The Lion’s Pause, often simply called “The Pause,” is a fond, student-run café and social space located in Buntrock Commons at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Its origins date back to the 1960s when students recognized the need for a dedicated recreational and social hub on campus. The name “Lion’s Pause” reflects the college’s mascot, the lion, symbolizing school pride and community spirit.
Over the decades, The Pause has grown into a multifunctional venue, serving as a café, dining spot, and event space. It offers a range of casual foods like its iconic pizza, snacks, and beverages, all prepared and served by student workers. Beyond dining, The Pause plays a vital role in campus life by hosting concerts, dances, movie nights, open mic events, and other activities, fostering a vibrant and inclusive atmosphere for the St. Olaf community.
Famous People Discussing the Divine Comedy with Dante | CLICK ON IMAGE
The American National Standards Institute is the Global Secretariat for ISO Technical Committee 260 (ISO/TC 260); organized to develop policy templates for standardization solutions that improve management of the workforce in any nation; in any sector or industry. These human resource management standards offer broad, evidence-based guidance to individuals with people management responsibilities, whether formally or informally assigned, in organizations for the benefit of both internal and external stakeholders.
Gleaned from inputs from human resource experts globally, these products are designed to provide guidance on key HR functions in support of its workforce and its management, and sustainable organizational performance. TC/260 is focused on the following tasks:
• Ensuring wide market relevance of its HRM standards. • Facilitating international business. • Providing guidance on professional standards of practice. • Facilitating measurement, comparability and consistency of HR practice with the aim of transparent benchmarking. • Improving internal processes. • Enabling organizations to better achieve optimal organizational outcomes with improved management of human capital
The original University of Michigan user-interest advocacy enterprise was participating member in this project* but that engagement was interrupted suddenly in October 2016 (See ABOUT). We have since picked up where we left off with the same people collaborating with Standards Michigan. ANSI remains the global Secretariat.
We maintain this project on the standing agenda of both our Global and our Human Resource colloquia. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.
“I am sorry that my job is getting in the way of your learning. I hope that the time you gain can be productively used in employment so that you can pay for your college education”
Class Is Canceled Until Further Notice While I Do My Job – McSweeney’s https://t.co/TDhIsAkXau
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Christine Fischer, Lee S. Webster, Richard Robben
ANSI Contacts: Michelle Deane (mdeane@ansi.org)
US TAG Contacts: Lorelei Carobolante, Jim Lewis
*We left off just as the ISO/TS 30411:2018, Human resource management-Quality of hire metric (QoH) standard was rolling out. The QoH was, and still is a performance metric for talent acquisition teams, critical for determining the effectiveness of the recruitment process and has a consequential impact on an organization’s performance. The QoH structure is intended to be scalable to the needs of any organization regardless of size, industry or sector and is relevant to people with an interest in workforce planning, organizational design and development, talent management succession planning, recruitment, and human capital reporting. Read more about ISO/TS 30411:2018 on ISO’s news site, and access it on the ANSI Web Store.
“A work college since its inception in 1906, College of the Ozarks® Work Education Program provides over 130 unique work stations where students earn their education. Students do everything from mowing the grass to overseeing the campus fire station, and they produce some of the most delectable treats around. That’s what you’ll find here, a showcasing of College of the Ozarks students’ talents and trades – small-batch, handcrafted gifts and baked goods, including world-famous fruitcakes, delicious fruit spreads, and student-milled products.
When you choose our campus store and online gift shop, know that you’re supporting our students and that you’ve made a purchase with a purpose.”
College of the Ozarks Missouri
College of the Ozarks | Taney County Missouri
This weekend, our agriculture department welcomed hundreds of FFA students from Missouri and Arkansas for hands-on learning through lectures and competitions. We’re proud to help train the next generation of agriculture! #HardWorkUpic.twitter.com/QKSARNtw0o
— College of the Ozarks (@CofOHardWorkU) March 3, 2025
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Left Panel Of George Julian Zolnay’s Allegorical “Academic, Business & Manual Education” Granite Frieze At Francis L. Cardozo High School (Washington, DC)
All fifty United States have their own “signature” disaster with which to reckon; some more than others. California has earthquakes, Florida has hurricanes, Missouri has floods; and so on, Life and property loss are preventable; but losses will persist because technical solutions notwithstanding, culture determines human behavior. It is impossible to be alive and safe.
