If you’ve been following the Foundations of Excellence (FoE) progress, or want to know more about the initiative and how it impacts our students, information is now available online
Important notices:
Delaware Hall elevator out of order
The Delaware Hall elevator will remain out of order this week until a new part can be ordered and installed.
RAVE test rescheduled
Those who have subscribed to the RAVE mobile alert system will receive a “test” message on their cell phones Wednesday, August 24 at 1 p.m.
Parking Garage closed for cleaning
The Parking Garage will be closed for cleaning August 24-28, by floors: Wednesday, Aug. 24 - 4th floor; Thursday, Aug. 25 – 3rd and 4th floors; Friday-Sunday, Aug. 26-28 – entire garage closed.
Title III spells tutoring
When you think of Title III, think of tutoring and articulation. That's Teddi Lewis-Hotopp's advice. She and her four-person team manage the five-year $2,000,000 federal grant. Title III, Part A, provides funds to 'strengthen institutions' and will run through 2014.
"The purpose of our grant," says Lewis-Hotopp, "is to develop infrastructures for both tutoring and articulation, or transfers. For the past 18 months we've been busy researching and piloting new models of tutoring, as well as Supplemental Instruction. We also offer training opportunities for tutors."
Supplemental Instruction (SI) pays successful students, recommended by faculty, to guide study groups that meet several times a week. In national surveys, SI boosts the student’s course grade by at least a half a grade level. “In the coming year, the Tutoring Advisory Committee will also explore tutor orientation so it's consistent college-wide,” she continued.
SI will be an option in nine sections this fall - Math 102, 103, 104, 135, 148, Advanced Medical Terminology, Nursing 100, Psychology 100, and Introduction to Sports and Exercise Studies. By working with tutoring coordinators, chairs, and faculty, the Title III team has helped to put together proposals for the Career and Technical Programs division, as well as a plan for the Delaware Campus. They will soon implement an online tutor tracking and scheduling resource called TutorTrac 4.0.
Articulation efforts so far have identified all the school transfer agreements, standardized some of the language, and created a searchable database that will debut Fall Quarter.
If all goes well, a Blackboard site will be up and running for the tutoring community as well as a web portal to address the tutoring needs of Distance Learning students. To find out more, contact Lewis-Hottop at tlewisho@cscc.edu or call her at ext. 5104.
They thank the Academy
Mark Van Horn, left, and David Wayne, Institutional Advancement, show off their 2011 Telly Award received for their web video series “Real Community.”
The Telly Awards honor the best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as video and film productions, and work created for the web. The series also won the Gold Medallion Award from the National Council on Marketing and Public Relations last year.
Poetry reading expanded
to include music on August 24
The Bookstore has expanded the poetry reading planned for Wednesday, August 24 into a music and poetry open mic for anyone who wishes to perform a favorite selection. The time will still run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The LoRActs! - changing behavior one recycle bin at a time
“I believe it’s time we fundamentally change how we view the trash we generate,” said Anita “Hari” Ruiz, program coordinator in Knowledge Resources and Planning.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is more than just a slogan for Ruiz, who has been recycling since the early 1970s and holds a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management. When she noticed an opportunity to build on the current recycling effort at Columbus State, she and several office mates banded together to make a difference.
Calling themselves “The League of Recyclers Acts!” or The LoRActs! for short (inspired by Dr. Seuss’s book “The Lorax,” the group’s primary goal was to make it easier for employees to recycle and encourage us to “think before you toss” anything into a traditional trash can.
Because recycling can be a bit confusing, The LoRActs! started by creating a recycling station with multiple bins, clearly labeling each as to what type of material can be recycled or reused. For items that aren’t easily identifiable, the group included a bin for “Questionable Items.”
“The Questionable Bin has been a great way to further educate people,” said Ruiz. Reusing materials obtained from the warehouse, the group created the “Board of Education”—a cork board where educational materials can be posted. After researching each questionable item, the group creates an information sheet explaining what material it is, whether it can be reused or recycled, and how the user can be more proactive. The item is displayed on the Board of Education to promote awareness of ways to reduce waste.
“Making even a small effort can make a big difference if we all take part,” said Ruiz. Take for example the Tiny Trashcans that are popping up around the President’s Office. Rather than a large receptacle under your desk, the Tiny Trashcan sits on top of the desk. “This makes us much more aware of everything we are putting into it, so we can reconsider how items might be recycled or reused instead. Sometimes, encouraging recycling is just a matter of making it easier to stop and think before we just throw things away.”