flu feature
upper respiratory symptoms,
but those symptoms are more
severe with the flu. Fever (temps
of 102 to 103 degrees), a severe
headache, and a bad cough are
also associated with influenza.
Symptoms start 24 to 48 hours
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after infection. Most people need
to stay in bed for days because
they feel so awful (make sure
co-workers stay home from work!).
The fever can last up to five days
and the cough much longer.
Fatigue can last weeks. (Merck
Manual of Medical Information,
2003)
Because the flu tends to occur
in epidemics, and most people
know if it is going around, it is
usually diagnosed correctly by the
person or family. Blood samples
or nasal swabs can confirm the
diagnosis, but are not routinely
used unless a person is at risk.
Do not get the shot
if you have a severe
egg allergy, have
had Guillain-Barre
Syndrome or have
a fever.
Learning Development
How can you prevent the flu?
A flu shot will usually prevent the
flu. If you did not get a flu shot,
or the shot has been ineffective
this season, avoid contact with
symptomatic people. As always,
wash your hands often! Antiviral
drugs can be given preventively if a
high-risk person has been exposed
to the flu.
How is the flu treated?
In most cases, time is the best
treatment. Keep hydrated and get
lots of rest. Acetaminophen and
ibuprofen help with aches from
a fever. Treat upper respiratory
symptoms as you would a cold:
decongestants, antihistamines,
neti pot.
A high-risk person is a
candidate for antiviral drugs (such
as Tamiflu). The drug does not cure
the flu, but it can decrease the
duration and severity of it. It must
be taken within a couple days of
symptom onset. Antibiotics help
if a secondary bacterial infection
develops. In short, there are no fast
Full Screen
Fall
VOLUME 2 issue 1
Events
cures. Just like with a cold, feeling
better takes time.
Should you get a flu shot?
Certain individuals are considered
high risk and should get the flu
shot. Getting the flu shot is a
personal choice for others. Those
that are considered high risk
include the following:
• 50 years of age and older
• Nursing home residents
• People with a chronic disease
(diabetes, heart and lung
disease, immune system
problems)
• Healthcare workers
Do not get the shot if you have
a severe egg allergy, have had
Guillain-Barre Syndrome or have a
fever.
The shot is given in the fall to
provide protection during the peak
winter months. It takes about two
weeks to become effective.
read more
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Influenza (continued)
You are young, healthy and
never get sick. Why care about
the flu?
Since the flu occurs in epidemics,
it may not be just you that gets it.
Your symptoms may be relatively
mild, while your grandmother
(who you visited when you had no
symptoms) can become deathly
ill. Remember the H1N1 (swine)
flu that went around last year?
Many players and the coach on
my daughter’s soccer team came
down with it…it was a long summer.
Sources
Beers, Mark H (2003). Influenza.
The Merck Manual of Medical
Information (2nd Home Edition).
Pocket Books.

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sPOTLIGHT
Experiencing the Kaleidoscope Education Across Cultures
B y J enn i fer A nderl
H In almost any early childhood program
ave you ever looked into
a kaleidoscope? It can be
beautiful and overwhelming all
at the same time. The spinning
shapes, changing and moving,
beautiful and unpredictable.
In the United States, we live in
a kaleidoscope of cultures—
“a society with a variety of values,
customs, and languages” (Wittmer
& Peterson, 2010, p. 16).
In almost any early childhood
program you walk into today,
you will find at least one child,
or at least one parent of a child
in that program, who does not
speak English as her or his native
language. As an Early Childhood
educator, it is very important to
become culturally competent
in order to interact successfully
with people from a variety of
cultures. This is one of the reasons
Rasmussen College offers Early
Childhood Associate’s Degree
students the opportunity to
complete their AAS with an English
Language Learner Specialization.
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you will find at least one child who does not
speak English as her or his native language.
This specialized degree childhood professionals,” as well
guides students in learning the as stating that we “value diversity.”
best process for teaching and These ideals are woven throughout
working with English Language the curriculum and experiences of
Learners—children and their every Early Childhood student’s
families. Beyond offering students time here at Rasmussen. Spinning, changing, Moving
the ELL specialization, we are also In addition, we also try to reach In the United States, we live in a
committed to teaching cultural out to the community and share kaleidoscope of cultures.
competency to all of our Early some of this knowledge with other
Childhood students, regardless Early Childhood professionals. General Education Coordinator
of their specialty. Our mission One way we do this is planning Kari Nollendorfs titled “Common
statement, which we integrate events such as our upcoming Misconceptions about Bilingualism”
into every aspect of our program, November 13th workshop and will offer a selection of make
articulates this commitment in our “Working with English Language & take projects centered on
pledge to “foster and advocate Learners.” This event is open to working with English Language
developmentally and culturally the public and includes a keynote Learners. This community event,
appropriate practices among early address by Rasmussen College our program commitment, and
our ELL specialization, are all ways
that Rasmussen College’s Early
School of Education Childhood Program promotes
Students % of College Spec i al i z at ions
cultural competency for Early
1023 7 4 AAS Childhood Professionals.
C areer Are as
Early Childhood Teacher, Teacher Assistant, Early Childhood Special Education
Assistant, Preschool Teacher, Elementary Education Paraprofessional read more
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Kaleidoscope (continued)
By learning how to recognize
the interconnectedness of
the different cultures of the
families we work with, while also
respecting and valuing their unique
perspectives, Early Childhood
Professionals are able to experience
Sources
Early Childhood Education Program
Literature. (2009). Rasmussen
College, Inc.; Peterson, D.S. &
Peterson, S.H. (2010). Infant
and Toddler Development and
Responsive Program Planning.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

the full range of the kaleidoscope

in which we are living.