FM Global is one of several organizations that curate privately developed consensus products that set the standard of care for many industries; education communities among them. These standards contribute to the reduction in the risk of property loss due to fire, weather conditions, and failure of electrical or mechanical equipment. They incorporate nearly 200 years of property loss experience, research and engineering results, as well as input from consensus standards committees, equipment manufacturers and others.
If you want FMGlobal as your insurance carrier, or to supplement your organization’s self-insurance program, then you will likely be assigned an FMGlobal conformity professional.
A scan of its list data sheets indicate a number of noteworthy updates of documents establishing minimum requirements for safety technologies common in education facilities:
Note that the bulk of the safety concepts in the foregoing titles incorporate by reference the safety concepts that cross our radar every day FM Global provides direct access to the full span of its documents at this link:
To respond to calls for public consultation you will need to set up (free) access credentials.
We keep FMGlobal titles — and the literature of other property insurers involved in standards setting — on the standing agenda of our Risk, Snow and Prometheus colloquia. See our CALENDAR for the next meeting.
“Neither party shall be liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations under this agreement due to events beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, war, terrorism, civil commotion, labor strikes, and natural disasters. The affected party shall promptly notify the other party of the force majeure event and take reasonable steps to mitigate its impact on performance. During the continuance of such events, the obligations of the affected party shall be suspended, and the time for performance shall be extended.”
Example 2: Detailed Force Majeure Clause
“In the event that either party is unable to perform its obligations under this agreement due to a force majeure event, the affected party shall promptly notify the other party in writing, specifying the nature and anticipated duration of the force majeure event. Force majeure events shall include, but are not limited to, acts of God, strikes, lockouts, government action or inaction, war, terrorism, epidemics, and natural disasters. The affected party shall use reasonable efforts to overcome or mitigate the effects of the force majeure event. If the force majeure event continues for a period of [specified duration], either party may terminate this agreement by providing written notice to the other party.”
“We have art in order not to perish from the Truth”
— Friedrich Nietzsche
We occasionally break from our focus on the technology and management of these “cities-within-cities” and dwell briefly on the primary business of the academy. Academic museums and galleries provide a setting for conveying inherited wisdom to the next generation of cultural leaders. We include in this gallery examples of architectural art of the buildings themselves. Click on images for more artist and location credit. Technical information about safety and sustainability of this facility class appears at the bottom of this page.
“Street Scene, Christmas Morning” 1982 Frederick Childe Hassam | Smith College Museum of Art
“The Prairie is My Garden” | Harvey Dunn (1884-1952) | South Dakota State University Art Museum
“La Débâcle or Les Glaçons” (1880) | Claude Monet | University of Michigan Museum of Art
Harvard University Art Museum | “Thatched-Roof Cottage by a Lake” | Myles Birket Foster (1825 – 1899)
“The Fall of Novgorod” (1891) / Klaudii Vasilievich Lebedev / University of Wiscosin Chazen Museum of Art
“Dancer” c. 1923 José Miguel Covarrubias Duclaud | Museum of Art & Archeology University of Missouri
Brigham University Museum of Art | “Crossing the Mississippi on the Ice” | C.C.A. Christensen (1878)
Self-portrait, 1919 Amedeo Modigliani /Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo
Princeton University Art Museum | “Shinnecock, Long Island” | William Merritt Chase (1896)
Georgetown University Museum of Art | “Fujiyama from Kawaibashi, at Tokaido” (circa 1880) | Kusakabe Kimbei
“Volcanic Cones” 1934 Maynard Dixon | Brigham Young University
University of Virginia Museum of Art | “The Natural Bridge, Virginia” | Frederic Edwin Church (1852)
Colby College Museum of Art | “Frankie and Johnny” | Alex Katz (1948-1949)
Bowdoin College Museum of Art | View on the Hudson | George Inness
University of Vienna Ceiling Paintings (Medicine)
Princeton University Art Museum | “Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge” | Claude Monet (1899)
Dinastía Qing / Penn University Museum
Yale University Art Museum | “Young Woman and Child | Berthe Morisot (1966)
Princeton University Art Museum | “Mount Adams, Washington” | Albert Bierstadt (1875)
Michigan State University | Broad Art Museum
“Piazza San Marco with the Basilica by Canaletto, 1730” / Harvard University Art Museum
“Boathouses and Lobster Pots” | Fairfield Porter | Amherst College Art Museum
Harvard University | In the Sierras, Lake Tahoe (Albert Bierstadt)
Stanford University Art Museum
“Indians Playing Lacrosse on the Ice” 1934 Yale University Art Gallery
Stanford University | “The Burghers of Calais” by Auguste Rodin
University of Texas | Indians of the Northwest (Thomas Hill)
Arizona State University Art Museum
Yale University | The Battle of Bunker Hill (John Trumbull)
Dante Gabriel Rossetti | La Pia de Tolomei | University of Kansas Art Museum
During the construction of the new “Christine Nöstlinger Education Campus,” great care was taken to not only make the site accessible to schoolchildren and students, but also to involve the entire neighborhood in its use. We spoke with Rudolf Leber from MA 56 about how standards specifically contribute to making the outdoor facilities safe and robust.
