DIRECTOR'S NOTE - JULY 14

July marks the start of another year with OLLI at WVU. On Monday, the board elected a new officers, including president, Linda Jacknowitz; vice-president, Ed Johnson; secretary, Earl Melby; and treasurer, George Trapp. New board members Kathy Hanko and Gwen Rosenbluth were also welcomed and we thanked outgoing members Connie McCluskey, Carolyn Nelson, and Royce Keller. As previous president, Jim Held was joined the Board of Advisors.

As you start classes this summer, you may notice that we rearranged a few things and cleaned up a little. We sent more than 10 bags of shredded paper and numerous boxes to recycling; updated the computers in the classrooms; added seating in the member lounge; cleaned out old books and magazines; decluttered our spaces; scrubbed the table tops and more. I want to give a big Thank You to everyone who helped on Monday, June 26! We couldn’t have done it without you!

Another change you will notice is with our name tags. It seems that as a year progresses and more and more members return or join for the first time, our name tag situation deteriorates. Cords get jumbled, names get lost, cords get even more jumbled… It’s great to have name tags for those of us who have difficulty remembering names and to make our new members feel welcome. But there’s no easy solution to the perfect name tag situation. So, after a discussion at the annual meeting, we have decided to encourage you to take them with you after class. When you come for your first class, pick up your name tag in the member lounge, slide it into a card holder on a cord, and it’s all yours! After class, drop it in your bag, leave it in your car, or set it by the car keys for the next time you head out for OLLI.

You might also want to bring a hand fan and a bottle of water if you have a class in classroom A. During this height of summer heat, the air conditioner in classroom A has decided to stop working. We are in the process of trying to repair or replace it but it’s probably going to be a few weeks. We have moved most classes to classroom B (so be sure to check when you arrive if your class has been moved) and added two fans to classroom A to keep air circulating but it’s still going to be warm in there.

If you’re not yet registered for summer OLLI classes, there’s still time! We have several classes yet to begin with space available. Hope to see you soon!
 

Jascenna