You may have heard the term “Foundations of Excellence” mentioned around campus. And we hope you took part in the surveys that were distributed to faculty, staff and students last fall
April 18, 2011
In-Service Day to focus on campus safety
We’ve seen the headlines over and over, and far too often: acts of violence on college campuses. The most tragic examples – such as the shootings at Virginia Tech – reverberate for months, even years. But many other cases often go unnoticed, or even unreported.
This week’s Spring In-Service Day will examine many aspects of campus violence and options to limit or prevent it. The threat can reach beyond the classroom and could easily impact any employee on campus including those in offices, student gathering areas and suburban sites. Each of three break-out sessions will look at different threats and how to handle them. The training was developed by the Classroom Safety Committee and is designed to reach all departments on campus. The committee is composed of faculty and staff. They have asked - and listened - to campus concerns and developed this training in response.
Chief Sean Asbury will facilitate Critical Incident – Active Shooter. It will look at what do if an active shooter enters a classroom – or an office. The seminar will provide faculty and staff options should they find themselves in a classroom with an active shooter.
Dealing with Difficult Students and Addressing Disruptive Behavior: Surviving the Moment will be offered by Dr. Mark Querry. The session addresses strategic approaches and techniques designed to give participants hands-on training for handling aggressive behavior inside and outside the classroom.
Finally, Kellie Brennan will facilitate
Student Conduct, Behavioral Intervention Teams, and Emergency Resources.
This will answer who you should call with concerns about students. It
will also give you the resources to respond to serious behavioral issues,
such as threats of violence.
You’re likely aware of the situation in Arizona earlier this year when Jared
Lee Loughner shot and killed several people and wounded congresswoman Gabby
Giffords. Loughner had been temporarily suspended from a community college
and referred for a psychological assessment by experts on the campus. The
screening in place at that college - which identified him as a potential
threat - is similar to the system already used here at Columbus State.
Brennan will explain how her team looks for warning signs and attempts to
take action before a tragic situation unfolds.
Each of the three breakout session will be offered three times over the course of the afternoon with an optional question and answer session to follow. This will allow everyone to attend all three sessions. (Only one interpreter for the hearing impaired will be available and will attend the sessions in a specific order. Details of when they’ll attend each session will be announced during the morning session.)
The beginning of In-Service will begin as usual with breakfast served beginning at 7:45 a.m. in the tent outside. Please note: while a survey was sent asking if you would be attending breakfast, lunch, or both, that was only to get an estimate on turnout since this In-Service Day falls on Good Friday. You may still stop by for both meals if you forgot to reply. In addition, you do not need to bring a receipt showing that you responded to the survey.
The morning program will begin at 9 a.m. with several announcements and updates to programs on campus. President Harrison will then give his address on a range of topics and issues impacting the campus community. That will be followed by years-of-service awards, employee-of-the-year award, and teachers-of-the-year awards. There will be a special section near the front for awards winners (and nominees in the case of the teacher awards) to sit.
Lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m. During that break there are several events. The annual health fair will be held in Nestor Hall from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Also, a shredding truck will arrive on campus by noon. It will be parked in lot 3-E. That’s the lot between Franklin and Delaware Halls. The truck will be there until 2 p.m. rain or shine. You may bring any items that need to be shredded from the office or from your home.
A schedule of the day’s events can be found online here.
Registration and fee payment options to change April 22
CATS being eliminated
The Computer Automated Touchtone System (CATS) will no longer be
available for students to register or pay fees, effective Friday, April
22. Students will still have two options to register and pay fees
without coming to campus including calling the Telephone Information
Center (TIC) at 287-5353 during normal business hours, or by logging
into their Cougarweb account at
www.cscc.edu.
Students should be directed to these resources for both registration and fee payment. Summer Quarter registration begins Monday, April 25, and the Summer Quarter fee payment deadline is June 22.
8th annual Writers Conference is May 7
Columbus State will hold the eighth annual Writers Conference, "iWrite: The Pen and the PC," from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 7. The conference will be held in the Columbus State Conference Center, fourth floor of WD. The day-long event includes breakfast and lunch, and costs $60 to attend; $20 for students with ID.
The opening session will be given by Lev Grossman, lead technology writer for Time Magazine and a best-selling novelist, author of Warp (1998), Codex (2004), and The Magicians (2009). Grossman has degrees in comparative literature from Harvard and Yale.
For more information about the Writers Conference, or to register, visit the conference website.
Chili Cook-off to raise funds for charity
The Staff Advisory Council will hold a chili cook-off contest and bake sale to benefit several SAC charities, including the Hunger Alliance, the Employee Book Scholarship and Holidays are for Kids. To enter your chili recipe, the cost is $5 per entry. To taste the chili is $2. SAC invites you to donate baked goods, or come and purchase them at the sale. Volunteers for the event are also needed. The event will be held Thursday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Nestor Hall Student Lounge. Need more information? Contact Sue Thomas at sthoma10@cscc.edu or ext. 5534.
Cultural Arts Center invites public for conversation
Mark your calendars for noon every Thursday for
Conversation & Coffee with the Cultural Arts Center. These one-hour
explorations of the artist and artistic expression are free to all. Just
bring a sack lunch and we'll provide the coffee! Parking is at meters around
the Cultural Arts Center and the area, so try to come a little early. The
Cultural Arts Center is located at 139 W. Main Street, just opposite the new
Bicentennial Park.
Conversation & Coffee Schedule:
April 21: Sandy Reddig, Pastel Portraits
April 28: Judy Hoberg, “Critters in Clay”; Denise Romecki, ceramic
artist; Teda Theis, abstract painter and ceramic artist
May 5: Debbie Johnson, fiber artist and writer
May 12: Cody Miller, art instructor and resident artist with Good
Will Art Studio
May 19: Dianne Efsic, mixed media and loft gallery artist
May 26: Tom Dodge, photographer, The Columbus Dispatch
Weight Watchers at Work starts April 19
The next session of Weight Watchers at Work will start
Tuesday, April 19, at noon in the DX Conference Room on the third floor.
The cost for the program is $120 and can be payroll deducted. If you are
interested, please contact Nichole Bowman-Glover at ext. 3989 or
nbowmang@cscc.edu
As population grows, expertise on teaching students with autism
increases
Between Autumn Quarters in 2007 and 2010, the number of students registered with Disability Services as having autism has increased 600 %, from six students to 41. This trend is not unique to our campus.
Since the 2008, more than 100 faculty members have had a student in their class who has identified themselves as on the autism spectrum. This faculty experience represents a wealth of information and expertise on how to best identify approach and work with this rapidly growing segment of the higher education population.
That is
why Disability Services and the Autism/Aspergers Awareness Club are
offering a workshop this spring entitled: “Recognizing and
Supporting College Students on the Autism Spectrum”. It
will be led by Matthew A. Wilson, the educational specialist for
the Autism College Transition program.
The workshop will consist of an exploration of autism and higher
education and practical guidelines for teaching and working with
students who are on the spectrum. It will use feedback from
participants, student work samples and case studies to discover what is
most helpful when working
with students on the autism spectrum in the higher education classroom.
Free screening of "Temple Grandin" April 20
The Film "Temple Grandin", winner of seven Emmy Awards starring Claire Danes as the well- known animal scientist and advocate with autism, will be shown on Wednesday, April 20 at 5 p.m. in Nestor Hall 222. The screening is sponsored by the Autism/Aspergers Awareness and Advocacy Club. Free popcorn and drinks will be provided. There will also be an open discussion afterward.