Key points about how Austria cares for its children in kindergarten, based on its early childhood education system:
Compulsory Kindergarten Year: Since 2009, Austria has mandated a free, compulsory kindergarten year for all children who turn five by August 31, requiring at least 20 hours of attendance per week over four days. This ensures early education access and prepares children for primary school.
Variety of Kindergarten Options: Austria offers diverse kindergarten types—public (free, government-subsidized), private (partially subsidized, costing around €250/month), parent-run (costing about €100/month with parental involvement), and company-run
(Betriebskindergarten)—catering to different family needs and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Focus on Development: Kindergartens aim to support physical, mental, and emotional growth through play-based learning and group interaction, complementing family care. The Nationwide Framework Curriculum emphasizes holistic development without formal school-like instruction.
Accessibility and Subsidies: Public kindergartens are free, though parents may pay for meals (around €60/month), while private options remain affordable due to government subsidies. Many facilities operate long hours (e.g., 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.) to accommodate working parents.
Decentralized Governance with Quality Standards: The nine federal provinces oversee kindergarten legislation and operations, allowing regional flexibility, while national agreements (e.g., 15a B-VG) and frameworks ensure quality, such as trained pedagogues and reasonable child-staff ratios (e.g., max 25 children per teacher in public settings).
This standard provides a framework for assessing both the benefits and risks associated with playground equipment and activities. It introduces a dual-assessment process to balance the developmental advantages of play against potential hazards, ensuring safer design and use.
This technical specification outlines the competencies required for inspectors and maintenance technicians of playgrounds. It covers routine visual inspections, operational checks, annual main inspections, and post-installation or post-accident assessments, ensuring outdoor playgrounds remain safe and functional.
While primarily focused on trampoline parks, this standard includes provisions relevant to outdoor playgrounds with trampoline features, addressing safety requirements for design, installation, and operation to protect children during play.
Notice the product orientation. ASTM’s business model is built upon conformity and compliance activity, supported by market incumbents such as manufacturer and insurance interests; but — as an ANSI accredited standards developer — it opens its standards-setting process to all stakeholders; including in one of the largest markets for these products.
We are happy to represent any user-interest at any of the ASTM International meetings; assuming our costs are covered. Feel free to contact Sanne Anthony either by email or phone for more information. In the intervening time, we will track action in the ASTM catalog an maintain relevant titles in this product category on several standing agendas — Sports, Kindergarten and Recreation. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting.
ASTM has released two documents for public review — one a new standard, the other a revision of an existing standard — that should interest K-12 school systems which are stewards of recreational facilities :
Comments are due April 23rd. You may obtain a free review copy by setting up a (free) stakeholder account at ASTM Technical Committee page or by communicating with Corice Leonard, (610) 832-9744, cleonard@astm.org or accreditation@astm.org. Send comments to Corice (with a copy to psa@ansi.org).
The ASTM International Committee F08 on Sports Equipment, Playing Surfaces, and Facilities also meets again May 21-24th in San Diego. We keep all ASTM documents that affect the revenue and cost structure of the education industry on the standing agenda of our weekly Open Door teleconferences to which everyone is welcomed.
New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwBpic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
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