HAWAIIAN EXCHANGE PROGRAM
STARTING THIS SUMMER, the OLLI National Resource Center has announced that it will sponsor student exchanges among some of its affiliated OLLIs. It has selected OLLI-Mason and OLLI-Honolulu for the initial pilot program since both offer access to major tourist attractions and excellent weather; thus, such an exchange program is likely to be an instant hit.
     Students from each site will be able to attend all classes at the other location and will also exchange homes, thereby avoiding the cost of hotels. OLLI-Honolulu is located on the ground floor of a high-rise building (see photo above) adjacent to Waikiki Beach, and many of its members live in condos on the upper floors with breathtaking views of Waikiki and Diamond Head. Anyone wishing to participate in this exciting new program should contact the office as soon as possible since places are expected to fill up quickly.
A PIECE OF THE PIE OLLI SUPPORTS CLEAN ENERGY
IN A SPECIAL BOARD MEETING, the Board of Directors discussed possible actions that OLLI could take to do its part in supporting clean-energy initiatives while at the same time increasing membership. After much debate over various proposals, one action arose that won the support of a large majority of the Board in a formal vote: to "go green" by purchasing an all-electric car.
      The car would be used primarily by the executive director, including for his personal use outside of regular business hours. The Board thought the chosen vehicle, a Tesla roadster in Mason Gold Metallic (photo at right), would be much more suitable for the executive director to be seen in than his current vehicles – the hulking, black pickup truck or the menacing, black Harley Davidson motorcycle. The Tesla roadster goes more than 240 miles between charges and can be charged in under four hours by plugging it into any available 110v or 220v electrical outlet. OLLI's Tesla is expected to arrive before the beginning of the summer term, just in time for top-down traveling.
     When not needed by the executive director, the Tesla would be available for use by any mature (over 50 years old) staff member, Board member, committee chair, resource-group chair, or editor when conducting official OLLI business. Since the vehicle is eye-catching and will have a prominent OLLI logo on each side, the car will be a wonderful advertisement for our institute; many prospective members will see it as it travels throughout the Northern Virginia area between our sites in Fairfax, Reston and Sterling.
     The car costs only $109,000 ... a real bargain. The OLLI treasurer assured the Board that the cost of the vehicle "can be covered with current funds" and that there is absolutely no intention whatsoever of assessing the membership a pro-rata share of the cost, which in any case would not exceed $130 per member.
DRIVER'S ED FOR SENIORS
DO YOU DRIVE A CAR? Then you know from personal experience, as I do, how aging can slow one's reflexes and how the stress of driving in Northern Virginia among its rushing, discourteous drivers can be overwhelming. Fortunately, help is here!
     OLLI has located a great training film that is guaranteed to help you improve your driving skills. Strongly endorsed by seniors who have watched it, this film is less than four minutes long but is extremely effective. The theory is this: you can learn by watching others' mistakes and striving to avoid them. So, make sure your speakers are turned on, then click here to watch the new training film (when you click to watch, a YouTube page will open, and the film will start playing). MASON'S NEW EXPERIMENT AT TALLWOOD MASON'S FACILITIES DEPARTMENT, whose full-time employees regularly perform the cleaning and maintenance of Tallwood facilities, announced a new experimental program that will help employ the homeless now living in University shelters.
     The plan is to use automated robotic cleaning devices that can be operated by the homeless without special training. According to the Mason Facilities Director, the University would not pay these homeless workers but they would be fed at a cost of "peanuts ... or not more than cat food, in any case."
     Not all of Tallwood could be cleaned this way, but the three classrooms, the social room, and the annex are susceptible. Click here [http://tinyurl.com/58jmto] to watch a 47 sec. video on how this experiment works (when you click to watch, a YouTube page will open, and the film will start playing).