FROM DIANE PECK'S DESK
 |
Ode to the
Winter Close |
T’was the week before winter close and all through the halls,
All the resourceful humans (HR) were juggling many balls.
They were hurrying and scurrying to get everything finished,
Before the building was closed; the heat and lights diminished.
The servers were backed up by Jamie with care,
In the hope that no virus would appear from thin air.
The Directors were worried and scheming anew,
How to avoid singing at the holiday party – boo hoo.
But Diane was insistent, her plan was so cool,
She assured them they really would not look like fools.
So practice they did and they sounded quite good,
But everyone agreed – keep our day jobs we should!
The party day arrived, all were ready to dash,
Keith and OSE halted the recruiting of staff.
Lee and the SLAC folks came down from the hill,
As Cori and crew arrived to spread their goodwill.
Les and team gave up trying to make everyone glad,
They left for the party and a good time they had.
And Linda and David, all decked out with cheer,
Encouraged the HRMs all to appear.
When suddenly we noticed – it made us all wonder,
Could it be – Linda and Mario being nice to each other?
A scene such as this made L&D jolly,
The interventions they’d done were working, by golly!
And so we all gathered, we sang and we ate – yes we ate!
As we thanked one another for the year – it was great!
As you head out of Stanford for the break that you’ve earned,
Travel safely, have fun – and then please return!
KEITH’S CHINA TRIP
Keith Smith was delighted we asked him to talk about his trip. He came back refreshed, enthusiastic and ready to provide details of his 22 night cruise to Beijing.
Keith set sail on the Sapphire Princess from Vancouver, cruising  northward along the inside passage to Alaska. His fourth passport was stamped for the first time in the Yukon Territory. The vessel continued from Alaska across the North Pacific, stopping after 5 days at sea in Sapporo, Japan. Back at sea, the ship headed to Vladivostok, Russia – where the municipal coat of arms is the Siberian Tiger – and then on to Pusan, South Korea; Kagoshima, Japan, on the southwestern tip of Japan’s Kyūshū Island; Dalian, China (the nation’s northernmost ice-free port) and then to the final destination – Beijing.
 Keith arrived in Beijing on the first day of a week-long national holiday. All two billion people honored the holiday, “or so it seemed.” Keith took one look at all the people and thought it would be better not to get separated from Fred, the Chinese tour guide. From the bus outside the Forbidden Palace (home of China’s imperial rulers from 1420 to 1911) he decided to sit this one out. Wouldn’t want to get lost and not speak the  language and not know how to get back! It was fascinating, even if a little overwhelming.
Next stop was Xian, home of the famous terracotta warriors. There were hundreds of people (not just terracotta) lined up to see the fabulous collection. For $12 US dollars Keith was provided a private escort by chariot (wheelchair) through that part of the tour. In the evening he was treated to a “very impressive” Chinese Folklore event presented in an operatic style.
From Xian, Keith flew to Chongqing, a port city in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River with the largest municipal area and population in  China. It was in this area that he saw lots of pandas then boarded a riverboat to take a three-night cruise down the Yangtse River. Keith was a bit skeptical about the boarding process – with a bus to the banks of the Yangtse and then a long walk on very old, rickety steps to newer metal planks to the boat. 
The next day they docked down river in Xichang where Keith decided to stay onboard to enjoy the view, food and cool air. Further down the river Keith’s group boarded another boat to take them up the gorge where they saw Rhesus Macaque (monkeys), the primates whose name is used for the Rh Blood Group System.
The last part of the tour included Wu Han, an economically important city since the 4th century, a local farmer, the Summer Palace in Beijing, the  Great Wall and the infamous Tiananmen Square (literally, Gate of Heavenly Peace). The trip ended with a Peking Duck feast and a performance by school age children. “The costumes were out of this world!”
Keith Smith enjoys traveling and has done a lot of it. China was the 60th country he’s visited! Where he will go next?
-Rosemary Bracy
Employment Specialist
HOLIDAY TIPS ~
How to squeeze more fun out of the holidays without going crazy
It’s that time of year – again! The holiday decorations in every store have been beckoning you since Halloween, and so far, you’ve been able to resist the call. Suddenly, it’s December, and the holidays are right around the corner. You should have started earlier, but alas, you were too busy dealing with life on a daily basis. How are you going to get everything done and stay sane? Is there any way to enjoy this holiday season instead of getting caught up in the whirlwind?
Sharon Shea, HRA for Vice Provost for Student Affairs had these helpful hints:
I shop for the holidays all year long and I start wrapping gifts right after Thanksgiving. I hate the malls in December so I avoid them as much as possible. I really spend the holidays visiting with friends and family (something that I don't always have time to do during the rest of the year).
 Sharon’s top 5 hints
- Shop online or use gift cards instead of wasting time going to the mall, etc. Many websites have cyber gift cards.
- Bake and freeze holiday goodies to thaw and eat later.
- Use mailing labels for your holiday card list so that you don’t have to write out the addresses.
- Wrap the gifts that need to be mailed first, and send the packages early so you won't have to stand in long lines.
- Keep in mind that things can be done later, friends and family always come first!
Carmen Jacinto, Office of Staff Employment had this to say:
- Two words: Use a slow cooker. It makes hot meals special, with limited planning and effort!
