September 16, 2009 – Steve Henning invited Pat Statzell to speak on Ethics. Ethics is a code of behavior. We learn our ethics from our parents, at school and church, and in general socializing. Media obviously influences behavior and ethics as well. Recently the media has covered Congressman Wilson’s breach of protocol, Serena William’s U.S. Open meltdown, and the Philadelphia Eagles signing QB Michael Vick, after he completed a 20-month sentence for a federal dogfighting conviction. In his book Do the Right Thing, James F. Parker, former CEO of Southwest Airlines, wrote in  his business model 1. Everybody is important, 2. When someone is hired, he is told the mission statement of the company and where he fits into that mission. 3. The people doing the job have the expertise to solve the problems, not the management, 4. One must manage one’s business in good times so that it will last in bad times, 5. Everyone is expected to do the right thing.

September 23– Dr. Jason Lanter is a social psychologist who studies sports fan behavior.

George: Are you a fan? Jason: Yes. George: What’s your team? Jason: Which sport?

There is a scale of “fandom.” Avid fans have rituals that they believe affect the outcome of the games—things they must do, clothes they must wear. In ranking his rituals, one fan said the shirt and pants weren’t as important to the outcome of the game as the underwear.

Larry: How do you get them to tell you these things?
Jason: Just ask. It’s amazing what people will tell you.

The Bandwagon effect: A 1976 study of Arizona State students found that students wore more ASU apparel to classes the Monday after a team win.

That is called “basking in reflective glory” or BIRGing for short. The flip side is called CORFing, or “cutting off reflected failure.” Notice that fans say “we won” but “they lost.”

Men say they are fans because they like or played sports or have money riding on the outcome. Women fans say they like going to and watching sports with friends and family. If women go crazy at games, it is appreciated. Men overacting are viewed less favorably, especially at women’s events.

Celebratory violence: It may begin spontaneously; then it becomes a tradition of the fans or the school. Police response tends to be more restrained than police response to other similar non-sports-related violence. The U.S. version is different from the fan violence at European soccer games, which involves underlying issues of class and nationality. A solution to the violence: Field losing teams.

Do teams gain benefit from fans? Actually, there may not be any “home team advantage.” Fans and family place so much pressure on a team, that if the team is on a losing streak, it’s good to get out of town and play away.

September 30—We spent the evening learning about Marburg, Germany, the hometown of Lukas Bodenbender, exchange student extraordinaire. A town of 80,000 nestled along the river Lahn, Marburg’s origins date to the 10th century. Here, in the 13th century, Elizabeth, child bride and young widow of Landgrave Ludwig IV came to serve the poor and establish a hospital. When she died at the age of 24, she was canonized. The church of St. Elizabeth was begun 4 years after her death in 1235 and remains one of the most impressive works of early gothic architecture. The Landgrave castle, which overshadows the town, was only a fortress when Elizabeth arrived. In 1529 Elizabeth’s descendent Landgrave Philip the Magnanimous hosted Martin Luther for The Ecumenical Colloquy. It was Philip who began the world’s oldest Protestant university (1527). Today nearly 20,000 students study in Marburg at Philipps-Universität.

For us, the images of the steep and winding streets in the old town, with the many-storied post-and-beam houses, remind us that the fairytales we read about in our picture books as children are based on real places.

Announcements

*Follow our outbound exchange student’s adventures in Brazil via his blog: "http://www.flatrichard.blogspot.com/"

*Board meetings are the 3rd Wed. of the month.

*Foundation distribution is as follows:

Birthdays

• 10/9—S. Altenberg
• 10/12—J. Cevallos
• 10/14—P. McCloskey
• 10/17—B. Hobaugh
• 10/23—L. Biehl
• 10/29—S. Henning

Anniversaries

• 10/4—M. DeFilipps
• 10/17 —K. Snyder
• 10/30 —B. Martin

Programs

• 10/7—Student of the Month – L. Biehl
• 10/14-- Asera Care Hospice  - J. Boyer
• 10/21—Club Assembly
• 10/28—Trick or Treat Night at Nancy’s

Please notify Patt when you have lined up your speaker so she can add it to the bulletin.

Board Meetings are the Third Wednesday of the Month

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Kutztown Rotary Club Officers

Avenues of Service

Meetings: the Club Room at the Kutztown Tavern, 272 West Main Street, Kutztown