read more

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International Business Hard Knowledge, Cultural Competency

B y Soma J urgen s en

W
orking in international
business is about more
than exchange rates and
import/export guidelines; it’s
about the people and the cultures
that are part of any business
transaction. With this truth in mind,
students in B352 International
Business created a cultural display
for India and China investigating
the people and culture of these
important economic regions.
In addition to this display about
language, clothing, celebrations,
clothes, and traditions, students
completed a PEST analysis that
examined the political, economic,
social, and technological
environments of China and India
that could present opportunities
for foreign investment. They also
wrote briefing memos on two major
business centers, Shanghai and
Bangalore, with an eye to helping
employees get the information
they need when transferred to
these regions.
This combination of hard
business knowledge, guest
speakers, and the softer, but
arguably more critical, leadership
and cultural competency skills
gives students an edge to
work competitively in a global
community.

Students completed a PEST analysis that

examined the political, economic, social, and
technological environments of China and India
that could present opportunities for foreign
investment. On Display Students in B352 International Business created a cultural
display for India and China investigating the people and culture of these
important economic regions.

Soma Jurgensen, Faculty

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Motivation through Presentation MLA Annual Conference 2010

B y D an R eeve s

“E The highlight of Minnesota Library Association

xcellence is an art won by
training and habituation. 2010 for me was getting to present some Conference
We do not act rightly because we
have virtue or excellence, but we
of my ideas with some of the smartest people MLA Annual Conference 2010
rather have those because we have I know. Loc at ion

acted rightly. We are what we
repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is
not an act, but a habit.” –Aristotle
From October 6th–8th I was
fortunate to attend Minnesota
Library Association’s (MLA) Annual
Conference 2010 in Rochester,
Minnesota. This educational event
attracts several hundred librarians
and library supporters from all over
Minnesota. There are a variety of
presentations, panel discussions,
lectures, and even field trips to
attend. Professional development
can come in a variety of forms. I
attended two sessions that were
particularly beneficial in addition to
presenting at the conference with
several of my colleagues.
Having attended national
conferences, I can appreciate the
manageable scale of a state library
conference. Each year I see many of
the same faces and work to build
upon relationships with colleagues
in my profession. While national
conferences seem daunting and
frequently anonymous, Minnesota
Library Association is warm and
friendly. Networking is a natural
thing most of us do every day even
if we may not realize it. Shaking
hands and making introductions
may seem like a formality, but it
unquestionably helps to foster
relationships.
While attending a session
entitled “Some Applications of Data
Visualization Tools in Librarianship”
by Peter Kirlew, I learned about
some really sophisticated tools
such as Many Eyes™ (http://
manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/
manyeyes), a web-based tool
that assists users in displaying
complex information. Simply
upload the data, and Many Eyes
will decide how best to represent
the information. The data sets
come from users and a plethora
of graphs are available to provide
visuals and enrich understanding
of a topic through graphical
representation. You can even make
suggestions to others visualizations
and have them make comments
on yours.
Another session I found to
be professionally relevant was
entitled “Life Outside the Library:
Starting an Embedded Librarian
Program” by Jayne Blodgett.
This session dealt with Librarian/
Faculty collaboration. “Embedded
Librarian” is a term frequently
thrown around by academic
librarians to signify a more
significant librarian presence in
a particular class. More than just
doing a one-shot workshop, the
“Embedded Librarian” uses their
expertise to support and enrich the
Rochester, MN
Spe aker s
Ed Holahan, Sally Walker, Erin Hart,
Bruce Schneier
Webs i te
mnlibraryassociation.org/
mlaconference10
Reg i str at ion
$300
content of the class and usually
focuses their skill on helping
students with higher level research.
It was reassuring to see other
librarians dealing with different,
yet similar challenges and to learn
from their experiences.
The highlight of Minnesota
Library Association 2010 for me
was getting to present some of
my ideas in a session entitled
“Reading 2.0: Improving Literacy
read more

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Motivation (continued)
in an Academic Environment”. I
had the opportunity to collaborate
with some of the smartest people
I know. George Alland (General
Education Faculty), Kari Nollendorfs
(General Education Coordinator),
Brooke Easton (Learning Center
Coordinator), and myself presented
on some of the things we have
done together to support Adult
Literacy. Our session was well-
received and contained variety of
tools, strategies, and techniques.
We talked about some of our
open workshop offerings such as
Word Power: Building a College
Level Vocabulary and How SQ3R
Can Make You a Better Reader in
addition to sharing many examples
of in-class activities.
Presenting at a conference
gives you the opportunity to merge
your personal and professional
goals. We all have topics that
interest us in our chosen fields.
Committing to present your ideas
in a public forum is a great way
to motivate yourself and actually
pursue those interests with gusto.

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Events
Working with English
Language Learners Event
Date & T i me
11/13/10
1:30–4:00

Descr i p t ion
This community event will
focus on working with English
Language Learners. It will include
a keynote address on “Common
Misconceptions of Bilingualism”
given by Kari Nollensdorf as well
as a selection of make & take
projects centered around working
with English Language Learners
Children and Families. A certificate
of participation will be provided to
use for in-service hours in the field
of early childhood.

Audi ence
Community and students

Contact
Jennifer Anderl
763-496-4568
651-503-2393
jennifer.anderl@rasmussen.edu

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