- I've been commuting to work via train three times per week. I write one quick and personal card per day.
- My daughter has a lot of artwork from the school year. We use these for holiday and greeting cards, so our friends have a personal touch item from us.
- We get a lot of invitations to parties and events. It's hard to say no! We limit our parties and events to just one or two per week.
- I keep thank you notes and extra gift bags/tissue paper in my car trunk just in case I have to wrap something unexpectedly.
- We celebrate the holidays and birthdays at many locations so we try to open all gifts in only one location. That way, wherever we are, we are focusing on visiting with our loved ones, instead of focusing on what gifts are awaiting us.
Laura David, HRM for Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education added this:
Since most of my family is on the east coast, I have to get everything packed and shipped out early. So, I buy gifts throughout the year as I see things on sale, or as I see things that are just right for a particular person. I keep them in a special storage area in my garage and organize the gifts, by person, around the Thanksgiving holiday.
I also keep an Excel spreadsheet to remind me what I gave to friends and family the previous year, and to help me plan what else I need to buy for this year. I generally have very little last minute shopping to do and this leaves me more time to enjoy the holidays. It also helps that I love to shop, so any last minute shopping doesn't really bother me at all!
MORE HOLIDAY TIPS ~
Give a bit of yourself this season!
As Winter break approaches, with more time to spend with family and friends, we should recognize our good fortune and reflect on those who aren’t as lucky. Imagine the children who don’t receive any gifts, parents who struggle to provide for their families, those who are homeless, abused, or penniless, and consider volunteering in one of the numerous organizations in need. The opportunities are endless, so just pick one and get started. You’ll be glad you did!
Volunteer Match
Check out this excellent website! You can enter your zip code and find volunteer activities in your area. There are opportunities ranging from toy donations and meal preparation to bell ringers.
http://www.volunteermatch.org/
The Volunteer Center of San Mateo and San Francisco counties provides a search function on its website that lists volunteer opportunities by date, keyword, areas of interest and skill, location, and type of organization. This site requires registration. http://www.thevolunteercenter.net
Hands on Bay Area
This website lists a wide array of activities for volunteers during the holiday season – from local holiday meal prep, party decorating, to toy distribution. This site requires registration. http://www.communityimpact.org
Barbara Grahn, HRM
Human Resources, Office of Research
Administration and the CFO’s Office
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Lois Benzel
Associate Director for Compensation/Employment
School of Medicine |
Lois Benzel, came to Stanford in 1993 as a Compensation Specialist for the Med School. Lois supervises six or seven staff (depending on who’s out to lunch) and serves a client group of over 3,000 staff. (Although, she admitted she doesn’t know them all personally.)
Lois is the youngest of five children (four girls and a boy) and was raised on a dairy farm north of Bellingham, Washington – as close as you can get to Canada. Lois started working on the farm (as opposed to the Farm) when she was knee-high to a grasshopper – driving a tractor, milking cows, and doing those farm things. She was very active in 4-H while she was growing up and even won a trip to Chicago for a 4-H conference while she was in high school. She and her fellow winners crossed the country by train. It was Lois’s first time away from home and was a very exciting and memorable experience for her. She and I both went misty when she shared that the New Christy Minstrels played at the event.
So, how you gonna keep ’em down on the farm after they’ve seen Chicago? Well, you’re not. Lois was soon off to Western Washington University. Between courses of study, she somehow managed to be there when the fleet came in and in 1971 married a Navy man. Since Cliff was a native of Alaska, they moved to Anchorage and lived there for two years. While there, Lois taught Child Development at the University of Alaska. Her husband’s job took them to Juneau, where Lois got a job as a recruiter for the State of Alaska. This turned out to be a great opportunity because she was able to rotate through all areas of HR and learn the profession from the ground up. She worked for the state from 1973 through 1987 in various HR roles. Her most interesting assignment was being the HR Manager for the Alaska State Troopers, which included the Fish and Wildlife Officers. The “blues” protected people, and the “browns” protected wildlife. Lois had no control over the Royal Canadian Mounted Police…or the “reds.”
Well, along about 1987, Lois and her husband decided it was really cold in Alaska and they were tired of living in a place that could only be reached via air or boat. Also, they wanted to give their two boys more opportunities, so they packed up their snowshoes and moved to Maui(?) Yep. They had vacationed there 4-5 weeks a year and loved it. So, Cliff took a transfer and away they went.
For three or four years, Lois left HR and managed an art gallery for local Hawaiian artists.
Tired of living in paradise, and having realized that Maui, too, can only be reached via air or boat, the Benzels returned to the mainland – this time to California – in 1991. Lois spent a couple of years as a stay-at-home mom, and then came to Stanford in 1993.
Besides doing her HR thing, Lois likes to read, garden, take nice trips, and watch movies at home. I can also attest she is capable of shopping at Home Depot, remodeling a bathroom, ripping out a kitchen cabinet, and tiling a counter. Lois and Cliff have recently joined a car club and are having a great time and meeting lots of new and interesting people as they whiz up and down the state in “the best little sports car there is.”
While Lois can hardly believe she ended up on yet another Farm, she feels fortunate to have spent the last 14 years at such a great institution working with a fine group of colleagues. Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, California…what’s next, I wonder?
Sharys Wheeler, HRM
School of Education/Dean of Research Office |
