The 23rd annual Columbus State celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday will be held on Tuesday, January 15 at 11:00 a.m. in the Conference Center Ballroom. The celebration will feature a keynote address by actor, producer and humanitarian Danny Glover.
Final touches are being put on Columbus State’s newest Regional Learning Center, located inside Reynoldsburg High School. The unique partnership benefits both institutions and the community. 
Spring Semester is starting soon, and registration is under way. Make sure your students are ready.
January 3, 2013
Warm and cozy in the Library
As the snow piles up outside, Terri Gehr and Jack Cooley work in the Library during the Holiday Cost Savings Initiative week, which ran December 22-31. A big snowstorm closed campus on December 26, and wintery weather further reduced the number of employees working over the holiday break.
Personal Business Leave due January 7
In order to process the Personal Business Leave Pay Out of up to 16.0 hours of unused 2012 personal business leave for the January 31, 2013 pay date, all outstanding forms should be turned into the payroll department by Monday, January 7.
IRS increases mileage rate effective Jan. 1
Columbus State's travel procedure 9-06(A) ties mileage reimbursement rates to the IRS guidelines. The Internal Revenue Service recently announced that business mileage rates will be increased from 55.5 cents per mile to 56.5 cents per mile effective January 1, 2013.
Travel forms are available on the Intranet and will be updated to reflect the new rates. Reimbursement forms that are in-transit will have the mileage rate adjusted by the Travel Office for travel that occurs on or after January 1, 2013. Questions regarding the new rates should be addressed to Betty Sugar in the Travel Office at ext. 2421.
Nestor, Brennan present at Two-Year College Legal Symposium
Kelli Brennan
John Nestor
Public Safety Director John Nestor and Director of Student Life Kellie Brennan recently presented on the importance of having a campus Behavior Intervention Team (BIT) for handling classroom disruptions and mitigating perceived threats. The presentation was part of the Ohio Attorney General’s Two-ear College Legal Symposium held in Columbus.
Several years ago, Columbus State became one of the first community colleges in Ohio to create a Behavior Intervention Team. Its purpose is to provide the appropriate intervention and support to students and employees while always striving to protect the wellbeing of the college.
"We know for a fact that many cases have been successfully mitigated, due to the effective and timely work of our BIT," said Nestor. "An effective and informed team strikes the right balance between overreacting and underreacting."
The Columbus State team consists of trained and experienced representatives from Student Conduct, Public Safety, Counseling and Disability Services along with the Dean of Student Life. The team approach is holistic, reviewing the circumstances, the individual, and the context of the concern. It is followed by a coordinated team response which could involve individual security precautions when needed.
For repeated student disruptions, contact Kellie Brennan at ext. 2117 for a review. In most cases, the sooner the call is made, the better it is to prevent potential escalation. For immediate threatening behavior, contact Public Safety ext. 2525, or call 911.
Departments take part in Critical Incident Exercise
The Columbus State Department of Public Safety held an Integrated Emergency Management exercise December 20 with Business and Campus Services, Marketing and Communications, Information Technology and Physical Plant. In the exercise, the departments had to “talk through” a critical incident using their Emergency Response Guidelines.
Each department involved in the exercise had previously developed their Emergency Response Guidelines and completed an introductory exercise using their guidelines. The participating departments are considered critical because they are important to everyday operations and would be involved during and after a critical incident.
Other critical areas such as Student Affairs are developing their own emergency response guidelines, and will take part in future integrated exercises. The exercise was directed by Emergency Management Coordinator Andrew Jarvi. Attending the Dec. 20 exercise were Aletha Shipley and Beth Bates, Business and Campus Services; Mark French, Physical Plant; Jim Beidler and Doug Rellick, IT; Will Kopp and David Wayne, Marketing and Communications; and John Nestor and Babette Money, Public Safety.
Advising Services publishes January newsletter Connections
Lots of good information for students can be found on the Advising Services website http://www.cscc.edu/services/advising/ in their January issue of Connections, the Advising Services newsletter.
In the January issue, you’ll find articles about renewing the FAFSA, the Generation One Trailblazers (GOT) student organization, and a quiz to find out if they are “doing what it takes to succeed.” There is also a farewell article to Jocelyn North and Laura Houston-Hoburg, two long-time employees who have recently retired from Advising Services!
Career Services offers new planning tool for students
The Office of Career Services has recently completed a career planning web tool for students that you should know about! The Ohio Career and Information System (OCIS) is an online planning tool free to currently enrolled Columbus State students. It can be accessed at home or on campus.
Using the OCIS, students can create their own plan and use the online tools to explore their interests. Students can also research careers and develop a plan to track their progress toward meeting their goals. OCIS provides various resources to assist students in the career planning. Students can visit the Career Services homepage at http://www.cscc.edu/services/careers/ and click on “Career Plan” to get started. Career Services also welcomes the opportunity to work with faculty to provide career workshops and classroom presentations! For more information, contact Dr. Chandra Bell at ext. 2782 or stop by Nestor Hall 108.
Spring Semester Welcome Team seeks volunteers
The Welcome Team Spring Semester 2013 will be held Monday and Tuesday, January 14 and 15, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Welcome Team counts on your support and hopes you will be able to join in the fun as they welcome new and returning students to the Columbus State campus.
Your service is vital and has a direct impact on student success at Columbus State. Your time, patience and enthusiasm create an excitement that makes Welcome Team a valuable experience for all.
For Spring Semester the Welcome Team will be offering assistance on the second floor of Madison Hall in the Student Assistance Center lobby.
Please RSVP to Barbara Allen, ballen03@cscc.edu, or call ext. 5297 with the times and days you are able to volunteer. She will send you a confirmation within 24 hours.